7. make a reading list

I have decided on my reading list this season!

✓ 1. The Picture of Dorian Gray

2. Pilgrims

3. Eat. Pray. Love

4. Look Me In The Eye

39. black out night

Earth Hour occurred last night from 8:30-9:30pm local time. And it seemed that more international cities participated than domestic ones but nevertheless it happened and hopefully it will become a greater movement every year.

I spent mine turning off all the power, lighting a few candles and read by candlelight. It was quite wonderful to get away from all the electrical/digital distractions that we normally have.

And in the spirit of Earth Hour and coming up next month, Earth Day, I've compiled a list of things we all can do to make a small difference. They aren't drastic changes, just things you can do every day or when the time comes.

1. Bring your own bags (or reuse the plastic or paper ones you get when you forget)

2. Drink tap water not bottled water (but remember to filter your water either under the sink or via Pur filter)

3. Use glass containers not plastic when storing leftovers. If you do have/want to buy plastic make sure it's BPA free.

4. Use cloths or rags to clean not paper towels. Even spills in the kitchen.

5. When buying new cleaners, buy green cleaners or make your own. Vinegar works for a lot of things. When disposing of chemicals/cleaners follow the instructions or call the toll free number

6. Give up your garbage disposal. If you aren't composting (which is hard to do in apartments) it's better to throw your food scraps in the trash than to grind them in the disposal. Food sent down the drain often winds up in the landfill after the sewage treatment plant, so save the electricity and water.

7. When it's time to buy a new shower curtain or liner, buy one without PVC or vinyl.

8. Don't throw out your cell phones or empty printer cartridge. Instead mail them to charity. Petsmart takes your old phones and cartridges and donates money to homeless pets.

9. Speaking of pets, don't forget about them. If you eat organically, shouldn't your pets? If you sleep on organic bedding, shouldn't your pets? If you drink filtered water, shouldn't your pets?

10. Don't replace things for the sake of sustainability. Keep what you have and replace when you need to. Then replace for the sake of the Earth.

11. Kill your vampires. At least your energy vampires. Buy Monster's GreenPower Surge Protector, it will save you money in the long run.

12. Cut out paper. Use the calendar on your computer which can by synced to your phone. And print things sparingly.

13. If you do print things, buy recycled paper. Print double sided. Then recycle papers, newspapers and magazines.

14. When it's time to do renovations (kitchens and baths at least every 10 year) spend the money and do it sustainably. It will save you money in the long run.

15. Pack a waste-free lunch.

16. Air dry what you can from the washer.

17. For those with lawns, use a push-mower. You don't use gasoline and more importantly it counts as your workout for the day.

18. Buy local! It's more important to save the travel of produce not to mention you're supporting local farmers! So check out those farmer's markets in the summer.

19. Also check out your local CSAs. Ask your friends if they want to go in together for the CSA. It not only prevents waste of produce but it spreads the green love.

20. Finally your actions speak louder than any magazine, activist or politician. Bring your friends together for a "black out night" or make it a Saturday tradition to spend the morning at a farmer's market.

I hope that one day "green" will end it's trend and just become common. No more "green" cleaners, no more organic options, no more energy efficient options, simply no more options. It should be the only option.

Have a great Sunday!

50 things in 87 days…

50 things to do for Spring

✓ 1. learn to enjoy the "pleasures of cooking for one"

✓ 2. spring clean my apartment

✓ 3. get "martha" organized

✓ 4. purge things

✓ 5. make digital scans of old family photos

✓ 6. lie in bed in the morning, windows open & good music playing

✓ 7. make a reading list

8. read ALL the books on the reading list

✓ 9. spend the whole day reading a great novel

10. finish genealogy

11. experiment with Polaroid film from the Impossible Project

✓ 12. stick to a workout routine

✓ 13. attempt yoga again

✓ 14. read some trashy magazines

15. send a message in a bottle

✓ 16. learn to spend money wisely

17. learn more than 1 song on the guitar

✓ 18. do something out of character

✓ 19. make more of my own food (granola, bread, etc)

✓ 20. eat healthier

✓ 21. find a project to do

✓ 22. try new restaurants

✓ 23. celebrate Earth Day

✓ 24. enjoy Easter

✓ 25. get a mani/pedi

26. if grad school doesn't pan out, find a job

✓ 27. decide on a future

28. work on thesis journal

29. take more photographs

30. go to the East Town Market on Saturdays starting in June

31. plant flowers

32. blow bubbles

33. fly a kite

34. buy a bike

35. make a trip to Chicago

✓ 36. have afternoon tea outside

✓ 37. lunches at Swig

✓ 38. have a picnic

✓ 39. black out night

40. sleepovers

41. lie around in the grass with sunglasses & pair of headphones

✓ 42. enjoy the first warm rain fall

✓ 43. search for a new camera

44. peruse vintage shops

45. go on a brewery tour but skip the tour and just taste the beers then grab meatball subs

