not what I should be doing or what I really want to be doing, but...

Here are a couple of photos I've been wanting to share.

First, a product that I am enchanted by:

The Pillsbury Doughboy was a favorite from my early years. Evidently, I would sit in my playpen and wait for the dude to show up on TV and giggle. So cute. And I think Pillsbury commercials were a lot more common back then, at least during daytime TV. And parathas... yum! Maybe I should try these. Somehow, I have a hard time imagining Pillsbury making Indian food. Is it just me?

And something that freaks me out a bit:

Partially because of the idea of having to clean this thing up, but also the fact that they tell you on the front of the box that you can add pizzazz to every meal. I feel overwhelmed just thinking of having to make these things for every meal. I think I'll pass, thanks anyway.

hi, bloggers! yup, I'm still here--well, sort of

So, where to start?

First, sorry, bloglanders, I haven't been keeping up-to-date with your doings. I've got a lot of you on my RSS feed in my email program (I really do love Macs!), which is great, because I don't have to keep checking the web to see if you've posted. Which means... I have no idea what you've been twittering.

But what that also means is that I can see how many of your posts I haven't read. If you are, like me, probably overwhelmed with life, then I've probably read everything you've posted. Dee, thanks for reaching out the other day! Not that I can find your email now, but I appreciated it. And thanks to Facebook, I guess, your feed is clear. There's no little number next to your account that keeps pestering me that I haven't read you. So when I see a little number 1 next to your name, I can get all excited and be like, "Oh wow, dee posted, I need to read this." (OK, I originally wrote this two weeks ago, and in October, dee was all like me, not posting or anything, but now that we have NaNoNaNoBloPoMoJo thingy going on, dee's posting every day. And, OK, yeah, I'm still caught up on her posts, because I gravitate to that little number "1" in my RSS feed.)

For now, the only folks I'm caught up with are dee, the kilowatt hour, Petite Anglaise, Kitty Cafe (I love that name! and sorry, I can't remember if you're "out" about your name, so I'm keeping you undercover), and Jo over at Counting Sheep. My guess is that they're just as overwhelmed busy as I am. I read all of Peevish's new incoming posts, but I seem to have skimmed over a few somewhere, so a sad little "3" sits by her name.

I was a lurker over on blackbird's blog for probably more than a year before she did the delurking thing that encouraged me to start blogging in the first place. But I'm way behind, and she has a "32" next to her name. Now, my life is out of control busy, so there's no way I'm going to read all those Survivor posts, even though I used to read them and everything else she wrote religiously, even though I've never seen a single episode of Survivor in my life.

And then there's Pumpkin over at My French Swiss window who is a diligent poster. During the summer I was pretty much up-to-date with her doings, but now I'm really over my head, and the number "101" 97 (hey, I'm catching up!) is next to her name in the RSS feed. Pumpkin, I want to know what's up and when your daughter is coming, but that huge number is a huge deterrent for me right now. Occasionally I click on one of her posts and look at the lovely photos and read what she's up to, but honestly, it doesn't happen very often now.

Another blog I had been keeping up with since January has been Dave over at 365 Days of Trash and now his number is up to "142." Sorry, Dave, I have no idea what kind of trash is in your basement right now. I do occasionally read a post that has an interesting title, but I can't deal with all the details right now.

And then there's Jen on the Edge, who I think is interesting, and I was reading her posts pretty regularly over the summer, but she is just too damn prolific for my school-year schedule. I really can't deal with the "185" in the RSS feed, and it keeps getting larger. I want to know what's up with her house and the kids and all the cool stuff over in Jenworld, but really, I just can't overcome that huge number.

I already deleted the Yarn Harlot from the feed, as she, too, was too prolific for me. And I really enjoy her writing, too. I actually found out about her through one of her books (yeah, she's a pro!), but her posts are many and long. I can't even tell you how many hundreds of posts there were for me to catch up on, even during the summer, and so I couldn't take it anymore one afternoon, and I deleted her. She's still on my blogroll, though. That much I can deal with, although I don't look at my own blog too often. Just too boring, I mean, I almost never post!

And yes, if you've made it this far, it's my birthday!

Finally!

