I watch America's Next Top Model, The Hills, Lost, and The Colbert Report regularly, but I've created a policy for myself: Never stay home for a TV show when you could be out.
Three reasons why:
1. Most new shows are downloadable online.
2. If the show's worth watching, it'll come out on DVD.
3. They rerun The Hills three times a day.
-Toshio...off to mourn the death of Heidi Montag's music career before it actually happens...
During this year's Earth Hour, I'll be in beautiful Bodega Bay (yep, where The Birds was filmed). Barring any deadly avian attacks, I plan to pour myself a cocktail and kick back on the porch to admire the night sky. No candles, no big event...just me, the stars, our half-full moon, and the sound of the sea.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to look to the skies...
Three years ago, when we started this company, I looked like I was 26. Today? My looks fit more in line with my real age, which is 34.
This additional five years' aging is not at all a result of the fact that I switched to all-natural SPF moisturizers. Oh no. I didn't see the sun for most of those years anyway (although I did get quite a lot of "glow" off the glare of my computer screen). Instead, I think it had something to do with a diet of ramen and wine, and too many sleepless nights, wondering if the tip send would actually work in the morning.
Thankfully, those days are behind us, and you all are still getting and reading your tips each and every day (thank you). I'm hopeful that some sleep catch-up and copious amounts of water and moisturizer will take me back to 29... ;)
-Heather... off to pack sunscreen for my Napa weekend...
I'm not sure how I ever got started on sparkling water, but it slowly but surely has become a staple at home. A cold glass of carbonation beats out any other drink post bath, and after adding sparkling to an old-fashioned cocktail on a whim, I can never go back.
And I've thought about how these DIY soda machines end up saving resources and energy used creating bottled water, but it recently occurred to me how much personal energy I save by using one. No hauling a case of glass bottles to my Zipcar, through the 30-ton front door, up the elevator. No shuffling of golf clubs, suitcases, amps, and old fencing gear around in the closet to make space for it. After drinking it: no stacking the bottles, taking them down the elevator, or loading them into the recycling bins (with the risk of running into weird neighbors).
Now I just need to get a few of them into my fave local restaurants, like the bottle-conscious eateries we've covered in NY and Chicago.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to fizz...
Or at least, that pollution could explain why it rains more often during the week than on weekends. So says a new NASA report, which attributes the greater tendency for rain to fall on weekdays to human-generated pollution.
So maybe they call it "Sunday" for a reason.
-Toshio...off to admire my tan...
In the next year, I plan to do a bunch of improvements to my house to bring it closer and closer to LEED status. Among the best plans:
- Solar Panels
- Soliotubes
- On-Demand Water Heaters
- Radiant Flooring
However, for all that these are marvelous new technologies that will save the world, my house is greening the world in a somewhat different way already.
It's vintage.
Yep, at 100 years old this year, I gotta say that my house is just about the biggest used or recycled thing I've ever bought.
-Heather... off to admire my 100 year old wainscoting.
Middle of the Nevada desert, circa, well, last summer. 45,000 people converge on a barren stretch of desert to camp and celebrate, decking themselves in costume in order to appreciate art, life, love, one another...
If you heard any news about Burning Man 2007, you probably heard about Paul David Addis - the gleeful arsonist who burned the Man five days before he was supposed to burn.
My guess is, that you probably didn't hear about all the triclosan-laden Purell hand sanitizer stations situated outside the porta-potties throughout the camp, completely flying in the face of the green nature of the event.
Now, I'm all for cleaning up after you go. But in the middle of a celebration purportedly committed to being green - in the middle of a year in which the entire theme of the week was "The Green Man" - it was disappointing to see the Purell each and every time I went to the loo.
My little act of rebellion on that front? Carrying around my own little bottle of lavender-scented EO Hand Sanitizer. My hands were clean, they smelled good, and I felt more authentic.
Besides, the lavender scent went really well with my Poison Ivy costume.
-Heather... off to plan camp for Burning Man 2008 (this year's theme is America Dream)
Certainly not the most eco thing (and these days – probably not the wisest unless you’re sporting lo-jack).
But it sure as hell was the warmest.
-Heather… off to marvel at how quiet my Prius is when it shuts down at stoplights…
So recently, my building manager started posting rather elaborate signs in the garbage area. One actually incorporates clippings from a magazine to create a sort of stalker-esque collage. Its message is good - to summarize: Before you throw stuff away, make sure you recycle what you can. But y’know, duh.
Monographs could be written about the efficacy of sign-posting, or lack thereof, but one thing’s certain: They do stand to be misinterpreted (especially when written in the passive voice), especially when one needs to cull the meaning of the message from within an artsy collage of seemingly random imagery. From the smell of things, it appears that no one in my building is worried about rinsing out their recyclables at all - either that, or the sign is convincing certain someones that they can recycle all their trash.
-Jenifer Morgan…off to post a sign about it…
To sum it up, the writer points to the fact that whether you pick local or organic, you’re making the right choice. Plain and simple consciousness about how your food is produced and where it comes from is bound to ultimately lead to better buying choices.
By no means do I purchase only local and organic food when I’m at the grocery store (though frequenting the best co-op in the nation helps). But today’s tip and the article are just reminders that putting a little thought into our purchasing never hurts.
-Toshio…off to squeeze a local lime into my nonlocal Tecate…
I'm OK with diets. I was vegan for 8 mos, but I didn't make a big deal about it. On the other hand, when chicks in the Bite offices do their spring detoxes or whatever, the rest of us brace for a week of moodiness and comments about "how good a Twix or a cheeseburger sounds right now, but no, I can't, I'm on a detox." The detoxers outnumber the nondetoxers 2-to-1 at Ideal Bite, BTW.
