More Boston Rob headed your way!

I just found this article online that says that Boston Rob is going to be the star of the new reality show.

Here is the link to the People.com article.  In case you don't want to click over,  the pertinent facts are these:

"Mariano and monster truck impresario Dennis Anderson will star in a new series for History this year, PEOPLE has learned. 

In Around the World in 80 Ways, Mariano and Anderson will challenge each other to circumnavigate the globe using 80 different methods of transportation with the caveat that each cannot repeat any way twice. "


Sounds to me like it might be worth tuning in for!


And here's another look at Boston Rob to tide you over till the new show starts.

Fall t.v. charted out

There is nothing I love more than a good list or a chart.  And I was most excited to discover the  T.V. Guide fall lineup chart.

I checked further and T.V. Guide also has a summer viewing chart for all the summer series that started up in June.

Don't forget!  Tomorrow starts the new season of True Blood.

And Monday is the return of Weeds and The Big C.  I can not wait to see what shenanigans Cathy gets herself into!

July 7th is Big Brother.

Enjoy your weekend!

Cuteness in the Kitty Condo

There is a local guy who makes kitty condos and sells them on the side of the road occasionally.  He was over in this area recently and I got the biggest kitty condo you ever saw.  It is over 7 feet tall of flat out awesome!

Now there is room for all 4 cats to have their own space.  Not only their own space, but lots of personal space around them.  They love it.

Here is the bottom portion of the kitty condo. With Lester Buster's ears sticking out of the bucket section.

Then we are looking at the bucket section on up to the top.

Here is a view from the other side with the older and much smaller kitty condo perch thing next to it.

And here is how I find it being used most days.

That's Lester Buster in the bucket getting ready to bat the hell out of the hanging toy that he believes is there to taunt him.  And now he is looking at the camera.  Do you see why people say he looks like Hitler?  If not, go check out Cats that look like Hitler  What a hilarious site!

Much higher than the bucket is the big square thing that looks like a carpet covered piece of ductwork.  This is where Stanley Manley hangs out.  He is Lester's brother.  They are 10 years old, which completely amazes me.  I still think of them as small kittens.  But no, they are big 10 year old fat asses.

You can almost tell from Stanley's face that his left eye is blue and his right eye is green.  He is busy giving me the stink eye for waking him up with the flash.  Too bad, Stanley that was probably your 1,345,873rd cat nap for the day anyway.

And perched way up high on top of the square thing Stanley is in we find Angus MacPhee.  Skinny, scrappy, stripey Angus MacPhee.  Just having to have one up on the bigger older boys.  That teeny skinny cat is all attitude.  See how he turned his back on me?  Like he just doesn't give a big rat's ass about the camera.

But where is Fergus?  Angus' brother, Fergus Jackson MacPhee has been displaying some new independence and trying to climb the ladder of hierarchy for alpha status.  Fergus is hanging out on the floor.  He has the softest most plush fur I have ever felt on a cat.

One last look at Lester sticking his head out of the bucket.

And Stanley has just turned his back on the whole affair.

Is he still a Rhinestone Cowboy?

In other news, it was announced today that Glenn Campbell has Alzheimer's disease.

Here's what his wife had to say:

Campbell and his wife Kim have now gone public with the diagnosis ahead of a number of planned retirement shows later this year, revealing they don't want fans to worry if he forgets his lines.


Kim tells People magazine, "Glen is still an awesome guitar player and singer. But if he flubs a lyric or gets confused on stage, I wouldn't want people to think, 'What's the matter with him? Is he drunk?'"


Okay, I totally get the full disclosure so that he gets the most support and understanding while on tour, what I don't get is why they are trotting out a 75 year old guy with Alzheimer's for people to look at.  


This just seems sad and wrong and voyeuristic on so many levels.  


And I am sorry, but my brain is coming up with all kinds of jokes that are in really poor taste about this situation.  I won't tell you, because really?  That's just mean to go there.


He was really talented and so popular back in the day.  Here is a little trip down Glen Campbell memory lane.

See there?  That's a pretty handsome young man from Arkansas!  And look at the next one.  He knew Elvis!

And he was in True Grit with John Wayne.

He was singing about the Wichita Lineman.

