Ideal Bite

Six years ago, a crazy person (my friend Scott) convinced me to run the NYC Marathon. The best parts: The NYC crowds; seeing my mom after the 59th Street Bridge (aww); and my college buds running the last mile with me. The worst parts: my now crappy knees; watching a 75-year-old man run past me; and my deteriorated running shoes.

I was in a panic over finding a shoe that wouldn't tear off my toenails, but never considered its impact on the earth - until I read Cradle to Cradle, which goes into the poor design of most shoes (combining organic materials like leather with non-eco ones like rubber, vinyl, and adhesives - making it difficult to fully recycle). Since then, I've found some orgs helping to keep millions of pairs of shoes outta landfills.

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Dunno about you, but when I was first learning to write in cursive, I practiced most with my own signature, writing it over and over again in different ways. And if you compare my signature at age 7 and age 22 and age...um, today, they are vastly different. Left slanting, then straight up and down, and now...well, barely legible. You have to wonder about whether handwriting really does reflect aspects of your personality - which would make sense enough, since that changes too.

Anyway, before you perfect your own e-sig, check out this little article. I can't recommend it as the quintessential resource for such things, but hey, it's at least as interesting as some of the forwarded "funny" emails you're bound to get today.

-Jenifer Morgan...off to write it out...

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I've got love for Seattle. In fact, I was this close to moving there last April, but decided I just wasn't done with the Bay Area yet. It's one of the greenest cities around - fertile ground for a new Local Bite edition.

SustainLane's just-released 2008 rankings of the greenest U.S. cities places it at number three, right behind Portland and SF. Check out the full list here, and sign up for the Seattle Bite if you haven't already.

-Toshio...off to take full advantage of SF's Indian summer...

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Our house went up in two days. Four Mack trucks, two cranes, and 30+ scurrying men turned four boxes o' house into the Snavely family home, 2.0. It was pretty incredible really, the transformation from individual pieces into comfortable cohesion.

We opted for a modular home, which is prefab's younger, more flexible but often more expensive, sister. The diff is modulars come in modules (eh?), lending themselves to more options designwise than prefabs, which come ready-made - leaving you with nothing to stare at but the "Wide Load" sign when you're cruising down the interstate stuck behind one. Our Timber Creek is too big, but beautiful: well-insulated, with bamboo flooring, Read the full post... 

Every Monday morning, the Biter bunch meets for a brainstorming meeting. Yep, Monday morning. The first minute (mile) is rough: most of us staring blankly at our laptops or the ceiling. Then our memories get a jolt and out comes the occasional bit of brilliance, like Hanah's "Come As You Aren't" for a Halloween costume tip this week. As we near the end, we start to lose steam, and the finish line can't come soon enough. (I always feel bad for the city editor who has to go last.)

After a good brain workout, I like to indulge in my fave brain food: sleep. Unfortch, I have to wait until I get home. But I can't get enough of it; I'm an oversleeper. I crave it always. When I don't get 'nuff sleep I get cranky, just as I do when I don't get chocolate - and the only thing better than chocolate is an afternoon

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The worst thing about winter in NYC? The dry, cold air. It was brutal on my skin - I looked like I had a permanent cold for four months, red and flaky all around my nose.

So I did what any NYer would do, I went to what my friend touted as "the best dermatologist ever." The guy handed me a bunch o' creams and I was all clear - for about a minute. Back in his office, I met with his partner - a woman around my age who casually said to me: "These creams are fine as long as you're not trying to get pregnant." Uh, I wasn't, but what? (A steroid was a key ingred in at least one.)

I darted outta there and started my search for something natural - and that's when I saw her, a woman at Le Pain Quotidien, all glowy and clown-nose-free. I asked her what she used, she said olive oil. I later dabbed a little on my face,

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There are hardwood floors throughout most of my flat - fertile ground for big, fat dust bunnies. You don't even want to see the ones chilling underneath my bed.

Still, I'd prefer a bunny any day to the chemicals (such as benzene) in most carpets. Not the nicest place for you or your baby to spend too much time crawling around.

-Toshio...off to sweep the floor...

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Another great clothing annoyance besides lint is pilling - you know, those little nubs of fiber that commonly collect on sweaters, especially under the arms. They're kind of like that tiny eyebrow that's too short to pluck, an itch in your inner ear, and cowlicks - totally nonfixable...or so they may seem...

Instead of tediously pulling them off, one by one, or worse, chucking the poor body-warmer entirely, try one of these handy sweater comb contraptions if you don't have one already. You need to be especially gentle with cashmere, but this little beaut really helps keep sweaters looking smart and will last forever (my own's going on five years).

-Jenifer Morgan...off to rattle my brain on a different subject...

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Oscar Wilde once said, "Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast." Thank you, Oscar.

Still, I am compelled to remedy my a.m. lack of brilliance with a cup of coffee every morning. The roomies and I take turns buying coffee to feed the group addiction (I won't lie - my most recent offering was a sample of Buywell's Screaming Monkey blend from work - delicious), but last time it was my BFF Leandra's turn.

So, she brought home Lesbeans. Sound it out.

Lesbeans (I would link here but I guess they don't do the Interweb in HI) is coffee grown and handpicked by lesbians on the Big Island. Judging from the utopian imagery on the packaging, it looks like a pretty sweet setup - lots of frolicking, etc. I'm not sure if it's fair-trade, shade grown, and organic, but if it is, I'll mos def buy it

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The new toothbrush and sugar-free lollies were always pretty sorry consolation for trips to the dentist - especially in days of old, when you had to sit with "chocolate- or strawberry-flavored" fluoride gel trays propped in your mouth for 15 minutes, drooling like a river and waiting to answer the inevitable "How's school?" question with a grunt. All after a goodly amount of radiation, no less.

My obsession with flossing probably stems from a fierce desire to minimize conversation with hygienists and their unnaturally perfect teeth. Unfortch, I still have to go, but now there are all kinds of environmentally conscious dentists popping up - some even offer massage and other snazzy perks. We ended up tipping one that Heather tried out, and next month, I'll be heading to Toshio's tooth-fixer-upper, who's

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