Random Observation from the Road

Linda and I recently drove to Santa Monica for a one week get-away. We need to break out of our routine every once in awhile because, well, you know. Since it is Thanksgiving week we wanted to share our thanks with as many family members as we could, so we went to her mother's house. Many family members were gathering there so it seemed like the perfect place to be.

Along the way we discussed some of the things we used to do as kids to help pass the time while traveling in a car, things like license plate bingo, slug bug, I see something and its color is..., etc. Things sure have changed since then.

Now-a-days if you forget something at home you can stop in just about any city or town and find a Walmart or other store to buy whatever you forgot.

I saw a church steeple, its bright white spiral reaching up to the sky against the dark shadow of the surrounding mountains. This was surrounded by a score of trailers and I remember thinking it is the only truly permanent structure in the valley. People come and go but that church remains.

One thing I don't care for about driving is the constant searching for something good to listen to on the radio. Sure you're thinking we should have a CD player or mp3 player or whatever, well I forgot to bring the CD's and we can't justify spending whatever it is on a mp3 player or iPod like so many others do. Besides, it was sort of nice to get away from all the outside chatter, propaganda and music that becomes your life's soundtrack. We just spent the time talking. And it is much easier to do so without kids demanding to stop for bathroom breaks or fighting amongst themselves over whatever.

We ran into road construction on every freeway we traveled over. There must be a lot of money passed out to states for this purpose because it isn't just in our home state of Utah, but also Arizona, Nevada and California. I understand the need to maintain our nation's freeways because we need to keep our commercial routes open. We Americans 'need' to buy anything we want anytime we want. Can you imagine a world where you cannot get something you just have to have right now? We are such a spoiled nation.

We passed through the Mojave Desert and it amazes me that people actually choose to live out there. Sure the desert has its beauty, but it also is a very harsh environment. Stark weather conditions can make or break your spirit, or worse. And you generally live miles from the nearest facilities and amenities, not to mention medical care. I have observed that the character of the desert is more pronounced near the mountains where there is the greatest contrast.

An experiment I wanted to do is to see what places offer the best coffee. The purpose is to find out if there is any noticeable difference in what is offered at convenience stores, restaurants, fast food joints and coffeehouses. Carl's Jr has a coffee blend they call Channel Islands Roasting Company. It is made from the Arabica coffee bean from Columbia and has acceptable flavor. I would have to give it a low to mid-range flavor rating. Mind you, I am very inexperienced in coffee flavors for I have only been drinking coffee for one year. I am partial to Hawaiian coffee. I will continue my taste test and will update as I can.

I am viewed differently according to the length of my hair. Do any of you guys with longer hair feel this? During my adult life I have worn my hair at differing lengths. I have worn it short (in the military) and long (during college). Currently I wear it just touching my shoulders and I am comfortable with it at this length. Very few people around me however are as comfortable with it as me. They say things like "you need a haircut". Plain, simple and to the point. I like that kind of directness. But I will wear it to whatever length I feel comfortable with. Sometimes when I am out shopping or just generally out in the public eye I get looks from people that I interpret as "you need a haircut". And I feel this is what they are thinking because my friends and family tell me this very same thing. I think it is funny, but people are allowed their own personal views and it does not bother me in the least that they feel differently than I. But, there you go. It is what it is.

While we were driving to Santa Monica, we tried to find a sit down restaurant in Las Vegas for breakfast. I don't know if you have ever tried to do this without getting onto the strip, but it is impossible to find anything other than a fast-food restaurant for breakfast. Why are we being made to eat at these foul places? The food is not as healthy, which is the main reason I choose not to eat there. We finally gave up and went to Carls Jr. which is, in my opinion, the better choice of this type of eatery.

Busy Weekend Ahead

We are planning on finishing the bathrooms this weekend after installing a new bathtub in one and a shower in the other along with their surrounds. Drywall needs to be patched and painted. The prep is always the most tedious part. Taking everything off the walls, floating out the joint compound (my wife's specialty), sanding until it is smooth (my specialty) and then repeating however many times it takes until it is perfect.

