Some on the list are not surprising. Have a look:
http://www.ecouterre.com/15-major-retailers-that-havent-signed-the-bangladesh-safety-agreement/
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
People vandalizing national parks
Seriously, what the heck is wrong with people?!
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/05/us/as-vandals-take-to-national-parks-some-point-to-social-media.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/05/us/as-vandals-take-to-national-parks-some-point-to-social-media.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=0
Monday, June 24, 2013
Great idea for dealing with irresponsible dog owners
We have a fair amount of dog owners in our neighborhoods. Although most are good about picking up after their dogs, some are regularly bad about it. What's terrible about owners that don't pick up after their dog, is that their leaving the sh*t in front of someone else's house to deal with and that's just not cool. We've even had one time when someone tossed the bag of dog poop into our recycling bin after the garbage people had finished with their pickups. So we were left to deal with it until the next pickup. Because of irresponsible dog owners, we now use plastic bags to put our garbage and recyclables out. I would love to be able to put out our bins instead of bags, but we often come hope to people tossing disgusting things in random bins, like chewing gum and dog poop. I don't own a dog and I assume that not owning a dog means I don't have to pick up dog poop.
Anyways, it appears NYC is not the only place that have irresponsible dog owners who don't pick up poop. Check out how one town is dealing with the problem:
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/animal-rights/town-mails-dog-defecation-pet-owners-who-dont-clean
Anyways, it appears NYC is not the only place that have irresponsible dog owners who don't pick up poop. Check out how one town is dealing with the problem:
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/animal-rights/town-mails-dog-defecation-pet-owners-who-dont-clean
Saturday, June 22, 2013
10 ways to breeze through laundry
I don't know why, but laundry is one of my least favorite chores. Anything that will make laundry faster and easier is a good thing! Check out this article here:
http://lifehacker.com/5993006/top-10-ways-to-breeze-through-laundry-like-a-boss
I particularly like the folding methods. My favorite is folding a T-shirt in 2 seconds. Hubby goes through a lot of T-shirts and a lot of socks. This makes me think the sock bankruptcy idea might be a good one.
http://lifehacker.com/5993006/top-10-ways-to-breeze-through-laundry-like-a-boss
I particularly like the folding methods. My favorite is folding a T-shirt in 2 seconds. Hubby goes through a lot of T-shirts and a lot of socks. This makes me think the sock bankruptcy idea might be a good one.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
How to tuck a shirt
Supposedly, this method of tucking a shirt will keep the shirt tucked. I can't tell you how many times my shirt has become untucked as I move around throughout the day. A nice blouse or shirt coming out of my suit pants or skirt is not a nice look!
http://agoodman.com.au/how-to-tuck-in-a-shirt-so-that-it-stays-tucked/
http://agoodman.com.au/how-to-tuck-in-a-shirt-so-that-it-stays-tucked/
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Gunk remover
I tried this out on my toaster oven, which was quite overdue for a deep clean and it worked very well!
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2013/03/2-ingredient-homemade-kitchen-cabinet-gunk-remover.html
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2013/03/2-ingredient-homemade-kitchen-cabinet-gunk-remover.html
Monday, June 10, 2013
How to hang a sweater
If you have more hanging space than dresser space, this might a useful link:
http://snapguide.com/guides/hang-a-sweater/
http://snapguide.com/guides/hang-a-sweater/
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Worrisome trends
I was in denial for quite some time, but I now think it is inevitable that our concept of privacy and our right to privacy is ending. There are just too many in power who do not think such a thing is worth protecting. The average person has no recourse and will have to accept that the only thing they can do is suffer these trespasses. Why the glum outlook? There are number of things that, when added together makes me sad about the direction things are going in this country.
For one, traveling should be fun experience, unless you fly. After all, the TSA can grope, disrespect and steal from you with impunity. If you protest, they can make traveling a horrible experience for you. Yes, some agents have been caught doing bad things and were fired, but those were just the ones that got caught. How many are out there that didn't get caught? Plus the fact that airlines are nickel-and-diming their customers just to bring some vacation essentials along and if they lose or damage your stuff, there isn't all that much you can do. You can try getting some money, but they'll aggravate your efforts at every turn. So really if you fly, your physical person and your stuff is subject to another's wandering hands.
Drones can now fly within the U.S. Yes, sooner or later, the local police can spy on you by flying a remote controlled aircraft by your window or follow you around, even if they don't have a warrant. Technically, the thing is in public space, right? Again, nothing you can do about it.
The government can kill you, even if you're a U.S. citizen if they think you're a terrorist and don't even need to prove it in a court of law. They just label you the right word and bam! You're dead, and there's nothing anybody can do about it. By the way, they can do this while you're on U.S. soil. We might as well throw the Constitution out the window.
Combine the power above with the fact that the government knows pretty much everything about you cause they have been spying on everybody's email, telephone and social media activities for the past 7 years and you're probably f*cked if you have ever even hinted at thinking about something they don't like. The problem is if your own government chooses to target you for any reason, you won't know and there's nothing you can do about it and there's no way to defend yourself. Probably you'll just end up dead or disappeared and nobody will even know why.
It's not just the government, but social media and other companies can know everything there is to know about you too. Companies sell your data to other companies and round and round it goes until everything about you is known to everyone.
Even your physical body isn't sacred with the more and more hotels, resorts and cruise lines making use of biometrics. Soon, all you have to do so go somewhere and doors will either open or lock itself based on either accurate or faulty data. After all, despite the advancements in technology, they do sometimes fail or get things wrong. What if you have an identical twin? What if the systems were hacked and now everything in your life is f*cked? What recourse do you have? How can you, the average person with average income, correct this?
The issue here isn't just invasion of privacy, but also potential for abuse. The fear is what if, in our hysteria to make life appear safer, we cause suffering to thousands or millions of innocents? How many 5-year-olds had to be groped by the TSA before guidelines were changed? Where is the common sense? The government defends their ability to suspend habeas corpus, do away with the right to a trial by peers, reach into your life and spy on your every move without need for "reasonable suspicion," and this is only the beginning. Life goes on, but when will our over-reaching government stop reaching? When will it become apparent that, although nothing unbearably bad on a mass scale has happened, these are the steps to create a situation where unbearably bad things CAN happen on a mass scale? Have we learned nothing from history? Or have most of America stopped teaching it?
For one, traveling should be fun experience, unless you fly. After all, the TSA can grope, disrespect and steal from you with impunity. If you protest, they can make traveling a horrible experience for you. Yes, some agents have been caught doing bad things and were fired, but those were just the ones that got caught. How many are out there that didn't get caught? Plus the fact that airlines are nickel-and-diming their customers just to bring some vacation essentials along and if they lose or damage your stuff, there isn't all that much you can do. You can try getting some money, but they'll aggravate your efforts at every turn. So really if you fly, your physical person and your stuff is subject to another's wandering hands.
Drones can now fly within the U.S. Yes, sooner or later, the local police can spy on you by flying a remote controlled aircraft by your window or follow you around, even if they don't have a warrant. Technically, the thing is in public space, right? Again, nothing you can do about it.
The government can kill you, even if you're a U.S. citizen if they think you're a terrorist and don't even need to prove it in a court of law. They just label you the right word and bam! You're dead, and there's nothing anybody can do about it. By the way, they can do this while you're on U.S. soil. We might as well throw the Constitution out the window.
Combine the power above with the fact that the government knows pretty much everything about you cause they have been spying on everybody's email, telephone and social media activities for the past 7 years and you're probably f*cked if you have ever even hinted at thinking about something they don't like. The problem is if your own government chooses to target you for any reason, you won't know and there's nothing you can do about it and there's no way to defend yourself. Probably you'll just end up dead or disappeared and nobody will even know why.
It's not just the government, but social media and other companies can know everything there is to know about you too. Companies sell your data to other companies and round and round it goes until everything about you is known to everyone.
Even your physical body isn't sacred with the more and more hotels, resorts and cruise lines making use of biometrics. Soon, all you have to do so go somewhere and doors will either open or lock itself based on either accurate or faulty data. After all, despite the advancements in technology, they do sometimes fail or get things wrong. What if you have an identical twin? What if the systems were hacked and now everything in your life is f*cked? What recourse do you have? How can you, the average person with average income, correct this?
The issue here isn't just invasion of privacy, but also potential for abuse. The fear is what if, in our hysteria to make life appear safer, we cause suffering to thousands or millions of innocents? How many 5-year-olds had to be groped by the TSA before guidelines were changed? Where is the common sense? The government defends their ability to suspend habeas corpus, do away with the right to a trial by peers, reach into your life and spy on your every move without need for "reasonable suspicion," and this is only the beginning. Life goes on, but when will our over-reaching government stop reaching? When will it become apparent that, although nothing unbearably bad on a mass scale has happened, these are the steps to create a situation where unbearably bad things CAN happen on a mass scale? Have we learned nothing from history? Or have most of America stopped teaching it?
Friday, June 7, 2013
Fight against the patent troll threatening podcasting!
Seriously, something needs to be done about patent trolls.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Some men are beyond disgusting
Disgusting behavior. Makes me feel nervous to be wearing
skirts whenever I hear about these stories, which seem to have increased in
frequency lately.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Navy switiching to fire-resistant uniforms
Since our military is generally around combustibles, you
would assume their uniforms are fire-resistant. Apparently that is not the case
for current Navy uniforms, which are not only flammable, but also melts. So
basically, if you wear one of these things and you catch fire, it will melt
itself onto you so you can’t get it off and proceed to “burn robustly until
completely consumed.” Scary, no?
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Rose bush is blooming
Our rose bush has started to bloom. I trimmed it down aggressively last fall and it has already grown back what it lost. I am taking time out every week or two to keep it under control or the thing will take over the entire yard! I am having fun clipping the roses as they bloom so far, but since they're not long-stemmed roses, they don't seem to last. Still, it's nice to have flowers around. I think once this round of blooms have been spent, I'll trim it back again. Last year, the thing just kept growing and growing and I don't want it climbing over the garage or into my neighbor's yard, which it threatens to do already.
In other news, our strawberries are turning red! Can't wait to try some! I am also happy to report that our garlic is doing well, our potatoes have finally sprouted green shoots, our bean are still alive and our citrus trees are regaining their lost leaves with a vengeance! I am cautiously excited and rather afraid of these promising signs ending in more failure. I guess we'll have to wait and see!
In other news, our strawberries are turning red! Can't wait to try some! I am also happy to report that our garlic is doing well, our potatoes have finally sprouted green shoots, our bean are still alive and our citrus trees are regaining their lost leaves with a vengeance! I am cautiously excited and rather afraid of these promising signs ending in more failure. I guess we'll have to wait and see!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Peppermint
I love peppermint! I remember when I was little, a friend said she hated peppermint and I didn't understand why. I wonder if she's changed her mind since, but I sure haven't. I still love peppermint!
Not only do I have a peppermint plant growing in the back yard, but I also have peppermint essential oil stocked in the house. I love picking sprigs off my plant in the summer and grinding some raw sugar into it, then adding some rum and iced water. Or even just boiling the peppermint sprigs with some sugar for a sweet peppermint tea, which is good for an upset tummy.
