New Year's: My Favorite Holiday

     New Year's Eve has always been my favorite holiday. I love the anticipation, the festive atmosphere, dressing up, spending time with friends, the countdown, etc. I generally plan what I'm going to do and what I'm going to wear for weeks ahead of time. This year I was thrilled to come into a little bit of money, so I could purchase a new sparkly top and headband to wear for the occasion. I'll pair that with some dependable staple clothing items and I'll be ready for a good time. The plan is to go out for dinner and then to a local small concert venue for a show. It is not what I normally do for the holiday, but then again what is normal anymore? I used to go to parties and stay up until the wee hours of the morning. Last year I went to a movie and drank mimosas until the ball dropped and then went to bed. So, this year's events will be an exciting change to get my New Year's festivities back on course. I think I have always held New Year's in high regard because I have not had to work that day or at least I got off work with time left to spare before midnight. I have had to work many Thanksgivings and Christmases, so this is my holiday.

Creative Gifts

     I am a fan of crafty, from the heart gifts. I attempted to make bookmarks for my friends this holiday season, but my efforts have been delayed due to difficulty finding the right tassels (Stay tuned for a blog on my finished product). I also made a batch of peanut brittle and gave it to some of my friends in ball jars. I received a gift this year that I thought was very thoughtful and clever. It was a dry goods canister filled with all the ingredients needed to make Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies. All I needed to do was added milk and butter and the woman power. Not only was the gift thoughtful, it was useful and fun. I made the cookies with some help from my nephew and they turned out great, delicious even.

Oscar Buzz

     Hollywood is buzzing with Oscar predictions. The Golden Globe nominations are out and the result of those awards are generally seen as a good indicator to how the Academy Awards will play out. There were some surprises in the list of nominees for Golden Globes. I am pleasantly surprised that "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" earned a number of nominations. I thought this movie was delightful, but did not feel it would get much notice from the awards community. There are many movies on the Globes list that did not surprise me. In fact, they have been on the 'movies to watch for' list for some time. They include Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln, The Master, and Silver Linings Playbook. Still, I now have my own list of movies I must watch. Every year I attempt to see all of the movies nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, and I also attempt to watch all the other movies that are nominated for top awards. So, keep an eye on my other blog, "Cheese Popcorn" for my movie reviews, as there will be many of them in the coming weeks.

My Christmas Tradition

     After reading earlier posts about not having any great Christmas traditions or even much patience for the holiday you may be wondering how I spend December 25. Since I have often had to work on the day or at least that night for the overnight shift, I have made a tradition of going to see a movie. While I usually do this by myself, this year I will take a fellow movie loving buddy and then we'll catch some Chinese food afterward. Movie theaters and Oriental food restaurants are always open on Christmas, catering to those who either don't celebrate for what ever reason or burned dinner. I don't have to work this year on Christmas or the day after, but I think my tradition is worth keeping. After all, some of the year's best movies come out on or around Christmas. So, my tradition will continue to pay off in that I will be entertained and pleasantly stuffed.

Never Had a Tree, So What?

     I have never had a Christmas tree. My family had a tree when I was younger and we would put our presents under the tree before passing them out to each other and unwrapping them. I do not have a strong sense of Christmas tradition. Ever since I was old enough to do so I gave my dad a list of what I wanted and that's what he would buy. There was no surprise. Then, when I was out of college and on my own Christmas changed even more when it became requisite that I would work on the holiday. News does not stop for baby Jesus, Hanukkah, or any other holiday. I would celebrate Christmas with my family when ever I could rather than on a specific date. It has gotten to be that Christmas is just another day. I am not going home for the holiday this year because I do not feel like making the drive again, so soon after Thanksgiving, and if I did go home my time there would no doubt fall quite short of my expectations. I always want to do traditional activities and spend time with loved ones, but it is my family that is more resistant. They can't be bothered with doing all of that. It is too much work.

     So, in my adult life I have never owned a Christmas tree. Why bother? Generally, I will be the only one to see it, aside from a careful few others. It seems to me that buying a tree and all of the decorations would be a waste of money. Then, once the holiday is over where am I supposed to put the stuff? I do not have a great amount of storage. When people ask me about my tree or my festive adornments and I tell them I do not decorate they give me a sorrowful look that shows they pity me. Then they say things like, "there's still time" or "it doesn't matter if no one else will see it." These sorts of comments make me shake my head because it is not as though I am depressed about not decking the halls. I just do not tie much significance to celebrating Christmas. I hold reverence for other holidays.

