Zero Waste

**Update: As promised, here's our TV story on the Johnsons.**

My world was recently rocked. In light of what's happening to peaceful Egyptians, let me re-phrase that.

My very tame, sheltered, God Bless the U.S.A. world was recently rocked.

I met Bea (pronounced BAY-Uh) Johnson, the woman who writes the Zero Waste Home Blog. She and her husband and two sons live in Mill Valley in a 1400 square foot home, half the size of their previous expansive suburban place.

When they downsized several years ago, they also began to live with less. Much less. Goodbye kayak. No more overstuffed couch. Bea's closet contains 7 shirts, 6 pairs of shoes, three pairs of pants, one pair of shorts, two skirts, three dresses, 2 hats, and one bra. ONE. It is a convertible bra, she pointed out.

They just realized that they were happy, and they didn't have a bunch of clutter and they didn't miss the extra crap they had. 

Then they went further. Way, way further.

Bea started whittling down the waste her family produces. Down to an incredibly tiny amount. Like an amount that would put The Good Doctor's belly button lint to shame. She uses the term "zero waste" or ZW to describe it; it's akin to nil landfill and it's a common term in manufacturing. It's all about eliminating waste, being more efficient, and saving bucks.

This was the amount of trash they produced over a 6 month period. People, they are not effing around.

It's fascinating and it starts with the R that gets so little street cred. We hear all about the reducing and reusing and recycling. But Bea says we should all do a lot more REFUSING. Refuse to buy things that come with packaging that will either go into the trash or the recycling (recycling feels good but it's like running an extra mile to burn off the Oreo you shouldn't have eaten after you brushed your teeth). It seems like a lot but break it down and it's not that insurmountable.

And who doesn't want to refuse junk mail?

ZW also means buying a lot of stuff from the bulk bins, and religiously carrying your mesh bags and cloth sacks and meat jars to the store so you can put stuff directly into the containers you plan to use at home.

ZW also means not going to stores like Costco, one of my favorite places, because all the cardboard and shrinkwrap and plastic is unavoidable. Waaahhh. I love my Costco. But I'm realizing, all the wasteful spoons and sporks and plates and cups that come with just the samples are enough to give Bea a heart attack.

ZW also means not bringing home crap that's going to clutter up your space. Like party favors. And knick knacks. And another pair of boots. Sorry Good Doctor, but I ordered those before I made this ZW resolution.

The next phase of ZW living involves a lot of rotting AKA composting. So much stuff that we toss in the trash is actually compostable. Leftovers, bones, pizza boxes and all food wrappers, paper bags, newspapers, toenail clippings, hair and lint that you sweep off the floor, and of course all the fruits, vegetables, peels, cores, pits, and stems that come with them.

The time and money argument is addressed in several posts on Bea's blog. I really appreciate that she gives such practical and straightforward tips on how she does stuff.

Does it seem a little OCD? It does. But in a good way. Not in a washing your hands until they bleed kind of way.  

I love this idea for ZW gifts.

Bea is also very good at chronicling the ups and downs of this lifestyle. And I realize that she's quite unafraid to take action, stay on top of things, and speak up. I would never have been inspired to do things differently had I not spotted this Sunset article about Bea and her family. Love my Sunset. It was so eye-opening and such a different way to do things. Some simple, some sort of extreme, but all very interesting and worth considering.

Sometimes people just need to see that they can do things less wastefully. Like bringing a mug to work for their daily coffee fix instead of using a plastic lid, paper cup, stir stick, AND cardboard sleeve EVERY DAY. Alex Bozovic. I'm talking to you. Dude! The cup isn't even hot enough to justify the cardboard sleeve. I held it. I know. Come on Alex Bozovic. I've even offered a spot at my desk to store your mug, and your spoon for stirring. I will even wash your mug personally for a week Alex Bozovic. If that's not enough for you Alex Bozovic, then declare yourself an Earth enemy right here and now. Alex Bozovic.

Great tips here for ZW pet ownership but I'm not sure yet that I can do a long walk and just use newspaper to carry the poop of three dogs while pushing a stroller. Baby steps.

My story airs next week on Bea and her family, which includes the cutest, friendliest little ZW dog who sleeps in a clear, round swinging chair that hangs from the ceiling. Tofu and Romeo could use some serious etiquette lessons from Zizou. I'll post a link here when it's up. You have to see the ZW lifestyle in action to fully appreciate it. Plus Bea is so hip and she has a French accent. Must see TV.

I learned so many life changing things from Bea and her blog. Two that come to mind instantly: I need to compost the husband's belly button lint. And I can't live with just one bra. No matter how convertible it is. But I can start whittling things down. And I will.

Anh Oi

Our shirts from Anh Oi have arrived! "Anh oi" colloquially means "Oh baby" or "Oh honey" in reference to a man. "Em oi" means the same for a woman. And "Be oi" means the same for a kid. 

Confused? We Vietnamese are a beguiling people. And even when you google "everything to know about the Vietnamese" you're not going to get much help, since Google referred you here.

The site has a few really fantastically themed Vietnamese shirts that play off of word pronunciation. Evidenced below in our new family T-shirt collection.

If you have any Vietnameseys in your life, I urge you to visit Anh Oi and see if you can find a fun gift. The prints are all on American Apparel, so base your sizing on those shirts. Very nice, stretchy, quality cotton.

Steer clear of the chim chim, cu cu shirt unless you know what those words actually reference. 

I'm guessing you figured out what "heo" means, and how to pronounce it. The hair is getting out of control a little, isn't it.

The red envelope was a really nice touch! It's a tradition to give red envelopes containing a couple bucks (or more, depending on how much you know/like the kid) to children for the New Year. Thanks Anh Oi!

