Internet Travel Guide (5/18/12)

I think any cohabiting couple can agree that this illustration is pretty darn accurate.  My poor Husby’s situation is probably even worse than it would have been, since he moved in after I’d already established my dominance over the land of Closet Space.

Have you seen The Avengers?  If not, you should, because it was fantastically entertaining.  (And if you haven’t seen the movies leading up to it, you should watch those first.  Except maybe The Hulk’s movie.)  And after you watch The Avengers, you should read this abridged script from The Editing Room.  Disclaimer:  Don’t read it at work, or in a library, or at a funeral, or in any other situation where an involuntary giggle-fit would be frowned upon!

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is a truly hilarious lady, but the more I read Yarn Harlot, the more I am thankful that I don’t know her personally.  This is not for my sake, but for hers… Because if I knew her, I would probably demand knitted goods just constantly, and it would become awkward, and she’d be forced to avoid me in order to stave off carpal tunnel symptoms, and it would just end badly for all involved.  But really, I couldn’t be blamed, and this is why the dear Lord in all his wisdom has in fact gone so far as to place us at opposite ends of the continent.  Look at what this woman can conjure out of yarn, without a pattern or anything.  Just look.  Maybe one day I’ll reach that level of knitterdom, where I can take some yarn and a block of cabling and create an adorable little mini-cardigan out of it, and just “know” how to make it fit a baby just so…  But I doubt it.

Speaking of adorable…

Confession time:  I don’t use reusable grocery bags.  I have this crinkly mass of plastic grocery bags growing ever-larger in my pantry, waiting for the hypothetical day when I’ll take all of them to be recycled… Which is better than just throwing them away, I guess, but still feels a little hypocritical for someone who claims to be “green.”  Probably the biggest reason that I don’t use reusable bags, is that the ones they sell at grocery stores are just sooooo ugly.  Shallow?  Yes.  True?  Absolutely.  I’d be much more likely to use homemade grocery bags… but which ones?  So many great choices on this list!  I’ll probably try one that uses old t-shirts, since I’ve got a big bag full of old shirts waiting to be donated (…or repurposed)!

In other news, I have found my newest desktop wallpaper.  Incredibly beautiful!

Internet Travel Guide (3/29/12)

Abbreviated and late Travel Guide this week, as I was on a business trip Monday-Wednesday.  On a related note, business trips are the worst.

What would happen if science and pseudoscience had to coexist?  I imagine it would go something like this.

Have you seen The Hunger Games?  You should.  I very much enjoyed it, and I can’t wait to read the books!  Would you like to know what The Hunger Games can teach you about surviving and thriving in tough situations?  I thought so.

I don’t use a lot of stevia, mostly because I haven’t found it at the store in a form that I like.  I’ve got some Stevia in the Raw, but I’d much rather have actual ground-up stevia leaves, or an extract.  Maybe I should grow my own stevia plant!  Would you try?

Speaking of sweetener, are you watching your sugar intake?  Try converting it into units of Cadbury Eggs!  And then go eat some Cadbury Eggs 

 

Internet Travel Guide (3/21/12)

This is a fun little bit of news.  I don’t worry too much about stuff like this, because realistically there are many powerful pieces of legislation floating around that have never been (ab)used to their full potential, and probably never will be. But there’s a little part of me that wants to move out into the wilderness somewhere and become self-sufficient, just in case everything goes to hell one of these days. I don’t have a problem with Obama; I think he’s got good intentions.  But vague and far-reaching language like this opens a door that makes me nervous.

Melissa offers an excellent reminder that generalizations don’t serve us well with respect to diet (or anything else, really… although that itself is a generalization, I guess). Digestion is a complex process that will be different for everybody (or every body). It’s important – and encouraging – to remember that “a sick person can react to ANYTHING. And a very healthy person can tolerate a lot of terrible things.”

Have you tried soap nuts for your laundry? If you’ve got sensitive skin, you totally should. And if you do, and you’d like to know when they’re “done,” here’s a helpful tip! I’ll be trying this… next time I get around to doing laundry.

Erin says, ” When I first started cooking from scratch, it didn’t seem too hard. I gathered my ingredients and followed the recipes. But then one day it hit me: I wasn’t buying processed, pre-packaged meals anymore, but I was using processed, pre-packed ingredients to make my ‘from-scratch’ meals [emphasis hers].”  …Yeeeeaaaah. I can relate to that. I’ll probably keep relying on convenience foods ingredients a lot of the time, but I’m totally going to try some of her easy from-scratch ingredients! First up: creamed soups and spice mixes. (I already make homemade chicken broth; I’ll do a post on that soon)