My parents would never have fed me fish sticks as a kid. We actually went fishing, caught fish, cleaned them, and cooked them. In summer, our garage smelled like smoked trout; we packed it for lunches and brought some out for parties. It got a bit old, to tell the truth.
Years later, like a kid who was never allowed to eat the odd bowl of sugary Captain Crunch - like, not even at a friends' house on Sunday (poor sots) - I spied some pre-caught, pre-cleaned, pre-cooked, and pre-battered sustainable cod fish in the store, and oh the crispy deliciousness!
Don't tell my mom, OK?
-Jenifer Morgan...off to add whip up some special tartar sauce...
Years later, like a kid who was never allowed to eat the odd bowl of sugary Captain Crunch - like, not even at a friends' house on Sunday (poor sots) - I spied some pre-caught, pre-cleaned, pre-cooked, and pre-battered sustainable cod fish in the store, and oh the crispy deliciousness!
Don't tell my mom, OK?
-Jenifer Morgan...off to add whip up some special tartar sauce...
Toshio's playing AC/DC in the office while I type this, so it seems only too appropriate to harken back to my 80s roots.
In past years, I've just tossed up my hair on top of my head before heading out to yoga or into my home office, so I've had little use for hairspray. But for those occasions when I want to look decent, hair comes down, hairspray comes out. Since my hair is curly, it really doesn't take much attention to make it big. I mean BIG.
Not QUITE the spectacular effect that I used to be able to conjure in the 80s, but hey - Halloween is tomorrow...maybe I'll break out the banana clips and tease some bangs.
-Heather...off to headbang to "Back in Black"...
In past years, I've just tossed up my hair on top of my head before heading out to yoga or into my home office, so I've had little use for hairspray. But for those occasions when I want to look decent, hair comes down, hairspray comes out. Since my hair is curly, it really doesn't take much attention to make it big. I mean BIG.
Not QUITE the spectacular effect that I used to be able to conjure in the 80s, but hey - Halloween is tomorrow...maybe I'll break out the banana clips and tease some bangs.
-Heather...off to headbang to "Back in Black"...
In April, I became a homeowner for the first time. But did I get a nice little studio flat? A one bedroom in an old Victorian? A charming condo?
Oh no. Like most things I do in my "play big or go home" life, I bought a whole house.
And it's 100 years old. (As I said to my mom: "I feel like I just learned to run, and now I have to do a sprint in the Olympics.")
In an effort to "green" the place up, I'm doing a remodel next year. In addition to putting in radiant flooring, on-demand water heating and solar panels, I'm going to be putting Solatubes in - incredibly cool "tubing" that brings sunlight from your roof anywhere in the house - even a really dark basement like the one I've got.
I'll report back once they are installed, but for now, check them out at: http://www.solatube.com/homeowner/beforeafter.php.
-Heather...off to open some blinds...
Oh no. Like most things I do in my "play big or go home" life, I bought a whole house.
And it's 100 years old. (As I said to my mom: "I feel like I just learned to run, and now I have to do a sprint in the Olympics.")
In an effort to "green" the place up, I'm doing a remodel next year. In addition to putting in radiant flooring, on-demand water heating and solar panels, I'm going to be putting Solatubes in - incredibly cool "tubing" that brings sunlight from your roof anywhere in the house - even a really dark basement like the one I've got.
I'll report back once they are installed, but for now, check them out at: http://www.solatube.com/homeowner/beforeafter.php.
-Heather...off to open some blinds...
Little known fact: Jenifer M - our Senior Editor (and assigner of blog topics) here at the Bite - was my best friend when I was eight years old. She moved away while we were in our early teens (drama, tears, lots of letters), and we lost touch a bit throughout high school and college. Years later, we lived together for a couple of years in our early 20s, clumsily attempting to make a tinderbox San Francisco flat into something livable and charming and (long shot) cool. Because of this early familiarity, we have keen insights into what makes the other person tick.
Some people consider this long-term knowledge to be an asset in the workplace.
Others simply think of it as blackmail fodder.
Instead of using that fact as an excuse to throw Jeni-who-wore-unicorn-tee-shirts-her-entire-childhood under a bus for making me write a blog about yarn, of all things, I'll stick to the topic at hand. When we were about 10, we were both in 4-H, and we took a course on crocheting. I'm sure we made beautiful potholders that matched our hairbands and friendship pins.
But I think that was the last time we probably thought about yarn until we researched this tip. Who knows? Maybe now we will grab an organic skein and make a sweater or two. I'm just not really sure where she's gonna put the unicorn decal.