I use the essential oil on my temples and ears to relieve tension and headaches, I add it to my tooth powder and I rub it into itchy bug bites to relieve the itch. You can add it lotions to make your lotions minty and I sometimes, I just love sniffing it.
Yes indeed, peppermint is a wonderful thing.
Not only do I have a peppermint plant growing in the back yard, but I also have peppermint essential oil stocked in the house. I love picking sprigs off my plant in the summer and grinding some raw sugar into it, then adding some rum and iced water. Or even just boiling the peppermint sprigs with some sugar for a sweet peppermint tea, which is good for an upset tummy.
I use the essential oil on my temples and ears to relieve tension and headaches, I add it to my tooth powder and I rub it into itchy bug bites to relieve the itch. You can add it lotions to make your lotions minty and I sometimes, I just love sniffing it.
Yes indeed, peppermint is a wonderful thing.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Homemade cleaners
I've posted about homemade cleaners before, but thought I'd give a rundown of what I'm using now:
Laundry Detergent
You can get more recipes and info here:
http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/
Fabric Softener
I add about half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Dishwasher rinse
I always add white vinegar to the dishwasher's rinse compartment. One person suggested putting a bowl of half a cup in the lower rack and says that works better. Haven't tried that yet, but so far it's working okay the way I've been doing it.
All-purpose cleaner and shower spray
I mostly just spray white vinegar onto countertops straight. It works well for daily wipe-ups.
All-purpose cleaning scrub
Make a paste of baking soda and some water for a basic cleaning scrub. I find that this mix works okay for most things like countertops and the bathroom, but it doesn't work on my toaster oven, which has some baked on gunk on the inside of its door. So I made the paste with some cooking oil and scrubbed the door with a toothbrush and now it looks as good as new! It's funny to think you can use oil to clean up oily spots, but it works! I just saw another recipe where the person uses baking soda and peroxide to make a paste and supposedly, it works wonders! I'm going to try that recipe next. My big oven needs some serious work!
Carpet stain remover
I didn't think this would work at first, and it does require some elbow grease. Basically, wet the carpet stain with a little water and work the baking soda into the stain with a toothbrush. Really scrub it in and then add vinegar. Continue to scrub and repeat a few times until the stain comes out. I used this on some stains in our bedroom that was there before we moved it. Those stains didn't come out even after we used the carpet washer thingy on it, so I'm very happy this worked!
Dust Cloths
Soak some rags in a solution of half vinegar and half water with a several drops of olive oil and lemon oil. I keep a container of this stuff with rags soaking in it and pull out rags to dust dusty surfaces when needed.
Non-Bleach Stain Remover
Soak the stain-ridden clothing in a mix of water, washing soda and peroxide. I never measure. I just fill the washer with water, throw the stuff in and sprinkle in the washing soda and peroxide depending on how much needs to be washed and how soiled the stuff is. The truth is, some stains will never come out, but in my experience, this technique works really well.
Towel refresher
I use the prewash cycle to wash the towels with a sprinkling of borax and hot water. Then I let it drain and do a regular wash on the hottest setting with a cup of vinegar. I do a second rinse with some more vinegar. Usually after this, the towels come out very soft and as absorbent as I remember they used to be.
Drain declogger
Pour up to a half or a full cup of baking soda into the drain. I use a tiny bit of water to get some of the baking soda further down and I also try to work it in with my fingers. Then I pour vinegar into it and close the drain before it can bubble out. My favorite part is watching the bubbles and listening to them foaming. When the sounds die down, I pour more in vinegar and close it again. Once most of the baking soda has bubbled away, I pour a cup or two of boiling water down the drain. If the drain is still a little clogged, I repeat the process.
Destaining the sink
We have an enamel sink that was stained before we moved it. Although this didn't take out the stains entirely, it did brighten things up a bit. I made a paste of borax and lemon juice and scrubbed it into the sink with a toothbrush. After working it in for a few minutes, I rinsed the paste away and repeated the process once more. At this point, if the stain didn't come out, I doubt it ever will.
... and that's it! That's all I got so far. Going forward, I'd like to try making my own dishwasher detergent.
Laundry Detergent
You can get more recipes and info here:
http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/
Fabric Softener
I add about half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Dishwasher rinse
I always add white vinegar to the dishwasher's rinse compartment. One person suggested putting a bowl of half a cup in the lower rack and says that works better. Haven't tried that yet, but so far it's working okay the way I've been doing it.
All-purpose cleaner and shower spray
I mostly just spray white vinegar onto countertops straight. It works well for daily wipe-ups.
All-purpose cleaning scrub
Make a paste of baking soda and some water for a basic cleaning scrub. I find that this mix works okay for most things like countertops and the bathroom, but it doesn't work on my toaster oven, which has some baked on gunk on the inside of its door. So I made the paste with some cooking oil and scrubbed the door with a toothbrush and now it looks as good as new! It's funny to think you can use oil to clean up oily spots, but it works! I just saw another recipe where the person uses baking soda and peroxide to make a paste and supposedly, it works wonders! I'm going to try that recipe next. My big oven needs some serious work!
Carpet stain remover
I didn't think this would work at first, and it does require some elbow grease. Basically, wet the carpet stain with a little water and work the baking soda into the stain with a toothbrush. Really scrub it in and then add vinegar. Continue to scrub and repeat a few times until the stain comes out. I used this on some stains in our bedroom that was there before we moved it. Those stains didn't come out even after we used the carpet washer thingy on it, so I'm very happy this worked!
Dust Cloths
Soak some rags in a solution of half vinegar and half water with a several drops of olive oil and lemon oil. I keep a container of this stuff with rags soaking in it and pull out rags to dust dusty surfaces when needed.
Non-Bleach Stain Remover
Soak the stain-ridden clothing in a mix of water, washing soda and peroxide. I never measure. I just fill the washer with water, throw the stuff in and sprinkle in the washing soda and peroxide depending on how much needs to be washed and how soiled the stuff is. The truth is, some stains will never come out, but in my experience, this technique works really well.
Towel refresher
I use the prewash cycle to wash the towels with a sprinkling of borax and hot water. Then I let it drain and do a regular wash on the hottest setting with a cup of vinegar. I do a second rinse with some more vinegar. Usually after this, the towels come out very soft and as absorbent as I remember they used to be.
Drain declogger
Pour up to a half or a full cup of baking soda into the drain. I use a tiny bit of water to get some of the baking soda further down and I also try to work it in with my fingers. Then I pour vinegar into it and close the drain before it can bubble out. My favorite part is watching the bubbles and listening to them foaming. When the sounds die down, I pour more in vinegar and close it again. Once most of the baking soda has bubbled away, I pour a cup or two of boiling water down the drain. If the drain is still a little clogged, I repeat the process.
Destaining the sink
We have an enamel sink that was stained before we moved it. Although this didn't take out the stains entirely, it did brighten things up a bit. I made a paste of borax and lemon juice and scrubbed it into the sink with a toothbrush. After working it in for a few minutes, I rinsed the paste away and repeated the process once more. At this point, if the stain didn't come out, I doubt it ever will.
... and that's it! That's all I got so far. Going forward, I'd like to try making my own dishwasher detergent.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Oil cleansing method
I had heard about this oil cleansing method a while back, but I never got into it. I had my favorite cleanser for my face and I was happy with it. The cleanser didn't take off stubborn makeup, but it worked well for days without makeup, which is most days. So not having a need for change, I didn't bother changing my routine.
Lately, I've been using makeup more. I don't know why, but lately, I feel like I would like to not look dowdy all the time. At the very least, I'd like my face to look less splotchy. So these days, I've been using BB cream every morning. BB cream is the latest makeup fad because it moisturizes, primes and evens out skin tone at the same time. Most also contain anti-aging stuff and ingredients that are supposed to be nourishing for your skin. I originally bought an American BB cream, and though I liked it, it was more like a tinted moisturizer and didn't give me the coverage I needed on some days. So I switched to a Korean brand and though still light on my face, does seem to have a bit more coverage. I also only buy BB creams that have SPF using titanium or zinc oxide as its sunblocking ingredient.
So now that I have makeup on my face, I really would rather not have to remove the makeup and then wash my face with a cleanser, which is what I used to do. I want that whole deal to be a one step process. Enter the oil cleansing method. I've already been using extra virgin olive oil on my face to remove makeup. Why not just use it as an every day cleanser? The method is easy. I just rub olive oil into my face, massaging the skin and making sure to get it onto any eye makeup without getting it into my eyes. After a minute or so of that, I wet a soft face cloth with hot water and place it over my face until it cools. Then I gently wipe the stuff off my face. If I didn't get everything the first time, I'll rinse the cloth with hot water, place it over my face again until it cools and wipe. Then I wash my face cloth and hang it dry. All done!
There are a couple of nice things about this method. First, it cleanses and removes makeup in one step. Second, it actually moisturizes the face enough that you don't have to put on extra lotion before bed. You still can if you want to, as I do when I have an eczema patch to take care of, but if my face is feeling healthy, I don't bother with lotion.
If you have oily skin, you can add castor oil. A good blend to start with is 80% olive oil and 20% castor oil. You can also try substituting olive oil for sunflower seed oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil or sweet almond oil. Some experimentation might be involved to find the oil combination you like best. You can even add aloe water or aloe juice to your blend. Just shake the bottle well before applying.
For me personally, I don't mind making a cleansing oil blend and getting creative. However, the truth is that I'm lazy and I want to keep things simple. What's easier than simply pouring olive oil into a small bottle? I always have olive oil in the house so there's no need to specially buy something for my face, and there's no measuring or mixing. Just pour the oil into a small bottle and place in the bathroom. Can't get much simpler than that!
Lately, I've been using makeup more. I don't know why, but lately, I feel like I would like to not look dowdy all the time. At the very least, I'd like my face to look less splotchy. So these days, I've been using BB cream every morning. BB cream is the latest makeup fad because it moisturizes, primes and evens out skin tone at the same time. Most also contain anti-aging stuff and ingredients that are supposed to be nourishing for your skin. I originally bought an American BB cream, and though I liked it, it was more like a tinted moisturizer and didn't give me the coverage I needed on some days. So I switched to a Korean brand and though still light on my face, does seem to have a bit more coverage. I also only buy BB creams that have SPF using titanium or zinc oxide as its sunblocking ingredient.
So now that I have makeup on my face, I really would rather not have to remove the makeup and then wash my face with a cleanser, which is what I used to do. I want that whole deal to be a one step process. Enter the oil cleansing method. I've already been using extra virgin olive oil on my face to remove makeup. Why not just use it as an every day cleanser? The method is easy. I just rub olive oil into my face, massaging the skin and making sure to get it onto any eye makeup without getting it into my eyes. After a minute or so of that, I wet a soft face cloth with hot water and place it over my face until it cools. Then I gently wipe the stuff off my face. If I didn't get everything the first time, I'll rinse the cloth with hot water, place it over my face again until it cools and wipe. Then I wash my face cloth and hang it dry. All done!
There are a couple of nice things about this method. First, it cleanses and removes makeup in one step. Second, it actually moisturizes the face enough that you don't have to put on extra lotion before bed. You still can if you want to, as I do when I have an eczema patch to take care of, but if my face is feeling healthy, I don't bother with lotion.
