Spidra, I've never known anyone who did bokashi composting! Very cool. Do you have to add something to pickle it?

I'm now watching H50 and doing routine work stuff. I need to start writing evals and prepping for a meeting. Which reminds me, hivemind, I could use some info from anyone who's worked with troubled youth, basically backup that a 1-5 ratio is much more reasonable than 1-10.

I have been informed that one of my sisters is conspiring with one of my neighbors to throw me a baby shower, which I wasn't expecting because I didn't think people did showers for second kids. But since they're making the effort, I'm putting together a registry on babiesrus.com, and am having real trouble coming up with things I want that aren't just fancy/expensive versions of basic cheapo things I already have. (I would have registered for some glass baby bottles, but apparently you can't ship those, which is dumb.)

You have a plastic bokashi bin with a spigot at the bottom for drawing off any of the bokashi "bongwater" that builds up. You put in the waste, then you sprinkle it with bokashi (which is usually wheat bran that has been impregnated with EM [effective microorganisms]). Then you put something over the pile inside the bin just as an added step to try to keep the pile anaerobic. Then you seal the lid on the bin. You do repeat these steps until the bin is full. Then you leave it sealed for a week and a half to two weeks. Then the bokashi is ready to use. It doesn't break down in the bin so it looks much like what you put in. So it's usually then tossed into a regular composter or vermicomposter to really break it down into unrecognizable bits. But you can also just toss the bokashi at the bottom of any potted plants you're just potting up or you can dig a hole and toss it in there and put soil on top of it.

The advantage, as I said, is being able to compost stuff that would normally be verboten in a regular compost process. And the resulting stuff being very good for plants/soil.

My mom is pretty anti-composting as she is scared to death that it will attract vermin and she also thinks it looks ugly. The bokashi bin is much smaller and I can keep it out of sight. And it's sealed so she can't argue that rats will get at it.

Oh, java! For sure!

I love surprise showers! Congrats again.

Smonster, sorry it's rough going withthe itchies.

Diapers. Register diapers, blankies, consumables. Instead of a few fancy things get a years supply of consumables out of it. Also some stuff for mama on grounds that a happy mama is good for baby. Unless some of the fancy versions have advantages for you. Or you really like them.

I've been listening to podcasts and alternating between playing fb games (I built a 2nd orchard in farmville) and knitting. I have one more inch on my sweater before I can put the sleeve stitches on waste yarn and continue on and I really need to get rid of these stitches but I feel like I'm knitting and knitting and never getting anywhere.

Also some stuff for mama on grounds that a happy mama is good for baby.

Gift certificates for babysitting and laundry and such! I don't think I had a shower for the 2nd baby, but there were still prezzies which always fun.

Diapers.

Cloth! I still have all of Dylan's, some of which were originally mine. (Ditto wipes - some of my cloth wipes are now serving as hankies, but there are hundreds in storage along with all the newborn clothes.)

Formula doesn't last long enough even in powdered form to be worth registering for. Soap I buy in bulk from the organic coop.

Stuff for mama is always good, but for some strange reason babiesrus.com doesn't carry gin OR olives...

Jessica, it's true, second babies don't really need stuff in the way first babies do. But I say every baby deserves his or her own baby blanket.

But I say every baby deserves his or her own baby blanket.

Yup, my mom is knitting one. Ironically, the colors are going to be far less girly than the one she made for Dylan because the yarn she was planning to use was only available in blues & greens (Dylan's is lavender.) Heh.