Rock the Green

Being green and sustainable is the right thing to do, right?  When I spent last summer in northern California, I became accustomed to a lifestyle where I frequently rode my bike and separated trash from food to be later composted.  When I got back to the Midwest, I realized how a good chunk of the country does not practice these simple ways to reduce one's carbon footprint.  That is, until today.

Earlier in the week, one of my RAs told me about a day long music festival called Rock the Green to be hosted on a Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee's Veteran's Park.  The festival not only focused on increasing awareness on how to be more sustainable, but featured artists like Michelle Branch, The Fray, and my personal favorite - Ben Folds.  

Although the day was a bit chilly and included a good bought of rain, it couldn't have been a more perfect end to my weekend.  Maybe it's a little lofty to think that having compost receptacles at a concert venue will turn the residents of Milwaukee into more mindful citizens.... nevertheless, I appreciated the idea of it.  

The weather itself was a bit 'under the weather' - but this allowed me to selfishly get close to the stage to view my favorite artist perform.  Once again, Ben Folds delivered an amazing show, even though the rain caused him to sing a few songs acapella as the piano had to be covered with a tarp.  Some would say a rainy show makes for a bad show - instead, my friends and I danced, enjoyed the rain, and rocked out on the green.

Since When Do Fortune Cookies Give Advice?

Tonight, a friend swung by my office and asked if I wanted a bite to eat.  Considering it was dinner time, I said OK.  After a few moments of debating where to eat, we decided to head to the East Side of town for what my friend claimed to be the best Thai food in Milwaukee.

The food indeed was delicious and I was very much impressed.  As the meal came to a close, we were given fortune cookies - which has become almost an expectation when dining in an Americanized Thai or Chinese restaurant.  I know that I personally look forward to the moment where my "dessert" tells me what to expect in the coming days, weeks, or years.  Side Note: I looked it up, and it seems that the history of the fortune cookie in the United States started around the 1890s in San Francisco, which makes total sense due to the large immigrant population coming from Asia.  These cookies were a slight modification to a traditional Japanese cookie.  

So, basically, what I'm trying to say is, the concept of a fortune cookie has been along for quite some time.  And the concept is simple: eat a cookie, read a fortune.  It's really self explanatory in the title.  I don't know if these companies have given up on thinking of fun fortunes to print for their cookies, or maybe they've just become complacent.  My cookie today did not give me a fortune, rather, it told me to consider dressing in a new style.  For those of you that know me well, I love hipsters.  So, I thought, maybe the cookie was hinting that my new style would be hipster-like.  But I consider that to be a slant fortune - not really a fortune, but kinda almost one.  I felt like it was more of an advice giver.  Or maybe a hint I need a new wardrobe - and no, Stacey and Clinton were not at this Thai restaurant to surprise me with $5,000 for a new wardrobe.

What I think would be great is if these cookie companies got really creative with their fortunes... like: "You will find $50 on the street and then can really end your story, 'And then I found $50.'", or "You will buy 7 hamsters in the next week and name them after the characters of Snow White."  Who knows.  The sky's the limit.  Seriously.