Little house dreams

When I was in high school and college, my extraordinary little brother built himself a little house. He is 6 years younger than I am so that meant he was in middle school. And I’m not talking about a rickety death trap of a tree house like I built when I was that age. His little house was insulated. It had real windows and a door and a real roof. It was a true little house. It didn’t have running water or electricity but that wasn’t really necessary for its purpose a retreat from our very loud and overly nosy family of seven.

Ever since then, I have been intrigued by little houses. Yesterday I came upon this blog post of a little house that could be the next incarnation of Will’s creation. A slightly larger design, a working fireplace, higher end finishes and divided up into more rooms.

Can’t you just see yourself here with a good book and no distractions? In my dream tiny house, I wouldn’t have a fig fireplace bc that would mean I would have to both light a fire everyday and take out the ashes, which are two things I don’t like. That said, it makes for a nice picture. I also love the tiny kitchen:

This house doesn’t have a stove or an oven. All the cooking is done on that wood fire. Again, making a fire and taking out the ashes: less romantic in real life. Also, indoor pollution.  Open fires in enclosed spaces do not make for healthy lungs no matter how beautiful they are.  Not to be Debbie Downer or anything

And there’s a hilarious study for one’s alchemy and globe examining:

A tiny house is just so intriguing. Do you think it would be difficult to live in a 12′ x 12′ space? It’s such a different type of house from our standard suburban house with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms. It’s funny though, as I try to stop buying new things and decrease the number of things I have, my current apartment seems bigger and bigger. Perhaps downsizing when I move will be less painful that I originally thought…

One small change on Monday

I was listening to NPR this weekend while in lab this weekend. My favorite fearmongering pharmacist and medical anthropologist came on and for once, I didn’t change the station. I’m glad I listened because I found this weekend’s show to be very informative. The Graedons were talking about chemical exposure and the environment with a specific emphasis on plastics. The risks from plastics include exposure to BPA and other endocrine disrupters, like phthalates. My 2011 resolution was to give up plastic water bottles and I have done so very successfully. I invested in new stainless steel bottles and have resisted buying water bottles. It has been easier than I thought.

This program was interesting because it made me reassess my exposure to these compounds from the plastics that I still use in many areas of my life. I can’t stop touching plastic at work since much of our sterile work requires plastic. However, I identified three areas where I could reduce exposure to chemical exposure:

1. Cosmetics
2. Food storage
3. Prepared food

My plan is to address my exposure due to my cosmetics by going through the database compiled by the environmental working group called “skin deep”. I’m a little worried about my sunscreen as I do wear it everyday and I know they need to use something to block the UV rays…

My plan on food storage will require less effort. I already use glass storage containers for my leftovers but I may bite the bullet and recycle my remaining plastic containers. Also, I need to look at the long term storage of my pantry staples. How dangerous is it to keep your cooking oils stored in plastic? Perhaps, I can buy new oils in glass containers as I use up what I have now.

Prepared food will be harder for me because I am a big frozen entree eater. Frozen meals are my lunchtime staples since they are cheaper than going down to the hospital cafeteria. That said, frozen meals often violate the “no plastic in the microwave rule”. Even the ones in cardboard containers have a plastic sheet on top. Stop buying frozen entrees and eat more sandwiches? We’ll see. 

My one small step for today was switching out my use of plastic forks and spoons for real silverware. Not only will it reduce waste and decrease the clutter on my, my fork, knife and spoon will be one fewer potential vector of chemicals into my body. It’s better than nothing!