Thursday, August 28, 2008

Just when you think you're special, along comes a fleet of yellow Mini Coopers

*Warning: Talking about my (new--to me) car may be one of the most narcissist, image-centric, self-serving things that I do. Please excuse me...or don't.

So you may or may not know that I've recently become the owner of a 2002 Mini Cooper S. Errrr...or at least I'm provisionally the owner.

(The title kind of sort of maybe got lost in the mail, so I haven't been able to register it in my name yet. Please don't tell the Massachusetts RMV--or the Colorado DMV for that matter--that I drove across the country on the old owner's plates. Thanks.)

Anyways, in my few days as a Mini Cooper owner/driver (provisionally, at least), I've come to the conclusion that people drive Mini Coopers because they like to feel special and unique. (Yes, that includes me. I guess you could argue that feeling special is really all that anyone wants, but let's save that conversation for later...)

When you drive a car that is bright yellow and looks like a toy, you don't feel quite as conspicuous as if you were driving a space shuttle* down the highway, but it's close. So when, biking to school, you see three other yellow Mini Coopers zipping along the streets of Boulder, you can't help but scrutinize them.

Two were what I like to refer to as "lemon custard" (like mine--it's a paler, more pastel shade of yellow), one with a black top and one with a lemon custard top--and neither with racing stripes. One was Heinz mustard yellow, with a white top and white racing stripes (like mine). So, all four yellow cars are--nonetheless--unique in their own way. (But mine is the best, of course.)

Hence my conclusion that Mini Cooper have a compulsion to be special. And that's all I have to say about that...you can now return to your regularly scheduled car-free day.

*I'm still getting my Hood to Coast wrap-up post ready, but in case you hadn't heard yet, our vans were decorated like space shuttles: Discovery and Columbia. And yes, the Columbia did crash--but it was "just a flesh wound."

Friday, August 22, 2008

Hood to Coast 2008: Running and Twittering

Yesterday, after a long day of being oriented for my newest venture, I flew to Portland to get one last full night of sleep before starting the Hood to Coast relay. If you are unfamiliar with the race, it's an all-night-all-day 12 person relay running 197 miles of roads (and gravel, and dirt) from Mt. Hood, Oregon's highest peak, down to the Pacific Ocean. Each runner completes 3 legs, though the majority of the event is spent cavorting in sweaty camraderie while eating bananas and icing sore legs in rented vans.

Sitting at the airport in Denver as my flight kept getting delayed, a hanful of passengers slowly realized that they were in the company of fellow runners. A short but enthusiastic pow-wow ensued as the veterans exchanged stories of mud and stink and aches and pains from with questions of sleep and food and pacing and weather from greenhorns like me.

The weather report is as close as it could be to perfect (amazing, consider Oregon is coming off a heatwave, unseasonal monsoons, and lightning fires) for the next two days. Now, all that's left is to get to the mountain and rendezvous with my team, Girls Heart Rockets 2.


If you'd like to follow my team's progress, I'll be twittering the event (how web 2.0 of me!). And no, I won't be carrying my phone with me while running. That's still something I refuse to do.

See you in Seaside!


Image from Flickr user Noël Zia Lee used with a Creative Commons Attribution License.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Article at IzzitGreen: Red Sox Take Green Steps


I know it's been a while since I posted in this blog, but I just wanted to point your attention (for anyone still hanging on in an RSS reader!) to an article I published at IzzitGreen.com yesterday.

It's all about the ongoing sustainability initiatives the Red Sox are implementing at Fenway Park:

Walking up the stairs to the offices at 4 Yawkey Way, I hear someone answer the phone, “Home of World Champion Boston Red Sox.” Fans have more to be proud of than regular season records and World Series sweeps. The team is partnering up with the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to become sustainable, beer cups to solar panels. And, in proper Red Sox fashion, they are taking fans, local businesses, and neighboring communities along for the ride.


