netflix

based on my previous viewing habits, netflix made a list of my most viewed genres:

1) TV Sitcoms
2) TV Dramedy
3) Pre-20th Century Period Pieces
4) Sci-Fi & Fantasy
5) Social & Cultural Documentaries

i enjoy TV shows and i'm clearly all kinds of nerdy.

the greening

my friend recently shared some techniques she's using to reduce the amount of money she spends each month like drying clothes on a line during summer, which also happen to inclusively reduce carbon emmisions. a win-win, right? i get excited about money saving ideas, that involve recycling and reducing, especially when those ideas also involve me receiving/maintaining additional revenues. so, in an effort to share some great sites i've come upon that save money, reduce waste, and are easy to do, i've created this short list of websites. feel free to share ones that are not on this list.

•paperback swap: lets you sign up, list ten books you’re willing to trade by mail, and the site gives you two credits. a book costs one credit--you “spend” one of those credits on the site to get any book they have listed sent to you. every time you send a book to someone else, you get a credit. other media sites like this: swapadvd and swaptree. i'm also a huge fan of selling all and occasionally buying my books on half.com.

•local harvest: finds all sorts of retail sources for locally grown foods all around you, including door-to-door grocery delivery co-ops. these services are popular in the larger cities like LA and SF. see magda's entry for a review of spud.com, which exclusively delivers to the larger west coastal cities. for a long time, i assumed farmer's markets were my only option. thanks to local harvest, i found a great spud.com-like program in my area, old soul organics.

•bringsome: is a new web site that connects folks who can't shake their cravings for foreign treats with travelers whose itineraries include the countries in which said treats can be found. although it’s still in pre-beta, the site has already logged over 100 requests for goods, which include ads offering to bring something back—-it's like a great big international potluck. and while the savings and the eco-friendliness of it isn't explicit, there's something about connecting yourself to fellow travelers and global strangers that makes me think it helps people be more aware of your larger community. plus, you're likely to save some money.

•walkscore: walkscore allows you to put in your home address, then lists the services near your location in a bunch of different categories (grocery stores, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, movie theaters, schools, parks, libraries, bookstores, gyms, drug stores, hardware stores, and clothing stores). it also assigns a "score" which provides a rough numerical estimate of how good your house location is in terms of the resources available within reasonable walking distance. my score is 35/100, which is about what i’d expect given that i live in a relatively small town. people in larger, more urban areas have much better scores. the score itself isn’t all that useful other than as a thumbnail comparison, instead it serves best as an identification of nearby services for any address. plus, i think it humbles your need to drive. when something is only three miles away, it makes you wonder why you always jump in your car to get there.

•manybooks: has tons of classics that are in the public domain and available for free. all you have to do is download the ones you want. those with kindles (not only do i want to theive your little digital book reader), you have the luxury of pointing their kindle’s web browser at manybooks.net and downloading away. the best part of the kindle coupled with this site is that the web browser on the kindle works anywhere that cell service works. i so want a kindle. i'm already the type of bibliophile that doesn't need to own the books i read, so i love the idea of keeping my life lighter and cheaper. plus, my local library also carries some newly published ebooks, as well, and yours might too. this bookless advantage is catching on with college campuses as well.

•gazelle: is a simple-to-use website that allows you to search for the gadget you wish to get rid of. after you find your item you can input the condition it is in. for example, i typed in "blackjack ii" and i was asked if the item powers on and what condition it is in. after that, gazelle spits out an appraisal and allows me to add the item for checkout. it also has an estimate of how much the item may be worth in the future. for electronics the price trend tends to go down because people always want to buy the newest gadget. after i checked out, it prompted me to print out a prepaid shipping label and ship the item with a box. for some qualifying items gazelle will even send you a box to ship the item. after the item is received gazelle will inspect the item and confirm that it is in the condition you described, then you will be paid the quoted price. this process takes about a week according to the website. the company also guarantees that if you ship in an electronic with data on it they would wipe it clean so you do not have to worry about your privacy. they will also take items with no value for the purpose of recycling. currently the company buys mostly electronics such as cell phones or gaming consoles, but they may expand the types of items they are willing to purchase in the future.

