Sunday Update

Yesterday was spent cleaning up the popcorn maker. We brought it up from the basement so we would start using it again. I was really missing the wonderful fresh popcorn. Doug has pictures on his blog.

We also did some shopping at Sam's Club, Hy Vee and Walmart. If that wasn't boring enough the only other thing we did was watch TV in the evening. Not much to watch on Saturday evening; Cops, Diners Drive-Ins & Dives and House Hunters International. I went to bed early as I was very tired.

barbie turns 50

Today is National Pig Day

The 1st of March is set aside especially for pigs. It was started by Texas art teacher Ellen Stanley in 1972 to honor and give thanks to our most intelligent domesticated creature.
On this day, remember the good things pigs have brought to us; remember that pigs are sociable, intelligent mammals. They are much like us in many ways, they have noticeable personality traits and soaring emotions. You might want to visit a farm sometime in March for a day out (with the kids) and pay your respects to these marvelous animals.

If you have never handled a pig before, or even seen one in the flesh, I think you will be pleasently surprised at their nature. Take a detailed look at the way a pigs live; how they eat, sleep, and interact with one another. It's very good fun and interesting.

Groink - Celebrity Pigs

Green Tip of the Day

By recycling one ton of paper, you can help save about 17 trees. Know what saves more trees? Not using paper at all. Next time you want to show someone you care, send an electronic greeting and avoid the embarrassing mishap of being late for a special occasion.

Schedule its delivery in advance for an on-time arrival.

Many charitable organizations have e-cards available to help celebrate, while also spreading the word about their cause. Get involved - choose your favorite charity for your next e-card.

Rethink tradition - Send your friends and family links to photo slideshows you’ve created or a video you’ve posted online. Wishing someone a happy birthday through video or pictures will outshine a card any day!

Saturday Update

It was nice not having to go to work yesterday. But, I ended up having to spend most of the day with Ilse. I went to her place at about 12 and took her to the grocery store. That took a little while as usual.

She also wanted to take her dog to the vet to get a rabies shot, checkup and nail trimming. When she called they said a doctor would not be in until 3:20. So, rather than go home and have to drive back later, I tried to go through some of my Dad's file cabinets and look for important insurance papers for Ilse. I threw out some junk he had in the files and eventually just gave up. Every time there is a folder that looks important, it either has really outdated material or papers that have nothing to with what it is labeled. My favorite are the folders labeled "In the event of my death". He has 4 file cabinets and each has one of these folders. Everyone of the folders is empty. He really had no plan at all. It is maddening.

Doug came over while we were at the vets. He had to finish setting up the antennae for the TV in her bedroom. She also let me bring home some of my Dad's fix-it books and I found more of his car books for Thomas. We didn't leave until after 5. It was a long day.

Green Tip of the Day

Quit buying new tools

Join a tool-lending library if you've got one nearby. Borrowing that utility knife instead of buying a new one saves natural resources. Producing one shared tool uses fewer resources than producing many copies of the same tool.

Tools aren't cheap - especially power tools, many of which will set you back $100-plus. Lending libraries are typically free.

Many tool libraries even have uncommon tools like vernier calipers - and most let you borrow for several days.

• Wikipedia - list of local tool libraries.
• Neighborrow - online directory that helps you and others in your neighborhood borrow and lend stuff, including tools.
• If you can't find one near you, try renting instead of buying (Home Depot rents big tools, for example; many independent hardware stores do the same).

Friday Update

Happy Friday everyone. I'm glad I don't have to work today. Not sure what I will do today. Most likely check in on Ilse. Other than that it will probably just be a jump start on the usual weekend cleaning routine.

Green Tip of the Day

Go Green With Cotton

Cotton is an all-natural resource that uses sunshine, air and soil to produce fibers that become the shirts, jeans, totes, textiles and other personal items we love. Plus, cotton growers have been reducing their need for pesticides and irrigation water over the past 25 years. So while many industries are just starting to go green, cotton’s green movement started a long time ago.

Cotton is more than just a great green option. It also breathes beautifully, feels soft next to the skin and looks fabulous. So update your closet with new cotton clothes.

Whether you’re going to the farmer’s market, bookstore or beach, cotton totes are convenient, available in several chic shapes, sizes and colors, plus they keep plastic bags out of our landfills.

Instead of throwing away your old sofa and other furniture—or spending money to buy new pieces—make the old new with fresh cotton covers. Brighten up a room with a crisp, white sofa cover. Drape a cotton cover over an old chair or table for an fresh update, or use bright cotton pillows to add a splash of color to your space.

Thursday Update

I took a vacation day tomorrow, so today is my Friday at work. Yesterday was a fairly good day at work. The phones were still slow, but my sales were the best for this week. I did get a lot of game playing in as well. We are still checking out the new games we will be selling during slow periods. I played Scrabble, Jewels of Cleopatra and Hoyle Miami Solitaire.

Last night we watched 2 hours of American Idol. It was the second round of elimination for the groups of 12. Most of the people were pretty bad last night. I'm not sure who is going to make it through. We think Nick Mitchell (Norman Gentle) actually has a chance to make it through.

Created for Campbell in celebration of the red dress symbol for heart health, Red, White and Seamed was America's favorite Nicole Miller design.

