Green your hotel

With the new year approaching in a matter of hours, I have been dreaming about all my vacations to take in 2009. With the thought of vacations, leads to the thought of hotel rooms...yuck. However, I digress from my point. Here are a few tips to keep in mind to make your stay a little friendlier to the Earth:

1. Unplug lamps, blow dryers, mini-fridge, coffee maker, etc. Appliances drain electricity even when they are not on. This small step really can make a difference.

2. Keep your showers short to reduce water consumption. The average US shower head spits out 2.5 gallons of water a minute. A fifteen minute shower uses nearly 40 gallons of water.

3. When you leave your hotel room, turn off the AC, heating, lights and any other electrical devices. Well, maybe don't turn the AC/heating off, just turn it up/down.

3. Reuse your sheets and towels during your stay.

4.“Do Not Disturb” Even when you do try to be environmentally-conscious, sometimes the hotel staff doesn’t quite understand and still gives you new towels, turns up the heat, etc. Placing the “Do Not Disturb” sign out will ensure the staff stops destroying the Earth in your room. It also makes sure that the staff doesn't touch your toothbrush. Gross.

6. Adjust the thermostat. Just like home, a small adjustment makes a big difference.

7. Bring your own toiletries. One small reusable shampoo bottle for every trip creates less waste than using the hotel samples every time. Plus, you use your shampoo, not the cheap hotel stuff, and that's just win-win.

8. Leave the freebies. There is no reason for another pen. Keep it in the room. This goes for pads of paper, soaps, and Bibles too.

9.Give your hotel feedback. Express your appreciation of current practices and encourage more with specific ideas.

Don't forget to pack your sleep sack and wipe down every surface (including the remote and light switches) when you arrive just for stranger's germs and overall freakiness.

Clooney Watch 09

On January 5th crews will start production on a new movie to be filmed in St. Louis. The new movie will star....my George.
Clooney will be in town over the next 5 months. I am begging you all to help me out. I will wash your floors, walk your dog, I will baby-sit your children. I just need every opportunity to meet this man.
I am planning to scour the city for the next 5 months. I will be spending a lot of time at The Four Seasons (I am sure this is where he will stay, but I taking volunteers to stake out The Ritz and the Chase.) and the airport (that is where some of the filming will take place). I am asking you to forward any leads, any sightings, any discarded food pieces to me. Any tidbit of information is invaluable.
Does anyone know a union member of Studio Mechanics Local 493? This is my best lead as of today. This union will do most of the filming and therefore will know locations and times.
I have been in love with George since his first Facts of Life episode aired in 1985. I just need one picture. Or maybe 200 pictures.
Thank you all for your help.

Thanks to NY

I finally got NY pictures developed...


Rockefeller Center

This is how New Yorkers watch the parade...on ladders.

Snoopy, a parade favorite.

Smurf's, this is about all we saw of the parade. We left after that.

The snowflakes on Saks 5th Avenue.

Lots of tents, cameras, and bleachers set up in front of Macy's the day before the parade.

Me & Chuck at Rock Center.

What I did over Christmas Vacation pt 1

Again, I will post pictures and spellcheck when the page is functional.

For Christmas I was off from Friday December 19th-the 21st. The first half was spent buying the majority of my Christmas presents in 8 degree weather. After I got home and allowed my body to thaw, I spent the evenings wrapping everything in my pauper's christmas themed wrapping paper this year.

On Tuesday, I painted my kitchen "Baby Seal Black." After the third try I am happy with my choice. Even if I wasn't happy with the choice, this one was going to stick no matter what. I was not spending another dime on paint. I got lucky.

I spent a lot of time listening to NPR. Besides, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" I love "Fresh Air" and "Talk of the Nation." I listened to them everyday! Then Christmas Eve came and "Talk" gave me my Christmas present, Michael Pollan was a guest.

If you are not familiar with Pollan (even thought this is my third mention of him, here's a brief summary: Michael Pollan, professor at UC Berkeley, wrote "The Omnivore's Dilemna" which inspired "King Corn." He also wrote "In Defense of Food" and he is my hero. He has a casualness and friendliness in his voice that never sounds preachy or elitist. I wish I could be like that.

Here is some of Pollan's advice: If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it. Don't eat anything that contains more than 5 ingredients (when you buy it; it's ok to create something on your own). Only eat what your great great grandmother would have eaten. In other words: no high-fructose corn syrup. Stay away from highly processed food.

I read. It was nice to have the time to enjy a book and not steal 10 minutes here and there. I am about halfway through "Water For Elephants." Good book. Interesting. Hopefully I will finish it this week and won't be disappointed with some lame "Lovely Bones" ending.

That led me up to Christmas Eve. I will post later on holiday festivities.

Cheap and Healthy

OK, home computer is working.

First of all, I am sorry for the hiatus. I was on Christmas break. I am also sorry for the boring font, no pics, and possible spelling errors. I am not sure if there is a problem with my blog page from my end or blogger's end, but bear with me, I will post the appropriate graphics soon and spellcheck too.

Health magazine came out with their top ten healthiest grocery stores in the US. Lucky for us, Albertson's made the list. I know you are questioning me because Albertson's are not in StL. I have good news for you, Albertson's cheaper brother is in the neighborhood...Shop N Save.