46. road trip to Florida

✓ 47. go to a Brewer's game (opening day, April 5)

✓ 48. Spring Gallery Night (April 16 & 17)

49. See some Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings

50. have a perfect day

I am determined to cross EVERYTHING off this list!

first day of spring

This is the first day of spring, and it was snowing outside this morning (there's still snow on the ground!). It's cloudy and cold with a lovely wintery mix falling. Seriously Mother Nature? What's up with this? I suppose this is slightly good news considering I haven't had much time to really clean around here.

My mom has officially moved down the Florida so I'm now alone in this apartment. I've lived alone before but this feels completely different. Before, in college, I lived alone for two years but I was never really alone. I was always in class or with friends, doing something, going somewhere. If I was alone it was my own choosing. Here it's different. I don't have school, steady job or group of friends.

So I've decided to throw myself into cleaning & organizing and my tours at the museum. Hopefully a job or grad school pulls through. Until then I'm stuck here in this dismal limbo that I'm weary of.

Soon to come: My 50 things to do this spring, Pleasures of cooking for one, and Home Cure.

One more week

Well there's one more week in winter and I've putting everything on that list on hold. I've been busy with the museum and moving my mom down to Florida (and not finished yet). So this winter list of mine… it's dead. I've given up on actually doing all 50 things on that list but I'll humor myself and just check on this list.

✓ 1. Read A Christmas Carol before Christmas

✓ 2. Make a winter garland, to keep up all winter

✓ 3. Watch holiday movies for Christmas

✓ 4. Enjoy New Year's Eve

✓ 5. Eat Hoppin' John on New Year's Day for good luck

✓ 6. Watch the Winter Olympics! February 12, 2010

7. Warm up the apartment… it's actually colder since my mom moved out.

8. Sort through family photos

9. Sort through genealogy

✓ 10. Take pictures of winter… tried but it never seemed that wonderful.

11. Watch the movies nominated for awards… totally failed with this one!

12. Take classes; Calculus, Physics, maybe French?- scratched.. replaced with posting something every day.

✓ 13. Have winter sleepovers… just one.

14. Work on my thesis journal

15. Read at least 5 books… only read 1.

16. Make soups

✓ 17. Make Shepherd's Pie

✓ 18. Make hearty dinners: brisket, baked ham, etc

✓ 19. Drink hot cocoa

✓ 20. Have afternoon drinks, Guinness

✓ 21. Have afternoon tea

22.Go see the Dead Sea Scrolls while they are in Milwaukee

23. See, in person, a Matthew Harris Jouett painting (he's a relative from way back when)

✓ 24. Travel, even if it's for school visits… I went to Florida twice.

✓ 25. Enjoy the first real snow

✓ 26. Stay in bed a little longer

✓ 27. Send grad applications in and put the worry to rest

✓ 28. Enjoy giving tours at the art museum

29. Go ice skating

✓ 30. Have movie nights to stay warm

31. Buy more hats

32. Scarves, hats, coats, boots, layers, & sweaters!

✓ 33. Take long hot baths

✓ 34. Clean up & get organized (again!)

✓ 35. Try not to gain pounds over winter… I didn't gain any inches.

36. Stop worrying about the future… failed again, I'm worrying more than ever.

37. Explore my surroundings

38. Stop procrastinating by making deadlines

✓ 39. Enjoy having most of my family in the same city for the next few months, because that all will change soon.

✓ 40. Find 10 more things to do this winter

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS (for healthy living)

✓ 41. Eat more dark greens

42. Have fish 2 or 3 times a week

✓ 43. Walk a half hour everyday (on top of regular exercise)

✓ 44. Breathe deeply for 5 minutes every day to help reduce stress

✓ 45. Eat more quinoa

✓ 46. To reduce salt intake, use more spices

✓ 47. Eat a better breakfast and lunch everyday to eliminate unhealthy snacking

48. Work on a sleep schedule

49. Eat more avocados to increase happiness

✓ 50. Eat more strawberries, guava, bell peppers, and oranges to boost vitamin C intake & fight brain cell damage.