One of the first changes I made in order to live a greener life was to cut back on my use of plastic bags and containers. I mean, degrading plastic bags result in fish malnutrition*! Who wants an ocean full of malnourished fish, looking at us with big sad eyes, small tears rolling down their scales**. And what about the North Pacific gyre? While "gyre" super-cool, sci-fi style word***, it's a super-gross concept - a floating continent of plastic waste swirling in the Pacific Ocean. And what about the trees? Do you think the Giving Tree would have felt so giving if she had a bunch of plastic bags stuck between her branches?****
Produce was always a wrench in the reusable-bag system. Some items you can just toss in the cart without a bag - like an avocado. But it seems rude to make the kid at the check-out ring up 10 limes individually ... although since the kids at my neighborhood store aren't very friendly, maybe it would teach them a lesson about the value of hard work and customer service.
I tried reusing produce bags; I tried finding some net ones; I even thought about making my own, but my sewing skills haven't advanced to the "I-can-sew-net" level. Luckily, it's hip to be green, and I don't care if people are green poseurs or green hipsters or green rock stars, as long as green behavior results from the trends. Reusable bags are de rigeur these days, and green produce bags are becoming readily available.
I got mine at Kroger. When the check-out guy at Whole Foods (they are extremely friendly there, unlike at my other neighborhood store which shall not be named except I named it one sentence ago) asked where I got my cool net produce bags, he looked pretty chagrined to hear that it was at another grocery store.
If you can't find any at your grocery store, there are Etsy sellers who can also hook you up. Make the other hipsters jealous and get some today.
*How do fish get malnutrition? I'm glad you asked. But I didn't ... Shh... Let me tell you. The sun breaks down the plastic bags into little plastic crumbs. Fish - because, let's face it, their brains aren't huge - think that the pieces of plastic are food, so they eat them. Then their tummies become all full of plastic and they don't eat the nutritious sea vermin that they are supposed to. It's pretty much exactly what happened in The Lorax, only underwater. ** Except you can't see the tears, because fish are already underwater. *** Can't you just hear The Doctor saying "Power up the TARDIS, we're headed for the Gyre!" ****The answer is: Probably. But the Giving Tree was a masochist.
Bugs are just a fact of life in the semi-tropical clime we "enjoy" here in Houston, TX. Many months of the year are lovely, balmy, flower-filled jours with soft air just perfect for evening porch-sitting. A few cockroaches seems like a fair trade for the scent of jasmine filling the air in April.
August is another story, however, and this August is worse than usual. Summers in Houston are traditionally marked by 3:00 p.m. thunderstorms that both cool things down a bit and send a spiral of steam up from the pavement. We're undergoing a drought this year, though, and so it's just HOT. Dang hot!
The typical summer bugs - little fruit flies, wood beetles on the porch -- have been largely absent. Instead, this new drier climate brought tiny little sugar ants into the house, and they zeroed in on the cat's food, marching around on the rim of the cat's bowl, probably playing tiny little ant maracas. A couple of drownings later and they were still returning.
Occasionally I get little fruit flies coming from a crack in the ceiling, but I've learned that spraying some vinegar in the crack is a natural way to kill them. (Vinegar is basically a wonder substance.) I couldn't figure out where the ants were coming from, though, and I didn't want to use anything that might bring unwanted chemicals or poisons into my home, or harm my cat.
So, I asked help of the lovely folks who participate in the Dooce Community, an online community started by Dooce and Jon, the masterminds behind Dooce-dot-com - the community is a place where kind people answer questions for one another. My friends IRL (that's interweb-speak for "in real life") think it's a little weird to have internet friends, but it's a great way to find folks who have random expertise in things I don't. It's also a good place to debate important issues. The folks are passionate but usually much more civil than in a lot of internet communities.
Anyhooz, the community members had a simple solution for me really fast: put the cat's bowl in a slightly larger bowl of water. Since ants don't swim, voila! it's a moat they can't cross. At first, the cat wouldn't cross that moat, either, but with some strategically placed treats, he managed to find his food bowl.
It's been a few days and I haven't seen an ant since.
Please check out Let It Rain... Close the Gap, especially my friends in Washington. It's a new blog (with a few kinks to work out, admittedly) meant to counter the current anti-reform climate in Seattle schools. We've all got to take part in a civil and thoughtful debate about these issues, rather than simply berating one another. Even though reformers and anti-reformers get very nasty with one another, in the end, we're all trying to make a better world for kids.
