Craft MNL's Knit Wit!

Craft MNL is hosting a beginner's knitting workshop by yours truly! Hala! So soon! I'm scared-excited. As part of the facilitator's profile, they asked me to answer a whole slew of questions about crafting. Napa-tumbling ako. And so, after all that effort, I'm posting my answers here:


How long have you been crafting?  What got you started?

I’ve been crafting for as long as I can remember. My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was young, but making doilies bored me as a child and I was always reading through craft books for projects that was different or out of the norm. Art was a favorite subject (along with Math, Science and Reading ;p) just because that gave me freedom to fool around with different materials and techniques.

What's your favorite medium?  Why?

Colored pencils! I love colors and I love to draw. I would have liked to be a master painter but sadly, painting was never my medium. It didn’t agree with me and my grande vision.  It’s still a dream, though.

Next up are yarn and needles, of course, which include knitting and crochet. I taught myself how to knit in 2007 from video tutorials on the internet, which always amazes people for some reason. I can’t stop myself knitting hats since then.

Tell us about your favorite projects.

One of my earlier knitting projects was a unfinished knit pouch using a binary pattern that when translated is supposed to say “property of rubybox” in Unicode Western Latin. I did the manual translation myself from UTF character to binary, and feel sufficiently nerdy enough to brag about it. I doubt though that the translation would hold water if checked by a computer science major. As for the project itself, all that’s left is to sew it up and attach a zipper - something I’m not looking forward to and have been procrastinating doing since 2008.

What's the one crafting skill you've always wanted to master/learn?

Spinning! With the amount of yarn that I use in knitting and crochet and the lack of variety yarns in the most accessible craft store, it stands to show that the next step would be making my own yarn. I’ve watched dozens of tutorial videos but am still at a loss on how to start sourcing tools and materials.

What are you currently working on?

Right now, I’m knitting a winter hat with an attached fake beard for my sister in the US - she wanted one for when she starts snowboarding this Christmas season. Also, an ambitious crochet blanket that I forsee will be finished by the year 2020.

What's your dream project?  What have you done to make it happen so far?

An ambitious rainbow crochet blanket that will be finished by the year 2020. I’ve already got the initial set of yarns and have already started on it, but the going is slow.

I also want to make a set of bike accessories for my folding and mountain bike but that’s still on the drawing board.

Aside from crafting what else do you do?

Aside from knitting, crocheting and drawing, I also make websites, climb mountains and do volunteer work for different environmental groups. I help out whenever I can with Dolphins Love Freedom murals, an awareness campaign initiative by artist AG Sano for the plight of dolphins in captivity, and am also currently helping to maintain the website and facebook page for Butanding Network, another awareness initiative, this time, for the conservation of whale sharks in the Philippines.

How does creativity influence the other areas in your life?

When I encounter little problems, I always think what can I do/make that will solve this? When my wallet zipper broke, I crocheted a little coin purse as a replacement. In my favorite color. With a carabiner so that I can attach it to anything to keep from losing it.

Any advice for other aspiring crafters?

Make something useful and pretty, then USE IT, or give it to someone who will. That’s how I get my motivation to continue crafting.

What do you do to beat a 'creative block'?

Hmm... I usually sleep on it. For several days. Or I do another entirely different thing, totally unrelated. But then that could just be me procrastinating again. Though it does work sometimes.

Give us 3 crafting essentials you must have in your toolbox at all times.

A pair of scissors, any writing implement and a notebook. All for catching ideas.

Why should people get their hands busy (and start crafting)?

You know that satisfaction people get from finishing a long and arduous project? Add an actual tangible finished product that you can show off to unsuspecting people with a smug look on your face, saying, “yes, I made that.”

Where can we find your work?

Usually worn by friends and family. I’m terrible at keeping blogs and it takes me two gruelling hours to write a single paragraph, but I’m changing that soon *crossing fingers. For those with a Ravelry.com account, I keep my projects posted under the username rubybox.


The workshop will be in Craft MNL workspace on November 24, 9-12pm.

Craft MNL
Unit Y, The Collective,
7274 Malugay St., Brgy. San Antonio, Makati City
+639178040553

Join the class! Register now with Craft MNL.

End of the world draws near

It always pays to be prepared.

MFPI Awards

MFPI Awards 2012 from Melissa Lynn Pablo on Vimeo.

The Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines, Inc. is an umbrella organization of mountaineering clubs in the Philippines, seeking to promote the practice of responsible mountaineering among its member clubs and individuals. During its annual congress this year, held in Botolan, Zambales, MFPI launched its annual MFPI Awards that aim to recognize the various accomplishments of its members in furthering the federations's mission-vision. Nominations will be accepted in the upcoming midyear President's Meeting this October.

MFPI Awards General Mechanics

Please take the time to read and understand the mechanics, it took us weeks of sleepless nights and heated debate to write them down.

New template after 10 years

I bid you goodbye, 10 year old layout!

Bike Adek

For someone who spent 30 years of her life not owning nor riding a bicycle, I'm a bit flabbergasted?flummoxed? to suddenly own two.

A couple of years ago, I got a folding bike for commuting, being the self-proclaimed environmentalist that I am. Spent 2 years fantasizing about it first before my sister said to stop dreaming and get one already. Then spent another year learning to ride my bike around town before taking the plunge and riding it to work on a regular basis.

I love every single ride on my foldie. It also made me want to go bike camping. So I started dreaming again. And I read about this couple from The Path Less Pedaled who went on a cross country bike tour on Bromptons (drool). However, owing to the fact that none of my camping friends owned folding bikes, I never went on a bike tour. Plus, I couldn't really go on bike trails with my folding bike. And I wanted to.

So I started dreaming again. This time of mountain bikes. This past year. Which I mentioned to my friend who had 3 bikes and had a partner who had six. She pm'ed the other day that she's getting a mountain bike for a friend for dirt cheap considering the bike specs, and that I'd better prepare a whole stash of cold hard cash because she's not going to let this opportunity of getting that particular model for cheap pass me by. She even picked it up at the warehouse for me.

So now I have a kick-ass mountain bike. I've named it Tanding, short for butanding. It's huge and it's blue. And it intimidates me with its size and complexity every single time I hop on it. I know next to nothing about it - its parts, the uses, the features - but it seems friendly enough and hasn't thrown me off just yet. 

By contrast, my old silver foldie is now named Tilapia, having taken on an identity by comparison to Tanding. Tilapia is comfortable. It's my everyday bike, my going-to-the-market one, do-errands-next-town one.

Tanding is adventure waiting to happen. Which hopefully will.

Oh yeah, now I'm also flat broke and in debt. Haha!

Whale Shark Amigurumi!

Recent obsession with whale sharks, fiber arts, and a need to look for other sources of income has inspired me to create for the first time ever in my life an amigurumi pattern in hopes for sustaining my existence through my increasingly expensive and thus largely unsustainable hobbies - yes, yarn is expensive.

Amigurumi is an ancient (;P) Japanese art of creating soft cutesy animal toys through either crochet or knitting. While this goes against my standard craft philosophy of "must be practical and useful," it cannot be helped that I did find the creation of this to be ADORABLE. (The emotions far outweighed the practicality; I'm sorry, little brain) So now I choose to share this ADORABLE WHALE SHARK with the world via Ravelry.com, for only 3.00 USD (plus taxes, I believe.) FREE!

This original pattern is designed by yours truly. Born of hours of hard work, this little whale shark is sure to inspire joy and happiness to whomever embraces it!

Promotion! This pattern is free of charge until October 8! So get it NOW!

[UPDATE 2013-04-17] I'm making this pattern a free Ravelry download just because I'm nice. And I need testers for my future patterns. But you're welcome to donate if you feel like being nice too! Just use the little button. All donations will go to a personal advocacy fund I'm putting aside for supporting local conservation efforts.

Oct 2 is #blacktuesday

Filipino netizens are up in arms about the controversial Cybercrime Prevention Act. Passed as a law last Sept 12, RA 10175 goes into effect tomorrow, Oct 3. As a supposed last minute addition, a libel clause was inserted into the Act before it was passed into law. The libel clause penalizes, with heavier penalties than print libel, online libel and anyone who shares, retweets, reposts, "likes", "diggs" any piece that can be viewed as libel. The inclusion of this clause may possibly (possibly, teh? haha) curtail our freedom of expression on teh internets. Others have already labeled this as a form of cyber martial law.

There are already 6 various petitions lodged in the Supreme Court regarding the new law. The petitions seek to nullify parts of the law that are deemed unconstitutional. Today, protesters in black are marching to the Supreme Court.

