More daylight? Ingeniuous!

Okay I must have been out of the loop when this was passed but I figure now's as good a time as any to praise it's merits. Apparantly Congress passed a law last year that starting in 2007, Daylight Savings Time will be extended by two months each year. Beginning in 2007, DST will start the second Sunday of March and end on the first Sunday of November. The theory behind this is that we will use less energy because sunlight will "last longer" and the need for electric lighting will be reduced. I'm all for saving energy, but I'm pretty sure this doesn't mean we're off the hook for saving energy in other ways.

Simplicity & Recycling: Ink & Toner

I'm not usually one to subscribe to the "Planned Obsolescence" theory that many have about consumer products built to fall apart sooner than they should so that consumers will buy more and more. But ya see, I've got this printer... and let's not go naming any names...(Epson Stylus C86) but it has this automatic refusal to print ANYTHING if you run out of any of the four different ink cartridges. Now I'm not usually one to print in color, but I need to keep 3 full color cartridges in the printer in order for it to work at all. You can't just take them out. You can't try to trick the printer and put a black cartridge in the Cyan slot. All you can do is head out and purchase a new full one for $20-$30 a pop. Worse yet, even if you don't use the color at all, they dry up on their own. So I'm mad as hell and I can't take it anymore and I head down to ye olde office supply store to get one of those syringe refillable ink set ups. But of course, my printer is one of the few that is not even allowed to be refilled this way.

But here is an idea I think whose time has come. Check out Cartridge World, a retail outlet that will do the dirty work of refilling your toner and ink for you.

Forgive me readers, for I have strayed...

Life has been somewhat overwhelming this month, what with an apartment move, an ungodly heatwave, and taping 2 shows a week for the craptacular number one show in America. Which leaves me a day and a half off a week, which I can barely muster the energy and brain capacity to get out of bed, much less work on completing my book. Worse yet I've been on a spending spree that my old simplist self shakes her head at in disgust. A dustbuster when I could have just bought a broom? Nickel-plated house numbers when I could have made a creative sign myself? Direct TV (but only because the antenna received no broadcast signal and cable wasn't available in my neighborhood). And my gardening addiction has reach a fever pitch, a hose when I could have just continued to carry buckets of water outside? And with the supplies dwindling at my favorite nursery (which closes its doors end of August) I am increasingly more reliant on Lowe's and Target. Sigh. I shall dear reader, attempt to redeem myself in your eyes. I have tried to recycle as much of my stuff as possible—creating one set of curtains from two to help block out some of the 111º heat, fixing the drawer of a 30 year old dresser to make it last just a few more years and returning items that I thought twice about after the fact. Stay cool readers, summer ain't over yet.

Another One Bites the Dust

(big heavy sigh)
As part of my recent move, I have become excited about the prospect of having my own patch of ground to tend and love. After some research and a call to the Burbank Shade Tree Program (free trees!) I decided to head on over to my favorite plant place:Steven's Nursery in Valley Village when much to my dismay, a huge banner proclaiming "Going Out of Business Sale" festooned the chain link fence. Upon conversation with a staffer, I learned that the land had been sold to build condos and the business was dissolving because the oldest Steven brother had recently passed away and there wasn't anyone who wanted to try and continue the business. So come August 31st, Steven's is shutting it's doors forevere. Why were they the best in town? Sure they knew their plants, and they loved what they did. For 65 years, they kept the San Fernando Valley in bloom. And even in 2006, they did all their receipts by hand (no registers!), even calculating tax with a calculator. They were personable, knowledgable and treated their customers like friends. If you're in the neighborhood stop by, they're having a terrific going out of business sale, (I got a bougainvillea tree, a hanging ivy plant, a shovel, a dwarf lime tree, grass seed and two huge bags of soil for just over $100) and say thank you for the hands on service they've given to the community for so many years.

Link of the Day: One Red Paper Clip

Hello fellow simplists, sorry I have been MIA lately, it has been a quick turnaround what with deciding to move and moving all in less than 2 weeks. Phew. New apt is divine, QUIET, no drama (though I need to still exorcise some of the bad juju from prior tenants: let's just say there was some abuse, not cool.), and most importantly peace and quiet. Commute is even better too, all zip zip highway driving so that the gas mileage on the 'brid is up around 50 mpg instead of 45.

