Sunday, July 26, 2009

As I continue to spend my days “letting go”, today I finally decided it was time to give up the ghost that the apartment handyman was going to stop by and fix the broken sprinkler heads. A quick trip to Lowe’s (okay, 2 quick trips… I need to learn how to measure things before I head out of the house) and I was able to replace the broken and the missing sprinkler heads all by myself. I was also even able to adjust them properly so that they’re not shooting at the sidewalk or into the apartment windows. Sometimes simplicity is just getting off your butt and getting the job done on your own. My only regret that I was letting the broken sprinklers waste so much water for so long…but now I know, that when the World’s Worst Gardeners steal/destroy these new sprinkler heads, that it takes only $3, 5 minutes and a wrench to fix the problem.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Letting it Go

On the same theme of getting super-simplified this weekend I’ve also come up with a brilliant idea this week, one that I like to call “LET IT GO”. I’m not even going to go into the details of why I came up with it, or what I am using it for, because both of those go against what “LET IT GO” is all about. So now, anytime I find myself thinking about something that is making me mad, I just stop, say “LET IT GO” and try to move on. It doesn’t always work very well, but then I just say “LET IT GO” again and continue along my way. So far it’s going okay, but I know the real test will be once I get back to work full time. It’s just another way of reminding myself that life is too short to be wasting time stressing over things that in the grand scheme, just do not matter at all.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Hot Fun in the Summertime... without the burn

As someone who loves to spend as much time as possible outdoors, (especially during those sunny hours) I know how important having a good sunscreen can be. After having adverse reactions to commercial brands in the past (getting laid up with fatigue for an entire day after one application) I decided to check out the natural options offered by Whole Foods as well as the “healthy” baby options offered by responsible companies. My two choices Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Sunblock Lotion (SPF 55) and Kiss My Face Face Factor Paraben Free (SPF 30) seemed to rectify the exhaustion factor, but I am now learning from a recently published list by The Environmental Working Group of their dangers. The new report rates 660 different sunscreens on a scale of 0-10 (0 the best, 10 the worst) and my two choices received a 5 and a 4 respectively. In fact only 2 sunscreens they tested received the perfect score of 0. Less than 20 received a 1. Even scarier are the new realizations that the chemicals in many sunscreens are destroying water quality. So what to do to still enjoy the sun and get your daily dose of Vitamin D, but keep yourself safe from overexposure? Big hat, avoid the midday hours, and pick a safe sunscreen to reapply every several hours

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Just another simplified weekend.

Oh boy, are we getting our ducks in a row this weekend. I am actually finally at a place in my life where I am so organized that I can actually accomplish everything that needs to get done before it needs to get done. Granted my list of to-do’s are pretty low priority to begin with, but that’s the perk of being super-simplified… not only do you get things accomplished more easily, but you begin to realize that most of our tasks are actually low priority. So the compost has been taken out, the cat’s nails have been trimmed, the smoothie’s been blended, work emails have been responded to, computer files have been organized. What else to do on a stiflingly-hot 93ยบ July day? Ah yes, be still.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Link of the Day: "There I Fixed It!"

I’m a personal fan of jury-rigging (or jerry-rigging or MacGyvering as it is often known as and There I Fixed It is the site for exhibiting only the most ridiculous repair jobs that actually… well kinda work. The yellow bungee cord I had holding my bumper on for 5 years has nothing on these creative handy men and women. Just a sampling of some of the most creative: Here we have the real reason I think the El Camino was made for:








Followed by what to do if you lose a head light:







And last but not least—in fact this one is actually pretty aesthetically pleasing, and I can see Restoration Hardware mass-producing these for next season:





All of these ideas are great because not only do they keep a product that might otherwise be thrown away still working, but they use materials on hand to make the fix. The ultimate in recycling!