OK, bear with me because the funniness of these stories lies in their roots and the bizarre twists they take because of my bizarre outlooks and reactions. I know I'm often long-winded and convoluted so hang onto your seats for this one.
The last day of shooting, I head up at the end of day to join in on the celebration of Sean completing shooting. Well this goes on a bit and even though I know we are leaving the next morning for Mammoth and I haven't packed and I have a bunch of other things to do before we leave, I don't shove off until a little after mid-night, or at least try to shove off. My Explorer doesn't start. We try jumping it, call the AAA and no-dice. So I leave it there and get a ride home, it's like 2 am at this point. We end up taking the Prius and of course end up using and burning a lot less gasoline. Chalk one up for going green. Granted we drove five hours each way to ski, which is obviously a luxury, so take two carbon footprints backward. Being green can be tough and boring.
I decide to knock off a flock of birds with one stone. I will bicycle to my car to get towed or whatever is required. That would be my exercise. It was a ten mile ride, down from Baldwin Hills and straight up La Brea, to the Hollywood Hills. I would not inconvenience Cindy with having to deal with my nonsenses or at least this one. I would investigate the practicality of getting around Los Angeles on my bike, which would save me money on gas and help the planet by taking one SUV off the highway, at least every once and a while.
As soon as I get on La Brea, I realize the idiocy of my scheme on every level, except maybe for inconveniencing Cindy although my getting hit by a car and either the ensuing hospitalization or funeral wouldn't be so convenient. There is not enough room on the road for cars much less bicycles, so your forced all the way to the side of the road where all of the debris, glass and crap are. Also the conditions of the roads are deplorable. I've known this for ages from driving but nothing drives it home(ha a pun) like bicycling over these bumps, quite a jarring experience. As far as health benefits, while it was a good work out for my legs and heart, I'm fairly sure that those pluses got canceled out sucking down the fumes of hundreds of cars and trucks. But it gave me a lot of time to thing about things.
This sign came out of nowhere while I was in the middle of thinking how carbon trading is akin to alms for the poor, pretty much a bad idea for all involved.
It's supposed to be some kind of wind-driven contraption that salutes Hollywood's power to inspire. And in its patheticness I thing it sums up Hollywood's hypocrisy and contribution to the green movement. I mean if Hollywood celebrities can afford to go green can't everyone. I include myself in that hypocrisy. I think about being eco-friendly a lot more than I actually am eco-friendly. I'm a set decorator. I shop for a living and am willing to go to crazy extents and expense to buy or rent the perfect stuff for set's that will be up and down before I've driven all over LA finding the perfect stuff for the next home that will never be lived in, for a movie or TV show that probably won't be that good. Believe me I understand the huge hypocrisy and contradictions involved in being me.
A great little short about our consumption, please if you click on any link check this one out it is a must. The Story of Stuff
OK enough of the preaching and all. After more thoughts about the green movement, like is leasing a Prius and putting yourself in a new car every couple of years really ecologically sound, etc, etc. and sucking in massive amounts of carbon and toxic crap, I got back up to my Explorer and waited for the tow truck driver who astutely informed me that I simply didn't have enough gas. You see with my crazy truck if you are parked on an decline, the gas tank and where the gas needs to go are improperly aligned so even though I had what I thought was an adequate amount of fuel, I didn't.
My fuel gauge on the flats.
The Worm Factory
I have always wanted to compost, but it seemed like it just took forever. I can't stand all the junk mail I get. So you can imagine my glee when I could get rid of my junk mail and speed up my composting all in one ecologically friendly swoop.
Upon researching compost devices, I happened onto worming and how it can hugely speed up the composting process. I of course had to have one and if I was going to do it right, I needed the big one, the Worm Factory.
Unfortunately I am running way behind. I am cooking for a potluck brunch, going to pick out and pick up a bunch of Heirloom tomato plants, yummy, continuing on the Koi pond and cleaning and straightening up for dinner guests this evening, different than the brunch we're attending noon-time.
But I do want to tell more about the miracle that are worms, but we'll have to wait. But here are some pics or if the saying is correct 3000 words.
1 tier in 4 more to go.
Go little guys, go.
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