This is not my... Week 44
01/12/06 - So many great new things
This Section; Background; The point
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Ah well - it's energy saving.
(Though now I will surely expend more running around like a lunatic...)
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Anyhow - I wont dither with a whole heap of ramblings but leave you with a couple of things.
Firstly some new Christmas List ideas courtesy of our very own Oliver (Ol - not sure if we are going to be able to run to the air ship this year... maybe the note book if you are lucky...).
And secondly a couple of events coming up at the end of the week.
Why not swap a bit of festive liver destruction for some superbly entertaining games with the Fun Fed who have their Christmas extravaganza on the 7th?
Or avoid traipsing about with the other million people on Oxford St* and get all of your Christmas shopping at the Fashion Made Fair Sample Sale?
It starts on Thursday too but continues till Sunday.
People Tree, Howies, Ciel, Colonal Kilgore, Enamore, Eternal Creation, Equa Boutique, Ethletic, Ideo, Kuyichi, THTC, Tonic and Worn Again will all be making an appearance.
Brilliant!
Right - best be off to brave the elements.
Have a lovely day.
Susie x
*I went there accidentally on Sunday. If I end up in hell, that is what it will be like...
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It's not like it was when we were young...
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Met up with a friend for lunch on Saturday. She was outraged.
There had been an altercation with some youths on a bus.
They were trying to see how close to the other passengers they could spit and she had asked them to stop. This didn't go down well and resulted in some general abuse from both sides.
She was still seething when I saw her.
Mostly because no one on the bus had come to her aid (though there was a lot of general nodding in agreement with her comments), she was worried she sounded like a daily mail reader and as her interjection was a clear sign of ageing.
You know you are knocking on a bit when you start lamenting the teenage lack of manners!
Still she had a good point.
It is crazy that no one else wanted to get involved even though they were being barraged with flegm.
Her militant zeal on 'reclaiming the buses' got me thinking.
I grew up in the country so causing trouble usually involved impaling myself on dangerous machinery but we were never bored.
Mostly as my mother was the most frightening woman you can imagine and would reel out a daily list of jobs for our entertainment.
"Yes, of course Mike can stay... is he strong?"
"I've invited some of your friends around. Your father needs help getting mud off the sugar beet." etc
And despite our complaints and protestations it was, at least, something to occupy us.
Anyhow - Eric Prydz of the 'loads of women in leotards music video fame' (some of you gentlemen might remember...) has found a brilliant way to channel youthful energy.
His version of Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' see's kids breaking into houses to make them more energy efficient.
Probably not the most responsible approach but how good would that be?!
The planet saved through a bit of breaking and entering - plus - all that running about would solve the obesity and boredom issues.
Perfect.
Anyhow - new horoscopes over from mystic La and have managed some of the long promised directory updates so check them out.
Have a lovely start to the week! x
01/12/06 - So many great new things
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to mention.
But first a moment on yurts... |
Haven't spent much time in them - though there was an incident in Mongolia a few years back with sheep's intestines, dancing and a rendition of Hey Mickey, (the 80's classic recorded by the female singer/choreographer Toni Basil - of course!)
But how great are they?
It was a cold winters evening yesterday and we were in a yurt in Soho square. Well, technically two.
They were not only supremely spacious but really really cosy (though that may also have been something to do with the hot spiced rum...)
Plus, the actor Alan Cummings - who no one else seems to know* - came to say hi as he was so curious about them. So we will probably see them springing up all over Hollywood as the next big thing for 2007!
Anyhow, they were made by some of the guys at Future Roots. And they rocked.
Cue dramatic yurt back story:
It was a cold, dark night when the winds hailed the arrival of The Great Storms of 87... the howling gales brought devastation to some areas in the south of England ripping up homes and tearing trees asunder.
And it was whilst restoring this area that Future Roots was born.
New ash trees were planted and are now harvested sustainably to enable their continued growth alongside the creation of incredible homes, galleries, workshops or whatever people want their yurts to be!
So - if you happen to need one or want to check them out you should definitely get in touch with those guys.
You can even learn to make one yourself as they do courses. It only takes 4 days!
Brilliant.
Whilst I have been out gallivanting and having fun on the mean squares of London loads of other exciting things have arrived in my inbox.
But as ever I am about to be late for work so wouldn't do them all justice if I scribble them down.
Promise to get them listed up properly at the weekend though.
Ahh the weekend. Really need one this time round. Can't wait!
Hope you have a great one too.
Susie x
*I haven't yet confessed that I recognised him as he was in Romy and Michelles High School Reunion!
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What would you wear...? |
It's a tricky question and one I was trying to figure out all day yesterday.
I reckon black.
But that is so boring.
Anyhow - more importantly - Arnie is back!
