There is nothing better, in my mind, than the practice of taking something that someone else discarded and either returning it to its former glory or creating something entirely new from it. In my work, I make a point of doing this by using reclaimed and vintage materials to make bags and there are so many other people out there doing this in their own way, contributing to fine art and charity.  Over the years, I have come across many ideas and programs that surround this idea of turning trash to something that is treasured. I am focusing on people and programs that accomplish this in artistic and charitable ways.

*** While through the years I have heard of the following ideas and programs, many more were brought to my attention while I was reading this handy little book called “1,001 Ways To Save The Earth” by Joanna Yarrow and published by Chronicle Books LLC out of San Francisco, CA. AND as I was looking up the publisher, I saw this: “Publishers Note: This book is printed using mineral oil-free vegetable-based inks on paper produced from pulp obtained from sustainably managed forests, and from paper mills that meet environmental standard ISO 14001. It is 100% recyclable.” VERY COOL and inspired me to put this right up front, so anytime you see a ***, it is to let you know when I picked up the tip from this book.

ENJOY!  AND let me know what you think and if you know of any other cool ideas or programs!

Handmade Goodies: As a seller on Etsy.com and a person who using reclaimed materials to make her products, I a vouge for the fact that their are SO MANY talented people on Etsy.com Making all sorts of amazing handmade items from recycled materials. I just typed in recycle into the search engine on Etsy.com’s main page, have a look! http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=handmade&search_query=recycle&order=date_desc&ship_to=

Donate some recycling or “clean trash” to school as art supplies: I worked in a kindergarten program and this was always a hit! They loved making things on their own or working together to make large items. This is a picture of a robot that they made with a teacher from stereo pieces, old christmas lights and all sorts of things. They designed it and all the teacher did was screw it together. Children are SO CREATIVE! *** I believe something like this was in the book as well.

*** SOMOHO (Soweto Mountain of Hope): This a hill in Africa that during turmoil in the 80’s became an illegal dumping ground and dangerous place to even pass through. Mandla Mentoor saw it as something else and worked very hard to transform it into the cultural and environmental center. People now feel safe coming here and there is a program for children teaching them all about being environmental stewards. They also have a big focus on artistic endeavors and allow everyone to make art out of the trash there “to free their minds” because they have all been so “bottled up” as Mentoor puts it. So this garbage was just sitting there and inhibiting people from going there because it was dangerous and they have now harnessed it for the common good. What a fantastic program! Here is a nice interview with Mentoor by In Motion Magazine,if you want more information: http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/global/mm1.html

Trash To Treasure Art Contest. FORT WAYNE, IN: I thought this was pretty cool. Fort Wayne Indiana had the great idea of holding a contest in which children and non-profit organizations can compete. People can let their creativity flow and re-use discarded materials. The next contest is to take place April 2010. Here is a link for more info if your organization or community want to do something similar http://www.acwastewatcher.com/events/index.html?ID=events_and_programs1202742977. I was thinking it’d be cool if some of the art was auctioned off after the contest to raise money for some charity or something.

Before and After: Antique Restorations: I LOOOOVE before and after pictures. I am a big fan of refinishing furniture in lieu , its so rewarding. Here is a great gallery of projects from all over the country created Pamela Wiggins:

http://antiques.about.com/od/craftyideas/ig/Trash-to-Treasure-Makeovers/

Old Cell Phones To Charity: If you are like me then you have at least a half dozen old cell phones lying around. Instead of letting mine just sit in our junk drawer or throw them away, I wanted to look into where I could recycle them. You can donate to lots of organisations but here are a few: GRC Recycling (you can earn money this way): http://www.grcrecycling.com/programs/cell-phone-collections/index.cfm; National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (if the page doesn’t show up, be aware that they are currently working on their site, so check back or call them!) http://www.ncadv.org/takeaction/DonateaPhone_129.html; CTIA The Wireless Foundation (also combating domestic violence) http://www.donateaphone.com/CalltoProtect/donate.cfm; Cell Phones For Soldiers (turns old cell phones into prepaid calling cards) http://www.donateaphone.com/CalltoProtect/donate.cfm; Charitable Recycling (let’s you create your own fundraiser for a favorite charity) http://www.charitablerecycling.com/CR/home.asp

Clean Out Your College Dorm For Good!: PENN State did a fundraiser on May 30, 2009 wheere they collected anything that was no longer wanted, put it in their stadium and had a HUGE SALE! They donated all of the proceeds, $62,680, to their local United Way. I just thought this was a fantastic idea not only because, as a recent college grad, I’m aware of how much stuff you throw away at the end of the year simply because you don’ have enough room in your car to get it home but because it gave all of this “trash” a second chance. Here is their website on their efforts if you want to do something similar:  http://www.trashtotreasure.psu.edu/default.shtml

Follow your Book Donation: I though this was sort of cool. There are tons of ways to donate book liek donating them to the library, for a church yeard sale, use Got Books (http://www.gotbooks.com/) to donate. What happens to those books though? Where do they travel after that? Book Crossing gives you the opportunity to find out, http://www.bookcrossing.com/. You can register your book and then if people go to the website and type in the code, you can see where the book has been since you donated it or where it was before you got it!