•greenyour: ever since greenyour.com launched on earth day (in beta), it seems to pop up on eco-blogs every other day or so in some form or another. if you ever sit and wonder how to green particular items and/or parts of your life, this is an exceedingly useful resource. everything is arranged in easy to find categories and subcategories, making this one of the most comprehensive, navigable go-to go-green sites. start out with the facts, move through to the tips and then end with products.

consumer reports: organics

The magazine lists sixteen fruits and vegetables worth buying organic. These selections are ones that tend to build up pesticide residues the most, so if you’re going to dip into organic fruits and vegetables, start with cranberries, nectarines, peaches, strawberries, pears, apples, cherries, cantaloupe, green beans, sweet bell peppers, celery, cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, peas, and lettuce.

let me count the ways

i love ice cream, but more than ice cream, i love frozen custard. i haven't had it in about a year, because i am on an unsuccessful battle with my weight lately. but i dream about it. made with eggs in addition to cream and sugar, it typically contains 10% butterfat and 1.4% egg yolk. i assume a scoop alone amounts for your daily calorie intake. if you're ever in the midwest, i urge you to submit, however.

simple FTW

my new glasses:

this is what i see

last month, my baby laptop arrived. i sold my old compaq laptop and bought an asus eee pc and had a friend upgrade it to 20gb. it has a seven inch screen (see above) and weighs just over a pound. in other words, i can carry it in my purse. i love it. <3

spring board

it's been a while since i put together a board of items that i'm excited about. materalism reigns today, gentle readers! in fact, most of the items are in celebration of spring, its warmer weather, traveling, and creativity. here they are:

1 passport and document organizer: i'm like the hugest, stumbling nerd when it comes to traveling. i have the hardest time keeping paperwork in hand, while removing my shoes, and making the proper eye-contact with the security folks. i'm hoping this will help.
2 AA shorts: i'm not one for shorts, usually, because of my well-documented hatred for my own legs. but then again, it gets too hot sometimes for pants. so, here's about my most comfortable solution.
3 china painting markers: i'm still loving the china painting, but i don't have my own kiln and i found these markers that work similarly and can be fired in a conventional oven. i'll be opening an etsy shop as early as this spring.
4 sweat bands: a number of my friends are doing races/marathons and this has encouraged me to set my own goal for the same. i've got a few 5Ks lined up beginning the end of april. and i am a sweater; so these will come in handy.
5 fancy pedometer: with some remaining gift cards from our wedding, i bought myself a pedometer watch, which calculates calories, distance (with high ratings for accuracy), and a timer. more equipment to help me train.
6 lemon eucalyptus bug repellent: a friend of mine gave me a load of really good advice about my trip to africa. of which, included this stuff, which is a healthy alternative to deet filled products and actually works.
7 fruitwise snacks: food, i love it. i eat it and i love it. yes, i do. and sometimes i eat all the wrong things, because it tastes the best. but here is an exception to the rule. one of these equals two servings of fruit, is sugar free (and none of that nasty fake sugar), and contains 99% real fruit juice. and they taste like fruit roll ups, which i coveted as a third grader.

new camera

the last new digital camera i had, i purchased almost seven years ago on employee discount from the drug store i worked for. it was a 2.1mp with no zoom.

last year, for his birthday, i bought karl a new digital camera, of which he makes a lot of talented use. but because he's always using it, i never really have the opportunity to capture the things i'd like to and flex a bit of my own creative eye. for christmas, thanks to a gift card from my boss, money from my mom, and myself, i bought a fairly nice little camera. it's a samsung digimax L85, 8.1mp with 5x optical zoom.

originally, i asked santa for the leica mini digital camera, 5mp (featured only through urban outfitters), because i liked the traditional camera look, it's super small size, and the fact that it had more mps than i had wielded previously. but to be fair to santa, he's not too keen on buying presents with that kind of price tag. so he got me some other really nice presents instead, and i found a camera that was better suited to me and my wallet.

i still like the look of the leica and its size, but i appreciate the price and capabilities of the samsung. and i think i still managed to get the look i was hoping for.

and now, i'm looking into getting one of those newfangled flickr pro accounts to house all my fancy new pics.

