on again, off again . . .

melissamuse — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 08:18:10 GMT

i simply cannot find a used sink and manual water pump. going to take another trip to the green project and preservation salvage store in the morning with my fingers crossed. i also want to pick up a door to use as a bed frame and some paint or stain for the cabinets i bought last week.

i have a huge box for goodwill and hope to find some material to cover my sailboat themed pillows with something fun and bright. well, ok i am not covering them...sewing me? yeah right... i did so poorly in home ec in high school that my dad made me sew for an hour every night to pick up my grade... i made a lovely voodoo doll of my home ec teacher stuffed with dirt... he let me switch to auto mechanics...
i was just pissed because i had to take a girlie class and i wanted to be with the boys, but that is a whole 'nuther story. so, thank you mom for covering my pillows again!

American Roma

melissamuse — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:09:46 GMT

"Gypsy is a behavior and not an ethnicity." Dr. Ian Hancock

melissamuse — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:18:54 GMT

i have a tendency to just give everything away when i don't want it anymore. because i am really truly minimizing my already minimal life and because i could use the cash, i thought i'd try to sell some things this time. i listed that silly knee scooter/walker thing because i my healing took so long that i ended up owning the rental (still limping a bit)...it just sold for $150. i was kind of surprised. that is $150 more than i would have from dropping it off at goodwill, which was my plan as usual. and i still have the feel good warm fuzzies because i saved the guy who bought it over $200.
i am also totally getting in to the amazon trade in thing for all my text books. i may make a little more selling the books, but there is less hassle with amazon's free shipping labels and i'll use the gift cards/credit. one of the first books i traded was worth 25.12 in amazon gift card. another worth 32.60. they are starting to add up!
my books are the hardest to pare down, but i take some comfort in my kindle for those i can replace electronically. problem is that so many of my books are not available for kindle. and i still like the feel of the book in my hand! but, being able to search an entire book for text and digitally highlight is a plus. :) not to mention the physical space it doesn't take...i just have to learn to quit trying to use it as a touch screen.

melissamuse — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 05:01:07 GMT

the seats are out of the van. it looks so much larger already. hopefully i can get all the work inside done by the second week of may when i intend to take off toward south dakota.

the guy who took the seats is using them for a home bar (ie man cave) that he built which is in the house that he built using mostly recycled materials. i asked him if he had any interest in a sailboat and offered to give it to him in trade for carpentry work inside the van. he seemed very interested. tonight i sent him photos of the boat with more information on it and what i want. i hope he wants the deal... he will come out way ahead...way ahead. i won't have to deal with selling the boat either.

tomorrow i will send an email to the university and let them know i am not planning to be there in the fall. i am seriously considering not being there in the spring either and reapplying to michigan. i am a little frustrated at the lack of response from inquiries at florida. i think their department is just too big. that means i will leave the first week of may.

that is soon.

mountain madness!

melissamuse — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:12:27 GMT

most of this year's everest teams are settling into base camp and starting the process of acclimation and the khumbu doctors are at work. haven't spent as much time following the teams as i usually do, but here are a few firsts planned for everest 11:

not sure if the permit went through, but this year may see the youngest climber ever, nine year old tseten sherpa.
edurne pasaban, the first woman to have climbed the world's 14 highest peaks, plans to become the first female to climb without oxygen.
jeffrey gottfurcht plans to be the first patient with rheumatoid arthritis to climb everest.
a group of about 30 cancer survivors called "Above & Beyond" are climbing this year.
federico jovine, ivan gomez and karim mella will become the first dominicans to attempt everest as part of their project to summit seven of the world's highest mountains. they call their team "Excelsior."

check out Ueli... "the Swiss Machine" he is freakin' amazing and is attempting three 8000m peaks in one season!