-Heather... off to do my 25th year of penance for ruining Jeni's Ralph Macchio poster by kissing it with lipgloss on...
Some people consider this long-term knowledge to be an asset in the workplace.
Others simply think of it as blackmail fodder.
Instead of using that fact as an excuse to throw Jeni-who-wore-unicorn-tee-shirts-her-entire-childhood under a bus for making me write a blog about yarn, of all things, I'll stick to the topic at hand. When we were about 10, we were both in 4-H, and we took a course on crocheting. I'm sure we made beautiful potholders that matched our hairbands and friendship pins.
But I think that was the last time we probably thought about yarn until we researched this tip. Who knows? Maybe now we will grab an organic skein and make a sweater or two. I'm just not really sure where she's gonna put the unicorn decal.
-Heather... off to do my 25th year of penance for ruining Jeni's Ralph Macchio poster by kissing it with lipgloss on...
Beth
Elisa
Kay
Hilary
Brett
Hannah
Jenifer
Jen
Heather
Who's got the creepiest virtual representation of them all?
-Toshio...off to get over the flu before the weekend comes...
A few months ago, I took part in a “cleansing” program that involved drinking blended raw foods for five days. It was very difficult, and I realized that liquid lunches aren’t quite enough to fuel my busy life.
But I did happen upon the most wonderful thing in the process: fresh coconut water. Wonderful flavor and texture, chock-full of electrolytes…and remarkably difficult to come by.
Here’s hoping that someday we can get it – and every other fresh, raw, delicious good thing - from a vending machine…or at least at a few more grocery stores and restaurants.
If you’ve got a favorite source in your home town, share it with us in the blog!
-Jenifer Morgan…off to eat dinner before I go coconuts…
But I did happen upon the most wonderful thing in the process: fresh coconut water. Wonderful flavor and texture, chock-full of electrolytes…and remarkably difficult to come by.
Here’s hoping that someday we can get it – and every other fresh, raw, delicious good thing - from a vending machine…or at least at a few more grocery stores and restaurants.
If you’ve got a favorite source in your home town, share it with us in the blog!
-Jenifer Morgan…off to eat dinner before I go coconuts…
When we first moved into our SF office, some guy offered us some free office furniture if we moved it ourselves. Reuse, recycle. Seemed swell...until we took stock of our brute strength. Sparse. There were also severe logistical complications: no dolly, tiny elevator. There was also no parking outside the building (as downtown as SF gets), so Sara had to drive the truck around the block in circles, waiting for the rest of us to appear with half a desk or a random assortment of desk and filing-cab drawers. At one point, we had a desk, a desk chair, and no Sara. There we stood on the sidewalk, with swarms of people weaving around us, traffic streaming by...
Toshio parked his posy and made like he was at the office, calmly sitting down in the midst of the madness, as if it were a totally normal place to work. Staring and chuckling and confused apprehension of passers-by ensued. Where's a camera when you need it?
But what we should have done at that moment of course was race. Next time...
-Jenifer Morgan...off to with the hope that there isn't actually a next time...
Toshio parked his posy and made like he was at the office, calmly sitting down in the midst of the madness, as if it were a totally normal place to work. Staring and chuckling and confused apprehension of passers-by ensued. Where's a camera when you need it?
But what we should have done at that moment of course was race. Next time...
-Jenifer Morgan...off to with the hope that there isn't actually a next time...
If you've been reading us for a while, you might know that I grew up in a small little town called Libby, tucked away in the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Montana.
Libby's in beautiful country - all peaks and streams and evergreens - and when I was growing up, one of the town's main industries was mining. What did we mine? A pretty little substance called vermiculite - a golden-streaked shale stone that got puffy when it was heated. A stone that was soft and smooshy? Sounds like awesome insulation to me.
It sounded like awesome insulation to big business, too, and by the time I was born and living in Libby, W.R. Grace had bought the operations and was using the branded Zonolite vermiculite in housing insulation. And as a company town, we used it for other things, too - we rototilled the tailings into our gardens to help with aeration. We built a high school track out of it (nice and soft to run on). My little league fields were surrounded by the stuff.
Little did we know that the vermiculite was loaded with tremolite asbestos or that it was laying the groundwork in our lungs for something called asbestosis - a disease that is killing an amazing number of people in my hometown, a fact means I need to get free asthma tests and chest x-rays every few years.
Whenever people hear this story, they always make a leap - always wonder if the reason I am now spending my days working to make the planet a little healthier stems in part from the fact that I grew up in a town touched by that tragedy.
