Live Blogging the Diva Cup*

9:52 am -- making bowl of cereal, feel weird "pop" as Diva Cup unfolds fully into position
8:43 am -- ahh, that's better; twist Diva Cup to make sure it is positioned properly and move on!
8:42:30 am -- try to stand up, realize I've positioned it wrong, yow; sit back down
8:42 am -- insert Diva Cup
8:41 am -- remove Diva Cup from its protective and cute drawstring bag
8:37 am -- fish Diva Cup out of underwear drawer
8:32 am -- Spotting getting worse, realize Aunt Flo has arrived

*Okay, I didn't really live blog the Diva Cup (I don't actually think that would be possible, even given modern technology). I've always wanted to say "live blogging" about something.

Drive With Care.org

After posting about the drunk driver who killed a cyclist and then laughed about it to a friend on the jailhouse phone, I feel like I should post this. I found this on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's website, and it is the perfect, in-your-face response to this type of senselessness.

Need-a-Bag? Project Update January

Note: Need-a-Bag? is a project to promote sustainable bagging at the Hwy 441 Alachua County Farmer's Market each Saturday morning. We supply resusable tote bags reclaimed from thrift stores and garage sales. Need-a-Bag? also utilizes old tank tops as tote bags by sewing up the bottoms (these are called t-totes). We invite you to read the other posts on the project by clicking the "Need-a-Bag? Project" label at the bottom of this post.

Today was probably the rainiest day we've ever had on a Need-a-Bag? day at the farmer's market. After watching the weather yesterday, I was under the impression that it would start raining after 1pm, when Need-a-Bag? and The Great Air Potato Roundup were all wrapped up. Boy, was I wrong. It started raining as soon as DG picked me up this morning, and it followed us all the way to the farmer's market. Looking at the prospect of some soggy bags, we didn't even bother to get the drop box or any of the signage from the shed (which the kind people at the Farmer's market have been kind enough to let us use to store stuff). So, we put all of the bags, as you can see from the photo, in one big corral under the tent where they keep the wagons. One gentleman did come over with some bags he had used the week before, so that was nice.

Update #1: Erika of the Citrus has become a Need-a-Bag? associate and ally. She kindly offered to gather the bags at the end of the market day and stash them in the shed. This has saved the other two Need-a-Bag? associates (me and DG) from having to drive back out and collect the stuff. She has also included a plug for the Need-a-Bag? Project in each of her emails to local shoppers who receive updates on the market and the oh-so-sweet-and-tasty citrus she and her father sell. There is a special place in heaven for people who support sustainable projects and she is on the fast-track.

Update #2: After mulling over the mechanics of making a tote bag mascot costume, I realized that we wouldn't have to pay a king's ransom on foam sheeting because I have some foam sheeting that my mom-in-law gave me to make seat cushions for our patio set. Comfortable butts, or a Totey the Tote Bag costume? Hmm. The second option definitely has more humor value and is therefore the obvious choice.

DG nixed the idea of buying new covering for the costume and finally brought me around to the idea that the fixings for Totey should be reclaimed items. And she's right -- if we're trying to promote sustainable practices, we should start with a sustainable costume.

9th Annual Great Air Potato Round-Up

The air potato is an invasive plant, which tends to overtake and choke out everything in its path. The name comes from the large, tuberous "fruits" on the vine that look...just like potatoes! Only, these potatoes are toxic, as we were made aware during our briefing before running into the wet, soggy woods to collect.

Before the event, we huddled under an overhang by the school with other participants. It is a "rain or shine" event, and it was definitely going to be the former of the two, and cold to boot. DJ sat on the ground with his little bucket, giving the old man and me a chance to convene.

"This sucks," I said to the old man.
"You want to get out of here?"
"Totally. Let's get breakfast somewhere."

But, when we broached the subject to DJ (as in, "hey, buddy, you want to go somewhere and get warm with some pancakes?") he was adamant that we follow through. Dang it. I would have taken more pictures but it was just too rainy.

