I just saw one of the most moving films I've seen in a long time, Once, about two musicians who happen to meet on a dreary Dublin street late one night and...well, you'll have to watch it to find out the rest. But at one point one of them ends up rolling her vacuum behind her through the city.
What does this have to do with handbags? It's exactly how I feel whenever I carry a purse. For me, it's either my trusty backpack (even weight on shoulders, lots of pockets, leaves me hands-free) or coat pocket (anyone's will do, as long as we're out together).
OK, OK, or it's my grandmother-in-law's hand-me-down vintage art deco evening purse. It's the exception because it's utterly unique and beautiful in its own right. Many of the bags we selected for today's tip are one-of-a-kind and made to last too, so whether you're a full-time bag lady or not, you can enjoy their quirky ways for many moons.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to sneak my wallet into my husband's murse...
What does this have to do with handbags? It's exactly how I feel whenever I carry a purse. For me, it's either my trusty backpack (even weight on shoulders, lots of pockets, leaves me hands-free) or coat pocket (anyone's will do, as long as we're out together).
OK, OK, or it's my grandmother-in-law's hand-me-down vintage art deco evening purse. It's the exception because it's utterly unique and beautiful in its own right. Many of the bags we selected for today's tip are one-of-a-kind and made to last too, so whether you're a full-time bag lady or not, you can enjoy their quirky ways for many moons.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to sneak my wallet into my husband's murse...
Everyone looks really bad in hi-def anyway. Promise.
Seriously - my recommendation on how to recycle your old TV? Keep your old one until it doesn't work anymore. Or if you are moving to a foreign country that doesn't accept your volt/watt needs? Do what I did, and give it to Jenifer Morgan, Senior Editor extraordinaire. (Oh, OK, sell it on Craigslist or post it to Freecycle - JM already has a TV.)
There's a reason the reduce and reuse comes generally before the recycle. (Oooh - preachy. So unlike me!)
-Heather...off to set the DVR on my old Toshiba...
Seriously - my recommendation on how to recycle your old TV? Keep your old one until it doesn't work anymore. Or if you are moving to a foreign country that doesn't accept your volt/watt needs? Do what I did, and give it to Jenifer Morgan, Senior Editor extraordinaire. (Oh, OK, sell it on Craigslist or post it to Freecycle - JM already has a TV.)
There's a reason the reduce and reuse comes generally before the recycle. (Oooh - preachy. So unlike me!)
-Heather...off to set the DVR on my old Toshiba...
There are a lot of real animals who need people out there, and a lot of people who need animals. Sometimes it just takes an introduction. For some time, I worked as a docent at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum - an organization that treats injured wildlife and re-releases them. In cases where the animals will never be fit for release, the museum employs them as wildlife ambassadors through educational programs, visitor interaction, and natural history exhibits - all with a mind to keeping the animals stimulated and comfortable (raptors, for example, sit on perches high above visitors and get several months time away from the museum each year). Now and then, I'd get to jess up the resident barn owl and share his unique life story with visitors. And although I grew up surrounded by pets, it was always a miraculous thing to earn the trust of such a grand and beautiful creature and to see how he made the faces of others light up.
Walk with the animals. Talk with the animals. Volunteer. Connect.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to chat to a chimp in chimpanzee...
Walk with the animals. Talk with the animals. Volunteer. Connect.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to chat to a chimp in chimpanzee...
Q: What takes the place of a dog toy and a gym membership?
A: A towel.
While you can spend your entire paycheck on pet accoutrements (I'm thinking of one Biter in particular), some of the best pet playthings in life are free.
Just look at my dog back home, Junior. He's a big guy, so you can get a workout just trying to get stuff away from him. Grab an old towel to wrestle him with and it's on.
-Toshio...off to work it out...
Yep. That is what I feed Snack these days. Chicken byproduct. Byproduct - just the word is repugnant.
Makes me wanna hurl.
