BES - #ISWG - Write Tribe

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Today's Question:  

What's the one luxury you can't live without?

Being either both students or living on one income for so long, I've learned that there is nothing money can buy that I can't live without.  Having said that, there are some things I'd rather not live without unless I had to.  But then, I wouldn't necessarily call them luxuries (tp, microwaveable food).

Probably the closest I could come on this would be these little dark chocolate sea salt caramel candies hubby brings home every once in a while from the store.  I used to get them all to myself, but now my oldest son, 17, has developed a 'taste' for them.  Rats!

I'd like to be like my mother-in-law who raised h-e-double-toothpicks at the airport once because the car rental place did not have the Cadillac she had reserved.  She didn't want the Oldsmobile.  She said she could only drive a Cadillac.  Must be nice, eh?

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Someone just needs to tie me to the chair and not let me eat, drink or smoke (yeah, I know it's a bad habit) until I've written something.  I don't know if it's more my fear or my tendency to procrastinate.

And that's all I'm going to say about that.

~~~oOo~~~

I lost my early childhood friends when we moved from Cumberland, MD, to Salt Lake City, UT, when I was 9.

I lost my best friend in college because of some crazy people I thought might try to harm me and my family and friends.  So I stopped contacting my friends and family.  I know, not incredibly bright.

I lost my theatre friends when I moved to Fort Worth, TX, with my husband and then 9 month old son (he's now 17 years old).

Now my step-mother-in-law (my father-in-law's second wife), thinks I'm strange because I don't have one or more female friends with whom to pal around.  I'm a mother with three growing children, a beginning farmer and a writer.  What the heck is 'time' anyway?  Let alone time to run around.

I will be a better friend than I have been.

Write Tribe Blog Carnival - What if You Were Not Afraid?

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So, the question is:

What would you do if you were not afraid?

And I answer:

Sometimes I want it both ways.  It's either: a) too hard and I'm not capable; or b) too easy, and everyone will find out I'm a fake.

If I were not so afraid, I would act on stage for a living.  

The family into which I was born apparently does not think very much of me.  My father was a chemical engineer, working for a defense contractor.  Very smart.  Both my brother and I had artistic leanings, him in music (he's FABULOUS, by the way) and myself in live theatre.  But I was afraid to put myself center stage, as it were, and my parents were all too happy to steer me towards a more academic life.

When I left the International Department at a regional US bank, I went back to college to get a degree, because without one there was no room for advancement.  Wouldn't you know, while immersed in the finance program (BS-magna cum laude (--that's for my mother)), I saw a notice for auditions for "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde.  My mind immediately began telling me all the 'why nots', but I went anyway.

And I got a part.  And I participated in about 5 plays a year for the next 6 years...or is it 6 plays a year for the next 5 years.  I get a little muddled.  But the point is, even though it took 10 years, I came back from a professor saying I should find something else to do, that I would never have a future in acting, to being paid to perform!

Then came marriage and children.  The oldest one turns 18 this year.  I have not done a play since before he was born.  Then we lived in Salt Lake City, which is vastly more urban now than when we lived there (last in 1997.)  We live in rural Kentucky ... where you know most of the other 5 people in the county.  You're right; it's not quite THAT deserted, but close.  The closest live theatre is about 30 miles away.  Not a big deal.  But they only have one or two performances.  That's a lot of physical and emotional work to put on a play for so few performances, with not so many people around to see it.

So, I'm allowing this to stop me right now.  Got any suggestions for me?

Spring Cleaning Carnival - Week 1 - Friday

Today's triclosan article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclosan

I found the overall tone of the information on wikipedia to be that the side effects of triclosan were not as bad as some people claim to be. I tried not to let this color my opinion and discount what the article said, as I am predisposed to have negative thoughts about triclosan's 'cost vs. benefits'.

As several of the residents at the facility where I work have developed MRSA infections due to frequent hospital stays, and the article stated triclosan was particularly effective in combating MRSA, I'm actually all for it in a health-care setting. And I think I posted the following example recently, although I am not sure: a co-worker sprayed (over-sprayed?) disinfectant at work one day and I had to wear a mask in order to keep my cookies down, if you get my meaning. It was hard to breathe.

Of course, Wikipedia can be edited by anyone with an account, but has built up credibility as a source of information over the years. They certainly were thorough in citing sources: 31 for this page.

The article on bleach: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_effect_of_Inhaling_bleach

is a simple one-sentence question and 1-2 paragraph answer, that any high-concentration of bleach should be handled as little as possible and only in a well-ventilated area.

