Vermicomposting Love

Did I ever mention that I was a guest blogger at Trying To Be Greener? Well, I was! You can see my post here. It's all about the worms.

Trying To Be Greener let me know today that the post was picked up by this site over here.

I'm blushing a little bit. They said it was "comprehensive."

That's pretty neat.

Winter Masthead

So I'm house-sitting for two weeks and not really using the internet. I came home tonight to grab some fresh clothes and found this pretty little masthead sitting in my inbox. (Along with a bajillion other emails I probably shouldn't have neglected).

I love it. It makes me want Christmas and white lights on everything. Thanks Julia!

Trying To Be Greener / Shampoo Update

I came across an interesting new blog the other day. I got so excited I added it to my "Delights" list right away.

Trying To Be Greener is dedicated to the pursuit of being eco-friendly... not at all what you expected from the name, right? (Nikki I think it will interest you, minus the baby/mommy references.) A few posts immediately caught my attention and seemed applicable to me and my pursuit of late- going shampoo free.

Here's the deal. There's a site out there, Skin Deep, that has done all the work classifying products and the chemicals that claim to make our lives easier but really just slowly kill us. You can enter products you use and see how safe they are considered on a 0-10 scale (10 is deadliest). It even breaks down the dangers for you into the following categories:

	Cancer
	Developmental/reproductive toxicity
	Violations, restrictions & warnings
	Allergies/immunotoxicity
	Other concerns for ingredients used in this product: Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Contamination concerns

What an awesome resource! Visit here to read a much more eloquent and informational lead in.

Products I Use:
Burts Bees Orange Essence Facial Cleanser - low hazard (2)
Burts Bees Moisturizing Cream - moderate hazard (4)
Tom's of Maine Spearmint Toothpaste - low hazard (1)

When Trying To Be Greener pointed out that one of the most hazardous shampoos was L’Oreal Kids 2 in 1 Shampoo, (Extra Gentle, Burst of Fruity Apricot)... I was even happier that I decided to drop that whole shampoo business. And here's how it's going:

It has been a full month of being shampoo free... and I still love the baking soda. My hair (almost always) dries very clean and natural feeling. There have been a few bad days but I think I've caught on to the problem. If the water I rinse with is too hot, my hair will feel a little stiff. Using the vinegar rinse makes it super soft. I plan on using it more frequently (I've only done it two or three times). My only complaint is that my hair is starting to carry a lot of static... and I kind of do miss the lather.

If you're wondering what I'm talking about, click here!

In short, drop in at Trying To Be Greener. I think you'll learn something.

Those Who Peep: Year One

Have you ever noticed my ClustrMap? Down there on the right hand side? Those red dots? It's about to reset and wipe clean.

Here are my visitors for year one:

(click to view larger)

Thanks for stopping by!

Blogiversary

So yesterday was my 1 year Blogiversary. I don't think it deserves the same pomp and circumstance as a Vegebration (Vegetarian + Celebration = Vegebration...my vegetarian anniversary that I've never mentioned here) but it seems noteworthy, nonetheless.

And I did make cupcakes.

Hey!

Look at that new masthead!

Thanks Julia!

Blog War: Cut-Offs

Reduce, reuse, recycle is all the rage right now. As an environmentalist, feminist, handicraft-er, and human being… I’m all for that. But let it be said that some items should not be reused. The first that comes to mind being toilet paper, tampons… you probably get the idea.

A non-reusuable that is less obvious but still poses as great a health/safety risk? Cut-offs. Yes. Cut-offs. Pants cut into shorts and most commonly with the frayed threads still hanging.

Cut-Offs as Health/Safety Risk Reason #1:

Say you get it into your head that cut-offs are a good idea. Say you decide to wear said cut-offs to work. Say your profession falls outside the category of landscaper or exotic dancer. Management might not be too thrilled with your fashion sense, especially if the big boss comes around. Being someone who was already clever enough to cut your pants into shorts, you think of a quick remedy. Why not just staple those frayed ends up? It seems like a good idea until shortly thereafter when you’re bleeding from the thighs. You silently pray your tetanus booster is up to date and curse your now bloody cut-offs.

Cut-Offs as Health/Safety Risk Reason #2:

Say you are an innocent young shoe salesperson (who happens to hate feet). Say a man purposefully makes his way to you. You can tell he’s on a mission and quickly take in his details sensing a full description will somehow be necessary. Thick glasses, long wavy sandy brown ponytail fastened at the nape of the neck, white muscle tank slightly stained, gold chain hanging to the base of the ribs, and… cut-offs. Breathing heavily, he quickly explains he’s shopping for his girlfriend and inquires as to “which shoes will make a clicking sound when you walk?” Assuming he finds that sound annoying you point out all the shoes that will not slap the bottom of the foot. Wrong. Apparently, the more clickety-clackety… the better. You’ve been on the verge of repulsion but finally dive in after a special request: “You are my girlfriend’s size. Will you walk around in these shoes so I can hear how they will click?” With a quick glance to the groin and a wave of nausea you know walking in those shoes is the last thing you’ll ever do. “Um… we don’t do that here!” Essentially you’ve just learned a lesson…cut-offs = perverts.

