Into The Wild

“I'm going to paraphrase Thoreau here... rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth. ” -Into The Wild

Friday, November 30, 2012

Custard Pie

Hi all! I know I've been going on a lot of hiatuses lately, but this one is for good reasons (well, "good"). Long story short, my house caught fire on November 19th. It was around 12:40 am, we had all just gone to bed, when my mom woke up to strange noises in the garage to see the glow from the fire through her front bedroom window. We (me, my mom, and sister) all got out, my three precious puppies included, but bunbun Floyd didn't make it. His cage was on a countertop next to the fridge where the fire started. After almost two weeks of staying with my Dad, we are currently living in a rental house right down the street from our place. We've been shopping out the wazoo so much that I actually think I may be sick of shopping. YES. I am sick of shopping. The house is so cute, with three large bedrooms and an extra office room. Big closets, good size bathroom (1+1/2) and kitchen, and a full unfinished basement. Unfortunately, the pups have to stay with my dad the entire time we're here (probably closer to a year) because of complications with the previous tenants. It sure is going to be lonely here without my Wallace to be at my side every second of the day, but at least him, Onyx, and Sundae will be just right down the street at another familiar place.

Now, I want to dedicate the rest of this post to Floyd, aka Flerd. He was my first "exotic" pet since the gerbils we had when I was in fourth grade. And by golly was he the cutest thing ever. I was so set on getting a bunny for the longest time, and when I brought him home I knew it was meant to be. He was such a lover, even my Mom, who was dead set against it, ended up loving him and snuggling him. Instead of making jokes about making bunny stew, Jack loved him too. The thing that keeps my chin up is knowing that for the last 3 months, Flerd had a great life surrounded by people that loved him (sometimes a little too much).
Loungin' in the Summer time.

The cutest picture.
Floyd sleeping. d'aww

Sunday, November 18, 2012

How To Be A Successful Christmas Shopper

Whew, it sure has been a while since I've blogged. I didn't know how much working in a busy retail store can tire you out, especially around this time of year! Thanksgiving is only a few days away, which means Black Friday is too, which also means lots of shopping and Christmas in another month. Holy cow, time flies.

We all know how fun (and stressful and expensive) Christmas shopping can be; who doesn't want to get your friends/family the perfect gift? Over the years, I have learned how to cut my Christmas spending while still feeling good about the gifts. I'm going to share some tips that I have picked up from my Mom and some friends about how to do just that: get that perfect gift without spending a fortune!


  • Only buy for close friends and select family members. For friends, I buy for my boyfriend Jack, Carli, and Katey since they're my closest. For family, I buy for my Mom, sister, Dad, and Grandma. My extended family does a white elephant gift exchange at my Grandma's house, where we all bring one gift that is around $20. It's really fun. For my cousins and Aunt T, we choose who we want to buy for since it's only the 6 of us; we try to spend no more than $25. 
  • This one ties into the first: know who you're buying for. If you're shopping for your best friend or significant other, you should know what they're interested in. Same for immediate family. For example, I know that Carli really likes owls and stuff for her apartment, and Katey likes old-style things, so that's what I look for. If you don' t know what to get a family member, like a little sister or brother, look through their room (secretly of course!) and see what they need. Or take mental notes of what they say they want when looking online or walking through the store. I know that Jack can always use more underwear and socks, and he likes stuff to help him keep organized. Usually, parents like things that help them relax, not home stuff that make them feel like they have to use it (like a vacuum, but coffee makers are great!)
  • Plan ahead. This is huge, it prevents you from walking around the store (or multiple stores) for hours looking for a gift. Since I work at Kohl's, I was able to look around and take mental notes while working and then compile a list of all the things that I can get there to get my discount. It's not even Thanksgiving and I have 90% of my shopping done already!
  • Compare prices. Since Kohl's has basically everything, I have a lot of options. Some of their stuff can also be more expensive than similar items at Meijer or Walmart just because of the brand. For example, my Dad wanted a set of serving spoons for his birthday, so I found a Bobby Flay set at Kohl's for $14, but I got the same ones (Oneida brand, which is still good quality) for $9 at Meijer.
  • Keep an eye out for good sales if you don't want to risk your life on Black Friday.  Stores can have some pretty rad clearance items.
  • If you can, make something! Hand-made items are from the heart and are usually always cherished.
  • Last but not least, don't over-buy. It can be hard to limit yourself if you find a bunch of items that you just know your friend/family member/significant other will love, but that could make the other person feel as if they should have gotten you more stuff, and no one wants that. If you know their interests, try to find one or two larger/not clearance items, or several small items. I do both, depending on the person it's for. I must say that I'm a pretty good gift giver regardless of how big or small or cheap, and it's ALWAYS fun! 