And unlike Kenny Rogers who went out and got himself a new face, Glen Campbell aged just like a man of his life experience and years of hard partying should.  Nothing wrong with that.

And then this happened.  But I think this HAD to happen in order for him to get himself straight and sober and in touch with his personal Higher Power.

But he will always look like this to me.  And he will be singing Gentle on my Mind.

Plastic & Carb Update

Since I am doing the Plastic Purge and the Carb Purge at the same time I am just going to do combined updates on how it is going.

First up, Plastic.  This is so difficult.  If you aren't doing this, but are following along, I hope you are noticing when you pick up something if there is plastic involved in the item itself or in the packaging.  And not only notice that it is there, but whether or not it is necessary or could be done with another substance.

Here is an example:  I have recently posted about trying to buy dish soap, the kind for the sink, not the machine and how there is not one brand or type of dish soap that doesn't come in plastic.  Have you looked?  Your choice is really clear plastic or white plastic.  But it's plastic.

So my Compacty Bloggy friend Julia who is the genius who thought this challenge up, corrected me.  She posted a picture of what they used in the olden days before the days of plastic bottles.  Take a look at this thing:

Isn't that a clever little contraption?  You put your leftover bits of soap bars in the basket and when you are filling up your sink with hot water to wash, you stick this soap swisher in the water and you, well you swish it around!  I am now on the hunt for such a treasure.

If you would love to read how this came about and follow Julia's progress through the Plastic Purge of June 2011, please click over here to the first day of the purge and read along.  Julia is a wonderful, clever, and creative person, an accomplished writer, and just a joy to read.  I am proud to say I know her, even if it just internet-ally and not physically in person!

So there is an answer to every query, a lid for every pot, a back to every front. Whatever with that silliness!

Back to the Plastic Purging, I haven't posted much in the last 2 weeks about it because with the sciatica kicking my ass and I just left the house for the first time in over a week, I haven't bought anything, I haven't been anywhere to drag plasticky stuff in.  Mr. Big Ed has been really good about taking care of me and even coming home for lunch every day to cook for me.  So if he has brought anything in, I haven't seen it and I refuse to say anything to him if he did.

But the big thing for me is that I am noticing how little I really need to buy.  What do I need?  Occasionally we run out of some consumable item, be it food or body products or whatever.  But what else do we truly need?  Are we suffering from lack of something?  No.  We are all happy, healthy, and surrounded by more "stuff" than we would ever use in 10 lifetimes.  All of our bedrooms have beds, sheets, quilts and blankets. We have mostly-new towels in all the bathrooms. What else do we need?  I have a box set up in the garage continually for Goodwill donations.  You would think that eventually we would run out of shit to donate. But no.  I have already shared with you my rule of Nothing in the front door without an equal item going out the back door.  If that holds true, we should always stay at the same level of stuff or slightly less.  But no.

So I have not brought a lot of plastic into my home, but I haven't brought a lot of anything in either.  It's not like I went out and chose the lovely environmental item over the shoddy Made in China plastic crap, I just haven't brought anything home.  But what I have done so far is to become really mindful of everything that I put on my shopping list.  How is it packaged?  Is it really the only thing that fits the bill or is there an alternative of equal value that might be less plasticky?  Is this an item of quality that will last or of beauty that brings joy?  If it is a food or consumable item, how close to it's natural state is it?  Has it been adulterated beyond what is necessary?  If I buy orange juice I have to deal with either a plastic bottle with a plastic top or with the frozen concentrate paper tube with metal ends and a plastic strip; but if I buy oranges, all I have left is orange peels that can be dried into pot pourri or grated for another dish or composted.  Try to get your purchases to be as close to the original as possible and you will have less packaging and therefore less plastic to deal with.  That is what I have learned 21 days in on this challenge.

Now, on to the Low Carb, High Protein, Low Fat food regimen that I am following courtesy of my good friend Judy.  Judy is the most wonderful person. She just radiates joy and positivity.  If there are angels walking among us, she is definitely one.  Check out her blog if you want to follow this or just go to be inspired.

I am on day 4 of Phase 2 of the diet.  And let me tell you in just 11 days I have already learned so much about my body.

