"VivoBarefoot is a revolutionary, back-to-basics design based on the simple principle that being barefoot is the healthiest way for you and your feet to be. An ultra thin puncture resistant sole allows your feet to be as millions of years of evolutionary design intended – Barefoot!"

I'm not sure why.. but I really want a pair. And if I'm going to pay $140 for shoes, they might as well be the green ones.

As you may remember, I planned on watching the Chicago River be dyed a brilliant green shade of green this weekend. Definitely not the main reason I went to Chicago, but it was something that I wanted to see while there. I wanted to see it so badly that I even went as far as going to the river and looking at the water.

And so did about 25 bazillion people.

Here's where we run into a little snag though – the dying was supposed to take place at 10:45am, before the parade. We got there maybe 20-30 minutes early and managed to squeeze into a decent viewing area. 10:45 came and went, and nothing happened. People (myself included) started seeing lighter green streaks in the water, but that might have just been our imaginations. This definitely wasn't the transformation from "Eeeeeew!" to "Ooooooh!" that I was expecting. So when it got to be about 11:30 we left. Dissappointed, a bit frustrated, we left.

From the pictures I saw later that day, I have to assume that the dying happened at some point between 12 and 2pm.

I bet it was interesting to watch.

Turns out I'm actually a starfish.

This weekend I intend to watch the Chicago River turn green. I think I'm more interested in watching that than the big St. Patrick's Day parade that's going to be going on a little later in the day. HOPEFULLY I can get some video of the water during it's color transformation, but depending on how crowded it is, I can't guarantee anything.

I know there are a lot of logistical problems, but wouldn't it be cool if the Polar Bear Plunge got involved in this? They could set up a floating barge in the river for people to leap from into the refreshing Irishy water. I'm not sure what is used to dye the water, but I'm imagining something that would at least temporarily adhere to a person. Imagine a bunch of people emerging out of the water covered in – GREEN. Maybe they could reformulate it a bit so it stuck around for a couple of days. It'd be like a badge of honor – "I'm green because I risked my life to raise money for the Special Olympics!"

Once a week strange containers full of garbage line the streets. Trucks pick up the trash and then it all gets piled somewhere. Every day piles of garbage get bigger and bigger… and 99% of people probably don't ever think about it or don't really care. It's just something we take for granted.

I don't create much garbage, but it's still more than I'd like to be contributing to the problem. I can go weeks before putting out my garbage bin, and even then it's not even half full. But there are people that consistently have bins with lids that won't even shut because they're so full. Some even have piles of garbage sitting next to their bin.

There has to be a way to get people to think more about cutting down on how much waste they actually create. Right now garbage pickup is a flat fee, but is changing that the best solution? Is charging people based on how much stuff they add to the colossal garbage piles the most effective way to slow down our virus-like destruction of the planet? Someone.. one of you.. come up with a really good idea. Quick!

Blogs don't eat carrots

Last weekend, when I was in Chicago, we visited Whole Foods Market.. and I was greeted by another reason to move to Chicago. I mean, that's the way a grocery store should be – a great selection, fair prices, friendly people, healthy stuff, and – most importantly – prepared food, healthy prepared food, sold by the pound. Nom. If I lived within walking distance of such a creature, or had one near a bus/train stop I'd be set.

Did I mention "buffet style" food sold by the pound?

At the checkout I grabbed one of those recycled plastic tote bags for $0.99. It's a decent sized bag, probably 2-3 times larger than the ones that the grocery store in town sells for $1, plus it has a huge Whole Foods logo on it. 🙂 My new coat has a pocket that fits my magic new planet-saving bag nicely once it's folded up, so I've pretty much got it on me at all times.

So far I figure I've saved 5-6 plastic bags already. Not much, but it's a start.

Someone should make window blinds that are black on one side of the slat thingy (whatever they're called) and white on the other.  That way you could have the white side facing out in the summer to reflect as much light back out as possible, and in the winter let the black side absorb most of the light and give off heat.