Celebrating Win-Sol

     By now you have probably read that I do not get into Christmas. My family's lack of honoring tradition, my inability to celebrate the day because of work, and my abhorrence at the commercial takeover of December, and the fact that it has been turned into nothing more than a gift receiving, tree decorating, cookie eating holiday have all contributed to my antipathy. Every year it seems people start celebrating Christmas earlier, but the problem is I only have so much tolerance for the festivities. By this time of the season I get pretty fed up. My adversion to Christmas spurred me to create my own holiday to celebrate in lieu of Christmas. Today is Win-Sol, or winter solstice. It is an actual date of significance bearing no false pretense. One does not need to dress up, decorate, bake, shop, or give gifts to celebrate Win-Sol. The only requirement is that one take note of the beginning of the winter season and celebrate the snow that will have hopefully already fallen. Since it is a made up holiday, I can start my own traditions and celebrate it the way I want without feeling like a hypocrite for not adhering to the original intent of the (religious) holiday.

Strike Up the Piano and Let's Sing

     Recently I was watching a movie where a family gathered around at Christmas time and the father started playing piano and the son's new girlfriend wowed everyone by singing a classic song. It made me realize that people don't do that anymore. While this was a modern movie the instances of people actually gathering for a musical sing-in are few and far between. Why is that? Many non musical people would probably use some sort of derogatory phrase to express their feeling that such situations are stupid. However, I think it is a great way to mix things up and possibly breathe life into a dull party. So, this holiday season I am seriously thinking about belting out a tune if I see someone incessantly on their cell phone at a Christmas party. Then, after about one verse I will hand off the imaginary microphone to that socially challenged, insecure person. Great idea?

The Green Things I Do: Part 2

            To continue a recent blog post on The Green Things I Do, I will list and discuss other ways I try to lessen my negative impact on our planet. In an effort to cut down on the amount of goods I use I do not use “post it” notes and have requested that I not get new business cards because I have so many old business cards and scrap paper that I use instead of post it notes. I wouldn’t use any paper products if possible, but this is a good way to get another round out of the products. For my printer I use paper that has already been used once. I take paper that goes into the recycling bin at work for this cause. I have an extreme annoyance at junk mail and I attempt to recycle every possible part of the wasteful solicitations. This includes ripping the plastic windows from the rest of the envelop. When shopping I use canvas sacks and I ask store clerks to not give me any extra packaging for my purchases, such as tissue paper.

            This Christmas I am repurposing ball jars as candy containers and giving them as gifts. My mother had a bunch of old canning jars stashed away, so I just bought new lids and I’m giving the jars a new life. I often give my books as gifts and this Christmas I plan to do no different. I will likely wrap the book gift in newspaper. I also reuse all Christmas boxes and decorative bags. Fall/winter is a great time for beer drinking, and when possible I get a draft beer instead of a can or bottle, so I can cut down on waste (even though these products can be recycled, the first R of the 3Rs is to reduce).

            While out and about in my car I attempt to hyper-mile to save fuel. It is better for the environment and your wallet to drive the speed limit, avoid jackrabbit starts, and jerking halts. Driving smoothly helps maximize fuel economy. I also combine errands into sections of town so I can reduce the number of trips I have to take and I carpool when possible. Also, I usually have my cell phone plugged into a car charger when I’m on the road. It is more energy efficient to charge while in the car than to charge at home with a traditional outlet.

When at work I clean up after my green-resistant co-workers by trash diving. I walk around the room looking for paper and other recyclables that have been thrown in the garbage. I also bring my own lunch in reusable containers and regular metal utensils. I bring a water bottle and my own coffee mug so I don’t have to use paper and Styrofoam products.

My list of green activities is quite long and I continue to add to it time after time. Doing all of these green things becomes second nature after a while instead of burdensome as it may seem. Each year for Earth Day I come up with a resolution. This can be a one-time activity like planting a tree, or making a donation to a green charity or it can be something I resolve to keep doing. It gets a little harder to accomplish this every year because I want to select a new action that is substantial or at least several smaller actions. A good way I can try to find resolutions is reading my green handbooks. They remind me of things I should be doing to help the planet and help me realize more ideas to lessen my impact. These are books I’ve perused before, so by reading them I am reassessing my progress. There are things I forget to continue and things I could do better. Additionally, there are things I have not yet been able to do because of financial and logistical circumstances. This is a list of some of those options:

- Filling fridge with wine bottles so there is less empty area to cool

- Invest in a compost bin for kitchen scraps and other items

- Grow small garden herb or otherwise

- Plant a tree myself

- Commute by bike to work

Sleep Tips: How To Catch Some Zzzzzs

     Getting a great night's sleep is troubling for many. Often times people can earn a little more shut-eye if they make slight changes in their daily lives. I worked on the overnight schedule for an extended period of time, so I studied up on all of these slight changes and other things one can do to have more productive sleep. There are certain foods you can eat and drink right before bedtime that promote rest, for example bananas, cherries, peanut butter, chamomile tea, etc. There are certain things you can do so that your body is relaxed enough for slumber. You can try turning off electronics, meditation, turning down the lights, and most importantly you can develop a routine that gives signals to your body that you are getting ready to go to sleep. I used all of these methods on top of sleeping pills and natural sleep aids. Luckily, my sleep struggles have ended or at least the struggles I had with day time sleeping have ended. I am done with the overnight schedule, but the lessons I learned about making myself tired enough for bedtime and scheduling sleep will last a life time. I like to share my tips with others and transform my sandman battle into a positive experience for others.
     Recently I came across some more tips on successful snoozing that I hadn't read before. According to "Secrets to a Great Night's Sleep" on Yahoo! Shine, you should set the right temperature in your house. This is a tip that doesn't surprise me because I had to learn the hard way that you'll end up tossing and turning if you try to sleep when your surroundings are too warm. The article recommends keeping your room between 65 and 70 degrees to can help induce the decrease in body temperature needed in order to fall asleep. Another tip is to get rid of stacks of stuff and clutter because sleep doctors say it can be an anxiety-inducing reminder of tasks you still have to complete, which can keep you from fully relaxing and unwinding.
     There are some other things I did to make sure my bedroom was the perfect place to count sheep. I used heavy, dark curtains to block the light out of my room. Blackout curtains work fine too, but they are more expensive. I also had my walls painted a medium tan color so that when the lights were out and the curtains drawn the room was completely dark. Lavender is a scent sleep frustrated people should grow to know well. It induces a more restful state, which can prepare your body for sleep. I had a bottle of a diluted lavender infused oil by my bedside and sprayed my sheets and bedding with it every time they were changed. In addition, I would spray my pillow with it every day. Lastly, I had an eye mask that not only shut out any sneaky ray of light, but it was comforting. Having the sandalwood (another important fragrance for those trying to get more sleep) infused eye cover strapped to my head was relaxing and was my body's final signal that it was time to drift off into dream land.

Shells Guide: Leggings as Pants

     A Minnesota principal is getting a lot of attention for asking students to cover up. He's discouraging students from wearing leggings. According to the article "Minnesota Principle Urges Students Not To Wear Leggings" on ABC News, Dave Adney sent an email to parents last month explaining that in the past students had worn long sweaters or sweatshirts over leggings, but that is no longer the case. They are opting for shorter shirts with the skintight leggings. There is no ban on wearing leg wear, but the email urges parents to talk to their children about what they wear to school. principle Adney is getting plenty of positive reinforcement.

     This brings me to my fashion guide and today's lesson on how to wear leggings. Leggings are generally not pants and unless you're working out or modeling athletic gear you should try to cover your butt. Leggings are fine under long sweaters and tunics and should be restricted to those types of outfits. You may think your butt looks great, but you should save that look for those closest to you and not every Tom, Dick, and Grayson that walks down the block. A little modesty never hurt anyone. Besides, you're probably not styling in your leggings and short shirts. You probably look like a slob. If you need additional help in this department, please refer to my Shells Guide on winter appropriate clothing. It is winter, so dress like it!

The Chia Pet Shopping Trap

     Christmas time brings an onslaught of commercial advertisements for things no one needs, but everyone buys this time of year. I'm talking about Chia Pets, Clappers, and other products peddled to unwitting shoppers via their televisions during the late night, peak impulse buying times. I fell victim to an infomercial many years ago. While the products can be very useful, they are often of limited use. I bought snap hooks after seeing an ad when I was tired and feeling under the weather, which is the perfect combination sneaky sales pitches. The deal was buy one, get one free. Who can beat that? I would buy the amazing product for myself and then have one to give to my roommate. However, when the snap hooks arrived I quickly learned that the attributes of the product had been exaggerated and the it would not be as widely useful as I had thought. I was duped.
     I don't know how Chia Pets is still in business, aside from the obvious novelty aspect of the sprouting heads. Each year, the company adds new pets and/or notable busts to its inventory. The gifts are great for children because they can easily watch something they made grow. They work as gag gifts because the jokes about the products are endless. However, I do not see much of a market outside those two segments.