I had a great time researching and writing the article. Fran Weld, one of the major players in this story, was on my cross-country team in college, so I was really excited to find out that she is involved in sustainable development at Fenway Park.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Hot Lips gets a big up from Plenty

So I pretty much spend my entire day reading about environmental news (ok, sometimes I do other things, but I'm not telling you what they are yet), but I don't usually post the links here because, well, if you want to read about that stuff, it's easy enough to find.

HOWEVER.

This article in Plenty Magazine about the growing trend of organic fast food
mentions Hot Lips Pizza in Portland, OR! Hurray! Hot Lips pizza was a staple at pretty much every party ever thrown at OES. Yummmmmmmm.

Can't wait for my five year reunion...which I actually dreamt about the other night...

Thursday, December 06, 2007

An alternative to that other list

In response to Kitty's post about the NY Times "100 Notable Books of 2007" list, I'd like to offer up this alternative:
CRITICAL MASS: Introducing the NBCC's Best Recommended

Although the list is one-seventh the length, I've read twice as many books on it. (1 x 2 = 2...how sad!)

Edit: Somehow I counted wrong, and I've actually read three books from the NY Times list...but still! (2 / 3 = 2/3)

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Location is everything, but you already knew that...

I've already raved about Walk Score, and recently the NRDC published a neat blog entry about how important it is to not only live in an eco-compatible location, but also to put your business in one.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Popsicle is Allowed

Oh wow, so much has been happening!

The Red Sox won the World Series!

Apple picking!

Apple pie baking!

Pumpkin carving!

Sarah is coming to Boston toorrow! (And so is Salman Rushdie!)

And so much more...but first...

I love the funny connections I make while studying for the Lit. GRE. I was reading A.E. Housman's poem, "When I was One-and-Twenty",

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
"Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free."
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.


when I was reminded of the a poem on a Korean notebook (title: "Popsicle Is Allowed"),

Years and years ago, when I was only seven years old I heard a wise man say,
With a sigh and sad eyes,
"Dear, give all your ice cream and popsicle
but not your heart and soul away."
But I was just only seven years old, and,
No use to talk to me...


Ahhhhh! I love it!! Back to studying now...

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

How to get an A for Green!

Less than two weeks ago I was at a post office in Kenmore Square. The guy ahead of me had received a package, and asked if he could leave the cardboard box there for them to recycle (he had already opened it and removed his...boardgame...). "Well you can leave it here," the kindly postal worker replied, "but it won't be recycled because we're technically on BU's campus, and BU doesn't recycle." Wha? Come on, BU!

That interchange prompted the idea in my head that someone should rate colleges according to how "green" they are. Well...someone has! The Sustainable Endowments Institute just came out with the College Sustainability Report Card, which you can download here. They rate schools in eight categories, including Food and Recycling, Climate Change and Energy, Green Building, and Investment Priorities. Who is at the top of the class? Carlton, Dartmouth, Harvard, Middlebury, University of Vermont, and University of Washington. And what score did BU get? Barely passing with a C.

Check out the descriptions of notable initiatives in each of the eight categories. Each school also gets a full-page report card that describes why it got the grade that it did.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

We gon' sip Bicardi like it's Earthday

Next month I'm going to visit my friend Chandler in the Netherlands, so I'm thinking maybe I should swing by the Sustainable Dance Club. Plenty Magazine writes about it, and my absolute favorite part of the article is the mention of "party scientists." Yeah, such a thing actually exists, but only at Delft (the tech school Chandler attends).

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Fresh fodder for conspiracy theorists: Dragonfly spy robots!

There's an article in the Washington Post about dragonfly spy-robots. It all proceeds just the way you think it would...

until you hit page 2 and it starts talking about CYBORG INSECTS WITH COMPUTER CHIPS IMPLANTED IN THEIR BRAINS!

In other news: If 6 pm in Boston Common is the haven of dog-owners, 1 pm on Commonwealth Ave must be the time and place where all the professional dog-walkers convene. First I saw a woman with 5 tiny spaniel-looking-things, then a guy walking SEVEN huge wolf/dog hybrids. What?