I sit here with tears of joy in my eyes. I have finally voted for someone who won the presidential race.

what to do with that extra paper

Found via Swiss Miss.

maybe, just to be on the safe side

So I was reading dee's scary/funny story (scary because... well, it's scary, go read it, and funny because dee is really good at making scary stories pretty damn funny, go read it already) about saving her kid's life while a bunch of strangers just pretended not to hear them, and here I am.

You know, a refresher CPR course is not a bad idea. I was forced to take took a class in high school, then took one when I was pregnant. But do I remember anything? Hmm. How many seconds to do any of the multitude of steps? (which they had the gall to change on me in the intervening years) Yes, a refresher course. That is, if I remember to sign up for one.

Fu of the week

Hey, don't ask me what "fu of the week" means, but I thought this was pretty cool. Sustainable Dave is pretty cool, if you ask me.

goofing off with US geography

In 2m 30s

Click here to Play

why I'm voting Republican

Watch it and you'll understand.

bonjour iPhone

Evidently, the iPhone has been release in France, and for 100€, you can get it unlocked and be able to use it with any company. That's a sweet deal.

new look

Just a quick update to say that I chose a new template because with the addition of my new Blogroll (ta-da!), it looked too crowded. I wanted something that I could use the larger window for. I didn't spend a lot of time choosing it, so I may choose something else soon. But I really like the new Blogroll feature (another plug). It allows for a snippet of each newest blog entry, plus you can choose to have them show up in order of the most recent update. I think it's a cool feature, although I had a hard time getting it to work at first. No idea why.

UPDATE: UGGHHH! it's not working again. Grr.

movie meme

The list as taken from the IMDB. Movies I've seen in bold. (I added in italics for movies I think I've seen, but don't quite have the brainspace to remember right now.)

#1. Godfather, The (1972)
#2. Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)
#3. Godfather: Part II, The (1974)
#4. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003)
#5. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002)
#6. Schindler's List (1993)
#7. Shichinin no samurai (1954)
#8. Casablanca (1942)
#9. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001)
#10. Star Wars (1977)
#11. Citizen Kane (1941)
#12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
#13. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
#14. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
#15. Rear Window (1954)
#16. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
#17. Pulp Fiction (1994)
#18. Usual Suspects, The (1995)
#19. Memento (2000) sounds very familiar
#20. North by Northwest (1959)
#21. 12 Angry Men (1957)
#22. Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966)
#23. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
#24. Psycho (1960)
#25. Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001) loved it
#26. Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)
#27. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
#28. Goodfellas (1990)
#29. American Beauty (1999)
#30. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
#31. Vertigo (1958)
#32. Matrix, The (1999)
#33. Cidade de Deus (2002)
#34. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)- but I did read the book
#35. C'era una volta il West (1968)
#36. Apocalypse Now (1979)
#37. Pianist, The (2002)
#38. Third Man, The (1949)
#39. Paths of Glory (1957)
#40. Taxi Driver (1976)
#41. Fight Club (1999)
#42. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
#43. Some Like It Hot (1959)
#44. Double Indemnity (1944)
#45. Boot, Das (1981)
#46. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)- I wanted to see this one, but I can't remember why
#47. Singin' in the Rain (1952) on TV?
#48. Chinatown (1974)
#49. L.A. Confidential (1997)
#50. Maltese Falcon, The (1941)
#51. Requiem for a Dream (2000) - this one sounds familiar, too. hmm, maybe I need to look these up?
#52. All About Eve (1950)
#53. M (1931)
#54. Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)
#55. Se7en (1995)
#56. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
#57. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
#58. Rashômon (1950)
#59. Raging Bull (1980)
#60. Wizard of Oz, The (1939) has anyone in N.America not seen this movie?
#61. Alien (1979)
#62. American History X (1998)
#63. Sting, The (1973) I think I've only seen part of it
#64. Léon (1994)
#65. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
#66. Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)
#67. Vita è bella, La (1997)
#68. Touch of Evil (1958)
#69. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)
#70. Finding Nemo (2003)
#71. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
#72. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
#73. Great Escape, The (1963)
#74. Modern Times (1936)
#75. Clockwork Orange, A (1971)
#76. Amadeus (1984)
#77. On the Waterfront (1954)
#78. Ran (1985)
#79. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
#80. Annie Hall (1977)
#81. Wo hu cang long (2000)
#82. Jaws (1975)
#83. Apartment, The (1960)
#84. Braveheart (1995)
#85. High Noon (1952)
#86. Aliens (1986)
#87. Fargo (1996)
#88. Strangers on a Train (1951)
#89. Shining, The (1980)
#90. Metropolis (1927)
#91. Blade Runner (1982)
#92. Sixth Sense, The (1999) I think I saw one of the Scream movies which had a take-off on this movie...does that count?
#93. City Lights (1931)
#94. Donnie Darko (2001)
#95. Duck Soup (1933)
#96. Great Dictator, The (1940)
#97. General, The (1927)
#98. Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957)
#99. Princess Bride, The (1987)
#100. Dogville (2003)

