I'm an Ecoholic.

I've been reading this book for a couple of days and I highly recommend it. I borrowed the book from the library but I am actually considering getting my own copy. It's a great reference book. If you haven't yet become aware of the many environmental issues surrounding our daily lives as well as the impact it has to our health - I suggest you have a peek into this book by Canadian writer Adria Vasil.

This book is chock full of tips and suggestions on alternative products that replace the harsh chemical based and environmentally destructive ones, found on the shelves of our local drug stores and supermarkets.

From cosmetics (my weakness) to household cleaners (I use vinegar to mop my floors) to food and clothing and everything in-between. This book addresses ways to make the switch from using for instance, an antiperspirant that is full of cancer-causing chemicals to an alternative and safer deodorant from 'Green Beaver Company' (a Canadian company, naturally).

Case in point, for the past 6 months I had been using a roll-on deodorant that clearly stated "No Aluminum Chlorohydrate" right on the cap. This week I made the switch to a deodorant from 'Green Beaver Company' when I discovered (by reading 'Ecoholic') that my regular deodorant's ingredients (listed right on the package in uber tiny font), actually contained formaldehyde. Yup, that's right - a cancer causing agent, that I was strategically applying to my armpits day after day, right next to my lymph nodes. Disgusting and scary!

So basically, the villain deodorant is from a company that makes OMBRA bath and hygiene products. They were touting their products as being "alternative" by removing the agent that is known for causing Alzheimer's - yet they added a slew of other harmful agents thus creating a misleading product for people concerned about what they put on their skin.

If you are ready to stop supporting companies that only care about making millions by selling their toxic chemical laden products, get your hands on a copy of this book.

Even if you only make one change in your daily regime, it's a positive change that will help you and the environment around you.

Disclaimer: I do not work for the 'Green Beaver Company' nor am I related to Adria Vasil. I am not pitching these products for any other reason other than to talk about my health and yours.

Comedic Relief

Since I'm making good progress on my biological succession research report, I thought that I would take a break and post this YouTube clip:



A very serious issue yet spoken about in funny way (read: tongue in cheek). This is a clip of Ellen DeGeneres on a recent episode of her daytime talk show addressing a homophobic politician's comments about homosexuality.

I also think that Ellen's response ties in nicely with my "keep it simple" approach on this blog.

You're awesome Ellen!!!

Enjoy folks!

Life

It has been a month since I last posted. I have been extremely busy and don't have much time for blogging these days. Between working all day, going to night school, doing the required weekly readings, studying for quizzes and tests and writing essay reports, plus trying to make it to the gym once or twice a week and spending my weekends house hunting...as you can see - I'm pooped!!

I will be back to my weekly postings soon but right now I do need to return to the essay on ecological succession, which I am currently writing.

I love Mary Janes.

CYDWOQ

Women love shoes and I am no exception. My dream job is to one day work at a shoe company designing shoes. In my world, shoes have to have the following qualities: snazzy/aesthetic/stylish/funky design, comfort, durability and all at reasonable price. Tall order - I know. Mind you, I know that a good pair of shoes can set you back a few hundred. I have been known on occasion to dish out up to $200 for a pair of shoes without batting an eye...no regrets. If you're going to invest in a stylish and comfortable pair of shoes - I say, you get what you pay for.

I love mary janes. That's right, timeless, classic mary janes. I have several pairs and variations of the classic mary jane in a slew of colours. There's a bronze pair (purchased 5 years ago and stlll ticking) with a slight kitten heel (Kenneth Cole) and a red pair of Chinese flats (China town) and several black pair - one of which is a partial shiny patent leather (Bandolino). I even have a two-toned spectator mary jane shoe with a kitten heel...a style right out of the 1940's (Franco Sarto).

Mary Janes are so cute! They can be worn with both pants and skirts. They make my feet look good and feel even better. No pinched toes or bony outgrowths as a result of wearing pointy stiletto shoes. Don't get me wrong, high heels make ones legs appear longer, more streamlined, they emphasize the muscles on a woman's legs, men find them sexy and they complete the look of a sophisticated business suit or a dress for a formal black tie event. They are also very uncomfortable and throw your posture out of alignment and over the years can create irreversible damage to your feet. I really am amazed when I see women wear them everyday to work. Ouch!





