Albertson's received the shared title largely due to their organic house brand food, Wild Harvest. Health magazines says Wild Harvest is typically 15% less than name-brand organics. Since Albertsons and Shop N Save are all under the same happy grocery family banner, SNS also carries the Wild Harvest line. I have tried and few things and it is tasty.

I recommend their three berry granola.

Christmas Wrapping

This year I am making a real effort to be environmentally-conscious in my wrapping. Wrapping presents are probably my favorite part of Christmas. Around Thanksgiving, I start spying the different papers on the market. Pier One, Target, and especially, The Container Store always carry festive assortments. After careful research and a gut instinct, I buy my ensemble for the year. The wrapping I choose is not over the top or obnoxious, just a couple of coordinating papers and matching wide ribbons. I do not buy all pine cones, bells or anything else to adorn the gift, just paper and ribbon. Name tags aren't even on the gift. I thought since I was minimal in my wrapping the Earth would forgive me for being gratuitous. Well, not this year. The guilt has approached and surrounded my house.

For the past couple of weeks I have been researching alternative gift-wrapping options. Don't bother people, the alternatives are weak and few. Besides being environmentally conscious, my second priority for this project was spend less. Stamping and painting my own was out of the question. I salvaged a large roll of printing paper, but it is too thick to wrap nicely. I also did not want to spend the entire day moving furniture to create an assembly line of stamping and painting. Trust me, if I spent that much time on the paper, you all would never be allowed to open the gift. I would be way too emotionally involved in the paper to just throw it in the recycle bin. For your sake, I nixed that idea.

My next idea was newspaper but not the comics. I like the black and white of the paper. I could still put a nice bow or ribbon. Plus, I saw an idea of adding a strip of wrapping paper around the package for an extra splash of color. I think I found my answer.

Last night I collected my supplies to wrap some gifts. I had the Sunday paper, ribbon and paper from Christmas past, tape, scissors, etc. Here are some life lessons I have learned about newspaper wrapping paper.

1. When you hand out the gifts, make sure you also hand them a wet reusable washcloth. My fingertips were black. I know it's to be expected, but seriously, this was ridiculous. Have they recently changed newspaper ink? I will not be wearing my white pants for Christmas.

2. You may want to befriend someone who reads a newspaper in a foreign language. There are many tragedies in our world and the newspaper likes to report all of it. The economy, Blagojevich, war, terrorism, there's even some Cholera outbreak. These headlines do not make for festive wrapping. Even the movie section (Zack and Miri Make a Porno) was no hope. At least with a foreign language newspaper, you don't know that your paper says, "10 mauled by bear."

3. The two-page spread of the newspaper is too small to wrap anything of a decent size. You end up piecing a separate sheet to the bottom, using additional tape and getting your fingers dirtier.

4. The black and white of newspaper is really dull drab gray. All my gifts look a smudgy, dirty and bleak. They look sad. It looks like Christmas at Tiny Tim's.

I tried to take a picture of them with my phone, but I can't send a picture to email with my new phone (but I could with the old one). New technology is a pain. I will take a picture with my camera, but I don't know when you will ever see it. I will try to make a real effort. The picture attached is pretty accurate though.

Here are a few gifts under my tree. God Bless us, every one.

Welcome Lotus

My dear friend and fellow blogger, Denae, welcomed Lotus Katzoff to the world yesterday.

Lotus shares her birthday with Emily Dickinson, Susan Dey of The Partridge Family (and LA Law), and most importantly, teenage hearthrob Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling).

Congratulations Ben, Denae, and Taj!

If you are a guy, apparently this is what you think about if you hear Lotus...

7 facts about Anna

I have enjoyed reading the 7 facts, so now I will share 7 things you did not know about me.

1. My dream job would be to scout locations for travel shows or create the living areas for movie characters. You can create their world. Does this yuppie have a collection of antique teapots and a collection of miniature motorcycles? Yes, I think they do. Would this bachelor character secretly have a copy of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus right next to his Kama Sutra book? Yes, he does. I want to be in charge of making their home set look lived in. The next time you watch a movie, take a look at the main character's apartment or house and notice all the small details that make it look real. It's fascinating.

2. I will never go on a cruise. I have some control issues.

3. You will never hear me say, "as a rule of thumb..." or use the words wife-beater or rape in another context than the original meaning. The rule of thumb is that you were allowed to beat your wife with a stick no larger than the diameter of the husband's thumb. You don't call them sausage fingers for nothing, that can be a deadly weapon. As for the other words, these words should carry a weight and an emotional reaction when you hear them. I want to wince when I hear these words for the horror associated with them. Using these words to describe a type of clothing, etc. takes all the emotional weight and punch out of the word. It begins to lose its despicable meaning and that should never happen.

4. I will never grow tired of potato casserole with cornflakes on top.

5. I have never broken a bone or stayed overnight in the hospital. I have been rushed to the emergency room once. My brother knocked out 4 of my teeth when I was 4 in the pool. I have had stitches once, 6 on my right foot. I cut it on a boat motor when I was thirteen. Hmmm, maybe I need to stay out of the water.

6. Two small things that always make me cry: The SATC episode when Miranda's mom dies, the end of It's a Wonderful Life when George's brother proclaims, "To George Bailey, the richest man in town."