If you're really serious about getting healthy, why not listen to Matthew "My Goal is to Break a Sweat Each Day" McConaughey and exercise more? I believe in consistent change - not just the once-in-a-while detox that spares your liver for a week, only to make it start processing vodka heavily as soon as the detox is over.
-Toshio...off to thank Hanah for knowing everything about Matthew McConaughey and inspiring this blog...
If you come anywhere near the Bite offices, you're bound to hear about when exactly Jen will be rescuing another dog from the pound, the just-born chicks in her backyard coop, or how she recently got new boots 'cuz horseshow season's coming up. Her latest obsession? Getting a goat. As someone who's been to her place in Bozeman, I can tell you she probably has room next to the chicken coop for a little corral, but if she wants to think about getting even one more Cricket-sized dog after that, girl's gonna need a bigger yard.
-Toshio...off to wonder how, with 11 animals, Jen's ever gonna get a date...
Gotta love the sauces of the East. But if you're looking for an alternative to soy or tamari sauce that is way lower in sodium but will still satisfy your salt tooth, think West.
I usually stir fry with Bragg's Liquid Aminos, which is made from non-GMO soybeans, and has protein and healthy amino acids like Lysine. They carry this stuff in most grocery stores in SF, and Whole Foods nationwide, but if you wanna try before you buy, the company offers free sample packets through its website here.
-Toshio...off to zap some of last night's stir fry (cooked with Bragg's) in the micro...
My family used to have a hothouse where we grew tomatoes - lots of them. I don't know what variety they were or who originally planted the older ones, but in summer, you'd open the door and oh, what a delicious, fresh smell! And oh...what a delicious fresh taste. None of your mealy, white fruits here - I could eat them like apples.
So the fact that I really can't remember eating better tomatoes is because 1) I've actually never eaten better-tasting tomatoes, 2) eating tomatoes within 20 min of picking makes a difference, or 3) there's just something about planting your own and seeing them grow from seed to fruit.
I'll be planting some container-based heirloom seeds soon on my balcony (um, fire escape)...we'll see how it goes.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to plant some fog-friendly Sebastopols...
...of how to dry your hands?
You could always just not wash. But I don't really recommend it.
-Heather... off to lather up...
Toshio's instructions for snaking a drain:
0. The faint of heart should don a pair of heavy-duty gloves. This could get hairy.
1. Insert the plumber's snake into the offending drain, turning it clockwise as you push it down.
2. Once it's down there, switch on the water for a couple seconds to help the snake along. Keep turning.
3. When the turning gets tough, pull the snake back out and clean it off, then repeat the process until you're all clear.
The end-result should look something like this:
(Photo credit: Toshio's roommate Jon.)
-Toshio...off to drain a snake...
Generally speaking, I'm not allergic to many things. Oh, sure, I get the occasional itchy-eyed hay fever and the odd tropical rash, but in general - having seen my friends and family deal with everything from prescription pills to weekly allergy shots - I feel pretty lucky on the allergy front.
There are, however, a few things to which I do seem to be allergic:
- Bumpy Airplane Flights
- Unnecessary Ignorance
- Cleaning Floors
- Mice
- Inefficiency
- Umbrellas (don't ask)
- MSG
Other than that, I'm all clear.
-Heather... off to unpack after a week in eco-unreal Costa Rica...
My transition to mostly vegetarian ways (and I'm not 100% there yet) has been very gradual. I raised sheep for 4-H (um, in my salad days), so it's not like I ever thought that animals magically turned into food, but I also raised my animals on a big, beautiful farm in MT, where they had acres to roam, veterinary care, and natural food.
But most animals raised for meat don't live like that, I've learned over the years, and alas, even if the package reads free-range or hormone-free, there's no way to really know how an animal was treated during its life unless you raise it yourself. And go figure, I can't raise animals in downtown SF.
Would love it if y'all shared some stories about your own meat-eating habits and/or transition to vegetarianism in today's blog!
-Jenifer Morgan...off to eat a salad...
Around the Biter offices, the whole "my cat's cuter than yours" conversation was getting old, and our cat food tip was coming up, so I decided it was time to put the argument to rest. The Biters shall decide, once and for all, which is the most precious kitten. Meet the contestants:
Max (aka Fattie); Owner: Molly
Pierrot; Owner: Sara
Hendrix; Owner: Elisa
Ella; Owner: Kinsey
Tigger; Owner: Jen
Snack; Owner: Heather (note: Snack's a couple years old now, yet Heather submitted this photo. The rest of us aren't going to speculate on whether this is an attempt to drum up a few more votes - but let's just say we don't think it's out of the question.)
Let us know your pick in the comments.
-Toshio...off to exercise my petting arm...
Last night, an oh-it'll-take-15-min tax-prep process turned into an hr-and-a-half-long search for a school-loan-interest-deduction statement and digital-receipt PDF-making ritual. (Never say I don't love you, hyphen.)
Just say it: Taxes are painful, even if you're paying some poor (rich) sot to efile them for you. Solace? This tax season, I'm offering a foot or so of some tree to continue on living its life instead of shuttling a bunch of numbers to the IRS for me...and I'm offering y'all some misery to keep you company as you take care of your own.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to think about whether I'm going to spend that $11 refund all in one place...
PHOTO ALBUMS