Today's neat little web link is One Red Paper Clip. Here's the gist of the story. A twenty-something Canadian decided one day to see what he could get just by trading something small for something of slightly more value. He started with one red paper clip, and now he has a 3 bedroom house in only a year. A great creative idea with the added bonus of supporting the barter system. Love it!

I Guess You Can't Take it With You.

To paraphrase the wit and wisdom of Lloyd Dobler, (and I guess we have to thank Cameron Crowe as well): "I gave him $31 billion dollars, and he gave me a book." But I guess it is the thought that counts. (Especially because I'm pretty sure Warren Buffet has at least glanced at "The Wealth of Nations" in his illustrious career.) But THIRTY-ONE BILLION DOLLARS is just an inconceivable number—how exactly do you thank someone for that? And while I know little about Gates' ability to run his charitable foundations, it seems like it might be a good place to park some cash you've got lying around. He's got grand goals (wanting to see the end of AIDS in his lifetime is one of the more noble ones), but importantly, he seems utterly commited to them (stepping down from MicroSoft to focus more time on charity is a start) . I think if anyone can do it, he might be the one. Gates Foundation.org

Link of the Day

Okay I'm secretly very jealous of this new site a friend turned me on to, mostly because it's everything I want my own work to be. For a fun sassy daily dose of eco-wisdom check out Ideal Bite. I highly recommend the daily emails that provide bite-sized, easily digestible info delivered right to your inbox.

Simplicity & "What's that Smell?"

I had begun to take for granted the LA smoking ban, until of course 2 days ago when a new neighbor moved in below me. During that 48 hours, I thinking he's consumed a carton of cigarettes and each one of them has wafted up to my apartment and now resides in all of my belongings. Interesting that in that short time, the clean and fresh smell of my apartment (that I also took for granted) has been obliterated. I went from loving my apartment and tolerating my other crazy neighbors to hating my apartment and looking for boxes to pack and move out this weekend. Just a learning experience of how important clean air is and how easily and quickly it moves from one space to another. Also one of my favorite scary stats: if you can smell it, you're ingesting particles of it. Grab your painter's masks kids, it's gonna be a long weekend.

A little Monday morning smog

Who can find the Hollywood Sign in this picture? It's there, I swear.

Wish List: Create Your Own Energy with a Bike Trainer

Imagine what it would be like if you had to expend personal energy in order to watch TV or use your microwave or light your bathroom. I imagine a world where health problems and waistlines have decreased. Where seratonin levels and sales for bicycles have increased. And where the skies are cleaner and fresher. According to RealGoods.com (the alternative energy superstore) "Most adults can generate a steady 75 to 150 watts with spurts of double that power." A laptop computer uses about 15 watts of power, (another reason to switch from the desktop models). Who's going to start mass marketing these devices? When can we finally say "get on the bike, y'all"? Until then, I'm trolling the internet looking for plans.

I love Al Gore (& I don't care who knows it.)

Finally got out to see An Inconvenient Truth last night with the peeps, and it was every bit as shocking as it was watching Gore's presentation live and in person. Though I do have to admit, my love for the man has grown. Now everyone should realize this film isn't Democratic propoganda; global warming is not a political issue. Global warming is a human rights issue and Gore is one of the few people to stake his professional reputation to try and scare the public into action. The facts are indisputable. For us to ignore the information now would be irresponsible. We are all contributors to the problem, but we can all work together to fix it.

I am fortunate, living in California, one of the few states that understands the need for regulation (we're still far behind where we should be, but at least the ball is rolling.) The thing that saddened me most is that people in California and Oregon and Massachusetts and Vermont will see this movie and say, 'okay, I'm ready to make a change...' but will the documentary be received in say Boise? or Des Moines? or Little Rock? or one of the thousands of small cities and towns across the country where going to Wal*Mart is a pilgrimage, where fast food is daily meal, and if it's disposible it surely makes life easier?

This film clearly has the makings of changing society as "The Jungle" did for the meat packing industry in the early 20th century and "Unsafe at Any Speed" did for the auto industry in the 1960s. Will the world take the challenge?