Consignment and Thrift Shops : I love consignment  and Thrift shops because you can get some nice stuff, sometimes with tags still on them! I like discovering a good consignment shop that I can browse through but there are some online too! http://www.consignmentshops.com/webshops.html. I also found a website for locating Thrift shops near you: http://www.thethriftshopper.com/ and you can add Shops of you know of ones that are not listed!

Donate Your Eye Glasses: http://www.charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/eyeglasses-donation.htm This is a great guide to all the places excepting eyeglasses and can point you in the right direction of donating most anything.

This is only a small taste of what is out there and I hope you have enjoyed looking through what I have put together. Again, if you know of any great artists, designers, ideas or programs that you want to share please feel free to add them as a comment!

About Reclaimed Threads: Reclaimed Threads is a sustainable bag company launched by Katherine DeSantis. Katherine is  a 20-something entrepreneur combined her love of being creative and sustainably conscious to form the company.  Every bag is handmade by Katherine from reclaimed, vintage and organic/sustainable materials. There are a variety of style bags and all are reasonably priced to make them available to all! Her shop is at: www.reclaimedthreads.etsy.com.

Here are two more pics from Chris Welton @cwelton from Hot Tin Roof.  He hit the Edinburgh Book Fesitval and a phonebox in the West End of Edinburgh.

Thanks Chris!

Hi All,

We’ve got a new batch of photos from folks that helped spread books around Edinburgh on Saturday in the Edinbooks project.

These come from Crystal Atkins and Ross Fraser

Follow Ross on Twitter @peazyshop

Thanks guys!

More photos on the way!

These are photos taken around Stockbridge, The Royal Mile, Leith and The Dynamic Earth…Enjoy

The book drop was a great success, with some books making their way to Stockbridge, The Royal Mile, Leith, Gorgie, Bruntsfield and even as far as Fife.

As pictures of the books come in, I’ll be posting them here.

Some of the first pictures have come from Richard Dyson @half_a_mind.

It looks like a few folks have volunteered to help with the book bombing that is Edinbooks on the 15th August 09.

For those who are interested in participating, we will be meeting at 11am at 135 George Street, (ring the buzzer for Ambergreen Internet Marketing) where I will distribute books for people to drop and make introductions. Some will be dropping in Leith, Stockbridge, New Town and Corstorphine. The plan is to re-group at 1.30pm for a drink and chat.

We intend to pick up books and scatter fairly quickly, so if you’d like to join in, please be at 135 George street no later than 11.15am. I’ll be closing doors by 11.45 at the latest.

If you’d like to get involved, but can’t make it at that time, please get in contact via email at cityferret@yahoo.co.uk or via Twitter @cityferret

See you then!

Dark-Draco reviews Dark Horizons 54 at Book Crossing.

Hi All,

As promised, here is a sample of the books that will be released into the streets of Edinburgh on the 15th August. This is only a sample as we have had over 600 books donated to the project. Here’s a preview:

BBC Music Magazine – Top 1000 CD’s Guide

Cooking and Eating Around the World

Women in Love – D.H. Lawrence

Icon – Frederick Forsyth

Principal Drugs – S.J  Hopkins

Chinese Horoscopes – Barry Fantoni

Streets of Fire – Soledad Santiago

The Bourne Ultimatum – Robert Ludlum

Death of an Expert Witness – P.D. James

There’s no one like you snoopy – Charles M. Schulz

A Dad at Last – Marie Ferrarella

Lizzie & Indian Summer – Louise Bindley

Familiar Lullaby – Caroline Burns

Enjoying Music – Jean Richardson

Baby and Child Care – Dr. Benjamin Spock

Breaking Gglass – Eric Lennon

Simple Starters – Andrew and Anne Jackson

Our revel emotions – Bernard Mobs

Meteor – Edmund H. North

The Hours – Michael Cunningham

Ghost Dance – Mark T. Sullivan

The Round Tower – Catherine Gookson

Principles of medicine and medical nursing – J.C. Houston

Spore 7 – Clancy Carlie

7 Sam – Richard Cox

Kill-a-louse-week – Susan Gregory

The Night Manhattan Burned – Basil Jackson

UFO – Robert Chapman

A pocketful of E’s – Michael Barry

Fade-Out – Patrick Tilley

School Stories – Elinor Brent Dyer 

Woman in the Mirror – Caryn Franklin

Centurions and Sinners – Anthea Cousins

A history of the world in 10 ½ chapters – Julian Barnes

The Nest – Gregory Douglas

Damien Omen 2 – Joseph Howard

Heartbreaker – Judy Garland

 Sf.22 – Kenneth Bulmer

Things we knew were true – Nicci Gerard 

Laws and Disorders – Richard Death

Thesaurus – Collins

The mind – Anthony Smith

Medicine – J.C. Houston

Guide to the Internet – Carol Vorderman

Jessie Gray – Emma Blair

Playing with Cobras – Craig Thomas

The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins

The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

Warlord of Mars – Edgar Rice Burroughs

E-mail, a love story – Stephanie D. Fletcher

Wedding Etiquette – Angela Lansbury

 Picture This – Lizzie McGuire

Garden Ideas

Confessions of a Good Arab – Yoram Kaniuk  

Ascendant thought – Dotty McAuliffe

Unspeakable acts – Simon Bond

A history for today – Anne Frank

Zoom into better photos – Steve Bavister

Cross stitch castles & cottages – Jane Greenoff

Between the Sheets – James Pond

 Yoga – Mary Stewart   

The Brown of the Gallowgate – Doris Davidson

Just for One – Katharine Blakemore

X-files Confidential – Ted Edwards

The Wildest Dream – Leni Gillman

Rainbow Warrior – François Pienaar

Headaches and Migraine – Leon Chaitow

The Black Death – John Marr

Whispers in the Village – Rebecca Shaw

Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Number One – Leslie Waller

Book of Aircraft – Roy Braybrook

The Voice of the Night – Dean R. Koontz

A Complicated Woman – Sheelagh Kelly

Emma – Jane Austen

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon – Stephen King

253 – Geoff Ryman

As  before – if you find a book, enjoy it, visit the site and pass it on!

Happy Reading!

Remember: If you want to donate or get involved, DM me on Twitter: @cityferret  Tag: #Edinbooks

or email at: cityferret@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks to everyone who has expressed an interest in getting involved in the next Edinbooks book drop. The new date is set for Saturday 15th August 2009.

Over 600 books have been donated by individuals and a special thanks to Ambergreen Internet Marketing (www.ambergreeninternetmarketing.com) for donating 500 books to the project.

A selection of the books will be posted shortly for you to see the variety of subjects and genres that will be floating around the city on the 15th August.

As ever, if you want to get involved, DM me on Twitter @cityferret

The twitter tag is #Edinbooks and email address is: cityferret@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks again and happy hunting!

Source: Book Crossing
Cost: Free – just how we like it!
User friendly: 3/10
Overall Rating : 3/10

It might be free, but I’ve never come across a book crossing book!

The idea is you ‘release’ your book in a public place and track this via the website.  Via a sticker in the book, the finder of the book should track the books’ progress and release it again once they’ve read it.  So in theory, you could track your book on its journey around the country or even the world!

I’ve released a few and they’ve not been tracked at all, save one I released to Caroline.

So the scores for this are slightly low, only because the chances of finding one of these are very low, but it’s a great idea for recycling books.

Go to the site and search to see where books are released in your area.  They are often scheduled in advance, so if you find yourself at a loose end one day, hop foot it a book crossing release.  Oh and make sure you come and tell us about it!

found a book that had been ‘released into the wild’ yesterday. no jokes. see for yourself:

I found it at Vida in Wembley Square while going for our morning dose. Mark and I had a scuffle over it and (obviously) I won.

I went to bookcrossing.com and filled in its details and it seems the book has travelled from Coffee Bean in Rondebosch, to Sinnful Ice Cream Parlour in Camps Bay, and now to Vida Wembley. Riveting in a small-town kind of way.

I guess now I’m supposed to read it and then ‘unleash’ it once more. Hmm. Maybe if it was the new Lauren Beukes I’d think about it, but am starting to feel like life’s too short to read books that might be good?

Hey all,

Here are some of the shots taken on Saturday’s Edinbooks book bombing of Edinburgh. Looking forward to the next one on the 2nd August. Book donations are already starting, so please feel free to join in!

Well – It looks like the 1st Edinbooks drop was a success. Aside from getting to see a lot of bits of the city I hadn’t visited in a while, I had the pleasure of seeing people pick up the books left behind and take them home. So far, a fair few folk have visited the site and tweeted support on Twitter.

The next book drop will be on Saturday 15th August and will involve a considerable increase in book numbers. I invite anyone who wants to get involved by contributing their time and/or excess books to get in contact.

You can contact directly at cityferret@yahoo.co.uk or leave a comment here.

More details will follow on how to get involved.

Happy Reading!

Eliza

I know Book Crossing hasn’t really taken off but I have stumbled upon a book-crossing book that somehow intrigues me at the coffee shop. The title would speak for itself: Masquerade by Walter Satterthwait.It’s a thriller about an investigation of a double suicide in 1923 Paris. One of the victims is an American publisher and those who are among the list of suspects are big names like Getrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway. Have you heard of Book Crossing?

Happy Mothers’ Day!

May you have a blessed day today, no matter where you are on your journey into Motherhood. (And by the way, check out Postpartum Progress today every hour on the hour for an open letter from a survivor or expert about Mom’s Mental Health. Yours truly is an author!)

Today marks the launch of what I hope will be a very cool project, Share the Journey: Release Your Books.

I’ve just registered my four books at Book Crossing with plans of releasing them into the “wild” soon!