1. I am carb addicted.  Physically and mentally.

2. I don't normally eat enough food, and never enough of the right foods.

3. I haven't been treating my body well.

4. Plan ahead!!!  You can't eat healthily and take care of yourself if you don't have a plan!

5. The scale can be your friend.  It can let you know that things are going well or that something isn't right and you need to think about it and recalibrate something.

6. I need a new scale.  And like everything else I have to do all kinds of research and ask everyone what kind they have, what is the best, does it have plastic, is it accurate, etc.  So please, PLEASE, in the comments let me know about your scale.

7. When Phase 2 started and I could add in a bit of carrot and beets I was never so happy.  The bright colors cheered me as did the crunch, texture and flavor.  Have I mentioned the carb addiction?

8.  If you think I was happy with the carrots and beets you should have seen me with the orange.  Cold, organic, juicy and delicious in its orangey perfection.  That was the best orange I have ever eaten.

9. I am learning to enjoy my morning hot tea WITHOUT sugar or cream.  It's not nearly as satisfying, but I am learning.

10. In the first 5 days I had several evenings where I suddenly had a craving for a spoonful of peanut butter.  I mean I would have beaten down anyone who got between me and my Jiff.  It was strong and powerful.  I was taken aback by this as I don't eat peanut butter on a daily basis.  Wth was that about? So I listened to my body and I did have a spoonful of peanut butter.  And it was good.  Then I resisted the next night and didn't do it.  But the third time it happened I had the spoonful.  After that I haven't had a single craving.  Not for peanut butter, not for anything.  I am trying to just live in the moment and enjoy what is in front of me.  Which leads back to number 4.  If you haven't planned, there isn't anything in front of you.  So make a plan, and use it.

That's it for me right now.  Any thoughts?

Lots of Musings and Catching Up Stuff

Oh my, I have so many things to share!  And even pictures this time!  Woo Hoo!  I know, could I use my excitement point more?!!!

First up, Judge Belvin seriously admonished the attorneys (attornies?) about being such slow-ass slackers and recessed court till tomorrow.  It's like a 24 hour time out for lawyers.  Ha!  He is such a sweet man even when he was telling them to get their triflin' asses into gear.  So, I finally had enough time to go get my camera to show you the goings-on.

Without further ado . . .


Y'all know that I play Mah Jongg twice a month, right?  And never and I mean to tell you never does it come up that 2 of the 4 of us are playing the SAME HAND.  Well, hardly ever.  But last time we played, Jen and I played for the same hand with reversed suits.

Here is a picture of her tiles, and then mine.

See?  She was doing dots and then cracks.  I was doing cracks and then dots.  She won.  All I lacked was a 1 crack which she had!

And believe it or don't, we did it AGAIN!  That same night, we picked the exact same hand another time.  I can not even imagine what the odds are that 2 players on the same night will choose the exact same hands twice out of 5 games.  But it must be like a gazillion to 1.  1 crack that is!

Next up is something I captured when I was driving across town to purchase something in a plastic-free container vs the one right around the corner from my house that comes in plastic.

See the first picture?  That is some moron standing on a street corner in front of the grocery store with a bullhorn (bull horn??) yelling.  So I rolled down my window and turned down the radio so I could hear what was so important.  He was yelling about Jesus.  And not in a friendly, Jesus loves you sort of way, but more like Repent and turn to Jesus or burn in hell you damn heathens kind of way.

That's odd, I said to myself.  You don't see this every day.  And certainly not in this location.  You want to know what was on the opposite corner from this wiener?

Ta Da!!!  It's the Beer 'n All!  For those of you not from around here the Beer 'n All is basically a drive-thru beer barn that sells margaritas, or should I quote their menu and say Adult Snow Cones.  Here's my only story of the Beer 'n All; Sparky and I were driving through this intersection years ago when they first opened up the B'n All and whipped in to see what all the hoopla was about.  They have scantily clad skinny little girls working there for tips.  So we pull up and a scantily-clad skinny little girl hands us a menu that basically is what kind of flavors of frozen margaritas I mean Adult Snow Cones they have. So we went with plain regular lime margarita flavor.  Then she asks us this question.

"So how many shots do you want it that?"

