Category: Useful Stuff

The Luxury of Just Being Right Here, Right Now
Last night, my amazing niece called me (after I’d gone to bed) to let me know that she’s become engaged to a guy we all like a lot. I was smiling all over, listening to her voicemail. Almost in tears, really. Not just about the news, but about the fact that she took the time, […]

Happiness and Hedonism: Nudging Yourself Toward a Happy Life
People ask me why I write about what I write about. At least one person in my life gives me a hard time for “glorifying hedonism,” as though I’m advocating for naked drunken reveling with the Rockettes in a posh Gold Coast mansion (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I wonder about it sometimes. […]

One Simple Thing: Replace Your Nasty-Ass Spray Cleaner Today
Time: 1 minute, or a trip to the store. Cost: $0.50 – $4.00. Benefits: Health, Money, Pollution I grew up fascinated with the women with perfect hair and nails on television, spraying the latest miracle cleaner on countertops, sinks, the mailman, etc. Look! You just spray it on, wipe it off, and all of those […]

Edibly and Me: Nifty App for Discovering the Junk in Your Grocery List
I am not much of a gearhead, but I stumbled over the Edibly app last night and thought it was fun to play with, and a pretty useful toy. It’s a work in progress, I believe, but holds great potential for reminding some folks — especially those who live by their smartphone — what to […]

Ten Reasons Why I Hate Cheap Plastic Crap, and Why You Should Too
Actually, I’m kinda proud of myself. I managed to get through the entire Christmas buying orgy without saying anything about this, but the holidays are spent and so is my restraint. Apologies in advance to anyone who may have a fondness for cheap plastic crap, or who is employed by or dependent on the cheap […]

A Green Hedonist Christmas Wishlist for (Insert Year)
Well, I had some high-falutin’ ideas about publishing a big list of greenly hedonistic holiday gift ideas, but that didn’t quite pan out. So I thought I’d share my own perennial answers to the question, “What do you want for Christmas?” It may not be too late for you to spring these on someone in […]

I NEED vs. I WANT: How Do You Tell the Difference? On Happy Moderation, or Finding the Just-Right Life
It’s coming on winter in the Rockies now, and I’ve shifted from making icy-cold, fizzy concoctions in the Sodastream to preparing round after round of hot beverages during my work day. The day almost always starts with coffee, then around 2:00 I switch to tea or cocoa (fair trade, dontcha know) for the rest of […]

Reading This Right Now: Zero Waste Home
Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste (Scribner, 2013) by Bea Johnson Everybody has their little fetishes when it comes to the media they consume. Today I’m officially coming out as a sort of lifestyle design addict. From Tim Ferriss to Zen Habits to Mr. Money Moustache to […]

Finding the Good Stuff: Great Places to Find Local, Sustainable, Organic Food
Where do you find the good stuff? Here are some ways to scout out foods that are local, organic, sustainably-raised, grass-fed—whatever your preference is.

Behold the Wooden Lightbulb
I am always finding groovy things on Grist.org’s Grist List, but I saw this and at first thought it was a joke, poking fun at those of us who get a little visceral thrill out of buying energy-efficient lighting. Indeed, it’s really a light fixture, and a work of art at that. Check it out […]
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