Weekend Musings: July 25th

Ocean City, Maryland - July 2010

OK, so I am cutting it close, but it is still the weekend. And if you are on the east coast, most likely you are looking for some indoor stuff to do as we are being hit by a pretty substantial heat wave. Here in Ocean City, we have been in the high 90s with the heat index near 105. Back home in Virginia they have been hit even harder with temps in the low 100s and heat indices even higher.

Needless to say, we have been hanging around inside this weekend. Even the beach is not any fun at those temperatures. But it has given me some time to do some more organizing and try to get caught up on some things (with varying degrees of success).

I am working on getting into a new routine, thanks in a large part to my dog Jez. For some reason, she has been waking me up to go outside a little before 7am. At first I started grumbling, but then realized that this is exactly what I need…motivation. I had been wanting to start getting up earlier (I really am a morning person, yet I have the tendency to stay up late and get up late), but had not been able to really make myself do it. Now with Jez’s help, I have been up and out of bed around 7am for the past couple of days.

I am finding that I feel less rushed and have been doing my morning meditation out on the hammock swing which is nice. I feed the dogs and the cats and I then have a little time before the boys wake up to get a few things done (like writing this blog post!) I even made myself some tea this morning (Yogi Peach Detox, yum). I find I can think clearer when the house is quiet, so the trick for me is to steal the time early in the morning when I can think better, rather than late at night when I am brain dead. We’ll see how it goes.

So without further ado, here are some links for your weekend reading enjoyment:

Why the Next Big Pop Culture Wave after Cupcakes Might be Libraries - I have such a special place in my heart for libraries. I adored my library as a kid, worked in one while at Virginia Tech and still use them often as an adult.

Reusit Biodegradable Garbage Bags - My favorite place for green goods now has biodegradable garbage bags made from 100% recycled plastic (in 3 sizes). I have been thinking about ways to cut my use of plastic and while I have been using plastic bags made from recycled plastic, I had realized that they still hang our for years in landfills. Biodegradable makes a lot of sense. The “bags are infused with a natural additive that allows the plastic to biodegrade completely into natural elements. Plus, they’re not just made in the USA, they’re manufactured locally from recycled plastic waste collected in Chicago.”

Fun and Intrigue with the Periodic Table - Review of a new book, The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. The book covers the history of the elements of the periodic table, the people who discovered them and other interesting facts surrounding them. Sounds right up our alley.

Spoiled Rotten - A Timeless Complaint - Alfie Kohn makes some good points (as usual) in an article published in the Washington Post.

Good Times Made Simple: The Art of Having Fun -  From one of my favorite groups, Center for the New American Dream, This pdf offers alternatives to commercial TV, video games and trips to the mall. With suggestions for both indoor and outdoor activities and resources for learning more, it is worth taking a look at.

Hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend and stays cool!