How have you changed in the past year?
Submitted by littleduckling.
That's the problem, I'm not sure I have. Well, not how I'd like, anyway. I
What do you do when you get a crush on someone?
Submitted by Desi.
I immediately suppress the feeling because I'm now married.
*ducks*
;)
If you were independently wealthy, where in the world would you live?
Submitted by Eileen.
My answer is similar (thankfully) to Rube Burrow's answer. Not identical, but definitely compatible. I'd have my home base be where we live now, but I'd also want condos in London, Manhattan, and Arlington, VA. I don't need condos in other places because if I'm independently wealthy, I can afford to stay in a 4 or 5 star hotel when I visit. ;)
But as for here, my home base... that's tough for me to decide. When I daydream about this stuff, I get torn between having a really nice, spacious house somewhere in Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto (flat lands or hills), near downtown Mt. View, or somewhere in San Francisco. And oh gosh, don't even get me started about *where* in San Francisco to get a permanent residence! Noe Valley? St. Francis Woods? Across from Pac Bell Park? Pacific Heights? Presidio Heights?
It's no wonder I'm never able to fully finish my daydream about winning the super lotto because I can't choose a frigging house to buy in the dream. =P
RIP Question o the Day.
I know I never post here anymore, but I have to do this public service announcement to the greater Vox community at the very least.
There will be a Chocolate Show in San Francisco on April 13, 2008.
http://www.sfchocolatesalon.com/
You're welcome.
Remind me to eat some protein that morning. Oh my.
If you were suddenly granted the day off today, how would you go spend your free time?
First thing I'd do is go to the post office and pick up my booooooooooooots.
What I'd do after that would depend on whether or not Harry the Bastard also got the day off. If he did, I'd have us drive to Half Moon Bay and relax over there and have lunch somewhere (perhaps at The Ritz).
If he didn't have the day off, I'd, um, heh... get some chores done around the house. That may sound dull and boring to you, but it's stuff I really want to get done and it's bothering me that I have been a slackass lately. Well, not a total slackass, but I have been busy and then choose to sleep instead of clean.
But don't worry, I definitely plan to do fun stuff this weekend. =)
How do you want 2008 to be different from 2007? What will you change or do differently?
Submitted by Becca-Pink.
I want to make active, conscious decisions to do things. As I reflect back on 2007, I get the impression I just reacted to all the stuff that happened around me. Now granted, a lot of that stuff was loved ones getting very sick, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have made more of an effort to do plan things.
I'm talking about both big and small things. I want to invite people over more often. I want to work on some projects of my own instead of just putz around on the laptop in the evening. Maybe I'll pick up the guitar again. I definitely want work more on my card-making hobby. I'd like to plan a day and/or weekend where I just sit down and make a stockpile of cards I can use in the future. I want to plan a mini-trip this year to somewhere in the U.S. I want to work on tidying up and organizing the sides of the garage. I want to plan meals and cook more.
I also want to focus more on Da Husband and me. Everything's fine with the relationship, but I want to make sure I don't ever start taking it for granted. I want to make a conscious effort to focus on it and enjoy it.
I want to DO stuff, and I want to think about it and plan it in addition to being spontaneous.
Today is Blog Action Day! Take action by posting about the environment in your own way.
"Blog Action Day?" Really? Whatever, okay, I'll bite.
Of course, it helps that this particular topic hit me at my core. See, I was an environmental science major in college, so I feel compelled to do what I can to help, especially since I don't have a job related to my degree. =P (I was supposed to teach high school chemistry, so I was going to do that with an environmental twist, but that's another blog post.)
But I'm supposed to keep this topic relevant to what I normally talk about in my blog. Hahaha, that's funny because I rarely ever post here.
I really believe in people doing little things everyday to make a difference for the environment. (Of course, I believe in big changes, too!) For example, I cannot stand leaving lights on in rooms where there are no people. Turn off the darn lights, people. Same thing with water. I cannot stand letting the water run while you brush your teeth or shave your face. Living in California, and having survived multiple drought years in a row, I'm especially sensitive to this.
Replace as many incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Walk instead of driving for short distances, such as from one side of a strip mall parking lot to the other. I mean, come on.
Try to use thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and Mother Nature to your advantage to keep your abode warm or cool as much as possible. What I mean is, if you can, try to insulate your abode as much as you are able, try to use windows and fans as much as possible to cool down the place if it is cool enough outside. Try to not rely on the A/C or heater until you really have to. Of course, you live in a really hot and/or really humid place in the summer, this doesn't help you much. But do what you can. At least insulate the place.
For the love of all that is holy, stop buying cases and cases of bottled water! It's okay to buy one here and there, especially if you reuse it multiple times. Think about much freaking PLASTIC gets wasted from that. And if you say it's "okay" because you recycle the plastic bottles, that's only marginally better. (And by "marginally" I mean "not really all that much.") The three R's are stated in order of importance: REDUCE, reuse, recycle. Instead of buying cases of bottled water, get a really good filter and use that instead. In fact, I highly recommend this filter: http://www.aquasana.com/ You can even buy little filters for a sports bottle and use that if you don't want to put anything on or under your sink. Besides, this stuff is much tastier and *healthier* that anything from a mountain spring.
I'm sure there's more, but that's what I'll add for now. I know I'm not perfect, and I know there are many ways I can still improve my personal actions for impacting the environment less, but I'm still working on it. Hey, at least I'm riding my bike and taking the train to work now. Well, most days. =)
My Mom is pretty artistic (it runs in her family and I only inherited enough of the talent to make me a wannabe artist, unfortunately) and for the past few years, her medium of choice has been decorating gourds. She is *really* talented and has finally created a simple website to show her work and, if she's lucky, sell some of it. She's also going to start selling them at different art shows around here, but she's learning you have to apply to them fairly early.
Anyway, if you feel like it, check out her website and see her beautiful gourds. =) I'm very proud of her and her work.
http://www.margesmithcreations.com/
(Besides, maybe you can find a unique and beautiful Christmas present for someone, heeheehee.)
What fruits and vegetables are in season where you live? Have you incorporated them into your recipes?
In order to answer this question, all one has to do is visit our year-round farmer's market on Sunday mornings.
Hmmm, lessee if I can remember them all:
peaches, nectarines, pluots, plums, apples, oranges, lemons, limes, (although, is the citrus *really* in season now? I wonder about that, but then again, it's there at the farmer's market, so maybe the limes and lemons are), zucchini, crook-neck squash, those fat squatty funny shaped squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, all kinds of pumpkins, other squash I don't know the name of, all kinds of lettuce, onions, garlic, cilantro, parsely, basil and other herbs, cucumber, carrots, bok choy, some other funny looking green veggie that I don't know what it is, all sorts of tomatoes including numerous heirloom tomatoes, all sorts and colors of potatoes, bell peppers, strawberries, raspberries, broccoli, chard, other "greens," and more I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff
A few of the items almost have to be grown in greenhouses, such as the strawberries. Although, it's possible that some of the strawberries are grown outside of the greenhouses, but some almost have to be in. I bet it's a combo. And I really question the oranges because it seems to be just a little bit early for them, but who knows?
And yes, of course I've incorporated some of these in my daily cooking. Well, on the days I actually cook...
I am SO going to have these sometime. I will make up a party, if I have
to! I'm not sure I can wait until my birthday next year to have an
excuse to make some.
Whiskie Bits Bakeshop (http://whiskiebits.com/index.html)
droooooooool...