To learn more about what you can do to stop global warming, check out www.climatecrisis.net.

Daily Pop Quiz

The best adjective to describe American culture is:
a) Disposable
b) Instant
c) Plastic
d) Throwaway
e) New
f) Easy
g) Convenient
h) All of the above

Simplicity & the Economy of Action

I'm beginning to really associate with the character of "Dwight" on the NBC series "The Office"—efficiency is his middle name and "direct" may be the best adjective to describe him. Where is this all going? Just a rumination on the economy of action and its relation to simplicity. When you organize and simplify your life, you learn to maximize your time. I think now I find myself weighing options more for their overall benefits. If I ride my bike to work, I kill 2 birds with the one stone, I get to my destination and I accomplish my exercise goal for the day. If I leave my computer at work, I don't have to shuttle it in and out of the car. Granted the trunk of my car is beginning to look like a satellite apartment with all the stuff I've got in there now, but I know that I am prepared for the unexpected trip from work to the gym to the beach to the mountains. And though I have a vacuum, I'm justifying my purchase today of the Roomba knowing that now vacuuming will actually get done now...more than once a month. Work smarter, not harder is Dwight's motto, and I think it may be mine too.

Recycling: The BIOTA Bottle

Water is crucial to our health and most people don't drink enough, but if you're like me, you drink water like it's ... well, water but loathe the fact that over the past few years it's become a tremendous waste of resources and expense. Working in production, we go through palettes of water a day. (On the most recent shoot day, the craft services gal bought cases of 8 oz bottles which we nicknamed "Baby Waters" because they are so ridiculously small that one bottle doesn't even quench your thirst.) I often suggest that they set up the water cooler style jugs on set, but the cases of single bottles usually win out for convenience. On set recycling is always non-existent. Very frustrating.

But today I came across the BIOTA bottle, a Colorado spring water company who's bottle is made entirely from corn plastic and biodegrades within 80 days when placed in a composting facility. As of now, BIOTA has a very small toe-hold on the ladder of bottled waters, but could you imagine what would happen if Coke (Dasani) or Pepsi (Aquafina) switched their waters to corn plastic bottles? Just thinkin' on a Wednesday.

Am I Doing Enough?

Having a hum drum day (as usually happens when I have too much time on my hands) and I start to wonder ... am I doing enough? I always take the stairs instead of the elevator. I bring apple cores home for the composting worms. I drive a hybrid and use my bike on short errands whenever I can. I haven't used a clothes dryer in 8 years. I reduce, I reuse, I recycle.

But is it enough? Am I compensating for that mother of 6 in middle America who shops at Wal*Mart, feeds her kids McDonalds 3 times a week, as she shuttles them long distances in her under 20 mpg SUV? Am I compensating for 10 people? 100? or not even my own lapses in judgment?

This too shall pass I'm sure. But today I'm in a funk

Simplicity & Sleep Deprivation

So I have one of those freelance jobs where I spend the first 3 weeks doing nothing but personal business with the intention of making myself look busy, but being on call for any actual work that comes up. The 4th week is when everything kicks into gear, one of those weeks when it feels like it should be Friday and it's Tuesday at 10 am. Last week had the distinction of being the first time in my illustrious career that I worked a 40 hour shift. Wasn't expecting that, so I would have probably prepared better. Water is key hydration to the double shift, and only water. I'm still working out some of the dehydration from that, 4 days later. Second recommendation is to get your affairs in order. Look ahead on your calendar, cross everything you can off your to do list and settle in so that you can focus only on the job in front of you. And vacuum before the week starts, cuz nobody wants you running the vac at midnight.

Bike to Work Week! pt. 2

Work biked to? Check. Fortunately it's not called "Bike Home From Work Week" because there's probably not a chance in hell I'm getting out before midnight tonight. Thank heavens for co-workers that are also neighbors. The ride was slightly dicey, but I'm glad I took the longer way around the mountain (instead of trying to find where the squiggly lines that went up and over the mtn were). Turned out to be under a 10 mile ride, took me probably less than an hour door to door. Definitely going to schedule another ride next week when the hours are less chaotic.