Fact is, though, Snack is a special little guy (and I mean special in a politically correct, feline kinda way). He's got issues. He's not so coordinated. He slams into the window if raindrops are falling down it. Watching him run is sort of like viewing a toddler just getting in stride - you cringe slightly, waiting for the inevitable crash. In short, he's not the brightest bulb on the kitty tree. And alongside that, he's got severe digestive issues, so he's on prescription cat food - for the rest of his awesome little life, according to the vet. No organics for him unless they come up with a version that will keep him as healthy as the prescript stuff...
Such a catch-22... I want to keep the little guy healthy so I can have him forever, because he's the best cat ever. But really? Chicken byproduct??? That's what's gonna do it? Nasty.
-Heather... off to feed my cat...
Makes me wanna hurl.
Fact is, though, Snack is a special little guy (and I mean special in a politically correct, feline kinda way). He's got issues. He's not so coordinated. He slams into the window if raindrops are falling down it. Watching him run is sort of like viewing a toddler just getting in stride - you cringe slightly, waiting for the inevitable crash. In short, he's not the brightest bulb on the kitty tree. And alongside that, he's got severe digestive issues, so he's on prescription cat food - for the rest of his awesome little life, according to the vet. No organics for him unless they come up with a version that will keep him as healthy as the prescript stuff...
Such a catch-22... I want to keep the little guy healthy so I can have him forever, because he's the best cat ever. But really? Chicken byproduct??? That's what's gonna do it? Nasty.
-Heather... off to feed my cat...
This is hardly the tip that's going to save the world. In fact, some would say dressing up your pet is tantamount to animal cruelty.
My friend's mom used to dress up her shih tzu for every occasion. He was Saint Nick on Xmas Day, Cupid for Valentine's, and greeted all the trick-or-treaters on Halloween as a pumpkin. It made me a little sick, but Fitzy loved the attention. Just don't try to dress up my lab-collie mix (we think) back home, or he'll give you the bad kind of bite.
-Toshio...off to vomit from the cuteness of some of the outfits in today's Wanna Trys...
My friend's mom used to dress up her shih tzu for every occasion. He was Saint Nick on Xmas Day, Cupid for Valentine's, and greeted all the trick-or-treaters on Halloween as a pumpkin. It made me a little sick, but Fitzy loved the attention. Just don't try to dress up my lab-collie mix (we think) back home, or he'll give you the bad kind of bite.
-Toshio...off to vomit from the cuteness of some of the outfits in today's Wanna Trys...
Years ago, I babysat our family cat Thumper-an outdoor, mountain cat-in my little San Francisco apartment. With the help of two annoying Norweigian houseguests, Thumper escaped from the apartment, and only after several days of tears and searching did I find him. Two days after his return, the apartment was thick with tiny little jumping, biting bugs. Ugh! Desperate, and with itchy red calves and a sense of general repulsion, I resorted to a no-doubt very unnatural fumigating solution...and despite carpet cleanings, and scrubbings, and vacuuming galore, it never really got back to feeling like home sweet home.
But least Thumper got a non-toxic bath and flea-comb treatment. Not. Fun. For. Either. Of. Us. But in the end, his soft furry bod was a lot more cuddle-up-able than the fumigated carpet.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to admire Nora's talent...
But least Thumper got a non-toxic bath and flea-comb treatment. Not. Fun. For. Either. Of. Us. But in the end, his soft furry bod was a lot more cuddle-up-able than the fumigated carpet.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to admire Nora's talent...
Don't call me this weekend. Or email. Or knock on my door. Or try to make plans. Or expect me to workout, or even to sleep for that matter. I will be holed up in my room from Saturday morning onward, reading the final book until my eyes burn and pop further out of my head than Dobby's, aimlessly reaching for salted almonds, probably drooling slightly. (OK, OK, I'll most likely have finished it by the end of the day on Saturday, and if he's dead, you can come over and save me from my wine-soaked angst over the death of a fictitious, teenage, um, wizard).