The upshot is that my opinion about triclosan and bleach use in a home setting is not really much different today than it was yesterday. I would still prefer to (personally) use products that have as little to do with a laboratory and engineered products as possible, but part of the carnival assignment was learning more about the substances and one article on each (triclosan and bleach) this week seemed to be about right for me.

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I came up with the following list for a set of basic natural household cleaners:

1 spray bottle

1 opaque spray bottle (to prevent breakdown of peroxide)

white vinegar

hydrogen peroxide

baking soda

All that should be easy enough to acquire on Monday when I get paid.

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Here are some websites I found to aid in DS1's lessons:

http://chemistry.about.com/od/k12gradelessons/a/periodictable.htm

http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/properties-of-vinegar.html

http://chemistry.about.com/od/k12gradelessons/K12_Grade_Chemistry_Lessons.htm

http://www.coolscience.org/CoolScience/KidScientists/h2o2.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4606163_hydrogen-peroxide-kill-bacteria.html\

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/foodchemistry/f/blbaking.htm

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-16881372.html

http://www.visionlearning.com/library/module_viewer.php?mid=58

Spring Cleaning Carnival - Week 1 - Thursday

Today's article read on triclosan: http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/green-products-services/antibacterial-soap-55073001

For me, the most interesting thing about this article was that they claim the American Medical Association (AMA) is against use of products containing triclosan in households. Reading this article at the AMA site suggested it would be better to avoid the use of household products in which triclosan is an ingredient, but qualified this statement by including that insufficient research data exists to draw a conclusion. It was interesting to me to note that this was the only article found by doing a search of the term triclosan at the AMA site. The information on household products was found on pp 4-5 of the article, and centered on questions of the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents such as triclosan and the possibility of increased antimicrobial resistance.

I also checked this article at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) site. It was 26 pages long, and no, I didn't read the whole thing. My eyes started to blur in front of all the scientific data. To me, the FDA's findings were not significantly different from that of the AMA. Mostly it seemed that people were not washing their hands long enough with whatever product to make much of a difference in the amount of bacteria left on their hands.

Even though we wore gloves when assisting residents with toileting and bathing at my job, I always washed my hands between each resident served and changed gloves at least once (things could get messy) with and/or in between people. I use the "ABC Song" method to time my handwashing. :O)

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Today's article read on the effects of inhaling bleach: http://www.ehow.com/about_5376626_side-effects-inhaling-bleach.html

The suggestions in this article included:

• wearing protective gear (mask and/or gloves), especially when dealing with full-concentration bleach;
• working in a well-ventilated area;
• diluting the solution;
• vinegar or lemon can help remove bleach that comes in contact with skin;
• high concentrations (more than 500 ppm-which is way more concentrated than household bleach) can cause serious inhalation problems.

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I don't know about y'all, but I want to go outside and breath some semi-fresh air, go wash my hands when I get back in and make sure I have the Poison Control Center toll-free number (1-800-222-1222) readily at hand!

Spring Cleaning Carnival - Week 1 - Wednesday

OK. Here are the personal care products we use in the bathroom:

Aussie Cleanse & Mend shampoo

Suave Jumpin' Berry body wash (yeah, not just for the kids *lol*)

Listerine Total Care cinnamint mouthwash

Crest Whitening Expressions toothpaste - cinnamon rush flavor

Neutrogena Oil-free Acne Wash

While none of them list triclosan or bleach, the acne wash has something called "microclear technology" ... and it's got the color of most 'antibacterial soap', so it makes me wonder....

Here are the articles I found to be reading over the next 5 days on triclosan:

1. http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/green-products-services/antibacterial-soap-55073001

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclosan

3. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no3_supp/levy.htm

4. http://drbenkim.com/articles/triclosan-products.htm

5. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170188,00.html

5 Articles on the effects of inhaling bleach:

1. http://www.ehow.com/about_5376626_side-effects-inhaling-bleach.html

2. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_effect_of_Inhaling_bleach

3. http://dhs.wi.gov/eh/ChemFS/fs/chlorine.htm

4. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/820779-overview

5. http://www.pburch.net/drupal/?q=node/569

Anyway, these particular articles were chosen randomly from the first page of a Google search result on the topics of "triclosan" and "effects of inhaling bleach". I'm just trying to increase my knowledge of the subjects in order to construct an informed opinion on whether or not to have them in my household, and if so, to what extent.