If you have oily skin, you can add castor oil. A good blend to start with is 80% olive oil and 20% castor oil. You can also try substituting olive oil for sunflower seed oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil or sweet almond oil. Some experimentation might be involved to find the oil combination you like best. You can even add aloe water or aloe juice to your blend. Just shake the bottle well before applying.
For me personally, I don't mind making a cleansing oil blend and getting creative. However, the truth is that I'm lazy and I want to keep things simple. What's easier than simply pouring olive oil into a small bottle? I always have olive oil in the house so there's no need to specially buy something for my face, and there's no measuring or mixing. Just pour the oil into a small bottle and place in the bathroom. Can't get much simpler than that!
Friday, April 19, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Ruth Stout's no-work garden
I love the concept of a no-work garden. Ruth Stout popularized this technique and became the queen of mulch. Basically, you have a perpetual layer of mulch in your garden. The bottom layers break down into rich soil while the top layers smother weeds. We don't have enough of a garden plot to do this, but it's a wonderful idea to try out if I ever get some actual garden space. You can read more about her system here:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2004-02-01/Ruth-Stouts-System.aspx
For now, I will have to content myself with a garden of many containers and one tiny strip of soil in my mostly-concrete back yard. No mulching necessary in that case. One of the advantages of container gardens is that weeding is incredibly easy, if you need to do it at all.
This weekend, I plan to get some more rich soil from my local garden center. We have some extra containers to fill up and that strip of soil in the yard needs a bit of amending. I also want to start hardening off my seedlings and it is now that I realize a cold frame of some kind would be useful.
The problem I have is that you're supposed to expose the seedlings to the outside environment with good sunlight slowly. So you start with putting the plants one or two hours outside and then increase the time outside every day. Once acclimated, you can reduce transplant shock when you finally do plant them outside. Unfortunately, I am not around at home during enough daylight hours to do this. In the morning, I am rushing out so I'll have no time to put the plants out, wait an hour or two and the bring them back in. In the evenings, it's often already dark when I get home or there's only an hour left of the setting sun. A cold frame would allow you to put the plants outside but still protect them from harsh elements and frost.
There is one other way to harden off plants, which is to withhold water from them until they show signs of wilt and then water them. Do this repeatedly for two to three weeks and they'll be ready for the outside. However, I am loathe to try this as I can't stand to see my seedlings wilt.
So for now, I put a few of the lettuce seedlings inside a deep, empty planter outside in a relatively sunny spot. It's not covered at the top, but the plants are protected on all sides. I am considering getting a clear covering for the planter and this will serve as a makeshift cold frame for now. If they plants in this setup doesn't die in the next few days, I arrange for more seedlings to be place outside in covered planters.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2004-02-01/Ruth-Stouts-System.aspx
For now, I will have to content myself with a garden of many containers and one tiny strip of soil in my mostly-concrete back yard. No mulching necessary in that case. One of the advantages of container gardens is that weeding is incredibly easy, if you need to do it at all.
This weekend, I plan to get some more rich soil from my local garden center. We have some extra containers to fill up and that strip of soil in the yard needs a bit of amending. I also want to start hardening off my seedlings and it is now that I realize a cold frame of some kind would be useful.
The problem I have is that you're supposed to expose the seedlings to the outside environment with good sunlight slowly. So you start with putting the plants one or two hours outside and then increase the time outside every day. Once acclimated, you can reduce transplant shock when you finally do plant them outside. Unfortunately, I am not around at home during enough daylight hours to do this. In the morning, I am rushing out so I'll have no time to put the plants out, wait an hour or two and the bring them back in. In the evenings, it's often already dark when I get home or there's only an hour left of the setting sun. A cold frame would allow you to put the plants outside but still protect them from harsh elements and frost.
There is one other way to harden off plants, which is to withhold water from them until they show signs of wilt and then water them. Do this repeatedly for two to three weeks and they'll be ready for the outside. However, I am loathe to try this as I can't stand to see my seedlings wilt.
So for now, I put a few of the lettuce seedlings inside a deep, empty planter outside in a relatively sunny spot. It's not covered at the top, but the plants are protected on all sides. I am considering getting a clear covering for the planter and this will serve as a makeshift cold frame for now. If they plants in this setup doesn't die in the next few days, I arrange for more seedlings to be place outside in covered planters.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Hand cranked camera
I'm sure this is totally not practical, but I think it's cool nonetheless:
http://www.acgears.com/photography/digital-cameras/suncloud-solarpowered-selfgenerating-digital-camera
http://www.acgears.com/photography/digital-cameras/suncloud-solarpowered-selfgenerating-digital-camera
Friday, April 5, 2013
Luffa seedlings
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Poor tomato plant
Yesterday, in a cloud of enthusiasm and clumsiness, I accidentally killed one of my tomato seedlings. :-(
I don't think it's too late to start another seedling, but I think I'll pass on that. I still have 2 seedlings and if they die, then I'll just buy a plant from the green market once they're back. It's not the end of the world. Just a reminder that I do indeed have a black thumb.
Here is my track record so far:
Planted:
2 Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach
None sprouted as seeds were too old and crummy.
2 Little Gem Lettuce
None sprouted as seeds were too old and crummy
1 Little Gem Lettuce
New seed packet with a few planted in one small pot this past weekend
3 Lincoln Peas
1 Sprouted and looks very healthy!
3 Brandywine tomatoes
2 Still surviving, but looks sad and weak
1 Small Wonder Spaghetti Squash
1 Sprouted - took a long while, but I spied a tiny seedling curling up just last night!
4 Angels' Trumpet flowers
2 Sprouted
6 Lilac Petunia flowers
3 Sprouted. These have been really hard to not kill!
1 Thai Hot Pepper
Just planted this past weekend
2 Large Leaf Italian Basil
1 Sprouted. No luck on the other pot
6 Garlic Chives
Just planted this past weekend in one pot
So it looks like my success rate is a little under 50 percent.
I don't think it's too late to start another seedling, but I think I'll pass on that. I still have 2 seedlings and if they die, then I'll just buy a plant from the green market once they're back. It's not the end of the world. Just a reminder that I do indeed have a black thumb.
Here is my track record so far:
Planted:
2 Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach
None sprouted as seeds were too old and crummy.
2 Little Gem Lettuce
None sprouted as seeds were too old and crummy
1 Little Gem Lettuce
New seed packet with a few planted in one small pot this past weekend
3 Lincoln Peas
1 Sprouted and looks very healthy!
3 Brandywine tomatoes
2 Still surviving, but looks sad and weak
1 Small Wonder Spaghetti Squash
1 Sprouted - took a long while, but I spied a tiny seedling curling up just last night!
4 Angels' Trumpet flowers
2 Sprouted
6 Lilac Petunia flowers
3 Sprouted. These have been really hard to not kill!
1 Thai Hot Pepper
Just planted this past weekend
2 Large Leaf Italian Basil
1 Sprouted. No luck on the other pot
6 Garlic Chives
Just planted this past weekend in one pot
So it looks like my success rate is a little under 50 percent.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Currently growing
Here is the list of what I have currently growing:
1 small meyer lemon tree
1 jasmine plant
1 big meyer lemon tree (probably about to die)
1 big washington navel orange tree (also probably about to die)
1 hindu rope plant (it was about to die, but is in recovery)
1 jade plant
1 aloe plant
1 spiny cactus (this is hubby's plant. I don't go near it)
1 baby bamboo
1 kalanchoe
1 sedum (think it's a donkey tail succulent but not sure)
1 small pot of moss
3 brandywine tomatos
5 little gem lettuce
3 angel's trumpet flowers
3 petunia flowers (planted 6 but only 3 germinated and 1 looks pretty weak)
1 small wonder spaghetti squash
1 luffa
3 lincoln peas
2 basil
2 thai hot pepper
6 garlic chives in a pot (just planted this past weekend)
Once the weather is warm enough I plant to plant the following:
3 kentucky blue beans
3 german butterball potatoes
1 maypop passionflower
2 calendula flowers
mother of thyme and sagina pearlwort on the bare spots in the front lawn
Once the fall comes around I'll plant:
more little gem lettuce
toy choi
spinach (need to get a fresh packet of these seeds)
maybe kale
Next year, if all goes well, I'll add the following to my repertoire:
yellow of parma onion
tom thumb pea
long island brussel sprouts
pingtung long eggplant
strawberry spinach
shirofumi soybean
We don't have a lot of space to grow things, so there might be space concerns going forward. I'm playing with the idea of succession planting, but I don't think I know enough about it right now. From now on, I'm going to try to order my seeds from the Seed Savers Exchange organization. They're a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve our heirloom varieties of plants and vegetables, which are fast disappearing due to corporate farming and other commercial factors.
1 small meyer lemon tree
1 jasmine plant
1 big meyer lemon tree (probably about to die)
1 big washington navel orange tree (also probably about to die)
1 hindu rope plant (it was about to die, but is in recovery)
1 jade plant
1 aloe plant
1 spiny cactus (this is hubby's plant. I don't go near it)
1 baby bamboo
1 kalanchoe
1 sedum (think it's a donkey tail succulent but not sure)
1 small pot of moss
3 brandywine tomatos
5 little gem lettuce
3 angel's trumpet flowers
3 petunia flowers (planted 6 but only 3 germinated and 1 looks pretty weak)
1 small wonder spaghetti squash
1 luffa
3 lincoln peas
2 basil
2 thai hot pepper
6 garlic chives in a pot (just planted this past weekend)
Once the weather is warm enough I plant to plant the following:
3 kentucky blue beans
3 german butterball potatoes
1 maypop passionflower
2 calendula flowers
mother of thyme and sagina pearlwort on the bare spots in the front lawn
Once the fall comes around I'll plant:
more little gem lettuce
toy choi
spinach (need to get a fresh packet of these seeds)
maybe kale
Next year, if all goes well, I'll add the following to my repertoire:
yellow of parma onion
tom thumb pea
long island brussel sprouts
pingtung long eggplant
strawberry spinach
shirofumi soybean
We don't have a lot of space to grow things, so there might be space concerns going forward. I'm playing with the idea of succession planting, but I don't think I know enough about it right now. From now on, I'm going to try to order my seeds from the Seed Savers Exchange organization. They're a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve our heirloom varieties of plants and vegetables, which are fast disappearing due to corporate farming and other commercial factors.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Seedlings weak and leggy
I'm finding that I need something to occupy myself these days. It needs to be something that keeps me active and engaged and this something happens to be gardening. It's still too cold to be outside for long periods of time to work on the garden, but it's not too cold to start seeds indoors.
There are issues to starting seedlings indoors in our house. Our window sills don't get enough sunlight. So the poor things are coming up all leggy and weak. I tried passing my hand over them several times a day to get them to toughen up, but to no avail. Finally, I caved and bought a grow light. I honestly didn't want to spend money on growing seeds, but everything I've read mentions that starting seeds indoors means leggy seedlings unless you get a grow light.
