What have you done for GREEN lately? by 6ixStringJack

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

Tuned up my Honda. It's been giving me some issues, and with the performance cam and the agressive tuning, it was pulling 15mpg around town, which just will not do. So out comes the cam and adjustable cam gear, in goes the old stocker cam, all valves adjusted, full tune-up, and the mileage is back where it should be.

I'm sitting on 384 miles on this tank of gas (I filled up after the tune-up), and I'm still at about 1/8th of a tank left. It's an 11-gallon tank, so I'm back up above 35mpg in the city now, which tops the car's 33mpg *highway* rating when brand new. (I kept some of the proprietary mods I made to the car.

)

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I've not watched the video either, or am incapable of intellectually dealing with the substance of this thread, so I'll instead act like a juvenile and claim victory..." - Rappy

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Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:54 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

When I was younger, there were folks who'd collect beer cans, and put them on display. Really rare cans. Costing from 50 cents, 20-30 bucks, to a lot more. I had no idea folks even did such a thing.

This idea... seems a bit more practical.

" We're all just folk. " - Mal

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012 12:23 PM

So I finally stopped for gas today. 8.134 gallons. Trip odometer reads 408 miles, but I remembered it had 99 miles on it when I filled up last time, so subtracting that, 309 miles on 8.134 gallons, mixed city/highway, for an average of 37.98mpg. A/C on the entire time, because it's never off this time of year! Not shabby for a car that's old enough to drink (it was built 22 years ago next month, one of the very last CRXs off the Suzuka line; built in August 1991, and the replacement for it, the Civic del Sol, was on sale in September).

With hypermiling techniques, I can easily get it over 50mpg, but you can't get anywhere fast if you keep the engine below 2000rpm; Honda engines don't even wake up until 4000rpm or better, and this one's tuned for the 4500-7300rpm range, where it howls. But below 4000rpm, it's docile as a pussycat.

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I've not watched the video either, or am incapable of intellectually dealing with the substance of this thread, so I'll instead act like a juvenile and claim victory..." - Rappy

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012 12:51 PM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Okay, I'll bite. Little stuff compared to many, but we do what we can. We have curbside recycling and recycle EVERYTHING we can--recently got curbside composting and are religious about it (our trash, as a result, dropped by about half). I don't throw things away, I give them to Goodwill if possible. Only drive around to shop when I have X number of things I need from one place, and watch tire inflation. Even smaller, I always pick up my cig butts and take them home...also pick up dog poop everywhere we go, whether required or not, and I only buy compostable doggie bags AND trash bags. We try not to buy things in nonrecyclable plastic, and recycle all our plastic bags after we've reused them so often they're no good anymore. Cloth grocery bags, of course--that's very big here, so I never take a bag from the store, ESPECIALLY not plastic ones (which most grocery stores--except Safeway of course--don't use anymore). My grocery bags have previously-used plastic bags in them which I use for produce, etc., until they're not reusable, then we take them to the plastic-bag recycling bin at the market. Jim takes the ferry to and from work, and rides his bicycle to and from the ferry to work and home; he used to ride his bike all the way into the City to work, but age has precluded that. I never buy soil, I reuse what came with the plant when/if the plant dies, and I try to buy plants with recyclable containers, tho' that's not always possible. We check containers to see if they're recyclable or made of recycled material; I only buy one brand of toilet tissue and paper towels, even tho' it's not as good as some others, because it's made from 100% recycled material. I've only used Dawn detergent for decades, because we used it to clean oiled birds and it degrades without polluting.

That's all offhand; there's probably more, but such things have become so ingrained, I rarely think about them. Oh, yeah, we only do laundry when we have enough clothes to make a full washing-machine worth, and I have only used "All" detergent for decades (because it's about the only company that doesn't do animal testing)--it also comes in a recycled-material box, which is also a plus. I reuse paper in my printer, and recycle my ink cartridges. That's all I can think of right now. Our footprint is so light, compared to so many, that all that's left is the little things. We don't buy much--oh, yeah, when replacing fridge, washer or dryer, we look hard for the most energy-efficient one, and I wouldn't have a dishwasher in my house if you paid me! We reuse water and have those things that cut the flow all over, and a minimum-water toilet. I'm gonna quit, because if I sit here I'll keep thinking of other little things. Like I said, it's second nature now so I don't always think of stuff.