i'm (practically) official!

because there's a strict legal timeline that must be honored, my promotion won't be announced until later this week. as far as everyone is concerned, however, it's official. i'll be in my new office by monday of next week.

my office was built in the early 70s, and like a lot of office buildings assembled at that time, the walls are cinder block, painted off-white, and resemble an efficiently built, but emotionally cold box. so, i've begun looking at ways to liven it up a bit. my dad bought me a really nice digital picture frame and put photos from the wedding on it. and i also bought four anthropomorphic prints today from berkley illustration that i really liked (see above) and will display them together on one of my walls. i also spied a neat idea from martha stewart, taking plain ol' storage boxes and files and covering them with fabric or paper to brighten them up. here's to finally having an office again!

love/lust: pretty things

dear web journal,

at the risk of sounding like a completely vapid shop machine (or maybe it isn't a risk, because it is already firmly established!), i want these very pretty items. but with ticket prices far outside of my reach, it isn't likely. maybe, just maybe, a husband of mine might stumble onto this entry and think christmas (or 'look honey, i bought you this amazing coat just because!'). anyway, please let me share these items of love/lust:

a: jcrew's bella jacket, wool and ultra feminine. i'm fond of the "heather coral" shade.
b: button-up ankle boots, from anthropologie. i've never owned a pair of shoes at a price so far above 100 bucks. but they're so perfectly my taste, even if so imperfectly outside my budget.
c: gold dust earrings, by rachel sudlow. all of her items are so simple and clean looking. one more reason that etsy is so awesome.
d: insepreable rings, by anthropologie. i am not big on wearing jewelry and most of what i do wear is barely noticeable. but rings, i love them big and cocktail-like. and strangely, i don't even normally like the color of gold, but this one is so pretty and romantic.

southern (summer) comfort

dear web journal,

this is the third installment of my fav things, but specifically those things i love most in summer. have i complained enough about how much this stifling summer is kicking my butt? well, whatever i’ve said hasn’t been a fair enough representation. bugs have been eating me alive; the heat has ruined whatever workout regimen i had; and karl and i are getting a lot of unwanted conflict-resolution practice lately. i promise myself right here and now that i’m not going to let that continue.

but materialistically, i found a few things throughout the summer that help make this hot, sticky season less painful.

item 1: world wildlife fund (wwf) tee, sometimes i get in the habit of only purchasing work attire (or those that can double as both work and casual), which is efficient but also kind of boring. this comfortable item also includes a small donation of the proceeds to the wwf. also, i love tees, especially those don't say stupid stuff on them.
item 2: i hadn’t bought a new pair of tennis shoes in more than a year and my last pair of asics were starting to tear in places, so i started looking for a new pair of casual shoes. i didn’t want to get another pair of asics, but i saw these; they’re really comfortable; and they keep to my promise to wear more color.
item 3: i love a good ballet flat and thought these keds were a good, easy match for me. i got them on a really great sale through the keds website, which made me even happier. unfortunately, they don’t carry them anymore, but their recent sale has quite a few cute ballerina flat styles.
item 4: another tee. certainly colorful and comfortable. see, i don’t have to always look like a character from beetlejuice. sometimes i can look like another ‘80s nightmare altogether.
item 5, 6, and 7: shorts! for quite a few years, i’ve avoided wearing shorts because i had this thing where i hated how big my legs look. well, it’s too hot for that and i’ve since come to terms with the fact that muscular legs are far hotter than my other alternative which more resembles a curdled cheese product. anywayz, i really only like wearing levis and i pretty much never wear any other brand of jeans, because levis are flattering on me and they never cost a small fortune. all pairs can be found here.
item 8: i just really like this lip gloss. it works exceptionally well and it reminds me of the chapsticks that sati and jessi would bring me back from germany.
item 9: my step-sister finally turned me onto the mineral makeup craze, i think. it is light, wears well through sweat, and looks more natural than caking on some layer of paste-like foundation.
item 10: i’m back to reading a bunch and it helps actually looking for items i might actually be interested in. so, during an amazon.com search, i found a collection of short stories and poetry (which also appears in a magazine subscription form) called tin house: summer reading. tin house often features works written by some of my favorite authors like sherman alexie, dorothy allison, pablo neruda, charles simic, seamus heaney, etc.
item 11: nintendo ds. i don’t need to say much. nintendo systems are almost always great and the ds lite is no exception.

