some obvious things

On a daily basis I get very tired of a couple of problems. Societal problems.
Slut shaming, or any women hating box ANY girl gets suppressed into. This isn't even about women. I am very tired of any sexual suppression. Sex and sexuality is an integral part of who we are as humans and animals.
I couldn't care less about anyone who is offended by swearing (I mean seriously!), putting weight in curse words is making something out of nothing, just to be offended.
I can't believe there are people who openly hate gays, and aren't embarrassed. I mean I really can't believe these people still exist.
I get pissed off at people who seem to not just disregard, but outright hate nature, and environmental concern. The other day on the CBC radio there was an interview with some folks who drive over the border to smuggle in illegal pesticides for their LAWN. I'm not kidding. Fucking losers. Its just sad. And I'm tired of these things as ISSUES.
rant end.

*I didn't realise I already had a Rant tag for my posts. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. That's a WIN*

PlAsTiC

So I think sometimes people think I am crazy or they know it, or they just aren't sure what I am talking about: "You are trying to refuse plastic?"
Yesterday I was in a mall with my sister and her munchkins. We were eating, there was various disposable plastics on our tray; a plate from Amirs, a fork, ... maybe more I can't remember. It was bringing me down is all I can say. I offered to get doughnuts because my sister had paid, and I wanted to share. They would come in a box, a disposable one yes, but cardboard not plastic, maybe we'd get some coffee too, so I headed to the Tim Hortons line. I made my order:
"20 timbits, a large moka, and a small, with no lids please."
"Oh we can't do that"
"Why!?!" (I was seriously taken aback)
"In case you burn yourself"
"Alright well I wont take the coffee then."
She tried to convince me otherwise, suggested that she could give it to me with the lid and then take it back, defeating the point. She still gave me one of the coffees, without a lid, we just didn't talk about. The whole while this is happening her manager is yelling at BOTH workers in French about how stupid it would be to give me coffee without (!) a lid. I really didn't want the coffee that bad. And I wont from now on. What I learned: I must take the plastic lid for my own good. Because I am not an adult right?
oh boy.

Plastic is everywhere. Our food is packaged in it, our coffee, our takeout, our water, our shampoo. EVERYTHING. And where does it go?: in the garbage. You might think "well I recycle", without thinking it through. Plastic doesn't recycle in a closed loop. It is downcycled until it cannot be downcycled anymore and then it goes in.the.garbage. Its pollution, and there is only one way for it to end, stop using plastic and stop buying things packaged in plastic. Its easy said, but I am finding it harder to accomplish. I just take it one thing at a time.
I kind of hope people who know me might catch the fever. It just takes saying no, being a little prepared. Our disposable culture really really scares me.
Here are a couple of videos that make the point:

  

Trash

Our trash for the week. I've been working on, I am always working on getting our throw away down to as little as possible. Shamefully though, our recycling bin is monstrous. I say that only because I see recycling, especially in terms of plastic, as a numerous step detour to the garbage dump. That's why I am also trying to learn how to cut that back as well. My guilty pleasure is yogurt containers. Oh how I love yogurt. When I am eating it I think about all those lovely wild animals wearing beer-ring necklaces, building nests from twist ties, while they choke on some party balloons, and I think "why didn't I just buy the glass jarred yogurt?". Maybe I love to beat myself up too much? I am being morbid. Anyways, Amy has convinced me of the simplicity in making my own, as she usually does. I have a fear though, when it comes to cooking anything, of starting. Just beginning or jumping in to cooking something I have never done before is frightening for me. Like anxiety-scary-ghost-movie type frightening. It is silly. When I finally bake my own bread, I will print pictures and frame them. I always get around the fear, it takes me time though. Silly silly time.
While I was on my walk with Olive this morning, taking pictures of my own trash, there were so many people with boxes of boxes of cardboard outside for the garbage. I was sad, and brought some home to add to my recycling mountain. Yay for eco-hippi-mental-phrenia.

Check out this picture of a small child feeding herself:

With a wink.

Get Busy

My sister posted this on our other blog: As if by On Porpoise, but I think its crucial so I'm sharing it here too;
Ten ways to prepare for a post-oil society

Remaking the Way We Make Things

A quote from the book I am reading, Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough & Michael Braungart:

"As long as human beings are regarded as 'bad', zero is a good goal. But to be less bad is to accept things as they are, to believe that poorly designed, dishonorable, destructive systems are the best humans can do. This is the ultimate failure of the 'be less bad' approach: a failure of the imagination. From our perspective, this is a depressing vision of our species role in the world.
What about an entirely different model? What would it mean to be 100 percent good?"

Story of Stuff

I saw this awhile back, but was reminded of it by the Farmama blog. So very crucial.