To answer the comment, where can you ride in LA without endangering your life with traffic? There are actually hundreds of miles of bike lanes and paths that I have never felt uncomfortable riding on. But, Los Feliz Blvd at 8 am on a work day... that's another story. The condition of the roads in Hollywood? I'm lucky I didn't lose a tire. The air quality riding up a hill that comes off a freeway off ramp? I'll be sneezing particulates for the rest of the day. Now that I know a quick way, I can tweak the route so that it's less stressful.

Bike to Work Week!

It is that time of year again, y'all, when ordinary citizens throw open their dusty garages and roll their creaky old ten speeds out into the streets. The highways are deserted and the skies are clean. Everyone seems slightly more jovial even as they complain about superficial aches from using muscles they forgot they had. Ah. Sigh. One can dream, can't they? But it 'tis the League of American Bicyclist's "National Bike Month," and this week is specifically Bike-to-Work Week, with Bike-to-Work Day falling specifically on Friday, May 20th. I myself try to maintain the tradition, even though my job requires me to shuttle my laptop between home and work each morning and evening, and this week we begin production on a new series meaning longer and more exhausting hours. Still... I would like to give it a try—got out the old Thomas Guide last night and I'm up for the adventure of trying to navigate the hills of Griffith Park to get "over the hill" dodging as little high speed traffic as possible. I'm also going to force myself to participate in Sunday's 70 mile LA River Ride to Long Beach and back ride to support the LA County Bicycle Coalition. Saddle up kids, we're going for a ride.

Doc Review: An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

Okay, let's start this review with the admission that I am entirely biased in favor of Al Gore and I fully realize that the those who see it will be members of the "preaching to the converted" crowd. I haven't seen the documentary yet, but I sat in the audience for the taping last fall in Los Angeles and listened with shock and awe as Al talked for 2 hours about climate change and global warming. (we'll overlook the fact that we were in a Hollywood studio airconditioned to the point of approximately 55º, that's me in the corner, teeth chattering.)

I have done extensive research on climate change and the photographs and information he presented absolutely floored me. Glaciers that have disappeared. Lakes that have dried up. Species that are now extinct. Picture after picture after picture of what global warming has done to the precious balance of our ecology.

One thing I will be looking for when I do see it is that he has added some more solutions to help you and me get back on the path to controlling the amount of carbon dioxide we produce. During the taping he was about 1:50 "what's wrong with the world"/10 minutes "here's what we can do to make it better". The filmmakers have already pledged $100,000 to climate neutral charities and have promised more if the film makes more money than expected.

I hope that schools will show this to children and foster a dialogue. I hope at least a few people who would never have considered seeing this documentary will go and think twice about some of their destructive actions. I hope the converted will be motivated to take their conserving actions even just one step further.

For the lighter side of Al, check out Al's appearance on SNLthis weekend.

M is for the Many Things...

In case you haven't watched television advertising for the past month, today is Mother's Day. It seems this year more than others every product or service is adapting themselves to hit that "Buy or you don't love your Momma" nerve. Cell Phones? Check. Outback Steakhouse? Check. So in the spirit of anti-consumerism, I take this space today to relay the things that my mothers gave to me without using their pockies, but the goodness of their hearts.

To my mother, first and foremost for my creativity. Maybe it was the fabric cabinet that my mother kept in the laundry room, with scraps from every dress or curtain she made that sparked a desire to sew and craft and save even the smallest scrap because you never knew what you will need it for. Or maybe it was the never-ending home renovation projects to never stop dreaming. Or maybe it was because she was a stay at home mom (Just kidding!) But let's not forget the drive to never quit and to finish (eventually!) everything you start.

To my Worcester Grammy for keeping the "Use it Up, Wear it Out, or Do with Out" mentality alive. From the magic button tin, to the appliances kept working from the late '50s, to realizing that every life needs a touchstone to come home to especially when life gets hectic.

To my Florida Grammy, for my love of nature and taking care of things that grow for the sheer beauty of it. I still remember your snapdragons, your pansies and your tiger lilies.

Thank you all for these invaluable lessons you have taught me have made me who I am today.