7. Three things that will always make me smile: The brutal honesty of preschoolers, What About Bob?, the every-three-year-family vacation I take with my first cousins, aunts, uncles, etc, on the Kohnen side.

You probably already know...

1. My socks never match. They match in color or a previous degree of color (the white ones get a little gray).

2. One of my favorite things is wet bread: bread pudding, french toast, monkey bread. Delicious. One of my most hated things is wet cake: cake and ice cream, pancakes with syrup. Barf.

3. I start listening to Christmas music on October 15th every year.

I will be that bitter old lady

It's not a surprise to many people that I am just not a people person. I like being by myself. I like hanging out with Anna. She's a pretty cool person and enjoyable company.

Last year, I took a personality test. My results stated I was a 'Serious' personality. Then it continued, "tending to be an introvert, you are likely to be more involved with you interior reality...other people and situations may simply not be as interesting to you as your own thoughts." Well, that hit the nail on the head.

When I am an old lady children will point at my house and run away when they see me in the window and I am ok with that.

It's not that I don't like all people. I just raved about my family and friends in the last post. I do need people. I like people, but I don't like strangers. My most hated activity of all is small talk. I go to a lot of networking events for United Way and you can typically find me in the corner talking to the caterer. I am terrible at small talk and the truth is, I don't want to get better at it.

This week has been a little extreme for me too. I have had plans every night (lots of small talking). I have spent no time one-on-one time with Anna. I have even had plans on my lunch hour. I am running on empty. Anna is feeling a little neglected and starting to act out. It didn't help that How I met Your Mother wasn't on on Monday either.

Back to my point, people are strange. I do not want to know their drama or what happened on American Idol last night. Every time I try small talk, it goes horribly wrong. Here is one example from yesterday.

I work in a building with 400 others. Of course I do not know everyone nor do I care to (I know it's rude, but I put on a good facade. I am very cordial to most and have gotten to know a good handful of people in the building. I may not like people, but I do realize what I need to do to create a nice work environment and cordial atmosphere). I was sitting in a communications seminar yesterday and we were asked to turn to our neighbor and ask them the following question: What gives you joy about your life?

Reluctantly, I turn to my neighbor. A 60 year-old women with a snowman embroidered sweatshirt accompanied by a not quite matching snowman turtleneck. Her hair is very plain, no make-up, glasses circa '96, and her pants possibly were stirrups. I would question if she had showered today. You get the picture.

I ask. Her response: My joy is spending time with my husband. [well, that's nice] I like to go on dates with him. He is my fourth husband, but we don't have any kids together. My 4 kids are from the other 3 husbands. He has stuck around the longest, it's almost been 12 years. I tried to be single, but it never worked out to well. I like having sex too much.

This is why I don't like talking to strangers. People do not know boundaries, always give up way too much information or talk about drivel. This happens all the time. One day you all hear the story of the flirting pianist with the dead fiance.

The picture is an example of some of the people I actually like: me, Doty, and Nord. The other pic is me, Molly, Rae, Schriber, Doty, Nord, Morton, man that works with Morton, Boyet, Ginger, and Amanda.

Thankful

What are you thankful for?

I am thankful for...

1. Great friends and a great family. My friends are about the coolest things on Earth. They are so much fun and they are so supportive. While we continue to grow up, we still keep circling back around to each other. I am very lucky. My family rocks. I love that I love my family and I love to hang out with them. My cousins are best friends and my nieces and nephews are entertainment for the ages. A special shout out to Luke. Being 18 months old is very busy and important. Now that you don't need any authority figures in your life anymore, thank you for entertaining us. Thankfully your ability to string 5 words together will get you further than your dancing ability.


2. My job. I like my job. Yes, it gets frustrating and I should get paid more, but overall I have a pretty good job. Pretty flexible hours, 10 miles away and a grocery store in the lobby. What more can I ask for? I get to figure out puzzles everyday and it's expected of me to lecture everyone on their non-environmentally friendly practices.

3. My ipod. I have only known you for a short while Mr. Pod, but I don't know how I ever lived without you. I can listen to NPR anytime I want. What will they think of next?!

4. Books. You have been my lifelong love. You will always be there for me.

5. My health, my house, and the ability to live a productive and good life. I know I have my moments of selfishness (it's a hard habit to break), but I really am trying to leave the world a little better than when I got here. I am thankful to be in a position that I can give back with the wealth of opportunities and advantages I have.

Guide to pictures: Mom, me, Bern, Grandma and Grandpa Kohnen; Luke looking a little preturb that his parents make him sit in the cold; Pollard, Doty, Celeste, Morton, and Nord.

I am getting my NYC pictures developed today. I will post them later.

NYC bagels for Turkey Day

My favorite city in the whole entire world is New York. The energy. The excitement. The possibilities. It is full of life. Others may comment that it is full of mean people. They are not mean. I feel that NY is full of introverts. People that don't need to smile and say hi to everyone. It's not rude. Introverts prefer the realities in their own heads rather than getting their energy from others. Yes, there is something about common courtesy and a slow lifestyle, but I am an introvert so I am going to head with my flock in New York.

Stay out of my way, I will stay out of yours. I can experience without attention and I can live without the gossip. It's a great place. My kind of people. I forgot to mention the fashion sense in NY. That's a winner too.
Christmas in NY is an experience in itself. The city is all lit up. You have to experience it just once in your life.