We USED to wash all our bottles and wash and crush all our cans and haul them to the recycling center many years ago, much appreciated the curbside pickup when it came! Marin is on track to be "waste free" by 2025, which is why there's so much around here to help.

Oh, and we use those low-energy light bulbs...in fact, one has to go out of one's way to find the old kind anymore. And unplug everything rather than just turning it off, because if you just turn it off, it's still using energy. Like I said, little things, but whatever we can think of.

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012 2:50 PM

Glad you posted here Niki....

I assure you it's a totally friendly and non-judgemental thread here... a safe-haven, if you will, within the RWED.

Recycling is great. I do it partly because I should, but because I also know that it's a lot cheaper to wash them out and put them in a bin than to fill my garbage bags with them.

I NEVER throw good things out. I see if family wants/needs them first and then I give them to goodwill. These days, it's been so long since I've bought something new that I almost feel guilty about the unused tech I give to goodwill.

I don't drive much, except for 5 blocks to work and back (I will walk, when it's not 85-1,000,000 degrees outside :))

Damn Niki....! I didn't even know you smoked!

I don't have to pick mine up because I "kill" the flame between my 2 fingertips and put it in my "5th pocket" of my Levis. Just make sure if you go that route that you remove them before a wash :)

Oh, and Dishwashers are the definition of Satan lol....

Really? I have to "wash" my dishes before it "washes" my dishes?????

I moved into a house with a dishwasher. If I had a DVD collection, that's where I'd stack them, but I download all of my movies via torrent

You and your hubbs seem pretty green. Hopefully you passed that on to your kids.

They're your perpetually Largest Carbon Footprint.

Even if they're "cool", how many kids will they have? How "green" will they be?

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012 3:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Glad you posted here Niki....

I assure you it's a totally friendly and non-judgemental thread here... a safe-haven, if you will, within the RWED.

Recycling is great. I do it partly because I should, but because I also know that it's a lot cheaper to wash them out and put them in a bin than to fill my garbage bags with them.

Let's see, I have the largest recycling bin the city offers, and it's packed full every two weeks when they pick up (I bring home the recycling from work as well, since they don't do curbside for businesses), and I have the smallest trash bin they offer, and it's less than half full every week. I reuse boxes and corrugate at work to keep from having to buy many new boxes, I use biodegradable cornstarch packing peanuts and reuse any styrofoam peanuts that come our way; we throw out on average two trash bags a week from the warehouse and offices of a multimillion-dollar business.

Quote:

I NEVER throw good things out. I see if family wants/needs them first and then I give them to goodwill. These days, it's been so long since I've bought something new that I almost feel guilty about the unused tech I give to goodwill.

Ditto on the Goodwill stuff.

Quote:

I don't drive much, except for 5 blocks to work and back (I will walk, when it's not 85-1,000,000 degrees outside :))

I'd ride my bike to work, or get a scooter, but my dog isn't crazy about the idea, and she goes to work with me every day.

Quote:

Damn Niki....! I didn't even know you smoked!

I gave that up years ago. And while it was hard to do, I used anger as my motivation; every time I thought I wanted a cigarette, I got pissed at the assholes who were getting rich by killing me while I paid them for doing it!

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I've not watched the video either, or am incapable of intellectually dealing with the substance of this thread, so I'll instead act like a juvenile and claim victory..." - Rappy

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012 3:50 PM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

It's good to know we have at least one thing in common, Six.

