Staying up late, trying to keep my head on straight.

A sweet finale to a Google tour along with my Presidio Graduate School classmates. Thanks to Jared who’s an engineer there, we got to interview a panel about sustainability initiatives. Their carbon-neutral policy is enacted through offsets that must be measurable and truly additional - meaning that they wouldn’t happen if not for the intention of offset purchasing, separate from the business case. Yet another instance of Google thoughtfully stepping away from standard practices.

Today as I was diligently forcing myself to responsibly store my co-op bulk hoard, I realized that I was pouring my rolled oats into an un-returned Saint Benoît Yogurt mason jar. Usually I bring those back for the deposit refund to keep the price of my expensive yogurt habit down. Should I desist and reclaim that expenditure that was meant to be temporary, or pay a slight premium for the convenience of at-home reuse? I decided to keep it, as the cooking urges I’ve been nurturing can always use more cupboard stock, for which that will serve as another incentive.

I’ve had to give a nod to the argument that plastic containers are often just as reusable as glass and that they require a lot less energy to transport. Thing is, they’re usually comparatively ugly - just can’t compete with classy glass which also has the advantage of enabling quick identification, and the kind of commodity I would like to see less of. In a local scale situation such as this, I think that a material’s weight factors less into its environmental impact. It’s certainly a more expensive product for a niche market, but at least the extra money spent supports local economy, perhaps instead of larger more distant businesses represented on the shelves.

Sometimes my mind wanders off to the morbid fantasy of my belongings in an estate sale (though the less-morbid moving sale is just as applicable). What would be junk, and what would be useful and enduring? I don’t know about you, but I would totally buy a deceased person’s mason jars. Though I would vote for the responsible downcycling of plastic in any situation, in my book it is best avoided whenever practical.

I think that Saint Benoît’s partnership with Kerr mason jars is brilliant because they are providing two premium products - one local and healthful, and one classic and useful. If the jars are returned they will be reused, with the processing built into the price. If they are kept the customer pays a little extra (and doesn’t need to make any additional effort to do so) for the convenience of keeping the secondary product in his or her kitchen. In the end, everyone gets what they want.

Perhaps one of these days I’ll be inspired to make my own mason jar yogurt. Until then I’ll claim the excuse that I’m waiting until my collection of various jars is complete.

(via inhabitat.com)

Yes, it can be done! This was month 4 of toilet training for Sophie Marie Antoinette and Pierre George Michael using Litter Kwitter’s system purchased from Amazon. They don’t sell this set in many San Francisco pet supply shops because of the concern about the Bay and toxoplasmosis. I had S&P tested for it before I began flushing their stuff. Yes, with this set up, they also did flush via a laser sensor on the wall, but I’ve discontinued that practice to conserve water and provide evidence for treat rewards. In the background is my former neighbor’s cutie Sofia, my first SF cat sitting client. I have plenty more insight and tips for the process, so simply ask if you’d like to know more.

FELINE

Oh, the cat-baby.

Thanks to my roomie Rachel for capturing the essence of Sophie et moi, for better or for worse.

TO HEAR IN SAN FRANCISCO

(Click through to listen to the new single - Bucket)

Props to my boys in Bleached Palms for their tireless writing and recording, and to the good folks at The Bay Bridged for this post!

Maybe they could make some magic together next year at SXSW…

TO DO IN SAN FRANCISCO

Ambitious undertakings for a Sunday-Monday first-time visit, but don’t they say that organization pays off?

I’ve nearly almost always had hosting anxiety. Perhaps this hour’s worth of spreadsheeting (and nearly 3 years’ worth of getting to know and love this city) will cure me of it.

HOMELIKE

Some culinarily romantic mood lighting may be worth straining to see through.

…was this post worth that pun?

HOMELIKE

I love factories. Well, fancy green ones, anyhow, where all is transparent and you can peer into the magic of things being made.

Funny how these very expensive mattresses presented by very handsome Scandinavians use horse hair, and even funnier - what the horse hair resembles.