Cut-Offs as Health/Safety Risk Reason #3:

Say there’s a heat wave. Say half the male population sheds their shirts. The only appropriate bottoms to the absence of a top? Cut-offs. They zip up their cut-offs then head down the streets. Distracted driver upon driver are perplexed over a seemingly unreported shirt caper while simultaneously squinting to read denim labels. Car wrecks are nobody’s friend (excluding auto body shops).

Clearly, the health and safety risks associated with cut-offs are far greater than the reward of feeling as though you temporarily saved spaced in a landfill. Environmentalists take note: In this instance, it is far better to toss it than to cut it.

Blog War: Milk Duds

Milk Duds are gross. Like I needed to tell you that.

It was in childhood when I first made the fatal mistake of ingesting a Milk Dud. I’m almost certain it was under the care of my aunt who regularly shoveled us full of Little Caesars Pizza, macaroni and cheese, and in one undocumented circumstance, grass from the backyard. (Was it any wonder vomiting almost always concluded our visits?) Plunking the chocolate coated caramel in my mouth I anticipated the sweet crunch of the all too similar in appearance yet not in taste Whopper. While my young mind was thinking, “Who the hell orchestrated that trick?” my young mouth uttered a succession of confused whimpers. I never made that mistake again.

Approximately 19 years later I find myself sitting next to a box of Milk Duds. Despite the encouraging claim on the box, “35% Less Fat Than the Average of the Leading Chocolate Candy Brands” I find that I am unable to even pull back the perforated flap. Is it possible for a candy to make you sick via proximity alone?

What about this candy is appealing to people? The name alone implies failure. This is America and Americans don’t like failure, right? Well actually… the original plan was for Milk Duds to be perfectly round (like the Whopper!) but that was impossible. The candy was dubbed a “dud”. But that didn’t stop Philo J. Holloway. So technically what we have here is a good ol’ American tale of slapping a clever name on a disappointing product and hauling in currency.

But let’s take it down to the ingredients. I’ll waive the sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, and remaining list of sweeteners. It is candy after all. My real problem concerns the basics: chocolate and caramel. Let’s take a hideous, goopy, sticky substance and cover it with chocolate so the unsuspecting child won’t know what she’s really dealing with here, Aunt Jeanie. Just like cement is the adhesive that holds together our civilization, caramel is the cement that holds together Candyland. And who the hell wants to eat cement? Chew a Milk Dud and your jaw is firmly locked for a good second or two. If you manage to swallow the glob, the residue still lingers. Hello tooth decay and a life riding the city bus. (Being a city bus rider myself, I can confidently claim that tooth loss and bus passes are a natural pair, but don’t ask me to explain it). Moving beyond the obvious perils, it’s just not all that creative, is it?

Let’s consider a few alternatives:
Raisinets… practically a health food!
The Butterfinger… if it’s good enough for Bart Simpson…
Fun Dips… hours of sticky sugar filled fun, and cheap too!

No, there’s no reason one should ever resort to Milk Duds. And don’t let this guy tell you otherwise. Ok, there may be one circumstance where Milk Duds come in handy, but I’m fairly certain the candies ended up in the bin.

Ode to Peanut Butter & Chocolate

I have a special connection with peanut butter. Add peanut butter to anything and it will taste approximately 50 times better. Plus, it's a pretty good way to ingest protein if you're not in the mood to promote the destruction of the environment or slaughter animals. We all have those days right? Not just vegetarians/vegans. So peanut butter is really tops.

Chocolate's not so bad either. I admit, I not really the devour-all-chocolate-because-it-is-chocolate-and-I-am-female-
and-therefore-must-crave-chocolate type of person. But add a little peanut butter to that chocolate and I'm definitely interested.

Lately I've been wondering if maybe I should move beyond this combination. I've been auditioning protein bars, and the only ones that don't sound disgusting? Peanut butter and chocolate. What's wrong with me?

Apparently nothing. I know this because there is a beautiful little blog dedicated to the perfection commonly referred to as peanut butter and chocolate. Meet The Chocolate Peanut Butter Gallery.

And something even cooler... Kristina from CPBG came across my photo of the Vegan Oreo Peanut Butter Truffles. I'm her daily feature! Totally delightful. (zoom straight to it).

One more time, if you want the recipe, it's here.

New Mast Head

Introducing my new, beautiful, custom designed masthead!

My lovely friend Julia and I engineered a swap. I contributed some handmade goodness, she contributed my new masthead.

I love it to bits. Notice the little bees in the corners? Perfect.

Her site is still in the works, but you can check her out here.

Hello? Hello!

Gazing lovingly at my clustrmap, I'm noticing people in places from all over taking peeks at my blog! This is exciting. If you have a minute, let me know who you are and how you got here. Blog-love.