Friday: 180-miles from Lancaster to Warrenton VA.
Saturday 125-miles to Williamsburg VA to see an old dear friend be wed.
About 180-miles back.
The wedding was lovely, I'm always so happy to see my friends get married. Always.
Gas for the weekend all together, about $90. I hate paying high gas prices as much as anyone, yet I am in the camp that thinks that if it spurns serious conservation, and helps America reduce it's oil addiction, that'd be awesome. Yet I have to be realistic, we're stuck in an auto-centered culture for a number of years, whether we like it or not.
I try to hyper-mile every mile I drive. That should have helped, some. Though what's the best way to save gas? not driving does nothing but save gas, though that's easier said then done.
My final grades were an A- and an A, which is great, cumulative GPA is now a 3.4. Quite respectable.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Daily Mail
"Orangutan Attempts to Hunt Fish With Spear"
http://tinyurl.com/3qb48s
Real or not, still an interesting story.
An Orangutan fishing with a spear. Next step in primate evolution or just a 'fluke' either way this is exciting. People studying apes for years have seen them create primitive tools, such as chimpanzees using special sticks to draw out termites from a mound.
"Orangutan Attempts to Hunt Fish With Spear"
http://tinyurl.com/3qb48s
Real or not, still an interesting story.
An Orangutan fishing with a spear. Next step in primate evolution or just a 'fluke' either way this is exciting. People studying apes for years have seen them create primitive tools, such as chimpanzees using special sticks to draw out termites from a mound.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Green Consumption
Greed in The Name of Green
Monica Hesse, Washington Post
http://tinyurl.com/2v9kwp "Congregation of the Church of the Holy Organic, let us buy."
A well written, scathing commentary on the trend towards "green consumerism." A trend of the affluent buying public that thinks in all seriousness we can buy our way to greater environmental consciousness.
Companies of all kinds attempt to produce "greener" goods by embracing sustainable and organic materials of all kinds; lovingly made by hand from people paid fair wages and working in nice working conditions. All these people should be applauded for their efforts, we need more effort like this. However, before getting rid of your current -insert consumer good here- we must ask simply, "do I, or we, need it?"
What's wrong with your current furniture, clothing, etc? Even something made from 100% renewable, non-toxic materials still requires use of energy and resources to construct and transport from source (hemp field, FSC timber field, etc.) to factory or craft-shop, to a distributor, or direct to your house. Your old things have already been paid for and manufactured. If they're still wearable, functional etc. It is much greener to keep using them, rather than buy replacements labeled green. Also saves green ($$$).
If you need to replace things, and get new ones, by all means choose the greener option, sure you're paying more, but you're doing more, you're subsidizing a more socially responsible way of producing goods and services; averting dumping of chemicals into the environment; supporting the economy of the people that made the item and other goodly things.
Be a wise consumer, who knows their limits, and when it's time to decline. Many of the greenest goods are some you already have.
Monica Hesse, Washington Post
http://tinyurl.com/2v9kwp "Congregation of the Church of the Holy Organic, let us buy."
A well written, scathing commentary on the trend towards "green consumerism." A trend of the affluent buying public that thinks in all seriousness we can buy our way to greater environmental consciousness.
Companies of all kinds attempt to produce "greener" goods by embracing sustainable and organic materials of all kinds; lovingly made by hand from people paid fair wages and working in nice working conditions. All these people should be applauded for their efforts, we need more effort like this. However, before getting rid of your current -insert consumer good here- we must ask simply, "do I, or we, need it?"
What's wrong with your current furniture, clothing, etc? Even something made from 100% renewable, non-toxic materials still requires use of energy and resources to construct and transport from source (hemp field, FSC timber field, etc.) to factory or craft-shop, to a distributor, or direct to your house. Your old things have already been paid for and manufactured. If they're still wearable, functional etc. It is much greener to keep using them, rather than buy replacements labeled green. Also saves green ($$$).
If you need to replace things, and get new ones, by all means choose the greener option, sure you're paying more, but you're doing more, you're subsidizing a more socially responsible way of producing goods and services; averting dumping of chemicals into the environment; supporting the economy of the people that made the item and other goodly things.
