You gotta have faith, faith faith

I am a child of the 80s. I loved George Michael and WHAM UK! It's probably a big part of the reason I can so passionately disdain possessions and preach to everyone to scale down, let go of the STUFF, and just trust that either you'll have what you need when you need it, or you'll be able to course correct if in fact, you can't get what you need when you need it.

Having come of age in the 80s, I have never experienced a shortage. Of anything. OK maybe gas, a couple of years ago, but never a shortage that actually worried me. In fact, most people alive in the U.S. today have never experienced a shortage of anything that would reasonably cause anxiety. With that disclaimer, I present this outstanding article that came from the March issue of O magazine, a piece on "Just in Case" vs. "Just in Time," opposing philosophies regarding your strategy toward procuring and accumulating stuff.

http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/200904-omag-beck

No More 'Poo!

In addition being a clutter-hater, I also am quite frugal (my husband would say cheap), and lately I've been thinking about shampoo and conditioner. Every month or two I spend enough to take us all out for tacos on large plastic containers filled with I-don't-know-what to wash my hair and scalp and let it go back down the drain, to the wastewater treatment plant, where it will have to be dealt with before it goes into the river. I know there's a place where you can rate your cosmetics to see which ones are better for the earth, but nothing tops this, for the environment and my budget: not buying shampoo at all! I've discovered a new movement: the no-pooers - and I like what I'm reading!

http://www.happynews.com/news/4242009/ditching%20shampoo%20dirty%20little%20beauty%20secret.htm

Apparently, you can have even more beautiful hair by not using any products! OK I'm dubious. Not that my hair is beautiful, but it could be a lot worse, and I'm not sure I can duck public life long enough to give no-pooing a chance. Apparently you can mix a little baking soda and water to remove the "excess" grease, while leaving the healthy amount of head grease in place to make your locks shiny and healthy looking. But then there was something about needing some vinegar to counteract the alkaline of the baking soda, so that your scalp doesn't get too... soda-y. If anyone knows anything, please share! I'm very intrigued.

Recycle that toothbrush! Eeww - really?

Your old toothbrush can become a park bench! Well, yours and a bajillion others - and not the bristles, just the handle. Razor handles, too, and, um, tongue cleaners. One moment, please - energy to make tongue cleaners never should have been expended in the first place - just my opinion, but I've got a spic n span tongue just by scrubbing it with my toothbrush. ANYWAY, all these plastic mouth and face hygiene tools, as long as they are #5, can be mailed - POSTAGE PAID! (I love that part) - to Preserve Products, and here's the link: http://www.preserveproducts.com/recycling/recyclepreserveproducts.html. Just print out the little label, pop in all those squirrelly toothbrushes, and look for a Oral B bench in a park near you.

Does this clutter make by butt look big?

OK - I admit it, I stole that title from a book I just heard about. Not the EXACT same title, but close enough. But I loved it, so I stole it. Here's an excellent article on a connection between clutter and health: http://www.webmd.com/parenting/healthier-home-8/clutter-control

More Humor, from The Onion

LOVE this one, a "news" item in The Onion, at the expense of my hometown, Macon, Georgia. Thanks Mom for passing this along! Warning: bad word ahead.

New Store in Macon, GA

Farewell to George

A month after his death, I highly enjoyed George Carlin's "stuff" routine. He certainly gets to the heart of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLoge6QzcGY

I also found a couple of more companies you can use to get your name off of junk mail lists. One will even pay you a dollar!

www.greendimes.com and
www.41pounds.org (because the average adult reportedly receives about 41 pounds of junk mail each year - all of which consumes energy to be created, printed, shipped and delivered to your home, where most of us promptly dispose of it - what a waste!)

Coasting

I quit my job. After 10 years with the same PR firm, I decided that the demands of raising three children and working (even part-time) was too much. In the spirit of avoiding all "too much" scenarios, I quit. It's been a month, and so far, it's been good to have the time to clean out a closet, a child's room, my file cabinet, the basement. But it also feels like coasting, which eventually will slow to an end.

We've literally been coasting more as well. Taking every opportunity to avoid burning gas, we coast whenever possible, and the other day my husband and I agreed on the best coasting line within our circles of travel. It lasts close to a mile, and if it weren't for this one four-way stop, it would probably go another quarter of a mile. Instead, it ends prematurely, and every time I land at that intersection, I wonder if I could just coast on through and not crash into another car.

So I don't know where my metaphorical coasting will end, but at present the windows are down, my hair is in the breeze, my foot is off the pedal, and it's really, really fun.