So, in addition to this weekend’s West Durham Urban Hike, check out “Slow-Flow, Warm Glow”, an AWESOME energy, water and conservation event at Watts-Hillandale. All you have to do is show up at Oval Park on W. Club Blvd on Saturday morning (THIS SATURDAY, 12th April) at 9 am, and then you can pick what you want to do when!
If you’re in the mood to redesign / redecorate your home for a fresh new year, here’s what to watch for in 2008’s home interior!
OK, guys, tune out now ~ as this next resolution is for the ladies only (and or drag queens) ~ as I resolve to buy only earth and woman friendly products for my toiletries and makeup. Here, I talk deodorant, makeup and tampons (see).
First, I made the change to natural deodorant a couple years ago ~ I use Crystal Body deodorant spray (not the rock ~ I don’t like the crystal rock). Nope, not spray in the sense of aerosol, but as in a little bottle with a spray pump that finely mists you with a four-ingredient water solution.
I used to hate the fake-flowery smell of the tradition and popular deodorants anyhow, much less that atrocious stickgrip feeling it left under my arms for the next day ~ and I tried all of them (including other natural types). You see (TMI), I have what I call an overactive armpit, and no deodorant was able to stop the b.o.. Even within a couple hours, I’d smell like a mix of old wet dog and a cheap drugstore deodorizer… yuck. With Crystal, Marc no longer hears me say “Crap, I smell myself!” on a daily basis. I’m totally neutral smelling (uh… usually!)
Plus, all those commercial/popular Read the rest of this entry »
A smorgasbord of green rolled up into a messy little sushi just for you:
A. I know my title looks crazy right now ~ and yes, I changed the blog name… a whole post will soon follow, as well as some meat on it in the “who’s ashley sue” page, which will also be updated this weekend. Hopefully by this time next week, my blog will look normal (whatever that is) and will be completely stable. 
B. Check out this fantastic little ditty that Ginny from the Blog posted on recycling and new years resolutions and frustration, and see if you can help inspire Joey down in the comments section…
C. Check out this great link sent to me via Lisa that shows the Raleigh Philosophical Society’s stance on the necessity of consumerism to the vitality of our downtown… sadly, I can’t disagree… perhaps we can have cool stores like Father & Sons instead of Targets though…
D. Hands down the best 30 minutes you can spend watching the internet is this nifty whiteboard magic… seriously. I was really skeptical of sitting through a 20 minute video, but it pulled me in and gave me food for thought for the last two days. I’ll be posting more about it later.
Thanks ~ had to get that off me ~ whew.
For the coming year(s) of my life, I resolve to make action happen in my personal life in order to feel less… well, less of so many of the bluh things I have felt lately.
Consequently, I resolve to de-tv myself.
No, I will not throw my tv by the curb (I’d donate it to AnimalKind Retails anyhow). I will not unplug the cable (besides, I pay for cable with my rent involuntarily… wouldn’t that be throwing out money?).
I resolve to turn off the tv unless I am actively watching a show ~ choosing to sit and indulge in Young and the Restless (sick, I know, I am sick), yell at the Steelers (and here) for yet another sadly predictable week (still love you, TP/BBR/WP/SH/HW) or relax in awe of Planet Earth / Blue Planet (the best series EVER ~ thank you BBC). But NO more “hey, I’m bored, I’m home, let’s turn on the tube and let it putter another Friends rerun while I cook”, which is frankly where most of my tv viewing takes place.
Boo. I resolve to turn off the tv and hence experience my own thoughts. Or turn on music. And paint. Or, OMG, get so bored I go for a walk at the park. Or experience my community. Make a friend with the elderly chap next door. Or use my new cookware to try a scary new recipe.
