Happy New Year!

I finally was released from my day job and was able to get home to help Darla with the NYE party prep.  We are having several couples over for a little get together and ring in the new year.  Everyone is bringing an appetizer that starts with the first letter of their last name.  Todd and Erin are bringing a Mango curry shrimp dish, I am preparing Swedish meatballs and Darla is making Hanky-panks.  You get the idea.  We are also doing a wine/beer exchange.  Good times, good times.

Now on to my New Year's "Resolutions".  I don't want them to be the normal "I am going to lose 5 pounds or I want to be a better person", but I am not sure how to get around it.  I have gotten completely out of my normal routine after getting sick a couple of months ago.  I have also completely fallen off the wagon as far as what I've been eating.  I have a slight cholesterol problem, so the 10pm run to Steak and Shake last night was probably a bad idea and won't be happening on a go forward basis.  

So, the obvious first one is to get back into my normal routine.  I am a morning person, so I need to get everything out of the way in the morning or it won't get done.  I really miss the outdoor activities I used to do so I am going to reincorporate the outdoors and an exercise routine.  I like to get on my bike more as well.

A lot of my thoughts on resolutions are multipurpose.  Getting out on my bike more, for instance, is for exercise as well as my intent to reduce my oil dependence and footprint on the earth.  Another resolution is to not take the elevator at my day job.  Our office is on the fourth floor and I am more than capable of getting up and down four flights of steps.  I get bent out of shape about the people that take the elevator from the first to the second floor.  What's two more floors really.  Taking the stairs also uses zero electricity, so again, multi purpose.

I've also been playing footsie with getting my LEED AP certification.  I resolve to earn my LEED AP designation, as well as become an NAHB certified green professional.  I'd also like to get my HERS certification, but that may be a lot for one year.

So for those of you that like lists, here's my resolution in list format:

1.  Get back into my normal routine, which consists of some of the following

2.  Start my exercise regimen again.  Start trail running again, rock climbing, maybe see what yoga has to offer.

3.  Eat healthier, be healthier.  I'd like to increase my amount of organic foods and support the local guys and I am very intrigued by holistic health ideals.  I am going to trying to reduce my red meat intake and prepare more vegetarian meals.

4.  Bike more.  Good for me, good for the environment.

5.  Reduce my impact.

6.  Take the stairs, not the elevator at my office.

7.  Earn my LEED AP and NAHB CGP certifications.

I hope you all have a very happy and safe New Year's.  Please be careful out there.  It's amateur night tonight.  Please drink responsibly and have a DD or call a cab.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

For those that celebrate a different religious holiday, have a happy, warm and safe holiday!

Saturday Coffee 12/22

Good morning All!  I am keeping it short today, but I wanted to wish each one of you a warm, safe, and happy holiday season.  I hope you get to spend the holiday with family and friends.  Darla and I have been fortunate that we have been so busy visiting with family and friends.  It started the first of December and hasn't slowed yet.

I also want to take a moment and sincerely thank the men and women of our armed forces.  Thank you.  Some of you are sacrificing your holiday with your friends and family to keep me and my family and friends safe.  I deeply appreciate that and please know that there are people that don't take that for granted.

If anyone is looking for last minute ideas (I know they are a dime a dozen), but here are some things that we've done or think may help.

-Purchase a carbon offset from terrapass or carbonfund.org

-Sponsor a less fortunate family on someone's behalf

-For the naysayer of climate change, buy a 3 pack of CFLs and install them for said person

-For the bicyclist, purchase a bike spa day where they can have some preventative maintenance and a clean up done to their rig

Happy Holidays!

Sweeney Todd

Darla and I had another wonderful evening.  For Christmas, I got Darla the Broadway series here in Columbus.  The first show was Spamalot and we loved it.  Last night was Sweeney Todd.  I don't know how to approach this.  I don't know if its my own shortcomings or what, but this was absolutely terrible.  The actors did their jobs extremely well, acting, playing instruments, singing, but this was an extremely disturbing show.  It was mass exodus at intermission.  Darla and decided to work through the second act but couldn't wait for the curtain to drop.  Maybe I don't get some art.  Dar and I agreed that this was well outside of out comfort zone.  I had trouble following the show without the scene changes and trouble understanding what was being said.  Better luck next time at Wedding Singer, Camelot, Avenue Q, and Lion King.

Please don't base your opinion on mine.  This may be your bag.  I don't think that we'll be seeing the movie anytime soon.

Help for the Holidays

For when the dorks in the Hummers get to you.

I found this over at zenhousewife for when you get to you:

"You must be the change you wish to see in the the world." -Gandhi

Saturday Coffee

Holiday Hookey was a success!  Darla and I had a great time.  We hit Schmidt's Sausage Haus and Dar got the Veener Schnitzel and I had the sausage sampler.  Dar loves the hot buttered rum and I get an imported german beer.  After lunch we did a little shopping in German Village to support some of the local artists.

