"They really should replace their light bulbs," said my son as we waited for his guitar lesson at the music school he attends once a week. The fixture he was referring to was a shoddy chandelier with 5 sockets, of which, only three were filled: one with a compact fluorescent, and two incandescent bulbs. I told him he's right. "They should get LED bulbs." Yes! Yes they should. Why? Because, and I believe I've explained this before, but while compact fluorescents are energy efficient, they are not recyclable, but LEDs are...and are just as energy efficient, maybe more. And, thanks to modern technology, a couple of things have happened:
one) they are available in almost every socket size needed in today's modern home, including the GU24 which is that two-pronged bulb that may be found in some fixtures;
two) they are dimmable and more! Several manufacturers have bulbs that can vary their lighting temperatures from skewing blue to skewing brown based on your preferences. See: Philips Hue's Color Ambiance bulbs
three) they're quite affordable. OK, so you don't need a bulb that has a color setting for "tropical sunset." Fine, you can still pick up GE BrightStik non-dimmable bulbs for less than $2.50/bulb. That's a 60-watt equivalent that's colored like a normal incandescent (2,700k, soft white).
Why is this important?
"Authorities say the fire is out after explosions rocked the Husky Energy oil refinery in Superior and heavy smoke forced evacuations Thursday."
We've got a problem with both national gas and oil production in this country. The problem isn't, how do we get more of it. The problem is that we use too much of it. The United States and it's current administration, are picking fights with all the right people. The result is that we are trying to "turtle" with some of our own resources so that we're not economically dependent on another nation for something we can do ourselves. Namely, our national natural gas exploration has pushed us from needing to import fuels to being the world's largest producer of "Petroleum and Natural Gas Hydrocarbons." Don't believe me? Click the link. Why would the government lie to you? And, where did we get it?
Let's look at the much maligned Canadian Tar Sands. Yes, the same Tar Sands that came under scrutiny for the Keystone Pipeline. Ya see, this week, a refinery in Wisconsin had an explosion during a scheduled shutdown. The explosion resulted in a fire that burned so fast and so strong that thousands of people (nearly 40,000) were displaced and acrid smoke from the fire was drifting towards Michigan and spurning air quality alerts. It's bad. Beyond the 20 people reported injured, there is potential for further contamination and increased respiratory issues due to the number of known carcinogens in the smoke and the number of unknown chemicals that may have also been released. While the fire is currently contained, there is fear of reignition at other locations at the refinery.
Most interestingly is that, as reported by Reuters, the use of the Tar Sands oil is on its way out. Because Tar Sands are exactly as they sound, sand that is laced with crude oil and tar, they're some of the dirtiest fossil fuel substances out there. In fact, producers of Tar Sands oil are losing out to competitors who are going the easier route by excavating the oil from U.S. shale beds (read: fracking). Also, discounts have been given to industries who buy Tar Sands oil. Why? Well, it's bad press if you're caught with leaky pipes. It's not Trump's fault, but the OK he signed when he first entered office in January of last year to complete the Keystone Pipeline has yielded one of the worst pipeline spills in South Dakota. A recent Reuters article, published on April 7, 2018 suggests that the actual spill is about double of the reported spill: 9,700 barrels of oil vs. the originally estimated 5,000 barrels. Naturally, if you want to keep customers and pressure them not to switch suppliers, you discount the hell out of your product while you make your repairs.
The good thing is that things can't get much worse when it comes to pipeline disasters. Right now, Keystone is operating at near capacity. And with dwindling interest in the arduous reclamation process, it may dribble to a halt. The only issue is that so many fossil fuel manufacturers have already made the switch to fracking, and the effects from that are potentially worse.
So, what can you do? Same as usual, but let's start at something fairly basic. Let's stop using plastic bags. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that 15% of all plastic is derived from crude oil and the rest are from the natural gas refining process. The EPA's official blog estimates that the U.S. uses 380 Billion (with a B) bags annually which is the equivalent of over 12 million barrels of fuel. It's a choice we can make now. Yes, you can always reuse them, but do you? Yes, reusable bags are also made of plastic. Sure, some times. But the small change you make to keep reusable bags in your car can drastically reduce our dependence on these fossil fuels. Don't believe me? Take it from the State of New York where they're considering banning them outright. It just makes sense.
