Toothbrush-Aholic

     I recall a conversation we had when I first met him about toothbrushes.  My Aunt is a dentist, so I've grown up being repeatedly reprimanded about my personal oral health care.  Imagine seeing someone you are related to at Christmas time and the first thing you hear is "Say AHHH!"  Yes, that is what she was like.  She's a great woman, don't get me wrong.  She joined the Air Force Reserve to pay her way through college and she's making fine money at a job she loves (how she could love smelling other peoples' breath all day is beyond me).  The best part of having her as a relative is what it taught me.  


     I remember being really nervous about seeing her around the holidays (and if she ever reads this, I hope she understands it wasn't her personally, it was the dental check up that I would get nervous about).  I remember trying to figure out every way possible to make my teeth look their best before our visits.  And because children NEVER have the best oral health practices (hello candy), it was tough but the older I got the easier it became and the smarter I became as well.  (Of course I'm drinking coffee as I type this, but we'll try to skip past that tiny tid-bit of information).  Haha


     Did you know that you are supposed to change your toothbrush every 2 to 3 months?  According to the American Dental Association toothbrushes become worn out and can of course contain and hold germs (obviously).  After each use, you should rinse your toothbrush out with HOT water in an attempt to kill said germs.  Should you get sick (we're talking flu symptoms minus the icky details) you should throw your toothbrush out immediately after you are finished feeling icky because you can make yourself ill again by re-using the same toothbrush, believe it or not!  


     Basically you are probably going to realize that just like any other personal hygiene habits, good oral care will cost you some money in the long run but it's completely worth it to have a beautiful smile and your own teeth when you turn 80.  (Because ask anyone who has dentures, they are NOT comfortable!)


     Now the GREAT news!  Did you know that there is a company that makes recyclable toothbrushes?  Yay Preserve!  I was actually reading an article in Rachel Ray's magazine when I saw this brilliant idea pop out at me from one of the pages.  Wow, what a great idea!  

     So I did just a little research, because I believe half the fun is finding out for yourself.  (How else would you learn if I just told you everything?)  This toothbrush is amazing, but not as amazing as the idea behind it.  It's made from already recycled yogurt cups and they package them in a returnable bag, so you can seal up the toothbrush when you are done and ship it back to the company to be re-recycled.  Wow, Amazing!

     I've been recycling toothbrushes the old fashioned way for years.  I always tend to keep one or two old toothbrushes around for use in household chores, such as spot treating my clothes pre-wash or for use cleaning the tiny in-between spaces on the bathroom fixtures.  (Be sure to boil your old toothbrushes before reusing them for other household chores, to clean them.)  Truth be told, there are many ways in which we can reduce, reuse and recycle everything in our day to day lives.

Think about it.

Placebo 'Trigger Happy Hands'

This is one of my favorite bands. I thought I'd highlight one of their latest songs. Enjoy!

My Computer and Me (a love story)

     It all started a little over a year ago.  I had just moved from Kansas to Arizona.  Upon getting settled in to my new living arrangements, my boyfriend suggested that we buy me a computer.  Having a couple hundred dollars to my name, we went shopping.  Best Buy was where we first met (my computer and I).

     I recall walking around the booths with rows of laptops all set up and ready to fondle.  I recall feeling like touching them all would be too overwhelming an experience for me.  My boyfriend did the scouting, since he considers himself tech savvy.  He narrowed my selection down to 2 models.  I recall giving both of them the once over.

     "I need something for school.  It has to be able to be light and yet able to handle my torture."  Plus it had to be somewhat inexpensive.  We settled on an Asus laptop which at the time I had never heard of.  The box said it was "No. 1 in Quality and Services" as quoted by the Wall Street Journal Asia.  Who am I to argue with Asia?

     The battery life statement on display at Best Buy said 2 hours unplugged (which may have not been so accurate, however I'm sure that I seriously do torture my computer, so perhaps it's just me). The highlight for my boyfriend when picking out this little spunky laptop was that it would run online games so that he and I could play together (yep, I'm a geek).  