After that we went out to Easton and shopped til we dropped.  We are pretty much done with the holiday shopping.  Both Darla and my families have cut back on what we buy for the holidays.  This is nice because it allows Dar and I to cut back as well.  We can get gifts that are very meaningful for one another.  I am fortunate enough to not want for anything.  I'd be set with just having everyone together for the holidays again.  This also helps me stay on track and practice what I preach about reducing one's impact.

I really slept in today.  I am still catching up from working a power outage all night last Sunday night.  Being dragged to 812 different stores yesterday probably took its toll too.  Anyway, I was able to finalize my plans for the International Builders Show in Floriday in Feb.  The National Association of Homebuilders will be releasing their National Green Building Program during that convention.  I am very interested in this as it is something, professionally, that I want to be involved with heavily.  I think I will try to have a Daily Recap while I am as the show.  If any of you are going to this as well, let me know and we can maybe get together.  

I don't know where the rest of you are, but here in Dublin, Ohio we just got about 5 inches of snow in as many hours.  Now the freezing rain is coming.  We were supposed to go to a holiday work party, but I think we've decided to batten down the hatches and just be home bodies tonight.

Dar and Mallory are upstairs making another batch of Christmas cookies.  We drastically underestimated how many we would need.  We finished up the decorating around the house in prep for some upcoming dinners we are hosting.  Some very good friends of ours are coming next weekend and we are also having a New Year's Eve Bash.

Stay warm and dry and I will see you all real soon.  Happy warm and safe holidays!

Saturday Coffee - Early!

TGIF everyone!  I am getting to my Saturday morning coffee post a day early!  I did an unheard of thing.  I took the day off.  Darla is taking a half day off and we are playing our annual Holiday Hookey!  We are going down to Schmidt's (a german restaurant in German Village) for lunch and then out to Easton for a stroll, and some last minute holiday shopping.  We will probably end up at the Zoo for a walk through the holiday lights.  We did this last year and ended up engaged!  I proposed to Darla out by the old ferry boat landing along the Scioto.  So, needless to say our Holiday Hookey has some sentimental significance to us.

It has been an extremely busy time of year.  We've had some staff decreases at my day job which has caused some additional responsibilities to be shifted to me.  Again.  On the fun side of that coin, I was installed as the Co-chair of the Associate Council for the Columbus Apartment Association.  That will add to my duties, but this part I really enjoy.  It is a really great association to be a part of.  

I am also on the Green Building Council of the BIA.  I am setting up my travel arrangements to get to the International Builders Show in Orlando in Feb.  The NAHB will be unveiling their green building program and want to get all of the info firsthand.  My only methods of travel are car or plane.  Columbus doesn't have a decent public transportation system to get me to a train line.  The closest train terminal is Cinci, which is two hours away.

I tried to go holiday shopping on Thursday.  What an absolute fiasco.  How do people do it?  I wandered aimlessly for two and a half hours with list in hand.  How many things did I get?  Zero, zip, zilch.  I came home and burned through 90% of my list in 30 minutes online.  I did this last year as well.  I wanted to try to go out this year, but I should have known better.  It is hassle-free, so much easier, and so many fewer jerks in Hummers talking on their cell phones honking at me because I didn't make the left on the yellow light.  I recommend online shopping to everyone.

Alright all,  I hope to hear from you soon, and I hope to be back on blogging soon too.  Drop me a line at jasonsstover {at} aol.com.

Carbon Credits are heading to 'The Show'

I just read an article from Grist that said that carbon credits and other things "green" are going to be traded on the Nymex. Right next to natural gas and oil. Ironic, but I am also hopeful. I hope people see the importance of green products and their true intentions of trying to better our Earth and environment, and not just another commodity to make money at.

Sierra Club Tip

I get tips emailed to me from The Sierra Club's The Green Life and thought I would share.

"Replacing commercial household cleaners in your home with a bottle of vinegar and water or other homemade concoction reduces your potential exposure to toxic chemicals and saves energy that would have been used in the manufacturing process. If every American household replaced one big-brand bottle with the homemade stuff, it would save millions of barrels of petroleum."

Saturday Coffee (5th Cup) Post

Well, I did it.  I pulled the trigger.  I have crossed over.  

I bought a Mac.  It's actually a MacBook.  I absolutely love this thing.  HP and Dell had their fair shake.  I've been historically notorious for not getting out of my comfort zone, sticking to the meat and potatoes only.  My kid sister was at our house for Thanksgiving and she brought her MacBook over.  I got a long test drive on it and really liked it.  So I got one.  Thanks Squirt!

Working on the Macbook is so intuitive, once you get past the Windows-based to Mac conversion mindset change.  It has so many features and I just like the way things operate.  

The holidays are in full swing here.  We have been running at full throttle since Thanksgiving.  While its extremely fun, it is also very exhausting.  Today, up to about 40 minutes from now has been fairly relaxing.  I was able to catch up on a couple of things for work and get through a lot of my RSS feeds that have been stacking up.