While you are watching the parade on Thursday in your nice warm house, keep an eye out for me. I will be the cold one. At least the Broadway strike isn't going on so there should be decent musical acts (unlike last year).

I will post you next week to update you all on the Big Apple. Enjoy your turkey and have a nice long weekend.

Give thanks to the Earth

Here are some eco-friendly tips for turkey day.
1. Have your entire feast organic and all grown less than 100 miles away. Yes, start looking for local cranberries today. No, I am kidding. I don't think any of us have the budget or the time to do this. Go green, don't go nuts.
2. Use real plates, glasses, utensils, and napkins.
3. Eliminate meat wherever possible. Do you really need sausage in the stuffing? Is meat really a side dish?
4. Make sure you recycle and compost when cleaning up.
5. Every 2 hours, make a run around the house turning off lights, tv's, etc in empty rooms.
6. Consider your decorations. No styrofoam items. Use things that can be used year after year or find your inner-Martha and make something festive from the backyard.
7. Remember to carpool.

I am going to try my hardest to do all of the above, but I have no control over my meal this year. The good news is that we will be taking the train all over Philly, Jersey, and Manhattan, no cars.
Go green, don't go nuts.

Who would Woo?

I have been waiting all morning for this to get up online.

How I Met You Mother. The show is genius. It is the Seinfeld of today when it comes to quoting. It is so much more than that too. (Please see earlier entry from September about the superiority of this show).

I have to touch on last night episode:

The Woo girl "is a type of young woman, who like the cuckoo bird or the Whip-Poor-Will, gets get name from the signature sound she makes.""Wooooo!""A woo can be elicited from a certain song coming on the jukebox ("Sweet Home Alabama" plays); to half-priced shots; from a ride on a mechanical bull; to, well, pretty much anything,"

Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) showed up at the bar after hearing about the presence of Woo Girls and, when Lily (Band Camp girl from American Pie) questioned the world's need for Woo Girls, gave a classic Barney speech that deserves a full transcription here:

"The world absolutely needs Woo Girls. If there were no Woo Girls, there would be no 'Girls Gone Wild,' no bachelorette parties, no Las Vegas poolside bars. All of the things that you hold dearest, Lily, would be gone.""Those are none of those things --" Lily tried to interject, but Barney continued. "The souvenir shot-glass industry would collapse; so would the body-glitter industry -- and, the stretch Hummer rental industry. Tiny cowboy hats would be worn only by tiny cowboys. And when 'Brown- Eyed Girl' would come up on the jukebox, all you would hear ... would be silence .... and 'Brown-Eyed Girl.' But who would 'woo,' Lily? Who would 'woo'? Would you? Would you ... 'woo'?"

If I could get the video, I would create a link because Barney can deliver it like no other. I apologize, I can't access video right now.

Mondays 7:30pm CBS. You deserve this.

Go Green, Don't Go Nuts

In the past couple of weeks I have been catching a few episodes of Dawson's Creek on The N. It is on weekdays at 4am. Why am I up at 4am? My neighbor's dog likes to wake me up at about 3:45 am. Sometimes she barks for a half hour, sometimes she barks until after 5am. Either way, I am up. It is getting really old, but that's not the point of this.

The N is a channel for the teens. It has many shows that I don't watch, but as I said, it has Dawson's Creek. Yes, I do enjoy this smart, interesting teenage drama about smart kids that don't jump into bed with each other, don't focus on the latest trends, and don't seem to over indulge in the partying. It helps raise the social consciousness. If all kids see on TV is Paris Hilton, kids are going to think that is the proper way to act, dress, and moralize. We need Dawson's Creek.

OK, my love of Dawson's Creek isn't the point of this either. The N has commercials about going green. They are amusing commercials about crazy environmentalists that want to go to the extreme that no one can live up to. One commercial shows a girl showering in a bucket to save the water to use elsewhere. Yes, it's a great idea, but I don't use that much water for other things. The point of the commercials are go green, don't go nuts. I like the realistic approach. Many people seem to give up. If they can't save the world entirely, they are not going to do anything at all that may help save it. It's about the little choices we make. Add every little thing up and we make a big difference.

Dawson's Creek is still teaching me things. Will we ever stop uncovering the many layers of Dawson's Creek and its sponsors?!

My guilt has temporarily lifted.

Go green, don't go nuts.

Real or Fake?

Do you have a real Christmas tree or fake one? Here goes the guilt again. There is no clear answer for one or the other. I really struggle with my choices sometimes because there is not a black and white answer. I like black and white answers, I thrive on right/wrong; good/bad; milk/juice. I do enjoy a philosophical debate with no clear answer; just valid reasonings put into the universe. When it comes down to making a choice on how to not destroy the Earth, choosing from the lesser of two evils just disheartens me. So here are my arguments:

Real: Pro: renewable resource and bio-degradable. Con: It takes a long time to grow a tree. It's not annually renewing like pumpkins and crops. Last time I checked we were in desperate need of trees, cutting them down doesn't seem like the best idea. From the non-environmental prospective, it's really messy and expensive. However there is a better chance that a real tree is from a one-man farm rather than a massive plastic-producing mega-company. Please don't comment about how it makes your house smell good. I have never experienced that. You all must have noses like dogs. If that is the case, I am sure there is a nice pine scented soy candle out there to burn.