We were all Huh?  Wtf?  It seems that in a 16 oz. styrofoam cup (boo! hiss! on the styrofoam) you can get UP TO FOUR EXTRA SHOTS of alkeehaul at the B 'n A!!!   Holy Toledo!  We got the plain ordinary regular one.  They made no money on us and if I remember right, she got a minimal tip.  How do they get away with selling you frozen margaritas to go, you might ask?  Well, here's how they get around that whole pesky Drinking and Driving silliness:  They then take the cup with a lid on it and stick the whole thing in a clear plastic bag and seal it.  They give you the straw separate.  So technically it's still a sealed container and what you do with it after you drive through is none of their concern.  I guess it's the same as if you bought a bottle of liquor and took it to the car.  Whatever with them.  It's a stupid business that requires these girls to degrade themselves for tips.

And now we come to much more interesting news and events!  Tomatoes!  All sorts of bounty from the garden.  And things we made from said bounty.  Check it out.

Firstly we have jars of Chili Sauce, which is basically exciting ketchup.  Gorgeous, aren't they?  That used to be about 24 giant heirloom tomatoes that got turned into 16 cups of peeled, cored and chopped tomatoes.  And then mixed with peppers, onion, garlic, spices, sugar and vinegar and then cooked for hours and hours.

See the close-up of the the red vs. green?  The red was made with mostly Cherokee Purple variety tomatoes and the green was with German Green.  These are NOT green as in unripe, immature but rather in a beautiful tomato that stays green when it is ripe.  It has a lovely tomato flavor.  Isn't it pretty with the red cayenne pepper floating in there like confetti?

This is some of the remaining tomatoes left on our kitchen counter.  See the other German Greens there on the right?  Next to them is another cayenne pepper that is green.  But it is green because it hasn't turned red yet.

See the bowls of small tomatoes?  Same thing here, all heirloom varieties.  The red ones are called Big Cherry and the green (but ripe) ones are called Green Grape.  They are delicious.

In the windowsill are some that Mr. Big Ed picked to ripen inside away from the threat of bugs, birds and wildlife.

And what else do we have in the windowsill?  3 small pots and 1 larger pot all with baby seedlings of different varieties of tobacco.  Sparky has decided to try his hand at growing tobacco.  Tricky thing is tobacco can NOT  be grown next to tomatoes.  Remember Mr. Big Ed's NINETY-FIVE tomato plants? They are all over the place.  So when these guys get big enough to brave the outside world we have to be really careful where they go.  Hopefully they will make it and I can keep you apprised on the tobacco growing.

Personally, I would like to put in a couple of tea bushes.  Wouldn't a tea bush be a lovely thing to have in your yard?  And useful, too!  Then I could finally use up all those damn tea tins I have left over from the Tea Hoarding Challenge.

Speaking of which, if you are in the need of some tea tins, mostly the round Republic of Tea type, please let me know.  I would be happy to off-load some of them to help you out.

I am thrilled to have gotten caught up on this stuff. If you are happy to have been reading it, please thank Judge Belvin.

Back to the trial tomorrow.

Carbs, Protein, Sciatica and DNA, oh my!

I am still on the Phase 1 of the High Protein, Low Fat, NO CARB diet.  This is Day 6.  And I believe it may be the last day.

I have Phase 2 printed out and items bought, and since I am dreaming about sweet things, it is time to switch.  My husband, Mr. Big Ed, walked in today with a glass of tea and for a split second it looked like cranberry juice and I wanted to wrestle it from his hands and steal it.

Phase 2 will bring in some yogurt, tofu, and most excitingly CARROTS, BEETS and Pita breads.  Woot!! Oh yeah, there will be the occasional orange too.  All good things.

Does anyone know why I am craving peanut butter at this stage?  Every night I have been dying for a spoon of peanut butter.  Sometimes I get one, sometimes I don't.  It just depends on how I feel.

Anyhoo, I had high plans for making some ketchup or chili sauce out of all those tomatoes that I can't eat, and yesterday morning I woke up and walked to the bathroom.  Somehow I stood up wrong or leaned over wrong or something and that damn sciatica hit me full force.  It is all over my lower back and over to the right and down my right leg.  The same right leg with the arthritis in the hip and knee.

Yeah.