As I wrote before, I have no kids; made that decision at 17 and held to it. Jim has two kids, so he's replacing himself and his wife...we had custody of both of them at one time or another. Lisa and her husband have one child and will have no more; Jim's son Jeff will most likely never have kids, if he even ever marries. So between Jim's ex--who has no other children and is now Jim's age, Jim, and myself, we have lessened the world population by two, whatever that means. As to environmentally conscious, Lisa is in her fifties, so she didn't learn about footprints until she was well into adulthood, long after she'd left here. Ergo, I don't know what she's taught her daughter. Jeff is ten years younger and minimizes his footprint much as we do, tho' less I have no doubt because he lives up in Mammoth and I'm sure they don't have curbside service!

Yes, I smoke a pack a day. Mike, I now buy my tobacco from a specialty shop nearby; it's from Denmark, it's "cigarette-cut" pipe tobacco and has NO additives whatsoever. I roll my own with a good old Zig-Zag roller--I was a whiz at rolling joints (which caused me to spend far too much time at parties rolling other people's joints)--but I use this now because I roll 100s with two filters in them. Even with cost of filters and papers, I'm spending about HALF what I was buying cigs! I don't know if I'll ever quit; up until a few years ago, I tried and tried and tried. Now I watch Choey try every other week or so and give up in a few days (JUST like she diets). Not into that kind of futility anymore, so judge me as you will.

Shit, I forgot about boxes and the damned un-recyclable shit they put in them. We reuse the "shit" and have a stack of boxes of which we use as much as we can; neither of us have bought a box for anything in so far back we can't remember. The big stuff we break down and recycle, along with all our other recycling. Our curbside pickup consists of one split container--one side for glass, plastic and cans, the other for paper products--one "yard trash" container which is also now for composting, and the smallest, the actual trash container. They pick up weekly, and by then the first two are usually overflowing. I wish our neighbors all did the same, sigh...

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012 4:01 PM

Niki, that was how my wife finally managed to quit smoking - she went to the no-additive tobacco, and within six months of doing that, she just said she felt ready to walk away from it altogether. She did, and never wavered; that was more than two years ago.

She gives the credit to the lack of extra addictive additives in the tobacco; I give her most of the credit, though. :)

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I've not watched the video either, or am incapable of intellectually dealing with the substance of this thread, so I'll instead act like a juvenile and claim victory..." - Rappy

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Thursday, July 19, 2012 5:10 AM

CAVETROLL

Jack, that's a good idea for a curtain wall. I'm not sure it would be strong enough for a load bearing wall. I might be misunderstanding how you intend to incorporate the cans. Since rebar is out with your design, you might want to look into the plastic reinforcing fibers to give your wall more structural strength. I'm also wondering about the ability of the cans to adhere to the concrete. It may not be a problem at all, but I know that slate adheres poorly to concrete because it is a relatively "slick" rock (plus the surface tends to spall). Aluminum has to be much more slick than slate.

Essentially, you're making a slipform wall. You're just using cans instead of rocks. Good luck, and keep us informed on the progress!

Kwindbago, hot air and angry electrons

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Friday, July 20, 2012 2:54 AM

Hey Niki, that's not fair.....

We both like rabbits too

You and Kwick both seem a lot more gung-ho about the recycling than I am. My motivations are pretty much selfish, but whatever gets the job done I guess.

If you can ever make the switch to "pipe tobacco", you'd be amazed at how much more you would save. They're really not that bad, and as far as second hand smell, people have told me that it's actually quite pleasant compared to cigarette or cheap cigar smoke. I pay just over a buck a pack rolling my own with a machine similar to yours. In Cook County, IL a pack of Marlboro goes for about 10 bucks today (an increase of more than 400% in only 14 years). I get nearly 10 packs for the price of one!

I do recycle what I can though. Most of it is easy to do, and my village pickup makes it really easy since we have one HUGE blue trash bin and one HUGE yellow recycling bin of the same size and you don't have to separate any of the recyclables. My house came with an extra blue bin, but the only times i have ever had to use two were when I was demoing the basement, and I also used it quite a bit this spring/early summer with the weed pulling because here we actually dump our yard waste in with the trash. I've been told that the findings were that whatever bio-degradable trash is in there benefits from having all of what you use to make compost in there. Makes sense to me.

