Monday, October 29, 2007

water conservation

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I've been thinking about our friends in the Southeast, and how in some areas, water conservation is now vital to living. As part of my gift to society, I present to you some "well DUH" water conservation tips:

1) Wear your clothes more than once. Establish "Dirty" as being obviously smelly, such that Febreeze offers no relief, and there are obvious marks on your clothing (say, baby spit-up, mud, things that require a full washing to remove.

2) Wash FULL loads of laundry. Forget sorting in to light reds, dark reds, light blue, medium blue, greens, purples, whites, beiges and denim. Light and Dark, that's all you need, if that.

3) Use a towel several times. Apply the principle used to determine "dirty" clothes.

4) Leave your sheets on the beds for twice as long as you normally would.

5) Wash your dishes by hand, and re-use your rinse water - don't let the water run to rinse your dishes.

6) Does your plant provide you food, or some essential medicine? Let it Die. or, find ways to creatively reuse your grey water.

7) Washing your car is NOT essential.

8) Don't Flush. Seriously - only flush every other time, or only flush when there is feces in the toilet. Pee is just a little more liquid in the pot.

9) Shower with someone.

10) Take "camp" showers - water on to get wet. turn off. soap up. turn water on. Rinse. turn water off. Done.

11) Shower less often. Everyone is conserving water, anyway, so no one will really be willing to call another person on their odor.

12) Use hand sanitizer instead of water and soap when possible.

I'm sure there are many more that could be applied, but hopefully, this will give you a smaller water bill!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Day to Day

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Although the original intent of my blog had been to reflect upon profound things in art, life, and religious, I find myself merely reflecting what is going on in my life, which may, or may not, involve art or religion. Honestly, most of the things I now have to reflect upon involve my daughter. Not very academic or insightful, but it is true to life.

Since there's little value in trying to make something of myself that I'm just... Not, I'll be who I am - a wife, mother, and occasional artist who happens to do youth work in her church.

I'll throw some cliche sayings at you: my children are my art. There's no greater job than raising God-loving people to adulthood. Yada, yada. While I think there is an essential truth to these things, I do find it irritating that we stay-with-our-kids-24/7-mom's feel the need to justify what we do. I know that I feel the need to somehow make what I do on a daily basis equal to what I had received training to do whilst in college. Unfortunately, the day to day reality is that at some level, I am not content being "only" a 24/7 childcare provider. It's not that I don't have enough to do, or that I sit around bored for hours on end. I don't even keep up with household chores. I don't spend much time on hobbies. It comes down to wanting a PURPOSE for the things that I do in life, having a deadline, and specific goals in mind, to which another person can hold me accountable. Working for someone else provides the structure that I (apparently) desire in my work. I wouldn't make a very good self-employed person.

Don't be mislead to thinking that I don't enjoy being with my daughter. I'm attached enough that I wouldn't want to be away from her during the day. I wouldn't trade being a "stay-at-home-mom" for a career in the design industry, or a life in academia. I suppose, ultimately, I'm frustrated that I can't have both, at the exact same time.

And that is the nature of life, that there are choices to make, and sacrifices so we can accomplish that which matters most to us.


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