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My Wardrobe Is On Notice – 1 Year Later

Jan 4th, 2011
by Ruth Carter.
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A year ago, I wrote a blog for Unchaotic about my year-long process to clean out my wardrobe.  I tied a piece of yarn around every hanger in my closet.  When I wore a garment, I took off the yarn.  At the end of the year, the initial plan was to get rid of everything that still had a piece of yarn on it.  This plan was based on the idea that if I had not worn something in a year, I’m never going to wear it, so I might as well get rid of it.

Initially, I was going to wait until the end of the year before I threw anything out, but as I started putting yarn on my hangers, I saw items that I knew I had not worn in a while and was never going to wear again so by the end of setting up my closet, I had at least 10 items that were already eliminated from my wardrobe.  Some of it went to charity and the rest went in the trash.  I did another similar wardrobe purge in June when I evaluated what I hadn’t worn yet.

On New Year’s Day, I pulled everything out of my closet that still had a piece of yarn on it. There were about 30 things.  I spent a few hours trying each garment on, remembering why I bought it in the first place, and asking why I hadn’t worn it during the last year.

There were two items that I did not wear in the last year that are wardrobe staples – my white oxford shirt and my black pullover sweater.  These are the type of thing that everyone should have in their wardrobe, and the fact that I did not wear them does mean that they do not have value in my wardrobe.  They could stay.

I also realized that owning wrinkle resistant shirts has made me spoiled and so I did not take the time to iron my other shirts, and thus I did not wear my other shirts for a year.  The ones that I thought I would wear if I did my ironing could stay.  I had a few pieces that I didn’t wear because I assumed that they too big after I lost weight.  After trying them on, I saw that they still fit.  They could stay too.

This project brought a personal issue to the surface that a lot of people have – I sweat regardless of the temperature.  This means I’m more likely to stain my clothes.  (It’s also one of the reasons why I didn’t wear my white oxford during the last year.)  I am one of those people who should never own a silk blouse because I will stain it the first time I wear it.  If I wanted to stop this from happening, I could pay a lot of money to have my armpits botoxed, or I can periodically throw out whatever I stain.  I’ll stick with the latter for now.

I’m glad I did this project.  I feel like I decluttered my closet and have a clearer idea of my personal style.  The garments that I decided to keep despite not wearing them for a year still have their strings on them as a reminder that I should consider donating them if I continue to not wear them.

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SALK Day 3 – The Ruth-Mr. D Story – Part 1

Jan 3rd, 2011
by Ruth Carter.
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When I launched Sponsor A Law Kid, Darvin and Jane DeShazer were among my first sponsors and they asked to sponsor my entire first week.  After my blog about Mr. D the mushroom master, they said I could write about whatever I wanted.  I decided to take the next few days to share part of the Ruth-Mr. D story.  I’m not sure he remembers our first conversation.

Iguana iguana close up small
Image via Wikipedia

Mr. D teaches sophomore biology and AP biology at St. Vincent High School.  One of his rules is you can earn extra credit in his biology class by keeping a plant or animal alive in the classroom.  When I was a freshman, my sister was in his biology class and kept an iguana named Gomer in his classroom.  Gomer needed fresh food and water every day and he came home on the weekends.  It was common for me to take him out of his terrarium and place him on my shoulder.  Sometimes he would jump from my shoulder to Mom’s and scare the bejuzus out of her - kind of like this guy.

One morning my sister was sick, and she asked me feed Gomer for her.  I had never been in Mr. D’s classroom before.  His room was intimidating to a small freshman like me.  Not only was it at the far end of the senior hallway, it was one of the biggest classrooms in the school with tall heavy lab tables instead of traditional desks.

I entered Mr. D’s room shyly and saw Gomer in his terrarium.  My fear evaporated as I opened the top to change his food and water.  Mr. D was back in his prep area and didn’t really see me come in.  I called out, “Is it ok if I take him out?”  By the time Mr. D looked up to see (1) who this unfamiliar voice belonged to, and (2) what she was talking about, I had picked Gomer up and placed him on my shoulder.

Mr. D seemed surprised by my presence in his classroom.  He asked,”Does that belong to you?”  I explained that Gomer was my sister’s and that I was feeding him in her absence.  I was lucky that my sister was one of the smartest kids in his class, so her reputation proceeded me.  I think he thought that was a precocious freshman who didn’t know that he had a rule against taking pets out of their cages at school.

I think he came to appreciate my bold nature when he had me as a student for the following three years.   He was probably glad when I was a sophomore that Mom decided that it was better for me to have a cactus instead of an animal for extra credit.