So we went the garden store and bought a bunch of stuff: a planter, potting soil, fertilizer, grow light for countertop, grow light for dwarf tree (more on that in a bit), humidity dome, and a Meyer Lemon tree. The lemon tree is a purchase I am particularly excited about. I had bought one last year, but it was definitely NOT patio size. The one I got last year is as tall as I am and was pruned into this weird, lopsided Y shape. The big meyer lemon tree is not doing well and I think it's going to die. The truth is, I never liked it anyways. So when I saw the little lemon trees at the garden store, the kind that I've always imagined dwarf meyer lemon trees to look like, I got a pot and a grow light for it too.
Citrus trees like a lot of light. I think that's why our bit citrus trees didn't do well this winter. The one grow light we had on them was not enough. My jasmine plant also suffered a great deal, though even before it wintered indoors, there were bugs eating the leaves. I sprayed the jasmine plant with a mixture of minty liquid soap, canola oil, baking soda and water and the bugs died. Unfortunately, I think the plants still suffered from lack of enough light. So they have now been brought upstairs under a different setup.
We have a pendant light at the edge of our kitchen and we put the large citrus trees there. They were in that position before and didn't do too well, but they did better there than in the basement. We put the grow light in the pendant and I fed the trees with some of my newly purchased fertilizer. On the kitchen window sill, I placed the jasmine plant and the small lemon tree and clipped the newly purchased clip-on grow light above them. The lady at the garden store said to put the grow light close, but not so close that the plants can feel heat coming from it. On the far kitchen counter, we set up the counter-top grow light fixture. This is where we placed all our seedlings. The grow light is lowered as close as possible to the seedlings without them feeling too much heat.
The idea of putting the grow lights close is to keep the plants from straining to get more light. Straining to get more light makes them leggy. Some setups include a little fan to simulate wind and to to keep mold from growing on the moist soil. I am not intending to set up a fan. Maybe I'll just blow on the plants every morning and night? Lol! Anyways, I'm a little concerned as to how much energy this is costing us, but my desire for healthy seedlings and indoor plants has overruled my instinct to be frugal. If only my house got more sunlight! I console myself by saying that this is only temporary. Once the weather is nice and warm the seedlings and plants will be moved outside. I'm hoping that this year's experiments produce some good eats!
There are issues to starting seedlings indoors in our house. Our window sills don't get enough sunlight. So the poor things are coming up all leggy and weak. I tried passing my hand over them several times a day to get them to toughen up, but to no avail. Finally, I caved and bought a grow light. I honestly didn't want to spend money on growing seeds, but everything I've read mentions that starting seeds indoors means leggy seedlings unless you get a grow light.
So we went the garden store and bought a bunch of stuff: a planter, potting soil, fertilizer, grow light for countertop, grow light for dwarf tree (more on that in a bit), humidity dome, and a Meyer Lemon tree. The lemon tree is a purchase I am particularly excited about. I had bought one last year, but it was definitely NOT patio size. The one I got last year is as tall as I am and was pruned into this weird, lopsided Y shape. The big meyer lemon tree is not doing well and I think it's going to die. The truth is, I never liked it anyways. So when I saw the little lemon trees at the garden store, the kind that I've always imagined dwarf meyer lemon trees to look like, I got a pot and a grow light for it too.
Citrus trees like a lot of light. I think that's why our bit citrus trees didn't do well this winter. The one grow light we had on them was not enough. My jasmine plant also suffered a great deal, though even before it wintered indoors, there were bugs eating the leaves. I sprayed the jasmine plant with a mixture of minty liquid soap, canola oil, baking soda and water and the bugs died. Unfortunately, I think the plants still suffered from lack of enough light. So they have now been brought upstairs under a different setup.
We have a pendant light at the edge of our kitchen and we put the large citrus trees there. They were in that position before and didn't do too well, but they did better there than in the basement. We put the grow light in the pendant and I fed the trees with some of my newly purchased fertilizer. On the kitchen window sill, I placed the jasmine plant and the small lemon tree and clipped the newly purchased clip-on grow light above them. The lady at the garden store said to put the grow light close, but not so close that the plants can feel heat coming from it. On the far kitchen counter, we set up the counter-top grow light fixture. This is where we placed all our seedlings. The grow light is lowered as close as possible to the seedlings without them feeling too much heat.
The idea of putting the grow lights close is to keep the plants from straining to get more light. Straining to get more light makes them leggy. Some setups include a little fan to simulate wind and to to keep mold from growing on the moist soil. I am not intending to set up a fan. Maybe I'll just blow on the plants every morning and night? Lol! Anyways, I'm a little concerned as to how much energy this is costing us, but my desire for healthy seedlings and indoor plants has overruled my instinct to be frugal. If only my house got more sunlight! I console myself by saying that this is only temporary. Once the weather is nice and warm the seedlings and plants will be moved outside. I'm hoping that this year's experiments produce some good eats!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Thermal cookware with ceramic interior
I'm always on the lookout for a nice food container. I so want these!
http://www.thekitchn.com/italian-made-thermal-cookware-and-storage-with-a-ceramic-interior-international-home-housewares-show-185928
http://www.thekitchn.com/italian-made-thermal-cookware-and-storage-with-a-ceramic-interior-international-home-housewares-show-185928
Friday, March 22, 2013
Remember when LAPD was seeking Dorner
Yeah, great police work there:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-torrance-shooting-20130210,0,3955268.story
http://ktla.com/2013/02/09/delivering-newspapers-then-caught-in-a-hail-of-lapd-bullets/
I'm not sure new vehicles and an apology is going to cut it. Isn't there supposed to be protocol before police can just start shooting at you to destroy you and everyone with you in a car? I mean, this is real life, not a hollywood film
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-torrance-shooting-20130210,0,3955268.story
http://ktla.com/2013/02/09/delivering-newspapers-then-caught-in-a-hail-of-lapd-bullets/
I'm not sure new vehicles and an apology is going to cut it. Isn't there supposed to be protocol before police can just start shooting at you to destroy you and everyone with you in a car? I mean, this is real life, not a hollywood film
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Series: Glenn Greenwald on security and liberty Previous | Next | Index Glenn Greenwald on security and liberty US Air Force veteran, finally allowed to fly into US, is now banned from flying back home
Seriously, this sh*t is out of control. Most of us read this and go, "Glad I'm not THAT guy," and move on with our lives. However, anybody ever hear of the slippery slope effect? This sh*t isn't going to stop at just that dude.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/09/saddiq-long-no-fly-list
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/09/saddiq-long-no-fly-list
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Supreme Court rules out secret surveillance lawsuits
Why don't we just throw the Constitution out the friggin' window!? I mean, c'mon! The courts are supposed to be upholding the law, not shredding the founding principles our country was built on!
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-court-wiretaps-20130227,0,7654081.story?track=lat-pick
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-court-wiretaps-20130227,0,7654081.story?track=lat-pick
WA rep says tax bike sales, cyclists add to pollution
Uh, how do these people get voted into positions of influence is beyond me:
http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Wash-reps-email-drawing-ire-from-bike-community-194553321.html
http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Wash-reps-email-drawing-ire-from-bike-community-194553321.html
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Say goodbye to CDs?
For the last couple of weeks, I have been considering tossing my music CD collection. Every time, I am on the verge of dumping them into the trash, nostalgia and sentimentality holds me back. I start thinking, what if my digital collection dies and I need to restore from these hard-copies? What if I want to look at those booklets again? What if I still need these for reasons yet unforeseen? So with these questions in mind, I have kept the collection... thus far.
I am now seriously considering tossing them. Some of these CDs come with very fond memories, reaching as far back as my college years. I still listen to some of those songs, but not from my CDs. In fact, I have not touched my CDs in years. With the advent of iTunes, music-listening devices and my external backup drive, I have had little reason to "failover" to my CDs. Considering the fact that my CDs have been wasting away, with no immediate forecasts of using them anytime soon in the foreseeable future, why should I keep them? They're only taking up space.
The only advantage I can think of for having these is if I wanted to lend these out to a friend. With all the DRM and copyright restrictions on everything digital, borrowing things have become nigh impossible without incurring some rich media organization's litigious wrath. However, most of my friends and I don't listen to the same music. So the chances of lending out stuff is slim. In my mind, it's probably easier to just get rid of them. Most of the collection is so old, I'm not sure if they've degraded to the point where it's not readable anymore.
Anyways, this weekend, I will be going through my collection to see if there is any that I actually want to keep. The rest will either be pushed onto friends or thrown away. Maybe I should offer the entire collection up on FreeCycle. Either way, the space those things are taking up will be freed.
Other projects on the horizon include downloading user manuals and tossing any paper copies, and transferring recipes in books into my recipe application.
I am now seriously considering tossing them. Some of these CDs come with very fond memories, reaching as far back as my college years. I still listen to some of those songs, but not from my CDs. In fact, I have not touched my CDs in years. With the advent of iTunes, music-listening devices and my external backup drive, I have had little reason to "failover" to my CDs. Considering the fact that my CDs have been wasting away, with no immediate forecasts of using them anytime soon in the foreseeable future, why should I keep them? They're only taking up space.
The only advantage I can think of for having these is if I wanted to lend these out to a friend. With all the DRM and copyright restrictions on everything digital, borrowing things have become nigh impossible without incurring some rich media organization's litigious wrath. However, most of my friends and I don't listen to the same music. So the chances of lending out stuff is slim. In my mind, it's probably easier to just get rid of them. Most of the collection is so old, I'm not sure if they've degraded to the point where it's not readable anymore.
Anyways, this weekend, I will be going through my collection to see if there is any that I actually want to keep. The rest will either be pushed onto friends or thrown away. Maybe I should offer the entire collection up on FreeCycle. Either way, the space those things are taking up will be freed.
Other projects on the horizon include downloading user manuals and tossing any paper copies, and transferring recipes in books into my recipe application.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Gardening mistakes already made
I have a terrible record when it comes to gardening. I've killed many a plant in my time, but despite the many failures, I can't help but keep trying. There is just something nice about having something alive and growing and green in and around the home.
So what have I done wrong already? Well, here's the list:
1. The 3 tomato plants were started in cardboard egg carton cells. This is bad because the containers are tiny, not allowing the seedlings to grow deep roots and get strong. I think I'm going to try to transplant them into toilet paper rolls or newspaper pots and see if they survive that. The backup plan if my seedlings die is to buy a small brandywine tomato plants from the greenmarket (once they re-open)
2. Not enough light from the window to grow strong seedlings. Yes, some of my plants have sprouted, but they're still looking week and leggy. I'm hoping hubby will be willing to take me to the garden center this coming weekend so I can get some grow lights. I did read that you can construct your own out red and blue LED Christmas lights, but I'm not a handy person, so that may not be the best route for me.
3. Some seeds are too old. My lettuce and spinach seeds still haven't sprouted. They are very old and I don't think they'll be coming up anytime soon. I think I'll just have to toss the seeds and buy new ones. I don't think it's too late to start anew, but it's a bit disappointing nonetheless.