     There were so many highlights to having my own laptop, too many to list, but to name a few the pretty colors of the Asus we picked were unique which made me feel comfortable about this computer being mine.  Of course there's all the high tech lingo that goes along with computers but is not necessary in this story.  Sorry geeks.

     A little background story on me now.  I used to date a guy who was a serious computer geek and I mean that in the nice way.  He had earned the title of "Network Engineer" before he and I broke off our engagement (that's a whole other story).  While he and I were together, I noticed that he spent a lot of time tinkering with computers.  Computers were his life, quite literally.  He dreamed in binary, I'm sure.  (Geek Joke).  While he and I were together, I had inherited one of his older desktops.  (Old to a computer geek is NOT old to normal people by any means).  So now that I was buying my own laptop, it was all mine.  

     At first my computer was used for all the necessary things in my life; such as keeping updated on my social life, checking my bank account, video gaming and obviously blogging.  In August of this year my computer came in handy for what it was originally purchased for...School.  (I have to admit though that the weight of my computer is not nearly as light as what I originally thought when placed in a backpack with multiple other school supplies.)  

     The weekend before school started, I decided to do something nice for my computer and that's where my love for my computer started to take a devastating toll on my life.  I thought the best thing to do in order to properly prepare my computer for school was to run it through a multitude of tests and scans.  I did everything I could remember from my previous relationship that I thought would make my computer good as new.  Uninstalled a multitude of ridiculous programs that I never used, disk defragmented, Virus Scanned, Spyware Scanned, Mal-ware Scanned and even deleted all my temporary internet files, download folder files, etc.  I remember my boyfriend asking me what I was doing one night and I said "cleaning up for school".  

     I didn't really notice a change in the way my computer preformed, however it told me that it was preforming great.  I believed my computer, why shouldn't I?  We've had a great relationship and I've never had to doubt it before.  The only thing I did notice was that it wasn't truly defragmenting the disk space like I recall my old desktop doing.  Hmmn... Then I caught the bug, I think.

     The first week of school was great.  I didn't need to use my computer for much of anything but found myself playing on Facebook and Googling random things discussed in my class lectures.  Oh and I gained an addiction to itunesU.  (I have a great thirst for knowledge.)  I found that the school's version of free wi-fi was nice in theory but so super unbelievably over used.

     The first weekend after classes started, my boyfriend walks into the living room where I am all set up with my laptop and book, reading an assigned article and again he asks "what are you doing" as he looks at my computer.  I say "oh, just checking because I noticed it was running strange at school, not sure it's me or the school interwebs".  His response was funny to me at the time "didn't you just scan your computer last weekend"?

     It was shortly after this incident that I realized that I love my computer.  I love my laptop so much more than I ever loved my old desktop.  This time it was mine.  I used my own money to pay for it, I made it all mine.  It wasn't a hand-me-down computer that I could change somewhat, it is ALL mine.  Every program, every saved photo and document is mine.  Plus it comes along with me everywhere and keeps me company or at least keeps me entertained.

     And yes, I have developed an obsession with keeping my computer safe.  I love it like a helpless child.  I would hate to be the reason why something horrible happened to my computer.  I would hate to discover that the information I was feeding it or using it for was poisonous in some way.  I would be devastated to lose my computer.  I would sob, most likely, it would be the emotional equivalent of losing a pet (one that only lived for a short time).  

I'm sure there are people who would argue against my perception of my computer however, it has been with me through thick and thin.  When I started school, my computer and I had an agreement that we were in this together until the end.  If something I did caused my computer to not hold up to it's end of the bargain, then yes I would be sad and of course lost without it.

     I find myself constantly questioning every warning my computer shows me, and investigating every slip it makes thinking that I know my machine better than anyone else and I would know if something was wrong.  I have gone to great lengths to assure that I have protected my precious friend, however I still feel there is nothing I can truly do to keep it completely protected out in this big scary world of bad things and bad people.