Oh yes, I am that much of a Harry-Potter-loving geek. The fact that the book's paper has a higher recycled content? Gravy.
For me (and my sister-in-law and about a million little kids all over the world), it's the end of an era. Never again will there be this point in time - a final day when we don't know what happens. Culturally fascinating, really. From here on out, the movies will be out on DVD, the stories will be told, everyone will already know if he's dead or alive at the end of the series. Poor, poor little future Harry Potter readers. (Does it make me even more odd that I am leaning toward having a kid just so we can read HP together? Hmmmm.)
All right, I know, I know. "Oooooh-Kaaaay, Heather...It's. Just. A. Book."
Yeah, right. And Fox Mulder is just a regular ole FBI agent...
-Heather... off to, well, buy some eyedrops...
Oh yes, I am that much of a Harry-Potter-loving geek. The fact that the book's paper has a higher recycled content? Gravy.
For me (and my sister-in-law and about a million little kids all over the world), it's the end of an era. Never again will there be this point in time - a final day when we don't know what happens. Culturally fascinating, really. From here on out, the movies will be out on DVD, the stories will be told, everyone will already know if he's dead or alive at the end of the series. Poor, poor little future Harry Potter readers. (Does it make me even more odd that I am leaning toward having a kid just so we can read HP together? Hmmmm.)
All right, I know, I know. "Oooooh-Kaaaay, Heather...It's. Just. A. Book."
Yeah, right. And Fox Mulder is just a regular ole FBI agent...
-Heather... off to, well, buy some eyedrops...
It just started last weekend. I woke up Sunday morning with a bunch of mosquito bites. Monday I had a few fresh ones, so I ruled out the possibility that this was a one-time deal, the result of spending too much time in my friend's backyard hammock, sans bug spray, on Saturday.
Monday night I spied one. There's at least one mosquito living in my bedroom. I spent about half an hour in hot pursuit, gave up, and watched Lost on DVD. This morning, yet again, my epidermis was reeling and red from last night's assault.
Thankfully, I came into the office this morning, and it was my lucky day - there's a sample of Burt's Bees repellent in our editorial library. Cross your fingers that I'll wake up tomorrow with no new bites...
-Toshio...off to apply some calamine lotion...
Monday night I spied one. There's at least one mosquito living in my bedroom. I spent about half an hour in hot pursuit, gave up, and watched Lost on DVD. This morning, yet again, my epidermis was reeling and red from last night's assault.
Thankfully, I came into the office this morning, and it was my lucky day - there's a sample of Burt's Bees repellent in our editorial library. Cross your fingers that I'll wake up tomorrow with no new bites...
-Toshio...off to apply some calamine lotion...
I try to stay away from energy drinks. One cup of coffee is enough to give me the jitters - but add taurine, guarana, and some other ingredients that are a bitch to pronounce to the mix, and you've got a Toshio who's high as a kite until the horrible comedown hits.
Which is why I stick to green tea as my afternoon upper. But if you're an energy drink junkie, I recommend Kaboom or Steaz from a taste perspective. I only wish they'd been around four years ago to make all the Jager bombs I drank in college slightly more palatable.
-Toshio...off to score some green tea...
Which is why I stick to green tea as my afternoon upper. But if you're an energy drink junkie, I recommend Kaboom or Steaz from a taste perspective. I only wish they'd been around four years ago to make all the Jager bombs I drank in college slightly more palatable.
-Toshio...off to score some green tea...
No way - I will kiss my sweetie no matter how cactus-like his cheeks. But I admit to coveting lots of old-school gentlemen's trappings, not the least of which is ye olde mug-'n'-brush shaving set. Sure, I can pull off wearing the occasional bow tie (kind of), pat a bit of rum-scented cologne behind my ears, take a sip from a plaid-covered flask, flip through a first-edition Hemingway, but I'll never really be able to use that big, fluffy brush to work a dab of lavender-infused shaving cream into foamy facial fun...