We started this project a few weeks ago but have not been able to put any full time effort into it because of the usual daily distractions. It’s good to allow the joint compound to dry between sanding. And we are really thankful that we have a third bathroom in which to shower while these other two are off limits. Getting drywall wet is not fun to deal with.

The choice of paint color hasn’t been decided on so we will be spending time at the 'paint center' at Home Depot. We have officially chosen Behr paints as our paint of choice. Mainly for its durability and ease of application, but also because they several colors we both can agree on.

I would prefer to be able to post photos here but my camera took its last useable photo a couple of weeks back and I haven’y found a suitable replacement. I miss my digital camera so much at times like this. Trying to decide on a replacement for the Canon Power Shot is proving to be difficult. My daughter has a Panasonic Lumix  that has a great zoom feature. We love taking photos of birds so it would come in really handy. I have four blogs going right now and not having a camera puts a serious crimp in my writing. It's startling how much I depend on that camera. I am missing so many photo opportunities in the garden, while out traveling, etc, that I am going into withdrawals.

Soon, I’ll be able to at least put up photos after the project is finished.

Isn’t It Funny Where Stories Can Come From?

I love waking up next to my wife. The fact that I typically get up about three hours before she does has little effect. I love watching her sleep...imagining what she is dreaming about...She always has some interesting dreams.

She looks so peaceful and contented. Sometimes she talks in her sleep. Fun! Not in complete sentences, mind you, but just a couple of words that rarely make any sense. Trying to figure out what context in which she is using these words can usually set me off into a story of my own making. I love telling tales and can generally use any stimulus to get me going.

Later…after she wakes up…I'll tell her what she said…but she has no idea what the words meant. So I'll tell her what I thought they meant and jump into the story I made up. The stories are usually funny and I always get a smile out of her, sometimes a laugh…I love her laugh…I love to make her laugh.

Hooray for the public library

I get all of my books from my local library. I have done this for years. The reasoning is that I am just too frugal (read that cheap) to buy a book that I know I will never open again after I have read it. Besides, as Zappa alludes to, you get a better education learning on your own.

I don’t need it cluttering up my shelf space collecting dust.

Did you know that the public library system that as we know it today is made possible by a very generous donation from Andrew Carnegie? Don’t know who he is? He lived from 1835-1911, and is considered to be one of the most famous "robber barons" of the last decades of the 1800s.

He thought libraries and books should be available to everyone. Interestingly, he was attacked by both the right, which called him a Communist for wanting to use taxes for libraries, and the left, which viewed taxes as a drain on the working man. By 1920, the Carnegie estate had donated $50 million to erect 2,500 library buildings, including 1,700 in the U.S.--by far the most sustained and widespread philanthropic enterprise ever devoted to libraries. Carnegie's donations got libraries started in small towns, not just big cities, throughout America. Some communities refused Carnegie's money because it was tainted, but basically we can thank Carnegie for the modern U.S. public library system.

Today there are roughly 9,000 public libraries in the U.S. plus another 8,000 if branch libraries are counted. Most of these (about 60%) are small public libraries serving communities of under 10,000 in population.

The modern library in the computer age is in a state of massive change (that is, crisis.) The question of "What belongs in a library?" is being revisited: What's worthless and what's worthy? Libraries must deal with lack of space and lack of funding even as more is being published than ever before.

Around 85% of library funding comes from taxes--federal, state, and local. The rationale behind government involvement is that libraries serve the public good. State law determines the autonomy and taxing power of local public libraries. Typically the law sets a ceiling on taxes; higher levels require a referendum.

So the next time we are faced with providing funding for our local libraries let’s give them what they want, just as we should with schools. Because as Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said libraries are “essential to the functioning of a democratic society" and "the great tools of scholarship, the great repositories of culture, and the great symbols of the freedom of the mind."

