One Plastic Bag at a Time

Nature is truly an amazing thing. If you've ever watched vegetation take over an empty lot or seen plants busting out of the most unlikely places, you know that there's a lot more jungle in the urban jungle than you'd think.

We've got the flora, but the fauna is another story. Beyond the rats, feral cats and all sorts of nasty six legged insects, you don't normally come across anything too out of the ordinary.

Last night at around 11pm I had to run out to the bodega for some milk. As I ran back up the stairs I set off the motion sensitive floodlight on my stoop. As I'm unlocking my front door I have this funny feeling that someone is watching me so I look over my shoulder. No one there.

Then I look to my left and let out a shout. I was not alone.

At first I thought "Holy fuck, that is the biggest rat I have EVER seen." Then I realize it's no rat.

It's a possum.

Yes, a real live possum, chilling on my landlord's outdoor furniture. In a million years, I never thought I'd see a possum in Brooklyn, but there it was. I tried to take a picture with my cell phone but it didn't come out well enough to see what it was.

So there you have it, real live wildlife in Brooklyn. Not that I was all that thrilled - the possum is a pretty yucky looking animal with a nasty long rat tail. But not all creatures are going to be cute and cuddly and even the ugly ones have value too.

Pigeons on the other hand ... that's a whole other story for another post.

Until then, keep your eyes peeled, you never know what you'll see.

What did we do before Google? I went online this morning, searching for a environmentally correct way to dispose of my printer. The search phrase "recycle printer" returned over 4 million hits.

Four million hits! Surely, amongst all those sites, there would be a way to get rid of the printer in a responsible way.

The same Murphy's Law that will cause your printer to break the day you need to print an important document is the same one that reveals that the electronics recycling event in Brooklyn was LAST Saturday. (For more information on electronics recycling in New York City, click here. There is a recycling event in Queens, but after my last adventure driving in Astoria, I'm done with Queens ("What street do you live on? 32nd Avenue? 32nd Street? 32nd Place? The corner of 32nd Street and 31st street? What? Are you drunk?")

There's the Swap-o-rama-rama in Williamsburg ... but that's all clothes and I don't think I'm anywhere enough of a hipster to go to a swap event in Billyburg. Even if they were doing electronics, I can only imagine all the wrinkled noses, sneering and rolled eyes I'd get for my non-Macintosh printer. And what would I wear? I don't really have an ensemble in my closet that looks like I might have shopped out of a dumpster but actually cost hundreds of dollars.

A link from New York City's Wastele$$ site directs me to a list of printer vendors who will recycle their printers, and lo and behold, there is Canon.

In a brilliant bit of Dilbert-esque corporate logic, I have to print out a UPS label to recycle my non-working Canon printer. AND it's going to cost at least $12 to ship it and cover the costs of responsible printer disposal.

Finally, I have found Electronic Recycling Day in Manhattan this weekend. The PerScholas organization will be collecting working AND non-working electronics for rehab and/or responsible disposal for free (with a suggested contribution of $5 per item). (I started writing this post on Friday. I have, unfortunately, missed this event).

It's true what they say - it really isn't easy being green.

So if you know have any suggestions or information, feel free to email me. I'd appreciate it.

Since last week's post, I meant to post about the on-going saga about disposing of my now-defunct printer in a responsible way.

"The best laid schemes o' mice an 'men
Gang aft agley,"

So said Robert Burns in 1785 (translation: The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. I'm glad to see that 300+ years later that the Scots are still barely comprehensible). In other words, life has a funny way of getting in the way.

And so it goes. Three days after my last post, I had to make one of the most difficult decisions of my life and chose to put my pet of 14 years, Patrick, to sleep. As I've said privately, the most important lesson taught to me by my best friend, who happens to be a veterinary surgeon, is that sometimes truly loving your animal means knowing when it's time to let him go. And I am forever in her debt for that.

Then there are other losses that are beyond our control. Sometimes Mother Nature steps in and does her thing, reminding us that although at times breathtaking and beautiful, she can also be a heartlessly cruel mistress. The lesson to be learned from that?

When I find out, I'll let you know.

Remember when I went around my house unplugging all those chargers?. Remember how happy I was just a few days ago when I was rewarded for my good deeds with an electric bill under $50?