I got this one from Peevish, thanks!!

feeling a bit emotional over here

(Sniff, sniff.) I had a hard day today, and by late afternoon I was really ready to cry. I came home, we went for a short walk, and I felt better. But now, again, I'm feeling a bit weepy. I guess I really should be getting to bed, but I just wanted to say Thanks! to Stephanie aka Yarn Harlot for speaking her mind about women with little ones being seen/heard in public.

Really... why is this so hard?

I need some advice (household stuff)

Can anyone out there recommend a decent dish drainer thingy that catches the water?

Here's my dilemma:
I have one of those old fashioned types of dish drainers. Rubbermaid stuff, you know?

I've tried a couple of the more modern, stylish ones, but there's always something I don't like about them. So, I go back to the old kind that we always had when I was growing up.

So here's the dilemma part. Rubbermaid makes an OK piece to hold the dishes, but the part that collects the water is made from such flimsy plastic these days that the edges bend down, causing the water to drip off onto the counter. Which annoys me.

Here's what I want in a dish drainer:
-big and sturdy enough to hold lots of dishes, especially pots and pans
-the water collector can drain into the sink (maybe I should be flexible about this one?)
-little thingies to hold the glasses outside of the rack
-a silverware holder
-must have a tray, as it has to go on the counter, as I don't have a double sink (still the original kitchen, yes, it needs to be remodeled, but not going to happen soon...)

I'm not crazy about Rubbermaid much at all anymore, anyway. Call me weird, but I also don't like all this "Microban" stuff that everyone is putting into every product nowadays. I don't understand why I would need something to kill bacteria on my dish drainer tray. I mean, the dishes I put in the drainer are clean, right? And the tray is just catching water, right? So, if my (clean) water has so much bacteria in it, then I really shouldn't be using it to clean my dishes or drink...?

Maybe it's time to branch out, be less picky, I don't know, but I'm tired of being annoyed by my dish drainer. Does somebody make one that's not annoying? I would love some suggestions if anyone has any. (I'm open to completely changing what I do, too.) Maybe I should get a new sink that has a built-in drainer...? Again, have to wait to redo the kitchen.... Alas!

I love spring

more baby stuff

Dee asked some questions about cloth diapers, and I thought I'd put this out there in case anyone else is thinking about this or knows someone who just had a baby.


I bought Bummis Super Whisper Wraps from somebody on the internet. I also got some nice, thick cloth diapers. I think I've bought them from two or three places so far. I can't keep track of them, either they go out of business or their websites just don't look familiar anymore.


I bought (unbleached) prefolds the last time from Zannadu, as they prewashed the unbleached diapers several times for me for an extra charge... it's 35 cents a diaper now. It was worth it for me. All that time, hot water, washing and drying. Really good customer service, and even though I had to wait (a little bit) longer to have the diapers washed, they were pretty fast nonetheless. And it looks like it's a flat-rate shipping fee, which is good when you're buying a lot, or the things are heavy. I would recommend this website for cloth diapers and such.

The next time I buy diapers, I'm going to look further into organic ones. I got so overwhelmed when I did the research. There are just so many options. How to choose "the best"? So many decisions: which diapers, which covers, which seller, bleached or unbleached, washed or unwashed, which size, how many????? This is one of my problems... I get so caught up in what the "best" idea, thing to do, etc., is that I end up feeling paralyzed. So, maybe there isn't a "best," or maybe there is, but what we ended up with was good, it works for us, and Baby still hasn't had diaper rash. Which is definitely a good thing. We could have done worse.

I need to buy more, and I just saw on the site that they're having a 5% discount until May 7... just enter SPRINGBREAK as the discount code.

is anyone else completely freaked out by this?

