Kind of cute, no? Hopefully we have a better time with summer than we did with winter veggies. Out of the cabbage, lettuce and broccoli, all we had was a little lettuce that we ate. We'll just keep trying! Not buying that farm yet though!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Cute Cuke
So here's our first cucumber for the summer harvest. Actually it's the only vegetable that has presented itself so far. The other plants (tomatoes, peppers, squash) all look big and healthy, but nothing edible yet.
Kind of cute, no?
Hopefully we have a better time with summer than we did with winter veggies. Out of the cabbage, lettuce and broccoli, all we had was a little lettuce that we ate. We'll just keep trying! Not buying that farm yet though!
Kind of cute, no? Hopefully we have a better time with summer than we did with winter veggies. Out of the cabbage, lettuce and broccoli, all we had was a little lettuce that we ate. We'll just keep trying! Not buying that farm yet though!
Would you snitch on grandma?
I know the pictures aren't of the best quality (I was trying to be discreet), but our neighbor is washing her house! In a drought! Today isn't even her day to water her plants, let alone her entire f'ing house. I know she's like 80, but come on.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Here’s a little unsolicited right-wing propaganda for ya
Let me just preface this post by saying that I am crazy about my father-in-law. However, in true Pence fashion, if you’re going to dish it, you’d better be able to take whatever’s coming. I know he reads my blog from time to time…
This week my father-in-law printed out an article to give to me and Darren. It was printed, one-sided, on five sheets of paper (all that methane gas released as it decomposes; what was he thinking?). I think he was afraid that if he emailed it, we might just hit ‘delete’ and not bother to read it. But I digress. The article can be found here. It basically states that environmentalists are crazy opportunists who will take any research and use it to their left-wing agenda (right-wing extremists never do this, of course).
It is no secret that Darren and I are concerned about the environment. I go to great lengths to do things which I believe will limit my impact on the earth. I don’t consider myself better than everyone else, and by no means am I perfect. I try to do the ‘live by example’ thing. I endure ridicule by my conservative coworkers because I recycle my office paper. I put up with the smells on MARTA three days a week so I don’t drive so much. I spend more money on food because eating organic is important to me.
Darren and I are not activists. We don’t preach to friends, family or co-workers. We really only share our beliefs if someone asks. If someone asks, though, we both can get pretty passionate on the topic. I think that we are both pretty open-minded, too. If you tell me that I am absolutely wrong (yes it does happen), I will acknowledge that I should research the subject more.
D’s dad, however, feels the need to express his opinion on the environment a lot. I think it’s the ‘offensive defensive’ approach. I don’t think he really thinks he’ll get us to change our crazy hippie ways, but just likes to insert a jab now and then to see how we respond. We usually don’t (but today’s his lucky day!).
Anyway, my point is that I really don’t care how much research people are doing to prove or disprove global warming. You can spin anything. You know what, I don't even care if there is no global warming. That is not my motivation for being conscientious of how I treat our environment. I don’t think anybody can argue that doing things that conserve a little of what is limited on this great Mother Earth can do any harm. However, I cannot say the same for the status quo.
This week my father-in-law printed out an article to give to me and Darren. It was printed, one-sided, on five sheets of paper (all that methane gas released as it decomposes; what was he thinking?). I think he was afraid that if he emailed it, we might just hit ‘delete’ and not bother to read it. But I digress. The article can be found here. It basically states that environmentalists are crazy opportunists who will take any research and use it to their left-wing agenda (right-wing extremists never do this, of course).
It is no secret that Darren and I are concerned about the environment. I go to great lengths to do things which I believe will limit my impact on the earth. I don’t consider myself better than everyone else, and by no means am I perfect. I try to do the ‘live by example’ thing. I endure ridicule by my conservative coworkers because I recycle my office paper. I put up with the smells on MARTA three days a week so I don’t drive so much. I spend more money on food because eating organic is important to me.
Darren and I are not activists. We don’t preach to friends, family or co-workers. We really only share our beliefs if someone asks. If someone asks, though, we both can get pretty passionate on the topic. I think that we are both pretty open-minded, too. If you tell me that I am absolutely wrong (yes it does happen), I will acknowledge that I should research the subject more.
D’s dad, however, feels the need to express his opinion on the environment a lot. I think it’s the ‘offensive defensive’ approach. I don’t think he really thinks he’ll get us to change our crazy hippie ways, but just likes to insert a jab now and then to see how we respond. We usually don’t (but today’s his lucky day!).
Anyway, my point is that I really don’t care how much research people are doing to prove or disprove global warming. You can spin anything. You know what, I don't even care if there is no global warming. That is not my motivation for being conscientious of how I treat our environment. I don’t think anybody can argue that doing things that conserve a little of what is limited on this great Mother Earth can do any harm. However, I cannot say the same for the status quo.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
vampires beware
I finally caught a cold late last week. I say finally because Darren has been sick for what seems like the last month and I think I got it from him.