The books I’m releasing are:

The Hidden Feelings of Motherhood by Kathleen A. Kendall-Tackett, Ph.D

The Mother-to-Mother Postpartum Depression Support Book by Sandra Poulin

My Journey to Her World by Michael Lurie

The Lifter of My Head by Sue McRoberts

I’ll definitely be releasing more in the future as well!

Here’s how you can participate (read completely):

1) Register at Book Crossing.

2) Make sure to type in lauren-hale as the referral username during registration.

3) Register your book.

4) Be sure to write your BCID (Book Crossing ID) inside your book along with a brief message. Please include the following url with your message: http://unexpectedblessing.wordpress.com/release-your-books/ so those finding the books will know they are a part of this project.

5) Release the book.

6) Make sure to go back to Book Crossing to enter release details and change the status of your book to “Traveling”

7) Leave a comment on the Release your Book Project Page here with your book’s specific url @ book crossing.

Enjoy the good karma!

Oh, and here’s a cool button you can put up on your blog to let others know you participate in the project.

If you can, be sure the button to the Release Your Books project page here at Sharing the Journey.

When promoting this, please use the tag Release Your Books. At Twitter, the hashtag should look like this: #releaseyourbooks.

I can’t wait to see where this goes!

Ever wonder about cool and unusual things you may have missed out on both online and off? In this blog I will share some cool things I have discovered, that you should try or read about. I will give a link and description for each one, and my thoughts on them. If you do try them out please leave a comment telling me about your experience, and whether or not you liked them. *Note: A few of these cool things may have been mentioned in some of my other blogs, but they’re so cool I had to mention them again.

Some Very Cool Things to Do Online

1. Book Crossing – This idea of leaving a book in a public place, so that it goes throughout a cycle is so unique and wonderful. It even counts as recycling! All you have to do is read a book, register the ISBN number at the website below, and leave the book somewhere for someone to find. Go online to the website again and again to see where the book you once had has been since you left it, or check to see if the book you have has been somewhere before you. My advice though: some people won’t know that they are supposed to go to this website when they find your book. So it helps to leave a note in the book about why you left it, and what to do when they find it. Make sure you give them the link, and don’t forget to tell them that when they are finished to pass it on to someone else with the same note. http://bookcrossing.com/

2. Where’s George? – Ever wonder where your money has been or might be going? Where’s George is a great website to find that out. Simply sign up, take your (cash) money, type in the special numbers and amounts and, wa-la!, you are now in the system. See if your bill has been in the hands of someone else across the globe, or come back later when you have given your bill away to see if you can track it. It fun and unique, and worth the try. My advice: Most likely your bill isn’t going to be in the system, and may not ever be put in again for you to track it. It’s ok though, at some point you will put in a bill that will have been all over! http://wheresgeorge.com/

3. Online Whiteboard- A fun interactive white board you can draw pictures on. And the best part? You can even draw pictures with your friend or family member who lives in another state, country, or city. A great way to connect via long distance. My advice: It’s a great tool for teachers, or someone trying to help a student with homework when they aren’t home. Also great for tutors or business people who need to communicate and collaborate with co-workers. http://www.imaginationcubed.com/index.php

4. Community Walk- With Community Walk you can create your very own maps. You can make maps of your town, of things you saw, places you go, or whatever you else you want! Its fats, fun, and easy! These maps are similar to Google style maps. My advice: very useful tool for those who get lost easily, and also a great tool for anyone who orienteers, as mentioned above. http://www.communitywalk.com/

5. Witty Comics-Design your own comic strips with this cool comic maker. Choose characters and scene settings, words, bubbles, and narration. Then save it for later. My advice: great for boys and girls alike who are bored and want something fun to do. Also great for projects. Very simple. http://www.wittycomics.com/

6. Dogster- Sign your dog up to the Friendster for dogs. Communicate with other dog lovers and their dogs, plus do a whole lot more. Create a group and have people join or you can join someone else’s group. My advice: If you are a dog lover or have a dog it’s a great website! It’s a fun way to connect and communicate. You will have a woof of a good time! http://www.dogster.com/

7. eSnailer- This website is so cool! With eSnailer you can write a letter to someone online, and eSnailer will print it out and mail your letter free of charge. It’s very easy and completely free. My advice: This is a nice website when you don’t have any stamps or envelopes to mail to someone. Maybe you don’t want to spend money on invitations for your wedding or child’s birthday this year, then eSnailer is a great choice. The catch? You must accept one of their free offers in order to do this. http://www.esnailer.com/

8. SpokenText- What a great concept! If you would like to make boring text come to life through audio then Spoken Text is right for you! Simply upload your Word document, PowerPoint Presentation, or type in something, and SpokenText will turn it into audio for you. My advice: It’s a great tool for students, teachers, people who work in offices, people who give presentations, or even better if you have to give a presentation and you have a cold and cant speak. SpokentText speaks for you! http://www.spokentext.net/

9. Weebly – Making a website could never be easier! This website makes it easy to design a website for any need without complicated instructions. This is simply a drag and drop process. Just click what you want, drag the little photo, and it appears. Then click it to edit. Finally publish your website and it’s done! My advice: I love this program. I make several websites using it, and they are great. And the best part? No ads! http://www.weebly.com/