Truth is, I don't know. I'll never know how much it played into my desire to do what I do today. I actually don't think about it all that much, to be honest. I figure that there are a lot of people all over the world, who are a whole lot worse off than I am (or than the people in Libby are), with shorter life spans and even more terrible diseases. And given the way that people drive here in the Bay Area, I could get hit stepping off a curb long before my lungs potentially give out.
Still, when a tip like today's comes up, I gotta praise the giant strides we are making in the green world.
Eco-insulation? Yeah, sign me up.
-Heather...off to remind myself to replace my insulation with some denim stuff...
Libby's in beautiful country - all peaks and streams and evergreens - and when I was growing up, one of the town's main industries was mining. What did we mine? A pretty little substance called vermiculite - a golden-streaked shale stone that got puffy when it was heated. A stone that was soft and smooshy? Sounds like awesome insulation to me.
It sounded like awesome insulation to big business, too, and by the time I was born and living in Libby, W.R. Grace had bought the operations and was using the branded Zonolite vermiculite in housing insulation. And as a company town, we used it for other things, too - we rototilled the tailings into our gardens to help with aeration. We built a high school track out of it (nice and soft to run on). My little league fields were surrounded by the stuff.
Little did we know that the vermiculite was loaded with tremolite asbestos or that it was laying the groundwork in our lungs for something called asbestosis - a disease that is killing an amazing number of people in my hometown, a fact means I need to get free asthma tests and chest x-rays every few years.
Whenever people hear this story, they always make a leap - always wonder if the reason I am now spending my days working to make the planet a little healthier stems in part from the fact that I grew up in a town touched by that tragedy.
Truth is, I don't know. I'll never know how much it played into my desire to do what I do today. I actually don't think about it all that much, to be honest. I figure that there are a lot of people all over the world, who are a whole lot worse off than I am (or than the people in Libby are), with shorter life spans and even more terrible diseases. And given the way that people drive here in the Bay Area, I could get hit stepping off a curb long before my lungs potentially give out.
Still, when a tip like today's comes up, I gotta praise the giant strides we are making in the green world.
Eco-insulation? Yeah, sign me up.
-Heather...off to remind myself to replace my insulation with some denim stuff...
Nothing shocks me anymore. One of my best friends has pretty much done it all, indulging in fetishes most of us didn't know were fetishes, like hypothermia. For the past decade I've lived vicariously through him, and now I'm totally jaded when it comes to sex toys. Got to say, though, the one in the picture brought a creepy smile to my face, since it's the perfect fusion of two of my most favorite things ever.
MSG and Styrofoam, I mean.
-Toshio...off to get some ramen...
Friends, it's Hedonist Week, so we'd be swimming against the theme if we didn't delve into dirty aspects of life like smoking. The fact is that sometimes a little indulgence goes a long way, and if you desire the occasional drunken fixation or post-romantic-encounter flourish, we're not going to get all Mommy on you.
But, really, you've heard smoking's bad for you, right? Not as bad as smoking crack, but a long-term habit ain't gonna do your bod any favors. If you want to, well, crack that habit, check out the quitting resources at the Center for Disease Control.
Oh, and support the kids at No Butts About It, who are working to get smokers to clean up after themselves.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to if, and, or butt out of somebody's business...
But, really, you've heard smoking's bad for you, right? Not as bad as smoking crack, but a long-term habit ain't gonna do your bod any favors. If you want to, well, crack that habit, check out the quitting resources at the Center for Disease Control.
Oh, and support the kids at No Butts About It, who are working to get smokers to clean up after themselves.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to if, and, or butt out of somebody's business...
To me, lingerie is something reserved for relationships...a little treat to spice up an evening with someone who has seen you after you've been crying or working out or screaming your head off unnecessarily about nothing in particular simply because your computer crashed three times that day.
In short, lingerie has never struck me as something to wear while wandering around the house on your own (itchy lace and creeping thongs), and why bother donning any during already-hot-enough new flings, or wearing any out in the hopes of a random hot evening? (I'm lucky if my legs are shaved, let alone if my underwear matches.)
Since I am perpetually single, then, this tip - at first glance - seems not to apply to me.
But lately, I am subscribing to the "If you build it, they will come" theory of life, and thus, have decided to put on some Mon Cherie hemp knickers.
-Heather...off to clean out my underwear drawer...
In short, lingerie has never struck me as something to wear while wandering around the house on your own (itchy lace and creeping thongs), and why bother donning any during already-hot-enough new flings, or wearing any out in the hopes of a random hot evening? (I'm lucky if my legs are shaved, let alone if my underwear matches.)
Since I am perpetually single, then, this tip - at first glance - seems not to apply to me.