     My boyfriend now thinks I'm becoming obsessive compulsive about scanning my computer because I've started doing so once every weekend.  I fear that my love for my laptop may end up coming between us and yet I can't help but feel like my laptop needs me more because it cannot defend itself nor can it survive without me.  I just hope my boyfriend eventually realizes how much this relationship means to me and perhaps doesn't allow my compulsive tendencies to get the best of him.

Think about it.

Top 25 Green Cities (because you know you wanted to know)

Just to cite my sources, I gathered the following information from The Green Guide (a National Geographic blessing).


The following is a list of cities with over 100,000 in population:

Highlights of the Top 25 Green Cities (Cities I am proud of because I used to live there)

1. Eugene, OR (score 9.0375, pop. 137,893)

     - Sustainable business incubator

     - Renewable energy supplying 85% of city's power

     - Extensive wetlands program

2. Austin, TX (score 8.5325, pop. 656,562)

     - Green Builder program

     - Smart growth initiative

     - Committed to solar power

3. Portland, OR (score 8.24, pop. 529,121)

     - Green building

     - Excellent public transport

     - Smart growth

4. St. Paul, MN (score 7.805, pop. 287,151)

     - Green space makes up a quarter of urban area

     - Significant greenhouse gas reductions

     - Affordable housing

5. Santa Rosa, CA (score 7.785, pop. 147,595)

     - Green building program

     - Clean air and water

     - Bicycle paths and lanes

6. Oakland, CA (score 7.3675, pop. 399,484)

     - Building local food production

     - Green building ordinance

     - Public transport

7. Berkeley, CA (score 7.285, pop. 102,743)

     - Green building requirements for municipal construction

     - Well used public transport system

     - Community gardens

8. Honolulu, HI (score 7.055, pop. 371,657)

     - Clean air and water

     - Biomass power generation

     - Green building standards

9. Huntsville, AL (score 7.035, pop. 158,216)

     - Green space makes up one-third of urban area

     - High public transport use

     - Excellent public education program

10. Denver, CO (score 7.0325, pop. 554,636)

     - Greenprint Denver, sustainability initiative

     - Large hybrid municipal fleet and nation's largest light rail system

     - Clean water and access to wilderness

11. Boston, MA (score 6.99, pop. 589,141)

     - Green building

     - Excellent public transport

     - Smoking ban

12. Lexington, KY (score 6.785, pop. 260,512)

     - Comprehensive growth management plan

     - Clean air

     - Smoking ban

13. Springfield, IL (score 6.7225, pop. 111,454)

     - Clean air and good water

     - Green design

     - Green spaces

14. Irvine, CA (score 6.72, pop. 143,072)

     - Comprehensive green building program

     - Smoking ban

     - Pedestrian oriented

15. Cambridge, MA (score 6.72, pop. 101,355)

     - High rate of public transport use

     - Green design

     - High percentage of green space

16. Anchorage, AK (score 6.705, pop. 260,283)

     - Excellent air and water quality

     - Smoking ban

     - High public health

17. Syracuse, NY (score 6.66, pop. 147,306)

     - Good air

     - Smoking ban

     - Commitment to reduce greenhouse gases

18. San Francisco, CA (score 6.6, pop. 776,733)

     - Municipal composting

     - Green design

     - High percentage of renewable energy use

     - Very high public transport use

19. Minneapolis, MN (score 6.58, pop. 382,618)

     - City-specific minimum wage

     - Smoking ban

     - High percentage of renewable biomass energy

20. Milwaukee, WI (score 6.5125, pop. 596,974)

     - Green housing development

     - Green space

21. Rochester, NY (score 6.43, pop. 219,773)

     - High percentage of renewable energy

     - Clean air

     - Smoking ban

22. Albuquerque, NM (score 6.3475, pop. 484,607)

     - Clean water

     - Smoking Ban

     - Wind power

23. Ann Arbor, MI (score 6.2875, pop. 114,024)

     - High percentage of public transport and bicycle commuters

     - High yard waste recover

     - Green space

24. Seattle, WA (score 6.115, pop. 563,374)

     - Large number of green buildings

     - Very high percentage of hydroelectric power use

