May 09, 2008

I am probably the only person who has noticed this interesting phenomena in the grocery store. How much does a bag of Tostitos cost? Well, nobody would know until they actually paid for it. I've been to several grocery stores and it is obvious that the Frito Lay company has directed the stores to remove all price stickers for their products, including the price label on the shelves. The bags themselves do not have a price printed on them, either. Is this to keep the consumer ignorant that corn (and other food commodity prices) are going up? I don't think that this is Frito Lay's responsibility. I figure a bag of chips is probably 3 or 4 bucks. But I'd like to be informed BEFORE buying the bag if they have decided to jack the price up to 5 or 6.

Another bone I have to pick with Frito Lay: their chip bags say something like, "Cooked with all natural oils!" Well, DUH. Oil comes from the earth. Even petroleum, an oil that we consider to be inedible, comes from the earth. This is like saying, "Potato chips that are made from potatoes!"

Frito Lay has done something right lately; they are now making a lower salt version of their potato and tortilla chips. However, for the privilege of having less salt added to your food, you get 30% less product for the same price as the extremely salty food. I bought a bag of Frito Lay reduced salt potato chips, and you can actually taste the potato flavor that is inherent in food that is made from potatoes. This is quite a change in comparison to today's American diet, which can be summarized briefly as, "Would you like some [insert food here] with your salt?"

Posted by megabeth at 08:21 AM | Comments (0)

May 08, 2008

CommuteSmart Birmingham is offering a small amount of money for people who choose alternative methods to get to work. So if I ride my bike to work, I'll effectively be making $4 per day by saving $2 in gas and receiving a $2 payment from the program. I'll try it until some homicidal maniac tries to run me off the road on my way to work, then I'll quit bike commuting and add one more car to the road. Thanks in advance to all the homicidal maniacs for making the world a better place.

I was hoping to start commuting next week as part of the national "Bike to Work" day, but I still can't put my foot in a cycling shoe because of my broken toe. Oh yes, I've tried. Just about every day I try on my cycling shoe. This week I tried to pedal on the trainer in my cycling shoes, lasted about 5 minutes, then went back to platform pedals and athletic sandals. I could commute on my bike with platform pedals. I keep thinking, well maybe tomorrow my foot won't hurt when I put in a shoe. And the next day, I think the same thing. Ad infinitum. Waiting is hard.

Posted by megabeth at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)

May 06, 2008

I've become a better environmental steward lately, I guess because the increase in oil prices has led me to think about what happens if resources (and clean air and water) become scarce one day. I would feel guilty for being a mindless contributor to that. So we moved an existing cage that was being used to keep critters away from the cabbage plants up the hill and turned it into a compost bin. The lid had not been installed yet, so the other day my neighbor emails me to let me know that she found Ruby stuck inside the compost bin. I don't know how she managed to get in because the walls are fairly high. Apparently she put on her pitiful act so that my neighbor would rescue her. The reason I needed a more robust compost bin was primarily Ruby, because last summer I caught her eating corn cobs and the resultant methane emissions were very unpleasant.

The compost bin now has a lid on it. She can only gaze with desire at the stinky contents inside.

I also started a second recycling bin for plastics and glass that my city curbside program does not accept. The recycling center is downtown close to my office. If you live around here, it's Alabama Environmental Council.

Posted by megabeth at 09:01 PM | Comments (1)

May 05, 2008

I bought at 34.50 in late March, at the bottom. Only 50 shares. I wish I had bought 2000 shares.

Posted by megabeth at 04:47 PM | Comments (0)

 
What is this thang?
I am Megabeth and I like to ride my bike. I have three bikes, a Scott CR1, a Specialized Dolce Comp and a Bianchi Pista. This blog is about juggling my commitments so I can ride my bike a lot.

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