The many uses of a plastic bag...actually not that many

There's a trend toward using reusable bags for groceries and shopping, but even the best of us forget those canvas totes once in awhile and grab those environmental-sucking plastic ones. There are, however, many uses for them before chucking them in the garbage:

• garbage-can lining, in lieu of real trash bags, especially good for small wastepaper baskets


• transporting stuff
  
• dumping foods that will smell in the garbage if it's not garbage day for a few days
• to wrap foods that you're freezing
• to wrap other foods that don't require freezing but are messy (ie: flour)
• ...it's good to have a bag filled with plastic bags in case you need, and to bring to the grocery stores that have areas to recycle plastic bags

Not Green at work

I am amazed by all of the things that we, as a society, waste on a daily basis: When it comes to the environment in specific, it's a lot. Water, energy, paper, etc. And when it doesn't directly touch your pocketbook, it somehow seems to matter less, especially at work.

We are obsessed with meetings, discussions and strategic thinking to make more money for the One. After one of these productive meetings, people often leave the conference room light on, or the light on in their office after leaving for the day. Plus, if the building has natural light coming in from windows, why do we need to have the interior lights running the whole day?

Recycling also seems less important at the office. You're at your cubicle finishing a bottled water, but the recycling bin is on the other side of the room and seems so far away. That reason is enough to lead you to throw the plastic container in the garbage, or to throw a piece of paper that you accidentally printed into the trash can.

Going out, especially driving to get there, wastes a lot of energy, especially in packaging goods. We always get more than we need of plastic utensils and don't think twice about throwing even unused ones in the garbage. This one does directly touch the wallet, and in the end, bringing a bagged lunch or leftovers saves the environment and your money.

Helping the environment is more about stopping the waste and reducing your footprint on the earth; it's a commitment to something greater than yourself--hard to do even if you see something tangible as a result.

Things I love/like

And then in the future...Things I hate (this might even be easier)
In no particular order and more TK!:

• Turtlenecks - There's something about being covered to the neck that makes you feel protected and warm.
• Family pictures - It's nice to reminisce about the good 'ole days, and to see an unfolding of your history.
• Mimosa plants - The love affair began in Mrs. Gehsmann's 6th grade class, and we were studying plants. You can touch the leaves--and it moves!
  
• Coming home after a vacation or being away - Of course there's the excitement of being somewhere else than here, but it's also nice to come home (minus work anxieties) and to see people you miss.
• Aquariums - I'm not much of an animal person, but I like seeing animals in captivity. The sea is mysterious and scary, and it's cool to see what lives in that vast space.
  
• Knitted things - Related to turtlenecks, I love a good pair of gloves, a scarf and a hat.
  
• Survivor - A fan from the beginning, this is a great show. Admittedly, most of the people they choose are either attractive, annoying or dramatic, but the competitions and social dynamics are interesting. Maybe it's also because I know that I would probably be kicked off for being too weak in a physical challenge or being too quiet and people figure they can't trust me. Oh well.
• Sharing something that someone else doesn't know - I felt bad that the father of my neighbor growing up didn't know that George Bush didn't like broccoli; it made me look smart though it was a small and unimportant thing.
• Being surprised - Self-help books tell you not to prepare yourself for failure or for bad things to happen, but sometimes you can't help it. So when someone surprises me with an action, a word, it's meaningful, especially because it's not a common occurrence.
• Getting absorbed into a good book - I love the feeling that I don't want to put a book down because then I'll get that much closer to finishing it. I tend to flip ahead to see where I am in a chapter, so if I can keep that to a minimum, cool!
• Getting friended--by someone I actually like - I didn't like Facebook at first, but it's grown on me.
• Cards/letters - I know they're bad for the environment, but I love reading them. It makes you feel as if you're important to someone.
• Black bubble tea - It's trendy but still yummy. I wasn't crazy about the texture when I first popped one of the balls into my mouth, but it's definitely grown on me. And with just a little bit of sugar.
• A clean and neat kitchen - I think this is generally the dirtiest part of a house...the crumbs, bacteria, grease.
  

Snow

The beauty of a snow day. It seems like most people experience it: The thrill of not being where we're supposed to be every day.

The dramatic weather reports do want to scare and keep people tuning in, but you can't help but continue to watch and keep up to date of the storm. I especially like hearing the accumulation totals: The words "record snow fall," while overused, perk up the ears. I like this time of year.

As a child, it wasn't fun to experience the disappointment of having the meterologists' warnings be wrong. It wasn't cool to have your school stay open or have the snowstorm happening on a weekend, especially when you had allowed that hope to seep into your consciousness that perhaps, just perhaps, school would be closed. When you heard my Mom's footsteps at the door, you knew that good news was coming.

Shoveling snow can be fun, too, especially when your Dad insists on doing the real heavy lifting. My parents had a plastic red shovel that was light enough to push the bulk and gave you the illusion that you were helping tremendously with snow removal. When we were small enough to fit on a plastic sled, my Dad pulled us around the backyard, which was big since it wasn't home to a massive pool like the other neighbors on the block. Inevitably, I would fall face first into the snow. My Mom never liked us to get our clothes wet because we would drip all over the house; this did not bode well for her clean sensibilities. But we did get into the thick of it, especially on the porch, and then returned to the house for a cup of hot chocolate or tea.

Now, snow days are rare ones, but when they happen--like today--they're a real treat. We may still be obliged to work from home, but being in a comfortable setting, being able to look frumpier than usual and not having to worry about a figure looming at your cubicle help the psyche a lot.

I am soaking in the view of the falling snow. This is life...not just the obligations or what you do that make you useful. Step away and regain perspective.