Heroes!!

Heroes comes back on September 22!! I cannot wait for the new season. They actually have to the second count down on the Heroes website, so I am happy to say I'm not the only nut case that is super excited for it!

My buddies

These two are my best friends. Tish and Katie. The three of us went to elementary school together and high school, then Kate and I lived together at Queens. Some friends you know you'll just have forever!

I am now waiting on Tish to produce a little baby for me to spoil stupid and Katie to get married so I can buy a new dress. Chop chop ladies! : )

Composting

Today I finally put the first contribution into my compost bin. I have two black compost bins that have gone unused until now. So I figure I should learn how to use them now that I started. I guess there is a bit of an art to composting. Below are some tips I found good for beginners like me.

How to make great compost
-Include veggie scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds, eggshells, cooked rice and pasta, bread, grass clippings, thin leaves and other kitchen and yard waste, but leave out cat litter, animal products, woody garden waste and spicy, salty or vinegary foods.

-Put your compost in a bin unless you have a lot of outdoor space for a pile. Bins are neater and tend to keep compost more moist. You may want to contain your pile inside a frame protected by chicken wire to keep raccoons and other animals from making a mess of it.

-Create the right balance of carbon and nitrogen in your compost by making it a mix of three parts soft, green material (vegetable matter, grass clippings) to one part woody material (twigs, shredded or crumpled paper and non-laminated cardboard).

-Break down garden detritus, such as tough stalks, with an axe or hammer to help it decompose faster.

-Get wriggling: Accelerate your compost by adding worms to your compost bin. As they eat organic material, worms are breaking it down, and they're also aerating the soil as they move through it. Head to the nearest bait shop to pick up some "red wigglers," the worm of choice for quickly breaking down compost. But don't dump that compost full of worms on your garden -- freeze it first to kill the worms, since red wigglers and most other types are non-native species that, if released, can damage forests.

With these tips, I should be well on my way to good composting and a more eco-friendly life-style. I feel better already : )

Big Floppy Hat

I really love this hat from Banana Republic! If I thought I would have somewhere to wear it, I would go out and get it. So fun!

Going stainless

GOOD


BAD! (cup not coffee )










Every morning I get a large coffee from Tim Hortons. I love my Timmy's. However recently I have been focusing on environmental initiatives at work; I am in the print industry and many companies are trying to make what print they have to do more environmentally conscious. In doing this I have a new appreciation for what we can actually do ourselves to help with little things we all do everyday. Back to my morning cup a...Tim Horton's cups are actually one of the most wasteful products on our market today. The paper cups are so heavily saturated with ink that they are virtually un-recyclable. Each cup we consume basically goes straight to a landfill. No longer my friends. I am going stainless.

The Switch from pop

Then....
Now...





On an average day I drink a large coffee in the morning, a diet coke with lunch, another diet coke with dinner and maybe some juice. I'm not sure the milk in my cereal counts as another beverage. Needless to point out, I am not a pinnacle of health when it comes to liquid consumption. So I've decided to make a switch! Well try to make a switch. I am now drinking carbonated water instead of pop. It's really the fizz that I love so I'm hoping this will work for me. I'm sure I'd be better off just drink good old fashioned water, but I figure at least it is better than drinking all that sugar and aspartame etc in pop. My mom and sister are constantly sending me articles on how bad aspartame is or throwing stuff out for me, leaving signs on the pop - now they can rest assured I'm making an effort to change my ways.

Here is goes...wish me luck: Day 8 of no pop.

Goodbye old friend.

Joe Fresh

I seem to be on a SuperStore rant tonight so to continue, I am a huge fan of their clothing line Joe Fresh! I got a t-shirt tonight that cost me $5.97. Who can beat that?? Shoes, bags, athletic wear, work wear, casual wear - they've got it all. Not all great mind you, I sometimes think they need me on their buying staff, but great for some basic staples and for the trendy items you don't want to pay much for because you'll be sick of it in a month anyway.

Two thumbs up for Joe Fresh!

Cooking Classes

As an avid Food Network junky, I like to think I can cook - but really, I can cook very simple things and only a few things at that. I really like to cook, but I'm not so creative with the recipes. I feel like I only cook the same things all the time and I get really sick of the foods I cook. I want to learn how to cook more things and be more experimental with food. So, I've decided to take a cooking class or several offered at my local SuperStore. They have one night cooking classes that are about $30, and you go and make the dishes, instructed by a local chef. Cool right? I am just waiting for their new calender to come out so I can pick which class to take. I will update you when I have a class picked and I'm on my way to culinary genius!

Uberman Sleep Cycle

So, I have never slept well. I've always had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. I'm always tired, no matter how much sleep I get. I was reading Dennis' Men's Health the other day and I came across something very interesting - the Uberman Sleep Cycle. I have heard of this but only in context of Leonardo da Vinci; it is said that Leonardo (we're on first name terms) only slept every other night in order to be most productive. The Uberman Sleep Cycle , otherwise known as polyphasic sleeping, involves 20-minute naps every 4 hours. Think of how productive you could be?!? It is said that many of the greats of our past operated in this way...Napoleon, Winston Churchill (love him), Thomas Edison to name a few. It's scary how much more you could get done.

I think I'll stick to my lazy 7 hours sleep a night, and make sure people don't over expect from me.... I guess I will never join the ranks of the greats!

If you're interesting, here's how to get into the cycle UBERMAN SLEEP CYCLE

Apple - iPhone > disappointing

So, are these not the coolest thing ever? I love that it has GPS (because I'm always lost or on my way to lost); it has fast internet (because I'm always looking up numbers on 411 because I'm lost); and holds music and movies and stuff...what's cooler?? But wait! I found out today that Apple iPhones are not compatible with most company email servers. So, like my Blackberry now, where I can get my business email right to my phone, the iPhone doesn't have the capability. MAJOR DRAW BACK! I was half way to the store then found that out. I guess no iPhone for me until Apple comes up with a solution to that one.

COMMON APPLE!!!

Country Classic Auction LHSF

I'm on a committee this year for the London Health Sciences Foundation. The link to the web site is below and you should check it out. It's a great time for a great cause. I only wish I could afford the great items up for bid!

Country Classic Auction 2008

Wish List

Backyard patio & backyard fence.