By the way, donations needn't be financial. Many libraries will accept DVDs, CDs, videos, books, etc.

Stuff No one Told Me

Here’s some fun illustrations by Alex of Barcelona.

Have you tried Stumble Upon?

When my RSS feeds are beginning to run together, when Twitter and Facebook just bore me, I click on my ‘Stumble!’ button and search for new content.

You never know what is going to come up next and I always find a lot of really interesting/unusual stuff.

I find ideas for blog posts, new food recipes to try, music I have never heard, interesting quotes I like to use on Facebook, and things to Tweet about.

My ID on Stumble Upon is citizenbrat so check out my profile and see how similar or dissimilar our tastes are. If you happen to like or even dislike some of the stuff I have flagged as my favorites leave a comment. Would love to hear from you.

Experiment to get me to write everyday

 

I recently stumbled upon a site (I find a lot of interesting websites through using Stumble Upon) called 750words and decided to open an account. The idea for the site is to get you in the habit of writing everyday until it, hopefully, becomes a habit.

 

Write anything you want. Write at any time you want. No one will be looking over your shoulder. No one will critique what you write. The idea is to just do it. It’s amazing how your words will just begin to flow. The free-flow of thought is oh so liberating. You really should do yourself a favor and try it.

One thing I really enjoy about this free-form flow of words is that having a goal of reaching, in this case, 750 words, is that ideas that have been floating around in my head can now come out and be expounded on. Keeping them inside or jotting down reference notes on them has met with limited success. My desk and ‘idea board’, hanging above my desk, become populated with lists that really just tend to be ignored. I have always been one of those people that can remember things better if I write them down, so I do, a lot. And so, list making has become a way of life. This has, unfortunately, added to my propensity for collecting things.

From the author:

I've used the exercise as a great way to think out loud without having to worry about half-formed ideas, random tangents, private stuff, and all the other things in our heads that we often filter out before ever voicing them or writing about them. It's a daily brain dump. Over time, I've found that it's also very helpful as a tool to get thoughts going that have become stuck, or to help get to the bottom of a rotten mood.

It’s all true. Just try it. Let me know what you think.

Take a Second Look

In our pursuit to see things differently, because, you know, how boring is it to see things only on the surface? We have collected a few images that make you want to go hmmm. Enjoy.

 

Audrey Kawasaki - artist

The human form is very difficult to capture but Audrey Kawasaki makes it look easy.

This is one of her teaser pics (others on My Modern Met) of her preparing for her first solo show at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in NY this coming Saturday. The show title Hajimari means beginning in Japanese, and is a word often used in the introduction of a story.

Her work is simply breathtakingly beautiful. Being able to view her workspace brings her closer to us. Seeing how immersed she is in her work with her headphones on causes us to want to be quiet so as not to disturb her.

Repurposing Items

I am a huge believer and practitioner of repurposing any item I can. I believe that every products container has more uses than the one it was designed for. It is our duty as consumers to learn other ways in which containers can be used.

For instance, as I go through my local grocery store I constantly look at how a product is packaged keeping my eye on how that container can be used after the product itself is long gone.

The most common products that come to mind are butter (margarine or near butter) containers. These are great for storing leftovers in the fridge. Just as larger sized Yogurt containers and even whipped topping containers. These plastic tubs of various sizes just scream out “don’t throw me away, re-use me”. Who needs Tupperware or Rubbermaid as long as these little plastic beauties are available?

The small glass jars of artichoke hearts, or yeast, or specialty jellies and jams are just right for making candles in. You can buy a bag of wax at any craft store and pour into your jar of choice in a pan of boiling water and within a few minutes you have a candle for the next time the power to your house goes out. There are a multitude of websites devoted to showing you what you need. Honestly, the double boiler thing is not really necessary.

You can paint these jars afterwards, you can wrap them in jute with a little watered down glue, you can even put contact paper on them to dress them up or leave the label on them if you want.