4. Some seedlings are drying out too fast. When I first planted the seeds, I covered them with a small glass jar. The tomato seedlings are now tall enough that soon the glass jar will be too small. However, if I uncover the seedlings, the soil tends to dry out too fast since the windowsill they're on is right above a heater. The heater was great for bottom germination, but terrible about keeping moisture. My seedlings aren't dead yet so maybe if I could find a big tray, fill the bottom with a layer of pebbles in some water and then put the seedlings on top, the seedlings won't dry out as fast. It would be nice if I had a nice big dome to cover the entire set of seedlings, but I don't have anything like that. I'm imagining a beautiful mini-greenhouse, like the stuff for big terrariums. Or maybe I'll just go to the garden center and get a big seed starting tray with a fitted dome. I'm all for makeshift stuff, but I'm finding the stuff I do have at home is just not cutting it in this case.
So despite mistakes having been made, the growing season hasn't really started in my zone yet, so there's still hope. Some of my plants have really suffered wintering indoors, but again, this is a learning experience since I've never tried a lot of this stuff before. I suppose I shouldn't feel too discouraged and should remember that despite any failures, I have had some successes. Last year, I did harvest enough basil to make a batch of pesto and we did have some fantastic tomatoes. I also successfully forced some tulip bulbs into blooming indoors in January and our one sedum leaf that we stuck into some soil has sprouted babies. All is not lost after all!
So what have I done wrong already? Well, here's the list:
1. The 3 tomato plants were started in cardboard egg carton cells. This is bad because the containers are tiny, not allowing the seedlings to grow deep roots and get strong. I think I'm going to try to transplant them into toilet paper rolls or newspaper pots and see if they survive that. The backup plan if my seedlings die is to buy a small brandywine tomato plants from the greenmarket (once they re-open)
2. Not enough light from the window to grow strong seedlings. Yes, some of my plants have sprouted, but they're still looking week and leggy. I'm hoping hubby will be willing to take me to the garden center this coming weekend so I can get some grow lights. I did read that you can construct your own out red and blue LED Christmas lights, but I'm not a handy person, so that may not be the best route for me.
3. Some seeds are too old. My lettuce and spinach seeds still haven't sprouted. They are very old and I don't think they'll be coming up anytime soon. I think I'll just have to toss the seeds and buy new ones. I don't think it's too late to start anew, but it's a bit disappointing nonetheless.
4. Some seedlings are drying out too fast. When I first planted the seeds, I covered them with a small glass jar. The tomato seedlings are now tall enough that soon the glass jar will be too small. However, if I uncover the seedlings, the soil tends to dry out too fast since the windowsill they're on is right above a heater. The heater was great for bottom germination, but terrible about keeping moisture. My seedlings aren't dead yet so maybe if I could find a big tray, fill the bottom with a layer of pebbles in some water and then put the seedlings on top, the seedlings won't dry out as fast. It would be nice if I had a nice big dome to cover the entire set of seedlings, but I don't have anything like that. I'm imagining a beautiful mini-greenhouse, like the stuff for big terrariums. Or maybe I'll just go to the garden center and get a big seed starting tray with a fitted dome. I'm all for makeshift stuff, but I'm finding the stuff I do have at home is just not cutting it in this case.
So despite mistakes having been made, the growing season hasn't really started in my zone yet, so there's still hope. Some of my plants have really suffered wintering indoors, but again, this is a learning experience since I've never tried a lot of this stuff before. I suppose I shouldn't feel too discouraged and should remember that despite any failures, I have had some successes. Last year, I did harvest enough basil to make a batch of pesto and we did have some fantastic tomatoes. I also successfully forced some tulip bulbs into blooming indoors in January and our one sedum leaf that we stuck into some soil has sprouted babies. All is not lost after all!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Movies
I recently came across this little opinion piece:
www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/9904278/Why-cant-men-just-be-men-any-more.html
The writer here laments how in today's world, actors who have invested heavily on getting their bodies into peak physical shape are more popular than men of the average body. He does acknowledge that what is happening to the male actor and in turn, the social pressures on men, is something that women have had to contend with for generations already. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to sympathize his lament because of the fact that instead of saying, we should celebrate the average person's looks in every age and gender, he is nostalgic for the days when average-looking Roger Moore can still get hot chicks younger than his daughter.
It's true that I find it disturbing that instead of having more average and healthy-looking women be the norm in Hollywood, they are re-making the image of men into something equally unattainable. On the other hand, Hollywood is all about the fantasy and the unattainable. It isn't exactly known for its faithful representation of facts and/or reality. The way I see it, I have less of a problem with movies featuring handsome, shirtless men with gorgeous, well-endowed women than I do with movies featuring old, paunchy men sucking face and pawing at a hot, nubile woman young enough to be his granddaughter. Honestly, Hollywood is still casting actors and actress like that and it grosses me out, despite the fact that we're supposed to just ignore the obvious age disparity and pretend that the 20 year old woman is really supposed to be a 35 year old mom and that 50 year old dude is really supposed be a 40 year old who is not single because there is something wrong with him, but because he just hasn't found the right woman yet. Blech!
So to the author of that article linked above, I have to say that although I understand that you don't want our boys to chase after an unattainable goal for themselves, I do not like how you seem to have no problems with the fact that women have been faced with this to the point where we have terrible illnesses like bulimia and anorexia. When you ended the article saying you'd still watch Roger Moore if he were still around, lamenting how Daniel Craig have sort of ruined the fun of Bond movies for an old man like you, I feel no sympathy. Obviously you'd like watching the average old, balding man with a belly get a hot girl because you can then go home and feel good about yourself, rather than go home, look in the mirror and feel dejected. How do you think thousands of women feel? Instead of saying you want the old Bond movies back, how about you saying you'd like to see more movies of old, not-so-pretty women, getting a young, hot-blooded dude, and more movies of average-looking men like Roger Moore getting paired up with women who look his age and are just as average-looking in body size and weight.
So yes, Hollywood is finally getting around to cashing in on the idea that hot dudes bring female audiences to the theaters, and they are being well-rewarded for their efforts. Considering how long men have had eye-candy to stare at, I say if we can't improve things so that both men and women can celebrate the average body and face, then I'll settle for gender parity where women can get their eye candy too. Maybe this way, men will finally get the idea that being objectified and constantly looked at takes its toll on a person. Maybe this way, some men will learn to show a little friggin' compassion towards women's struggle against body image issues. In the author of the above article's case, there is apparently no hope he'll ever "get it."
www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/9904278/Why-cant-men-just-be-men-any-more.html
The writer here laments how in today's world, actors who have invested heavily on getting their bodies into peak physical shape are more popular than men of the average body. He does acknowledge that what is happening to the male actor and in turn, the social pressures on men, is something that women have had to contend with for generations already. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to sympathize his lament because of the fact that instead of saying, we should celebrate the average person's looks in every age and gender, he is nostalgic for the days when average-looking Roger Moore can still get hot chicks younger than his daughter.
It's true that I find it disturbing that instead of having more average and healthy-looking women be the norm in Hollywood, they are re-making the image of men into something equally unattainable. On the other hand, Hollywood is all about the fantasy and the unattainable. It isn't exactly known for its faithful representation of facts and/or reality. The way I see it, I have less of a problem with movies featuring handsome, shirtless men with gorgeous, well-endowed women than I do with movies featuring old, paunchy men sucking face and pawing at a hot, nubile woman young enough to be his granddaughter. Honestly, Hollywood is still casting actors and actress like that and it grosses me out, despite the fact that we're supposed to just ignore the obvious age disparity and pretend that the 20 year old woman is really supposed to be a 35 year old mom and that 50 year old dude is really supposed be a 40 year old who is not single because there is something wrong with him, but because he just hasn't found the right woman yet. Blech!
So to the author of that article linked above, I have to say that although I understand that you don't want our boys to chase after an unattainable goal for themselves, I do not like how you seem to have no problems with the fact that women have been faced with this to the point where we have terrible illnesses like bulimia and anorexia. When you ended the article saying you'd still watch Roger Moore if he were still around, lamenting how Daniel Craig have sort of ruined the fun of Bond movies for an old man like you, I feel no sympathy. Obviously you'd like watching the average old, balding man with a belly get a hot girl because you can then go home and feel good about yourself, rather than go home, look in the mirror and feel dejected. How do you think thousands of women feel? Instead of saying you want the old Bond movies back, how about you saying you'd like to see more movies of old, not-so-pretty women, getting a young, hot-blooded dude, and more movies of average-looking men like Roger Moore getting paired up with women who look his age and are just as average-looking in body size and weight.
So yes, Hollywood is finally getting around to cashing in on the idea that hot dudes bring female audiences to the theaters, and they are being well-rewarded for their efforts. Considering how long men have had eye-candy to stare at, I say if we can't improve things so that both men and women can celebrate the average body and face, then I'll settle for gender parity where women can get their eye candy too. Maybe this way, men will finally get the idea that being objectified and constantly looked at takes its toll on a person. Maybe this way, some men will learn to show a little friggin' compassion towards women's struggle against body image issues. In the author of the above article's case, there is apparently no hope he'll ever "get it."
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The luffa has sprouted!
I had a packet of very old luffa seeds and finally decided I should try growing this year. I planted them in a small pot with potting soil and waited and waited. The tomatoes sprouted first, but still no luffa. Then the petunias and still no luffa. After that, the angel's trumpet sprouted and yet, still no luffa.
I began to think the seeds were dead and I might have to use the pot to grow something else when lo and behold! Last night, I spotted two seedlings! I felt a spark of joy when I saw them, but now I worry the growing season here isn't long enough. Perhaps I should have started them earlier indoors. In any case, if things don't go well, there's always next year.
Why grow luffa? Well, it's a wonderful natural sponge. You can decontaminate it in the microwave like a commercial sponge, but at the end of its life, you can compost the thing. Hubby doesn't like using it, but I think hubby just isn't used to it. Maybe if I cut a bunch of luffa into sponges and hide/throw away all the plastic sponges, he'll be forced to use them and then get used to them? Heh heh heh...
I began to think the seeds were dead and I might have to use the pot to grow something else when lo and behold! Last night, I spotted two seedlings! I felt a spark of joy when I saw them, but now I worry the growing season here isn't long enough. Perhaps I should have started them earlier indoors. In any case, if things don't go well, there's always next year.
Why grow luffa? Well, it's a wonderful natural sponge. You can decontaminate it in the microwave like a commercial sponge, but at the end of its life, you can compost the thing. Hubby doesn't like using it, but I think hubby just isn't used to it. Maybe if I cut a bunch of luffa into sponges and hide/throw away all the plastic sponges, he'll be forced to use them and then get used to them? Heh heh heh...
Monday, March 4, 2013
Another miscarriage
I suffered a second miscarriage recently. Unlike the first one, this one happened later, in my late first trimester, which meant it was painful and the natural process took a bit longer. When we found out the fetus wasn't viable and to expect a miscarriage, I specifically asked the doctor what to expect. Her response was not to worry unless there were signs of hemorrhaging, meaning bleeding through a pad an hour. She said nothing of the discomfort or the pain.
When I began to miscarry, I can say that I had really bad cramps, like labor pains. It came and went in waves and the only time I felt any kind of minimal relief was when I walked around. So in between running to the bathroom to pass clumps, I was walking around the house. After passing a rather large clump, I felt better almost instantly. However the saga wasn't over. I started having pain soon after. It built and built until I couldn't sleep I was in so much pain. Finally it was too much to bear and I called the midwife, who advised that I take 4 Advils and an antihistamine to help me get some rest. An hour later, the meds had no effect and hubby drove me to the emergency room, where they stuck an IV in me and gave me a combination of Motrin and morphine.