Summer has hit Houston with a vengeance, and all I want to eat is cereal and ice cream (not together... though that is an idea). Turning on the stove seems like a very bad idea, so I've turned to using some convenience foods.
If you know me, you know that I try to eat as many whole, unprocessed foods as possible. However, sometimes factors (like 103 degree heat) conspire to make that more difficult. I created this recipe (a play on the Thai Crunch salad at California Pizza Kitchen and the Sausalito Chicken Crunch salad at Barnaby's, a Houston staple) using a few convenience items, like rotisserie chicken and pre-made broccoli slaw. I named it Houston Crunch, because the restaurants named their crunchy salads after places, so I thought I would too.
Here are a few ways you can make your convenience shopping a bit more sustainable:
Look for the "plain" or "original" version of foods. Often, it's the flavorings that add weird chemicals to foods. For this salad, I used a "naked" rotisserie chicken. Ingredients: Chicken.
Check the label. Look for few ingredients and make sure they are recognizable. This recipe uses broken up ramen noodles (that's the crunch part). Without the flavor packet, the ingredients list on ramen noodles consists mainly of things recognizable as food.
Make sure the packaging is recyclable or buy from the bulk section.
For produce, buy local or organic, and if possible, use reusable produce bags.
And now, the recipe! This is a cool and substantial Asian-style salad with a few twists. The recipe is for 1 large or 2 smaller servings, but can be easily altered.
For vegetarians: because this has protein (peanuts) and fat (avocado), you could skip the chicken altogether. Or you could use sliced Gardein chick'n filets (meatless but having a very chickeny texture), cubed tofu, or sauteed seitan strips.
Houston Crunch Salad
Ingredients:
1/4-1/2 chopped chicken from a plain rotisserie chicken that has been chilled
1/2-3/4 cup chopped Napa cabbage
1/2-3/4 cup pre-made broccoli slaw
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1/2 avocado, cubed
1/3 of a poblano pepper, chopped small (you could use a jalapeno if you want more kick)
A big handful of chopped cilantro
A handful of roasted, unsalted peanuts
About 1/2 a handful of broken up ramen noodles (put the unopened package on the counter and pound it with a fist. This is a fun way to break the ramen and release pent up rage)
For the dressing:
Either use a couple of tbsp. "versatile peanut sauce", or if you're in a hurry, a tbsp of peanut butter whisked together with soy-ginger vinaigrette or other Asian-style dressing
Step 1:
Mix all of the ingredients together in a big bowl.
But it reminds me of the kind of thing our actual Texas governor/presidential candidate would say about global warming. I often get the sense that many conservatives actually don't care if global warming is caused by man. They say they don't believe it, but honestly, even if they did, I don't think they would change their actions. They just don't give a ... shhh.
Note: This video contains lots of swears! So don't blast the volume if you are at work. Especially if you work at a daycare.
Howdy-do! Just a few odds & ends and random musings for you:
First off, check out this amazing short video from the World Wildlife Fund. It features Bill Nighy, a Bond girl, and some of the most recently-discovered animal species (including colossal squids and the world's larges insect!). If this doesn't make you want to start conserving resources, I don't know what will.
Note: it's worth watching full-screen!
Speaking of cool British accents (a comment that won't make sense unless you've watched the above video), I HIGHLY recommend that you watch the premiere of The Hour tonight on BBCAmerica, or free download from iTunes, even though it doesn't have anything to do with the environment. It does deal with the media's responsibility to truth, however, which - as you'll read below -- is crucial to the green movement and the movement for sanity. I actually watched it a few days ago, taking advantage of the promotional download. It tells the story of journalists working at the BBC in the 50's, and the creation of a new news program called The Hour. It stars The Wire's Dominic West and prestige-drama vet Romola Garai, along with Ben Whishaw. A lot of reviewers have been comparing it to Mad Men, but so far the period details and the cocky male lead are the only similarities I've found. I loved the premiere and am looking forward to the rest of the series.
Now... to totally switch gears, this weekend I was in Seattle and visited Trophy Cupcakes, the virtues of which one of my close friends has been extolling for years. Cupcakes aren't exactly my thing; I'm more of a pie connoisseur. However, I have to say that the chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting I had was absolutely delicious. I was also happy to read that they use local butter, free-range eggs, and organic peanut butter. It's always a plus when delicious and green collide.