Most every other week that I'm not doing work inside or outside of the house I get to skip trash pickup altogether and just have the yellow bin out there :)

Quote:
Originally posted by CaveTroll:
Jack, that's a good idea for a curtain wall. I'm not sure it would be strong enough for a load bearing wall. I might be misunderstanding how you intend to incorporate the cans. Since rebar is out with your design, you might want to look into the plastic reinforcing fibers to give your wall more structural strength. I'm also wondering about the ability of the cans to adhere to the concrete. It may not be a problem at all, but I know that slate adheres poorly to concrete because it is a relatively "slick" rock (plus the surface tends to spall). Aluminum has to be much more slick than slate.

Essentially, you're making a slipform wall. You're just using cans instead of rocks. Good luck, and keep us informed on the progress!

Kwindbago, hot air and angry electrons

Hey CT,

I'm still on the fence about this. Concrete is cheap, I have tons of "bricks" at the ready..... I just don't think I'll be happy with it after it's done. Even painted, I'm afraid that it will look really "white trash".

Nothing here is load bearing walls. The studs are all in and painted with mold resistant paint. This idea was just to be put between the studs to block off the rooms and give the bottom half of the outside walls more character than painted studs with the concrete foundation behind them.

I wish that the bamboo didn't cost so damn much. My sis-in-law tells me it's because bamboo is the "in" thing now. It would probably cost me 1,000 bucks for bamboo alone, let alone the expensive mold proof insulation I'd like to install behind it. It would be WAY cheaper to just drywall again, but we haven't had any significant rain yet to test whether my basement could flood again if the sump pump doesn't fail.

Just the other night we had a miracle in these drought times here.... it rained pretty heavily for about 2 1/2 hours. Good news aside, there was a HUGE pool of water running on the curb up into some of my grass for nearly 1/3 of my front property line. Doesn't give me the warm fuzzy feelings.... With the little amount of rain we've had in the last few months, I can't believe that there was basically a mini-lake in the street after just 150 minutes or so of rain.....

I suppose I'll just have to wait and hope we actually get good rain next spring to test it. I'm just desperate to do SOMETHING now since my basement is the only cool place in my non-A/C house. It was, no joke, 95 degrees on the 2nd floor where my thermostat is 2 days ago. I'm freaking miserable here. The only point in taking a shower now is for the temporary relief. Once the cold water is off, I'm already wiping off just as much sweat as I am water by the time I grab the towel.

Yuck!

Oh well. I guess for now it's for the best. Until I get a better job I'd be withdrawing money from savings to pay for the A/C and that's no good......

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book

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Friday, July 20, 2012 3:40 AM

CAVETROLL

Have you considered filling the beer cans with expanding foam and completely encapsulating them with concrete? That way you'd still be recycling. You'd essentially have a concrete wall with aluminum/foam aggregate. The wall would wind up being 8-10 inches thick. It might need supplemental foam insulation when it comes time to finish off the interior space.

Take a look at ICF walls for ideas. Concrete walls are VERY thermally efficient with 3 inch foam on either side. The thermal mass of the wall evens out temperature spikes.

Thomas Edison experimented with concrete homes. Without foam insulation there is essentially no way to heat them after January. Once the thermal mass sheds its heat load, no man made heating source can keep them comfortable.

Kwindbago, hot air and angry electrons

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Friday, July 20, 2012 4:08 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by CaveTroll:
Have you considered filling the beer cans with expanding foam and completely encapsulating them with concrete? That way you'd still be recycling. You'd essentially have a concrete wall with aluminum/foam aggregate. The wall would wind up being 8-10 inches thick. It might need supplemental foam insulation when it comes time to finish off the interior space.

Take a look at ICF walls for ideas. Concrete walls are VERY thermally efficient with 3 inch foam on either side. The thermal mass of the wall evens out temperature spikes.

Thomas Edison experimented with concrete homes. Without foam insulation there is essentially no way to heat them after January. Once the thermal mass sheds its heat load, no man made heating source can keep them comfortable.