Fake: Pro: Reuse it over and over. My parents have had 2 Christmas trees in the 35 years they have been married (instead of killing 35 10 year old trees). Con: Another example of America's love affair with oil and the fact that the first tree my parents had is still sitting in the landfill 15 years after they got rid of it and will continue to sit there for another 100 years. From the non-environmental perspective, it's much cheaper and I can put it up the day after Christmas and it's still fresh when I take it down New Year's Day.

I will be honest, I have never had a real tree. I may like trees, but trees don't like me. So I guess this is just a philosophical debate that needs no clear answer. I just need a new Christmas tree and have for about the last 2-3 Christmases, but my plastic guilt paralyzes me. So I start debating the whole issue and that's how you wind up reading this.

Malmo, Sweden

I have been in love with Malmo, Sweden since I laid eyes on this building. It was built by Santiago Calatrava. Calatrava is currently building "The Spire" in Chicago. I can just stare at this building all day. It is such a marvel. It is called "Turning Torso."

I just found out that Malmo is one of the greenest cities in the world. It was Sweden's first Fair Trade City (does the US even have a Fair Trade City?). They have set a goal (and well on their way) to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2020 and there is an entire section of town that runs on 100% renewable energy.

If you are ever in the neighborhood, take a trip to Sweden. It has definitely moved up on my to-do list.

Vote!

Don't forget to vote today. If you vote, you can get a free doughnut at Krispy Kreme, a free coffee at Starbucks and free ice cream at Ben & Jerry's!

God Bless America!

Green Halloween

Here are some ideas for a happy and green Halloween.
Skip the plastic costumes- If you're trying to be the most realistic pirate, superhero, or villain at this year's bash, then a cheap, store-bought costume might be the way to go—though the hidden dangers and environmental impact should outweigh even the most enthusiastic compliments from other party-goers. Watch out for the soft vinyl—similar to shower curtain material—in many mass-produced costumes: that's likely polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which releases dangerous chemicals. Not exactly something you want covering your face (or your child's)—plus, it can't be recycled.
Get creative at home- So what to do instead? With a little planning and creativity, even the least handy DIYers can put together a costume with items they have at home——try stringing old ping pong balls for Wilma Flintstone's classic necklace, or bending old wire hangers into butterfly wings. Scour your closets (and your friends', and neighbors', and local thrift stores) for flashback fashions you can pair up, trim down, sew together, or dye (naturally, of course).
Choose a kid-friendly carryall - When it comes to hauling all those treasures home, reusable canvas bags get the win over plastic or paper for safety and environmental reasons. Buy your own blank bags and let the little ones decorate them with non-toxic paint—they're sure to be an annual highlight—or browse craft stores and online retailers for seasonal offerings that sport witches, ghosts, and goblins galore. Then keep your kids visible to passing cars with battery-free flashlights.
Keep it simple - The rest of your decorations—plastic spiders, dangling skeletons, spooky scarecrows—should be one-time purchases that you use every year, just like the rest of your holiday decor. When possible, look for reclaimed material; if you’re buying things you know you can't keep—like streamers or paper plates—be sure to look for brands that are both recycled and recyclable.

I can't take credit for this. It's from Treehugger

Am I Getting Old

or museums getting better? Last Friday, I took the day off and spent it in Springfield, IL. We went to the Lincoln Museum, The Dana Thomas House, and Darcy's Pint for lunch.
The Lincoln Museum was very impressive. I really enjoyed it. I don't want to give too much away, but I like that they didn't paint Lincoln into the picture-perfect president. They painted him in a realistic light. He was a politician, and therefore made some political decisions. He was a controversial leader, but he was still one of our greatest presidents. I enjoyed the realism and think it is very important to teach.
The Dana Thomas was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. I just stood in the house with my mouth dropped open like some sort of crazy idiot. Wow. The genius of this man cannot be expressed in words. Since he completely revolutionized design, we need completely revolutionized adjectives to describe it. I could stand in the entry foyer for hours and just point out the small details that Wright alone created and designed and how it changed history. Public Tours will cease on December 1st as of today. If you are in the neighborhood, take a gander at a modern marvel.
Of course, since we were in Springfield, we had to eat a horseshoe at Darcy's. I had the Buffalo chicken with layers of crispy crinkle cut fries and the best cheese sauce poured over the everthing. This is comfort food at its best.
What a great day.

My Hero

Michael Pollan is a genius. He wrote 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' (which inspired King Corn, the documentary that changed my life) and 'The Eater's Manifesto' (which is about not buying any food with more than four ingredients in it). He is solely responsible for the change in the way America is looking at food. He is pressuring the government to change their food policies. They may have worked at one time, but they are not working anymore. He wrote a letter in the New York Times to the future President and here's some of the genius that it is (I have done the highlighting):

...reform of the entire food system one of the highest priorities of your administration: unless you do, you will not be able to make significant progress on the health care crisis, energy independence or climate change. Unlike food, these are issues you did campaign on — but as you try to address them you will quickly discover that the way we currently grow, process and eat food in America goes to the heart of all three problems and will have to change if we hope to solve them.

