mipmup.

my new favorite spam subject title.

gotta give it to the spammers. this made it through my gmail spam filter, which is pretty impressive. the email subject title was "even hot girls have to fart." well, i suppose they do. i suppose they do.

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• fantastic laptop bag. i'm officially boycotting the laptop cases in my house. after traveling with them, i am not a fan. i think this one would suit me just fine. ah, orla, how i love thee. 330.
• striped tea towels. can i order about 100 of these? please? 18.
• ridiculously-expensive, but i'd still wear it, bracelet. did i tell you orange is my favorite color? 455.
• recycled sweater stuffed animals. i love the fact that these are recycled from sweaters and are made by the new england handicapped artist collective. they don't use the armpit parts, do they? 26.
• i'm angry coin purse. i've been a little angry lately and i think this would make a nice addition to my purse. i wouldn't even have to say anything! just show them the purse! 12.

photo credits: henry & lulu  .  quelobjet.com  .  hermès  .  uncommon goods  .  about attitude

the sweet joy of victory.

who else is ecstatic that mchpee lost last night? i'm happy to see that conceited twirling vanilla no-personality giggler off the stage and into the sphere of c-list celebrity where i'm sure she'll be entertaining offers from the likes of esteemed television shows such as the surreal life 8. oh yeah. and i'm glad taylor won. how awesome was prince? he's probably my favorite artist and i was giddy as a schoolgirl to see him perform. but, how weird was the toni braxton set? and what about aiken and that trembling kid? what the? i was entertained and actually happy i turned on the show at the correct time rather than wait until the last five minutes to see who won.

you've got to read b-side's roundup at tvgasm. hilarious.

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• wall art. i like the look of these. would i be daring to use them in my home is yet to be determined. 37.

• jaipuri razai. i'm always on a quest for the perfect blanket. could this be it? queen, 79.

• tunic. i'm kind of into the whole tunic thing right now. i bought something off-the-shelf and my better half called me "elegant." i think that was a good thing. made with recycled scarves - cool! 277.

• sea crescent ring. i'm looking for a piece of jewelry to celebrate a milestone. could this be it? 110.

• pink note cards. i'm a feminist who loves pink. go figure. 50.

photo credit: blik  .  global exchange  .  coco's shoppe  .  calliope boutique  .  quelobjet.com

world fair trade day.

today is world fair trade day. check it for more info and learn about fair trade countries and their products here. conundrum of my day: can i eat local and be for fair-trade? hmmm.

image credit: fair trade resource network.

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• pretty paper products. is it possible? from 4.50. [via anh-minh.com]
• funky napkins. perhaps the only time you will see those two words together. i mean how funky can napkins be? but these are. (what's with me and napkins this week?) set of 8 cocktail napkins, 17.95.
• picnic bag. i'm dying for a hable bag. just dying. 165.
• disc necklace. extra pretty for spring. 99.
• bunny cards. hand screenprinted, too! 4.

photo credits: plumparty  .  mxyplyzyk  .  hable construction  .  calliope  .  day-lab.com

easy watercress lentil soup.

watercress is one of my favorite veggies, and it's currently in our farmers' market. unfortunately, my better half stated quite matter-of-factly that he didn't like it, so i thought i'd try an experiment to see if i could change his mind. cook it!

easy watercress lentil soup
use organic ingredients if possible.

4 cups water
1 unsalted vegetable bouillon cube (i like rapunzel brand, no-salt added)
1-1/2 cups fresh red lentils
1 bunch watercress
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 squeeze lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

chop watercress roughly. bring water to boil and add vegetable bouillon cube. use whisk to mix well. add watercress, lentils and 1/4 tsp. (or to taste) salt and bring to boil for 20 minutes. use immersion blender to puree just until smooth. stir in olive oil and lemon juice. serve immediately.

i'm happy to report that i think i have myself a convert!

photo credit: sandy hemingway

csas in la.

i'm not a member of a csa (community supported agriculture), but i've been thinking about it, especially now that i'm doing the eat local challenge. i go to a farmers' market every week at least once and so i thought it would not be cost-effective to join one. after reading this post by jen at life begins @ 30, i'm rethinking.

it was surprisingly difficult to find information about csas in the los angeles area. in fact, only one came up when jen and i performed a cursory search. also, the information is scattered all over the web without one cohesive site pulling it all together. i found this curious and frustrating. i even received an "rca dog look" from a local agriculture commissioner when inquiring about local csas. i'm pretty certain he didn't even know what they are, unfortunately.

i then found a great post at readymade of all places that gave me a good starting point. here are my findings:

tierra miguel foundation, pauma valley.
this organic farm is run by the tierra miguel foundation, a non-profit organization with "the purpose of supporting the earth and its people, by demonstrating and developing sustainable and chemical-free agriculture."