Kids love cupcakes and kids love SpongeBob (nice segue, right?). But FoxNews does not love SpongeBob. They recently criticized Nickelodeon for pushing a global warming agenda because the Department of Education hosted an event in which kiddos were given a book called SpongeBob Goes Green!: an Earth-friendly Adventure (click here to buy the book and piss off Gretchen Carlson). Fox also claimed -- erroneously -- that the kids at the event were shown a cartoon in which a character said, "Thanks to global warming, the temperature will soon go through the roof, and we'll have an endless summer", but didn't qualify his comment by noting that the man-made origin of global warming is "disputed." Huh? A) Take a joke; I know it's hard for y'all at FoxNews, but really? B) The stupidest part of all this? White House spokespeople actually had to take the time to respond to this idiocy.
FoxNews also doesn't seem to be too fond of Ron Paul either, giving his candidacy short shrift compared to other conservatives. Although I disagree with many of Paul's positions, I have an odd affection for him (but wouldn't vote for him - don't worry). I live about five blocks from the Federal Reserve Houston Branch, where Paul or his supporters can sometimes be seen holding little protests. He's a part of my neighborhood life. He's also ideologically consistent.On the environment, Paul retains his ideological consistency - he's not in favor of spending government money to reduce emissions, nor is he in favor of subsidizing oil companies. He thinks conserving resources is a good thing. Ideological consistency, hewing to one's core beliefs, that's something I think we can all learn from, even if our beliefs aren't the same as Paul's. However, FoxNews-style conservatives treat him as a joke, probably because they feel threatened by someone who actually stands by his beliefs. Like Dennis Kucinich on the left, he's painted as crazy ... and isn't it weird that we see people who actually stand for something as crazy?
And that's all the odds and ends I have to report! Any interesting things going on in your brain today?
What's that you say? Where have you been, Catfish?
The short answer: Seattle. The short answer part deux: Very, very busy.
I've been meaning to do the "July Pop Culture Round-up" for a couple of weeks, but as time went on, it became more and more ridiculous to say that this round-up has anything to do with July. Think of it as: Things Catfish has liked between June and Now.
(Beware... there may be spoilers - nothing too serious)
Yes. It's Maroon 5. Get over it. "Moves like Jagger", by Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera
This song was originally performed on The Voice in June, but it's perfect for the hottest days of summer; it's a sexy, propulsive earworm. I've always intellectually realized the charm of Maroon 5 without being moved by any of their songs. However, summer is the time to throw your musical prejudices out the window and listen to whatever beat goes best with sweat and mojitos.
A box full of cocaine. Charlie Day and Colin Farrell in Horrible Bosses.
I cannot stand heart-warmingness (heart-warmth?) in a movie. There's nothing worse than an hilarious, raunchy comedy that ends with a sappy story of redemption or true love (OK, there are things that are worse, like famine and poverty, but sappy comedies are pretty bad). Judd Apatow has made such comedies into cash cows and now they seem to be popping up everywhere. Luckily, the makers of Horrible Bosses did not have redemption on the brain. Instead, they were obsessed with straight up comedy. Even if you're not someone who normally watches "dumb" comedies, this one's message-free plot won me over. In particular, Charlie Day and Colin Farrell stood out in goofy, go-for-broke performances that both involved a big box of coke and shag carpet.
Captain Jack is back. Torchwood: Miracle Day.
There was a moment in the premiere of Torchwood: Miracle Day in which some stuff blew up, and Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) looked at each other and just grinned at the pure joy of living on the edge. While Torchwood's first season in America has been a bit uneven at times, it continues to play with fevered versions of the ethical dilemmas we face in our media-saturated world. And despite Gwen's weirdly-tight pants throughout this season, she remains one of the most kickass babes on television.
Eric gets amnesia. True Blood.
Amnesia. Was there ever a plot device so trite? Unless you happen to have a 6 foot four Swede who can make us believe that both a goofy sense of childlike wonder and a penchant for revenge can exist in the same perfectly-sculpted body. Alexander Skarsgard (his acting, people) has always been one of the best things about True Blood, and this season has given him a challenge he can (cough! cough!) sink his teeth into. Props also go to Deborah Ann Woll and Ryan Kwanten for making the most of every second they are on screen, and to Steven Moyer for not being boring this season - which I now realize was probably never his fault.