Ueli Steck - The Swiss Machine from Mountain Hardwear on Vimeo.

and good luck to Alan Arnette on his fourth attempt... this is his year, i just know it!!

melissamuse — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:33:15 GMT

i've been stood up. twice, by two different people who were supposed to come by and take the seats and bed from the van. free and they don't show up after i told other folks that they were taken. i'll repost the ad, first come first serve now.
as i am outfitting the van, i am running into some challenges in my anti-consumerism... some things are just really difficult to find used. i found two great countertops at the green project and will return for a door to use as a bed platform. the counters are especially useful because they are the kind that hang on the wall above regular countertops so the tops are already recessed. i won't have to border them. i am having trouble finding used a manual hand pump for water and reflective insulation. i may just have to buy the insulation...i don't imagine that is easy to find used.
grrr i hate buying new.

summer and fall are still up in the air. i think i will take a job at mount rushmore through october and then just wander around until i need to be on campus in january. i deserve a semester off. unless a really exciting funding offer comes through for the fall, i'm going to take fall off. rushmore pays peanuts, but to work and play in the black hills for a season (room and meals included) isn't a bad trade off. i also have outstanding apps at a wildlife refuge in alaska and a homeless shelter in arizona. rushmore wants an answer tomorrow though, so if i don't have responses back today, i am going to commit to them. yellowstone offered too but i have to commit to may 9 and i can't do that.

i guess i need to start thinking about selling the boat too.

oh those happy, wandering gypsies again.....

melissamuse — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 10:05:46 GMT

A Roma woman walks with her child, from their shanty houses located opposite to a high-class office building in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, April 7, 2011. In a report released Thursday, the human rights group, Amnesty International urged Serbian authorities to "take urgent and immediate action" to halt forced evictions of Roma from their settlements in the capital Belgrade and prevent "systematic discrimination" against them. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Romantic wanderers, right?

Serbia is part of the Decade Plan, there is no excuse for this. In 2005, they promised to make legal informal settlements or to make available legal alternatives. Their Decade promise of "Improvement of situations calling for urgent action and relocation of slums" has consistently been to evict Roma, raze their homes, and pretend the slums never existed.

I stand firm in my argument that the Decade, though well intentioned, has become nothing more than political rhetoric.

But Serbia knows the EU isn't paying attention to Romani issues, only how nice they are playing with their new neighbors and how quickly they cooperate with the ICTY.

Who are the Roma?

melissamuse — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 22:55:54 GMT

well done.

creepy but cool truth of the day;)

melissamuse — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 21:53:32 GMT

so i am writing a chapter on Tito's philosophy of equality and i can't find the words...so i decide to get up and stretch a bit.

as i do, i say, "come on, Tito, put the words in my head....what did you think of...."

suddenly i was reminded i have an entire binder full of his speeches.

damn, Tito, you communicate fast for a dead man.

he pointed the way!

but, more surprising, i actually got it!

this moment of pure silliness brought to you by too many undercaffeinated and overthoughtful moments.

International Roma Day

melissamuse — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:02:02 GMT

this was all warm and fuzzy, right up until "God-given potential."
they can't have potential on their own?
how about some separation between church and (secretary of) state?

Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
April 7, 2011
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send greetings to all Roma everywhere as you celebrate International Roma Day this April 8. In communities across Europe and around the world, Romani people have contributed in ways large and small to culture, music, and the arts. This is also an occasion to commemorate the history of brave resistance against Nazi persecution.

Protecting and promoting the rights of Romani people everywhere is a personal commitment of mine. Far too often and in too many places, Roma continue to experience racial profiling, violence, segregation, and other forms of discrimination. Individuals, organizations, and governments must establish the political, legal, and social landscape to encourage and value diversity. I call upon European leaders to redouble their efforts to ensure that Romani people are not discriminated against in access to education, healthcare, housing and employment opportunities.

I am pleased to announce that in the coming days, we will be launching two new programs to assist members of Romani communities in Romania, Moldova, Slovakia and Hungary. These programs are in addition to our ongoing support in Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo and elsewhere across Europe. We are working to increase legal assistance, expand educational opportunities, and help more Romani people participate in political discourse to strengthen a new generation of Romani community leaders. With the help of governments, international organizations, civil society groups, and others around the world, we are helping Romani communities and individuals everywhere chart a new path so that every Romani person may live up to her or his God-given potential. (emphasis mine)

melissamuse — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:54:22 GMT

"Roma is an ethnicity, not a lifestyle."