Read more about this issue (too lazy to S****-nize everything):

Sen. Teofisto Guingona III on Rappler
Rissa Robles, "Who inserted that libel clause in the cybercrime law at the last minute"

On post cards and protests

A picture I drew on a postcard for the Georgia Aquarium

I love postcards. I love sending mail and I love getting mail in the mailbox that aren't bills or flyers.

In this age of the internet when all communications are done instantaneously at your own comfort while sitting in front of an indifferent computer screen, writing by hand even just a short note and making the extra effort to go to a post office to mail it is to me an act of love.

The Philippine postal service, like the rest of the world's postal service, I guess, is a dying system. As a means of communication, it is quite obviously being surpassed by the internet and mobile cell networks in terms of efficiency. Not to mention that transporting an actual object such as a postcard to a far off place arguably incurs a higher carbon footprint than using existing networks to convey the same message.

At least 20 different muscles are used when writing by hand. In the Philippines, we send mail at an actual post office, usually located at the town center, instead of just dropping it at a mailbox and waiting for a postman to come pick it up. When I do have the time, I try to make what I'm writing look pretty, adding drawings and little side notes.

All the effort made when sending a handwritten note implies a value is being given to the act. A value that is, to me, immeasurable. Like those Visa commercials, sending a post card, priceless.

---

Cyber Whale Warriors, a campaign community on Facebook, created a postcard writing campaign to tell the Georgia Aquarium to stop the import of 18 wild caught beluga whales. To participate, send a postcard to:

Attn: David Kimmel
Georgia Aquarium
225 Baker Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30313

The beluga whales will appreciate it, I'm sure.

Blog Revival Phase, (or I really must practice writing)

I seem to be entering a creative phase recently. Since last year, I have been busy learning to paint with acrylics, have started drawing again, revived my old sketchbook and got a new watercolor paper pad for my watercolor pencils, been knitting like mad though only finishing one out of every three projects, and am now making a new Wordpress theme.

And since I was already working on Wordpress, I thought, "Oh hey, why don't I revive my old blogs?"

So there.

UP ORG Medical and Dental Mission for Aetas - Call for Donations

Dear Friends,
UP ORG will once again extend medical assistance to our indigenous brothers and sisters on November 15-16.  The Aetas of Baranggay Baag and the Abelling tribe of Baranggay San Pedro will be at the Tarlac Eco Camp in Lubigan San Jose, Tarlac for the 2 day free clinic. Since they will leave their homes to be at the site, we will be providing food and temporary shelter during their stay. Below is a list of items we need, in which we hope you can help us supply.
Make donating fun by doing it with your friends or officemates. Invite them to join you in this endeavor and you can decide which of the items from the list you can pledge. This way, you're sure that the one you find essential for this medical mission is covered. Infect others by sending a group email to your office (if this is allowed) and ask your officemates if they can pledge a can or two. I did this and the response is overwhelming. We are happy to pick up these items anywhere in the metro. Or let's meet up because we'd like to thank you personally for your generosity.
We also have a drop-off station at Sefali Restaurant in Krus na Ligas, UP Diliman, Quezon City on November 5, 6, 7, 10, and 11 from 8pm to 10:30pm.
FOOD LIST:
1) 10 kgs RICE
2) 20 cans of CORNED BEEF;
3) 20 cans of TUNA;
4) 30 cans of SARDINES
5) 50 pcs INSTANT NOODLES;
6) 50 pcs PANCIT CANTON; and
7) 15 packs of individually WRAPPED BISCUITS/ CUPCAKE/BREAD
MEDICINE LIST:
(For COLDS, COUGH, and FLU)
1) 100 pcs Ambroxol Tab;
2) 100 pcs Bromhexine HCL Tab;
3) 100 pcs CARBOCISTEINE Cap;
4) 100 pcs GUAIFENESIN Cap;
5) 100 pcs PARACETAMOL+PHENYLEPRINE+ CHLORPHENIRAMINE (coldzep);
6) 100 pcs AMOXICILLIN Cap;
7) 100 pcs LAGUNDI Tap;