After cars, the food system uses more fossil fuel than any other sector of the economy — 19 percent. And while the experts disagree about the exact amount, the way we feed ourselves contributes more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than anything else we do — as much as 37 percent, according to one study. Whenever farmers clear land for crops and till the soil, large quantities of carbon are released into the air. But the 20th-century industrialization of agriculture has increased the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the food system by an order of magnitude; chemical fertilizers (made from natural gas), pesticides (made from petroleum), farm machinery, modern food processing and packaging and transportation have together transformed a system that in 1940 produced 2.3 calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil-fuel energy it used into one that now takes 10 calories of fossil-fuel energy to produce a single calorie of modern supermarket food. Put another way, when we eat from the industrial-food system, we are eating oil and spewing greenhouse gases. This state of affairs appears all the more absurd when you recall that every calorie we eat is ultimately the product of photosynthesis — a process based on making food energy from sunshine. There is hope and possibility in that simple fact.
In addition to the problems of climate change and America’s oil addiction, you have spoken at length on the campaign trail of the health care crisis. Spending on health care has risen from 5 percent of national income in 1960 to 16 percent today, putting a significant drag on the economy. The goal of ensuring the health of all Americans depends on getting those costs under control. There are several reasons health care has gotten so expensive, but one of the biggest, and perhaps most tractable, is the cost to the system of preventable chronic diseases. Four of the top 10 killers in America today are chronic diseases linked to diet: heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and cancer. It is no coincidence that in the years national spending on health care went from 5 percent to 16 percent of national income, spending on food has fallen by a comparable amount — from 18 percent of household income to less than 10 percent. While the surfeit of cheap calories that the U.S. food system has produced since the late 1970s may have taken food prices off the political agenda, this has come at a steep cost to public health. You cannot expect to reform the health care system, much less expand coverage, without confronting the public-health catastrophe that is the modern American diet.

Interesting insights about our state of being inthe US and how it can be all tracked back to our food. For the whole article, here's the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/magazine/12policy-t.html?_r=1&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink&oref=slogin

Passive Aggressive Rudeness

Sometimes I ponder the questions people ask. They seem rude sometimes and other times they are very personal, yet time and time again, the same questions are asked across the country. For example: when a couple is having a hard time trying to conceive. There are acquaintances in the couple's life that will ask questions about the process. I can't imagine how these couples feel. I would not be comfortable talking about my sex life or my monthly schedule. Yes, there are friends you will discuss this with, but your old neighbor that you run into at the grocery store should not be asking you questions in front of the oatmeal.

For me, it's a housing issue. Whenever I meet new people or even when work people shift to personal talk, I typically get 2 questions. The first question is do you rent or own? Why is that your concern? Why does anyone need to know what my debt is? Will it change their opinion of me? Does renting rather than owning give off some sort of vibe or qualification as a person? No one would EVER ask a married couple if they rent or own. I think it would be considered rude, but for a single woman (and maybe man, I don't know), it is consider a valid question.

After I say, yes, I own my house. The next question is 'Do you cut your grass?' What kind of question is that? Am I less of a person because I cut my grass? Are you determining my level of friendship with you based on my yard work skills? I would NEVER ask a singly guy, 'so do you do your own laundry?' I realize their intentions are harmless, so I am not getting into a fury over this, but when you sit down and analyze the question, it is really quite rude.

My question to you (because everyone has them): What is a question you are asked on a regular basis that you consider a little off-putting? AND does anyone have any clever remark I can respond with when I am asked if I cut my grass?

I am thankful

I think we all need to take a minute and realize how lucky we are. I think so many of us get caught up in the things we don't have, the things we want, and the things we can't have. We seem to always dwell on the things that went wrong or how someone failed. When it comes down to it; it is your person failing.
I beg you all today and appreciate what you have. I have a house that I own (which doesn't happen all over the world or 80 years ago in the US), I have a GREAT family (I could be related to Ozzy Osbourne's craziness), I have fabu friends (you know who you are). I also am thankful for my job because #1 I have a job that pays my bills, but #2 I really like my job.
So stop complaining, we all have to deal with things, but we HAVE SO MUCH in life living where we live. Today, stop and watch the sunset, read a book, do something that makes you ridiculously happy and remember that feeling.
And give others a break. You're not perfect either.
Yes, I know I need to take my own advice, and Denae, don't take this personally, this is not a reply to your last post, I promise.

Let me explain again

I couldn't even follow the last entry so let me explain again...

Cow emit pollution. A lot of it, let's not get into the details. If we use less cows (for food, furniture, and clothing) we will create less pollution and our world smiles.

For an analogy: we all know SUV's eat up your money and pollute excessively. Let's face it, there are certain times when SUV are needed and useful. If we only use SUV's when they are useful instead of just tooling around, we will reduce pollution (and save a couple bucks). If we use cows less, such as eating meat only 3x's a week, eating less dairy, maybe skipping those great leather heels, we, in turn, will rely on cows less and pollute less. Try to stay away from the cow.

The trouble with cows

Everything I read always seems to circle back to one thing: Cows. We eat too much corn because farmers feed corn to cows (which they can't digest and therefore consume over 70% of the US prescriptions sold in the US). The amount of beef that Americans consume is very unhealthy (mainly because we eat corn-fed beef which has much more fat).