10. Twitter – Some people have no clue what Twitter is. If you mention Twitter in a conversation some people may go “What’s Twitter?” And while those who are Twitter fanatics may gasp in horror at the lack of knowledge people have about Twitter, some of us really don’t know. In fact, I didn’t even know. But Twitter is addicting. You create an account and type your updates in 140 characters or less. You can @ reply or direct message someone, follow someone, or receive followers, and it’s also a great way to get info and links spread around quickly. My advice: This is quite addicting if you are a computer-holic. You can communicate with thousands of people and also get traffic for your website or blog. http://www.twitter.com/

Some Very Cool Things to Do Offline

11. Orienteering – Orienteering is a fun and challenging game. It requires you to be good at maps, and to be very, very quick. You and a partner or a group of people are given a map, as well as the other teams competing. Flags are hooked to trees and posts throughout the area you are playing the game in. Your job is to use the map to locate where the flags are. You have only a certain amount of time to go to each flag, punch a hole in your card, and then return to the home base. The first team to return with all holes punched wins. My advice: it’s a fun and challenging game and hobby. If you’re not good at reading maps and compasses, you will be lost, and you will lose. http://www.us.orienteering.org/

12. Sand Sculpting – Sand sculpting is not only a hobby, but a career and art form. Beautiful and intricate designs can be carved out of sand. You can hire someone to carve something out of sand for you, for any special occasion. But maybe you’d like to try on your own. Start off small and then work your way up. Get all the basic tools you need and then head to the beach. Use my other blog about a day at the beach for a recipe to build everlasting sand castles. My advice: don’t expect to be like the professionals any time soon. It takes many tries and practice to get it right. http://www.missico.com/personal/kids/sand_sculpture.htm

13. Visit a Planetarium or Nature Center- Going to a Planetarium or Nature center is not only relaxing, it’s also informative. You can learn so much from your nearest nature center and more in one day than you could anywhere else in a week. Find info on space, stars, planets, animals, and the environment. My advice: This is a great way to get out of the house, or to learn something new. It’s also the perfect place to you’re your children. http://www.alexa.com/topsites/category/Top/Science/Astronomy/Institutions/Planetariums/North_America

14. Horseback Riding – A perfect day outside can include the perfect way to view the outside: by horse. Most parks have horseback riding available for a cheap rate. Some horse camps or centers may be near your town and may offer horseback riding around their facility. My advice: This is a relaxing way to see nature, but I wouldn’t advise going alone on a horse if you don’t know how to ride properly. You should get training or assistance before riding. http://horses.about.com/od/learntoride/Learn_the_Basics_of_English_or_Western_Riding.htm

15. Parasailing- Ever wish you could fly? Well you can fly right over the ocean when you parasail. All you have to do is sit in the harness and a boat will pull you up into the sky. A great and breezy way to see the ocean and beach up above. My advice: Although this is fun it can be a little dangerous. I would read up on parasailing before going. Make sure you aren’t afraid of sharks, or falling into the water, because just like a kite, you can go down just as quickly as you go up. http://www.parasail.org/ http://www.parasailing.com/

16. Build a Tree House- If you have kids or if you want an extra room, you can build a tree house in your backyard. If you don’t have enough money or time, then get one already made, or pay someone to build it for you. Some tree house building companies can add running water, plumbing, windows, staircases, furniture and more, if the price is right. This isn’t practical but if you want to add an addition to your house, or if you want a place to hang away from the kids, this pricey expense may be for you. My advice: I like the idea of a tree house, and the extension to your home. Maybe some things are too expensive and unnecessary, but original. Have fun with your design however, whatever it may be. http://www.thetreehouseguide.com/

17. Play Bingo- Bingo parlors are not always for old people. Even younger bingo-fanatics can enjoy this old fashioned game. With simple rules, and a chance to win prizes, you’ll be yelling BINGO! Wherever you go. My advice: It is a fun game to play, and even more fun when there is a prize involved. By purchasing several cards at once you can have a better chance at winning/ http://www.winningwithnumbers.com/bingo/halls/

18. Go to a Flea Market- Flea markets are all over the world. With aisles and aisles of homemade and store bought goods all at low prices, you can buy almost anything and still have money in your pocket. Flea markets not only have items to buy but some have shows, rides, food, a produce market, and even a circus. Discover a flea market near you. My advice: you can find anything you are looking for at flea markets including unique items found no where else. This is definitely an all day activity. http://www.keysfleamarket.com/

19. Go Ice Skating- An old past time, and a fun one for ice princesses to be or for hockey players. Not an easy thing to learn for those who cant skate at all, but it can be a lot of fun trying. Go with a friend or a group to the nearest ice rink near you. Watch ice skating shows on T.V to see how professionals do it, or get some lessons. My advice: this is fun, but can be dangerous. The skates are very sharp, so be careful how you spin across the ice. Other than that, its still a fun place to go, and a “cool” place to “chill”. http://www.iceskatingrinks.org/