But lately, I am subscribing to the "If you build it, they will come" theory of life, and thus, have decided to put on some Mon Cherie hemp knickers.
-Heather...off to clean out my underwear drawer...
I love bubbly. Love it love it love it. I like champagne on a random Sunday afternoon. I drink it before a dinner that is nothing so special. I gravitate toward it with a good plate of oysters on ice. If you offer it to me, no matter what the occasion, I'll drink it.
Here in the States, for the longest time, this was an odd concept. People viewed sparkling wine as something to have once a year on New Years or to celebrate a big event like a wedding.
Between a stint living in Europe and having a sister-in-law who loves champagne so much that she - literally - smacks her lips after taking a first sip, I now see champagne as an everyday kind of wine. Having some cheese? Break out the bubbly. Decorating a Christmas tree? Gimme some Tattinger. Going to a tailgate party? Why not throw in some Mumm? Hiking? Bollinger strikes a chord...
But if there is a guy around, he's gotta be the one to open it.
-Heather...off to open some champagne with Dad, who is painting my house...
Here in the States, for the longest time, this was an odd concept. People viewed sparkling wine as something to have once a year on New Years or to celebrate a big event like a wedding.
Between a stint living in Europe and having a sister-in-law who loves champagne so much that she - literally - smacks her lips after taking a first sip, I now see champagne as an everyday kind of wine. Having some cheese? Break out the bubbly. Decorating a Christmas tree? Gimme some Tattinger. Going to a tailgate party? Why not throw in some Mumm? Hiking? Bollinger strikes a chord...
But if there is a guy around, he's gotta be the one to open it.
-Heather...off to open some champagne with Dad, who is painting my house...
I've been reading Herodotus: the Histories lately. Our Father of History says the Goddess of Love originated with the Phoenicians. That means that Lady Aphrodite has been with us for over 5,000 years! She's had a few different names - Mylitta in Assyria, Alilat in Arabia, Nephthys in Egypt, Venus in Rome - but she's remained a symbol of power and beauty and sexuality for centuries and across many different cultures. Lucky for us, we don't have to sacrifice anything or anyone to show our love for all she represents - it's really so much easier these days:
Eat some sexy food, and have fun making that offering.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to sacrifice my waistline to the Goddess of Chocolate...
Eat some sexy food, and have fun making that offering.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to sacrifice my waistline to the Goddess of Chocolate...
Recently, my roommate's ex-girlfriend informed me that long johns are not hot. I own two pairs, and I beg to differ.
When I spent a few weeks in Beijing during the dead of winter, the long johns (worn simultaneously) were the only thing between me and an ice statue.
As a result, I completely tune out when people complain about the cold here in San Francisco. In the states, I've had to wear the long johns only very occasionally, one at a time, and lucky for me, apparently, rarely during dates.
-Toshio...off to strip down to jeans and a t-shirt...
When I spent a few weeks in Beijing during the dead of winter, the long johns (worn simultaneously) were the only thing between me and an ice statue.
As a result, I completely tune out when people complain about the cold here in San Francisco. In the states, I've had to wear the long johns only very occasionally, one at a time, and lucky for me, apparently, rarely during dates.
-Toshio...off to strip down to jeans and a t-shirt...
One way to deter someone from using so much ink and paper is to get a printer with a broken wireless card and put it in an inconvenient place in the office so that they have to physically carry the printer from one corner of the room to the other to connect it to their computer and lug it back again when they're done. Or so I've heard.
-Toshio...off to haul some hardware...
-Toshio...off to haul some hardware...
I'm a serious coffee drinker. And I mean serious - not only because I drink really good coffee, but also because I drink a whole lot of it. Pots. No, really. Pots.
But my afternoons tend more toward tea, and these days, as I'm obsessed with all things green... Even my tea consumption is leaning in that direction, with green tea breaks in the afternoon.
I like to focus on the antioxidants, and pretend the caffeine ain't there.
-Heather...off to find some green tea after too many nights of insomnia...
But my afternoons tend more toward tea, and these days, as I'm obsessed with all things green... Even my tea consumption is leaning in that direction, with green tea breaks in the afternoon.
I like to focus on the antioxidants, and pretend the caffeine ain't there.
-Heather...off to find some green tea after too many nights of insomnia...
There is one type of reclaimed art/fashion that makes me sad: jean skirts made out of former jean pants...where there is a long triangular panel (usually cut from a different color denim) patching together the former legs, usually frayed along the seams.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to stitch together my own cringe-worthy accessory...
Loosing helium balloons to the skies, note or photo attached, is just plain fun. As long as there's not a clown involved, balloon animals are a riot. I can't get over the crazy lawn chair balloon guy.
