Needed: yet more recycling bins

Thanks to the Monkman, I now know that cfl bulbs (those handy-dandy save-the-earth last forever dudes) contain MERCURY. Holy shit. Why don’t the packages tell you about the mercury bit? And tell you not to throw them away in regular garbage? Possibly they do tell you, but if so it sure isn’t noticeable.

Monkman linked to this blog about the compact flourescents, which in turn linked to Earth 911, where you can enter what it is you want to recycle, and it will give you the closest center. No big surprises here: the retailers that sell the bulbs won’t send them back for you. Just like all those batteries (and may I say a huge ‘tanks’ to the awesome guys at Batteries Plus, who will take your random container full of dead batteries for recycling).

I fully admit to being an anal-retentive organizer, not that you can tell by looking around my house. Still, the whole CFC thing is definitely sending me into a mini-spin. I will be at Container Store tomorrow, looking for a more stylish storage solution for my smaller recyclables (currently the batteries go in old coffee cans and all ink cartridges, etc. are piled in old ziplocs — all by the back door).

So my out-of-control OCD recycling is entering a whole new phase. Jolly.

Graphic Art

About six weeks ago I drove past the Triangle at Lamar and Guadalupe, site of much construction. Cruising along the east side, morning sun just starting to rise over the buildings, I looked over and saw it. A Ginormous enis-Pay, painted on the side of a parking garage. Complete with huevos.

I immediately speed-dialed the BFF and the BBE, and prob’ly SaucyMomma — because I was howling laughing and in total disbelief that someone had gone to the trouble.

This wasn’t a quick five-minute graffiti spray-paint job. This puppy required serious planning, tape measures, and rope/tackle to allow the enis-pay artist to hang off the garage — because it went up all the levels, broken only by the gaps at the levels where cars parked. All that and some serious cans of paint. In a very open construction site, bordered on all sides by very busy streets, and on one by an already-built and popular restaurant.

That’s some serious determination. All for one enis-pay.

I meant to go back and take a picture (don’t ask — I’m not really sure why I felt compelled) but it was gone a few days later. Today I saw Malcontent Mama’s entry from two weeks ago, and it reminded me, and now I’m very curious. Methinks we have a Triangle Prankster.

That area is prone to serial crimes. I lived there for ten years in the eighties, during the days of the Hyde Park apist-Ray. Back when no one really admitted to the problem (i.e. not the police), but we had Mike at the local stop-n-go shop watching out for us. Then we went through the Kicking-in-the-Back-Door phase. That was fun. Then my personal serial thief, Viola the pecan-stealing old lady and her dog Trouble. I loved Viola.

So yeah, my interest is piqued. I’m going to keep my camera near at hand.

Sleepy afternoon…

… last Monday.

Whoops — woke the boys up…

… but not for long.

Later, in another part of the house–

Can you say “Passive Aggressive”?

An envelope was returned to my mailbox — with a request to add another 34 cents in postage. To the not-oversized, right-at-an-ounce envelope. So I did. Heh heh.

dumbest men EVER

Nothing sends me into the throes of FrustrationVille faster than lousy football announcers on the telly. Especially when I’m upstairs and far away from the radio (I like to watch the telly and listen to the guys at 1300 am).

The gems I’ve heard so far this evening?

“That’s the key to Arkansas State’s defense — they know how to tackle”. Hellooooooo???  A defense that knows how to tackle? What a concept.

“Finally, we see Charles making some progress on the field” (following a 14-yard gain by Jamal Charles — on the Horns’ SECOND POSSESSION OF THE GAME. Yeah. He finally ran).

Please tell me these guys aren’t planning to procreate.