20. Visit a Beekeeper (or become one)- This activity is one that may help the environment. Beekeeping not only helps pollinate the flowers, but also gives you a yummy treat. Make sure you get a permit from the city, or at least contact the city before setting up for beekeeping. If you rather visit a beekeeper, look in your local phone book, or at the website listed below. Make sure you follow the rules and wear the gear required. My advice: You would be surprised by what you can learn from bees. They may have the hardest job around. They pollinate the flowers, and without them, flowers would die. So visit a beekeeper to learn more. http://www.beeculture.com/content/whoswho/

21. Go Rock Wall Climbing- You can find facilities that have rock walls, or you may have to wait till the carnival comes to town. If you really want fun, why not bring the rock wall to your home? Use the website below to find out more about rock wall climbing, or find a place to purchase your own. My advice: This is fun, but the boring part? All you do is climb up till you reach the top, and then its over. Sure, you can do it over and over again, but for how long? http://www.indoorclimbing.com/

22. Monarch Tagging – Monarch tagging is basically ordering a kit with tags, catching or raising butterflies, and sticking a little sticky tag on them. That’s it. They fly to Mexico, they die, someone finds their body with the tag, they have the ID number recorded and it’s put in the database. The science of it all is fun, and you could really be helping the world learn more about Monarch butterflies. My advice: This is more for serious people who care about animals and the environment. It’s also for science groups, classes, and individuals. After it’s over, that’s it. And at that point it gets boring. http://www.monarchwatch.org

Some Very Cool Free Things to Get

1. Free Stickers- Two websites have free stickers. One is the Polar Bear SOS website where you can request up to two sets of stickers for your light switches and chargers. The next is PETA, which offers sheets of stickers with multiple designs. http://www.polarbearsos.org/resources.html  http://www.petakids.com/free_stickers.asp

2. Free Everglades Environmental Info – Get great Printable info about the Everglades. This website also has a downloadable interactive book that you can save to your computer, CD, or USB Drive. http://tinyurl.com/dzsb23

3. Precious Princess Free DVD – Get a free 12 minute Princess DVD from Mattel Toys for your little girl. This is sure to keep her busy. http://tinyurl.com/d5tpej

4. Free PETA Comics- If you love PETA you will love these free comic books. Order one of the four titles, or even all four of them! http://www.petakids.com/comics.asp

5. Free Stuff for Girls from Always – A nice sample kit of feminine products for girls. Sometimes kits include notepads, stickers and more! http://tinyurl.com/cgvndc

6. Free Signature Scents Sample – Free sample of any two of their scents, in sachets, or bath and body. http://tinyurl.com/c5h74u

7. Free Scents of Nature Samples – Fill out the form for your free samples. You do not get to choose. http://www.scentofnatures.com/freesample.html

8. Free Milk Matters Stuff and Coloring Book – Many Milk Matters Publications available, but the best is the coloring book. Great for teachers, children, and babysitters. Keeps kids busy while also informing. http://tinyurl.com/cbhp82

9. Free Lemonade Stand for Kids-Sign up for your child or for a child you know to get your free Lemonade Stand, as long as you promise to donate the money to charity. http://www.sunkist.com/takeastand/request.asp

10. Free Ocean and Weather Stuff From NOAA- Simply send them an email with your address and tell them what info you want. Directions: To receive free NOAA science stuff, send an e-mail to outreach@noaa.gov and include your age or grade level with your complete mailing address. Let us know if you want specific materials on oceans, fish, marine animals, weather, climate, or satellites. We can provide one copy of each publication. http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/kids/

11. Free Manatee Education Materials – Free Info and education materials on manatees. Includes bookmark and more! Great for projects or any marine animal lover. http://www.savethemanatee.org/edmat.htm

12. Free Ocean Posters and Brochures – Send them an email with the product number to get your free posters and brochures. Directions: For email requests:nscep@bps-lmit.com (orders by e-mail)

Estuaries: Scenes of Transition Poster EPA Document Number: EPA-842-H-99-001

National Estuary Program Brochure EPA Document Number: EPA-842-F-99-001

Keeping Our Oceans Clean and Safe Poster EPA Document Number: EPA-842-H-02-001

http://tinyurl.com/co437p

13. Free Scented Bookmarks – Simply sign up to receive your free catalog and then choose the scent of your bookmark! http://tinyurl.com/dcssn3

14. Free Stationary Sample Pack – Sign up and they will send you a Stationary Sample Pack http://tinyurl.com/dc8qnp

15. Free Correction Pen – This correction pen is courtesy of the Ringtonica ringtone website. Great Deal! http://www.ringtonica.com/correction_pen/

16. Free Animal Education DVD and Info- This is a DVD and info for the website Share the World. It tells about the animals that we share the world with. Great for animal lovers and biology teachers. http://www.sharetheworld.com/order.asp

17. Free Sun-Earth Day Kit- Sign up if you are an educator, and receive a folder with info and a DVD about the Sun and Earth for Sun-Earth Day http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2008/promotional/kit.php