These jars can be used for keeping loose screws etc in them inside your junk drawer. Out in the workshop they can be used to hold small items. In the kitchen you can store leftover liquids in them. Your imagination is your only limit.

I use small one-cup sized jars to store hummingbird food in the fridge.

I cut milk jugs, vinegar bottles, bleach bottles in half and use the tops as funnels and the bottoms to store kitchen scraps to carry out to the compost pile.

I also use gallon milk jugs to water my house plants with and to carry water out to my bird baths every day.

The lids on some food jars have the little button in the center to be used to check for freshness, these jars are great for putting homemade jelly or other foods in. just put the food in when it is hot, close the lid and wait for the button to ‘pop’ inwards showing it is sealed.

The foil bags that coffee comes in, we use these empty bags to store homemade snacks in when we go hiking.

The tin cans that some foods come in, they are used to store craft items, same as with the small jars mentioned earlier.

Recycling, reusing, repurposing, whatever you want to call it can go a long way towards keeping items out of our landfills as long as possible. Let’s all chip in and help in any way we can.

Product Review – Kauai 100% Hawaiian Coffee

I just recently began drinking coffee on a regular basis so I am a relative newcomer to the caffeinated wonder that is coffee. Late last year I was introduced to one of the best coffees I had ever tasted and immediately became hooked. I had tried various coffees several times throughout my life but none of them offered what it would take to get me to become a regular. In other words, I wasn’t hooked. If 4 to 6 cups a day can be considered regular then I guess I am now hooked.

After drinking my new found hot cup of love for several months, I decided to compare it with other brands. Each brand I tried left me wanting to come back to the one that got me hooked in the first place. All of the others lacked in flavor and they lacked in the much sought after buzz factor. I always went back to my first love, Hawaiian Isles Kona Coffee Company.

The brand I am testing this week also comes from Hawaii, Kauai Coffee Company. The flavor is Chocolate Macadamia and it is a ground medium roast.

The richness of the flavor and the resulting ‘high’ is exactly what I look for in a legal substance. J But seriously, I don’t do drugs and I am not particularly fond of the after effects of alcohol. I do enjoy this newly found rush of caffeine and Kauai Coffee Company delivers just what I currently crave.

Their website boasts its commitment to sustainability and I am all for that. But, I am just cynical enough to take whatever any business says about their “environmentally friendly” status with a grain of salt. You can read about it on the website and make your own determination.

I have learned that I am partial to the flavor Chocolate Macadamia. I make no apologies, I make no excuses. I realize that some coffee-purist will probably poo-poo my flavor of choice as not being truly coffee-based but I have tried pure Columbian, Guatemalan, Nicaraguan, Ethiopian, Brazilian, and others. So far, hands down, Hawaiian coffee is my favorite and Chocolate Macadamia is my flavor of choice. This may taint my view of coffee adversely and I do apologize for that, but Hawaiian coffee is, so far, the only type where I can find this flavor.

I have only just begun to scratch the surface of the wonderful and very prolific world of coffee and am still very much a novice. I can only voice my opinion on what I have personally tried and of the brands I have tried (Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Kona, Millstone, Eight O’clock, and several others) Kauai is now my hands down favorite. I have found all of the others lacking in any richness and complexity that, in my humble opinion, any coffee drinker should demand, otherwise, what is the point? A good buzz, sure, but really flavor should rank at the very top, right?

I have seen coffee priced over a very wide range and have decided to forego the cheaper priced ones (thinking there is probably very little substance to them) as well as the most common brands, i.e., Maxwell House, Folgers, etc. Perhaps this is because I am growing ever more weary of name-brand anything. My distrust of mainstream products runs deep for many reasons that will become the topic of future posts. Suffice it to say that I prefer to swim outside the mainstream and do my business with smaller companies that tend to try harder to gain their market share and therefore build up their reputation.

I drink my coffee with milk to help cut down on the acid and I do not add any sugar. I really don’t think milk changes the flavor very much if at all. it certainly does not mask it.