The timing of this report is perfect, given a recent discussion I had about gadje who continue to call themselves "gypsy" because they romanticize the "gypsy life." some argued with me that it didn't apply in the US because Roma aren't discriminated against here. people believe what they want to believe, i understand that; but, if there is the slightest possibility that a word you choose to use is capable of offending another person, why use it?

Roma hunting season set to continue

melissamuse — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 20:05:15 GMT

Someone please explain to me the difference between the Jobbiks and the early Nazis, because I am just not seeing it.

"On 6 March, Jobbik’s national leader, MP Gabor Vona, arrived to address a crowd of 1,500 paramilitaries, most of whom were kitted out in the black uniform of Szebb Jövoert ("For a more beautiful future"), an organisation that is covered by the legal umbrella of village self-defence militias. There were also a number of particularly aggressive looking individuals sporting combat fatigues and skinhead haircuts, who were armed with axes, whips and accompanied by pitbulls. When the patrols began, Roma families were too terrified to send their children to school."

more

THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW

melissamuse — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:59:51 GMT

THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW
INTERNATIONAL ROMA DAY - 8 APRIL
Strasbourg

This years celebration of the International Roma Day, 8th April, takes place at a time of important change. Recent events in North Africa and the Middle East have forced many of us to think again about our attitudes, encouraging us happily to believe once again that anything is possible. The Spring revolutions are a thrilling and uplifting example of the irresistible force of people eager for change and with nothing to lose. The images of the thousands of people demonstrating for their basic human rights had a resonance far beyond their national boundaries. As Roma, we need the spirit of the spring revolutions right here in Europe. The time for change is now.

The past four decades have seen enormous changes confronting both the Romani people, and those who study us and work with us. For so many Roma, these changes have meant adapting once again to new and typically hostile surroundings, seeking security in employment, education, housing and in health and legal care. For the non-Romani world it has meant making room for newcomers who arrive with a complex baggage of stereotypes and a legacy of persecution.

Anti-Roma hate speech and violence stir dark memories of events more than 70 years ago which brought this continent to the brink of the moral abyss. Extremism is once again finding its range and its voice, bringing a poisonous cocktail of ancient gossip, medieval superstition and callous discrimination into mainstream politics.

“We must stand together as believers in common decency and the fundamental values of human rights and the rule of law and condemn in the strongest terms those whose only purpose is division and discord. Politicians and media organisations should not have license to use their bully pulpits to whip up anti-Roma prejudice.” said Mr. Rudko Kawczynski, President of the European Roma and Travellers Fourm.

In order to succeed in eliminating discrimination, it is crucial for everyone to understand that it expresses itself in many different forms. It is not only the most overt examples, such as the use of racial slurs or hate graffiti. Nor is it just the denial of employment, housing or education due to ethnic or cultural background. Discrimination can also take on much more subtle forms, and involve systemic barriers to access leading to real exclusion.

‘I call upon all States to honour their legally and politically binding obligations, including commitments, for those in a position to do so, to give the Roma and Traveller communities equal opportunities and assistance. Today, I encourage all States which have not yet done so, to accede to all these legally and politically binding documents as soon as possible.’ said Mr. Kawczynski.

There are enormous challenges ahead in the quest for a equal opportunities for all -- from achieving more effective coordination and mobilization of resources at the international level, to building better capacity at the national and local levels. All of us can play a part in raising awareness of these challenges; all of us can play our part in overcoming them.

a repost from zana russell

melissamuse — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 06:27:04 GMT

We are roma and not gypsies

Close your eyes and envision a "Gypsy". What did your subjective mind conjure up? Was it consistent with the present day myth that portrays the Roma as earringed, dark men riding horses alongside a caravan strung with pots and pans, women and dirty-faced children whose laughter echoes through the valleys, villages, and towns of which these exotic and mysterious people travel? Can't you just hear the violins playing in the background? That's probably what you think of and, in all honesty, who can blame you? The "eyes" through which we view the world is a manufactured perspective that serves only one force within society: the dominant one. A dominant force that includes assimilation, stereotyping, labeling, and most of all, its own perpetuation. A faceless, dominating force that devalues the rich heritage found within each ethnicity contributes to the composition of peoples referred to as Canadians. A home for those with enough courage to share their space with people whose views may not parallel their own; a home for the lovers of freedom.