While the photo may imply otherwise, I actually don't have a six and a half foot tall WHITE mannequin just standing around in the guest bathroom.

But it looks so real...

I knew there was going to be a major situation when I saw this shirt. Had. To. Have. It.

But you have to say "situation" the way T-Bag said it in Prison Break, best show ever until it got all cray cray: sitchy-a-shun.

C'mon. What's not to love about being in the Nguyen-er's circle? Especially when you're 7 feet tall like I am in this photo.

Wait, I have more. "Are you in it to Nguyen it?" What about "The Nguyen-ing Formula."

Oh the possibilities!

Circle Lenses

Note: No reporters were harmed in the making of this story or blog post. 

So, weeks ago we started working on this story but things happened here and there and we finally got a chance to do it and it will air tonight at 11pm.

Basically--circle lenses have become huge in Korea and Japan and now they're crossing into the U.S. They're contacts that make your iris look bigger. Super kawaii? They're sort of larger than life, reminiscent of doll eyes or anime characters. But optometrists and opthamologists warn they're not FDA approved and there's no way to tell what type of product you're really getting.

Of course, after doing the story, on my own time, not on NBC property or with NBC authorization or NBC knowledge, or my TV tuned to NBC, I popped a pair in, against medical advice. Including that from The Good Doctor.

"You're really going to put those in?"

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"If you go blind, I'm not training Tofu to be a seeing eye dog."

I'm comfortable with things touching my eyeballs because I used to wear soft and hard contacts before I finally got eye surgery to correct my vision. Talk about life-changing. Miraculous and worth the investment. Especially if you like to open your eyes at night and see the small green light on the smoke detector. Which I never knew was there until I had the surgery.

Back to the circle lenses: I had to see what all the rage was about. I didn't keep them in long, but they really dried out my eyes. And believe me, I'm the first to say, "fashion before function." I mean, I covered the Mehserle verdict rallies/riots in Oakland wearing wedges. They looked pretty interesting. But for me, not worth the potential side effects. I know, what happened to my fun fearless female-ness?

Self portrait #1: Can you tell which one is the fake eye? Do I look like an Asian Twilight character?

The Good Doctor took the photo below. He wisely told me he liked me better with "regular eyes." To which I said, "You BETTA!"

They do look kind of fierce though. 

Modern Mullet

As I've mentioned before, my hair and makeup have been a work in progress. With emphasis on the "work" and not so much on the "progress." I have been slow to catch onto the ways of TV stardom, mostly based on laziness and fear. Too lazy to seek professional help, too scared to release control of my "look" to people who actually know about "looks." I've sort of just muddled along and experimented and come up with my own do's and don'ts. And one day I will go through my old photos and post a little retrospective of the don'ts. Oh what a Christmas gift that will be.

So after admiring the lovely hair of one of my colleagues for quite some time, I come to find out she and another good looking anchor at NBC both get their hair did at the same place!

I decided to take the plunge and see what a $125 haircut would get me, and it turns out, I got a mullet with bangs. 

But you know what's weird? Mullets actually work really well on TV. Lots of volume and height can be added via correct usage of the hairdryer. Now I just need to figure out how to tame my mullet and we're in business. Just call me Vicky Nguyen Cyrus.

My Chair

You see, there's this huge, or as Regis would say, YUUUUUUGE, height difference between me and The Good Doctor. I'm 5' 1.75." He is 6' 5.5." If we want to get all exact and shit.

So a chair that fits me, where my feet rest on the floor, and I don't feel all swallowed up by cushions and a deep seat that makes me look like Webster...is a chair that makes The Good Doctor feel like his knees are up to his chest and he's about to start coloring with the kids right before show and tell.

There's no happy medium. But when it comes to furniture, any good husband knows, you defer! To your WIFE.

Not that he has to live his life standing or lying down when we're at home, but we're talking about an accent chair here. One for me to sit in while breastfeeding in our bedroom. One that doesn't crowd the lovely distressed dresser we just bought. And by distressed I mean termite damaged. But hey, what's the adventure in buying everything new? There's no excitement like putting all your clothes in a giant piece of furniture and hoping you don't pull them out to discover all the crotches in your pants have been chewed out.

Where was I? Right, we needed a chair for the bedroom, because I'm trying to grow up a little and The Good Doctor's gigantic chair from his college days, made of the finest black 'leatherette,' just isn't cutting it. But of course, he is reluctant to part with his favorite chair, and he wants to have "input" so my chair search becomes a city council meeting. Lots of talk, little action.

The process would be fine if it was a car or stove or Big Ticket Item we both use a lot. But he never sits in the chair in our room. He just dives onto the bed immediately when he walks in, then flails about until I come and jump on his back and crush him and inhale the vapors from his neck. Another reason I'm like, "Why do you care about my chair again?"

So after going to Target, and Costco, and Cost Plus, and looking at seriously, 2,000 chairs online (The Good Doctor presented the laptop with multiple windows layered on top of each other for my viewing convenience), I finally collapse at Pier One next to this chair and go, "For the love of God, please let me buy this for our room."

He was like, "All right, whatever. But it's not the most comfortable." And skips away with Emmy to feel the Santa beards. Leaving me and my dramatic self all drained of energy from battling over what chair to buy after 3 weeks of looking.

I agree, it scores higher in looks than comfort. What woman hasn't made that concession many a time before. With chairs and men. But I promise, Good Doctor, when we actually have a place that's our own and we want real furniture, we will get a GIANT comfy chair with footrests and headrests and armrests and cupholders and whatever you want!

For now, thank you for letting me have my divine chair that is so pretty I still have it in the living room under the skylight just so I can ogle it. Nevermind that it's a dining chair. The price was right, it fits the space in our room, and that pilllow is freaking awesome.