Click here for Part 2 of the Ruth-Mr. D story.

Sponsor A Law Kid is my endeavor to pay for my last semester of law school. Today’s sponsors are Darvin and Jane DeShazer. For more information about Sponsor A Law Kid or to see what days are still available for sponsorship, visit my Sponsor A Law Kid page.

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SALK Day 2 – Darvin DeShazer – Mushroom Master

Jan 2nd, 2011
by Ruth Carter.
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Darvin DeShazer is the fungi fun guy, the lord of the yeasty beasties, the master of the mushrooms.

Seriously, he is.

Amancita muscaria - photo by Darvin DeShazer

By day, DeShazer is the chairman of the Science Department at St. Vincent High School where he teaches Biology and Advanced Placement Biology.  One look at his classroom walls will reveal his passion for mushrooms and fungus.  On his own time, he is a co-founder of the Sonoma County Mycological Association (SOMA) and the group’s science advisor.  The group’s goals are to appreciate and learn about local mushrooms and to educate the public about the vast world of fungi.  DeShazer has over 30 years of experience in this field and a library of over 1,000 books on mushrooms!!!  He has co-authored many publications about fungi, including 100 Edible Mushrooms.

Just get him started on mushroom hunting (oh yes – there’s such thing as mushroom hunting), and he lights up like a Christmas tree and will tell you stories for hours about his adventures with mushrooms.  (Note: that’s “with” mushrooms not “on” mushrooms.)  He maintains a blog of beautiful photography from his mushroom hunts where he says, “The fun(gi) is in the hunt, but the thrill is not to kill.  The foray is the fun and it leads to learning by observing.  And to think, the incredible journey starts from a tiny spore.”  His website on gilled mushrooms states that every visible feature of these mushrooms has a microscopic reason – and he’ll tell you all about them.  At first this may seem boring, but it’s Neat Stuff!!

And mushrooms are not just good for eating, one species is known for containing one of the only known chemicals that can help fight off small pox.  If the bioterrorism threats ever come to fruition, it will be handy to have a friend who is a fungus expert.

Along with sponsoring nationally-recognized speakers, an annual mushroom fair, and local mushroom hunts, SOMA offers a valuable service to hospitals, veterinarians, and the community: free mushroom identification.  DeShazer is often the person that the hospital calls when someone shows up at the emergency room with a mushroom in their hand and says, “I ate one of these and now I don’t feel so good.”  When I was in his Advanced Placement Biology class, if there had been a story in the news about a local person being treated at the hospital for a eating wild mushrooms, DeShazer often had a story about going to the emergency room to identify it for the doctors.

Mushroom hunting is a wonderful hobby, but as SOMA cautions, never eat a wild mushroom unless you’re absolutely certain of its identity. For me that means, I don’t eat it unless DeShazer picked it.

Sponsor A Law Kid is my endeavor to pay for my last semester of law school. Today’s sponsors are Darvin and Jane DeShazer.   For more information about Sponsor A Law Kid or to see what days are still available for sponsorship, visit my Sponsor A Law Kid page.

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SALK Day 1 – What Am I Doing??

Jan 1st, 2011
by Ruth Carter.
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Welcome to  2011 and the beginning of Sponsor A Law Kid!

This is my endeavor to pay for my last semester of law school at Arizona State University.  People are sponsoring various days between January 1st and July 27th in exchange for having blogs written about them, their business, or the topic of their choice.  Today’s sponsor asked me to use my first day to give a little background information about myself.

I went to St. Vincent High School in Petaluma, California where I took every honors and advanced placement class in math and science.  By the time I graduated, I was convinced that I was destined to get a Ph.D. in chemistry and win the Nobel Prize.  I liked working on problems and being able to find a concrete conclusion at the end.  I had amazing teachers who nurtured me along the way.  After high school, I went to Oregon State University and majored in chemistry for two years.  There I learned that I didn’t like being trapped in a lab all day.  I was also a Resident Assistant I learned that I liked working with people in a problem solving role.  Much to the shock of my classmates and mentors, I changed my major to psychology.  After graduation, I went on to get a masters degree in counseling, moved to Phoenix, and became a therapist working with adults living with HIV.

Being a therapist was often rewarding, but at times it was frustrating because I was in a role where I was working at my clients’ pace, not mine.  I could diagnose clients with the best of them and I could make suggestions about what they might want to do to improve their lives, but there was nothing I could do to make them actually put these ideas into actions.  My hands were tied, and I often felt like I was trapped in my office.  I wanted a more active role in the problem solving process.