Be a wise consumer, who knows their limits, and when it's time to decline. Many of the greenest goods are some you already have.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Great Show
Lancaster's own 21 Century Dreamtime Lions open up for Asheville's Telepath at the Chameleon Club.
Combining reggae, downbeat, dub, afro-beat, hip-hop and more, Telepath and Dreamtime Lions complemented each other well on stage.
It dawned on me, I still don't love live music, even when the bands complement each other like the above.
I've loved Telepath ever since I saw them play the first time, their music style and sound is very much original, (at least to this musical neophyte) hearing them live the first time, perfect atmosphere, the depth of the sound, beautiful, rich. The second time in a larger space with much stronger equipment, it was almost to loud for comfort. That was not the case with 21 Century Dreamtime Lions, their sound was rich and clear throughout the night.
A really positive vibe went throughout the main stage area that night, many people kicked off their shoes and jackets to dance in front of the stage.
Writing about Battle of The Bands last week, could music journalism be in my future?
I could take a handful of music appreciation classes at Millersville, as well as expose myself to a lot more music than usual, especially the tremendous myriad of sounds unheard by my ears.
Combining reggae, downbeat, dub, afro-beat, hip-hop and more, Telepath and Dreamtime Lions complemented each other well on stage.
It dawned on me, I still don't love live music, even when the bands complement each other like the above.
I've loved Telepath ever since I saw them play the first time, their music style and sound is very much original, (at least to this musical neophyte) hearing them live the first time, perfect atmosphere, the depth of the sound, beautiful, rich. The second time in a larger space with much stronger equipment, it was almost to loud for comfort. That was not the case with 21 Century Dreamtime Lions, their sound was rich and clear throughout the night.
A really positive vibe went throughout the main stage area that night, many people kicked off their shoes and jackets to dance in front of the stage.
Writing about Battle of The Bands last week, could music journalism be in my future?
I could take a handful of music appreciation classes at Millersville, as well as expose myself to a lot more music than usual, especially the tremendous myriad of sounds unheard by my ears.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Ah, the
Over the weekend, we built A-frames, dug swales, and sowed clover seeds at a farm outside Salunga. It’s hard work! But satisfying on many levels.
Digging swales is a method for retaining water on a field where you have little irrigation available. You build an A-frame out of Bamboo, 2x4s, whatever, a weight is suspending in the middle to find the contours in a field. After the contours are marked, a trench a length the A-frames sides, a spade deep and wide is dug. That was just Saturday…
Making seed balls is an ancient method of “planting” crops revived by Fukuoka-san and used in no-till planting. Very simply, seeds are mixed with moistened dirt, sometimes compost and manure, and simply broadcast onto the field. Clover’s used as a cover crop to help stabilize the nitrogen levels in soil that has not been used for non-conventional farming. A significant advantage of seed balls is that they will not attract many birds.
PS I hate the term “conventional farming” when applied to typical farming that involves machinery, plowing, and that most baneful invention for agricultural “progress” petrochemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. The kind of farming practiced through DigIt and elsewhere is more in line with agriculture practiced for 1000s of years, in particular no petrochemicals
Thursday, April 3, 2008
losing a few kilos, how I did it with observations on such.
Yes, I like to use the metric system, just like the rest of the world.
Between the beginning of January, and the first week of this month, I dropped about 7-kilos (15-pounds) how did I do it?
I hate exercise plans, and I do not believe in special "diets" I just exercised and ate better. The former, mostly swimming and cycling.
Swimming is my life, plain and simple, so I try to swim for a couple hours a week or so, whatever amount of time I can manage.
On an older road bike, I take to the roads and alleys around my city and to school every so often. I notice though, the more I bike, the more I want to bike. I now bike virtually everywhere, even places I'd never dream of biking before.
I simplified my pallet as far as food goes. I cut out most junk food, soft-drinks and tried eating more vegetarian food, especially finding alternatives to meat and milk with low amounts of sugar.
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