Thursday Thoughts - Here everybody has a neighbor everybody has a friend

1. Let the record reflect that I got an old cavity fixed up at the dentist Tuesday and I didn't carry on about it like I always do NOR did I reward myself with gifts. I have to go back for the one on the other side on Monday. That might earn me a pedicure but still no stuff gifts. 

2. I loathe how shitty photos get (see above) as planned obsolescence occurs in phones. I've got the 11Pro coming my way and I can't wait.

3. We've reached the time of year where I look washed out AF and contemplate bronzer that I keep long after its expiration date for just such times but ultimately decide to skip all face makeup as always and just look like a ghost of myself until about April. Cheers.

4. It's wrong to eat condiments like they are the actual meal, right?

5. If you're looking to kick the ziploc bag habit but don't want to put out a lot of cash for Stasher bags, check out  Qinline bags. They work great, are easy to clean, much cheaper than the Stasher bags and I actually like them better.

6. The other night in an Instagram story I asked people for their favorite dips and seriously I've been salivating since. Bitches love delicious and easy dips and I love them for it. I am going to go on a dip odyssey this year and make the ones that sound good to me and share them all. I'm starting with chive mascarpone bacon dip and a new jumbo lump crab dip in the crock versus how I usually do it in the oven. The Year of Dip. Get ready. Considering a Dip Birthday party for myself. A dip birthday party...what a wonderful world. 

7. My circadian rhythms are off. I get into bed by 10 and am up until 1. I need to reset.

8. For your consideration: these words from Aja Barber or from ShiShi Rose on why I have not and will not be sharing any OpEds on anything in Kobe Bryant's past written by white women, especially not when Harvey Weinstein, Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Brett Kavanaugh, donald trump, and others are out there in celebrityville and about a million Brock Turners, Judges letting Brock Turners go, and white men making laws that hurt women’s autonomy and place women in peril daily are under our noses, traveling somewhere on our circles, sitting at our barbecues unchallenged. We need to get after our own, white ladies, before we say a damn thing about anyone else's. File under know better, do better: I would have written reams about this in the past, waving a big feminist flag. You know who else waves that flag? Black women who have typically had their voices and words drowned out by white women. No, our voice is not needed on Kobe Bryant’s hotel incident from 2003. Better make sure our house is clean before we run a finger across the top of a picture frame in someone else’s. 

9. Reminder: via Women in Illustration

10. Ecards: da da da da daaaaaa da da da da da da da dadadaaaaaaaaa

Hasta la vista, baby. I said that in a Tone Loc voice. 

What appears after the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts is a song lyric to whatever I'm listening to when I start to write the post. This week is Long Walk Home by Bruce Springsteen

This morning's sunrise thoughts

I love when I get to the beach for the sunrise to see the moon has stuck around to bear witness.

Insert peace sign here. 

You guys. Seriously. Please. Think before you take, use, consume. I have always tried to mind the earth, but being down here and seeing our trash wash ashore all the time is making me nuts about it. 

And yes, Bruce is still on the beach at 5:45 am despite there being no dogs on the beach in Ocean City from April 30-October 1. Of all the rules to break in life, I am okay breaking this one.  He's on a leash not harming a soul and not only do I pick up after him, I pick up all the other trash I see too. Live and let live. I will never understand why this town doesn't just allow leashed dogs early or late in the day. You would not believe the hell people give other people for doing this. Just, why? Many people do the it's the law song and dance, as if they have never gone over the speed limit, had a drink before they were 21, littered, etc. They also do the they poop song and dance, which, have you ever seen what humans do on the beach? Not always good or sanitary.

Well that was a tangent but come on they're dogs. This land is your land, this land is my land, and this land is their land too. The beach is for all of us. 

Added bonus of early sunrise season: a little extra work in early in the day. Getting shit done, my friends.  

Happy Friday!

Reducing & Reusing

Tomorrow is Earth Day. Ways I try to reduce my impact on the environment:

1. Be cognizant of packaging. Plastic is bad, no matter how you spin it. I avoid things packaged in plastic when I can. Do I need produce bags? No. So I don't use them.

2. Don't use paper plates and plastic cups unless we have a large crowd. Which is hardly ever anymore.

3. Tote groceries in bags kept in trunks. I only accept plastic bags when I need trash can liners. If I'm only buying a few things and don't have a tote with me, I say I don't need a bag, thanks. We don't need the plastic bags.

4. Pack lunch foods in reusable bags. These babies can go in the dishwasher.

5. Keep a set of silverware at work so I don't use plastic. I was just reminded I wanted to do this by Steph in one of her zero waste kitchen posts so I'm new to this practice. Since we use more utensils in a house of two people than all the Duggars combined, I didn't want to bring any from home to leave at my office permanently so I got these from Amazon.

6. Glass or stainless steel straws. Sarah got me a glass straw for Christmas a few years back. I added another as well as a set of stainless steel straws so now I'm not throwing them out all the time. The stainless steel ones I bought last year came with cleaning brushes too.

7. Hang clothes to dry. I hang a majority of my clothes to dry instead of using the dryer. When we have a large yard, they'll all be hung out to dry.

8. Group errands together, walk, or use public transport. I schedule my errands for one day instead of multiple days polluting the atmosphere with my car. I take the asshole train to work, and at the shore I park my car and walk or bike everywhere until I leave. I also run as many errands as I can at the shore since I'm on foot or bike and during lunch at work since I'm on foot then as well.

9. Carry drinks in a reusable bottle. I love the S'well bottles because they keep drinks cool all day on the beach even when left in the sun. I detest plastic water bottles. If you are traveling via air, just make sure your reusable bottle is empty until you get through security.

10. Vote for people who know science and climate change are real. 

11. Pick up trash I see on the beach. Enough shit is in the oceans, we don't need our trash washing out there.

12.  Use cloth napkins, cleaning cloths, and hand towels. Paper towels are for dog accidents only.

13. Look for ways to reuse items or donate them instead of trashing them. I do put shore furniture out on my curb at home, but that's because it doesn't last for more than 10 minutes before a picker snaps it up.

14. Don't let the water run. While brushing teeth, washing dishes, etc. etc.

15. Compact fluorescent bulbs. Even though they're ugly.

Areas I need improvement on:
-To go coffee cups. DD doesn't make a reusable cup big enough to hold a large. DD, are you listening? I'd like a reusable cup that holds a large.
-Composting. I don't do it, but I should.

What do you do in your daily life to be more environmentally friendly?