Yes, so do that. Walk more places. Carpool. Ride your bicycle. And, change your bulbs. Again, there is strength in numbers, and if we all are a little more conscious of the issues, we can collectively make a positive impact on our natural environment and reduce our dependence on things that will eventually kill us all.
Friday, April 27, 2018
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Southern Sweatpants
When visiting New Orleans, it's best to prepare. What music are you going to see? Are you going to do the French Quarter tourist traps: i.e. Cafe Du Monde, Bourbon Street, etc.? Most importantly, where are you going to eat. Last weekend, we had some of those things locked up as it was the French Quarter Festival of NOLA. With the hundreds of performers, music wasn't an issue, but just to play it safe, we bought tickets to see one of our favorite musicians and stoners, Kermit Ruffins, play at the Little Gem Saloon on Saturday night. And, it was a good thing we did. Due to extreme thunderstorms on Saturday, the Festival was cancelled. Instead, we Uber'ed around town, drank in a swank bar in the Marigny, toured the WWII museum, and saw Kermit that night. The following day, the Festival was back on, and in addition to seeing some of my favorite acts (Smoking Time Jazz Club, Raw Oyster Cult, Lena Prima and Rockin' Dopsie Jr.) we ate...and boy we ate. Below is a slide show of my highlights. And, in hindsight, I'm glad I brought pants and shorts with extremely flexible waistbands. It's what you do, and even Kermit sang about it: "Have you ever been, to New Orleans? The hottest city you've ever seen. Gotta love them red beans, gotta love them collard greens, way down south, in New Orleans."
Friday, April 13, 2018
Going where the climate suits my clothes
This is an un-post. I'm not really blogging but to say I'll have more to write about next week after I've returned from a long weekend in the Big Easy. That said, I leave you with this audio track because the louder I listen to it the more I am mentally prepared for a weekend steeped in music and food. Oh god, the food. I was told to wear/bring only sweatpants...and leave the belt at home, so as to not be depressed that I need to go one hole bigger.
For those who are curious, please follow along on www.wwoz.org which is New Orleans' public radio and will showcase some of the talent who will be performing at the 2018 New Orleans French Quarter Music Festival. Just saying those words makes my mouth water. The anticipated highlight of the trip includes seeing a show performed by none other than Kermit Ruffins and his Bar-B-Que Swingers. Look them up. Rumor has it that, before the show, Kermit himself tows the giant BBQ grill behind his truck, parks it at the venue, and serves up cajun BBQ sandwiches to those with cash.
I plan to have cash.
Friday, April 6, 2018
Anti-Hero
I think people are naturally drawn to those who are outstanding individuals. You know the type, well intentioned, kind, compassionate people who are constantly doing good things for others: i.e Fred Rogers. There are others, but he comes to mind first. I would likely also include Bill Nye. He just seems like a great person to meet or to have lunch with. The Pope strikes me this way. Well, this pope does, not the one before. Still, he seems patient and tolerant. I'm sure you have people in your life this applies to as well. Granted, this isn't to say that they aren't flawed, or have perfect personalities; they're not, but they all share similar qualities in my mind, and I would be honored to meet any one of them.
But, I'm not drawn to them the way that I am to well-intentioned assholes. In the culinary world, I align better to David Chang or Anthony Bourdain than I do to Eric Ripert; Ripert, known for his calm demeanor in his kitchen at Le Bernardin in New York. No, Chang is fiercely honest where his criticism of generic cuisine authenticity in his field can be harsh (and seen on Netflix in his new program: Ugly Delicious). And, Bourdain has overcome a litany of drugs and poor sexist kitchen habits to become a hugely vocal advocate for women's rights along with being an advocate of the world's cultures for CNN. He smokes and curses and does right by people. I love them both.