But who's to say? Maybe in addition to the foot-long hairs that will supposedly start sprouting out of my ears and nose during old age, I'll grow a beard...
-Jenifer Morgan... off to pluck my eyebrows...
But who's to say? Maybe in addition to the foot-long hairs that will supposedly start sprouting out of my ears and nose during old age, I'll grow a beard...
-Jenifer Morgan... off to pluck my eyebrows...
Oh, how I wanted to start today’s posting saying: “Don’t be a hoser, man.”
I’ll refrain.
Well, seeing how it’s already out there, too late.
-Heather...off to feel VERY homeowner-y by putting new couplings on my hoses (that just sounds so much more exciting than it is)...
I’ll refrain.
Well, seeing how it’s already out there, too late.
-Heather...off to feel VERY homeowner-y by putting new couplings on my hoses (that just sounds so much more exciting than it is)...
I love giving blood. LOVE it. Started doing it in college, and quickly learned that - aside from all the good, snuggly, warm-fuzzies that I get from doing something to help others - giving blood, quite simply, makes me high.
Oh yes, my friends. Totally high as a kite. I tend to have really low blood pressure, so maybe that has something to do with it (it certainly makes the whole process go slowly). But fact is, when I give blood, I giggle for about 2 hours afterward. I walk down the street laughing hysterically to myself - loud enough, even, to garner strange looks.
Easily the best example of instant karma I've ever experienced.
-Heather... off to look up local blood banks...
Oh yes, my friends. Totally high as a kite. I tend to have really low blood pressure, so maybe that has something to do with it (it certainly makes the whole process go slowly). But fact is, when I give blood, I giggle for about 2 hours afterward. I walk down the street laughing hysterically to myself - loud enough, even, to garner strange looks.
Easily the best example of instant karma I've ever experienced.
-Heather... off to look up local blood banks...
The Partridges had matching outfits, the Addams's all lacked pulses, and the Clampitts failed Etiquette 101. My whole family drinks its H2O from SIGG bottles. Even my brother and sister, neither of whom read Ideal Bite, are all about their SIGGs.
My bro'll be a junior in college next fall. He says his allowance doesn't seem to go as far as it used to, so he appreciates the money he saves by forgoing conventional bottles. My nutrition-obsessed sister is wary of plastic leaching into her drinks. My mom likes that the aluminum keeps water colder, longer, and my dad just likes the look of the things.
SIGG-lovers: Why'd you get your SIGG?
-Toshio...off to see what's showing on Nick at Nite...
My bro'll be a junior in college next fall. He says his allowance doesn't seem to go as far as it used to, so he appreciates the money he saves by forgoing conventional bottles. My nutrition-obsessed sister is wary of plastic leaching into her drinks. My mom likes that the aluminum keeps water colder, longer, and my dad just likes the look of the things.
SIGG-lovers: Why'd you get your SIGG?
-Toshio...off to see what's showing on Nick at Nite...
OK, so I once wanted to marry Gavin.
Then he seemed sorta slimy to me (besides, he's a little too pretty. I want to be the prettiest one in the relationship).
Now, with his recent ban on individually bottled water in SF municipal offices, I just might love him again. I just might.
Then again, I think I am a little old for him. ;) He's definitely a little old for me...
-Heather... off to get a crush on someone appropriate for once...
There is something cool and futuristic and Star Trek-y about motion-sensing lights. I'm also a big fan of motion-sensing faucets and toilets (when they work). But motion-sensing technology isn't always the sharpest pseudo-AI in the techie toolbox-or used to the greenest end. Take motion-sensing (deep breath) car alarms, used on convertibles and Jeeps to detect unwanted entry inside a vehicle and some other vehicles to detect motion outside. There are tons of reasons to hate car alarms (click here to indulge in a thorough rant). But since they're still legal, I thought it might be worth finding one more.