Kwindbago, hot air and angry electrons

That is a very interesting idea, but I couldn't have 8-10" thick walls. As things are, the aluminum cans are much "taller" than I thought they would be. Without cutting anything off the top of them, they'd stick out about 2 1/2 inches beyond the framing of the mold proofed studs. The most I'd want them sticking out beyond the "stud-line" would just be the "lip" of the bottom where it begins to curve. This would allow me to put in a baseboard that would cover the work I did between the ceramic tile and the studs to ensure no water build up without anyone being the wiser.

But, hell......

You may have just re-sparked my interest in this project. How "white trash" could it be if I also can mention that 170 bucks worth of "great stuff" went into sealing the cans and it was as useful as any other mold-proof insulation out there that would cost a lot more.

I know first hand that Great Stuff is mold proof. There was a HUGE amount of it in some areas behind the scenes in my basement. In areas that were some of the most revolting, gag-inducing things I've ever seen in my life, the great stuff looked pristine. Mold CANT grow on that shit.

So......

Anywhere from 2k-2.5k for Bamboo and Mold proofed insulation, or just about 100 bucks of concrete, maybe 200 bucks of Great Stuff, and the beer cans i've been saving up for the last year, along with left over primer and paint that I wouldn't have to splurge for??????

BTW.... Do you think I would benefit by leaving a gap between the back of the cut-and-insulated cans and the concrete walls, or would it be better to cut them so they but up against the walls?

Thanks CT,
~6

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book

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Friday, July 20, 2012 2:22 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER

I'm lucky I live somewhere where there are lots of recycle options. We have 3 bins, and our general waste one is pretty low. Bin 2 is general recycle, Bin 3 is green waste. They go out alt fortnights. I also compost. I'd love to have chickens, but its another lot of critters to look after and we do like to go away.

We never water our garden. Plants either survive or don't. In blistering summers, I'll sometimes use grey water.

I minimise use of plastics bags and wraps. I use containers for lunches rather than cling film and use cloth bags at the supermarket. I turn electronic stuff off at powerpoint. We've installed a slow combustion wood heater to cut down on heating bills, not sure if that ends up being a + or a - for the environment.

I'd love to use more solar and put in water tanks, but all costs money, amigos.

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Thursday, July 26, 2012 4:04 AM

Talk to your town... We only have 2 bins here. Yard waste and garbage are collected together. It makes perfect sense to me. Put all that organic matter and it will help the organic matter of your waste decompose that much faster.

Good for you for composting, My bro and sis'n'law do it now for their garden. I'm a few years away from that luxury.

I water my garden, but it's only tomatoes in a 4'b4' patch. I gleen that your garden is much larger.

I'm excited now though. My first cheery tomatoes started to redden yesterday. I should be able to start eating them in a few days!

I shop at Aldi, and they charge for bags... lol. I always bring my hemp Aldi bag for toting. Cost me 2 bucks a year and a half ago and probably paid for itself in 3 months of shopping. It kind of sucks that I no longer have plastic grocery bags to line my bathroom garbage with, but washing that out is the price to pay for going green, right?

Good luck with the solar power. I understand your gripe. It will be a while before I jump on it because it would financially make sense.

Hopefully sooner than later, right?

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book

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Thursday, July 26, 2012 5:25 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

As we renovate our house, we're adding green features: Cool roof, extra attic insulation efficient AC/heat, double-paned windows. Low flow showerheads, efficient toilets and LED or fluorescent lighting. This year or next I'm going to xeriscape the front yard and half of the backyard. We compost. We recycle. We use re-usable grocery bags. I shop local, organic for my veggies and eggs, and grow my own. (Can't go vegetarian, tho. Wheat allergies and serious reactive hypoglycemia make grain-eating a problem for me.)

I've planted bee-friendly, butterfly-friendly plants, and when my backyard is done I'm going to ask for National Wildlife Certification. I vote for the environment. I give to environmental organizations. I sign petitions. We drive efficient vehicles.