I have never taken as much medications as I did that night and certainly have never been on anything stronger than the advised dosage for OTC stuff. Despite the morphine, I was still in pain, but at least I was more comfortable. I was poked a prodded a few more times and the doctors said that my uterus had very little to pass and they didn't want to do any procedures considering there wasn't much in there to get out. However, I was still in pain and when it was suggested that I be sent home with OTC ibuprofen, I panicked. I didn't want to go home only to be writhing and sobbing in pain again. The doctor relented after seeing me beg over and over for help and sent me home with a prescription for percoset, which again didn't make the pain completely go away, but definitely helped. I supplemented with my own advils and was finally able to get some sleep.
The next few days continued to be uncomfortable. My next visit to the doctor was a terrible experience because the doctor was horrible and poked an prodded me with jerky motions, causing pain and discomfort. She was also the only medical professional, whether nurse or doctor, that didn't bother to say the perfunctory, "Sorry for your loss." I was so glad to be out of there when I was discharged. That was the visit that confirmed that my uterus was clean and everything was back to normal.
I no longer needed strong medications at that point, but there were still some pain. Over the course of the next few days, I felt better and better. I feel okay now, but am rather pissed about how no one told me that late trimester miscarriage could be painful or at best, really uncomfortable. If it weren't for the internet, I would not have known if what I went through was normal. Thankfully, because medical sites and other pregnancy related information don't say sh*t about what late first trimester miscarriages could be like, women posted their own personal experiences to forums, blogs and other sites. I thank these women from the bottom of my heart for sharing their painful moments. Many were just as angry as I was that no one warned them or told them what to expect or what was normal. There was simply no information provided. None whatsoever. It is a travesty considering how often miscarriages happen that there is such a dearth of information on this topic. I am beginning to wonder if would still be the case if men could give birth.
When I began to miscarry, I can say that I had really bad cramps, like labor pains. It came and went in waves and the only time I felt any kind of minimal relief was when I walked around. So in between running to the bathroom to pass clumps, I was walking around the house. After passing a rather large clump, I felt better almost instantly. However the saga wasn't over. I started having pain soon after. It built and built until I couldn't sleep I was in so much pain. Finally it was too much to bear and I called the midwife, who advised that I take 4 Advils and an antihistamine to help me get some rest. An hour later, the meds had no effect and hubby drove me to the emergency room, where they stuck an IV in me and gave me a combination of Motrin and morphine.
I have never taken as much medications as I did that night and certainly have never been on anything stronger than the advised dosage for OTC stuff. Despite the morphine, I was still in pain, but at least I was more comfortable. I was poked a prodded a few more times and the doctors said that my uterus had very little to pass and they didn't want to do any procedures considering there wasn't much in there to get out. However, I was still in pain and when it was suggested that I be sent home with OTC ibuprofen, I panicked. I didn't want to go home only to be writhing and sobbing in pain again. The doctor relented after seeing me beg over and over for help and sent me home with a prescription for percoset, which again didn't make the pain completely go away, but definitely helped. I supplemented with my own advils and was finally able to get some sleep.
The next few days continued to be uncomfortable. My next visit to the doctor was a terrible experience because the doctor was horrible and poked an prodded me with jerky motions, causing pain and discomfort. She was also the only medical professional, whether nurse or doctor, that didn't bother to say the perfunctory, "Sorry for your loss." I was so glad to be out of there when I was discharged. That was the visit that confirmed that my uterus was clean and everything was back to normal.
I no longer needed strong medications at that point, but there were still some pain. Over the course of the next few days, I felt better and better. I feel okay now, but am rather pissed about how no one told me that late trimester miscarriage could be painful or at best, really uncomfortable. If it weren't for the internet, I would not have known if what I went through was normal. Thankfully, because medical sites and other pregnancy related information don't say sh*t about what late first trimester miscarriages could be like, women posted their own personal experiences to forums, blogs and other sites. I thank these women from the bottom of my heart for sharing their painful moments. Many were just as angry as I was that no one warned them or told them what to expect or what was normal. There was simply no information provided. None whatsoever. It is a travesty considering how often miscarriages happen that there is such a dearth of information on this topic. I am beginning to wonder if would still be the case if men could give birth.
Friday, March 1, 2013
New year, new gardening ambitions
Our back yard really doesn’t have a lot of room for
gardening and only small sections of it get full sun. Since I also have a black
thumb, I tried keeping my garden ambitions modest. Last year, we
grew/planted the following:
I tried to save the basil and overwinter it indoors, but as
soon as it came into the house, it developed black spots on the leaves that
spread throughout the plant and it died. This year, I’m going to try growing
basil again. I’m hoping it will grow well enough for me to make some
more pesto!
In addition to the plants I mentioned I’ll be planting again this year, I’m planning to add a few things to the garden:
So as you can see, I’m feeling rather ambitious this year. I’m rather excited about the project and can hardly wait for the weather to be warm enough for me to start working on the garden outside. Right now, the garden's a mess as we failed to clean it up after the plants died. So once it's warm enough, I'll be out there pulling and cutting up stuff and then adding fresh compost. Yay!
Peppermint
Basil
Brandywine tomatoes
Cherokee tomatoes
Horseradish
Garlic (fall planted)
I am a little concerned about the peppermint plant. Towards
the end of the summer and into fall, the plant looked sickly with yellow and
brown leaves. Looking online, this could be a fungal infection, which could
spread to other herbs in the garden and is nigh impossible to get rid of. One
person suggested cutting the plant down to the soil level, taking the plant out
and re-potting it in fresh compost after washing it vigorously. I’m not sure if
the plant can take that kind of abuse, but the poster said that mint is pretty
hard to kill.
Of the two tomato plants, we loved brandywine the most, so
this year I’m only planting brandywine tomatoes. Last year, I planted the two
tomato plants too close together and I massively underestimated how big they
would get, which made our little stakes completely useless. We did not get many
tomatoes last year. This year, I will plant them farther apart and we'll use
tomato cages to support them.
The horseradish is a root we bought at the local supermarket for our seder last
spring. I saved a pieced of the root and buried it in a large planter and it
thrived all throughout summer, the leaves only died when the winter got cold. I
am planning to dig the root up this spring to use for this year’s seder. Since
this winter has been rather cold, I have high hopes that this root will be
extra pungent. I am planning to replant a part of the root again, same as last
year.
Last year, my in-laws gifted us with the most delicious,
fantastic garlic we’ve ever tasted. I saved a big bulb and planted 5 individual
cloves last fall. They did sprout a little before the winter killed off the
tops, but they are sprouting again now. From what I’ve read, I should be able
to dig them out around mid-summer. I can save another big bulb and plant the
cloves again this fall for another summer harvest. You can plant garlic in the
spring for a fall harvest, but the bulbs won’t be as big.
In addition to the plants I mentioned I’ll be planting again this year, I’m planning to add a few things to the garden:
Lincoln peas
Kentucky Blue beans
German butterball potatoes
Bloomsdale Longstanding spinach
Little Gem Lettuce
Garlic Chives
Luffa
Angel Trumpet flowers
Petunias
Cover crops
The Kentucky Blue beans will be planted where the tomatoes
were last year. I read that planting beans will restore some of the nitrogen
used up by plants that are heavy feeders, such as tomatoes.
The peas will be planted after the garlic has been pulled. I
think peas also replace nitrogen used up by previous plants, but really, I just
wanted to try planting peas. Plus, I’d rather not leave the garlic patch bare
for months at a time.
I bought a potato bag to grow the potatoes in and am hoping
the potato plant doesn’t get too obnoxiously big like our tomato plants did. I
read that they tend to spread out and some people have had success caging or
staking them. I guess we’ll see how it goes. I haven't received the seed potatoes from my order yet.
The chives, Luffa and flowers are going into pots. The luffa
is a vining plant that I’m planning to grow in a big pot and let it climb up
our back porch. I am considering getting a trellis for the luffa, but I’m not
even sure the old seeds I’ve got will germinate. The petunias have a weeping
habit so I’m planning to put them in a window box in the front porch. It’s a
bit shady there, so the flowers might end up not doing so well, but we’ll see.
The trumpet flowers have an upright habit, so I’ll keep it in a pot and if it doesn’t
like one location, I can move it to another.
The spinach and the lettuce doesn’t like full sun or high
heat, so I’ll most likely be growing them in the front yard or indoors. I’m not
growing very many as I’m not sure how successful I’ll be. Also, the seeds I have are very old and they might be dead. If that is the case, I'll dump the current batch and start again.
This year, I may try growing cover crops. Cover crops
replace nitrogen used up in the soil, prevent soil erosion and smother weeds.
They are usually planted after pulling up plants that have been “used up.”
Cover crops need to be mowed down and tilled into the soil before they flower
and re-seed themselves into the patch. They need to be tilled into the soil 2
to 3 weeks before new crops are planted.
So as you can see, I’m feeling rather ambitious this year. I’m rather excited about the project and can hardly wait for the weather to be warm enough for me to start working on the garden outside. Right now, the garden's a mess as we failed to clean it up after the plants died. So once it's warm enough, I'll be out there pulling and cutting up stuff and then adding fresh compost. Yay!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Perfumes for babies
What the heck kinda world do we live in that people buy this crap?!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/mother-tongue/familyadvice/9831917/Baby-perfume-The-idea-stinks.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/mother-tongue/familyadvice/9831917/Baby-perfume-The-idea-stinks.html
Thursday, February 14, 2013
I happen to think Facebook is a great way to connect with friends and family. However, with each new article, I'm forced to wonder if it's worth it to stay on Facebook when it's constantly showing that it doesn't understand the concept of privacy.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ari-melber/why-graph-search-could-be_b_2580798.html
If you look a little more, there are tons of other articles about how Facebook doesn't care about their users. Right now, I am seriously considering closing my account.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-levin/7-ways-to-avoid-identity_b_2634967.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/technology/personaltech/protecting-your-privacy-on-the-new-facebook.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2274954/Facebook-developing-app-track--s-turned-off.html
http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/facebook-disclose-targeted-ads-you-just-have-know-where-look-1B8269988
http://www.webpronews.com/yes-facebook-may-owe-you-10-that-email-isnt-a-scam-2013-02
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ari-melber/why-graph-search-could-be_b_2580798.html
If you look a little more, there are tons of other articles about how Facebook doesn't care about their users. Right now, I am seriously considering closing my account.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-levin/7-ways-to-avoid-identity_b_2634967.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/technology/personaltech/protecting-your-privacy-on-the-new-facebook.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2274954/Facebook-developing-app-track--s-turned-off.html
http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/facebook-disclose-targeted-ads-you-just-have-know-where-look-1B8269988
http://www.webpronews.com/yes-facebook-may-owe-you-10-that-email-isnt-a-scam-2013-02
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Maternity
As it turns out, I am pregnant again. I didn't want to say earlier because I didn't want to jinx it, but it's getting harder to fit in my pants. I'm still in my first trimester, but my belly is already bulging out and it's gotten uncomfortable wearing my pants. Unfortunately, I am loathe to buy new clothes too, so I'm in a bit of a quandary.
