10.31.2005

I bought my first rotisserie chicken tonight. I thought of cooks I know--my mom, Eliza, Deandra (if she had anything to do with chickens)--who would buy a whole chicken for $1.99 and roast it themselves, but I am far, far from doing that. Actually, for me, the rotisserie chicken was a big step up--my normal food when I'm on my own is either Healthy Choice frozen entrees or (my favorite) cold cereal.

The chicken was good. I had some pasta left over from when Walter was here last weekend, and I heated it up, tossed in some chunks of chicken, and voila--a decent dinner. I'm trying to remember that it's a feminist act to feed myself. If I can make it political, I'm more likely to do it.

And along those lines, I'm also trying to recognize that not overworking myself is a feminist act. I spoke with long-time Women's Studies directors Jean Fox O'Barr and Maggie McFadden at the symposium this week, and they both encouraged me to slow down a bit and think long-term. I'm loaded with great ideas, but I don't have to do them all now. I also don't have to do them all myself. I know damn well that if I burn myself out I'm not doing anybody any good, but it can be hard to live that knowledge.

Anybody got tips for not overworking?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Megan and I get rotisserie chickens all the time. If you wait until it's almost time for them to put them away for the day (I think 7:00 at Kroger), then they're like $4.00.

Biffle said...

Mmm, dessicated old rotisserie chicken...

Anonymous said...

Sometimes it has pieces of feathers on it.

Alison Piepmeier said...

if i were a scientist i would come up with my own genetically altered chicken. like a rhode island red or gernsey giant, except rotisserie red in this case. it would run a very high fever from birth and spin all the time. by the time it was dead, it'd be ready to eat.

Anonymous said...

I've never been accused of working too hard...I must be adopted b/c all the other Piepmeiers work like maniacs

Anonymous said...

I've never been accused of working too hard...I must be adopted b/c all the other Piepmeiers work like maniacs

Catherine Bush said...

I'm so glad to hear these wonderful self-care statments, and I'm really thrilled you made yourself a nice dinner. Taking care of yourself - woo hoo!

Hm, tips for not overworking. This is an area of struggle for me as well. You could experiment with time dead lines. Like, no work past 7:30 pm ... I know that your work includes evening activities, so that might not be feasible. Or you could dedicate big chunks of your weekend as "non-work" time. I find non-work time highlights holes in my life (ie. the need for hobbies), so don't be surprised if this happens :). I reazlize too that you may have a zillion hobbies you've been craving but have too busy to start.

love you baby,
C

Anonymous said...

I, too, am glad to see you eating some "real" food! You dad said, "did she mention anything green??", but a good protein source is a good start. Try to remember to ask me about how easy it is to roast your own chicken, though...

Of course you know I struggle with the working too much situation, too. I think the blessing for both of us is that we pretty much enjoy all that we do. The advice to remember that you don't have to do it all at once and that you don't have to do it all yourself are both valuable ideas, and involving others gives them the opportunity to grow, too.

Love you!
Mom

Christie Bates McKaskle said...

You know, I think there's something to be said for the collective conscious wisdom teaching that says you don't work at all one day out of every seven. That's a place to start for me.