Balloons are just delightful things...that is, until they deflate and make their way to the landfill.
Hope is on the way: We're keeping an eye on Ecovy Ltd., a UK-based company (what's with all the eco-party stuff coming from the land of tea and crumpets, anyway?) that's developing balloons that biodegrade faster than latex, including a paper-based version. While not currently available for general sale, the prototypes I have in my possession are promising.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to be delighted...
Balloons are just delightful things...that is, until they deflate and make their way to the landfill.
Hope is on the way: We're keeping an eye on Ecovy Ltd., a UK-based company (what's with all the eco-party stuff coming from the land of tea and crumpets, anyway?) that's developing balloons that biodegrade faster than latex, including a paper-based version. While not currently available for general sale, the prototypes I have in my possession are promising.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to be delighted...
Since there's no way I can top Hanah's story in today's "Personally Speaking" section, I'm not going to try. Instead, here's one more reason not to try new things while you're filming live TV.
-Toshio...off to get ready for SF's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Fest...
-Toshio...off to get ready for SF's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Fest...
In August this year, I was lucky enough to get to spend Jen's birthday with her in Bozeman. All in all, it was a fun celebration. But then it morphed somewhat - what started with cocktails, turned into white wine, graduated to tequila, transitioned to beer, and then moved to red wine. We capped the evening off by watching DVDs and scarfing French fries in some bad throwback to life in 1996.
For reasons completely unfathomable to me, Jen got up at the crack of dawn and went to a riding lesson for three hours. She was absolutely fine. Had a lovely, sun-filled day.
Me? I got intimately acquainted with her very nice Mancesa dual flush toilet. Until 6 pm.
-Heather...off to consider how this blog would have been more age-appropriate 10 years ago...
For reasons completely unfathomable to me, Jen got up at the crack of dawn and went to a riding lesson for three hours. She was absolutely fine. Had a lovely, sun-filled day.
Me? I got intimately acquainted with her very nice Mancesa dual flush toilet. Until 6 pm.
-Heather...off to consider how this blog would have been more age-appropriate 10 years ago...
Strangely, I've never liked the smell, the texture, the taste of eggs. Breakfasts at diners, for me, have always consisted of side order items -rather than huevos rancheros or garden omelets, it's always been hash browns (extra crispy), English muffins (extra butter), and OJ (extra large).
And maybe because I grew up on a farm with a small population of very free-range, healthy, egg-laying hens, I never thought about factory farms and the conditions of our fowl friends. After learning more about them, I admit that my appetite for eggs has not improved. But while reading Reason for Hope by the miraculous Jane Goodall, I found out that there are wonderful people adopting chickens from these factories, taking them out of their tiny cages and giving them the chance to feel sunlight and walk for the first time. If you have a little extra space in your yard, some time, and a lovin' heart, check out Farm Sanctuary, a national project that offers refuge and adoption services for neglected farm animals.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to fry up some potatoes...
And maybe because I grew up on a farm with a small population of very free-range, healthy, egg-laying hens, I never thought about factory farms and the conditions of our fowl friends. After learning more about them, I admit that my appetite for eggs has not improved. But while reading Reason for Hope by the miraculous Jane Goodall, I found out that there are wonderful people adopting chickens from these factories, taking them out of their tiny cages and giving them the chance to feel sunlight and walk for the first time. If you have a little extra space in your yard, some time, and a lovin' heart, check out Farm Sanctuary, a national project that offers refuge and adoption services for neglected farm animals.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to fry up some potatoes...
I brush my teeth twice a day without fail - even going camping or getting tipsy can't stop me. But 20 or so years after learning to floss, I'm still not in the habit. When I go to the dentist, he's always like, "You need to start flossing," and I'm like, "I will." But I can never seem to break the habit of not making flossing a habit, even with these consistent, twice-yearly reminders. I haven't gotten any cavities since I was a kid, but am I pushing my luck?
-Toshio...off to not floss...
-Toshio...off to not floss...
A year ago, I'd totally pledged allegiance to the going-local thing. Of course, somebody had to go and ruin my party.
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
So it's not so simple - now what? As the Bite says, I think we can start by just educating ourselves about how the stuff we buy is produced, and when we can - dare I say it? - buy less stuff.
-Toshio...off to think about something a little less perplexing...
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
So it's not so simple - now what? As the Bite says, I think we can start by just educating ourselves about how the stuff we buy is produced, and when we can - dare I say it? - buy less stuff.
-Toshio...off to think about something a little less perplexing...
PHOTO ALBUMS