If there are any mathematically minded mechanics out there reading this, please feel free to check my (very approximate) math. If an average car alarm uses 36 Watts for every hour it goes off, then for every 8,371 car alarms that sound off for an hour, we could power one American home for one day.
OK, OK, so the eco-impact isn't mind-boggling. But car alarms do take a toll on energy-not to mention that batteries can be difficult to recycle. Here's to car owners installing an ignition-kill switch instead of a noise-polluting car alarm (if you must), so that all of us urban-dwellers can sleep soundly...without the sound.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to steal a nap...
If there are any mathematically minded mechanics out there reading this, please feel free to check my (very approximate) math. If an average car alarm uses 36 Watts for every hour it goes off, then for every 8,371 car alarms that sound off for an hour, we could power one American home for one day.
OK, OK, so the eco-impact isn't mind-boggling. But car alarms do take a toll on energy-not to mention that batteries can be difficult to recycle. Here's to car owners installing an ignition-kill switch instead of a noise-polluting car alarm (if you must), so that all of us urban-dwellers can sleep soundly...without the sound.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to steal a nap...
I think most of us walk around thinking we're pretty clean and tidy. We shower daily, wash our hands, and brush our teeth. We take pains to avoid eating over our keyboard, but alas, crumbs and dirt continue to fall through the cracks.
The problem with keyboards is all the nooks and crannies - it's tough to get in there. Air and tape are great for light jobs, but sometimes the shake and stick just doesn't restore your keyboard to minty freshness. I once tried running an older keyboard through the dishwasher with no soap (which technically is supposed to work). It melted. I've also popped off keys and made a clean sweep underneath, but wow, it takes forever and it'd be easy to permanently break something.
So now there's the iPhone, which has no keyboard, just a touch screen that will make the filth on our hands more evident than ever (and also test our dependency on tactile feedback, raising the life-and-death question: Is the clickety-clack worth the hassle of cleaning?). The upshot? A simple wipe on ye olde shirt sleeve does the cleanup trick without scratching. So cool, so clean...if only it didn't mean I'd have to forgo paying rent - and then some - to afford one.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to wash that tech lust right out of my hair...
The problem with keyboards is all the nooks and crannies - it's tough to get in there. Air and tape are great for light jobs, but sometimes the shake and stick just doesn't restore your keyboard to minty freshness. I once tried running an older keyboard through the dishwasher with no soap (which technically is supposed to work). It melted. I've also popped off keys and made a clean sweep underneath, but wow, it takes forever and it'd be easy to permanently break something.
So now there's the iPhone, which has no keyboard, just a touch screen that will make the filth on our hands more evident than ever (and also test our dependency on tactile feedback, raising the life-and-death question: Is the clickety-clack worth the hassle of cleaning?). The upshot? A simple wipe on ye olde shirt sleeve does the cleanup trick without scratching. So cool, so clean...if only it didn't mean I'd have to forgo paying rent - and then some - to afford one.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to wash that tech lust right out of my hair...
Receipts are really just another form of junk mail, if you think about it. The cashier at my local café tends to tuck my receipt (he is required to give me one) into the dollar bills I get as change, then precariously perch any coins on top. Argh! It's problem enough to even accept this tottering heap - between full coffee mug, slipping sunglasses, and tangled earphones, I'd give my right arm for an extra...arm - but what is it that's so annoying about someone lumping in a bit of trash with your change?
A friend of mine has taken to handing the receipt back to any given cashier, saying, "No, thank you." This has naturally led to some awkward interpersonal situations, but you have to wonder what would happen if all the Biters in the world just started handing receipts right back...same with those 10% off tanning session flyers forced into your hand or stuck under your windshield. If only there were a service we could sign up for to fight off the paper dogs everywhere, not just in mail...
-Jenifer Morgan... off to plant a tree and sprout another arm...