I have a Krupps 4 cup coffeemaker that serves my purposes just fine. And as long as it continues to do so, I am perfectly happy with it.

If you are a coffee drinker looking for a little something more out of your cup of Joe, then give these guys a try. You won’t be disappointed.

This product review is done completely on my own without any compensation or prompting at all. It is something I enjoy doing and I do it all on my own.

I Just Made Laundry Soap

This is something I’ve been wanting to do for some time now and I finally got it worked into my schedule. Actually, as usually happens, I woke up this morning thinking I’m going to make it today.

I have a hard time sleeping past 3 or 4 am so when I get up I’m alone and can get into all sorts of things. :)

The materials were all sitting altogether in their own little pile patiently waiting for me to get around to them and I just took them all towards the kitchen and began making detergent.

I found this recipe on Tip Nut awhile back and wrote down recipe #1 on a post-it note and attached it to one of the boxes of materials for future use. I used Fels-Naptha because the name just sounds old-timey and exotic…plus I know from personal experience that it works real well at getting out tough stains. Anyway, it took one half of the bar to get one cup because I cut the recipe in half and still ended up with a lot of detergent.

Today…Tuesday…is my laundry day and so I’m using it now. I wanted to have some of my regular detergent in case this stuff didn’t work but it is cleaning our clothes quite nicely. I’m currently using a concentrate I bought at CostCo. When I figured the cost of materials to make my own vs. the CostCo product the total cost per load of laundry using my own detergent is slightly less than CostCo brand. But compared to what you pay for laundry detergent at say WalMart and other stores making my own is cost effective. In the future, I plan on experimenting with other bars of soap etc to see if I can get the cost down.

Several factors that appeal to me about making my own is that the laundry washes out clean (does not leave any residue), is a lot more environmentally safe than many commercial detergents, and so far is cost effective. I have read about how stubborn stains come out easier than with commercial brands but honestly…Fels-Naptha…if used according to directions…gets greasy and oily spots out as well. Also, I like the idea of somehow connecting with the old ways of doing things…so making my own will probably become a regular routine for me.

Focused? I’m Focused

Who says you have to be focused on one topic at a time? I can focus on a bunch of different things.

We have a country harvest table that has seen quite a few years of use and I decided it was time to refinish it. This photo is taken from the internet because my digital camera is on the blink…or the software is…I’m not sure which.

Anyway, I love this old table…it has six chairs that are beat up where they get pushed into the table and where people’s feet have scraped the paint away. So far, I have only started on one chair…sanding with 60 coarse grain sand paper to smooth out the really rough patches…and then 150 fine grain sandpaper to smooth everything down so when I paint it the nicks won’t show. The final surface is really smooth now.

As far as focusing goes, for some reason, it’s really hard for me to stay on one project for very long so I’ll work a little on this project and then move on to something else. It has taken me four days to get to the point where just one chair has its first coat of primer…no worries…I’m not too concerned because I have been this way for a very long time. The result from having several things going at one time is…each gets completed in its own time…sort of like how ideas first begin to form and then become clearer and then come to fruition. There really is no truly linear process and every eventually gets done. In the meantime, I may have several piles of materials sitting around for each project that is being worked on…but it all gets done.

Right now, I am doing these chairs and table…patching some holes in all three bathrooms…patching a hole in a hallway ceiling…melting a bunch of used candles down into more useable ones…tearing down the garden for the year…making picture frames (I have about thirty picture frames laid out on the basement floor while I decide on a pattern to hang them on a wall)…making frames for the basement windows to put plastic on for insulation…redesigning and building a new seed transplanting table in the plant room downstairs…building a plant-shelf ladder because I have way too many indoor plants taking up way too much space, as well as the plants I had to bring in to over-winter…waxing leaves to place on ceramic tiles to hang…ummm, somewhere. Plus, several other projects on the computer.

Well, now its time to pull something together for supper because my wife will be home soon. See ya all later.