I started looking at maternity clothes online and found that I didn't like most of the styles. The other problem was that most of the clothes were made out of man-made materials like polyester or rayon. I don't understand why there aren't more styles made in a simple cotton jersey fabric. The other problem is that many of them are unimaginatively plain and unstylish.
So while I ponder the dilemma, I bought myself a belly band to hold my pants up and to hide the fact that I'm now wearing my pants unzipped. I'm going to try to avoid buying maternity pants for as long as possible. There are actually a lot of tutorials on how to make your own belly band, however, the one I bought has some advantages that the homemade stuff doesn't have. First, I didn't have to take the time and effort to make it. I am lazy so this is a plus. Second, the one I got has a non-slip band running around the edge of one of the openings. This grips the pants and also keeps the band from riding up. I wear this thing every day now and I am so glad to have purchased it!
The other part of me that's grown to the point where I had to purchase something is my... uh, chest area. This was a bit unexpected for me since I've been washboard flat all my life and expected that I would always be that way. So when my bras started pinching me, I was forced to purchase new ones that didn't have underwires. For sleeping, I am now using stretchy sports bras, which work surprisingly well. In any case, if my boobs get bigger, I may have to purchase a couple more, but I hear that's not unexpected.
In any case, my extra mass takes getting used to. I can only hope that I won't grow too big!
I started looking at maternity clothes online and found that I didn't like most of the styles. The other problem was that most of the clothes were made out of man-made materials like polyester or rayon. I don't understand why there aren't more styles made in a simple cotton jersey fabric. The other problem is that many of them are unimaginatively plain and unstylish.
So while I ponder the dilemma, I bought myself a belly band to hold my pants up and to hide the fact that I'm now wearing my pants unzipped. I'm going to try to avoid buying maternity pants for as long as possible. There are actually a lot of tutorials on how to make your own belly band, however, the one I bought has some advantages that the homemade stuff doesn't have. First, I didn't have to take the time and effort to make it. I am lazy so this is a plus. Second, the one I got has a non-slip band running around the edge of one of the openings. This grips the pants and also keeps the band from riding up. I wear this thing every day now and I am so glad to have purchased it!
The other part of me that's grown to the point where I had to purchase something is my... uh, chest area. This was a bit unexpected for me since I've been washboard flat all my life and expected that I would always be that way. So when my bras started pinching me, I was forced to purchase new ones that didn't have underwires. For sleeping, I am now using stretchy sports bras, which work surprisingly well. In any case, if my boobs get bigger, I may have to purchase a couple more, but I hear that's not unexpected.
In any case, my extra mass takes getting used to. I can only hope that I won't grow too big!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Turn about is fair play
Whenever I hear about some confrontation between paparazzi and famous people, I thank my lucky stars I'm a regular, uninteresting, unknown person. In the video linked below, one famous person decided to turn his camera on the paparazzi and the ensuing interaction was actually kinda interesting.
http://gawker.com/5981401/pictures-of-assholes-joseph-gordon+levitt-points-his-camera-at-the-paparazzi-and-they-dont-care-for-it
http://gawker.com/5981401/pictures-of-assholes-joseph-gordon+levitt-points-his-camera-at-the-paparazzi-and-they-dont-care-for-it
Monday, January 28, 2013
Random chain of kindness goes on for hours
I know this is old, but it's still a goodie!
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/random-chain-of-kindness-at-tims-goes-on-for-hours-185398352.html
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/random-chain-of-kindness-at-tims-goes-on-for-hours-185398352.html
Friday, January 25, 2013
Men try out labor pains
Maybe if more Republican men did this for 8 hours straight, they would feel differently about being against contraception and abortion.
http://www.neatorama.com/2013/01/21/Men-Try-Out-Labor-Pains/
http://www.neatorama.com/2013/01/21/Men-Try-Out-Labor-Pains/
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Flu season
This year, the flu seems to be particularly bad. After realizing just how bad it has gotten, and how many people in my own office around me were sick with it, I got myself a flu shot for the first time ever. Unfortunately, I'm reading that the shot takes two weeks to take effect, and plus there's no guarantee that the shot will keep you safe from this year's strains of flu.
Aside from taking the flu shot, I've been making extra sure to wash my hands exceptionally well. I usually wash my hands well, so I now fear that perhaps that's not enough. My company was kind enough to issue everyone a small bottle of hand sanitizer, so I think I'm going to start using that every time I touch something on the subway that other people tend to touch, like poles and handles. If I could, I'd stay home and self-quarantine myself, but that's probably going a bit too far.
Normally, I would not be so paranoid. However, this year sounds like it's pretty bad, and there are other circumstances that make getting the flu now a particularly bad time. So hence, the paranoia. I really don't want to come down with anything debilitating for the next several months.
Aside from taking the flu shot, I've been making extra sure to wash my hands exceptionally well. I usually wash my hands well, so I now fear that perhaps that's not enough. My company was kind enough to issue everyone a small bottle of hand sanitizer, so I think I'm going to start using that every time I touch something on the subway that other people tend to touch, like poles and handles. If I could, I'd stay home and self-quarantine myself, but that's probably going a bit too far.
Normally, I would not be so paranoid. However, this year sounds like it's pretty bad, and there are other circumstances that make getting the flu now a particularly bad time. So hence, the paranoia. I really don't want to come down with anything debilitating for the next several months.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Violence against women act
Things like this make me feel depressed:
http://gawker.com/5974873/whatever-happened-to-the-violence-against-women-act
http://gawker.com/5974873/whatever-happened-to-the-violence-against-women-act
Friday, January 11, 2013
Composting
Late last year, I bought the Envirocycle mini compost tumbler to start composting in my urban home. It's quite small and can fit on top of a table, but I just set mine on the floor. It's been a little over a month since I started dumping stuff into it on a weekly basis and it's getting full. Unfortunately, because it's winter, there is not much rotting going on. :-(
Once it fills up a bit more, I'll have to stop putting stuff into it. At first, I tumbled the thing every week, but since it's been so cold and nothing's happening, I've given up on doing that until the weather warms up. Because it is so cold, I am unable to tell if I'm putting in enough "browns." I tried sniffing it, but I can't smell anything, especially since everything is probably frozen. Then there's the issue of whether or not I'm keeping the stuff wet enough. Again, moisture is just freezing up in there so I'm not sure if it's at the consistency it should be.
In any case, it looks like I'll have to wait until it's warmer to know for sure how to proceed and facilitate rotting. I am pretty excited to see it rot! I can't wait!
Once it fills up a bit more, I'll have to stop putting stuff into it. At first, I tumbled the thing every week, but since it's been so cold and nothing's happening, I've given up on doing that until the weather warms up. Because it is so cold, I am unable to tell if I'm putting in enough "browns." I tried sniffing it, but I can't smell anything, especially since everything is probably frozen. Then there's the issue of whether or not I'm keeping the stuff wet enough. Again, moisture is just freezing up in there so I'm not sure if it's at the consistency it should be.
In any case, it looks like I'll have to wait until it's warmer to know for sure how to proceed and facilitate rotting. I am pretty excited to see it rot! I can't wait!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Maintaining a home is hard work!
This is not news to anyone, but maintaining a home is hard work! I find it is especially difficult to keep up with housework when working full time and dealing with long commutes. If only I didn't need to sleep!
When we first moved into our new place, my first priority was settling in, getting furniture and finding a place for everything. I'm still not completely happy with the way the kitchen is organized and the basement is still a mess because we're using it as a storage/staging area. There is still too much clutter on the small table in the dining room and the office needs reorganizing as well. A house's work is never done.
Eventually, big projects aside, I settled into a more regular cleaning routine. At first, I was too ambitious and if I did everything on my checklist every day, I would have no time to sit down or relax. So I started spacing tasks out more. After all, do I really need to dust the whole house every other day? I also took the advice of Scrooge McDuck to "work smarter, not harder!"
Here are some things I've started doing that I find beneficial:
1. When I am about to use the tub or sink, I first spray a vinegar spray on the surfaces and let it sit for a few minutes. Then when I brush my teeth or shower, I wipe down the sprayed surfaces with a cloth. This allows me to keep the bathroom presentable all the times.
2. Washing and prepping veggies on Sunday saves me lots of time on weeknights. Prepped veggies means I can come home, heat up the wok and toss the food in right way and start cooking. It definitely saves a lot of time!
3. Hubby and I used to waste a lot of food, though we certainly don't mean to. Planning out meals is a great way to avoid wasting food. When I know what I'll be making, I can have a more efficient shopping trip, buying only what I need that week. Not only am I saving money, but time as well.
4. Shopping at the supermarket is a horrible experience, unless I go late. During peak hours, the place is so crowded that I can bare move 2 feet before having to stop and wait for someone else to get out of my way. Either that or I'm the one in someone's way. Going late avoids the crowds and allows for a much more pleasant experience. I can actually take time to focus on what I'm buying, rather than fuming at the old lady pushing her cart into me.
5. Getting stuff delivered can be a good thing! I have stuff delivered to the house all the time. At times I feel guilty about all the shipping, gas and cardboard boxes that I'm using up, but the bottom line is, I simply don't have the time to devote to going to all the different places that have the things I need. Some places have what I need, but are not of good quality. I am lucky enough that I can get most of my daily needs delivered right to my door - from groceries, to pet supplies to air mattresses. I like buying certain things in bulk, and not having to lug a year's worth of sugar across several blocks is a good thing!
6. Freezer meals are great! Some days when I come home, I really don't want to touch the stove. I just want to pop something into the microwave or oven and voila! Food is on the table! Every so often, I'll make a big batch of tomato sauce, veggie soup, lasagna, pumpkin pie or chickpea patties. We'll eat some and freeze the rest. The night before I plan to eat it, I take it out of the freezer and put it into the fridge. If it's not fully defrosted by the time I come home, I stick it in the microwave. I like freezing my food in single serving portions inside of freezer and oven safe containers that come with covers. For instance, I bake the lasagna in an oven and freezer safe container. When it cools, it goes into the freezer. Later, it gets defrosted in the fridge and when I come home to eat it, I warm it up in the oven. I love functional containers!
7. Doing a few chores every day means feeling less overwhelmed on the weekends. In the beginning, I tried to do all my chores on weekends, which meant for very busy weekends! Often, I either didn't finish or just got frustrated with all the work I was making myself do. These days, I find that if I quickly clean areas during the week, I don't have to do them during the weekend, which saves me a great deal of frustration and keeps the house clean. Some people recommend setting a timer for 15 minutes and just do as much as you can until the timer is up. What works for me is a list of tasks for each day and checking them off when I get home. Daily tasks include wiping down the dining table after eating, wiping down the kitchen countertops and stoves, and loading and unloading the dishwasher. Every other day, I dust, check and water the plants, and add to the mini compost tumbler. Ideally, I should also sweep and mop the kitchen and dining room floors, but I just can't get my energy up enough to manage that. Cleaning the floors remain a weekend task
So that's all I got for now! Later!