Every season there is a new take on the classic mary jane and I'm right there in the shoe stores, mulling over the new seasons selection...which pair do I buy this year?

John Fluevog

Giddyup: horsepower processor

Since my wedding in 2006, I have made some (long overdue) household purchases to equip my kitchen with the necessary basic kitchen tools and apparatuses. We did not have a wedding gift registry. We told our 15 guests, "no gifts please" as we did not plan to host a dinner reception afterwards. We went to a restaurant. Everyone paid for their own meal. As a result, no wedding gifts meant that we had to start from scratch. Well, almost. My husband and I had a couple of things from our own bachelor and bachelorette kitchens...nothing matched...a lot of it was getting old. We had to start anew.

One of the first things I longed for was a food processor. (And, just to digress - the second kitchen item I have been longing for is one of these.) Although not really a kitchen "must-have" I had been eyeing the Cuisinart and KitchenAid line of kitchen processors and admired them for their aesthetic appeal and selection of funky colours. It's their design that won me over. Of course, I expected the device to also kick ass in the kitchen! I trusted that Cuisinart or KitchenAid would make me a happy homemaker. It also had a good reputation to back it up.

I never did get my 'fancy-schmancy' Cuisinart or KitchenAid food processor because I could not afford the steep price. A few months ago, I purchased a Black & Decker 10-cup food processor in stainless steel and black - and I am enamoured by it's strength and power. Vrooom!! It has MEGA horsepower. It pulverizes food with its blade and creates the most amazing, smooth and creamy garlic hummus and black olive tapenade in the blink of an eye.

Granted - it's not as pretty as a Cuisinart or a KitchenAid and does not come in a choice of red, or pink or blue but aesthetics aside, I am very happy with this purchase. The good thing is that it only has 3 blades that you can use...not a lot of excess parts to fuss over which means, not a lot of washing afterwards. Hurray! The first blade slices and grates. The second blade minces and mixes and the third blade is a dough blade (!) That is all. I can certainly live with this simplicity. Like I always say: keep it simple and you can't go wrong.

Oh yeah, one more thing: the price was good to my bank account too!

My rating for this product: 4.5 out of 5

• Convenience (1)
• Durability (1)
• Functionality (1)
• Aesthetic (0.5)
• Safety (1)
  
  
  
  

Where is Bucky Fuller when you need him?

For the past month my husband and I have been attending open houses on the weekends with the intention of purchasing our first home.

To say that the quality of housing in our city is "pathetic" is an understatement.

We have seen houses for sale that are in very bad shape and in need major renovations. I do not like doing renovations. We also saw houses for sale that have been gutted and restored and are absolutely stunning, the price hovering around $499,000. Purchasing one of those latter homes would require us to fall into serious financial debt and probably eat Kraft dinner everyday for the next 20 years. I am not prepared to do that.

We have even toyed with the idea of purchasing a condo to keep the cost down ( I do not like condos) but with the added monthly condo maintenance fees hovering from between $300 to $800, you might as well buy a small starter home and have a small garden too!

It comes as no surprise that most young couples today have to move to the burbs (yech!) in order to get more bang for their buck but then spend 3 hours a day traveling to and from work.

We need to remain in the city because our jobs are here, as well as our friends, our fitness gym, our doctors and naturopaths, and as such it suits our lifestyle. We don't own a car nor do we want to. In the summer we bike or walk around the city. We enjoy having shops and markets within walking distance. We also like like to do our part for the environment. Living in the city enables us to do this.


Conceptually speaking, the Buckminister Fuller, energy-efficient and low-cost "Dymaxion House" is just what I need. Fuller designed several variations of the Dymaxion house, which was basically a home building kit which could be propped up on site. Made of aluminum sheeting and designed to resemble a 'flattened bell' - this pod-like structure would certainly be a welcome sight in today's quest for sustainable living. Equipped with a mist shower for water conservation and other energy saving amenities, Bucky's Dymaxion is a perfect match for my lifestyle. Unfortunately, it would never fly in my city.

