The Story of Stuff

My dad just sent me a link to what I would claim is one of the most motivating short films I've ever seen. "The Story of Stuff" with Annie Leonard (http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html) is a 20 minute film that tracks how our consumeristic economy works, from gathering resources for our stuff to its creation in factories, marketing and selling in big-box stores, and finally disposal in land-fills or incinerators. Annie speaks simply and convincingly, such that by the 3rd step in the 5 step process she outlines, I was already silently wondering "what can I do to help? What can I do to stop this process?" Replete with cartoon illustrations, this short film definitely "got the point accross." It also contained some interesting facts I never knew, like how during the post-WWII economic boom the government actually designed the system to run on an increasingly rapid use of resources for consumerism. I also learned that during this time, researchers actually wrote very openly in scholarly articles about just how cheaply/inefficiently/easily they could make a product (that was designed to be thrown away in as little time as possible) while still maintaining the consumers' faith in the market! I'd definitely recommend this short film to everyone.

In other news, my post-surgical rehabilitation is going well. It is slow right now because motion and resistance exercises must be limited to protect the surgical repair. I have 3 sutures inside my shoulder joint capsule, which will stay with me the rest of my life. The pictures of them from during the surgery made them look like teeny, cable ropes; they look strong, so hopefully they will do their job well. I have a home exercise program where I basically stand against a wall at different orientations and push on it with my arm; I also use a pulley system to assist my arm with movement and range of motion. I don't have to wear my sling as much; only outside of the house. In general, things are on the upswing. Thanks to everyone who sent good thoughts and well-wishes my way during this tough time.