18. Free Arbor Day Video and Booklets – Request a DVD about Arbor Day or one of their other publications. Having a presentation or club meeting? Email them requesting their free publications and the amount you want and they will be glad to send it to you. http://www.arborday.org/kids/postercontest/request.cfm  http://tinyurl.com/cgv6fr

Mentre si attendono notizie di Sheridan, lasciato da qualche parte nel modenese, ecco qui sotto il primo intervento su Safiyah… l’avventura continua…

“Ci sediamo attorno ad un tavolo. Non siamo tanti, ma meglio pochi ma buoni che tanti che valgono niente.
Si mangia, si beve, si ride, si sparla dei soliti assenti, si discute e ci si manda a cagare per poi alzare i bicchieri e brindare di nuovo a noi… continua…

I’m liking the whole miniseries thing, so welcome to Part 1 of a good deed idea called “Book Crossing.” I originally read about it on the SpreadChange site and it’s the coolest idea I’ve come across in a while.

“Sort of reverse shoplifting” is the way Heather Mehra-Pedersen, co-founder of www.bookcrossing.com, describes the concept.

The website was created on the premise that the two things that change people’s lives are the people they meet and the books they read. (I’d add the music they listen to, but that’s just me.)

Here’s how it works: find a book, read it and pass it on.

If you start with one of your own books, you first register its ISBN for free on the site. You are then given an ID number that you write inside the book along with a note asking the finder to log onto the site and make a quick journal entry.

That person reads your book then releases it “into the wild” by leaving it in a public place for someone else to find. You can also check out reviews by previous readers, include your own comments and follow where the book has been.

So today, I chose my book (Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale), signed up for the site and registered the ISBN.

It was fun checking out the list of “release” locations and seeing bus stops, coffee shops and food courts that are literally just around the corner.

Who are these kooky book find-and-releasers right in my own backyard?

Tomorrow, I might find out. I’ll be choosing an “anonymous verandah” location (that was actually one of the choices on the drop-down menu). So stay tuned for Part 2….

P.S. Here’s a beautiful song from Grammy-winner Alison Krauss, “A Living Prayer.” Enjoy!

Per la prima volta nella mia vita ho tentato di disfarmi di un libro. Ho letto di peggio e ben piu’ noioso, ma  e’ anche la prima volta  in cui mi sento presa in giro da un’autore che ho sempre stimato.

Slam, di Nick Hornby, e’ scritto dal punto di vista di un adolescente che ha come missione da compiere quella di non ripetere lo stesso errore di sua mamma e sua nonna, ovvero avere un figlio a sedici anni. Non credo di rovinare la sorpresa a nessuno rivelando che non sara’ lui il primo membro della famiglia a non procreare prima della maggiore eta’. Non e’ questo, dopotutto, il centro della storia.

Il centro della storia e’ il colloquio narrativo che il ragazzo intrattiene con il lettore per renderlo partecipe degli avvenimenti che lo hanno portato a conoscere una ragazza, tentare la fuga una volta scoperta la sua gravidanza, tornare indietro e accettare l’idea di diventare padre. Ma e’ un dialogo che non funziona, quello tra protagonista e lettore.  A parlare non e’ un adolescente nei guai, ma  e’ palesemente Hornby che cerca di parlare -e pensare- come se fosse un adolescente. A meta’ libro si resta intrappolati in una serie di pensieri, congetture e situazioni strampalate, per poi procedere avanti e indietro nel tempo, fino a giungere ad una conclusione esposta secondo una schema domanda(lettore)/risposta(protagonista).

Quando ho cercato questo libro da Barnes&Noble non mi capacitavo del fatto che non fosse stato posto nella sezione English Novelist -dove pure c’erano altri suoi testi- ma nella sezione Teen Fiction. Credo che questa sorta di declassamento avrebbe dovuto dirmi qualcosa.

Chiarito il perche’, sono arrivata a spiegare il come avrei voluto disfarmene. Da ammiratrice mortificata mi sembrava fosse carino farmi offrire, in un certo qual modo, un caffe’ da Hornby, cosi’ sono andata da Strand Bookstore di Union Square per rivenderlo.  Fine della -mia- storia: niente caffe’. Almeno a NY.  Qui 2$ -questa e’ la cifra per la quale lo avrebbero acquistato- sono appena  la mancia per un caffe’.

Forse ho trovato il primo libro che non mi dispiacera’ destinare al bookcrossing.

***

E’ appena passato Natale e tutti (chi più chi meno) hanno ricevuto dei regali. I parenti più prossimi, che  conoscono i vostri gusti,  vi avranno senza dubbio regalato qualcosa che vi piace ma sicuramente anche a voi sarà capitato di ricevere qualche regalo che per i vostri gusti è inutile se non addirittura orribile…

Anch’io ho avuto la mia razione di regali inutili che non sto ad elencarvi … ma cosa fare adesso con questi oggetti che sono entrati a casa nostra?

