But it's got a kind of social and emotional relevance among Jews that I haven't seen in many other communities

Are Jews in the US that different from British Jews? Because they just had straight hair at my mostly Jewish school. Same with the Jewish friends I made in Canada. The white people I know who had been down that stressful hair-straightening path were all non-Jews.

So seeing it treated like a pan-Jewish issue? Eye opening. Do you have the concomitant good hair issues where you're judged as militant if you wear your hair as is? Or you're a traitor if you do alter it? Like us?

One of the first things I had put in (by Juliana's DH) was a garbage disposal. I rarely use it, since I compost what I can, but I'm still glad it's there.

Lived without a garbage disposal in NYC; going without was an LA apartment deal breaker. And I vermicompost.

What's your composting setup in an apartment, bon? And why is it vital here and not in NY?

It used to be illegal in NYC. I have a worm bin in the coat closet!

We have once a week trash pick up and, although I sometimes will put it out if it gets real stinky, you're not supposed to put it out until the night before pick up. So, I love having a way to get rid of bio trash. I like the idea of composting but I don't really understand how I would use it. I don't really have a yard to speak of.

I have a worm bin in the coat closet!

And then what? What are you feeding with your output?

Given how it smelled up on the deck when the ivy was naturally mulching, I don't dare explore composting (and I know it is not supposed to smell. My whackadoodle postage stamp back yard is also not supposed to self-mulch. I know my limits.) I usually don't have more than a grocery bag of non-recyclable trash (same sitch as lisah) not counting litter. I can usually make it a week, but sometimes have to double bag grocery trash and sequester it in the basement in the summer.

I am required by law to recycle and compost. Supposedly I could be fined if I have too much of the wrong stuff in the trash. Also they charge by the size of garbage can.

The current gymnastics standard hair style seems to be dorky ponytail, so a very different hairstyle would probably not have been a good idea either. Also, I suspect that stylists for black hair are pretty rare in Des Moines.

Well, yeah. I thought the half-but (damn you autocorrect--half BUN) thing was sloppy looking, but I thought that about all the gymnasts who had it (several).

I have some herbs and containers trees/plants on the balcony. Don't get me wrong, harvesting is annoyingly messy and I'm not sold on the benefit to my plants. But it's not stinky and it's an easy option for apartments if you like to produce less veg/fruit/paper waste. Certainly eliminates guilt about my Costco produce habit.