Ahhhhhh...

The temperature's finally broken and I can finally turn the computer on without setting the house on fire!

Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap is seriously a lifesaver when it's hot. Taking a shower with that, feeling the peppermint oil open up your pores, is a godsend.

Still doing the baking soda thing, and it seems to be working just fine. I can't really tell a difference in my hair from using regular shampoo, so that's a good thing.

Not much else to report at the moment, unfortunately. I just got this card game I used to play when I was a little kid called Mille Bornes, but you don't wanna hear about that... :-)

We're Havin' A Heatwaaaaave...

... and it certainly feels tropical. Tropical Queensland, that is. The humidity in the mornings has been ninety-freakin'-three percent. Awesome when you're walking to work, because you look like Phoebe Cates (from Fast Times at Ridgemont High) getting out of the pool... without the cleavage, of course.

It's been in the high 80s in my apartment, and so far I'm refusing to use the AC. I bought 2 window fans that do an okay job of circulating the air around, and it blows cool air from the outside on me while I'm trying to sleep, so that's the main thing.

I also bought... ice cube trays!!!! Yes, after living in my apartment for just under a year, I finally remembered to get some ice cube trays. Now my cool drinks are c-o-l-d! Aaaahhhhh...

I've also had my computer off most nights, as the alcove where the computer is gets no circulation... plus, the electronics make it hot over hyah!

Pride is this weekend at Loring Park, which means my neighborhood is going to be crowded and obnoxious this weekend. Perhaps a mini-vacation is in order...

Still washing my hair with baking soda. So far it seems to be working well... my hair is still oily, I think, but not as bad. So I'll keep it up.

Baking Soda As Shampoo? - Part II (Plus a Mini-Rant)

Okay, I'm on a week and a half of the baking soda shampoo experiment, and my hair is definitely more oily if I don't wash it at least every other day. From everything I've read, I guess that happens for a while until your body/hair gets used to not having all the oils stripped away daily. So we'll see.

I'm also using apple cider vinegar as a conditioner (same formula - 1 tbsp. ACV in 1 c. water) and my hair is definitely soft after I wash and condition it.

We'll see how things go.

And now... a mini-rant.

Here in the land of 10,00 lakes, we're going through a prolonged drought. When D and I went fishing on Friday, the lake levels were really low. I mean really low... all my shore fishing spots that I know are now basically useless due to the water levels being so low. I should have taken pictures... but I didn't. Next time, I guess.

I was also watching a BBC series called "Billy Connolly: Journey to the Edge of the World". Did you know the Northwest Passage is now open? Yeah, that thing that the 15th & 16th century explorers were looking for, the passage that lets you sail from the Atlantic to Pacific oceans without having to learn Spanish. Because of rising global temperatures, it is now possible to sail from Point A to Point B above Canada. Great.

But global warming doesn't exist. Right?

School Days

The Big D (my 10-year old son) is home from school, and daycare doesn't start until next week... so that means I'm forced (hehehe) to take some time off of work and hang out with him.

Tomorrow it's fishin' time. Hopefully we'll catch some good ones for supper on Sunday.

Also, I ordered my Utilikilt finally. I've only wanted one for a couple of years. I ordered the Survival model in basic black (my favorite non-colour). It'll be here next Tuesday or Wednesday, and I can hardly wait.

Last but not least, a friend of mine is trying out for the MN Rollergirls this weekend. I've never seen her skate, but I hear she's pretty good... so good luck!

Baking Soda As Shampoo?

Yeah, weird, right? But I figured I would try it, as a) I'm single at the moment, so who gives a crap if my hair looks bad, and b) it's way cheap.

So most of the recipes I found online say 1 tbsp. baking soda to 1 c. water. I pre-mixed mine by putting 1 c. water in an old shampoo bottle (I'm trying to reuse things!), then 2 tbsp. baking soda. Shake it up and then add the other cup of water.

I'm trying it for at least a month, because most of the things I've read say that your hair gets really oily after about a week until your body gets used to not having all the natural oils stripped out of it. Not that it matters much anyway, 'cos I use mousse and wear my hair slicked back into a ponytail.

So far I haven't noticed much of a difference in how clean/dirty/whatever my hair is. It is much softer though, but I don't know if that's because of the oils or the alkalinity of the baking soda.

Whatever. We'll see how it goes.

Laundry Soap

A good friend of mine taught me how to make my own laundry soap with that Fels Naptha soap. If you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, here's the basic recipe:

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Laundry Soap

1/3 bar Fels Naptha Laundry Soap, grated

1/2 c. Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (NOT baking soda!)

1/2 c. borax

Measure 6 cups of water into a cooking pot. Add 1/3 bar grated Fels Naptha laundry soap. Cook over medium heat until dissolved.

Stir in 1/2 c. washing soda and 1/2 c. borax. Stir until it thickens a little bit. Remove from heat.

Pour 1 c. hot water into a 2 gallon bucket. Stir in the thickened soap mix until well blended. Add enough water to make 2 gallons of soap. Cover and set aside for 24 hours until it gels up.

Use 1/2 c. for each load of laundry.

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Got all that?

Okay. First, here's my experience. The first and second times I made this, I used the normal baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and it didn't gel up. It was sort of like chunky whey, with clumps in water, basically. I'm not sure if it's the Super Washing Soda (sodium carbonate) or what, but the last time I made this, it gelled up just fine (in fact, a bit too fine and I had to adjust the water, which is reflected in the recipe above).

I have no idea where to get Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda around Minneapolis, but you can find it on the 'net. The shipping is a killer though, so if anyone knows of any local sources, feel free to let me know.

Also... I end up using an empty gallon milk jug and an empty Tide bottle for storing this stuff.

It does get your clothes clean... but you have to remember to let the machine fill with water a bit, pour your 1/2 c. of detergent in, and let it dilute a bit more before you add clothes. I'm not sure why, but I'm guessing that the super washing soda will do stuff to the colours of your clothes.

Anyway... let me know how that all works for you if you decide to do it.

So WTF?

At least, WTF is this (yet another) blog going to be about?

I'm a single guy living near DT Mpls. (the Loring Park area) and I'm finding that the older I get, the more "liberal", "green", whatever I'm getting.

I'm coming up on my 40th birthday and am just now realizing, for instance, how awfully we've been treating the planet... so I'm an aspiring greenie. I'm also poor, so that sort of helps push me towards the green lifestyle... after all, it's a hell of a lot easier to make myself reuse things, make my own laundry soap, etc. when I can't afford to do much else. :-)

What else? I work at a bank in the retirement area. Which is fun, considering how friendly everyone is towards banks at the moment.

Oh, and I'm going to buy a Utilikilt someday.

Hopefully here I will chronicle my continuing evolution/revolution as I move from uber-conservative nutjob to tree-hugging liberal nutjob (actually, I'd like to find somewhere in the middle), post a few recipes and ideas for saving money and the planet, and my successes (and failures) in those areas and life in general.

So... cheers and let's get on with it!