Imagine my surprise then when I plugged in my Canon S300 printer yesterday to print an important document and couldn't get it to print. I got the green light, then a blinking orange light. Blink. Blink. Blink. Blink. Blink. Blink. Blink. Green light. Orange blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. Green light. I think you get the idea.

Now I'm pretty technologically savvy, so I started going through the standard troubleshooting process.

Turned the printer off. Turned it on. Green light. Orange blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. Repeat.

Disconnected the printer and reconnected to my laptop. Green light. Orange blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. Repeat.

I opened the printer, took out the cartridges, put them back in, closed the printer up. Green light. Orange blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. Repeat.

The clock is ticking, it's getting late, still no document. I resort to the tried and true method I use when my 17 month old lubes my cell phone with five gallons of saliva. I pick up the printer and slam it on the table several times.

Green light. Orange blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. Repeat.

Are you getting irritated reading that? It's only a fraction of how pissed off I was at this point.

So I turned to the internet and it seemed like I found my answer. Here was the solution for my problem.

1. Turn off printer
2. Hold down Resume button and press Power button.
3. Keep holding down Power button and let Resume button go.
4. Press Resume button 2 times then let BOTH buttons go.
5. Green lights will flash and then stop blinking.
6. When green lights are solid, press the Resume button 4 times.
7. Press the Power button and the printer should turn off, if not, press the Power button once more.
8. Your printer should respond as normal.

I faithfully followed steps 1-5, and waited for the solid green light. Green light. Orange blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. Repeat.

Turn the printer off. Turn printer on. Repeat steps 1-5. Wait for green light. Green light. Orange blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. blink. Repeat.

A little more googling reveals the following gem of info - because I left my printer unplugged for so long, there has been some sort of memory error and now the laptop can no longer see the printhead.

The cost of replacing the printhead? $50. Cost of printer four years ago? $99.

In the interest of being environmentally correct, I consider replacing the printhead. Further research reveals that this may not resolve the problem, and there seems to be plenty of anecdotal evidence that replacing the printhead will not resolve the problem and Canon is not interested in supporting printhead replacement issues.

The only surefire solution seemed to be the following: (this is an actual post)
- Take out the cartridges
- Unplug the power and usb
- Take your printer to the 2nd floor
- Open a window
- Take your printer, curse a few times, and then throw it out of the window...
- Buy anything other than an S series Canon printer because they suck

It's a good thing I saved all that money on my electric bill - because now I need it to buy a new printer.

Special thanks to February, who saved the day and let me come over to her place and print the enormous document.

As for the printer, although I'm sure the above stated solution will work, I will find a greener way of disposing of said piece of crap Canon S300 printer.

This post is not going to be about anything environmental, because I have been quite distracted this week. After you hear why, I think you'll understand.

Here in New York, we're supposed to act blasé about everything, like we've seen it all before. Nothing impresses us. Not the craziest of crazies, couples shrieking at each other and breaking up on the sidewalk (and then making up one block later - get a room people!), Wall Street guys sitting on a bench passing a joint back and forth, or dogs who are better groomed and accessorized than most people I know (myself included).

And definitely not celebrities or film productions. Perhaps it's the ridiculous self-importance of any idiot with a badge hanging around his neck and a walkie talkie, or the obnoxious condescending attitude that $75 a day production assistant has to muster to kid himself that he is anything more than the modern day equivalent of a piss boy.

We take jaded to a whole new level. But our dirty little secret is that sometimes, we are a little impressed. Just a little. It's easy not to be impressed when you see Andy Dick in front of your office, but another when it's Chris Noth (whom I winked at. I couldn't resist.)

So all week I've been passing by the production and lighting trucks parked all over my neighborhood, complaining like a good New Yorker about the cables on the sidewalk, the lack of parking, and the smell from vehicles that come every morning to empty out the sewage from the trailers.

Sure, there have been a few celeb sightings by my friends - Bette Midler. Helen Hunt. Colin Farrell. Pretty big stars, you have to admit, but nothing I'd go out of my way for.

But Colin Firth? That's a whole other story. Because it turns out that my friend's husband, who reported seeing Colin Farrell, actually saw Colin Firth. A mistake only a man would make.

Since finding out this info, we've been on the prowl for the delectable Mr Darcy, to no avail. Direct inquiries to the crew have been met with assurances that his portion of the shooting is completed and he is no longer on set.

Then again, that's probably what they tell all the drooling lust-crazed mommies inquiring as to his whereabouts.