Escludiamo il riciclo come regali natalizi per il prossimo anno (non è elegante e poi potrebbe metterci in qualche situazione imbarazzante…). Prima di abbandonare questi oggetti nuovi nel cassonetto e contribuire così all’aumento della tassa dei rifiuti possiamo farci varie cose…

1) Riuso. Vedere se l’oggetto può essere riusato in casa per farci qualcos’altro, magari di creativo. La trapunta della zia può diventare la coperta di Fido, una pila di vecchi cd può diventare una lampada da arredo, etc… Se amate il bricolage potete trovare su internet anche le soluzioni più strampalate per riusare le cose…

2) Vendita. L’oggetto che per voi è bruttissimo per qualcun’altro può essere ricercato quindi, via alle vendite su Ebay… Se la cosa vi appassiona potete divertirvi e racimolare qualche eurino… Giuro che si riescono a vendere anche cose “impossibili”

3) Baratto. Sta tornando molto di moda, sia su internet (sito www.zerorelativo.it) sia fra amici e conoscenti. Ad esempio molti frequentatori dei Gruppi di acquisto solidale si scambiano cose e servizi senza usare denaro. Per i libri esiste ormai la famosa rete del book crossing che vi permette di scambiare i libri che avete già letto, fecendoli girare per tutta Italia.

4) Regalare. Potete regalare i vostri oggetti a gruppi di beneficenza e volontariato che rivendendoli potranno ricavare soldi da devolvere a missioni o paesi del terzo mondo. Mi vengono in mente Emmaus o Mani Tese che fanno queste cose stabilmente, ma ci sono anche tanti mercatini locali e pesche di beneficenza che riescono a racimolare qualcosa dai vostri “rifiuti”.

5) Discarica. Solo a questo punto, se proprio i vostri oggetti fanno schifo all’universo mondo, potete buttarli in discarica facendo sempre la raccolta differenziata…

Ho scoperto grazie ad internet che queste operazioni, che per il sottoscritto sono semplici regole di buon senso, si chiamano in realtà space clearing e fanno parte di una branca del feng-shui. Liberarsi degli oggetti superflui e inutili servirebbe a far ordine in casa e anche nella mente, mentre liberare spazio in casa dovrebbe anche predisporre in modo positivo per il futuro… sarà vero?

*** foto “Cadeaux de Noël” by Céline Aussourd – flickr

If you don’t watch HOUSE, firstly, you really should. The writing is amazing as is the entire series in general. Not many shows are able to transcend their first season success and continue on [to a 5th season!] House manages this feat effortlessly and if you watch an episode you’ll know why.

Secondly, this video probably won’t interest you in the slightest if you don’t watch House.

This is Hugh Laurie’s HOUSE Audition Tape which can be found on the DVD box set – season 1: [or... youtube...]

Awesome. I only watched this today and I had to post it. I can’t believe Hugh Laurie had to AUDITION, considering the fact that no one in the world could have played his character better, let alone at all.

Also checkout:

80s Polaroid Ad – Hugh Laurie

How strangely nostalgic.

Blackadder series 4 – Final Scene

The Blackadder character’s also die at the end of the first and second seasons, so this series wasn’t unusual in that respect. Of course, the deaths in the earlier shows were played for laughs and had nothing like the poignancy of this great scene.

Also today:

That Book I found in the Square, I dropped it off outside the city Post-Shop.

To be perfectly honest with you, I couldn’t stand reading it. Not my style at all. The writing was too formal with so many unnecessary adjectives, I felt like I was being schooled in a lesson on fine edict rather than being engrossed in story.

Screw Elyza. Dumped. Hope someone else out there likes her:

After helping a relative move house today, I found myself bumming around under the beating Sun, and soon on the streets of Auckland City. The amount of rubbish on the road suggested the Santa parade [75th Anniversary] had already finished. Gutted, as I missed the Bike Parade earlier this year as well. More parades!!! Pass the petition!

Construction work had blocked off half of the Town Square, leading me to walk a direct path along the Town Hall Theatre building.

I went to sit on the steps into Aotea Square, and I found this book: [6:57PM]

Unfashionably outspoken, inconveniently rich, Elyza Leigh was a disaster in London high society. In despair she disguised herself as a boy, ran away – and fell into the arms of a devastating stranger who whirled her into the breathless gaiety of a Brighton Season. In return he asked her help in wooing the exquisite Corinna Mayfield. Elyza would have been delighted – had sh herself not already fallen in love with him…

Pretty cool huh? No less than a minute had the cleaners arrived; they would have biffed it for sure.

I don’t think I’ll get through reading it all by the time I start to get bored say, mid December; so I’ll post where I’m likely to leave this book when i’m done, Ok. Of course I say that optimistically in the hopes that this book isn’t a tedious read [it is a Romance after all]

Funny; Today’s affair reminded me of this:

A boy who needs a friend finds a world that needs a hero in a land beyond imagination!

I feel special!

[Bastian use to be my Total Annihilation/Unreal Tornament online name...  yeah I use to be cool. I also have the motion picture soundtrack and Limahl's greatest hits. ...Too much info too soon huh?]

I Wish, I could swap this book for a Childlike Empress!

UPDATE: Apparently this is the woman who left the Book to fate.

Very Cool.