(for hyperacidity/ulcer)
8) 100 pcs ANTACID Tab;
9) 100 pcs  RANITIDINE Tab;
10) 100 pcs OMEPRAZOLE;
(for amoebiasis)
11)  100 pcs METRONIDAZOLE Tab;
 (bulate/pampurga)
12)  100 pcs MEBENDAZOLE Tab;
(for diarrhea)
13)  100 pcs HYDRITE Tab;
(laxative/for constipation)
14)  100 pcs BISACODYL Tab;
(for ASTHMA)
15)  100 pcs SALBUTAMOL Tab;
16)  100 pcs SALBUTAMOL+GUAIFENESIN cap;
(for UTI)
17)  100 pcs CIPROFLOXACIN;
(allergies)
18)  100 pcs CHLORPHERAMINE Tab;
(other antibiotics)
19)  100 pcs AMPICILLIN Cap;
20)  100 pcs CEFALEXIN Cap;
(vitamins)
21)  100 pcs FEROUS SULFATE;
22)  100 pcs MULTIVITAMINS+MINERAL tab;
(pain reliever)
23)  100 pcs MEFENAMIC Cap;
24)  100 pcs PARACETAMOL Tab;

Feel free to inquire and remember, "no amount is too small."

Calling for WWF Volunteers for Project Ecokids!

Repost from Maye's multiply:

Hello friends!

We're once again inviting volunteers for PROJECT ECOKIDS - our climate change awareness campaign for KIDS!

World Wide Fund for Nature - Philippines (WWF-Philippines), the global conservation organization, together with The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) has formed a partnership to increase the knowledge and awareness of students on climate change.

Together with volunteers, HSBC and WWF will conduct interactive lectures in public schools to implement 4 unique modules: (1) climate change, (2) energy efficiency and conservation and renewable energy, (3) waste management and (4) lessons learned on climate change.

There will be a 1-day training and orientation
about the project on August 22, 2008 (Friday) here at the office (JBD Plaza, Room 206, No. 65 Mindanao Avenue, Bagong Pag-asa, QC). The activity will start at 9:00am and end at around 4:00pm. Lunch and snacks will be provided.

If you are interested please contact us at the following numbers: (02) 9207923/ 26 or 31 local 12 or (0917) 3940962, or email us at mpadilla@wwf.org.ph

It would be greatly appreciated if you could pass this email to your friends as well. :)

Maraming salamat!


Maye

Green Choice Philippines

A few months back, I met some nice ladies from the Clean and Green Foundation who were nice enough to tell me that, contrary to popular belief of our country's backwardness, there is a group of dedicated individuals composed of both the public and private sector which reviews locally available products for environmental risks assessment.

The Ecolabeling Programme awards the Green Choice Philippines label to products that meet their criteria for being environmentally sound. As the ladies told me, so far there have been only 5 products that have been labelled Green Choice Philippines, but I only remember 3: Surf, Tide and Portland Cement (yes, cement). So please, if you see the logo up there, patronize it! Buy it! Spread the Good News!

You can visit the Green Choice Philippines website for more details about the Ecolabeling Programme. Unfortunately, their gallery for products labeled Green Choice is still not updated and is in fact empty. But I've already seen the GCP logo on Tide and Surf products in supermarkets, so hooray!

Long delayed post: Earth Hour Philippines saves 56MWh!

Sorry for the very long delay. I just realized I had almost a dozen posts about Earth Hour but no actual results aside from the video posts I got.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WWF and Meralco estimates that more than a million Filipinos participated, saving 56MWh of energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 30-tonnes in Luzon alone – equivalent to shutting down an entire coal-fired powerplant!

Yes, the 30 tons is for the entire hour. This translates into:

Number of cars equivalent
Luzon: 334 cars consuming full tank fuel of 40L; 263 jeepneys consuming full tank fuel of 45L
MM: 96 cars 75 jeepneys

Number of households equivalent
Luzon - 560 households consuming 100kWh/ month
MM - 160 hh @ 100kWh/month

Millions of pesos equivalent
Luzon - 552,338.47 = P532,000 (kWh savings@ P9.5/kWh) + P20,338.47 (CO2 avoidance @ EUR10/t-CO2 and P66.034/EUR)
MM - 157,810.99 = P152,000 (kWh savings) + P5,810.99 (CO2 avoidance)

Again, thank you very much for your support.

Sincerely,
Teena

Teena G. Santiago
Resource Mobilization Officer
WWF-Philippines/
Kabang Kalikasan ng Pilipinas
JBD Plaza, 56 Mindanao Avenue
Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City
Philippines
Phone: + 63 2 920-7923 or 26
Fax: +63 2 454-3533
Mobile: +63 920 923-6998
email: tsantiago@wwf.org.ph
Website: http://wwf.org.ph

Earth Hour: Last minute call for volunteers (HELP!)