Click on this year's winning dress. For each click, Campbell's is donating $1 to the Go Red For Women® movement.*

* Up to $275,000 from 12/18/08 - 3/2/09

Green Tip of the Day

Reusable Bottles

Almost 90 percent of the cost of bottled water is for the plastic bottle, lid and label. Americans buy an estimated 28 billion plastic water bottles every year. Plastic bottles are produced from petroleum, so investing in a reused bottle cuts down on oil use. In fact, in 2006, it took more than 17 million barrels of oil (excluding the oil used in transporting the plastic) to produce these plastic bottles.

• A small investment up front can save over the long run. Use your reusable bottles while exercising, at the office or around the house.
• Keep one in your car at all times, for those unexpected trips and stops. You can fill it up at any gas station or fast food restaurant.
• When you do buy a plastic bottle, make sure to wrap it up with reuse or recycling
• Give the gift of reuse, the options are endless.
• Buy matching reusable bottles for your department, co-workers or member of your book club.
• Encourage your employer to hand out reusable bottles as promotional gifts, or give them away as party favors at your next major event.

Wednesday Update

Yesterday was another boring day at work. I can't wait for things to pick up. We are getting closer to moving in to our new office in the Granby Building next door. They have the cubicles built, they are very nice with upper cabinets and two sets of desk drawers.

Last night we watched Good Eats, Dirty Jobs-200 Jobs Look-Back and Wreckcreation Nation with Dave Mordal.

Presidential Address to Congress

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Tuesday Update

Yesterday was a trying day at work. It seems the new company was doing some penny pinching by buying only 10 licenses for us to connect to our server. That means that if we all connect to everything we need to do our jobs easily and efficiently, some of us loose internet connectivity. Everything we use for our jobs is internet related, so this makes absolutely no sense. The company realizes this now and have told us they will be getting us unlimited access, however we do not know how long it will be before we have this. I was not able to get online form 9AM to 11:30 AM yesterday. It could be a long week.

Last night Doug and I had leftover riblets for supper. Yummy! We watched our Monday show "Top Gear". Then we watched Two & a Half Men. After that there really wasn't much else on. Not an exciting night.

Green Tip of the Day

Uses for bread bags

Many families wind up with hundreds of bread bags each year. So what to do them all?

We probably can't keep them out of the waste stream forever, but perhaps they can be used for other purposes that may prevent the use/purchase of another product. Here's some ideas:

- For packing sandwiches
- As packing material when shipping goods
- General storage for small items
- A replacement for freezer bags
- Plastic bag crafts
- A cake icing piping bag
- Handy bags for picking up dog poop
- Makeshift gloves
- Punch holes in the bag and use as a seedling tube
- Car travel sick bag
- Car travel rubbish bag
- Seasoning bag; add seasoning and meat and shake

As mentioned, these ideas won't keep the bread bags out of the waste stream, but they might take the place of something you'd otherwise buy for the tasks. Lowering consumption of anything and everything is something we can all do to reduce our environmental impact.

Monday Update

Yesterday was a usual Sunday; cleaning, laundry and cooking. The cooking was done mostly by Doug of course. Although we had riblets, only Mark and Wanda showed up. After supper we watched the Academy Awards. Slumdog Millionaire won the most awards. We will have to see this movie.

Here are the Winners of a 2009 Academy Award

THE WINNERS

Best motion picture of the year - "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best actor in a leading role - Sean Penn in "Milk"

Best actress in a leading role - Kate Winslet in "The Reader"

Best actress in a supporting role - Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Best actor in a supporting role -- Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight"

Achievement in directing - "Slumdog Millionaire" Danny Boyle

Best animated feature film of the year - "WALL-E"

Achievement in art direction - "The Duchess"

Achievement in cinematography - "Slumdog Millionaire”

Achievement in costume design - "The Duchess" Michael O'Connor

Best documentary feature - "Man on Wire"

Best documentary short subject - "Smile Pinki"

Achievement in makeup - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Greg Cannom

Best animated short film - "La Maison en Petits Cubes"

Best live action short film - "Spielzeugland (Toyland)"

Adapted screenplay -- "Slumdog Millionaire" Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Original screenplay - "Milk" Written by Dustin Lance Black

Achievement in sound editing - "The Dark Knight"

Achievement in sound mixing - "Slumdog Millionaire"

Achievement in visual effects - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Achievement in film editing - “Slumdog Millionaire" Chris Dickens

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score) - "Slumdog Millionaire" A.R. Rahman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song) - "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire" Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar

Best foreign language film - "Departures" Japan

Green Tip of the Day

Don’t Throw Away Your Television

Our TVs are part of this growing e-waste problem. Electronic circuit boards, batteries and color cathode ray tubes (CRTs) can contain hazardous materials such as lead, mercury and hexavalent chromium. If improperly handled or disposed, these toxins can be released into the environment through landfill leachate or incinerator ash.

Responsible recycling of your TV will help mediate the risks of disposing of this common household electronic device. In fact, in just one year, over 112 million pounds of valuable materials were recovered from disposed electronics, such as steel, glass, plastic and precious metals.

Don’t throw away your television, recycle it! Use Earth911.com recycling database to find a location near you.