After running to the car to put away the camera, grab umbrellas, and get DJ's mittens we trooped over to the starting area, where they provided buckets and gloves if you didn't bring your own. The site leader showed us what air potatoes and their vines look like, and also told us we had the option of collecting trash, as well. Then we were released into the cold, damp, rainy forest to collect air potatoes.

It was more fun than I expected. And we all had fun -- DJ had a blast tromping through the forest collecting air potatoes. He and the old man went one way and I sort of bivouacked at the base of a couple of trails with our umbrellas and collecting buckets. Then I would walk around to various spots nearby and collect. There were a lot of people so competition for the big air potatoes was stiff. And I was little protective of our haul. I had one bucket of air potatoes we had collected lovingly covered with an umbrella. And anytime I saw someone close to our area I would run over like, "what do you think you're doing with our air potatoes, huh?" Those air potatoes were mine, dang it!

And the old man enjoyed himself, too. We had fun making up air potato songs based on popular songs -- like, to the tune of "Private Eyes" we sang "Air Potato Eyes, they're watching you (clap, clap) they see your every move..." and also "I'm looking over an air potato vine clump that I overlooked before..." Okay, I said they were popular songs, just not when they were popular.

DJ definitely gets an "A" for heroic effort. He collected a ton of trash and air potatoes, and he hauled his own bag of trash all the way to the starting site by himself. When one of the Boy Scouts there offered to carry it for him he declined the offer.

Collecting air potatoes is kind of addictive. I did not realize that I had an OCD related to collecting air potatoes. I couldn't stop. Even as I was leaving the forest to get back to the starting site I was still stooping to pick up an errant air potato.

After the collection (we were out there for about 2 hrs) we went to Morningside Nature Park for the after-celebration. They had music, various little giveaways and, of course, the free t-shirt. That alone was worth the effort. The logo (see above) was done by one of the Nature Operations people, and they've named the Dr. Suessian character "The Great Apru."

Everyone got a bag with a bagel and cream cheese and a granola bar, and you got a nice looking apple and a soft drink or water. I was hungry by that time and was thinking more of a b-b-q type set up, but c'mon -- a free t-shirt! Then they had a raffle for passes to bowling and the rock climbing wall, and some nice native trees. Poor DJ really wanted to win the bowling passes but alas, it wasn't to be.

All in all, we had a great time. DJ thought there should be games for kids, and so he and I talked about helping to organize some for the after-celebration next year. And I think we might actually do it, too.

Drunk Driver Kills Cyclist, Laughs About It To Friend

These are the types of stories that completely sadden and frustrate me. Here is a young woman in such suffering that she decides that it is okay to laugh about killing a cyclist while driving drunk because her friend congratulates her for doing it. There is some kind of impairment, mentally or morally, that comes from that type of response.

Here is the MSNBC article and video about the incident.

Here is a very good thread on Reddit about the issue.

Here is a full length article about the incident and information about the victim in the Arizona Daily Star.

*Update: Just wanted to reference that I originally got the tip about this from the Bicycle Austin Email Discussion List. Credit where credit is due, I say!

Buy Sustainability, Get A Free T-Shirt!

DJ and I met the old man on campus Friday for lunch. The old man and I wanted to go to the Arredondo Room where they have a couple of entrees to choose from and a salad bar for a nice, tidy little price, but DJ demanded Chik-fil-a. So, while the old man and DJ waited on that line at the little food court at the HUB, I went to Quiznos for a tuna sub. While waiting to place my order, I noticed they were selling refillable cups through Gator Food Service and UF's Office of Sustainability. For $1.99 you get a cup with the beverage of your choice, and then future beverage refills are $1.09. The thing that made me purchase it (besides rationalizing to myself that I would give it to the old man so he could drink fountain soft drinks instead of buying plastic bottles from the snack shack by his office), was the fact that for the price of the cup and beverage, they also threw in a free Gator t-shirt.

Now, I'm not a big Gator fan and there is an annoying Pepsi logo on the back, but c'mon! A free t-shirt!

And, the best thing about this cup? The straw also doubles as a whistle! DJ discovered this oddity as we walked back to the old man's office. It plays a lovely, melodious, flute-like sound and can be played blowing air in or out. It was a big hit at the play date we attended after lunch.