Monday Meanderings

Howdy, folks! It is Monday, and I am, indeed, back in the blogging saddle again, after taking a week off to coincide with a week off that my husband took last week. No, we didn't do anything outstandingly fun, but we got some big house chores taken care of and got on each other's nerves, so it was at least productive, right?

Just to prove that I was actually thinking this week, there will probably be a couple of posts today. This one is just tidbits here and there, little "green" nuggets I wanted to share.

First, this month I am trying Instead Softcups (No strings! No wings! Just freedom!) during my menstrual cycle. Yes, I know, all of you are almost as excited as I am that I am a breed-worthy female with a working uterus. Yes, I know Colin is probably sick with envy that he can't try these out for his No Impact Man experience (but, hey, I wasn't handing out reproductive parts that day, Colin, sorry!). Yes, I know that 99.9985% of everyone who thinks about this switch is a little repulsed, wary, or both; include me in that percentage. But, I am willing to try it out, based on rave reviews from body-aware women everywhere (and I do mean everywhere, as I've seen all ages from late teens to pre-menopausal, and all walks of life, from triathletes to treehuggers to nudists to... well, you get the picture). If I like them, I will graduate to the Diva Cup (or another similar product) to reduce my personal waste.

Second, we decided to go ahead with carpet removal & replacement with either bamboo flooring or reclaimed hardwood flooring upstairs. We are also overhauling both of our upstairs bathrooms, and we are doing it with as many green materials as possible. They've been in need of plumbing overhauls, carpet removal (what moron decided carpet in bathrooms was cool?!?!), leak fixes, and much more for a year or more, and since we are patricians of procrastination, we've simply put quick fixes into play and ignored the water stains (oh, and that one hole, too) in the ceilings downstairs. There are some really interesting and attractive options out there now. There's Paperstone, paper-composite countertops that are equivalent to Corian; recycled glass tiles from several different companies, including one who recycled the glass light covers from all of Berkeley's traffic lights; and recycled aluminum or copper vessels. We're heading to Austin in two weeks to visit a showroom that carries a good many green options for homes.

Lastly, I must confess a probably-not-so-green decision we made this week. We signed up at Anytime Fitness, where we can go to torture our bodies... err, I mean, exercise... any time of the day or night. I know, I should get out and run (like Vanessa) or bicycle or whatever, but I don't. I don't like exercise, I don't like sweating, I don't like hurting. But, if I can plug some headphones into my own personal TV screen and watch Survivor or The Amazing Race while I do, at least I won't be so bored stiff as to render the experience completely worthless. And so, we've made one of those trade-offs I was talking about; I've traded some green points for possible motivation for personal health. That's it and that's all.

Comments

[RedMolly]

My parents are looking at Paperstone for their countertops... and doing the bamboo flooring thing too. Mom says they should open a green building supplies store in town just 'cause it seems so silly to have to burn fuel driving an hour each way to shop for them in Sacramento. Keep us posted with what you choose!

[Vanessa]

Interesting -- I'd never even heard about the soft cup! I'm just waiting to try my Diva Cup, and probably way more excited than I should be.

I hate working out, too, but with the right music and the right route, I think the running outside is at least more stimulating. I also really like playing squash or frisbee or whatever, but that does require scheduling coordination with someone else.

Congrats on all the green home renos... I think it was the Brits who first introduced carpeted bathrooms... so, so wrong.

[Colin Beavan aka No Impact Man]

Actually Lori, it's *green* with envy. ;)
Colin aka No Impact Man