wii will rock you

dear web journal,

i'm back. it was a good, short vacation. and it gave karl and i a healthy amount of time to miss each other a bit.

i spent about four days back home in the mojave desert with my very closest friend, mike, and my expecting step-sister, tabitha. and for the record, my niece OR nephew is stubbornly holding out on his OR her gender by hiding coyly behind tab's umbilical cord. needless to say, i am thrilled by the idea of my upcoming role as an aunt and i could really care less, girl or boy. but maybe i'll have news in a week or so.

and it was great seeing mike. saturday, we saw the decemberists (with the LA philharmonic) at the hollywood bowl with his siblings. i'm not a big fan of the decemberists, but i enjoyed the show, nonetheless. the band of horses and andrew bird opened the show; i enjoyed them both quite a bit.

the rest of the time, we all (including tab and her dude, josé) played hours and hours of nintendo wii. i want one soooooo bad. so bad. it'll probably be christmas time or so before we get one. but until then, i will dream of kicking mike's mii butt on wii darts for the wiillionth time.

**photo courtesy of the iconfactory.

steel creek camp-out 2007

dear web journal,

along with this great weather comes a good camping trip. karl and i picked up a trail/camping map of the buffalo river national park west-end (steel creek site), loaded up our camping gear, and stayed two days and a night. i am more and more impressed with how beautiful and clean arkansas is. i won’t bore anyone who reads this with too many details, because there wasn’t anything too significant with our weekend adventure. but it involved a lot of hiking (so much so, i was somewhat incapacitated the next day with sore muscles), reading, and swearing we’d bring more games next time.

i noticed the next day when i returned that target carries a travel-friendly version of monopoly, scrabble, and three-in-one (chess, checkers, and backgammon), which are all classics and favorites of mine. they’re all re-designed by michael graves. i think we’ll be picking up one of these for the next trip.

check-mates

dear web journal,

i’m a competitive person and i love playing games. my friends back home can attest to this, as any get together we have usually includes some sort of board gaming. i’m also a huge fan of video games, though that usually limits my company to stinky, fast-food-eating dudes.

this past weekend, dmytro (karl’s buddy, a ukrainian post-doctoral engineer) took us out to a local pub where we played several rounds of the dart game, cricket. it was spectacular fun! and karl and i have started up nightly games of chess too. we both enjoy playing each other; mostly because i think we’re both at the same skill level and games remain closely matched.

there are a lot of pretty dart boards out there, but that’s just one of those things that i enjoy the pub setting over playing from my home. but i do like the look of this chess board—-modern and simple. i can’t spend any money these days, unless it is life-sustainingly necessary or essential to the wedding. but i can lust, can’t i?

have a favorite indoor or outdoor game? any especially good board games i should know about?

a few of my favorite things, part two

dear web journal,

this is the second installment of a few of my favorite things. spring and summer time clothing is so fun and i am a fan of a good deal. so, these items are just that, an affordable celebration that winter is finally on its way out.

starting from top, left to right:

seven cropped jeans, karl calls these “thousand dollar pants,” because he likes to poke fun at ridiculously priced designer jeans. but at outlets-online, even a thrifty deal monger like me can toy with the idea of having just one nice pair of jeans for as low as $68.

lucas zip up hoodie, by mike and chris, i love mike and chris’ design style, mostly because i am a fan of interesting-looking comfort-clothing. and though you’ll end up paying a little over a hundred bucks for an item like this, it is an item you’ll wear all the time. because let’s face it, jersey material is really comfy, ok.

moss drawing 2, zachary rossman, i love this guy’s work. haunting and detailed, i’m looking for a good print to put up at work to give my desk some character.

heidi sling backs, forever 21 is all over the young ladies' fashion/design blogs lately. it’s great and i share the sentiment that the place is becoming an even more fun place to shop. i remember shopping there when they first opened, delighted by the prices but somewhat turned off by how much digging i had to do to find items that fit my taste. it’s nearly effortless now. these shoes are only $17.80.

