Why Can't We All Be Green?

I have a secret to share. It's a bit embarrassing, but I must get this off my chest.

My husband isn't very "green." He doesn't recycle like the rest of our family - sometimes he'll throw cans or plastic bottles in the trash rather than walking 10 steps to put it in the recycle basket.

More than that, instead of taking a sports bottled of water to work he insists on a plastic bottle of water. I understand that it might look more sophisticated to take the plastic bottle, but isn't embracing the reusable bottle a finer choice, an "I'm for the better good" selection that overcomes the "I'm bringing a bag lunch from home" stigma?

Don't get me wrong - my husband is a wonderful man. We just have different priorities for recycling and conserving. So thanks for letting me share.

Photo by Svilen Milev
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=- 307482866218

Papa, Grandma and the Gulf Oil Spill

A huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico threatens states stretching from Louisiana to Florida, and perhaps others, with the potential to destroy wildlife, livelihoods, ecosystems and so much more.

I'm a native Floridian, born in Fort Walton Beach in the Panhandle. The memories of my grandparents who lived in Pensacola are among those I hold dearest: Playing red light/green light and "Mother May I?" on the front porch; eating Grandma's homemade biscuits or fried mullet that my grandfather caught the night before; skipping down to the old-even-then wooden corner store to buy bubble gum for a penny (or Lucky Strikes for my Grandma - those were different days).

Papa was a fisherman, who for many years was captain of a party boat (taking many people out to deep sea fish). Later he was an independent mullet fisherman, a hard-labor nighttime job of setting and pulling in nets and selling his catch to seafood resellers. It was back-breaking work that didn't generate a lot of income, but theirs was a happy life that I remember fondly.

So I think about the oil spill and the people, like my grandparents, who it will impact. What Katrina didn't obliterate along the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts - and points east, like Pensacola - this environmental disaster is sure to take down. My heart and prayers go out to each and every one of the people whose lives are forever changed.

Photo by John Boyer

So Many Lessons to Learn About Paying for College: One College's Financial Aid Web Pages are a Great Resource

Paying for college - Holy cow! I had heard a little about it but wasn't until I actually started the process a year ago, as part of my high school senior's college search, that I realized ALL that was involved (and just how crazy some of it seems).

Understanding FAFSA, EFC, merit-based aid vs. need-based aid, etc. is critical when it comes to navigating financial aid. Bethany University in California has a website that features, among other things, Financial Aid 101. There are many resources out there and this is one of my favorites. Definitions are clear and plenty of examples make the explanations more concrete.

I'll address some of the crazy parts of the financial aid process another time. For now, let me offer you a large bottle of caplets for the headache you're going to have, tissues to dry the tears you'll shed and all the good luck in the world.

Admiration for the Smart, Witty People Who Make Me Laugh

I saw something on TV a few nights ago that was so funny, I snorted when I laughed. Mind you, I'm not proud of the snorting - not very ladylike and all that, after all - but the bit by Stephen Colbert was clever, edgy and hilarious.

So funny, in fact, that I want to share it with you. This clip from the Colbert Report - "Affirmative Inaction" - won't take long to view and, hopefully, will tickle your funny bone, too. Just don't blame me if you start snorting.