States in the US - of which California is one - are hoping that the Supreme Court of Justice will back their bid for carbon reduction measures for vehicles to be implemented on a federal level.
Fingers crossed.
Meanwhile across the pond the EU has been upsetting some of it's members by demanding a greater cut in carbon permits as part of the European Trading Scheme.
It's a political free for all.
How exciting.
Maybe there will be a big fist fight!
That would spice things up a bit.
Tony Blair and David Cameron in a wrestling grip on the floor of the House with Gordon Brown getting a boot in (on whom would be a 50/50 guess)......
Certainly more entertaining on the evening news than tea drinking and holding babies...
Anyhow - running out the door again but have been sent details of some new and brilliant companies to add to the directories so will get them up there tmrw morning.
They are great. So come back and have a gander.
Fabulous.
Have a wonderful day! x
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But no one is perfect... |
I was the only one in my office the other day. There was a big meeting and I, the lowly contractor, was left in charge.
By which I mean, I was in sole control of the sweet cabinet!
Anyhow - at one point I turned around and all of the 100 computers on my floor had their monitors on.
Deary dear.
Clearly this was an environmental travesty and so - buoyed by a twirl and a couple of hob knobs - I sent an email round to remind everyone to turn off.
I am pleased to say that this was received extremely well.
I am less pleased to say that I now keep getting masses of grief if I leave mine on for more than a millisecond.
Man alive.
I'm being watched at every turn... oh the trials and tribulations of being a do-gooder!
Still the positive response was really lovely.
Quite a boost in fact.
Anyhow - just thought I'd mention it in case you ever notice the same and contemplate mentioning it.
Other than that it has been an uneventful couple of days for me.
Ol though has been inspired by La's encounter with free energy to find out a bit more himself.
He sent me a link for the Guardian article on getting and transporting energy from the desert sun.
How cool is that?
Love it when some fairly straight forward ideas for combating climate change come along... well seemingly at least.
Not sure exactly how easy putting a massive solar sea in the middle of Chad actually is. But it can't be that hard.
Can it?
Anyhow - since I haven't been up to much I wont detain you any longer but shall instead go and do something riveting to tell you all about tmrw.
Hmmmm - where to start...?
Have a good one! x
This section will be a daily, well - Monday to Friday daily, editorial. (Have to keep some time aside to keep up the ritual wine drinking / dancing as if being chased by bees.)
I promise to make it my mission to investigate something each day on exciting forays to find new stuff, fun stuff, ethical stuff and anything involving break dancing men with extremely toned physiques.
Let me know if you think of something I should go and visit or if you have any great ideas or information. (Any dodgy suggestions will be politely declined... or not so politely, depending entirely on what they are!)
For today, though, please just have a look below to find out how this whole thing came about. I hope that you are having a lovely morning.
See you tomorrow,
Susie x
Background to This is not my...
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What is this site all about?
Well, as all good ventures do, it started in the pub with the ominous words "I know, why don't we...?" |
What was different, though, was that it still seemed like a good plan in the morning (and somewhat less injurious than trying out extreme ironing, the other suggestion...)
Anyway - once again we had been supping beers and putting the world to rights when someone mentioned the unmentionable, despite our disaffection with the state of the world, none of us was actually doing anything positive to change it.
Whether this was complacency or apathy, who knows - but we were definitely leaving it to others to make decisions and take action for us on issues about which we felt strongly.
We live in a free society, but often things seem to happen as a fait accompli. The war in Iraq, ID cards, the fact that we will eventually succumb to watching some of Big Brother no matter how hard we try...
And we just go along with it. But that is ok, right? I mean, we aren't exactly encouraging the abuse of others - are we?
Ok - so maybe my new top might have been made under less-than-perfect conditions and I suppose that means I am supporting those conditions, but - I have to buy something to wear, so what other choice do I have?
And that was the problem. What - and where - are the choices?
So we decided to investigate. Surely in this free society we have other options; we just need to know how to find them.
So we went online. There are some great directories already for ethical and/or environmentally friendly products, but for us these didn't go far enough. We were on a bit of a roll and decided that these products deserved more active promotion.
We wanted to make as many people as possible aware of the practical things they can do to live life in a better way.
So on this site we will provide information about easy, positive and ethical consumer choices. These are choices that won’t necessarily cost you more, either.
In our directories you will find environmentally friendly and ethical companies and products across the following categories:
Clothes
Energy
Food and Drink
Health and Beauty
Home and Garden
Office
Recycling
Restaurants
You will also find debates, downloads, fun stuff and plenty more to lure you back to the site on a regular basis.
We’d love you to get involved with some curious antics to keep important issues in the public eye – and provide us with much entertainment and amusement at the same time.
So - take a look. Explore… investigate… probe away.
We hope you like it; we hope you use it.