     - Clean air and smoking ban

25. Kansas City, MO (score 6.055, pop. 441,545)

     - Clean water

     - City specific minimum wage

     - U.S. Mayors Climate Protection signatory

I was pretty surprised to find this list, but glad I did.  It's been a horrible day for me and seeing some of the cities I used to live in on the list of Green Cities is just nice.  It warms my soul to know that things are changing in the US.

Think about it.

Reminder: Start living up to your end of the deal, yo!

     I was kindly reminded today that perhaps I should blog more often.  To be honest, this blog gets put on the back burner a lot.  Shame on me.  *Sad Face*


     This blog post will be very random, as I am certainly feeling very 'random' myself.  Maybe 'out of sorts' is the term that would best fit, but then I would have to say that I'm not sure I ever felt 'in sorts' either.  


     I have been somewhat the busy Bee lately.  I am now a college student.  Yes, it's official, my hottness has increased x10.  ;)  I've been writing tons more poetry than usual.  I've started another project where I am writing a blog as a Southern Belle from the 1800's... however I'm reluctant to post the link, because well... I'm just not sure how that's going to pan out right now.  I started it as a literary experiment and I'm thinking I should just drop the idea, but for some reason it felt nice, like a better form of Halloween Costume.


     In case it takes me forever to post something new, maybe some of my favorite blogs could keep you busy in the meantime.  :)  Enjoy!

http://theskepticalatheist.wordpress.com  (This blog is serious, but still very enjoyable to me.  I probably have a crush.)
http://thebloggess.com/  (Her humor can make the worst of my days seem like a cake walk, love reading this blog!)
http://itsblogworthy.blogspot.com/  (Mostly because her stories remind me of the days I lived in Florida, and often funny as well.)

    

The Oil Spill 2010

Surely this is going to go down in history and become one of those defining moments in many peoples lives.  When my generation will turn to the next and say "I remember when..."

To be honest, this entire incident is a disaster.  It's awful to sit and watch the media coverage of the oil spill and see all the devastation or hear all the stories about the press conferences and how the CEO claims that he "just wants his life back".  Really?  How can you even conceivably think that you would get your life back after this?  Not saying he's solely to blame, but the CEO by definition is the person who represents the company and all it's flaws.  If you didn't think you were cut out for the job, why take it?  Why sit back in your fancy office making big bucks all this time if you couldn't stand up and be a man when things go wrong?

It really comes down to the commercial that thetruth.com had out for the longest time about tobacco.  The commercial asked people if they could be the CEO of a company that kills millions, etc.  These are things you really must think about when taking a job like that.  You are the person who represents the company for better or worse.  It's your face that people think of when things are good and/or bad.  It's a heavy burden to bare in times like this, but that is why they pay you so much money.  The expect you to make the company look good and to be able to turn a bad situation around, any way you can.





It is just upsetting that a guy who gets paid way more than he's worth can't even do the job he's paid to do when it comes to tough times.  I am disappointed.  I am NOT saying that he is to blame, but that he is the person who is suppose to take the blame, and turn the public eye from himself to helping fix the problem.  He has seriously failed.

On another note, the people who are blaming BP, I think are a little out of bounds.  Since when do we blame a company for all the things that go wrong in the world?  Granted, they were greedy and pushed the limits, they did things that were unethical and just wrong... since when is that something that Americans don't understand?  It's been happening for years, it's the way our government set it up.  There have been numerous companies that have done what they wanted for money and/or power to get what or where they wanted.