I came to law school hoping to find the best of two worlds – helping people with their problems and being an active member of the problem solving team.  I am glad I chose Arizona State for school because of its Center for Law, Science, and Innovation.  My plan is to practice intellectual property and internet law.

During law school, I have become involved in the social media and to a lesser degree, the podcasting communities.  These are the type of people I want to have as clients some day.  In November 2010, I was out for a run and catching up on my podcasts.  I heard an interview with Jason Sadler, founder of I Wear Your Shirt.  He makes a living producing content and advertising companies by wearing their shirts.  I thought he was a genius.  He inspired me to tweak his idea and instead of selling days in exchange for wearing people’s shirts, I could sell days in exchange for writing blogs for my sponsors.  I checked with one of my social media friends and he said to run with the idea.

To date, I’ve sold 33 days with other potential sponsors considering which days they want to buy.  This program has paid for ~20% of my tuition.  One potential sponsor opted to give me a $1000 scholarship in lieu of sponsoring a day.  I will be selling days until the program is over or until I run out of days.  I want to thank all my sponsors in advance for participating in this program and contributing to my education.

Sponsor A Law Kid is my endeavor to pay for my last semester of law school.  Today’s sponsors are Darvin and Jane DeShazer.  For more information about Sponsor A Law Kid or to see what days are still available for sponsorship, visit my Sponsor A Law Kid page.

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This Week’s Non-post Post

Jul 20th, 2010
by Ruth Carter.
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The purpose of this week’s blog is to tell you that there’s going to be a real blog next week.

I’m sorry kids, but I’ve had no inspiration this week, and what few ideas I have are being brutally bashed by my overtaxed mind.  My friend gave me a slew of great law-related ideas to write about.  I tucked them away for future use.  Today it feels like everything I do is law related – working at my internship, applying for judicial clerkships, and contemplating my future in the legal profession.  I know that not everything I do is law related, but it feels that way today.  I need a mental break from writing about the law.

Captain Kirk said, “The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play.”  He is absolutely right.  I am, therefore, giving myself the week off from blogging.   I’ll be back next week.  Instead I’m going to go sit in my backyard, with my feet dangling in my pool, and relax while watching the stars.

So I don’t feel like I’m not completely neglecting my readers, I’m sharing the lyrics of my law school theme song:  The Beauty of Your Dreams.  The music was written by Joan Szymko and the lyrics were adapted from the writings of Eleanor Roosevelt.  My choir performed this song years ago.  It helps calm me down when the world gets stressful.

I will make a prayer to ask what I can do,

I will make a prayer to ask for courage to follow the light

as it is given to me.

You gain courage and strength and confidence

every time you look fear in the face.

You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

Life must be lived!

Cast out fear and face the unknown.

Face the unknown with courage

and integrity and a high heart.

Believe in your dreams,

believe in the beauty of your dreams.

The future belongs to those who do believe

in the beauty of their dreams.

See you next week.

- Ruthie

Starting Over – Designing Society From Scratch

Feb 9th, 2010
by Ruth Carter.
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John Rawls had brilliant ideas about justice and fairness.  He said to pretend that you can design the rules for society, which you will be a part of, but you don’t know who you are.  You don’t know anything about your race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or any other defining characteristics. What rules will you implement to create a well-ordered society?

  •  What are our fundamental rights?
  • Will everyone be equal?
  • Will we have marriage?
  • Can you marry more than one person?
  • What will our governmental structure be?  How will we decide who’s in charge?
  • What services will the government provide?
  • If education is provided, for how many years can you attend school for “free?”
  • If you don’t use a government-provided service, like putting your kids in private school instead of public, do you have to pay for others to have the government service?
  • Will the government pay for health care?  What services will be included?  Can you opt-out and get private insurance?  Will we even have insurance?
  • How will we pay taxes?  Will it be a system where some people pay a higher percentage than others or will it be more like Fair Tax?
  • Will abortion be legal?  
  • Will we still have social security?  What about welfare? 
  • Will you have to get a license before you’re allowed to have children?
  • What behaviors constitute crimes?  How will criminals be punished?
  • What professions will make the most money?  Will we even have money?
  • What will it take to be considered famous?

I wonder how I’d feel about the world if I wasn’t me or if I didn’t have my upbringing.  I tend to think that the government should stay out of people’s lives and that people should save money on their taxes by paying for things themselves.  I think no matter who I am, having the ability to make choices in my life is critical.  What do you think?