Take a Starbucks coffee: more than half of the greenhouses gases used to produce the coffee is from the milk! Not from the coffee grinding process, not from shipping coffee from South America or from the shipping the finished product to Starbucks across the US. It's not even from the milling, manufacturing, and shipping of the paper cup. It's from the cow producing the milk.

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, cows produce methane, a greenhouse gas that, pound for pound, is 25 times more damaging to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. 2 cows pollute as much as my Focus in one year.

Timberland has started putting carbon footprints on some of their shoes. What is the biggest culprit? Leather. Even though the shoes are manufactured and shipped from 3 different places in Asia and then shipped all over the US., transportation only made up 5% of their carbon footprint. It's the leather that contributes the most to their footprint. And we're back to the cows.

In tips to lessen your carbon footprint, many people suggest to eat less meat. I am always met with wild looks when this is suggested. Cows are amazing pollution producing machines. I will get into the inefficiencies of humans as carnivores later.

I think we need to stop our dependency on cows.

Sex and the City: The Movie

I cannot comment about the SATC movie because I do not want to give it away. (but I do so SPOILER alert!) All I can say is that America is crazy and the movie executives keep feeding us this bulls*&t and then we wonder why our life isn't what we wanted. The show went from real and honorable to fairy-tale crap (Sorry, SJP, I had to say it). The last few episodes were wrong, the movie is REALLY wrong. I thought they had it right, but they pulled the rug out from under me because they took the easy spineless lemming way.
Ok, maybe I did give a little away because I commented more than I planned.
I apologize for my spelling, grammer, and no photo's. It's a computer issue, it should resolve itself in a week and I will post pictures then.

Wait for it...

Legendary.

Tonight's the night. How I Met Your Mother's season premiere is on. This is one of the 3 best TV shows on tv right now (30 Rock and The Office are the other 2 in case you are wondering). So watch it. You will not regret it. Funny. Funny. Funny. It's also genius in its references and quotable material.

Neil Patrick Harris is AWESOME. In the picture he is explaining the crazy/hot scale. If a girl is crazy, she needs to be really hot. It's hysterical.

This is what Entertainment Weekly said about HIMYM: Let's say you could create the perfect sitcom. Start with the chummy New Yorkers of Friends, but have them hang out in the bar from Cheers. Try the experimental structure of The Office, but add the comfort of a laugh track. You'd want the pop culture references of Gilmore Girls, the random in-jokes of Arrested Development, the sweetness of The Wonder Years. Definitely the overstuffed pace of Seinfeld or The Simpsons. Hell, maybe even give it a mystery, for the Lost fans. Impossible, right? Not so fast. This show actually exists. It's called How I Met Your Mother. And it is, to borrow a phrase, awesome.

Tonight, CBS, 7:30 Central time.

Glowing

Tonight's the night. It's the annual balloon glow down at Forest Park before the big race tomorrow. I don't know why, but this is one of my favorite things in St. Louis to do (so does about a million of other people in StL because it has gotten really crowded). I think it's because I love a casual Friday night activity that cost nothing. I love a crisp evening that is cool, but not cold. I love walking around and appreciating the city and not just sitting inside doing not-so-much. If you are in StL, pack a picnic, grab the Metro and I will see you down there tonight.

Vert Tips

Here are some quick tips that shouldn't cost you anything (it should save you money).

1. Change your margins and always print preview: try to have your documents fill the page before you print with one small adjustment to make your margins smaller, you can cut back your paper consumption by almost 20% over a year.

2. If you change your font and text size, you can easily proof on screen. The change in layout gives your eyes a new perspective to see errors.

3. Please give up disposable cups and bags. You will never be able to give up disposable things 100%, there is a time and place for them. If you can cut your consumption by 80-90%, think how much you will save from a landfill in one year (and manufacturing pollution, waste, etc). The average person uses one plastic bag per day. Don't forget, this goes for paper towels, paper napkins, swiffers, paper plates, QT cups, individually wrapped items.

4. Be conscious of your water. Don't let your water run while you are brushing your teeth, filling the dishwater or running water to get cold (keep cold water in the frig). Also, turn down your water heater.

5. Use your programmable thermostat. This is a must. Stop what you are doing and march into your local True Value and buy one today. BUT on days like today in St. Louis, turn it off. It is beautiful outside. You house smells great with fresh air. Take a step back, slow down and open a window. There's a great world outside, let it in.

Hurricane Ike

Our construction team at work has been on hurricane watch for the past few weeks, little did they know they would have hurricane damage in Florissant. The above pictures are the center of my universe for about the first 16 years of my life. The handyman hardware in the pic is where my brother Jeremy works and you can also see the Walgreens and there is also a Save-A-Lot attached (hence the construction team I referenced earlier). This is crazy. Just to let you know there is a major street in between the hardware store and walgreens. Also, thanks to the Dierbergs, their chicken grease trap was picked up by the water so everyone is cleaning up water, debris, and chicken grease. This is so surreal. I was across town when this happened (about 7 miles), so I was dealing with other flooding. It took my an hour to go less than 4 miles because I had to keep turnging around to find higher ground. Crazy day.

Bad day

It's been 7 years and I still can't get this day out of my head. Take time to hug your family today.