Enter David Sedaris. Sedaris is one of my favorite authors and I've been reading his books since 1999 when a copy of "Me Talk Pretty One Day" was lent to me by a friend. "Read this," she said, "it's hilarious." Sedaris, for those who are new to him, isn't a novelist, per se. He writes short stories and essays on his family and his own personal experiences. To give you an idea about who his family is, his sister is Amy Sedaris of "Strangers with candy" and "Elf" fame, and more recently "At Home with Amy Sedaris" where she leads you through a number of crafts and recipes in her attempt to entertain her celebrity guests. She's insane. And, while she's sometimes referenced in David's books, it's clear that his entire family just has a different way of looking at, and responding to, life.
Imagine my joy when my wife surprised me with tickets to see him at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, NJ. I know, excited to hear an author read? Can't you read it yourself? Sedaris' voice tends to be of a higher register (think tenor vs. baritone; maybe, more accurately, a women's alto) and, as he and his family hail from Raleigh, North Carolina, so there's a hint of an accent. Also, his ability to mimic or portray his subjects in their voices as he reads is uncanny. Last night he recalled a phone conversation he once had with Roseanne Barr some 8 years ago, able to replicate her thick mid-western accent and sentence structure/choice of verbiage so that, for a second, both he and she were on the state in the recreated moment.
His timing as a reader is impeccable as well. This was demonstrated by his description of his excitement when he came across two opaque plastic garbage bags filled with pornography along a strip of forest he typically walks. He's gay, and as the porn in the bags featured mostly straight people, he wasn't interested in the content so much as the potential it might have for someone who might be. With this waste-not/want-not attitude, the latter part of this essay was spent in describing how he might be able to suggest to someone else that, if they walked up this road, and to that spot, there may be something they'd be interested in recalling that, before the internet, which allows you to dial up porn any time of the day, this would have been a treasure-trove! How does one offload 2 garbage bags of porn discreetly? Can't just throw it away...he rationalizes, as it's still good for someone out there.
By the time you're at the end of the reading, you're actively rooting for him to transfer those bags to an appreciative reader. And, you feel for him when he's scolded by his husband for trying to offload the loot to neighbors. All of his books are like this. Sedaris is able to seemingly recall specific and odd details which make all of his stories interesting. Using himself as the common thread to which these things happen, not only does well to give a single book continuity, but it also allows you to tie his body of works together.
He's got two more being released in the next year. Last year he released "Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002)" which is exactly as it sounds, his diary entries between those years. He intends on releasing a companion which extends the entries from 2002 to 2017 or 2018. His raw observations about co-workers and roommates are brilliant, especially when he's stuck on a theme and it contributes to multiple diary entries. His other book, to be released at the end of May, is entitled Calypso and will feature short stories and essays that largely center on he and his husband's purchase of a shore house in North Carolina, and his one sister's untimely death. As most houses or B&Bs in that neighborhood have cute pun-riddled ocean-themed names, he and his decided that the house would be Christened "Sea-Section." It's a duplex, and due to his insane family and friends who might visit, rather than convert it into a single living space, they are keeping it as a duplex so as to be able to close the door when necessary.
Frequently being caught in an uncomfortable conversation (one that he sometimes brings upon himself), you can't help but relate. His story is clearly not mine, we differ in age and upbringing, location and life preferences, and his world travels are grandiose to a layperson to say the least between London, the French countryside, Paris and New York (and more recently Hawaii and Tokyo). But, his struggles are so incredibly human, and humanly presented that you never feel that he's being pretentious or braggadocious. Having read so many of his books, his family becomes your family, and through it all, you root for him, the underdog to shepard you through, but with open eyes and humor.