These tips have really helped me this year, so I hope they help you guys too! Have fun shopping for your loved ones, and for those of you who participate, GOOD LUCK on Black Friday! Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Curb your contribution

Hey all. Sorry about the recent hiatus, I've been crazy busy with studying, writing my research paper, and training at my new job. You all know how it goes. Good news, though! After extensive research and editing thus far in the semester, I'm super close to being done. Just have to do a little bit more tweaking and then I'll have a published paper! Yes, I'm a nerd :)

Now that the semester is almost over (just 4 more weeks!), and I've learned a bunch in my ecology and intro classes, I feel confident enough to blog about something environment-related. I want to provide you with the most accurate information since this is an important subject.

Air pollution is a serious issue with many different sources and deeply historic routes. The primary sources of particulate matter, or a mixture of solid particles, liquid droplets, and gases in the air, are the anthropogenic (human-influenced) burning of fossil fuels and poor soil conservation. The fossil fuels that we use include oil, coal, and natural gas; they are used for just about everything: electricity, warm water, gas and oil for our cars and other fuel powered machines/vehicles. The constituents of particulate matter make up the largest contribution to air pollution. Depending on the degree, air pollution can cause various types of illnesses and breathing problems. All that said, I'll let you do your own research on everything else, and I'll part with some ways that you can personally curb your contribution to air pollution!

1) Don't smoke cigarettes - I know a lot of us are guilty of this, and it's a hard habit to break, but cigarettes contain so many chemicals that are being released into the air, not to mention your lungs. They also contribute to ground litter when you throw your butts on the ground.
2) Make your own cleaners/soaps - vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, washing soda, and borax are the basic ingredients in several different cleaners. Making your own cleaners is dirt cheap, easy, and quick. You can also make your own soap, which is a more difficult process,and laundry soap, which is fairly easy. Here are some websites with a bunch of recipes:
1, 2, 3

 3) Plant more trees and other plants inside and outside - as you may know, plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

4) Buy local produce - did you know the average meal travels about 1500 miles to get to your plate? More often than not we have no idea where our food comes from, and more often than not our meats come from factory farms and other farms that highly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. When you buy locally, you know from who and where the produce is coming from, and you're supporting local farmers.

5) If possible, plant your own garden - it's hard work, but it's very rewarding and fun. Do some research on the type of soil you're working with and ways to improve fertility, also so you know what types of produce will grow best in your soil. Make a blue-print of what you want your garden to look like, and plan ahead so you don't plant too much or too little of one crop.

6) Fuel alternatives - this could be difficult considering alternatives can get pretty pricey and hard to keep up with. Corn stoves are awesome alternatives for furnaces. We had one in our basement that hooked up to the duct work that the furnace hooks up to. You literally burn corn kernels. It kept our floors and walls so warm, but the price of corn has sky rocketed for numerous reasons; now it's cheaper to run the furnace. There are also biofuels such as ethanol, methanol, and algae. Yes, algae. Research!

7) Air dry your laundry when it's warm - like I said earlier, heating basically anything requires burning fossil fuels, including laundry dryers. Hanging your clothes outside makes them smell like summer and costs nothing! Also, wash your clothes in cold water. Seriously! It's cheaper in more ways than one.

8) Push mower instead of gas mower - lawn mowers are EXTREMELY inefficient. Extremely. Or get goats!

9) Leave your leaves - what on Earth is the point of leaf-blowing and leaf pickup? I really don't get it. Leaves provide nutrients, like carbon, to the soil that could increase soil quality. Like lawn mowers, leaf blowers are super inefficient. And much more pointless. And leaves make your lawn pretty!



Alrighty, there are some things that you could do in your every day lives that could bring down your contribution to air pollution. Remember: the longer we put these types of issues at the end of our agendas, the worse things'll be later. Love your Mother.