All this recent (to me, at least) news about bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles (and everything else) basically has totally freaked me out.

For those of you who don't know (yet) about bisphenol-A, it is a chemical which is added to plastics and as sealants on metal (and probably a lot of other things, too). The chemical industry tells us it's wonderful because it makes plastics resilient, clear, basically unbreakable, and it seals metals from foods, as in baby food jar lids. But I don't want to get ahead of myself here.

Evidently, a lot of people have been talking about and researching the negative effects of bisphenol-A for a while. I've been seeing these baby bottles made by BornFree at Whole Foods for a while, with signs on them saying they are free of bisphenol-A. I had no idea what BPA was then and, like a lot of new parents, didn't have a lot of time to research it.

Well, let me tell you, I've been researching. And the news is not good.

NOTE: DO NOT go to a website called bisphenol-a.org for unbiased info. Despite being a DOT ORG, they are actually run by the plastics industry. Other info which is against BPA may not be unbiased either, but at least it isn't the industry itself putting out the info. Remember how the cigarette companies insisted for decades that their research showed that cigarettes were fine for your health, maybe even good for you? And now it's clear that they were purposefully lying.

BPA mimics hormones and is known to disrupt hormone function as well as how chromosomes are sorted. There is evidence that, even at very low doses, it is linked to cancer, diabetes, reproductive development, hyperactivity, and lots of other health problems.

So, with everything else going on right now, we've been researching this BPA thing, calling companies, buying new things (good for the economy, right?) and trying to decide what exactly to get rid of.

This is what I've come up with so far:


Avent bottles - DO contain BPA; they should be avoided. Supposedly, BPA leaches out at a higher rate if the plastic is heated (as in a dishwasher) or if harsh detergents are used on it (as in a dishwasher). I'm guessing that I'm not the only parent who has put baby bottles in the dishwasher thinking that they'll be more sanitary that way. They are working on a non-BPA bottle and will send out a free sample to you if you call them to complain (1-800-542-8368).


Earth's Best organic baby food - the metal lids contain BPA. So much for buying organic because it's better for my baby. And he liked it, too. :-( The cereals in boxes, though, are OK.


Nalgene bottles are apparently bad, too. Which is too bad, because I love my Nalgene bottles. However, Nalgene says they're phasing out BPA bottles within the next few months, and they already have a BPA-free alternative on the market, called their "Everyday" line.


Powdered baby formula is almost always packed in containers that has BPA, at least in the metal tops and bottoms. Some companies also use BPA in the cardboard on the sides of the containers, too. Similac says that their individual packets do NOT contain BPA. (However, you'll be throwing away a lot more trash with this option, but maybe it's worth it.) Although surprisingly, when I checked in the grocery store, it did not appear to be more expensive. And the organic formula does not appear to come in the individual packets. Again, it's ironic that the organic option comes with extra chemicals (no extra charge!! sorry for the sick humor). They also said that the already-prepared liquid has BPA on the lid part, but not in the bottle. If you know of a formula that doesn't have BPA, let me know! The organic stuff from Earth's Best supposedly has even more BPA than the Similac, although I forgot to ask those folks about formula when I was on the phone with them.

In general, plastics with the numbers 3, 6, or 7 on the bottom (in the little recycle symbol) should be avoided. Some #7 materials (which just indicates "other" plastic) are OK, for instance, if it is a combination of #1 and #2, it will be marked as #7. Plastics marked with #1,2,4,5 should be OK for contact with food.

Now for the good news:
The Canadian government ROCKS!! - I have another post coming up with details on this one.


I've already changed to BornFree baby bottles, mostly glass bottles.


Earth's Best organic cereals are in boxes that have no BPA.

I'm making baby food for now, organic, fresh, home-made, BPA-free. Love the pressure cooker.

gotta love having time off

So this is one of the things that I've been "working" on the past couple of days...

I noticed that FreeRice seemed to have added some new levels as well as new vocab words. So I decided I would beat my previous high level of 50. I got all the way to 55! Woo-hoo! Yup, I'm proud of myself.

I also saw in the options that you can have it remember your level and the number of grains you've "donated" via their website. So, even though this doesn't include my earlier attempts, you can see I've been spending way too much of B's naptime playing FreeRice.



Hey, at least I'm doing something good while goofing off.

Which reminds me...