But, I'm not drawn to them the way that I am to well-intentioned assholes. In the culinary world, I align better to David Chang or Anthony Bourdain than I do to Eric Ripert; Ripert, known for his calm demeanor in his kitchen at Le Bernardin in New York. No, Chang is fiercely honest where his criticism of generic cuisine authenticity in his field can be harsh (and seen on Netflix in his new program: Ugly Delicious). And, Bourdain has overcome a litany of drugs and poor sexist kitchen habits to become a hugely vocal advocate for women's rights along with being an advocate of the world's cultures for CNN. He smokes and curses and does right by people. I love them both.
Enter David Sedaris. Sedaris is one of my favorite authors and I've been reading his books since 1999 when a copy of "Me Talk Pretty One Day" was lent to me by a friend. "Read this," she said, "it's hilarious." Sedaris, for those who are new to him, isn't a novelist, per se. He writes short stories and essays on his family and his own personal experiences. To give you an idea about who his family is, his sister is Amy Sedaris of "Strangers with candy" and "Elf" fame, and more recently "At Home with Amy Sedaris" where she leads you through a number of crafts and recipes in her attempt to entertain her celebrity guests. She's insane. And, while she's sometimes referenced in David's books, it's clear that his entire family just has a different way of looking at, and responding to, life.
Imagine my joy when my wife surprised me with tickets to see him at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, NJ. I know, excited to hear an author read? Can't you read it yourself? Sedaris' voice tends to be of a higher register (think tenor vs. baritone; maybe, more accurately, a women's alto) and, as he and his family hail from Raleigh, North Carolina, so there's a hint of an accent. Also, his ability to mimic or portray his subjects in their voices as he reads is uncanny. Last night he recalled a phone conversation he once had with Roseanne Barr some 8 years ago, able to replicate her thick mid-western accent and sentence structure/choice of verbiage so that, for a second, both he and she were on the state in the recreated moment.
His timing as a reader is impeccable as well. This was demonstrated by his description of his excitement when he came across two opaque plastic garbage bags filled with pornography along a strip of forest he typically walks. He's gay, and as the porn in the bags featured mostly straight people, he wasn't interested in the content so much as the potential it might have for someone who might be. With this waste-not/want-not attitude, the latter part of this essay was spent in describing how he might be able to suggest to someone else that, if they walked up this road, and to that spot, there may be something they'd be interested in recalling that, before the internet, which allows you to dial up porn any time of the day, this would have been a treasure-trove! How does one offload 2 garbage bags of porn discreetly? Can't just throw it away...he rationalizes, as it's still good for someone out there.
By the time you're at the end of the reading, you're actively rooting for him to transfer those bags to an appreciative reader. And, you feel for him when he's scolded by his husband for trying to offload the loot to neighbors. All of his books are like this. Sedaris is able to seemingly recall specific and odd details which make all of his stories interesting. Using himself as the common thread to which these things happen, not only does well to give a single book continuity, but it also allows you to tie his body of works together.
He's got two more being released in the next year. Last year he released "Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002)" which is exactly as it sounds, his diary entries between those years. He intends on releasing a companion which extends the entries from 2002 to 2017 or 2018. His raw observations about co-workers and roommates are brilliant, especially when he's stuck on a theme and it contributes to multiple diary entries. His other book, to be released at the end of May, is entitled Calypso and will feature short stories and essays that largely center on he and his husband's purchase of a shore house in North Carolina, and his one sister's untimely death. As most houses or B&Bs in that neighborhood have cute pun-riddled ocean-themed names, he and his decided that the house would be Christened "Sea-Section." It's a duplex, and due to his insane family and friends who might visit, rather than convert it into a single living space, they are keeping it as a duplex so as to be able to close the door when necessary.
Frequently being caught in an uncomfortable conversation (one that he sometimes brings upon himself), you can't help but relate. His story is clearly not mine, we differ in age and upbringing, location and life preferences, and his world travels are grandiose to a layperson to say the least between London, the French countryside, Paris and New York (and more recently Hawaii and Tokyo). But, his struggles are so incredibly human, and humanly presented that you never feel that he's being pretentious or braggadocious. Having read so many of his books, his family becomes your family, and through it all, you root for him, the underdog to shepard you through, but with open eyes and humor.
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