More importantly, I work for an environmental agency that has truly made a difference. I work on the "compliance" end of things, and I've trained my group to be a top-notch team. They're not all environmentalists, but they ALL take professional pride in being absolutely the best, and they are. I and the rest of my agency save 8000 lives a year, every year. Staff has done far more by working together than we could have ever done individually.

And that still isn't enough. But I think it points out what we SHOULD be doing.

I have a very busy life- a demanding job, a disabled child, a chronically ill husband, an elderly mom across the country (who I visit three times a year and bring major help) but that doesn't keep my from having ideas....

Much of our energy use is due to poor land-use planning. Make walkable neighborhoods, densify housing around public transportation routes (but add more parks), allow multi-use areas (homes over shops) to cut transportation energy use and pollution. Put a moratorium on distant development, like Portland did. Require cool roofs on ALL new/ replacement roofs. Plant trees in parking lots so they are no longer broiling urban deserts. Ban mansions (8000 square feet for two people??? Seriously???) Tier the price of water. CREATE A CARBON TAX. Stop going to war over Mideast Oil and start using our manufacturing for something other than destruction.

These activities really WOULD make a difference, and many of them can be implemented at the city or county level. Pushing for these would be a real education as to how politics and the wealthy are conspiring (literally) to keep us from saving ourselves.

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Thursday, July 26, 2012 5:45 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Damn, Sig, can we clone you? Like about a billion times? That's kind of what it would take, seems to me. JMHO

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Thursday, July 26, 2012 5:50 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Seriously Niki, I have just one piece of advice for everyone on the left-end of the Democratic Party- If you live in a state that is either definitively going for Obama (like CA) or going for Romney (like TX) then vote Green for President, if they're on your ticket. That vote won't make a difference to to overall outcome, but what it WILL do is bump up the Green Party vote by a significant percentage, and that will signal the Democratic Party that they're losing VOTERS. (Not voting is not a statement. Parties ignore non-voters, as they should)

That's what I intend to do for "GREEN".

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Thursday, July 26, 2012 7:31 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Seriously Niki, I have just one piece of advice for everyone on the left-end of the Democratic Party- If you live in a state that is either definitively going for Obama (like CA) or going for Romney (like TX) then vote Green for President, if they're on your ticket. That vote won't make a difference to to overall outcome, but what it WILL do is bump up the Green Party vote by a significant percentage, and that will signal the Democratic Party that they're losing VOTERS. (Not voting is not a statement. Parties ignore non-voters, as they should)

That's what I intend to do for "GREEN".

That's what I intend to do. There is virtually zero chance that Obama is going to win Texas, so nothing I can do will change that. I *can*, however, have a positive impact on the Green Party or any other small third party in the race.

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"The groin cup and throat protector have about as much ballistic protection as the kneepads I wear when I'm doing a job that requires me to be on my knees." - Troll

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Sunday, July 29, 2012 3:28 AM

Nice Signy :)

My roof was basically brand new when I moved in, and it looks much more expensive than your average roof, so it will be a while before I replace that. My attic is fully insulated though, and since no internal heat or A/C gets up here, it's VERY apparent during summer and winter (115 degrees on the hottest summer days, and 40 degrees on the coldest winter days). And except for the ancient wooden push window in the attic, all of my windows were already upgraded to double-pane Feldco type windows, so it seems to keep the heat in during the winter.

I've got ZERO A/C now, although my parents dropped off a thirty year old window unit last week. I'm used to the hot and sweat now. I installed it 3 days ago in the 9x14' 2nd bedroom and made sure it worked, but I don't plan on using it at all unless it gets up around 100 degrees again. Being cheap is one thing, but being cheap and swimming in a pool of your own sweat with a fan on you full blast while you try to sleep is another.

Aren't all toilets efficient now? Seems you have to flush more than half of them twice to get the turd down the drain lol.

As for my closets, I opted to install LED motion sensor lights inside of them, rather than run new conduit for interior switches. Saved a lot of work and saves a ton of energy in the long run.

