Thursday Evening Zwitter

Alrighty, Zoe has just finished macking up on a bone. She slowly migrated from couch to floor and is gracefully snoozing half on a rug and half on the cool tile floor.

Mood: mellow

WOOHOO :: CSA

I have just signed up for the CSA (Community Service Agriculture) here in South Florida << Bee Heaven Farm >>. Can I say how excited I am? I will be giving less money to Whole Paycheck and I will be supporting a local farm. I was on wait lists in Austin, TX but never made it before I moved. I also signed up for honey. LOCAL wildflower honey. Tres Yummy. It may be too much but we shall see. They also have local eggs and Tilapia. So Once I am in, there are other local options. Lower the carbon footprint now!!!

Another thing that I am happy about is that it gets back to my Jersey roots. I grew up in the sticks of South Jersey (yep, no exit for us) and we lived with farm fruit and veggies and it was all seasonal. How great is that? We grew veggies too. I love that there is a movement and desire to return to it. Strawberries that taste like strawberries... don't get me started on the Jersey corn or beefsteak tomatoes. I also crave the zucchini.

So here is how you can start your CSA adventure - vote with your dollar and ethically support your community - it makes a global impact a lot quicker than you think.

Discover CSA's and Farmer's Markets around you through Local Harvest. Great resource!!!

Fantastic Art

Love this work. It reminds me of the "meeting art" pieces that I have done in the past. I have been working on them some more and this inspires me to add color and play with the composition some more in my own work. Here is the artist: Jill Gallenstein

She has some images on Flickr.... and her show is at Johansson Projects in San Francisco, CA.

Love, Love, Love the work.

The Daily Show is the Best

HA!!!! link to the video, no need for commentary with this quote: "There's something about a charismatic leader rallying huge crowds of Germans in a large public square..."

Are you kidding me????

There is more dignity in reclining on the couch eating ice cream.

Pic from the Huffington Post for least walkable cities




Top 10 Least Walkable U.S. Cities

1. Jacksonville
2. Nashville
3. Charlotte
4. Indianapolis
5. Oklahoma City
6. Memphis
7. Kansas City
8. Fort Worth
9. El Paso
10. Mesa

Freedom of Expression

Is it just me or is this tagline, "Freedom of Expression" for Botox full of irony?

Hill Country

One more thing for today: Lavender Lemonade!!!

From the book by Jeannie Ralston, The Unlikely Lavender Queen. Hill Country, west and outside of Austin is so beautiful. I love to drive there and go out for walks. This place is unique and Hill Country Lavender make a unique drink: Lavender Lemonade. This sounds so good so here is the recipe:

LAVENDER LEMONADE RECIPE

Make lemonade either from scratch or concentrate. Separately, make a lavender tea, using either our dried lavender in cheesecloth or one of our lavender bath and tea bags. Let the tea steep for about 15 minutes; remove the lavender. Pour the tea into the lemonade. Use about 2 cups of lavender tea for every gallon of lemonade. Add plenty of ice, and a lavender sprig in each glass for a garnish.

NOTE: From concentrate, mix one can wtih 2 cups water and 1 cup tea.

Enjoy!

Sunscreens

I have used the Environmental Working Group (EWG) for research for a few years now and found them to be very helpful with skincare questions and understanding ingredients used in packaging. I understand the confusion of their report (see article below) but people have to take into account the toxic chemicals used in their products.

A wonderful brand called Keys has been created by a woman that suffered skin cancer. Natural oils are used for fragrance (if you looked at the EWG report's findings, you will notice that fragrance is a cause for concern in many of the ratings. The only issue with their spf product is it is not waterproof. It is great to use everyday but if you are out and about on the beach, by the pool or gardening, etc... it will not work.

Have you all noticed the horrible scent that has taken over the products found in drugstores and other mass stores? It is considered a "sea/water" scent but it makes me gag. It is so hard to find products that have not adopted its cloying smell. Dove products (liquid shower soaps - minus the fragrance free for sensitive skin), St. Ives Apricot Scrub (though, for now, Target brand has the original more natural smell), Secret - even the powder scent has the other smell lurking under the surface.... etc. Laundry detergent, fabric softeners, god forbid . What is the deal? Why has this smell become the overall go to for all of these more inexpensive brands. Oil of Olay is supposed to be great but I can't get past the smell. It is disgusting.

So it comes down to this: Does the smell mask the crazy chemicals used in these products? Or are companies dumbing down the scents because they feel that is what their consumers want?

For now I look to groups like EWG and follow my nose and buy brands that are more holistic and environmentally friendly in their practices.



Article from the NYTimes:

Sunscreen Safety Is Called Into Question

Stuart Bradford

“Patients are confused,” said Dr. Darrell S. Rigel, a clinical professor of dermatology at New York University who is a skin cancer researcher. “I’ve had patients come in and ask, ‘Am I harming myself by using it?’ I’ve spent a lot of time talking to people about it.”

The latest report comes from the Environmental Working Group, which claims that in an investigation of nearly 1,000 sunscreen products, four out of five offer inadequate protection from the sun or contain ingredients that may pose a health risk.

But dermatologists who reviewed the group’s research say the biggest problem is that it lacks scientific rigor. In particular, they are critical of a sunscreen rating system that they say is arbitrary and without basis in any accepted scientific standard.

“What they are doing is developing their own system for evaluating things,” said Dr. Warwick L. Morison, professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins and chairman of the Skin Cancer Foundation’s photobiology committee, which tests sunscreens for safety and effectiveness. “Using this scale to say a sunscreen offers good protection or bad protection is junk science.”