RECENTLY, I STUMBLED onto something extraordinary. During my morning ritual of caffeine and nicotine at a local diner, I came across an announcement that a Roma symposium was to be held that very same day.

At first a chill ran down my spine, and then I became quite giddy with excitement. I rearranged my day so that I could get downtown to this historical event where I sat amongst at least two hundred people whose ethnicity was as diverse as this great nation's. There were more Roma people present at this symposium than I had ever witnessed under one roof. I am also a Romy (a female Roma) from Prague who escaped the Communists during the political upheaval that took place in 1968.

My family and I came to Canada as Czech citizens seeking political asylum, as did thousands of others who had also feared the worst, and have now been a citizen of this country for over 24 years. Not once, however, had I been given the opportunity to embrace my ethnic background-the result of the continuing stream of hideous lies and myths that have followed the Roma since at least the eleventh century when we were labeled "Gypsies". A label that connotes stereotypical images and behaviors, the "Gypsy" is embedded in worldwide mass culture and has kept the true identity of the Roma people hidden, like some dark and evil secret, from the Gadje (non-Roma people) for the fear of racism and persecution.

Not only is the word "Gypsy" a derogatory term to the Roma, but it is also an emblem of sorts, similar to the yellow star of Israel that was placed upon the Jews by the fascist in an attempt to shame the wearers. The term "Gypsy" not only serves to stigmatize the Roma, but also perpetuates their marginalization on a grand scale. However, it fails to denote the fact that the Roma have also contributed to the societies in which they have resided, despite the fact they have been forced to deny their own identity. My uncle for example, teaches at Charles University in Prague, as opposed to breeding horses or stealing chickens, and I have been employed as a department store private investigator, as opposed to shoplifting my wardrobe.

So, as the process of religious assimilation was enforced systematically throughout Europe during the eleventh century, the free-spirited Roma resisted the institutionalized religion of their day-since to agree with the non-Romas on the issue of God would have been similar to spitting on one's own mother. The God of the Roma was quite different from the one proposed by the organized universal 'church' body. The God that the Roma worshipped then, and today, does not force his or her children to walk a certain way, talk a certain way, or even pray a certain way, but rather, the God of the Roma people is cause for sheer celebration since she or he loves everyone without reason. So, due to the Roma resistance against religious enforcement and imposed assimilation put forth by the reigning clergy of the eleventh century, the Roma were rendered "Gypsies". A shortened form of the original word used to plague the Roma people: "Egyptian", which, when read spiritually, means unclean. This is the fundamental reason why the Roma people find the word "Gypsy" derogatory and extremely offensive. Also, in modern times, the word "gypped" has also been derived from the original label or 'emblem' that was placed upon the Roma.

AT THE MAY 26 SYMPOSIUM where the women of the Coast Salish were also welcomed to publicly worship God through the art of the Siem singers and the Ay Ay Mut dancers, Mr. Ronald Lee, the delegate of the International Romani Union of Canada, spoke eloquently both about the history of the Roma, and the present-day political/social climate in Europe that has prompted the recent migration of the Roma to Canada. There definitely appears to be a resurgent and blatant hostility toward the Roma people in countries like the Czech Republic and Hungary. The May 27 issue of The Globe & Mail reports that the Roma "have been assaulted by skinheads, chased out of their homes when they moved into non-Roma neighborhoods, and harassed by police." Within this same article, Mr. Ronald Lee also states that only a "few Roma can afford to come to North America" in order to find relief from the violence of racism.

And while my reactions to the atrocities that Lee talked about are could be characterized as indignation and outrage, I also felt a sense of hope. Here was the delegate of the International Romani Union of Canada speaking with distinct passion and concern for the Roma in a country where there is genuine concern for the disenfranchised and alienated-a point which became evident when questions were opened up to the floor. I saw concerned Canadians standing up to find out how they could assist the persecuted Roma that had managed to migrate to Canada, and also, how they could better educate themselves about the Roma peoples in general. Two of the books suggested by Mr. Lee which went beyond the myth of the "Gypsy were Goddamn Gypsy, his own autobiography, and Ian Hancocks' The Pariah Syndrome.

