Thursday, January 20, 2011
Poop in the pool
Who did it? Tonight a child pinched a loaf while swimming in the pool so it had to be shut down for an hour. Being that the team meets up at 7p for a 90 minute swim, it was pointless to wait an hour until it was time for us to get in. I hope this does not happen again on Saturday.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Laundry on the cheap
For many, doing laundry can be an expensive chore because of the high costs of electricity, gas and water and for some, a trip to the laundromat. In the last few years, I have been able to cut back on such spending. I haven't purchased laundry detergent in almost three years because I use Oxi-Clean. With a coupon, I purchased a large 15 lbs. box at Costco which cost about $12 or so. I bought a 69c bar of Zote laundry soap which is used to remove deep stains. Since the Oxi-Clean works miracles, I use about a half scoop in my front loading machine. If I have extra dirty and smelly clothing, I shave off a little Zote and add to the load. This combination makes washing a breeze. With the Zote, it is nearly biodegradable which means it breaks down faster than chemically laden detergents.
It is sunny here quite often so I usually do laundry when it is warm so that I can hang my clothing out to dry. I invested $40 in a Drying Tree which is wide enough to hold a load. The longest I have ever waited was two hours for everything to dry. Once dried, I iron only what is needed and fold the rest. Sometimes I have to use the dryer to soften certain fabrics but that happens a few times a year.
Since the city where I live is experiencing a shortage in water, I have hooked up a gray watering system which allows for the laundry run off to be collected in a rain barrel. It holds up to 60 gallons which is equivalent to two loads of laundry. I use the gray water to water the plants, ground cover and vegetables in the garden. I am not only recycling the water but keeping unwanted pesky insects from eating my foods.
I do not know the average cost of doing a load of laundry may run a household but I am sure by example, I am able to cut it by half if not by two thirds.
I will add that Oxy-clean is a true miracle. It removes coffee and tea stains from my ceramic mugs, works well for general cleaning of bathrooms, toilets, kitchens and floors.
It is sunny here quite often so I usually do laundry when it is warm so that I can hang my clothing out to dry. I invested $40 in a Drying Tree which is wide enough to hold a load. The longest I have ever waited was two hours for everything to dry. Once dried, I iron only what is needed and fold the rest. Sometimes I have to use the dryer to soften certain fabrics but that happens a few times a year.
Since the city where I live is experiencing a shortage in water, I have hooked up a gray watering system which allows for the laundry run off to be collected in a rain barrel. It holds up to 60 gallons which is equivalent to two loads of laundry. I use the gray water to water the plants, ground cover and vegetables in the garden. I am not only recycling the water but keeping unwanted pesky insects from eating my foods.
I do not know the average cost of doing a load of laundry may run a household but I am sure by example, I am able to cut it by half if not by two thirds.
I will add that Oxy-clean is a true miracle. It removes coffee and tea stains from my ceramic mugs, works well for general cleaning of bathrooms, toilets, kitchens and floors.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Dirty Music
Long gone are the days when most music was clean, easy to listen to, worth getting to know the beats and lyrics to, able to make one feel good about living and expressing positive messages that left an impression on the way many live today.
Being a product of the 70's, I remember hearing a wide variety of lyrics, songs and tunes that, at the time, were just music to me. Many of these songs were coming off the anti-war, free love and LSD platforms but none of it was harsh enough to make people do or think bad things. In fact, this music gave us harmonious thoughts. With artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Cat Stevens, Earth, Wind and Fire, and the Jacksons (just to name a few), songs were upbeat, poignant and positive. Many of these songs were so great that they are still being played today.
In the 80's, 90's and 2000's we had an entirely different group of sounds coming from all over the world. Still, some of the songs were positive, most were and still are awful. The invention of sampling the tunes of another has become more mainstream than Ugg boots and mini skirts. Musical talent has been kicked to the curb by technology that really does very little to improve songs and sound. The music is dirty! It is so dirty that I do not listen to it.
As I age, I find that I am more interested in listening to jazz (acid/contemporary/smooth) because there is, if at all, very little sampling and is performed by actual musicians and singers. There is usually a message of love or how to appreciate one another and the planet. Some of my favorite artists and bands that I listen to regularly are Basia, Incognito, Maysa, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Candy Dulfer, Anita Baker, Fertile Ground, Boney James, Julie Dexter, Carol Duboc and Rhian Benson. I love their songs! I never hear about a girls rump, how to do the police wrong, how the systems oppress people who wish not to do right, how important it is to have money, big cars and homes, or any other superficial stuff that the media finds the need to shove down our throats anymore. Grills, thrills and houses on the hills is all talk that can be found in dirty music.
I wonder how music will be in the next ten years with so many great musicians aging and retiring and fewer and fewer musicians are being produced since music is being fazed out of education. I fear that I will not have new beats to keep me moving fast while exercising or to help keep my mind from thinking about the bad in the world. Say "NO" to dirty music.
Being a product of the 70's, I remember hearing a wide variety of lyrics, songs and tunes that, at the time, were just music to me. Many of these songs were coming off the anti-war, free love and LSD platforms but none of it was harsh enough to make people do or think bad things. In fact, this music gave us harmonious thoughts. With artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Cat Stevens, Earth, Wind and Fire, and the Jacksons (just to name a few), songs were upbeat, poignant and positive. Many of these songs were so great that they are still being played today.
In the 80's, 90's and 2000's we had an entirely different group of sounds coming from all over the world. Still, some of the songs were positive, most were and still are awful. The invention of sampling the tunes of another has become more mainstream than Ugg boots and mini skirts. Musical talent has been kicked to the curb by technology that really does very little to improve songs and sound. The music is dirty! It is so dirty that I do not listen to it.
As I age, I find that I am more interested in listening to jazz (acid/contemporary/smooth) because there is, if at all, very little sampling and is performed by actual musicians and singers. There is usually a message of love or how to appreciate one another and the planet. Some of my favorite artists and bands that I listen to regularly are Basia, Incognito, Maysa, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Candy Dulfer, Anita Baker, Fertile Ground, Boney James, Julie Dexter, Carol Duboc and Rhian Benson. I love their songs! I never hear about a girls rump, how to do the police wrong, how the systems oppress people who wish not to do right, how important it is to have money, big cars and homes, or any other superficial stuff that the media finds the need to shove down our throats anymore. Grills, thrills and houses on the hills is all talk that can be found in dirty music.
I wonder how music will be in the next ten years with so many great musicians aging and retiring and fewer and fewer musicians are being produced since music is being fazed out of education. I fear that I will not have new beats to keep me moving fast while exercising or to help keep my mind from thinking about the bad in the world. Say "NO" to dirty music.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
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