When we first moved into our new place, my first priority was settling in, getting furniture and finding a place for everything. I'm still not completely happy with the way the kitchen is organized and the basement is still a mess because we're using it as a storage/staging area. There is still too much clutter on the small table in the dining room and the office needs reorganizing as well. A house's work is never done.
Eventually, big projects aside, I settled into a more regular cleaning routine. At first, I was too ambitious and if I did everything on my checklist every day, I would have no time to sit down or relax. So I started spacing tasks out more. After all, do I really need to dust the whole house every other day? I also took the advice of Scrooge McDuck to "work smarter, not harder!"
Here are some things I've started doing that I find beneficial:
1. When I am about to use the tub or sink, I first spray a vinegar spray on the surfaces and let it sit for a few minutes. Then when I brush my teeth or shower, I wipe down the sprayed surfaces with a cloth. This allows me to keep the bathroom presentable all the times.
2. Washing and prepping veggies on Sunday saves me lots of time on weeknights. Prepped veggies means I can come home, heat up the wok and toss the food in right way and start cooking. It definitely saves a lot of time!
3. Hubby and I used to waste a lot of food, though we certainly don't mean to. Planning out meals is a great way to avoid wasting food. When I know what I'll be making, I can have a more efficient shopping trip, buying only what I need that week. Not only am I saving money, but time as well.
4. Shopping at the supermarket is a horrible experience, unless I go late. During peak hours, the place is so crowded that I can bare move 2 feet before having to stop and wait for someone else to get out of my way. Either that or I'm the one in someone's way. Going late avoids the crowds and allows for a much more pleasant experience. I can actually take time to focus on what I'm buying, rather than fuming at the old lady pushing her cart into me.
5. Getting stuff delivered can be a good thing! I have stuff delivered to the house all the time. At times I feel guilty about all the shipping, gas and cardboard boxes that I'm using up, but the bottom line is, I simply don't have the time to devote to going to all the different places that have the things I need. Some places have what I need, but are not of good quality. I am lucky enough that I can get most of my daily needs delivered right to my door - from groceries, to pet supplies to air mattresses. I like buying certain things in bulk, and not having to lug a year's worth of sugar across several blocks is a good thing!
6. Freezer meals are great! Some days when I come home, I really don't want to touch the stove. I just want to pop something into the microwave or oven and voila! Food is on the table! Every so often, I'll make a big batch of tomato sauce, veggie soup, lasagna, pumpkin pie or chickpea patties. We'll eat some and freeze the rest. The night before I plan to eat it, I take it out of the freezer and put it into the fridge. If it's not fully defrosted by the time I come home, I stick it in the microwave. I like freezing my food in single serving portions inside of freezer and oven safe containers that come with covers. For instance, I bake the lasagna in an oven and freezer safe container. When it cools, it goes into the freezer. Later, it gets defrosted in the fridge and when I come home to eat it, I warm it up in the oven. I love functional containers!
7. Doing a few chores every day means feeling less overwhelmed on the weekends. In the beginning, I tried to do all my chores on weekends, which meant for very busy weekends! Often, I either didn't finish or just got frustrated with all the work I was making myself do. These days, I find that if I quickly clean areas during the week, I don't have to do them during the weekend, which saves me a great deal of frustration and keeps the house clean. Some people recommend setting a timer for 15 minutes and just do as much as you can until the timer is up. What works for me is a list of tasks for each day and checking them off when I get home. Daily tasks include wiping down the dining table after eating, wiping down the kitchen countertops and stoves, and loading and unloading the dishwasher. Every other day, I dust, check and water the plants, and add to the mini compost tumbler. Ideally, I should also sweep and mop the kitchen and dining room floors, but I just can't get my energy up enough to manage that. Cleaning the floors remain a weekend task
So that's all I got for now! Later!
All Glory to the Hypnotoad!
This past holiday season, I did not just shop for others, but I also shopped for myself. For the most part, I am happy with my purchases, except for one. It is the Hypnotoad. On an impulsive whim, I bought the figurine (doesn't actually move its eyes or make noise - it's just cute!) and now I have no idea where to put it. It lived in the bathroom for a while and now it has moved into the bedroom.
Despite its adorable charm, I would rather not have yet another object in the house to dust and maintain. This is especially true since he doesn't actually wobble his eyes or make the Hypnotoad noise. After all, he's just a figurine that I got for fun, and now it seems, I am over it.
Still it seems like such a waste to get rid him considering the fact that I've had him less than 2 months. So alternative that I am considering is bringing him to work as a desk toy. He can sit on my desk where I can stare at him staring at me. With him at work, I can not feel guilty about getting rid of him, but he is also out of the house when I'm trying to dust and wipe everything.
Despite its adorable charm, I would rather not have yet another object in the house to dust and maintain. This is especially true since he doesn't actually wobble his eyes or make the Hypnotoad noise. After all, he's just a figurine that I got for fun, and now it seems, I am over it.
Still it seems like such a waste to get rid him considering the fact that I've had him less than 2 months. So alternative that I am considering is bringing him to work as a desk toy. He can sit on my desk where I can stare at him staring at me. With him at work, I can not feel guilty about getting rid of him, but he is also out of the house when I'm trying to dust and wipe everything.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Brewing your own Kombucha
My first taste of kombucha did not leave me wanting more. In fact, I disliked it. However, I had heard so many good and miraculous things about it that I thought I would give it another shot and bought a bottle. It was a hot summer day and I was craving something sweet and fizzy and that bottle totally hit the spot! From then on, I loved kombucha! The only problem is, they're so expensive!
So one day, I decided to make my own. I didn't bother buying a scoby (kombucha mother). Instead, I grew one from a store-bought bottle of kombucha. You can read how to do that here:
http://www.paprikahead.com/2009/07/how-to-brew-your-own-kombucha-from.html
Now that I have a healthy scoby going, I brew and bottle every 2 weeks and I make it with green tea. Hubby likes his fizzier so he likes to keep the bottles at room temperature to continue fermenting for a while. The longer they ferment in the bottles, the fizzier it gets. I don't mind drinking it as soon as it tastes right.
Now, I don't put much stock in the reports of how kombucha cures stuff and does all these miraculous things. I just like the taste and I do think it's healthy because it has live cultures in it that helps digestion. Other than that, it's also fun to know that I can make something so yummy at home!
So one day, I decided to make my own. I didn't bother buying a scoby (kombucha mother). Instead, I grew one from a store-bought bottle of kombucha. You can read how to do that here:
http://www.paprikahead.com/2009/07/how-to-brew-your-own-kombucha-from.html
Now that I have a healthy scoby going, I brew and bottle every 2 weeks and I make it with green tea. Hubby likes his fizzier so he likes to keep the bottles at room temperature to continue fermenting for a while. The longer they ferment in the bottles, the fizzier it gets. I don't mind drinking it as soon as it tastes right.
Now, I don't put much stock in the reports of how kombucha cures stuff and does all these miraculous things. I just like the taste and I do think it's healthy because it has live cultures in it that helps digestion. Other than that, it's also fun to know that I can make something so yummy at home!
Thursday, January 3, 2013
A new year, a new start
Happy 2013 everyone!
This coming year, I have many resolutions and many plans. Most are the same ones I had last year. Haha! However, that's not a bad thing as it shows that I'm still trying and haven't given up. In any case, my goals are all related to living healthier and more frugally. Some of my resolutions are:
1. Cook most dinners and pack most lunches. This not only allows me to live healthier, but also saves a lot of money. This is a repeat from last year as I lost sight of this goal halfway through the year.
2. Create a household cleaning schedule and share chores with hubby. Since hubby works late, I'm not expecting an equitable division of labor here. However, I do like to have the option of saying that I'm too tired to do the chores and just point to the list so hubby can step up. The way I see it, in order to keep the house spic and span, certain things need to be done regularly.
3. Grow more food. Last year, we planted two heirloom tomato plants, some store bought scallions (ate the tops and just planted the bottoms) and some store-bought celery (again ate the tops and planted the bottom). The scallions and celery were miserable though the celery is, amazingly, still alive and green in our back yard. The tomato plants were planted too close together and tried to kill each other, resulting in only a handful of tomatoes. This year, I'm going to do things differently. I'll plant two tomato plants farther apart and also put tomato cages around them. I also have garlic growing on the side, some mint growing in a pot and a horseradish root buried in a big planter. I currently have a couple of citrus trees under grow lights, but I don't think they're going to make it through the winter. :-(
4. Take more breaks from staring at stuff. I spend all day staring. I stare at my computer at work, I stare at my phone when commuting, I stare at the TV when I'm relaxing and I stare at my iPad before bed. That's a lot of staring and my eyes are always feeling dry and strained. It's time to give them a break by taking hourly breaks every day. So this year, I'm going to try to break away from backlit screens every hour by taking a walk around the house or office floor, even if it's just to pet the cat or get a drink of water.
5. Run 5K by the end of the year. I want to exercise, but I can never keep it up because I'm super lazy and always tired. So I figure if I have a concrete goal in mind, I can be motivated to keep moving. So the goal is to run 5K by the end of the year. Yeah, I'm taking it easy, but it's better than doing nothing!
So that's it! My 2013 resolutions. I wonder how many I'll be able to keep!
This coming year, I have many resolutions and many plans. Most are the same ones I had last year. Haha! However, that's not a bad thing as it shows that I'm still trying and haven't given up. In any case, my goals are all related to living healthier and more frugally. Some of my resolutions are:
1. Cook most dinners and pack most lunches. This not only allows me to live healthier, but also saves a lot of money. This is a repeat from last year as I lost sight of this goal halfway through the year.
2. Create a household cleaning schedule and share chores with hubby. Since hubby works late, I'm not expecting an equitable division of labor here. However, I do like to have the option of saying that I'm too tired to do the chores and just point to the list so hubby can step up. The way I see it, in order to keep the house spic and span, certain things need to be done regularly.
3. Grow more food. Last year, we planted two heirloom tomato plants, some store bought scallions (ate the tops and just planted the bottoms) and some store-bought celery (again ate the tops and planted the bottom). The scallions and celery were miserable though the celery is, amazingly, still alive and green in our back yard. The tomato plants were planted too close together and tried to kill each other, resulting in only a handful of tomatoes. This year, I'm going to do things differently. I'll plant two tomato plants farther apart and also put tomato cages around them. I also have garlic growing on the side, some mint growing in a pot and a horseradish root buried in a big planter. I currently have a couple of citrus trees under grow lights, but I don't think they're going to make it through the winter. :-(
4. Take more breaks from staring at stuff. I spend all day staring. I stare at my computer at work, I stare at my phone when commuting, I stare at the TV when I'm relaxing and I stare at my iPad before bed. That's a lot of staring and my eyes are always feeling dry and strained. It's time to give them a break by taking hourly breaks every day. So this year, I'm going to try to break away from backlit screens every hour by taking a walk around the house or office floor, even if it's just to pet the cat or get a drink of water.
5. Run 5K by the end of the year. I want to exercise, but I can never keep it up because I'm super lazy and always tired. So I figure if I have a concrete goal in mind, I can be motivated to keep moving. So the goal is to run 5K by the end of the year. Yeah, I'm taking it easy, but it's better than doing nothing!
So that's it! My 2013 resolutions. I wonder how many I'll be able to keep!
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