Not only have there been companies in the past who have done this very same (all be it, shady) thing, there have also been companies that have taken lives of people as well.  When a coal mine caves in and kills a handful of hardworking coalminers, we don't blame the company... When our soldiers don't come back from overseas, we don't blame the Army (or whatever branch they were involved with).  Why are we blaming BP solely for this?  Again, I am not saying they don't deserve the blame or at least a portion of it, just trying to throw out there that rather than pointing the finger of blame, perhaps we would be better served to work together and try to get past this.

If people put in the time and effort to help fix the problem rather than blaming and making terrible jokes at the people involved, maybe more would get done.  Perhaps if we all chipped in, in our own way things would get cleaned up, patched or even perhaps we would have no need for oil anymore (that is the ultimate goal, I believe).

So here's my thinking... Rather than pointing the finger like some people are doing in this terrible time, why not pick up a rag and start doing our part to clean up the mess.  After we've taken care of the environmental impact of this then we should start to worry about the legal aspect of what has happened.  Only then should we worry about who is really to blame.

Because if Enron is any indication, this could be an ongoing finger-pointing fiasco for years to come.

Think about it.

About Stacey (because there was fair warning)! :)

I recently had the pleasure of meeting a lovely woman through my employer.  Stacey, came to work with me as a part-time sales associate at my retail job.  In getting to know Stacey, I have to admit, I am smitten over her parenting techniques.  So smitten, in fact, that this entire blog post will be dedicated to her.  :)

Stacey is a Princess, she really has taught me a lot about self-esteem and self respect.  She carries herself with confidence and pride.  She is one of those bright people that other people are immediately attracted to.  When we work together, she literally steals the show with her personality.  Simply put, she is amazing.

However, the amazing-ness that is Stacey, doesn't end there... She is a wonderful parent.  One night while working together we were "closing up shop" and while gathering the garbage Stacey makes a comment about recycling it.  (A woman after my own heart.)  I mention to her that our work has a recycling program for cardboard that was recently announced and implemented, however they have yet to refine their recycling to more than just cardboard products unfortunately.  Upon hearing this, Stacey is saddened and the look on her face is an upset look.  I had never seen her look down before this.  Stacey insists on going through the garbage and taking pieces of it home with her to recycle rather than throwing them in with the rest of the garbage.  I am intrigued.

We make conversation about recycling and the importance of it.  Preaching to the choir, I tell her... and also make reference that she might want to check out my blog.  She is surprised that I write about recycling, I explain to her that I write about everything.  ;)  Recycling is very important to me though, so of course I write about it.  I am a huge supporter of everything Green and proud of it!  Admittedly, I feel a little ashamed that I hadn't been stealing garbage to recycle it before Stacey did it.

In conversation, Stacey mentions a trip her family went on to California.  She said while they were driving they noticed all the garbage along the highway and it sickened her and her children.  She said that her children wanted to stop and pick up garbage along the road.  My heart literally melted.  Stacey has two sons, neither of which is very old, so to hear that they are so responsible already just makes me want to cry tears of joy that someone is raising their children correctly.  (Not trying to imply that everyone else is doing it wrong, by any means.)  Stacey told me that California is a lovely place to visit, but they need to take better care of their highway system when it comes to litter.

Stacey mentioned that she had spoken to a person she knew who works with the correction system about having inmates clean up the highways like many other states do, and the response she got in return was that gang activity is so high in California that if the inmates were to do anything out in public, they would be murdered.  So there is no answer to the litter issue at the moment, other than volunteers willing to risk their lives to clean up the mess.

The reason why I felt the need to write about this wonderful woman is because she is doing exactly what I would do, if I had children.  She is passing along the correct information to her kids that they are just as responsible for keeping where we live nice.  Her children now have the knowledge that things don't just magically happen, you have to make them happen.  By teaching her children the importance of recycling she is handing down something greater than just knowledge.  She is giving us all hope through her growing children that someday this planet will be a better place to live in.  Thank you Stacey for your amazing-ness!  You Rock!