Last night I made myself a concoction of hot water, lime juice (because I don't have any lemons), honey and cayenne pepper. Then I cut up a clove of garlic, and threw that in, too. Tasty. After I drank it up, I ate half of the garlic. Garlic is supposed to have some incredible healing properties. Now maybe my body was already healing itself, but I feel tons better today! So good, in fact, that on my way to pick up lunch, I couldn't help but stop at the Pier One store closing sale and look around. Didn't buy anything, but it says a lot that I actually stopped to shop.
So I would highly recommend the above recipe. Warning: the garlic does linger. I ate it last night and since then brushed my teeth twice and gargled with mouthwash. Still Darren could smell it when I kissed him goodbye this morning. How embarrassing!
On another note, below is a list of the ten fruits/veggies that have the most and least pesticide residue. If you must buy non-organic produce, make sure they're on the second list.
HIGHEST PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION:
1. (worst) Peaches 100 (highest pesticide load)
2. Apples 96
3. Sweet Bell Peppers 86
4. Celery 85
5. Nectarines 84
6. Strawberries 83
7. Cherries 75
8. Lettuce 69
9. Grapes - Imported 68
10. Pears 65
LOWEST PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION:
10. Cabbage 17
9. Bananas 16
8. Kiwi 14
7. Asparagus 11
6. Sweet Peas-Frozen 11
5. Mango 9
4. Pineapples 7
3. Sweet Corn-Frozen 2
2. Avocado 1
1. (best) Onions 1 (lowest pesticide load)
Last night I made myself a concoction of hot water, lime juice (because I don't have any lemons), honey and cayenne pepper. Then I cut up a clove of garlic, and threw that in, too. Tasty. After I drank it up, I ate half of the garlic. Garlic is supposed to have some incredible healing properties. Now maybe my body was already healing itself, but I feel tons better today! So good, in fact, that on my way to pick up lunch, I couldn't help but stop at the Pier One store closing sale and look around. Didn't buy anything, but it says a lot that I actually stopped to shop.
So I would highly recommend the above recipe. Warning: the garlic does linger. I ate it last night and since then brushed my teeth twice and gargled with mouthwash. Still Darren could smell it when I kissed him goodbye this morning. How embarrassing!
On another note, below is a list of the ten fruits/veggies that have the most and least pesticide residue. If you must buy non-organic produce, make sure they're on the second list.
HIGHEST PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION:
1. (worst) Peaches 100 (highest pesticide load)
2. Apples 96
3. Sweet Bell Peppers 86
4. Celery 85
5. Nectarines 84
6. Strawberries 83
7. Cherries 75
8. Lettuce 69
9. Grapes - Imported 68
10. Pears 65
LOWEST PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION:
10. Cabbage 17
9. Bananas 16
8. Kiwi 14
7. Asparagus 11
6. Sweet Peas-Frozen 11
5. Mango 9
4. Pineapples 7
3. Sweet Corn-Frozen 2
2. Avocado 1
1. (best) Onions 1 (lowest pesticide load)
Friday, February 1, 2008
Into the Pink
Monday evening I found myself sitting in a hotel meeting room with about 30 other women, waiting. Anxious, I started chitchatting with one next to me. “So why are you here?” I ask. Before she could answer me, a tall curvy woman with Texas-style hair (come on, you know what that is) came strutting in. She eased her fur off of her body and onto a chair, then walked to the front of the room. “Welcome to Mary Kay! I am so delighted to see such a wonderful group of professional women in the room!”
Okay okay. It’s not like I sought Mary Kay out or anything. Please. The only Mary Kay product I’ve used is eyeliner I bought from a friend in the late-nineties (scary thing…I only recently threw it out). Especially since I have been using mostly ‘natural’ products (Terressentials, Aveda, Aubrey Organics), I really have no use for MK.
The reason I was there is this: I fell for a dumb pickup line.
Flashback to a week ago. I was walking into Whole Foods and a woman stops me. “May I just comment that you have an incredible look, so poised. What kind of work do you do?" I’m thinking, man those modeling classes I took in college finally paid off! “Sales”, I say out loud. “I’m not surprised”, she tells me, “you just have a great look.” She then goes on to say that she works for Mary Kay, some director position, and that with 20,000 of their workforce retiring over the next 10 years, they really want to bring in some new blood. “Forget everything you know about Mary Kay.” Suckered, I give her my phone number.
Two days later, she calls. I don’t pick up. A day after that, she calls again. I pick up. “Hi! It’s Michelle from Mary Kay. I was wondering if you would be interested in meeting with me to see if this is an opportunity you’re willing to explore.” I explain to her that I am actually interested in leaving sales, not getting into another sales job. “Oh, this isn’t sales, this is more training.” So now I’m thinking, oh this must be a corporate job. I’ll just meet with her. We schedule a meeting for Monday night at the W Hotel. She even sent me an email beforehand stating that she was able to ‘rearrange her schedule’ so we can meet.