     In addition to drug store shelves, there are websites devoted to selling products like the Chia Pet and the Clapper. The "As Seen On TV" website has all kinds of seemingly great products that on the surface appear that they would make life easier. However, like the Chia Pet these products are a novelty and their usefulness. There are a few items on the website right now that I think are clever and at a weaker moment I would be tempted to purchase, like the Forever Comfy cushion.

Saving the World: The Green Things I Do

            When people find out I am environmentally conscious they tend to ask what I do to help the environment. I feel this question is asked partly out of a curiosity about my lifestyle, but also because of a cynical desire to pick me apart and prove that I am not as caring as I pretend to be. I detect the negative intentions because of a note of hostility in the voices of my would-be detractors. This used to happen more often when I had my Prius. I think people believe that Prius owners often do nothing more for the environment, but still parade around as saviors. There is evidence that the manufacturing of the hybrid cars takes its toll on the environment, for example the production of the battery. I had to get rid of my Prius for financial reasons, but rest assured even when I had it I did many other things to lessen my adverse impact on the earth.

Most recently I decided to make reuse, recycle fun by turning cardboard toilet paper rolls into wall art. I am saving them and I intend to fashion them into a geometric design and paint them for wall art. I am also considering turning them into napkin holders.

This isn’t the only way I conserve in the bathroom. I cut down on my water usage not flushing the toilet after every use and taking shorter showers. I do not shampoo my hair every day, which cuts down on chemicals that are washed into our ground water supply. However, my biggest bathroom contribution is my shower bucket. I have a bucket in the shower that collects water that would normally run down the drain while it is heating up.

            I use the water from my shower bucket to rinse dishes in the kitchen. Also in the kitchen, I reuse my produce bags to cover leftovers instead of buying disposable zip lock bags. This is of course in addition to my use of reusable containers. I do not buy plastic utensils or paper plates. I use cloth napkins and rags instead of paper products. The dish rags I use are all made out of cut up clothing that is too worn to donate. I filter tap water to drink instead of buying bottled water. My cleaning products are all green friendly Method items.

            My apartment is typically cold in the winter and hot in the summer. My thermostat is set at 68 degrees in the colder months, no matter how hard it is for me to cope. I simply put on more clothes or cover up with a blanket. When I leave my apartment for an extended amount of time I turn the thermostat way down, since there is no reason to heat my house when no one is here. In the summer I keep my thermostat at 82 degrees during my waking hours and turn it down to 80 when I sleep. This is unbearable for most people, but I have fans that help keep me cool without needing to expend energy on cooling my entire apartment unit. I get very annoyed when I leave my apartment and I hear the air conditioning units churning when it’s not even marginally hot. People tend to overuse energy just to ensure their uninterrupted selfish comfort.

            To save energy elsewhere around the house, I unplug appliances I am not using, especially chargers since they are energy suckers. I turn off lights when I leave the room. Those lights are compact fluorescents and in the past I have even not replaced lights on a vanity just because it seems wasteful to have so much light on at one time. I also buy and use rechargeable batteries. I wash most of my cloths in cold water to alleviate the use of the water heater. I air dry much of my laundry on a drying rack so I do not have to waste energy using the dryer.

            This is a topic that I could discuss for great lengths of time. There are many more green things I do than the one’s I have listed here. I have tried to break them down into easy to organize groups and there’s more to come.

More Anger Over Facebook Changes

     Facebook has a new feature that is upsetting many people, couples pages. This is not a new concept for Facebook, after all documenting friendships on separate pages has been going on for years now. The ire of critics comes from the fact that one cannot opt out of a couples page. Once you list that you are in a relationship with a specific person that page will be created. Anything you post on your own page will go onto the couples page. So, here are some ideas... don't assume you have so much privacy on Facebook, increase your privacy settings so that you don't accidentally share something that you don't want to, and lastly you can't opt out but you can refuse to use the page. That way the specifics of your private relationship can stay private. I feel that if people had a greater understanding of social media they would get less upset over simple changes like this. The changes are meant to enhance your experience and not ruin your virtual life. All the information you need to be a more savy user is there for you, but the problem is people are lazy and many don't want to take the time to read it. Instead people will read two or three sentences and then jump to conclusions. If you are that concerned you should take the time to educate yourself so that people like me don't laugh at you behind your computer illiterate butts.