Archive for June, 2008

The Story of Stuff

Saturday, June 28th, 2008

Story of Stuff The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.”

I first watched The Story of Stuff when I was working at my long-term temp job back in California. The job was excruciatingly boring and I didn’t have access to the internet.

Thankfully, my wonderful husband, Kevin, bought me an iPod Nano (ironic that I watched it on one of the very products she talks about) for our anniversary last year and I was able to download podcasts and video casts to watch while working (the job was mindless).

One of the first video casts I downloaded was The Story of Stuff and I was mesmerized by how interesting it was. Plus, it taught me a lot about all the stuff we buy that I never really knew. I came home that day a little depressed, but with determination to lessen the amount of stuff we buy and really take a close look at the stuff we already had.

So, Kevin and I sat down and really thought about doing a serious decluttering and worked out an agreement for buying less stuff overall.

The best tip I ever read about training yourself to buy less is to ask yourself two questions:

  • Do I need this?
  • Do I love this?

If the answer to either question is “yes”, then go ahead and get the item. If you’re unsure or the answer is “no”, then it’s probably not something you want to spend your hard-earned money on. 😉 I personally use this and it works like a charm. Most of the time I end up putting the item back and, truthfully, never even give it a second thought.

Kevin and I still hold true to our discussion that day and we rarely, if ever, buy something without really mulling it over and asking ourselves those two questions. The questions also work for when it comes time for purging yourself of clutter or if you feel overwhelmed by your stuff.

The Story of Stuff doesn’t go into these kind of tips, but it will surely teach you something you didn’t know and get you motivated to take action. I highly recommend watching the quick 20-minute video!

Guaranteed to Make You Smile

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

I had first heard about Matt several years ago. I thought he was done making videos, but I’m glad he’s not! I have to admit that not only did this video make me smile, it also made me tear up a bit. So inspirational and touching!

Also, and I would never claim to be a feminist, but I love his answer to the first question in his “Less Frequently Asked Questions” section, just below the regular FAQ’s. It made me lawlz.

Catching Up With Lists and Photos

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

I guess I’ve caught that Summer bug where all you want to do is daydream and play outside. I haven’t really felt like blogging all that much, even though so much has been going on!

So, here’s a quick rundown:

– As I mentioned earlier, I can feel the baby movin’ and shakin’ on a daily basis now. I can also feel him getting stronger as the days go by, too!

– I joined a local pregnancy Meetup.com group and have met several friends through it. Last weekend, there was a couples dinner at North by Northwest restaurant in Austin. Kevin and I went and had SO much fun! Here’s a pic of all the pregnant ladies who attended. Click for larger photo.

From left to right: 16 weeks, 21 weeks, 37 weeks, 31 weeks, 19 weeks, 14 weeks

– Swimming is the best exercise ever for when you’re pregnant. You stay cool and refreshed and still burn as many calories as if you’re trunkin’ along on a treadmill. Plus, you don’t feel like an elephant in quicksand when you’re swimming. I’m just sayin’!

– It’s now less than a month until Kevin and I travel back to California for my baby shower! We are both so happy to be seeing our families.

– As my little ticker over to the right, in the sidebar, says: I’m 21 weeks and 5 days! Wow! Here’s my latest “baby bump” photo in full-size glory:

Binary Blonde and Baby at 21 weeks, 1 day.

– No new car in my future, yet. I think we’re going to share one car until my due date gets closer, which will give us time to focus on other important events. Things such as traveling to California and moving into our house. After that, we’re going to look at getting a family car for me.

Yay for lists and photos! 🙂 Hope you all are enjoying your Summer so far! I am!

Moving and Shaking

Friday, June 20th, 2008

The baby has been moving a whole lot lately. It’s been a lot of fun feeling the little guy kicking or punching or whatever he does.

The other night, we actually played a short game of tag. He would punch/kick/whatever and I would push back in the same place, then he would push back a few seconds later. The entire time this was going on I had a huge grin on my face, so I probably looked like an idiot, but it was pretty amazing.

Kevin finally felt him move for the first time today. We were sitting on the couch, watching the Top Chef reunion special (I love Top Chef and I love that Stephanie won!), and our little guy started getting really antsy, so I pulled Kevin’s hand over and he felt him! Kevin had the best look on his face. 🙂

I know he’ll just get stronger, so I know there will be plenty more opportunities, but it was still really special to have Kevin feel him, too!