By taking this resolution, I know I will damper the feelings of gloom, loneliness and guilt I take on as I watch yet another episode of Dharma & Greg. I know that I will inspire myself in ways I did not know I could in that time. I know that I will become more aware of humanity and the world around me by actively choosing what I do and where I am, as opposed to passively allowing my life to pass by as I watch other losers’ lives (sorry… exaggerated judgement for effect). I know that I will find a new class to take or make that leap out of a plane with Doug (and drag Marc with us). And by choosing to experience all these other things instead of the tv, I save the senseless energy consumption of constantly having it on.
Who knew that turning off the tv could do so much for 2008.
I’m surprised I turned the tv off long enough to think it all through.
Cheers to viewing more through my own eyes and less through a flat screen in 2008~
Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue
Who I am is a girl who loves to cook, and cooking more can be a great way to green up your New Year.
Thus, Resolution #1 (in no particular order): Resolve to cook more often.
Yesterday, I made a big pot of brothy goodness ~ full of healthy inexpensive ingredients (red potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery, bell peppers, spices galore, Bragg’s, and chicken in Marc’s). Unfortunately, only the sweet potatoes were locally grown/organic, but I can make that more of a priority next time.
This stockpot of soup is served with wonderful easy biscuits that I cheated (thanks to ready-bake style in the refrigerated section of the grocer ~ and NO I do not consider that actual baking), and it should last us this whole week. This soup offers us simple nutrients and warmth.
This soups offers the chance to have real foods, not canned soups (full of preservatives and stablizers, then packed into aluminum) that only have to be recycled (good, but using fuels which we can just bypass by not having canned foods as often) or worse yet, chucked in the trash.
And it saves me time for lunch at work today, when I would be driving home to make something (again with the fuel).
Plus, cooking, particularly preparation foods and baking, really puts me in touch with who I am. And that reminds me to thank my “in laws”, Bernice and Dan and the “siblings-in-law” (as I call them) for rockstar cookware to help me have fun in the kitchen.
Whether you’re celebrating Christmas today or you’ve celebrated another holiday instead, I’m guessing you likely are preparing for 2008 ~ and maybe even making resolutions for the new year.
New Year’s is a huge thing for me, and only seems to get more important with each year. Maybe that’s because I’m a New Years Day baby ~ each New Year is truly a whole new, fresh-from-day-one year for me ~ 365 days more (or 366, depending) gone, another 365 (or so) ahead ~ with my birthday to punctuate the new opportunities that the New Year symbolizes.
I savor the opportunity to reflect on the past year of my life and figure out what’s worked for me, how far I’ve come, and how much further I have to go.
Sadly, the past year has been a challenging one for me. I’ve accomplished a lot ~ my world has come alive with opportunities and milestones, for which I am both thankful and proud.
Personally, however, I have been living very out-of-harmony with the very spirit of who I am and what I believe. I believe your actions must coincide with your mind, heart and soul. As a result of living out of accordance with “me”, my back is a gigantic kink, my heart is heavy and my cheeks are wet far too often.
And here comes my Jerry McGuire-style mission statement/awakening.
I’m not trying to be a sadsac, and I realize every day that I am so unbelievably blessed… but this gloom weighs on me constantly now ~ to the point that I’ve missed out on my favorite time of year ~ the holidays (apologies to my lovely colleagues and to Marc ~ all of whom have been experiencing my bah-humbugginess). The holidays are still sweet, but bittersweet this year, but consolation lies in knowing not all holidays will be this hard odd.
I feel a weight starting to slough off of me, however, and that ginormous sachel of concrete is called 2007. Each chunk of cynderblock I’m crawling from under is a different aspect of the me that I know but have ignored.
I’m looking forward to making my resolutions ~ and living by them. Some will be serious. Some will be silly. Many will be “green” in some fashion. But they are all personal and important to me.
I’ll share my resolutions with you, one by one, over the next days, and I would love to hear yours as well.
So as sad as I am that the holidays have all washed away without feeling much whimsy and passion, I joyfully look ahead at the fact that I have a fresh chance to rebegin ~ who I am and what I do ~ together as the united power-couple they should be.
Thank you for letting me vent ~ and with nothing officially green to share ~ but just sharing a bit of who I am… and why.
