And now - As we remodel the house we will be taking advantage of the passive solar that is possible. The architect that has done the plans for our house, doubled the size of his house and kept his energy bills the same. His house is going to be on the green home tour in the bay area this june.

---

the concept of having only one source of energy is dated.

YES!!!! OMG yes! Can you run for President? It's time folks realize this. "Oh solar panels won't do the trick, what about when it's cloudy". Well duh! Neither does hydro during a drought! But if Solar can take 10% of the load, especially during peak usage (i.e. daytime!!) then why not use it! And ya, the wind doesn't blow all the time for most folk, but right now, I live at the coast. There is always at least a minor breeze! Sure, it won't sustain the building 24/7, but it could add to the grid. Distributed power across different methods is the key to keeping energy affordable. So if the coal miners go on strike, we aren't hosed. Or if OPEC cuts production, we aren't in the dark.

oops. sorry. energy rant there.

:: must hop in Prius to get haircut... really... I'm leaving now, promise ::

---

I had my usual experience at the grocery store today. I handed the cashier my canvas bags, she looked at them, put them down, and started putting things into a plastic bag. I said, "Could you please put the stuff into my bags?" She said, "Oh, right. Sorry," took the one item out of the plastic bag and put it into my canvas bag, then picked up the plastic bag that had held one can for about five seconds and threw it out.

This is far from the first time this has happened at this grocery store. (It's the Safeway at the Watergate, which is a ridiculously crappy store for being in the Watergate. I usually have to pick through the produce to find stuff that isn't mushy.)

---

I'd like to get a hybrid when/if I get a car, but none of the ones I've tried driving have been very comfortable. (Most cars I've driven have the same problem: of seeing through the windsheild, reaching the pedals, and being a safe distance back from the airbag, I've got to choose two out of three, and usually, the airbag safety loses, which also means I've got to hold my shoulders at a weird angle to turn the wheel.) The only car I've ever really felt comfortable driving has been the Mini Cooper, which at least uses a really small amount of gas.

---

Given that my company's entire reason for existing is to spread the word of green and clean tech, I can talk about this kind of stuff for a while. All of them have their problems and environmental impact (I personally look very very sideways at geothermal) but here's some really awesome stuff coming out.

---

Scrappy, I hope that it's a whole lot of nothing. Kristin, take it easy.

Because it's not b.org unless there's one, I have to wax rhapsodic about my uni group project. It's distinctly possible that I was the pain, since the other three people were hugely bright, but we got a good grade and my bit stood up to inspection. Taught me a huge amount. I really stepped out of my comfort zone and proved myself in an arena in which I'd had no confidence.

JZ, your new work sitch sounds great.

---

can use heavy equitment, work with peoples, and good with man hands

Send him to Emily's house!

That Watergate Safeway is something else. And if you're near it, that pretty much means you're not near any other options.

---

Ok, how do I dispose of aerosol spray cans? We brought a bunch home when we cleaned out STBX's fathers house and they ended up in the back of a closet. Well now I'm cleaning out my closets and they are needing to be dealt with.

So frigging tired. We have made big progress on the house but there is still SO much more to do. Dang, I never thought of myself as a pack rat before, but MAN. I have been freecycling for weeks, taking big piles to the donation centers each weekend, filled out trash each week AND two dumpsters (another one comes next week), packed a bunch of boxes, and yet we still have stuff everywhere.

---

Much health~ma to your FIL, Scrappy!

We survived Annabel's birthday party, and all the kids seemed to have a good time. Now I just want to lie down and put my feet up, but I need to do groceries and laundry today, because I have choir and an M's game tomorrow.

---

Oh, Scrappy! I hope he's ok and that you hear something soon!

Because it's not b.org unless there's one, I have to wax rhapsodic about my uni group project. It's distinctly possible that I was the pain, since the other three people were hugely bright, but we got a good grade and my bit stood up to inspection. Taught me a huge amount. I really stepped out of my comfort zone and proved myself in an arena in which I'd had no confidence.

I'm glad. Because profs sure seem to like them. I like them in theory. It's just in practice that they seem to make me nuts.

---