• delivery: they have pick-ups at a variety of spots throughout the counties of los angeles, orange, riverside and san diego (see schedule).
• cost: 31/week
  
• sign-up: open sign-up is now through 25 march. email the farm for more information or subscribe online.

south coast farms, san juan capistrano.
organic farming the "homespun" way. the farm started in 1995 "to make the farm a true community farm with a touch of history, nostalgia, beauty and a connection between a farm, a farmer and your food." note: this farm does augment baskets with  non-local bananas, kiwis and other fruits.

• delivery: pick-up at the farm located at 32701 alipaz, san juan capistrano 92675
• cost: 34/week
• sign-up: george kibby at 949.661.9381

unfortunately, both of these csas are much more costly than those found in say, the bay area. jen pays 19/week for theirs from eatwell farms. sometimes i'm jealous i don't live up there because i love eatwell farms so much.

if anyone else has information on other csas in the la area, i'd really appreciate it.

update:

• thanks to buttyglirl for the link to buy fresh, buy local, which includes a searchable california geographical database to find csas, farms, farmers' markets, u-picks and more. disclaimer: looks like the local folks need to pay to be listed.

• foodroutes.org offers a national search for local food, powered by localharvest.com. i like factoids ("we have lost nearly 67% of our farms since 1920. There are now more prisoners in the US than full-time farmers"). advocacy resources available with free registration.

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• organic cotton linens. "if all the cotton in the world were grown organically, the use of insecticides could be reduced 25 percent." — coyuchi. enough said.

• supercool lunch boxes. if i took a lunch somewhere, i'd totally get one of these. 33, bento version. [via vegan lunchbox, where you can see how it behaves in its natural habitat.]

• i need a new bag. i've been eyeing with envy the cute bags on the street. this one suits me just fiiiiinne. 64.

• adjustable notepad. i'm the kind of person that uses both sides of a piece of paper to save a tree or two, so i like the fact that with this notepad, i would be able to tear off the size i need, thus eliminating waste. cool-looking and environmentally-friendly, too! 19.

• vegan dog accessories. finally! some vegan doo-dads for my doggles. from 12.

photo credits: coyuchi  .  laptop lunches  .  alternative outfitters  .  russell+hazel  . muttropolis

eat local: improve your health?

this month i am participating in the eat local challenge and serving as one of over 25 authors for the group blog. the challenge is brought to us by jennifer maiser of life begins at 30, a blog "focusing on the importance of locally and sustainably grown food."  (maiser is also a blogher contributing editor for food & drink.) the goal of the challenge, which is being held in association with the locavores, is to eat food grown and produced in your area for a month. the environmental and economic — even the cultural — benefits of eating locally were obvious to me, but i wondered: can eating locally improve my health, too?

i went straight to the source to ask. "eating locally forces you to cut out processed foods, which is very good for your health," said maiser. "also, eating locally cuts down on transportation and thus pollution, which is good for your lungs." processed foods are high in saturated fats, sugar and salt which can lead to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and dental disease. among the numerous health risks from air pollution is asthma. in fact, according to the national resources defense council (nrdc), there are 17 million asthmatics in the u.s. alone. eating locally can help us do our part in reducing pollution. some facts from the nrdc:

• five thousand people die of it every year
• it's the sixth most common chronic condition in the nation
• some 6 million of [the asthamtics] are children. for children, asthma is the most common chronic disorder, the leading cause of missed school, and the leading cause of hospitalization.

there are many other reasons to eat locally. check out maiser's top ten.

her suggested reading:

• maiser's bookshelf.
• kirby, alex.  "local food 'greener than organic.'" bbc news 2 march 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4312591.stm.
• heeter, chad. "the oil in your oatmeal: a lot of fossil fuel goes into producing, packaging and shipping our breakfast." san francisco chronicle 26 march 2006. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/26/ing3phru681.dtl&hw=oil+in+my+oatmeal&sn=001&sc=1000.

cross-posted at blogher, where i am a contributing editor for health + wellness.

image credit: eatlocalchallenge.com