Public Enemy #1

Wow, corn growers are getting nervous. Have you seen the pro-high-fructose corn syrup commercials? It's good to know the "facts." The point of the commercial was that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is ok in moderation. Well, sort of yes, but that's the whole point. Most Americans don't know what contains high-fructose corn syrup and most Americans have a hard time with moderation. HFCS is mainly in unhealthy highly-processed low nutrition food. Our sugar consumption has more than doubled since the 50's thanks to HFCS; pair this with our activity level diminishing over the last 60 years. This equals up to one large country.

Don't be fooled. Stay away from it because you will still be consuming it without knowing it. It took a real effort to find bread without it.

The commercials claim that HFCS is made from natural ingredients. Just to keep the record straight, the FDA does not allow HFCS products to be called natural.

Don't believe the commercials. I am frightened to think of the people who will be convinced by them (well, they are the same people that think Palin will advance women's rights too, sorry, I digress). We are all in this together and we need to make a real effort to limit our HFCS consumption. This will lead to healthier lives, healthier futures, and be happier people.

My friends are da cooooolest

Just some pics of good times with my friends.

San Fran

Sorry, I am too tired today to figure out how to rotate a picture.

San Francisco was great. I got in Thursday evening. Sarah and I enjoyed a glass of wine and then tucked in for the night. On Friday I walked down to Fisherman's Wharf and enjoyed some touristy activities. Mostly people watching and reading. In the afternoon Sarah and I did some shopping. Friday night I had the best guac in my life (and I don't even really like guac) at a Mexican restaurant and then a great glass of wine at a wine bar. 2 thumbs up on both establishments. Yum. Saturday we went out to the 'burbs and layed by the pool, then came back into the city and grilled out. On Sunday we headed out to Napa. We stopped by Tiburon and Sausalito too.

Overall it was a great trip. Great town, great company, excellent weekend. Sarah was very generous to put up with me for 3 days and then drop me off at the airport at 4:30 am. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING SARAH!

Foiled Again

In 6 weeks, my building is going to be moving to Earth City. It's good and bad. I like the idea and don't, but it is going to happen and we will all adjust accordingly. I started looking into riding the bus to work. I had looked into at my present building and it was a mess. Then Sarah DeVaughan and I were discussing it again because she was looking into riding the bus. I decided to work out my route to my new Earth City location. Well, sorry Earth, you lose.

There is a bus that goes from the Hanley Station to Earth City. Perfect. I will drive 4 miles to Hanley and take the bus. It will save about 1/2 hour off my bus commute if I don't ride it from my house. I need to ride the bus 15 times round-trip to break even on a $60 pass. Wait a minute, for me to make 15 round trips in my car to work, it will only cost $40. I am willing to sacrifice some time and money for the Earth, but not $20 a month. I know what you are saying, "just ride it more than 15 times a month, Anna." In reality I would love to take the bus everyday. I do run errands at lunch sometimes, make lunch plans, and go out after work; not to mention the weekly allergy shots. Riding the bus everyday isn't feasible with my social calendar. Even if I did ride it 20 times, my gas only comes out to $53.00.

My commute from my house to Earth City is 10.79 miles according to MapQuest. It is quick and painless and I should look on the bright side: I have a car that gets great gas mileage and I don't live far from work. I guess I will have to look into other ways to save the Earth.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Adios Summer

This was a great summer. For some reason, St. Louis had one of the most pleasant summers I can ever remember. There were about 2 weeks when it was a typical St. Louis summer, but for the most part, it was delightful. It is still over 70% humidity, but it doesn't feel suffocating like it use to feel. I think I have finally acclimated to St. Louis weather (it only took my entire life)

Great things I did this summer:

1. went to the Art Fair in Paducah and bought some fabu art.

2. went to chicago and had a wonderful city girl weekend.

3. Morton's wedding: great time was had by all

4. Minneapolis for a sustainability conference. Learned a lot.

5. The new M. Night movie came out. Not his best, but the message was important.

6. Joss Stone concert. Nothing like celebrating the 4th of July with the British

7. volunteered at the FoodBank. It's my favorite volunteer activity all year.

8. making s'mores in Tara and Paul's street

9. Finding an organization that will loan me easy to handle recycle bins. Offering recycling services just got a whole lot easier for me. (and my mom and dad since I have to drag them to help too)

10. annual girls trip to the Ozarks.

11. riding bikes all over St. Louis and just being outside.

To cap off the summer, I am going to San Francisco to visit Sarah for the weekend.

P.S. The picture is the view from the brand new Four Seasons in St. Louis. Bern, Billy, and I enjoyed drinks and dinner there one night. It was very cool. Everyone needs to check it out.

What was your favorite memory of the summer?

Good Things

Here are some pics of my friends. Good times.

Just want to share some simple things I look forward to experiencing. You may also:

1. How I Met Your Mother. Probably the best show on TV right now, don't worry when the season premiere is on, I will alert you.

2. NPR podcasts. I can catch all my favorite show whenever I want. They even have snippets of various episodes put together into environmental report podcasts.
3. Stephen King's column in Entertainment Weekly. It's genius, it's down to earth, it's logical, and it's not creepy, which makes it kind of creepy.
4. Netflix. I get all the boring documentaries I want when I want. It's fabulous.

5. Joss Stone, KT Tunstall, and Duffy. My girls can rock.

6. Coppola Pinot Noir. mmmmmmmm...delicious.

Enjoy your day.