i'm so frustrated right now.

my car's all banged up. The fact that I haven't really been driving it is beside the point.

A few months back we got into a little fender-bender with a lady who ran her red stop sign, had an infant in the back seat, and didn't have current insurance. We never got the bumper and other damage fixed, because we're perennially broke and she skipped town.

Now someone else has backed into the car, and there's damage to the passenger-side door and a different fender. I want to cry. I was watching "Snow Buddies" when I got the call, but even adorable cinematic puppies can only do so much.

An Uncharacteristic Green Note

Check out how long each of these products take to decompose in the environment…

Banana Peel: 3-4 weeks
Paper Bag: 1 month
Cotton Rag: 5 months
Wool Sock : 1 year
Lumber : 10-15 years
Tinned Steel Can: 80-100 years
Aluminum Can : 200-500 years (But if recycled, it can be reused within 6 weeks!)
Disposable Diapers: 500-600 years
Plastic Bags : 1 million years
Glass : Unknown
Styrofoam: Eternity

Knowing this, I was surprised to have a friend point out the friendly little recyclable logo on the bottom of a Styrofoam plate. But recycling centers for polystyrene plastics such as Styrofoam and Thermocol are not common.

The truth is, if you aren't sorting your trash and shipping off your recyclables to recycling centers, then recyclability and the decomposition rates posted above do not apply. Your garbage is going to a landfill somewhere, where biodegradation slows to a snail's pace, if it occurs at all. I'm sure you've heard about the 20-year-old newspapers, excavated from a landfill, that were still legible.

What's the holdup? Well, for one thing safety and economy trump decomposition rates in landfill construction, and for another, the presence of recyclables slows the biodegradation process. National Geographic estimates that U.S. landfills consist of 40% to 50% paper waste, 20% to 30% construction debris, and 1.2% disposable diapers.

So please,

Reduce,
Reuse,
Recycle.

today i

bought myself my Valentine's Day at half-off: Dove chocolates, a pink plush throw, and an impossibly cute red teddy bear hugging a heart-shaped pillow imploring, "Be Mine". There were no Pot of Gold boxes to be had. My new plushie's name is Elvis.

watched and enjoyed "No Reservations" because it had cooking and food and Catherine Zeta-Jones and was vague and pensive and somehow detached, like my mood of late.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I wore my red satin Nicole Millers today, in celebration of the holiday. Here are other red high heels you could have been strutting around in today:

Guess? Arabella
$40 from $79.99



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Jessica Simpson Justine
$88.95 at Nordstrom
























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Vince Camuto Lottie

$119.95 at Nordstrom

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Linea Paolo Babe

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The Highest Heel Hottie

$54.95 at Zappos

Payless Wishlist 020508

One thing I don't do often enough is visit the Payless website. The array of designers and reasonable prices are the attraction, and the quick turnover of styles assures you that everyone and their dog won't be sporting your cute and affordable new kicks.

Abaeté for Payless Bayley d'Orsay Pump

$35 originally, now just $15 on sale.


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Abaete for Payless Harlow Pump, $30


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Abaeté for Payless Kaye Pleated Boot
$48 originally, on sale for $24.


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Lindy Patent Peep-Toe Pump
$19.99 originally, on sale for $15.99


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Love Peep-Toe, $39.99


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Patricia Field Sushi Platform Boot
$25 from $55


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Patricia Field for Payless Tempura Platform Sandal
$18 from $40

martian sunset

The sky casts an eerie, alien glow today, red-orange and unfamiliar. The rainstorm seemed violent this morning around 4, fat raindrops drumming on the roof and thunder clashing dramatically. Somewhere in a neighboring county a sleepy father threw aside the comforter and let his terrified sons crawl under the covers.

We saw a faint rainbow on the way from work today, little more than a multicolored vertical slice.

I enjoy the rain, in a vicarious sort of way. It feels like heaven is crying for me.