Instead, my intelligence and my bank account have been insulted by the real estate market. $300, 000 gets you a starter home - what MLS likes to refer to as a "renovator's delight" (gag!). Many of these houses require a new roof, a new furnace and/or air conditioner, new electric wiring to replace the knob and tube, hardwood to replace the mite-infested broadloom, new tempered glass, double pane storm windows to keep the heat and the cold out, and what on earth does one do with a driveway if they don't plan on purchasing a car??

Cities around the world have already begun introducing a variety of alternative housing arrangements for the modern and environmentally aware home buyer, pod-like structures reminiscent of Buckminster Fuller's designs and futuristic, sci-fi movies.

The UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and many more countries around the world have woken up to the benefits of living small, and energy efficient. The UK has introduced an idea for new age housing called the ecological kit house. Even in Mexico, once considered an underdeveloped country ecological houses are sprouting up like jalapenos peppers.

I want a small, low cost ecological house. I would like my home to have energy efficient technology and a small garden so in the summer months I can grow my own tomatoes and peppers.

Instead, I get nonsense like this.

A friend indeed.

Okay! I have a confession to make. I do not like raw apples. I know what you are thinking. What an odd ball I am. I can explain. It’s the sour factor. I can’t handle sour fruit. On the rare occasion, when I have bitten into an apple, I shiver and cringe as the sour juices attack my palate. And the texture – it reminds me of a raw potato. Apples, in a pie or a strudel with cinnamon and brown sugar, on the other hand – bring it on!!

Despite my aversion to apples, I still challenge myself by eating them every now and then. I have tried many varieties of apples and my favourite has got to be the humble McIntosh apple: proudly Canadian!

Here’s why I like it: It’s small. Not too sour. Crispy on the outside. Juicy on the inside. Fresh flavour. Done in three bites.

My husband on the other hand, loves apples. We always have an abundance of them in the refrigerator. A couple of times while searching for a piece of fruit to take with me to work, I have reluctantly grabbed an apple. Very reluctantly. At work while eating an apple, I have often imagined and daydreamed about how this apple would taste better - dipped in caramel sauce or chocolate sauce. Hey – I’m always thinking…

This year, I am making a conscious effort to eat more apples. *gasp*

You know what they say: “An apple a day...”

But seriously now. What factor (or tool) made me change my apple aversion? Maybe, just maybe, I can change my aversion to apples by making it ‘effortless’ to eat an apple. You know, getting rid of the yuck factor, i.e. seeds, core, stem, slicing it into uniform pieces...Eureka!!!

One day - not too long ago, while I was browsing at Canadian Tire, I came to linger - somewhat obsessively - over this tool:

An apple cutter and corer. Now I ask you…who owns this tool? Does anyone actually feel the need to shell out $6 for this instrument?

Well, I did. And I love it! If you bake or cook with apples a lot, you too will enjoy this kitchen tool.

After washing the apple, I whip out this tool and ha-ching!! Apple cored and sectioned lickety-split. I throw the wedges into a small container pop it in the fridge and it’s ready for work the next day.

Yes - a knife can certainly do what this apple cutter/corer can - but it’s not the same. The safety issue is foremost in my mind. Knives cut fingers. The apple cutter/corer doesn’t. What about the efficiency of this tool? A flawless execution folks!! One downward movement with the apple cutter/corer takes care of several movements with a traditional knife. Brilliant!

Despite the use of this kitchen tool, the apple is still not my favourite fruit. Having this little "tool" however, brings an element of fun into the arena. It's clean and simple design makes it easy to use and to understand it's intended purpose. The symmetry of the apple cutter/corer and it's combination of simple curves and lines, combined with it's high chrome finish lends a simple, aesthetic appeal.

For more information about apple cutter/corers - follow this link:

http://recipes.suite101.com/blog.cfm/apple_corers_peelers_and_cutters


I'm giving this product a 5 out of 5 based on the following criteria:

• Convenience
• Easy to Use/Functional
• Durable
• Safe
• Aesthetic

This product review is based on the following criteria:
Usability/Functional
Safety/Comfort
Aesthetics
Convenience
Durability