Chasing Clean Air

Indoor Air quality

Things are quiet, chasing clean air outside, so I'm focused on chasing clean air inside. In past week, I bought a Friedrich air purifier for the living room, and a Carbon Monoxide alarm for the bedroom.

Carbon Monoxide poisoning is the number one cause of accidental poisoning deaths in U.S. This was brought home a few years back when a friend's son almost died from carbon monoxide poisoning in his Manhattan apartment.

Fire Alarms should be checked regularly for working condition, and it's recommended they're replaced every ten years.

Have you checked yours lately?

While I have more cleaner-than-Los Angeles-air- places to explore, I appreciate time in-between trips to get grounded, see friends, workout at my gym, and dance at favorite spots.

Last night I danced...

Love it...

Man's best friend

I just like this photo. My brother's dog named Blue-- for his eyes.

I fell in love with a poodle at the dog shelter where I volunteered, still want my own... but when is the right time? 

I travel quite a bit, can I take my poodle? Or leave with family and friends?

Thanksgiving - Southern Calif. Style

My brother skipped Mammouth ski plans, and once again, family Thanksgiving in Orange County, California. Ping-pong, pool, and please tickle me...

Mold

After taking a walk in breezy Mill Valley after a rain, I got a migraine headache.

On reading about mold this morning, I realize I was probably assaulted on that breezy walk by mold.

Mold grows in moisture, and is especially aggressive in Fall months in areas that are rainy and cold. (Marin County recently) And those areas that get rain with added low tree coverage, (Mill Valley) hide the sun from getting through to dry out streets and puddles, hence creating a rich environment in which mold can multiply.

Kick up a breeze or wind, and we've got flying molds.

Care to breathe in on your next after a rain walk?

Things you can do:
Outdoors 

• Get rid of free-standing water -- in overturned trash cans, empty pots, wherever. It's not good enough to clean up your own backyard. Because mold spores can blow significant distances, ask your neighbors to cooperate, too, Phillips suggests.
• Try to minimize the shade in your yard. Bright sunshine dries up the ground, leaving less opportunity for mold growth.
• Rake up leaves on a regular basis, and clean out your gutters.
• If you go outside, avoid doing so after it rains.
• On windy days after rainfall, minimize outdoor exposure and keep your windows shut.

Indoors

• Check your attic and basement for water leaks and mold growth, advises Phillips.
• Keep the humidity level in your house under 50%. Humidity detectors are simple, small, and inexpensive devices that can be found at home improvement stores. "People tend to over-humidify their homes," says David Rosenstreich, MD, an allergist with New York's Montefiore Medical Center. Rather than keeping the thermostat high and the humidifier cranked up during cold months, he suggests lowering the thermostat and reducing the use of a humidifier.
• If you suspect mold in your home, getting an environmental service to test it will give you the most accurate assessment, says Rosenstreich.
• If you detect mold, remove it with bleach -- a half cup per 5 gallons of water -- recommends Phillips.

Griffith Observatory

Is that fog or smog?

I thought it was a clear day; my naked eye didn't see smog until I got to the top of Griffith Park at the Griffith Observatory.

And here's the smoggy sunset a few hours later.

The observatory reopened recently after renovation. I most looked forward to the Planetarium show but there was a long line and if we succeeded in getting a ticket, we'd wait two hours. I'll return after the hoopla of the reopening dies down.

Supposedly, our planetarium  is the most visited in the world. Inside we saw samples of moon rock, meteorites, information on all knowns to do with galaxies, our solar system, the latest discoveries such as Pluto is not a planet but rather part of a cluster of cold...(I forgot new name) There was a huge mural inside that ran the length of a long wall, it was of real stars and galaxies that NASA's camera took. Our naked eye seeing this "picture" in the sky, would see the equivalent of one finger's span lifted against the sky.

The vastness of the universe is mind-boggling, and I revere those minds that try to grasp it, capture it, and bring visions to earth via advanced telescopes.

Great view of Hollywood Sign from Planetarium.

The List

I got my list for the perfect man, and I'm checking off -- handsome, successful, great dancer, loves the symphony, reading, athletic, well-educated, no young children at home...

Not!

This Red Chard gave more sustenance than those words on paper.

I flow more than I plan.

I Ieave space for the unexpected.

Paying attention to my surrounding, people, places, and how they feel.

This was brought home last night at dancing when a friend pointed out an article about singles, and the author claimed she had deal-breakers when dating a new man, and a list. And she matched her dates' attributes against this list referred to as The List.

The List, in my opinion, blocks much good from getting into one's life.

A list may allow one to miss a special person, standing right there. Someone, perhaps, better than the illusory man created on The List. And the deal breaker may in fact, keep one from the sweetest deal of all.

How does a heart get quantified on a list?

How does a soul get reduced to a label?

How does a giver, who excels at listening and taking action for one's needs and desires, get reduced to Doesn't Dance, Deal Breaker?

I've dated handsome sweet-talkers with degrees, money, brains, and fine dancing feet. Yet the most important qualities can't be on a list.

They're unquantifiable because they are uniquely human.

The Soul.

The Heart.

The Generous Open Spirit.

Paying Attention.

Human qualities are packaged in different colored skins, religions, cultures, and I live in America, a melting pot. So I came to realize the benefit of going beyond my religion, culture, habits, and activities, and committing them to a piece of paper, a la The List--and remained open instead. This is easier for me, I think, since I'm at an age when I believe I won't have children. 

I used to walk in Los Angeles, looking at the pretty people, wishing those who possessed a beautiful heart and compassionate spirit would light up from the inside to make themselves known.

There's someone I did take notice of, someone whose insides lit up with his big heart and compassionate spirit.

My diamond in the rough.

If I'd adhered to a list, or The Rules, Fernando and I would never have shared moments together, sharing and doing new things. I initiated our first date, a first for me (not easy to do). So much for "rules". I recognized a man of substance and let him know.

At Fernando's suggestion, during Thanksgiving weekend, we're going to an orphanage in Mexico to bring needed items to the boys.

Isn't that heart-warming? I'm looking forward to this new experience.

Some people allow differences and labels to keep us from uniting and loving.

Uniting and loving is a creative action, it's not found on any list.