Here's another way I started goofing off occasionally: The ESP Game.

Basically, the computer matches you with an anonymous partner, and you get a set amount of time to agree on words to describe photos. I read about this in a Smithsonian magazine article about young innovators. The magazine was interesting... something like 25 people under 25 who are changing the world (don't quote me on the exact title, but you get the gist).

It's set up as a game, but the people who "play" it are basically doing a task to help all internet users: cataloging the internet's photos/images. The article said that people who play get "attached" to their partners, which seemed weird to me at first, I mean, how can you get attached to someone that you can't actually communicate with, don't know their name/username/nothing. All you are doing is typing in words to describe photos. But I will say this: some people are much better partners than others. Funny, it's obvious when you change partners: some people will hit pass immediately for every picture (annoying!), others will try for a while, sometimes I get a partner who really thinks like me, and we get lots of bonus points.

OK, I feel kind of nerdy, but it's fun. And it keeps me off the street.

still worried, but kind of moving on

Yes, I guess I'm still worried (see the other entry), but really, there's nothing I can do about it. Except stop blogging, I guess. Or start a new blog. Ugh, that sounds so tiring. I wonder if this person even realizes what happened. My guess is... she must. But she hasn't said anything about my slip-up. So I don't know if she's just trying to be polite and pretend nothing happened. Or if she actually didn't notice.

OK, moving on. (Well, maybe not really, as I would still like some reassurance....)

worried

So yesterday I was working. Thinking-type of work, at home, on the computer, not like heavy physical labor or dangerous-type stuff. Since I was on the computer, I was kind of goofing off at the same time. But since I was working and goofing off simultaneously, I guess I wasn't focusing as closely as I should have been (probably on either).

And so, I did something really stupid that I wouldn't ordinarily have done (at least I hope not). I put myself in kind of a vulnerable position with someone who I don't really know all that well, and now I'm really worried that this person might do something that is not so nice. Well, maybe this person wouldn't do that, and I hope not, because I'd like to think that I know this person well enough to say that, but quite honestly, I don't. I didn't realize it right away, but I realized shortly thereafter, and I can't believe I would be so stupid.

So I was sick with worry last night and into today. There's really nothing I can do about it, at this point, as what I've done is irreversible. I wish, though, that I had some reassurance that things would be OK. I'm still worried.

send some positive thoughts

Sustainable Dave's father's been hurt, and Dave has asked everyone to keep him in their thoughts/prayers/whatever you want to call it. And pass it on. For what it's worth, I'll ask all three of my readers to join me in this.

I have been so busy that I really have not been keeping up with blog reading lately. There are a few blogs that I still stop in on, but mostly I just haven't had time. I had been watching Dave's blog since the beginning of the year when I heard about him, but my RSS feed showed 63 unread messages from his blog. So you can see that it's been a while since I've read anything from him. But tonight, for whatever reason, I decided to drop in, and this is what I read.

organizing tips from Ikea (or how to keep your pie)

Thanks to blackbird, I found the Ikea channel on YouTube. Have I mentioned my obsession with all things Ikea? So, I thought this was clever...

Check out blackbird's post to find out what led me there.

I just tried the blogger shortcuts for making hyperlinks, and damn, that's easy. Not that I mind doing the html, but you gotta love a good shortcut. I feel a little silly for doing all the html myself all this time.

success, at last!

I finally got the bulb syringe to work! Last night, Baby had a rather hefty-sized booger in his left nostril, just a tad too far in for my finger (get over it) or a tissue to reach it. He was getting upset by all my poking, but he was already upset by not being able to breathe properly, so I figured I'd take another stab at the syringe thingy. Which has been incredibly annoying until... it worked! I can't believe that I was able to finally get it work.

I know this must sound so silly, but I've been trying to get this thing to work for seven months, now, and it's been so frustrating. I felt such a rush of success last night.

I am cilantro

You Are Cilantro

The bad news is that there are some people who can't stand you. The good news is that most people love you more than anything else in the world. You are distinct, unusual, fresh, and very controversial. And you wouldn't have it any other way.

What Spice Are You?

I do love a good accent

Amy Walker is obviously quite a talented young woman. I'm impressed by anyone who can do a good accent, but she can go seamlessly from one to another to another and so on and so on....

I can't remember where I picked this up, so my apologies for not crediting the person who must have linked to it before me.