MR. LEE ALSO SPOKE OF the rights and freedoms that have been achieved by concerned Roma and non-Roma advocates for the Wandering Nation's plight. At the symposium I learned a vast number of facts that had somehow been kept from me and the other Roma that filled the McGill Theatre. For instance, since 1979 the Roma have been recognized as an authentic people, with rights to language and culture, by the United Nations. It was in 1979 when the International Romani Union was granted NGO status. The NGO serves as an umbrella organization which represents national Roma organizations at various UN bodies and committees, and has consultative status with the UN. Also, as of 1971, the Roma people now have both a national flag and an anthem called 'Djelme, Djelme', or 'I have traveled, I have traveled', which I heard for the first time on this memorable night. Needless to say, the experience of being 'open' as a Romy and amongst other members of my people in a setting filled with concern over the plight of the Roma was life-changing and inspiring.

THE HOPE AND courage that all the participants of the "beyond the Myth" symposium displaced that evening gave me the courage and hope that I had almost thought was inappropriate for a Romy who has practically assimilated entirely into Canadian society. I do not speak the Mother Tongue(which is how some historians refer to the language of the Roma peoples), yet I understand it fully; as I do not have a single Romani friend outside of my immediate family. I also commend the Coast Salish women who had given those present the privilege of experiencing the power of their spirituality which not only demonstrated their deep passion for the Creator, but also contributed to a serious yet joyous evening. An evening that celebrated the survival of the Roma, the spirituality of the Coast Salish, Aboriginal women, and an evening where a theatre of a couple of hundred people shared the same heart in regards to the ongoing plight of the Wandering Nation: the Roma.

melissamuse — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 20:30:59 GMT

i bet if i quit using facebook i'd journal more.

melissamuse — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 05:28:17 GMT

Why do Muslims hate America so much from the movie AmericanEast.

In Search Of The World's Most Poisonous Frog

melissamuse — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 23:40:35 GMT

You think it's easy being a photographer for National Geographic? Sure they get sent to some of the most amazing places on the planet and capture fantastic photographs of those destinations. But did you ever stop to wonder what they have to go through to get those great shots? Check out the video below for a very funny first hand account from photographer Mark Moffett, who traveled to Colombia to find an elusive, and very dangerous tree frog.

More adventure Fun:
The Adventure Blog

melissamuse — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:05:02 GMT

Sorry, we didn’t know it was invisible!

melissamuse — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:56:53 GMT

Designed for stealthy reliability and maintainability, the “Nighthawk”, F-117A was first involved in Operation Just Cause (love that name, right?) in Panama. They were so reliable that, due to some technical failures, the pilots one night entirely missed a barrack target.

Its reputation was redeemed as it gained notoriety during Operation Desert Storm as the first aircraft that could penetrate dense threat environments at night. The Nighthawk destroyed Iraqi infrastructure. According to Lockheed, it comprised 2 to 3 percent of coalition forces, accounted for 30 to 35 percent of first-night targets and hit rates of 75 percent in Desert Storm to over 90 percent in Operation Allied Force. The F-117 also sustained the highest mission-capability rates of any deployed fighter or bomber in both conflicts, exceeding 82 percent.

According to FAS, the stealth fighter conducted more than 1,250 sorties, dropped more than 2,000 tons of bombs, and flew more than 6,900 hours. More than 3,000 antiaircraft guns and 60 surface-to-air missile batteries protected the city, but despite this seemingly impenetrable shield, the Nighthawks owned the skies over the city and, for that matter, the country. The stealth fighter, which is coated with a secret, radar-absorbent material, operated over Iraq and Kuwait with impunity, and was unscathed by enemy guns.

A truly powerful stealth machine.

Or was it?

In the opening phase of Allied Force, aimed primarily at Yugoslavia's integrated air defense system, NATO air forces conducted more than 400 sorties. During the first two night attacks, allied troops in the air and at sea struck 90 targets throughout Yugoslavia and in Kosovo. F-117 Nighthawks from the 8th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base NM participated in air strikes against targets in the Balkans during NATO operations. One F-117 fighter was lost over Yugoslavia on 27 March 1999. A US search and rescue team picked up the pilot several hours after the F-117 went down outside Belgrade. Serbian air defenses managed to string together a series of brief sightings, perhaps starting as early as the F-117's takeoff in Italy, to project the F-117's course and loft an anti-aircraft missile at the F-117 when it was most vulnerable. (FAS)

How did the Serbs track it?