I'd LOVE to buy organically, but that's not in the cards now. Working for 8 bucks an hour with an average of 26 hours a week this month, I managed to only sock away 150 bucks. Next month my homeowners full bill and half of my car insurance bill comes up, which is just over 900 bucks combined. Fortunately, being paid every 2 weeks, August is one of the 2 "fabled" 3 check months, since there are 5 Fridays. So instead of being down $750 after the "surplus" I'll only be down about $350 because of the extra check. And since I'll have another 6 months until the car insurance payment, I'll have another 5 months to save up 150 per month and be well ahead of the game before next August (assuming I did NOTHING right until then and I still work this meaningless job when I'm on my way to 34 years old).....

I envy you Signy. Really...

I'd like to see what I'm capable of when I have any wiggle room whatsoever on things like that.

I've made the first giant step, but until I can get a job that leaves me any kind of decent money on the side, it's nothing but Aldi food, 30 packs of crap beer and rolling my own untaxed tobacco until I can find something making even 1/2 of what I made in 2009.

Hopefully the Mayans had their wires crossed and 2013 will allow me to prove to myself that I can be a good guy selflessly and not just out of economic necessity.

Keep doing what you're doing, and God bless....

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book

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Sunday, July 29, 2012 4:38 AM

JONGSSTRAW

I used to throw away my Bazooka Joe bubble gum cartoon wrapper in the street, then spit out the gum later. Now I hold onto the wrapper and place the used gum inside before I throw it out in the street. As for that garbage pile, Obama says I didn't build it, so I'm all good.

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Sunday, July 29, 2012 4:44 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
I used to throw away my Bazooka Joe bubble gum cartoon wrapper in the street, then spit out the gum later. Now I hold onto the wrapper and place the used gum inside before I throw it out in the street. As for that garbage pile, Obama says I didn't build it, so I'm all good.

Haha....

My boss at a job a LONG time ago who smoked pot constantly back before I did told me that he hated when I threw my butts away. At the time, I thought, who the F are you (potsmoker) to criticize me?)

But he was right....

If there's no ashtray in sight, I put out my butt millitary-style (between my thumb and forefinger) and I put it in my "5th pocket" of my Levis.

Sure, I have to scrape the occasional missed filter out of my dryer, but between my car ashtray and my 5th pocket, I don't litter that non-biodegradeable shit anywhere else except the land fill now.

If only my fellow smokers were as considerate as me and the asshole non-smokers were half as considerate as me, we might not be in an all out war.....

But than again.....

That's what THEY want us to do.....

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book

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Sunday, July 29, 2012 5:17 AM

JONGSSTRAW

Go with the pot, it's a lot better than cigarettes. Pot smokers never die, they just roll away.

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Sunday, July 29, 2012 5:29 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
Go with the pot, it's a lot better than cigarettes. Pot smokers never die, they just roll away.

Would if I could, but I can't so I won't....

Except for the most Left Wing Nazi jobs, I can still get a job smoking cigarettes in my piss...

Sure, I'll die 3 times as quick with nicotine, but that's the hand that 2012 dealt me.....

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book

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Sunday, July 29, 2012 5:37 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
I used to throw away my Bazooka Joe bubble gum cartoon wrapper in the street, then spit out the gum later. Now I hold onto the wrapper and place the used gum inside before I throw it out in the street. As for that garbage pile, Obama says I didn't build it, so I'm all good.

Interesting that you refer to small businesses as "garbage piles", but what would I expect from someone who brags about littering?

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"The groin cup and throat protector have about as much ballistic protection as the kneepads I wear when I'm doing a job that requires me to be on my knees." - Troll

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Sunday, July 29, 2012 6:12 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

You know, Sig, that's the first time anyone's made that argument to me; I always thought of votes for the Green Party as throwaway, but in places like this and Texas, I think you're right, and I think that's what I'll do this time around. As Mike said, Ca will never go Romney and Tx will never go Obama, so there's really no down side. Have to give that some thought. I'm already an Independent, so I can vote any way I want, and I can still vote for our Senate/Congress, since there's always the cance they can go either way (well, not in Marin, so maybe I could vote Green for Congress anyway...). Thank you.

