Occupying my time

Have replaced the ex-boyfriend with my elliptical, reverse crunches, push-ups, & permanent TV viewing position-- the "plank." I don't really want to lose weight, but being wicked toned wouldn't be so bad.

Realized my one true love: My Dyson "Absolute" vacuum. It minimizes allergens and other asthma-causing particles. Annnnd I've done the whole vacuum with shitty vacuum first, then vacuum the same area with the Dyson test.... and the Dyson is so much more powerful it can drag up all sorts of crap the 2nd time around. That was worded horribly, I'm tired.

My thing on the side: Mr. Clean's Magic Erasers. These buddies can be used on anything: shoes, door frames/doors, walls, yellowing refrigerator handles, cupboards, counters, etcetcetc.

More later, maybe.


Comedy & Tragedy theater masks. This is one of my best friends. She does not like to vacuum. It's relevant.

I am a great girl. I am so funny. I am beautiful. You should, like, break up with me or something.

Coward.

It's that time again, you want to leave me so I keep you home

Cleaning a microwave:

(This is not my microwave, mine is not dirty enough to use as an example-- sorry!)

1) Juice one whole lemon into microwaveable bowl

2) Add 1.5 to 2 cups of water to bowl

3) Microwave on high for 5-10 minutes

(The mixture will condense and cling to the walls of the microwave)

4) Wipe off gunk with some paper towel (or a shop towel!)

I don't like using too many chemical-heavy products in food preparation areas... and lemon is great at cutting grease.  It also smells (and tastes) exquisite.  I'm actually eating one right now... om nomnom.  

Back to the point.

Microwaves will kill most bacteria after 1 minute, and virtually eliminate all bacteria and spores after 5.  So even if the microwave is plastered with ancient remnants, the bacteria should be dead if the microwave has been used.

*Microwaves do not always kill all bacteria in things like thick, uncooked meat-- because microwaves cook from the outside in.  So, if you notice cold spots, put that shit back in the wave and make sure it's warm all the way through... and you're golden.

ANOTHER TIP:  I sterilize dish sponges in the microwave.  Make sure the sponge is really wet, then put it in the wave for 2 minutes on high.  Remove the sponge from the wave with tongs because it will be very hot!  If you do dishes daily, you should sterilize the sponge at least once every 3-4 days.

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I went to a techno show this weekend.  Not really my scene-- or so I thought, I had a blast.  Some pretty interesting people and situations, for sure.

I'm actually not short, the boys in the picture are both > 6'-5" tall.  Critical fact.

  <--- some tiny-person-pink-wigged girl swinging around from the ceiling.  It was a little creepy.  Who knew that E was a requirement for these events?  Oh, everyone?  My mistake.

This post will be updated with a cleaning recommendation later in the day (it's 2:45 AM here).  Get excited, it will be filled with ridiculousity (not a word) and ludicrousness (a word (and a GREAT one)).  

If anyone stopping by has any questions about cleaning (a scenario problem, product recommendations, methodology)... feel free to ask!  I'm just getting started on this whole blog-deal and only 2 friends are aware of my blog-presence-- so I appreciate any comments/questions.  

As Smart as Geek is Chic Right Now

*Edit* Unrelated to my cleaning endeavors, I recently figured out how to use my mactop's built-in camera while I was on the phone.

I just know this whole comp-cam/web-cam is going to be super bad news with my already creepy tendencies. Oh boy oh boy. */Edit*

I apologize to the 3 or 4 of you that are actually aware of my bloglife existence, I have been more than slacking on the updates.

So these are some pictures from last year, using one of my favorite cleaning products.

I lived in the oldest dormitory on campus, and my apartment had the most beautiful old doors (all original). The knobs, however, grossed me out. I mean not just the germs (I did take clorox wipes to the knobs for disinfecting purposes)... but every knob had a thick coating of blackish/blue film.

THE PRODUCT: Brasso

Brasso emits pretty epic fumes, and the main ingredients (IsoPropyl alcohol, ammonia, silica powder, oxalic acid) mean it is not particularly skin or lung-friendly. I actually wore through 2 pairs of rubber gloves... from vigorous... knob scrubbing.

In addition to metals, I've heard (have not yet tried) that Brasso can also be used to remove scratches from plastics like CD scratches, and can even smooth the appearance of lines and cracks on wristwatches. Pretty impressive, if you ask me!

HERE'S THE GOOD PART! BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS!

Beautiful right? I realize these are pictures of two different doors, but I promise you, each knob turned out equally clean and shiny.

I'm not going to lie, each knob took upwards of 3 hours (really good arm workout) and at least one roll of blue shop towels (another favorite product!).

Totally worth it.

Getting my priorities crooked

I use a Pur faucet filter to fill up my Brita filter.  I filter the water I put in my humidifier-- which is filtered again before its release to the air.  

I spent an intense amount of time cleaning the vents of my radiators (with Q-tips) instead of studying for my (extremely challenging) business law exam.

I have discovered and tested a fruit that effectively repels spiders and other creepy-crawling-critters.  The fruit also happens to match the decor of my apartment.  Curious?

A tale for another time.  

Putting in a lot of effort to not exert any effort at all

Laziness has been consuming my life lately.  I have been busy, that is fact, but anything that is not exactly a survival requirement gets put on the shelf.  

Actually no, shelving things would require exertion.  Having everything I own on my apartment floor helps to camouflage the cute stains so graciously gifted to me by the ex-tenant.  By cute, I of course mean it appears that someone was mortally wounded and dragged from the bedroom to the living room.  The stains are more or less immovable, as I did try to scrub them using my favorite "Oxy-deep" carpet cleaner back when I wasn't so lazy.

All of that was a little off topic.  

What I have been trying to confess is that I have almost completely replaced washing my hands with Purell.  I know, right.  

I feel that I should probably be more embarrassed to admit that, given my clean-freak style... 

But what I'm really thinking is wouldn't it be great if I could just replace showering with a similar method? I do have the convenient little disinfecting wipes, too.

There are probably some things I should be doing... but I do know that I've got some sitting around to do.