Nothing going on here but ice and ibuprofen.  (Here in my house it is Wal-profen from Walgreen's)

Today marks the first day of the defense presenting their case in the Casey Anthony trial.  It also marks the 3rd anniversary of little Caylee's death.  I don't know how they were able to pinpoint the date down so exactly, but this is the date they are using.

I think the defense lawyer is getting on the job training, and I also think his strategy is to bore the jurors till they say "Uncle, I give, we swear we won't vote for death penalty, if you just STOP!!!!"

I have never seen anything like the sidebar after sidebar in this case.  And then there are the sidebars ABOUT the sidebars.  It is crazy.  That's what it is.

So I am sticking to this diet.  I can't stand up.  And I am glued to the trial online.  In case you are interested in watching something move slower than paint dries, go to wftv.com on casey anthony trial live.

How are things in your life?

Random Thoughts

I am joining my friend Judy in a week-long high protein, low fat and NO CARB diet.  What on earth was I thinking?  I love my carbs.  Many years ago, when I went to an organization called Weight and Watchers, I used to try and trade my protein to other people for their carbs.  That's how much I love my carbs.  Potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, corn bread, corn, carrots, beets, tomatoes.  All those carb-y, sweet, sugary delicious foods.  This week?  None.

Basically, I am eating lean buffalo, turkey, eggs, salmon and in the veggie department, asparagus, arugula, celery, cucumbers and broccoli.

I am not quite sure why we are doing this, but Judy is like a mesmerizing Goddess of happiness and wisdom, so if she said "Let's do this" I would of course think it was a great thing.  Today is my third day and what I know so far is this:

1. You have to plan ahead to make this work!

2. I was more sugar/carb addicted than I thought if we judge from the horrendous headaches I have been having.

3. I miss those fabulous heirloom tomatoes that are all over the kitchen counter!  So I am going to just turn them all into a ketchup/chili sauce and not have to look at them.  By the time the week is up, there will be a whole new crop covering the countertop anyway.

4. Purchasing items for this diet interfered with my No Plastic Month.  But that's okay.  I am learning the sad fact that plastic has become the mainstay of manufacturers everywhere.  There are a very few brave companies that find a better way to market their product, and those people need to be rewarded by our business.

In other news, the NBA Finals are over.  And the trophy is back in Texas!  For the first time ever in Dallas, too!  Now, you know I would much rather it be here with our glorious Spurs, but it was just Dallas' time to shine.  Take that, you fake Dream Team wanna-be's in Miami.  It was a great series, and I was so glad to see the Mavs close it out in 6 games.  Good job by the whole team.

I have some other things to share with you tomorrow, so stay tuned!

p.s. Let me hear from you on either Plastic or Carb purging if you have any experience with either.

Obsessing Still

We interrupt the continual whining and bitching about plastic and it's ubiquitousness to bring you the latest in my obsession of the Casey Anthony trial.

Prosecution is still laying out their case and they are doing a bang-up job.  Very methodical and thorough. And you should know here that my only experience is that I have served on two trials and watched the OJ case from start to finish.  So take my opinions for just that, a layperson's opinion.

Today, Dr. G Medical Examiner gave her testimony on the stand and she kicked some legal ass.  She really explains herself well and most clearly.

Right now the judge Belvin is rendering a decision on whether some testimony will be admitted or not.  It is from a pathology/anthropologist expert and is a video of the skull with a photo of Caylee's face superimposed over it to show the landmarks of nose, chin, lips, etc. and then with the duct tape over it to show that the tape did in fact cover both the nose and mouth.

It boggles my mind that anyone could kill and dispose of this 2 year old child in such a manner.  Whether it was Casey or someone else, does not make it any less heinous.

Are any of y'all watching this trial?  Let me hear from you!

Plastic Ban Day 9

I feel like I am being thwarted at every turn.  Honestly, you can't pick up one damn thing without plastic being a part of it.  I got so damn grumpy at the store yesterday that I barely bought anything on my list.

First off, they didn't have the Nido powdered milk that I was going to get.  And I was not going to be forced to buy an inferior product that I don't know.  So no milk at all.