And yeah, I don't toss my cig butts anywhere but in trash cans, or take them home and dump them in our trash. I go one better and, when I'm sitting somewhere or in a particularly pristine place (like some of our trails and multi-use pathways), if I'm in no hurry I pick up other people's butts too. I also pick up other dog poop that's nearby when I'm picking up our dogs' poop in/around the dog park. If people THOUGHT about the amount of dog shit in America every day, they'd--well, they probably wouldn't care anyway.

I don't toss joint butts (geez, I've even forgotten what we call them!) because I haven't smoked a joint in memory...I smoke from a tiny pipe with a lid I screw back on after every puff, because dope is expensive! I always marvel when I go to Paula's--she gets hers from her sister up in Arcata (Humbolt Gold) and continues to be able to smoke joints! Wouldn't work for me anyway, as I have one puff, then have another later on...putting out the joint every time would be more of a hassle. I usually only have at most three or four puffs a night anyway...

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Sunday, July 29, 2012 6:45 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Not anything I've done, but what I've noticed, is the growing trend ( seemingly ) of morons who sit in their car, engine on, AC blasting, in the middle of a day , while parked in a furnace of a black asphalt parking lot.

What the hell is this ?

It's one thing to be indifferent to the whole 'save the planet' mind set, but this ? It's beyond idiotic.

And just today, I saw some car w/ a visor in the windshield, parked, engine on. Sure enough,t here was some gal in their reading or texting or some such. I had half a mind to go up and say something, but hell... what CAN I say ? Her car, her gas she's burning, right ?

" We're all just folk. " - Mal

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Monday, July 30, 2012 3:14 AM

I wouldn't know anything about that Rap. It's been 80-96 degrees in my house for well over a month now and the A/C doesn't work in my car.

My parents did give me a window A/C unit that's about 30 years old that I installed in my small bedroom though.

I still haven't turned it on, and probably won't unless it gets over 95 again. Not because I'm a "green" guy, but because I don't want to pay the bills.

A box fan to blow hot air on you to help evaporate the sweat when it's over 90 degrees inside: $12.99 + a pittance in electricity costs.

A free 30+ year old window A/C unit that will turn your small bedroom into a refrigerator when you sleep: $50.00/month.

A diagnostic and repair for a failed A/C unit in a car when there's no easy way to pinpoint where the problem is: Potentially $1,200 and upward....

Having adapted to the hottest temperatures that Mother Nature has thrown at us in this region in 24 years, and not needing any cooling system short of an icepack on your chest and forehead before you go to sleep..........?

Priceless......

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book

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Monday, July 30, 2012 3:21 AM

Oh... and by the way... I've given up the idea of the "beer can wall".

WAY too much work and it wouldn't be easily removable.

I've found a place that supposedly charges .50 cents per yard for fabric. At that price, the colors aren't my ideals, but I can't complain. I can cover the first 3-4 feet of walls with it and put my borders up above them. If they ever do get wet, I can easily take them down and wash them and put them back up again.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book

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Monday, July 30, 2012 8:34 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Raptor, for yet another time, we are in complete agreement. I've seen such things too, and whats doubly ironic is that here in CA, it's almost NEVER necessary to use your car A/C at all! Yet once when I drove down a main thoroughfare and bothered to notice, virtually EVERY car had all windows up, which means they were usiing A/C. Sometimes I despair of my species...

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Monday, July 30, 2012 2:24 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

6IX = I spent 1 summer needlessly w/ out AC, because I 'thought' it was on the blink.

The fan worked, but no cold air came out. It wasn't until late in the summer that I realized a breaker had tripped, and all I needed to do w/ flip the switch, and bam! Cold air.

Never again.

" We're all just folk. " - Mal

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Monday, July 30, 2012 4:18 PM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Jezus, yes! I couldn't take the heat some of you suffer, I just know I couldn't. I'm too much of a coward, so I think I'll hunker down here in California and wish you the best--and that your A/C never goes on the fritz!

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Tuesday, July 31, 2012 2:36 AM