A friend of mine has taken to handing the receipt back to any given cashier, saying, "No, thank you." This has naturally led to some awkward interpersonal situations, but you have to wonder what would happen if all the Biters in the world just started handing receipts right back...same with those 10% off tanning session flyers forced into your hand or stuck under your windshield. If only there were a service we could sign up for to fight off the paper dogs everywhere, not just in mail...
-Jenifer Morgan... off to plant a tree and sprout another arm...
When I was growing up, my parents used to take me and my brother and sister camping every summer. It's safer, cheaper, and all-around kid-friendlier than a trip to the big city. These trips simultaneously made me hate camping, and eager to travel to loud and dirty places like New York City and Beijing. But now that I've got some perspective, I think the camping trips subconsciously helped me appreciate nature and turned me into the light-green treehugger I am today.
I must finally be missing those trips to Catalina, Joshua Tree, and Lake Arrowhead, because I surprised myself last week by asking my Dad why we hadn't gone backpacking in so long, and now we're in the process of planning a trip. I'm even looking forward to the (non-eco) freeze-dried camping food I swore off when I was 17.
-Toshio...off to look at trail maps of the Sierras...
I must finally be missing those trips to Catalina, Joshua Tree, and Lake Arrowhead, because I surprised myself last week by asking my Dad why we hadn't gone backpacking in so long, and now we're in the process of planning a trip. I'm even looking forward to the (non-eco) freeze-dried camping food I swore off when I was 17.
-Toshio...off to look at trail maps of the Sierras...
My friend, Aurore, who is French, once told me that French girls have this vision of American girls always putting cream on their hands before going to bed each night.
I have no idea where that comes from, but it disappointed me to no end to learn that I was an American cliché. I like to think that I am this exquisitely unique creature and that my nightly routine of hand-cream-donning just means I am terribly well groomed (if you know me, you know how laughable a concept that is, since I can't even bother to do my hair in the morning).
So, in my cliché-laden state, I am happy to report that I can't get enough of Pharmacopia's Rosemary Hand Cream. Get some. Join the American woman rank and file, and slather it on before bed. Then we can all hand model in Parisian ad campaigns when we're 50.
-Heather... off to get my hands dirty, gardening with my mom...
I have no idea where that comes from, but it disappointed me to no end to learn that I was an American cliché. I like to think that I am this exquisitely unique creature and that my nightly routine of hand-cream-donning just means I am terribly well groomed (if you know me, you know how laughable a concept that is, since I can't even bother to do my hair in the morning).
So, in my cliché-laden state, I am happy to report that I can't get enough of Pharmacopia's Rosemary Hand Cream. Get some. Join the American woman rank and file, and slather it on before bed. Then we can all hand model in Parisian ad campaigns when we're 50.
-Heather... off to get my hands dirty, gardening with my mom...
I haven't gotten excited about 4th of July since I was little, when my family would walk to the manmade lake near my childhood home and watch the fireworks, with leftovers from the afternoon's barbecue in tow. I think it's become one of those holidays that doesn't mean a whole lot to most people, but fireworks are pretty cool, and I do like my barbecue.
Originally, the 4th of July was a celebration of our independence from England. I happen to have a few British friends, so instead of thinking about the war we won against the redcoats this 4th, I'll be thinking about the war against pesticides - meaning me and my friends are going organic this Independence Day. Organic ketchup, soy dogs, buns, chips, watermelon. I'm actually getting a little excited now...
-Toshio...off to pick up an organic watermelon...
Originally, the 4th of July was a celebration of our independence from England. I happen to have a few British friends, so instead of thinking about the war we won against the redcoats this 4th, I'll be thinking about the war against pesticides - meaning me and my friends are going organic this Independence Day. Organic ketchup, soy dogs, buns, chips, watermelon. I'm actually getting a little excited now...
-Toshio...off to pick up an organic watermelon...
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