Hallelujah!

I feel silly, but I'll admit it, I've been watching American Idol (off and on for the past few years), and this guy is my pick...

He's cute and he's got a nice voice. But the thing I like about him the most is that he's not cocky, and he seems kind of nerdy and uncomfortable with all the attention and everything.

I keep thinking I'll actually vote for him, but I haven't done it yet. Either my phone needs to be recharged, or I get sidetracked at the end of the show.

But I hope he wins. He seems sweet.

take care of your plants

Have I mentioned that I love composting? Seriously, it rocks. You should try it. Oh, but I live in the city, or I don't have a yard. Not a problem! You can have your own pet worms....

I did try this when I lived in Chicago, but I didn't really know what I was doing, and I think I killed the worms. There wasn't enough oxygen getting in there; I remember there being a lot of condensation. It's much easier with a compost bin/area outside.

But even though I have several of those, I am sorely tempted to have one of these composting "systems," too. It looks like "fun." OK, maybe I have a strange idea of fun, or maybe I'm just easily amused?

I worry, though, that we produce too much composting material for something like this. Plus, can you get a bucket o' worms via the mail when it's still cold (freezing) outside?

Almost forgot to mention: the video up there is from Sustainable Dave over at 365 Days of Trash. This post has been sitting in my drafts for a while....

I still remember this ...

Here's the first part ...

I really like this...

She reminds me of Regina Spektor.

changing the world one loan at a time

My mom bought this book

for me off my wishlist which, by the way, is amazing and I recommend it.

The author, Muhammud Yunus, started a microlending institution in his native Bangladesh about 25 years ago (ish), and he and the Grameen Bank have been lending small amounts of money to the poor ever since. His goal is to eradicate poverty. The stories he tells are incredibly moving. He was the head of the economics department at a university in Bangladesh when he started questioning why economics and development practices don't help those who are below the poverty level. He saw how lending someone as small a sum as $27 (I think that was the amount) would be enough to start helping someone get out of basically a slave-labor situation. One of the things that's interesting about the Grameen bank is the extraordinarily low default rate, which is something like less than one percent (don't quote me on that number), compared to a much, much higher default rate amongst borrowers who actually have collateral.

With the book, my mom sent a note saying that I should check out Kiva.org which is a microlending organization that she had been lending with for a couple of years or so. I remember reading about microlending sometime back in the '80s and wanted to get involved then, but didn't know where to start. Kiva makes it very easy, and you can choose who you lend to. I recommend checking them out, too. They've been having a lot of publicity lately, which means that occasionally they actually run out of people who are looking for loans.

am I the last person in the blogosphere to figure this out?

I just figured out how to do an RSS feed to get updates via Mail when the blogs I watch get updated. Wow! Does this ever simplify life... well, at least as far as catching up with blogs goes.

Did all of the rest of you already know this? I feel so... 20th century. I used to go surfing occasionally to see if people had updated. I would check a couple of blogs every day, with people who update all the time. Others I would check more often than they updated, and others I would check less often. Now I can get an update easily. Whoa... am I impressed with myself right now!

OK, back to other stuff.

I just got my first spam comment

Unfortunately, I guess someone (or maybe "something"?) noticed my blog! I have enabled word verification so that people trying to sell their schemes online can't take advantage of my site.

I still want to hear from the real live people out there, though!

For the real folks out there, thanks for the comments! I promise to be back when I can find a few more moments in the day. Now, does anyone have any advice about how to do actually do that?

how fun!

I admit I used to love to play Tetris, back in the days when you had to feed quarters into a machine and stand in front of it for hours, moving a joystick back and forth. Yes, I'm embarrassed, but I was good....

waste not, want not

I heard this story about a guy who plans to not throw anything away for an entire year on NPR on my ride home today. Fascinating. Here's the link to his blog, where he'll describe the process for a year.

It's hard to imagine not throwing anything away for a year. Including recycling. Yikes! We don't have much trash (considering), but our recycling bins overflow.

I love composting, and having a yard (finally!), makes it (relatively) easy to do. I once had a worm composting system, when I lived in an apartment in the middle of the city, but it didn't work very well for me. I guess I didn't have enough worms or something. But composting outside rocks!

I'll be following his progress when I can make it to the computer. Yeah, you know, I'm not here very much any more.