Then I went down the laundry soap aisle trying to decide what to get.  I had made up my mind to just get the Tide in a box that only has the plastic scoop rather than other options that had more plastic.  And do you know what?  They were totally out of Tide for the HE washers.  Out.  None.  Not one flipping box!  So I was forced to look at the liquids in the PLASTIC bottles.  The usual Tide or Cheer come in a giant bottle where as I could get the Method brand that is highly concentrated and comes in a much tinier plastic bottle (that has refills) for the same number of loads.  And I caved and bought that one.

Further down the aisle is the dish soap.  In this store there is no such thing as dish soap in anything other than plastic.  It was all plastic, plastic and more plastic.

I got so disgusted by the whole process that I grabbed some kitty treats and left.

I am going to have to re-address this issue tomorrow.  I don't know what my options are going to be. If you have any suggestions, please feel free, I can certainly use some encouragement.

Plastic Ban Day 8

I was traveling for 3 days and let me just say that road trips are NOT conducive to reducing plastic.  The very first thing that happened was filling up the car with gas and picking up a glass bottle of Mocha Frappuchino to drink on the road.  While it is a glass bottle with a metal top it was COVERED in plastic wrap that had to come off.  Then I had a straw.

2 pieces of plastic for one drink.

First stop of the trip was at Buc-ees which is my favorite place to stop on any road trip!  Love the Buc-ees! They have reasonably priced gas, they have the cleanest restrooms with 72 stalls and the store goes on forever!  Miles and miles of the best tasting stuff and also the cutest stuff with Buc-ee beaver on it.  It is just too much fun to go to Buc-ees.

And my favorite thing there is the Beaver Nuggets.  It's a junk food item they make that tastes like a cross between Cap'n Crunch, Corn Pops and Poppycock.  You just know this stuff is waaaaay bad for you, and yet?  you can't stop eating it!

Beaver Nuggets?  They come in a damn plastic bag.  Plus I got a fountain drink of iced tea with a splash of lemonade.  This was in a tall styrofoam cup with a plastic top and a straw.  What's my plastic total for the day?  4 plastics and 1 styrofoam.  And I have only been gone from the house a little over an hour!

That was it for that day. But the return trip home was much the same, a couple of road trip cups with plastic tops and straws.

I was saving all my plastic stuff in a container to photograph and show you at the end of the month, but I did not save the stuff from the beginning of the trip and keep it in the car for 3 days to bring home and photograph.  So my pile will look smaller than it actually is.

Today I will hit the grocery store and have to make the hard decisions on some items.  I am 99% sure that I will be bringing home the Nido brand powdered milk that has zero plastic, but I don't know about the laundry soap.  I will have to check out all the packaging when I get there.

Current total: 6 plastics and 2 styrofoams.

Interrupting the Plastic Stories

I am interrupting the June Plastic Ban stories to tell you that in 20 days there will be new (and hopefully good shit) to watch on t.v.  Yay!!!

First up and most importantly:

True Blood returns to HBO on June 26.  That Erik Northman is one tall, blonde and gorgeous vampire. I wonder will they bring back the ever-so-attractive Alcide, the half-man, half-wolf guy?  Word on the street is that they will bring in a coven of witches this season.

Weeds and The Big C are making their summer returns on June 27.  Looking forward to both of those shows.

And finally, that wiener Dr. Drew is bringing back a group of "Celebrities" to his rehab clinic.  With 2 of his former graduates dying from their addictions in recent months, it might be time to re-think his strategy.

Here is the cast that has been announced:

Michael Lohan - famous for being a dick of a dad. (Vh1, that is stretching the word "celebrity" a bit much, don't you think?)

Sean Young - actress known for having a bad attitude

Amy Fisher - really?  Weren't her 15 minutes of fame over like 20 years ago?  Yawn

Bai Ling - the weirdo actress who seems to be famous for making the "Worst dressed list" continually. I think when they make that list they just start out with her name on it already because they know it will just stay there.  She seems to be a wack job.

Jessica "Sugar" Kiper - from Survivor a few seasons ago.

Dwight "Doc" Gooden - baseball player.  I guess they are calling athletes "celebrities" now.

Steven Adler - former drummer for Guns n Roses is back for his second stint at rehab with Dr. Drew.  I wish him much more luck than poor Mike Starr had.