That, my friends, is how I found myself listening to a 2 hour presentation Monday night. I felt deceived by Michelle, thinking that she actually wanted to talk to me personally. All she was trying to do is recruit me so that she would get a percentage of what I bought and sold for Mary Kay. It is nothing more than a pyramid scheme!! I found this anti-MK website that is very interesting.
Anyway, after the presentation, Michelle tried to talk to me about my $100 investment to become a Mary Kay gal. I told her that I needed to talk to my husband and got the hell out of there. I emailed her the next day to say thanks but no thanks.
That is the last time I fall for some dumb compliment.
Okay okay. It’s not like I sought Mary Kay out or anything. Please. The only Mary Kay product I’ve used is eyeliner I bought from a friend in the late-nineties (scary thing…I only recently threw it out). Especially since I have been using mostly ‘natural’ products (Terressentials, Aveda, Aubrey Organics), I really have no use for MK.
The reason I was there is this: I fell for a dumb pickup line.
Flashback to a week ago. I was walking into Whole Foods and a woman stops me. “May I just comment that you have an incredible look, so poised. What kind of work do you do?" I’m thinking, man those modeling classes I took in college finally paid off! “Sales”, I say out loud. “I’m not surprised”, she tells me, “you just have a great look.” She then goes on to say that she works for Mary Kay, some director position, and that with 20,000 of their workforce retiring over the next 10 years, they really want to bring in some new blood. “Forget everything you know about Mary Kay.” Suckered, I give her my phone number.
Two days later, she calls. I don’t pick up. A day after that, she calls again. I pick up. “Hi! It’s Michelle from Mary Kay. I was wondering if you would be interested in meeting with me to see if this is an opportunity you’re willing to explore.” I explain to her that I am actually interested in leaving sales, not getting into another sales job. “Oh, this isn’t sales, this is more training.” So now I’m thinking, oh this must be a corporate job. I’ll just meet with her. We schedule a meeting for Monday night at the W Hotel. She even sent me an email beforehand stating that she was able to ‘rearrange her schedule’ so we can meet.
That, my friends, is how I found myself listening to a 2 hour presentation Monday night. I felt deceived by Michelle, thinking that she actually wanted to talk to me personally. All she was trying to do is recruit me so that she would get a percentage of what I bought and sold for Mary Kay. It is nothing more than a pyramid scheme!! I found this anti-MK website that is very interesting.
Anyway, after the presentation, Michelle tried to talk to me about my $100 investment to become a Mary Kay gal. I told her that I needed to talk to my husband and got the hell out of there. I emailed her the next day to say thanks but no thanks.
That is the last time I fall for some dumb compliment.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Where have I been?
So I just found out that Burt's Bees was purchased by Clorox in November. I have not used Clorox products for years (ever since I've rid my home of most toxic products) so I am still not sure how I feel about this. I don't use that many Burt's Bees products (mainly lip balm which rocks) but now I wonder if I should stop using them all together. Sure maybe Clorox is trying to become more 'green' but are they thinking with their hearts or their pocketbooks?
Some alternatives that I already use: Aubrey Organics shampoo and conditioner, Toms of Maine soap, Terressential (only online at http://www.terressentials.com/) lotions. Now if only I can just find a lip balm that is as good as Burt's...
Some alternatives that I already use: Aubrey Organics shampoo and conditioner, Toms of Maine soap, Terressential (only online at http://www.terressentials.com/) lotions. Now if only I can just find a lip balm that is as good as Burt's...
Monday, December 10, 2007
how i spent my day
I was summoned to report for jury duty today, so naturally I spent all day reading a book. Not going to bore you with the details of the jury selection. But I will highly recommend the book, especially if you're a fan of all things Chinese like I am. 
Obviously, it's the story of an American who goes to the Shaolin temple to, among other things, learn kungfu. D liked it okay, but I absolutely loved it. I finished the book today and I was actually sad that it was over.
Tomorrow at the courthouse I will have to continue reading Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. This is another great book. However, I stopped reading it to read Shaolin because it was getting a bit depressing. I'm one of those people who the more she knows the more she thinks and worries about the things she knows. I swear I was so much more carefree in my twenties when I didn't know anything. No wonder I'm getting more wrinkles.
So Bill goes through humans' quest for knowledge of all things (chemistry, physics, astronomy, geography, among others). He did tons of research and is very good and dumbing it all down for the reader. He actually makes learning fun. What is so depressing is that he also talks about global warming, threatening earthquakes, deadly meterorites, and how Yellowstone is actually one humongous supervolcano waiting to blow and kill everyone.
Looks like I have more to worry about than whether or not I'm selected for jury duty.
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