Ideal Bite

We don't usually talk politics in the blog, but I was trés annoyed when I heard that the director of the EPA (that's Environmental Protection Agency) said no when CA wanted to make its own cars be eco-friendlier than the national standard. Even though it would only affect Californians, and after EPA experts told the director that CA should be allowed to do it (read more here).

Here's (a slightly modified version of) what went down:

California: We want cars in CA to be cleaner than the federal standard. You cool with that?

EPA director: Nope.

California: Well, can you at least tell us why?

EPA director: Negativo, California.

If you are similarly irritated by this strange behavior, you can send your own

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Anyone else feel like shopping for dinner is about as easy as assembling an IKEA filing cabinet blindfolded?

Step one: Remember to bring reusable bags.

Step two: Root out what's produced locally. At Whole Foods, some produce is labeled according to where it's grown, and of course at the farmers market, you can just ask...but I've realized that while I can tell you that Mumbai is on the Western coast of India, or that Iceland is north of Scandinavia and I think they raise sheep there, I frankly have no idea how far away Thermal, CA, is from SF (it's a big state) or whether the dates I want were actually grown or just packaged there.  

Step three: Balance map of CA in one hand while keeping cart with errant wheel from careening into a canned pie-filling display and excuse self past person stopped mid-aisle trying to discern between Italian parsley and

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A friend of mine is a wine broker. I recently took a bunch of one-more-year-and-it's-vinegar bottles off her hands. I've never seen her park in her garage, and I finally figured out why: It is bursting at its concrete seams with...stuff! You couldn't step inside if your life depended on it.

Well, well, well, look at me all smug and superior. All of my belongings fit into my humble city apartment-no storage space (OK, except for those two boxes of Star Wars fan club memorabilia at Mom's), not even a car.

But the fact is, if I had a garage to fill up, you bet I'd end up doing it. I'd hold onto things just in case...in case in 20 years, say, my niece will want some natty old coat I don't wear anymore for a Halloween party. By then, it will be misshapen from storage, possibly eaten through by moths, and weirdly discolored - but hey, you never know,

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Bet you don't leave the shower running continuously after you finish with it.  I'm pretty sure that when you leave the house, you turn the lights off and the heat off or down.  And when you aren't using the oven, my guess is, you turn it off (unless you fear a spontaneous urge to bake will creep up on you at any moment).

So why, then, are we all heating up vast amounts of water at all times "just in case" we need to drain an entire, huge hot water tank?

-Heather... off to take a short shower...

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And now for the introductions...personally speaking, here's what they had to say.

Los Angeles Local Editor, Molly Roemer

Eco-confessions: I love being a surf bunny while my boyfriend chases waves all over the world, so I fly a lot. Even though nobody walks in LA, I do go to the market à pied, answer "neither" when asked "paper or

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And now for the introductions...personally speaking, here's what they had to say.

Los Angeles Local Editor, Molly Roemer

Eco-confessions: I love being a surf bunny while my boyfriend chases waves all over the world, so I fly a lot. Even though nobody walks in LA, I do go to the market à pied, answer "neither" when asked "paper

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I have friends in London I desperately want to visit, but with the insane exchange rate I'd need to take out a bigger-than-micro loan to pay for it. On the other hand, when my Brit friends cross the pond to America, they go buckwild. $15 for a cocktail? Cheap as chips. $250 for a jacket? Not at all a rip-off.

For people in the developing world, the exchange rate is even more insane. With the cash you'd spend closing out the pubs on a Saturday night in Leicester, you can start a whole business.

(For the record, London's not even the most expensive city.)

-Toshio...off to count my pennies...

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When I recently tried to donate blood, I was turned away because I had "spent three or more months in the UK from 1980 through 1996." The fear is that I may have been exposed to mad-cow disease during that time, but in truth, I ate little more than cheese and crackers, Nutella on crackers, and Cadbury chocolate (with a side of crackers). And I drank tea, tea, and more tea - up to, seriously, 12 cups a day.

Why? Because it tasted good, soothed my frozen bones, helped achieve the sensory boost needed for slogging through critical theory, and was quick to make. Like supersonic quick, thanks to the electric kettle we had. Ever since, I've kind of marveled at how few people here at home use them...how loooooong we wait for that pot to boil!! It's such an effort comparatively, but electric kettles haven't always been easy to find.

I just ushered a new Breville Ikon kettle

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Here in Park City, Utah, where the Sundance Film Festival is overrunning the tiny resort village, I've had ample opportunity to contemplate my feet. I walk the little streets, staring down at my toes, hoping not to slip in the snow or step on some entitled celeb's toes.  The dry, desert mountain air, combined with the cold, is pretty much desiccating every square inch of my skin, and I have to admit, the mini bottles of weak lotion at the hotel do almost nothing to help.  Oh, what I wouldn't give to have brought my TerraNova foot cream...

Mainly, though, I've been contemplating my feet in order to avoid looking at the creepy amounts of fur that seem to be overrunning this place.  I've never seen such a wanton display of "F^*k you, I'll wear whatever I want, regardless of how it is created."  Never.  It's horrifying.

And it's just - quite simply - bizarre. 

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