Me Against the Plastics

Say yes to canvas

A few years back, I announced my commitment to using my own tote bags for grocery shopping.  Last year, I also turned to shopping at local farmers market more after having watched Food Inc., which for me means the one at Alamitos Bay in Long Beach on Sundays. This market, because of the proximity to the water, does not allowed the use of plastic bags.  Paper only over here except for the pre-bagged salads and other veggies, the salad vendors, the fish mongers, and the bison guy. One lady who sells mushrooms eventually stops supplying us with paper bags altogether....
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And the Third One came

My friend Gregg (@fstop23) died last week after a battle with cancer. Since his diagnosis in October, he had put up a great fight. But cancer, being a cheating, murderous mother fucker that it is, got the upper hand mid-March. His death completed the “it comes in three” circle for me personally.  (Remember 2 former coworkers from earlier this year?) Folks have been writing wonderful things about Gregg and how his life and death impact them. I wrote about three drafts of this tribute/story about Gregg now and I couldn’t publish any of them.  His death reminded me of my...
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So much for the goals…

First week of 2011 and the goals have gone mostly untouched. Alas. The first cold of 2011. The game changer. I made New Year’s Eve dinner of 40 clove garlic chicken to feed James and Aurora and her sister Lee.  I took pictures of everything as it would be my first post for the recipe blog for 2011 according to Goal #5.  We sipped some wine and hung out until 11:30 before Brandon and I shambled home before the drunks got back out on the road.  We kissed at midnight and promptly crawled into bed.  So, no. I wasn’t out...
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Fictional Entanglement

I’m sure some college students everywhere have written papers on the dynamic of a love triangle in literature and pop culture.  I haven’t really thought about it all that much until recently. Two girls fighting over one guy, it’s always some trashy cat fight.  But when two boys fight over one girl, it’s romantic. Interesting, right? Well, obviously the whole Twilight thing with vampire Edward and werewolf Jacob fighting over Bella. Girls and their mothers swoon.  (As you know I’m Team Jacob for a few reasons and more reasons). But a wealth of triangles in the show I’ve watched recently...
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Table for 2 and that’s just fine

We’re child-free by choice. We don’t hate kids.  And we make great auntie and uncle.  We just like to play with them and hand them off to the parents at the end of the day. We adore Brandon’s two nieces age 8 and 11.  We can hardly wait to hang out with Aurora and James’ 2-year-old Dresden and baby Chloe.  Olaina and Justin’s Ella is still too little to play with but we didn’t mind hanging out with her too. I’m quite sure the fact that they are relations–or practically relations, our tolerance and patience for them are a lot...
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Oh Humanity

When disaster strikes somewhere in the world, if the media and celebrity is on board especially, suddenly you see the surge of donations and fundraisers everywhere. But what about the everyday?  Where did that overflowing of generosity and kindness go? Last week, my bus buddy was sitting with a bunch of other commuters waiting for the bus.  There was no room to sit so I was standing around the corner.  Once these folks got up to get on their bus, I moved in to sit down. There was a purse laying next to my bus buddy and I knew for...
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