scarlet tank, i fear the day that i will become inappropriately aged for shopping at a teen girl’s store like delia’s. but i’m holding out, because too many of their items are so cute. and because i loathe shopping at malls and stores, i appreciate finding a good deal like this tank for $26.50 from the comfort of my desk.

gnome mug, paper-source has been a blessing for DIY wedding planning and attendant gifts. the family i am marrying into are all very proud 100% norwegian fifth-generation immigrants. luckily, my future-sister-in-law, inga, has no idea this blog exists so i can talk about this super cute gift i picked up for her. she’s already got a few campy mugs in her possession and this one, celebrating a little scandinavian gnome, will hopefully be a happy addition to her collection.

these are a few of my favorite things, part one

dear web journal,

in an effort to share the random things i am enjoying as of late, i’ve compiled a short list:

-veronica mars:
after netflixing the first two seasons, this has quickly become one of my favorite shows. when i was younger, i enjoyed "inspector gadget" not for the main character, but for his niece penny, who masterfully solved her uncle’s cases while keeping him out of harm’s way. mix penny with the sometimes snarky wit of a more modern character like daria and you’ve got why i like veronica mars. plus, it is filmed on my old stopping ground in san diego, taking place in the fictitious town of "neptune." season one is better than season two, but both are a lot of fun watch.

-black apple’s felted rabbits:

living with a dude, i have to be careful about the amount of cute "dolls" that occupy our shared space, but i am so tempted to snag one of these up. i am wondering how difficult felting is. keeping in mind, the lady behind black apple makes the beautiful and difficult seem effortless. i could see myself really enjoying this craft.

-alex chilton/big star:
apparently, another one of my favorites, paul westerberg, was influenced by alex chilton (even wrote a song about him). karl introduced me to big star this weekend and i’m totally astounded by how ahead-of their-time their sound is. if you’re not already aware of this memphis power pop goodness, you may unknowingly be familiar with their work by the opening song to "that 70’s show" (covered by cheap trick). i would suggest downloading the song, "the happy song."

-this diesel bikini:

i’m a fan of the semi-boy-short bottoms, the colors, and the fact that it might be a flattering item to wear on the beaches of st. lucia (our honeymoon spot).

-kale:

sometimes produce can be difficult to find, expensive, and cause for guilt when buying it during the winter in the part of the country i now live. while i love nectarines, buying peruvian ones in february for three bucks a pound is ridiculous. so, i am trying to be smart and make winter friendly produce purchases. kale is the perfect solution—tasty and good for you too. karl makes an inexpensive and delicious kale, white bean, and sausage stew.

the shriners loaned us cars

dear web journal,

we bought the honda fit because we wanted a new and reliable car, but we also wanted something that would get us better gas mileage. everything i’ve read says most of the hybrid models still have kinks to work out (like very expensive, not-so-eco-friendly, and sometimes dangerous batteries that die and have to be disposed of). and because even the super-fuel-efficient, less expensive models are still out of our range, we decided to look at the non-hybrids. the only other non-hybrids within our $$$ range on the “top ten most fuel efficient cars of 2007” were the toyota yaris (only two door) and the scion xa (which also looked great). the consumer rating for the honda fit was still better than both of those. so, we decided to test drive a fit and we fell instantly in love.

even after buying my cute eco-friendly car, i can’t help but continue my research on the subject. while some dudes get excited about the detriot car show (ew, dirty american car companies), i’m finding myself drooling over the japanese cars of the future. they sometimes border on the ridiculously space-agey-side, but they also boast 150+/mpg. even the modest mpg of honda fit, while a new model to the american market, is old news to most of europe and asia. here are a few of the concept cars that i am excited about:


honda wow concept, a car designed specifically for dog lovers (notice the dog cubby compartment)


suzuki lc concept, a model designed for fans of euro classics like the austin mini


daihastu ufe-iii concept, boasts a 170/mpg and the 1+2 seating is kind of a neat idea


honda fcx, a second-generation, fuel cell hydrogen-powered zero-emission vehicle, already used in big cities like LA as employee cars (i want one!)

it’s a free country

dear web journal,

the latest issue of real simple magazine features an article on how to get some free stuff. and in the spirit of purchase-less deals, i decided to share the wealth (with commentary).