Friends,

Sa mga gustong magvolunteer pala for the saturation drive (described waaay below), change venue ng meeting place: 3pm at Max's Restaurant, Rajah Sulaiman Park, Roxas Boulevard bukas. We'll distribute kits and site assignments then. We have 6 hours before actual Earth Hour.

Also, you'll be joining (uninvited but exceedingly welcome) KKP staff volunteers for this. We need more people, kasi ang HABAAAA NG ROXAS BOULEVARD LECHE. There are other volunteers assigned somewhere else, like in Makati, EDSA etc.

At kung kaya niyo, magdala na kayo pang secret picnic/inuman on the front lawn of CCP. Secret kasi pinagbawal ng CCP ang food on the front lawn..... don't ask me why pero pag-bigyan na natin sila kasi gagastos sila ng malaki for tomorrow night para lang sa Earth Hour.

Earth Hour Countdown Event is on the front lawn of CCP:
7pm-8pm countdown stuff, mga pangaral ng mga tao, pasasalamat sa DOE, Green Army at sa iba pang tumulong, Firefly brigade magstatart mag ikot ng Roxas Blvd.
Just before 8pm, firetrucks from Chinese (Binondo) Fire Brigade will sound sirens and go through the entire stretch of Roxas Blvd to announce start of Earth Hour and remind people to start turning off/down their lights.
8pm-9pm full force glow-in-the-dark costume parade ng Firefly brigade, fire poi dancers, acoustic concert and secret inuman
9pm-onwards watch other cities in the world start their Earth Hour

Sa mga volunteer: kitakits 3pm Max's Restaurant, Rajah Sulaiman Park
Sa mga di pdng magvolunteer, pero gustong makisalo: kitakits 6:30pm front lawn of CCP, just look for a Panda banner.

Sinong game? Kung game ka, pakihanap na lang ako 09163409849. Txt kayo kung sama kayo saturation drive.

Ruby

Ruby Ann Marie Magturo wrote: Hi Friends,

We still need volunteers for tomorrow afternoon's saturation drive just before the actual Earth Hour event. We need to talk to establishments along the following Roxas Blvd segments to inform them about the coming Earth Hour.

Roxas Boulevard segments:
1) Intramuros
2) Manila Hotel to Kalaw; UN Avenue to Pedro Gil
3) Pedro Gil to San Andres (Malate)
4) San Andres to Pres. Quirino
5) Pres. Quirino to P. Ocampo (Vito Cruz)
6) Vito Cruz to Buendia (Gil Puyat)
7) Buendia (Gil Puyat) to Libertad
8) Libertad to EDSA
9) CCP Harbor Square

MEETING PLACE: Our rendezvous point will be at the CCP Harbor View
MEETING TIME: Saturday 29 March 3:00 pm

We'll be distributing info kits to the world (haha)

After the saturation drive, magpicnic party tayo during the Countdown Event sa front lawn ng CCP. Magstastart yung Countdown program ng 6pm. (May dala akong glow-in-the-dark paint for fun and non-profit during the lights out.)

Sinong game?

Ruby

Earth Hour 2008 Updates

Officially participating in Earth Hour are the following Metro Manila cities: Pasay, Manila, Paranaque, and Makati; plus the possible last-minute participation of QC. Primarily, Roxas Boulevard LGUs have pledged to switch off all the lights along Roxas Blvd; Makati will switch off street lights along major thoroughfares and ring all church bells and sound fire truck sirens to signal Earth Hour. WWF is coordinating with Meralco to ensure smooth switch-off of street lights.

On the side of corporate commitments:

• Philips has given funds for the production of materials and will sponsor the Countdown Event and Lights-Out Program on March 29;
• Coke has pledged to shut-off all their billboards and provide drinks for the Countdown Event;
• Ayala will do lights-out in all Ayala-controlled properties including malls;
• Starbucks will provide coffee drinks at the Countdown Event and 50% lights-out in all their Metro Manila branches;
• Jollibee, Greenwich, Chowking will post the Earth Hour poster and do lights-out in all Metro Manila branches;
• SM will shut-off 80% of lights at Mall of Asia;
• HSBC will turn off all their billboards;
• Canon will turn off all billboards;

Thanks to Yeb for the updates!