Dr. Morison has no financial ties to sunscreen makers, and his work with the Skin Cancer Foundation is unpaid.

Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst with the Environmental Working Group, said the database and rating system were based on an extensive review of the medical literature on sunscreens. Of nearly 1,000 sunscreens reviewed, the group recommends only 143 brands. Most are lesser-known brands with titanium and zinc, which are effective blockers of ultraviolet radiation. But they are less popular with consumers because they can leave a white residue.

The group is especially concerned about the safety of a compound called oxybenzone, which is used in most popular sunscreens. But the research on oxybenzone is limited.

Read the rest of the article >>

What am I wearing?

This question was asked of me today so I thought I would put the link on this site... Egyptian Goddess (EG) by Auric Blends. It comes in a larger size and in a roll on - good for travel. I found this scent in Sedona, AZ last year but it is a scent that I have been familiar with for a long time. I have always been into perfumes. My mom used to get me a perfume called Blue Jeans (not the Versace one). It was a yellow bottle with a large denim looking top. Growing up I always loved wearing her perfumes. I have no signature scent as I wear different ones all of the time (my mom's sig scent right now is Kai). I love defining my mood by what perfume I am wearing. I also tend to wear perfumes more seasonally. One thing I did miss about south FL was the robust use of perfumes. It is not the same in TX. The perfumes here are more bold and unfortunately, more trendy.

The first one I ever bought was 1982's Gianni Versace. It was his first and self named perfume. I bought it duty free when I was 13 or 14 in the Bahamas. I loved it then and I love it now, though now it is virtually impossible to get. It is a rich Oriental Woody scent. I so hope it is a re-release as that seems to be the trend these days. It lasts and is a beautiful Chypre. During the same trip I bought Paloma Picasso. Strong and dense! I loved fashion and photography and the perfumes were a natural way to pull from that world. I used to read W and Elle religiously. The more out there the fashion photography was, the better.

I used to buy an oil from a new age shop here in Fort Lauderdale called Egyptian Musk. It smells exactly the same as the EG. May be the same as the label on the perfume back in the day was just white and homemade. It is a beautiful light blend of musk. I am also finding that being back in Fort Lauderdale, some of my more favorite perfumes that I wore in Austin, TX are not the best here in the humidity. Another one that is great for this climate is the White Musk from Body Shop. It lasts and it smells wonderful.

Other perfumes that are amazing:
Creed: Virgin Island Waters
The Different Company: Sel de Vetiver
Armani Prive: Pierre de Lune
Fresh: Cucumber Index

Zwitter

Zwitter: (Zoe's musings) she is chilled, digesting and most happily napping this morning.
Mood: Satisfied

UNbelievable

Crist may decide fate of natural gas port off Fort Lauderdale
By DAVID FLESHLER |South Florida Sun-Sentinel

CRAZY!!!!!!!! Headline from Sun Sentinel

OK... This is a bad idea. The Suez Energy North America's Calypso Deepwater Port is a joke. Part of the report says that it is hurricane proof. Is anything? Do you remember the Andrew damage? I do, and there is a lot of potential for something not to be hurricane proof. I hope that Crist does the right thing here but I am doubtful as the state is in desperate need for money.

The reefs are in serious danger. The beach could sustain a large blast not to mention a bad view. Three football fields large, sitting on the ocean approx 10 miles offshore.

Right now I am ranting, but I am starting to ramp up on actions we can do to stop this as well as delve deeper into this thing to prove my gut reaction to the thing being a BAD IDEA.

PS: The "hurricane proof results" images are from Katrina. Another area that thought the rigs were "Hurricane Proof". Also another area that thought the companies would take care of them. The "toxic sludge" that everyone was dealing with was t he direct result of an oil company's due diligence. The dredging to get the rigs in compromised the outer islands, making the impact worse on the residents.

Great book to read on the perfect storm that was called Katrina: The Great Deluge by Douglas Brinkley. He is a professor from Tulane and this happened in his backyard.

Let's not forget the best shortcoming from this: "Brownie, you're doing a heckuva a job." -w

Sherpani Arrives

New Arrival: Sherpani bag no. 2.... second color, same great bag. (first color was Tarragon, a little bright and now the second color is Pebble... I may also get the brown, or Chestnut, for fall) So, I am a little obsessed about bags. I also have an interesting dilemma as I love good looking bags but I also love utilitarian bags. I LOVE pockets and places for things to rest. I am an information architect after all, and since I find places for information on web sites and in web applications all of the time, it is not a stretch to want it in my handbags. The problem I have is that I love expensive handbags or sporty ones (not for their design but for their pockets and function). Nothing (and I have looked) in between. I love the durability, quality and small company feel of the Sherpani but I also love me a Cole Haan or Bottega Veneta too. Sometimes I like Prada but I hate their overall stance on non-couture individuals. What is a girl to do??? I think I have gotten past the "it" bag syndrome but I have not gotten past the "gotta have it" syndrome.

NOTE TO SELF: stop acquiring.... better for the environment and small closet

PS: if you don't believe me about Prada, read this book: Deluxe by Dana Thomas ... it reads great and it goes into how "Luxury Lost its Luster". What makes something a luxury brand? What is behind the marketing of the "it" bag? How much stuff is truly made in China? (you will be surprised to know that companies can add a label that states, for example, Made in Italy, if it has been made in China and some parts, like hardware, are added in Italy.

MOOD: Happy, ready to switch bags





ZWITTER: (Zoe's actions) just outside chasing lizards and went on a sniff about in the backyard. Now that she is back in the a/c, she is lounging on her bed in the office.

Mood: Happy and Content

First Blog.... So now to dive into the details of setting one of these things up.