-start sampling: (www.startsampling.com) this is a third party site that connects manufacturers with cheapskates like me who want free stuff.

-kiehl’s: (1-800-543-4572 or www.kiehls.com) call this number and get up to three samples sent to your door. or instead, see stores locations for more goodies.

-programs from american consumer opinion and e-poll: (www.acop.com and www.epoll.com) you can earn cash, points, or free products in exchange of your consumer soul. ok, not that serious, but fill out some surveys and you’ve got yourself some great deals.

-oil of olay sample program: (www.olay.com) as new olay products come out, you’re due to receive samples of them if you sign up.

-sephora (www.sephora.com): just ask a salesperson and they’ll hand you a package sample or fill jars of requested products for free. naturally, to keep it free, this requires your strictest willpower and ability to say “no” to persistent salespersons. but it is probably worth it, right?

-procter and gable’s home made simple and tide e-newsletters: (www.homemadesimple.com and www.tide.com) this is probably the best freebee site for samples of and coupons for everyday items.

-e-cards that don’t suck: (www.hipstercards.com, www.cardcow.com, and ecard.digiart.ee) there are way too many corny e-cards out there. here are some good looking, sometimes funny e-cards to send your friends when you’ve realized you waited too long to send the real thing.

-free education: (www.ocw.mit.edu and www.bbc.co.uk/languages, www.frenchpodclass.com) ever want to take classes from a prestigious university like MIT? well, if you’re ok with not receiving a degree for your hard earned erudition, you can take nearly all the courses they offer for free online. the latter links are pod-language-classes you can stream and download. merci!

-free ice cream: (www.benandgerry.com) april 17th is the day for 2007! see link for store locations.

-free books: (www.paperbackswap.com and www.titletrader.com) this easy exchange program works like this: post used books; wait until one is chosen; mail it off; get credit for it; and choose something you like with credit; wait for it at your mailbox. smart recycling, eh? i love it.

and i should say that as much as i love real simple magazine, i got my subscription for free too by buying a few inexpensive work-attire sweaters from www.delias.com. since then, i’ve been wild about free magazines. for those magazine publishers who offer a number of free issues that you must cancel before they start charging you, you have to remember to actually meet the deadline. want a good (and free) way to remember to keep magazine subscription offers free? go to www.memotome.com and sign up for free email reminders.

good, good, good (magazine)

dear web journal,

this is the perfect funny shirt to balance out my last post. and a cute stab at consumerism like this also helps me introduce an emerging concept growing out of fundraising for a good cause: when more, more, more can actually equal good, good, good.

for christmas, i got my future sister-in-law a subscription to good magazine and they accidentally sent the first issue to my house. i was already really impressed with the magazine from the advertisements i saw randomly popping up on tv, the internet, and radio. but i can’t stress enough how important their work is, especially after reading an issue. first and foremost, 100% of your subscription payment ($20) goes to a charity of your choosing (out of their somewhat limited, but excellent list of organizations). you get a really awesome publication out of it and you can feel good knowing the purchase supports a worthy cause. and it is chock-full of really informative pieces.

i have to admit that i am really excited about consumerist giving including programs like this and (product)red. forget kant; giving should include all kinds of personal incentives. the moral imperative creates a totally unrealistic and unsustainable expectation of human beings. why not (literally) capitalize on what is good about our nature to want to be recognized and reciprocated for our good deeds? and our generation is ripe for this kind of giving—we want accountability and we want to receive something for our investments. if that produces desired results with little cost, i’m all for it. naturally, i am not including some of the self-important waste that sometimes occurs in ridiculously pampered gala fundraising. but when people are already buying ipods, t-shirts, and magazine entertainment, all the better to have that include a greater good as well. think of it as a necessary mitigation for consumer waste, if you must. and frankly, i don’t think we have the time to wait for the purity of soul that kant expected of human beings. things like AIDS, sudanese conflicts, global warming, and mid-east instability don’t warrant the luxury of time.