Men. Crazy, Stupid Love and Falling Skies
Allow me a short digression. I used to be a birthday party hostess at an "indoor playground" and I made balloon animals for all the kiddos. Around the age of 4, every single little boy wanted a pink balloon. I don't know why. They just did. If dad was present, just watch out. He would cajole, convince, and command his son to choose another color. And my heart would sink. That was years ago, but in this Tea Party-palooza era, traditional visions of manhood continue to go strong.
So, it's with relief that I've noticed that pop culture is quietly showing us another vision of what it means to "be a man." In Crazy, Stupid Love Ryan Gosling tries to turn Steve Carrell into a playboy, but both men end up discovering the beauty of friendship (aww!). While the female characters were a bit underwritten (bummer!), it was lovely to see a bromance that had more depth than bonding over beer. And in Falling Skies, aliens are the main attraction, but I'm not as interested in them as I am with the complicated relationship between Noah Wyle's Tom Mason and his three sons.
Good-bye, Harry. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2.
I really don't know what to say about the end of this era. It was sad and exhilarating to see the battle for Hogwarts, Neville's heroism, the return of Dumbledore. But best of all is the knowledge that Harry won't die; kids will discover the books and get obsessed over and over again as long as stories exist.
Dance with Dragons, by George R.R. Martin
And when those kids graduate into adult books, we can only hope that they fall into the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Perhaps the best thing about HBO's Game of Thrones is that it has introduced lots of people - including me - to Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. In July, the latest book of the series came out and many of us retreated into caves to power through its thousand-plus pages. Martin's best quality is that you truly can't rely on your fantasy schema to predict what will happen; he'll undermine your expectations at every turn.
Creepy, creepy video. Lovely, lovely song. Go Outside, the Cults
Yeah, yeah... I know. It's not July anymore. And I also know that I skipped this little reflection for June. Let's just say that for a couple of months, intentionality has gone out the window. It's been a combination of work travel, sprained foot, more travel, and 90 degree heat. But I have a big plan to get back on the 2011 Intentions horse in August.
OK, now, I did, by happenstance complete a couple of things on the list, but I can't say I did it very intentionally. Here's a rundown:
Learn
I did not learn anything.
Go
I had a goal to go to three American cities I'd never visited before. In July I hit two - Philadelphia and Minneapolis. I wish I had more time to explore, but I found both of them charming. And yes, Minnesota has a whole bunch of lakes.
I also had a goal to try a new restaurant in Houston each month. My friend Amanda is really great at finding coupons, and she had a coupon to Shade. The restaurant was in Houston's Heights neighborhood, and I almost missed the small storefront. Inside, however, there was a long, narrow dining room. It was modern but casual. I had a great fish dish with sweat pea risotto. Their menu is heavy on the proteins, but Amanda, who's a vegetarian, found some great options. Neither of us had the vegetable plate, but it sounded amazing.
Do
I did not do anything.
And that's a wrap! Coming up: the July Pop Culture Round-up!
I've been thinking about this a lot lately, as I've been considering moving. One day I want more space. The next I think that I have way too much space and I need to cut way back.
A lot of people have been asking this question lately. In fact, the New Yorker recently had an article about "tiny houses" (houses that are under 200 square feet). There's a small but growing number of people who are thinking that the American dream of a big house with lots of yard is not only unnecessary, but can also be bad for the environment.
Well, this week I had the opportunity to experience a house that was not "tiny" but was very small. I visited Portland for a wedding, and stayed with good friends in the "Pocket House."
The Pocket House is an "urban cabin in Portland's backyard." Basically, it's a small (435 sq. ft) vacation rental with a kitchenette and room for 5 adults (two full beds plus a futon). It's situated near both the Mississippi and Alberta strips (that means cool little cafes and shops are just a hop, skip, and a jump away).
We really maxed out the Pocket House in terms of capacity (4 adults, 2 babies, plus 2 young adults camping in a truck bed in the driveway). But it never really felt as though we were squished because of the great use of space. Any time you were thinking something like "gee, where am I going to put this?" you turned around and there was a little shelf just where you needed it. See below: the sleeping loft. Note the shelf behind the ladder.
The Pocket House has lots of eco building features as well as the fact that a smaller naturally means a smaller footprint. I'm thinking that smaller might be a worthy new American dream.
Could you live in 400 square feet? What about 200?
