Stuff

[kyburg]

I'm back to using WordPad as my LJ client. You can stay on the phone all you like here, but stay on more than an hour and it gets very expensive. So instead of trying to remember to logoff and then logon again, I'm going to compose offline for a bit.

I have a new favorite magazine. If I see it on the stands, it's likely going to get bought because I find the stuff inside just too plain useful.

It's Real Simple. No, that's the name of it. It has a complimentary website (which publication doesn't anymore), but the paper version rocks. Perfect-bound, a nearly square format (rough guess says 11"x 9.5-10"), matte finish covers with a nice mix of font types. And that's the front cover.

Inside?

"The right words: how to comfort a friend."
"Your health history: a pull-out organizer"
"A cleaner house in less time: 23 breakthrough tools and tips"

Gah. Such excitement. Then you go read the dumb things. Simple, neat and succinct. Sensible. Achievable.

There was someone on my friends list - a new addition who was having a trial with her SO because he kept after to "clean, clean, clean" and she admitted she couldn't tell when something was cleaned or not - go click here for one of the best list of things you really should do on a regular basis (and I paid for someone to clean my house for over ten years, I know what I needed done!), how often it really needs it and how it long it really takes.

eholea? Have you contacted Help USA? They had a PSA ad in the magazine I thought you'd appreciate - "As it turns out, turkey sandwiches cannot put an end of human suffering." Their number is (800) 311-7999 or they're at http://www.helpusa.org. Providing job training, housing and counseling. They say child care too. Maybe they can help with the laundry.

What was the name of that column? "Talking to Aliens." That's it.

Question 3 - My sister's husband is not only super-conservative but also very outspoken. Whenever we're at a family dinner together, he says something that makes me bristle. Sometimes it's hard to keep my mouth shut. When can I defend my opinions, and when should I not make things more awkward? - Kate, age 31, South Beach, California

Answer: People rarely change their most deeply held views, and when they do, it's not because of a dinner-table debate. Opinions change slowly and in the wake of important experiences. So it you're nurturing the fantasy that we can "set him straight," you'll only feel frustrated.

---

I like it. She then give three strategies on how to open very useful, engaging conversation without becoming confrontational. (Hint: they all revolve around getting the other party to talk about your concerns once you've voiced them in short bits.) And it ends with this: "A final question to ask yourself: Why do his views make you bristle?" Yeah, take responsibility for what bugs you!

On another subject, if your voting precinct is going to electronic voting this next election and you're concerned about the validity of your vote (software errors, outright fraud, etc.) and there is no paper backup to check the election - think ahead and order an absentee ballot and make sure you deliver it by verifiable post. You don't have to use the machines!

And now, I'm off to the gym. Rar.

Comments

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

Having only read the article you linked, I will not deny that this may be a pretty paper magazine, or that it has some useful information -- but that cleaning article really bugged me, and not just because I learned from my busy working mom and the _I Hate to Housekeep_ book. Maybe this checklist works for people in houses, but it's insane for my city apartment. I'm so unfortunate I don't even *have* a range hood over my stove. And how dare they assume *everybody* has a dishwasher? Some people choose not to have the energy-hogging water-polluting things, and the rest of us just don't get them in our apartments. And as for the Clorox Wipes they swear by with their 'fresh scent' - I had a germ-obsessed co-worker who used to wipe down the whole damn NOC with the things, and the *reeked* and made scent-allergic me sneeze. (This was an improvement over his air freshener spray Clorox stuff, which his manager made him stop using after it gave me asthma attacks, and manager thanked me for the excuse.) And their recommendations for cleansers are usualy the most expensive available and hardly the most environmentally friendly or even, IMO, the most effective. Grr.

Okay, done ranting. Thank goodness I have a houseboy and don't hardly do any cleaning myself.

[tully-monster.livejournal.com]

Actually, using dishwashers are generally more energy-efficient than washing dishes by hand.

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

I fail to see how using a big electric appliance to do the work instead of doing it by hand can be more energy-efficient!

If you mean water-efficient, possibly. Studies have shown that the average hand-dishwasher is about the same or sloghtly worse in terms of water consumption than a modern dishwasher. However, lots of old dishwashers are still out there using lots of water, and even modern dishwashers use more water than a water-conscious hand-washer.

And no, one doesn't have to use hot water for dishes at all, although most people use a little at least.

I certainly can't claim to be a super-green energy-saver person myself, but I live in a)hippieville and b)land of tiny, no-dishwasher apartments and c) land of super-high real estate prices. I prefer my small dishwasher-free apartment and my public-transit commute to the same house in the suburbs with a dishwasher but no less rent and having to own an expensive polluting car.

[tully-monster.livejournal.com]

I'm not familiar with the studies you cite...the ones I've seen show that dishwashers conserve more water than someone washing by hand who has the water perpetually running. When we bought our house, we bought appliances that were all as energy-efficient and water-conserving as possible.

You're right, though, that hot water isn't really necessary for washing most dishes. When we lived in Chicago and had no dishwasher, I tended to use it only for silverware, pots and pans, and dishes that had contained raw meat and eggs.

And it would suck mightily to live in the suburbs and have to commute into the city by car (especially if you had to do so alone). Where we live (large university town in downstate Illinois) t's nice out now, so I ride my bicycle to work, and my husband takes the bus (free to University faculty and staff).

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I was more intrigued by the time-estimates, as well as "oh yeah, I should think about that stupid thing once in a while" things on the list.

Disposable pre-moistened cloths - AS IF.

I *did* have the range hood - and never looked it, let alone cleaned it.

It was gross.

[tully-monster.livejournal.com]

I like this magazine an awful lot. It's more practical than Martha Stewart Living, and it seems to be aimed at educated, professional women who aren't devout evangelical Christians and don't necessarily have children at home. If that's the April issue, I definitely have to get a copy yet...