Earth Hour Needs You: Call for GA

What: Earth Hour Volunteers’ General Assembly

When: March 18, 2008 at 4:00p.m.

Where: First Philippine Holdings Caseroom, G/F,

AIM Main Building

WWF-Philippines calls on all interested individuals to join a Volunteer General Assembly to learn more about global warming, climate change and how everyone can make a difference through Earth Hour.

Please let us know if you can make it by replying tsantiag@wwf.org.ph or giving us a call through 920-7931 or 26 by 11am on March 17, 2008

Please spread the word and we hope to see you there!

Earth Hour will take place throughout the Philippines from 8 to 9 in the evening on Saturday, 29 March 2008. WWF invites you to participate by shutting off lights for 60 minutes, organizing your own "lights-out" event or by forwarding this mail to your friends, workmates and family. Don’t forget to SIGN UP at www.earthhour.org

Launched in Australia on the 31st of March 2007, Earth Hour moved 2.2 million people and 2100 businesses in Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour. This massive collective effort reduced the city's energy consumption by 10.2% for one hour. With Sydney icons like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House turning their lights off and unique events such as weddings by candlelight, the world took notice. Inspired by the collective effort of millions of Sydneysiders, many major global cities are joining Earth Hour in 2008, turning a symbolic event into a global movement.

YOUR participation will go a long way in spreading the message that we, as individual droplets working collectively – can create an impetus far more powerful than the mightiest of rivers. For more information, log on to the WWF Earth Hour page at: www.earthhour.org.

Teena G. Santiago

Marketing Services Manager

WWF-Philippines/

Kabang Kalikasan ng Pilipinas

JBD Plaza, 65 Mindanao Avenue

Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City

Philippines

Phone: + 63 2 920-7923 or 26

Fax: +63 2 454-3533

Mobile: +63 920 923-6998

email: tsantiago@wwf.org.ph

Website: http://wwf.org.ph

New Toy: A Windmill Generator

I couldn't resist. I was in Toy Kingdom last night, shopping for a little birthday token for a little girl when I found, then debated with self for ten minutes in front of the shelves and eventually took home the little cutie on the left.

I remembered that I saw the same toy before in the office, brought by the father of the little birthday girl, but I didn't take much notice of it until I saw it on the shelves. There were two other Green Science toys on the shelf: a Dynamo Torch (a flashlight powered by hand) and a Soda Can Robobug (a moving robot made out of a soda can - can't remember if it's wind up or not). The instruction manual for the Windmill Generator also mentioned an Enviro Battery kit (which I so want) but it wasn't available in Toy Kingdom.




Here's the Windmill Generator, all set-up and working:

Isn't it fun?

Earth Hour 2008

Let's join the world and turn off our lights for one hour at 8pm 29 March 2008.

Free Rice: Play and Feed Hungry People

Check out Free Rice [http://www.freerice.com]. It's a vocabulary game where, for every word you get right, 10 grains of rice are donated to United Nations World Food Program.

The first time I played, I got up to level 45 with 600-something grains. The second time around, I could barely get up to level 41 after 2000 grains. It gets harder the longer you play.

I wonder if they actually COUNT each grain? There's no mention of it anywhere in the site. Considering their total donated grains for 11 November 2007 of 136,236,930 grains of rice, they must need a lot of manpower. Or they're excellent guesstimators. Heh.

Work Gloves: My New Addiction

[nakalimutan ko may draft pala ako nito]

Some women buy shoes compulsively. I buy work gloves on a whim, and it's a recent realization.

I went back to Ace Hardware to get a 2 inch duplex strainer replacement for the kitchen sink, after having been there just the day before for a 4 1/2 inch sink basket that didn't quite fit - okay, there was a gross miscalculation on somebody's part.

After tucking the boxed basket under an arm, I realized I just didn't want to touch with my BARE hands the icky-sticky-gross old drain that I would need to replace. It had brown guck smeared all over the tail pipe, not to mention the little creepy crawlies that are probably hiding in between the folds of the plastic/water tape that Mom used to patch up the pipe. It's another entire ecosystem within the house, different from the fridge ecosystem and the one in the bathroom. Sorry, Mum.

So I went to the gloves section to get a rubber one.

Now I have:
	in plain nice lime green
	two of these plain heavy cottons, now more grey than white
	and my very first one with one fingertip nibbled off by resident rodents