Jeremy Jackson - from Baywatch.  Remember Baywatch?  from back in the day?

I wish all 8 of these people the absolute best in their quest for recovery, but I am not sure that 2 weeks on camera at Dr. Drew's place is going to cut it.

Does anyone know when Sons of Anarchy is due back?  I believe it is a summer show and it seems like it has been a really long time since the last season.

Also!  Don't forget Big Brother is back on July 7th.  Woot!!

Day 3 Plastic No More

Here it is Day 3 of the Plastic No More Challenge.  I have done a really good job of limiting or eliminating plastic coming in to my home so far.  Here's the lowdown on how I have fared.

1. I haven't had to grocery shop yet.  So that is good.

2. I have dedicated a small bucket to collect any plastic that I do end up with and will take pics of it so you can see what I am dealing with.  For example, the first thing to go in the bucket is the plastic pull strip from around the top of the frozen juice concentrate paper can thing.  The paper gets composted, leaving just the tear strip and the two metal ends to dispose of.

3. When we run out of frozen juice to use, I am buying a bag of oranges and setting them and the juicer out on the counter.  You want juice?  Cut yourself 2 oranges and squeeze them.  Now, wasn't that fast and easy!  Not to mention, good tasting and better for you.

4. I am going to have to go back to making my own laundry detergent when I run out of the liquid we currently have.  The borax and the washing soda are in paper board cartons but the soap to grate is in a clear plastic wrapper.  Alternatively, I can buy a box of Tide powder, but it comes with a plastic scoop inside.  Either way, there will be a bit of plastic to go in the bucket.

5. When we run out of milk, I will have to decide which is the lesser of the evils.
     A. Gallon of milk in a plastic jug, cheaper cost-wise.
     B. Half gallons in the waxed paper cartons, but they have a plastic spigot and cap.
     C. Tetra-pak liters that are completely non-recyclable and still have a plastic top.
     D. Can of evaporated milk and dilute it.  Cost-wise this isn't bad, but taste-wise?  Gaaahhgg!
     E. Box of powdered milk.  I like the Nido milk from Mexico that is whole milk rather than the non-fat kind they sell here in the U.S.  It comes in a metal can with a metal top.  So this might be the way to go. I am the only one who drinks milk or puts it on cereal, so I am just pleasing myself anyway.

****Ding ding ding!!! We might have a winner on this deal!

6. Yesterday I bought 6 books in Japanese from my local used book store to gift my nephew who is studying Japanese in college.  And before my brain had kicked into gear I was out the door with all those books in a damn plastic bag.  Grrrrr.

I am blaming the lady who was in line behind me.  She distracted me by being a wiener and being wrong.  Here's what happened:  She walked in whilst I was at the check-out counter having the guy look up the ISBN number of all these Japanese books to make sure they were in fact Japanese and not Chinese.  Also to make sure they weren't porn or something I didn't want to be gifting my nephew.  So the lady walks in and looks all impatient and stands there with a paper.  The dude working there  looks up from the computer and says to her, "I'll be right with you."

She says "I am looking for books by (consults her paper) Maud Lucy Montgomery"

He says "Who????"

I butt in and said "She wrote the Anne of Green Gable series. They should be in young teenager section back there" and pointed in the right direction.

Then I said "I believe her name is Lucy Maud Montgomery, in case you can't find it the way you have it".

She looked me straight in the eye and said "No.  Her name was Maud.  She just went by LUCY!"

Okaay.

Which is what I said to her. And then went back to my business of making sure I had Japanese and not Chinese and not porn.

So see what I mean about being flustered when I grabbed my bag and left?

Anyhoo, get this.  I went next door to the Bubble Tea place and met up with the rest of my group and we decided to head over to Goodwill.  So I go and put my books in the car and backed out of my parking space and was headed up the aisle of the parking lot when the same lady was coming towards me in her car waved me down.  I rolled down my window and she said, "I found what I was looking for. And I wanted to apologize for correcting you.  You were right."

Awwww.  Wasn't that nice?  Most people would never bother to do that.  Afterwards I said to myself, I should have apologized to her for butting my fat nose into her business in the first place.

I get to Goodwill and what did I find?  A 20th Anniversary edition of Trivial Pursuit in very good, damn near brand-new condition.  That's what I found!