With a radar dating from the 1970’s.

The next day the Serbs had fun with flyers and posters:

The pilot, by the way, was rescued.

melissamuse — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 19:06:12 GMT

Here is more of Elena's art and photos.
Absolutely stunning (her and her work)!

melissamuse — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:40:47 GMT

Elena Nazare took this photo on a trip to Carpathians where she found herself in a Romani camp. She spent time with her new friends there: "they gave me food and drink - they were amazing people."
Elena's grandfather is Hungarian Roma - and her boyfriend is artist Paul Hitter who makes Romani inspired paintings. Together they are inspired by the Roma culture.

Here is the film Elena made of her time with the people you see in this photo:

The Gray Zone

melissamuse — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:48:16 GMT

We also tend to simplify history; but the pattern within which events are ordered is not always identifiable in a single, unequivocal fashion, and therefore different historians may understand and construe history in ways that are incompatible with one another. Nevertheless, perhaps for reasons that go back to our origins as social animals, the need to divide the field into “we” and “they” is so strong that this pattern, this bipartition—friend/enemy—prevails over all others. Popular history...is influenced by this Manichean tendency, which shuns half-tints and complexities; it is prone to reduce the river of human occurrences to conflicts, and conflicts to duals—we and they.... The desire for implification is justified, but the same does not always apply to simplification itself, which is a working hypothesis, useful as long as it is recognized as such and not mistaken for reality. The greater part of historical and natural phenomena are not simple, nor simple in the way we would like.

Primo Levi, taken from his essay “The Gray Zone.”

stealthy airplane...........factory

melissamuse — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 03:35:59 GMT

An extensive passive defense effort was initiated in April 1942 to protect the Douglas Aircraft factory in Santa Monica, California, through the application of one of the most extensive camouflage efforts ever undertaken. Volunteers from various Hollywood film studios donated their own time to create a decoy plant several hundred yards away from the actual plant in an open field and to disguise the actual plant as a housing area. Revetments provided protection for aircraft parking, and barrage balloons ringed both the real and decoy plants. However, the main effort used careful painting to transform the runway into an urban residential area and the installation of a three-dimensional framework over the plant buildings complete with plywood houses and trees and bushes constructed of chicken wire and cloth to create a false hill. The camouflage project was essentially completed by October 1942. Although the project was intended to protect the plant from Japanese photoreconnaissance, neither the Japanese Navy nor Army had the capability to undertake such a mission. The level of detail achieved was only possible in a southern California environment; heavy rain or snow would have caused the components to fail, giving away the location.

Before:

After:

Close Up:

Pretty cool.

Sources: Stanley, Roy M. II, To Fool A Glass Eye: Camouflage versus Photoreconnaissance in World War II, Washington, DC, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998.

thermal success

melissamuse — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 22:27:57 GMT

i tried two oatmeal experiments last night. the first was another shot at the big thermal cooker using my small tiffin. half a cup of oatmeal to a cup and a half of boiling water (plus cranberries and pecans...YMMV). i put the tiffin in the thermal's interior pot, added more boiling water to the rim of the tiffin, topped it off with a couple of pot holders to fill the empty space and closed the lid. i think it was about 4.30am when i did this. at 11 this morning, i opened the tiffin.

Perfectly done yummy delicious awesome oatmeal.

i also wanted to try the thermos method because it is better for making one serving. leftovers requires refrigeration and that requires more power than my solars can pull. half a cup of oatmeal and filled thermos with boiling water. i set the thermos on its side to better distribute the heat.

almost perfect oatmeal, but not so much.

it will work, but i need less oatmeal and more water. it was cooked, but thicker than i like. i usually add soymilk so it wasn't a big deal, but i did have to scoop it out to add milk since it expanded right up to the top.

overall, i think i will stick with the thermos method for oatmeal for one. tonight or tomorrow i am going to try a single serving of black beans or lentils with some rice in the thermos.

Zero Waste

melissamuse — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 04:27:05 GMT

check out how little trash over four months for a family of four... inspiring!