In case you don't know this about me, I love games.  And I love, love, love Trivial Pursuit games.  And I don't have this edition.  And it was marked 1.99.

Who do you think got herself a new Trivial Pursuit game?  And who do you think played the game with Sparky last night and WON?

And who do you think remembered to tell the GW clerk to keep her plastic bag and carried her own game out in her own little hands?

Have a great plastic-free day!

Count so far:
Plastic - 2 items

My Obsession, Part II

Who else is completely bonkers enough to spend every waking moment glued to the Casey Anthony trial? Anyone?

Just me?

I am positive that is not the case.  There are at least 10,000 people on the message boards of the live feed I am watching.

My observations so far:

1. Casey's hair has grown like a foot or more in the time she has been in jail.

2. This is the slowest moving trial EVER!

3. Her lawyer is a complete wiener.  She should demand a new one and get a refund on anything he has been paid.  If the jury is influenced at all on legal skillz, she is sunk.  This guy has none.  Sometimes it seems he is making the prosecution's case for them.

4. It was heartbreaking to watch her mom on the stand.  For 3 long days.  It was just heartbreaking. She wants to protect her child, but the truth and the evidence is certainly going the other direction.

5. Have I mentioned that everything seems to take forever?  This is the first trial I have watched on t.v. since the O.J. trial and I had no idea that they now have laptops every two feet in a courtroom.  You can't move an inch without tripping over a laptop.  All the evidence is submitted on a laptop.  You know all the pictures and huge big blown up floor plans and stuff they used to stick up on an easel and use a pointer to demonstrate where everything is?  Now they are on a laptop.

And what happens is this:

Attorney:  "Sir, we would like to bring up Prosecution exhibit ML"
(hum de dum, hum de dum de dum, twiddle your thumbs for five minutes while someone figures out how to show that exhibit to the witness and the judge)

Judge:  (whose name is Belvin, which I love!  What do you suppose his family calls him for short?) "Defense, any objections?"

(wait and twiddle some more while we hear mumble mumble from the defense table)

Judge: "Go ahead and place this into evidence"

Attorney: addressing witness "Do you see what is in exhibit ML?"

Witness:  "Yes"

Attorney: "Can you tell us if it is a true and accurate representation of (whatever it is) on or about the day of July 15, 2008?"

Witness: "Yes"

Attorney: "Judge, can we publish this exhibit ML to the jury?"

Judge Belvin: "Yes you may"

(wait and twiddle a bunch more while they figure out how to publish Exhibit ML over to the laptop the jury sees)  Now I don't know if each juror has their own laptop or just one for all of them because they are very careful to not show any of the jurors on the camera.

Anyhoo, this goes on and on for H O U R S!  Then someone asks to take a break.  And they break for 15 minutes, or an hour and a half, or whatever.  Then some dickhead attorney will object to something and demand a sidebar and they all scurry over and huddle up and sidebar about where they are all going for happy hour or whether the Miami Heat can beat the Dallas Mavericks, or whatever the hell it is that they have to sidebar about multiple times a day.  It is sssss   llllll    ooooooo wwwwwwww going, is what it is.

and last but not least:

6. Casey is one stone-faced young woman.  She is hard as nails.  I don't know what the deal is with her not showing any emotions at all, but I can't believe it can work in her favor to look callous and like you just don't give a shit.

That is my recap of the trial thus far.  Please stay tuned for more!

Let me hear from you regarding this case.  What do you think?

Plastic No More

My compact/blog friend Julia Park Tracey has created a challenge for herself and her family for the month of June. Go here to read about it.  I am going to step out and say that I too will try to do this as well.

In a nutshell, it is don't bring anything plastic into your house for one month.  Nothing.  No plastic of any kind.  No tags, no wrappers, nothing. Zip, nada, zilch.

No plastic.

That's the rules.  This is going to be one touch challenge, my friends.  Be aware of every single thing you touch.  Everything you pick up.  Tough.

And you know what they say; When the going gets tough, the tough stick it out and don't bring home any plastic!

At least, that's what they could say!

I will post a weekly update here to let you know how things are going.  Are you willing to take this challenge?  If so, let me know how it goes.

Good luck everyone!