Brad Barrish

I’ve always been conscious of the impact my daily habits have on the Earth. I grew up in a home that always recycled, composted, gardened, etc. As far as families go in the midwest, I think we were pretty progressive. I’ve tried to take things a step further over the last year and here’s a list of simple changes I’ve made with little to no noticeable negative impact on my bank account or lifestyle:

• Use canvas bags for grocery shopping 99% of the time
• Replaced all possible bulbs in the house with compact florescents
• Installed water-saving shower heads in the bathrooms
• Purchased a gas-powered dryer
• Changed over to the green power option for my electricity
• Removed my name from all credit card solicitation lists
• Brought a re-usable container to work for water
• Ride my bike around locally on the weekend for errands instead of driving

I’ve always been conscious of the impact my daily habits have on the Earth. I grew up in a home that always recycled, composted, gardened, etc. As far as families go in the midwest, I think we were pretty progressive. I’ve tried to take things a step further over the last year and here’s a list of simple changes I’ve made with little to no noticeable negative impact on my bank account or lifestyle:

• Use canvas bags for grocery shopping 99% of the time
• Replaced all possible bulbs in the house with compact florescents
• Installed water-saving shower heads in the bathrooms
• Purchased a gas-powered dryer
• Changed over to the green power option for my electricity
• Removed my name from all credit card solicitation lists
• Brought a re-usable container to work for water
• Ride my bike around locally on the weekend for errands instead of driving

I’ve always been conscious of the impact my daily habits have on the Earth. I grew up in a home that always recycled, composted, gardened, etc. As far as families go in the midwest, I think we were pretty progressive. I’ve tried to take things a step further over the last year and here’s a list of simple changes I’ve made with little to no noticeable negative impact on my bank account or lifestyle:

• Use canvas bags for grocery shopping 99% of the time
• Replaced all possible bulbs in the house with compact florescents
• Installed water-saving shower heads in the bathrooms
• Purchased a gas-powered dryer
• Changed over to the green power option for my electricity
• Removed my name from all credit card solicitation lists
• Brought a re-usable container to work for water
• Ride my bike around locally on the weekend for errands instead of driving

I finally got word today that I will be in New Jersey for the US Live Earth concert. While I’ll probably be working 20 hours a day for the few days I’m there, it’ll be worth it. Kevin produced Live 8 and I was one of the people that didn’t get to go to that one. I didn’t really mind, but I would have been bummed about not being able to attend Live Earth. It’s going to be crazy and I’ll be blogging and twittering while I’m there.

Here’s a graph illustrating my reading habits.

It’s a little misleading because I obviously don’t read 1000+ items per day in their entirety, but I do read a lot.

I’ve watched this 73 times now.

I was driving alone last night, coming home from dinner with some friends and I was thinking of you, dad. I called out for you.

“Dad?”

It made me feel silly, but close to you. I don’t usually believe that people are watching over me, but I’d be lying if I said the thought hadn’t crossed my mind since you died.

“I love you, dad,” I said as I turned down the radio, as if you to listen closely for you to answer back.

It’s my birthday soon and I’m really going to miss your call. I know life goes on without you, but it’s really hard right now. I don;t like getting older without you here. There’s a lot I want to tell you. Things I can’t really share with mom, because the history isn’t there like it was with you.

I was thinking about how I wanted to talk to you about the argument I got into with the mate. I’d sit down and tell you about the exchange and you would talk to me like a friend. You would tell it to me from your heart, knowing me so well. And no one knows me like that.

I was driving alone last night, coming home from dinner with some friends and I was thinking of you, dad. I called out for you.

“Dad?”

It made me feel silly, but close to you. I don’t usually believe that people are watching over me, but I’d be lying if I said the thought hadn’t crossed my mind since you died.

“I love you, dad,” I said as I turned down the radio, as if you to listen closely for you to answer back.

It’s my birthday soon and I’m really going to miss your call. I know life goes on without you, but it’s really hard right now. I don;t like getting older without you here. There’s a lot I want to tell you. Things I can’t really share with mom, because the history isn’t there like it was with you.

I was thinking about how I wanted to talk to you about the argument I got into with the mate. I’d sit down and tell you about the exchange and you would talk to me like a friend. You would tell it to me from your heart, knowing me so well. And no one knows me like that.

I rarely have nightmares. I don’t actually remember the last one I had, but last night I had the most intensely sad one. I was bawling uncontrollably in my dream and woke up doing the same. It was a dream about my father. When I retold the story to my mate, it didn’t make much sense to her, but the feelings were so real and I could barely fall back asleep.

I was sitting in the kitchen of my parents’ house with mom and brother. Apparently I was moving back home, but was trying to figure out what area of town I should live in. I think mom was under the impression that I was moving back near her, but when I told her otherwise she fired back, “You’re not single. Only single people live there.”

Brother lived there. We both looked at one another and my blood immediately started to boil. This was so typical of mom. We were apparently supposed to leave, or at least that’s what it felt like. I decided I was going to go back upstairs. I told her I needed a minute. Instead of going back to the room I stay in when I visit, I went into my parents’ room.

There’s an antique chest of drawers that they’ve had ever since I can remember. There were two small drawers on both sides of the antique. They both had keyholes in them, though I’m not sure they’ve ever locked. You could stick part of your finger in the whole to pull it open. In the left hand side were little knickknacks that dad had been collecting over the years. I remember a McGovern pin. In the right, which is usually where he kept the bullets to guns were little figurines. The drawer only opened so far, but if you bent down, you could see that the drawer’s space actually continued further. When I bent down to look toward the back I noticed a Papa Smurf figurine. This was something I put into his hand just before he died. I saw it and instantly started crying. The intensity of the crying seemed to escalate quickly and I had my arms crossed on the drawer with my head in my arms when I woke up. I think brother was in the room with me.

I think I used to collect smurf figures when I was small, but I never gave any of them to dad when he was dying. The nightmare was so real though. Nothing seemed imaginary. It’s one of the most vivid dreams I’ve ever had. I still can’t stop thinking about him today. I’ve been on the verge of tears all day.

I rarely have nightmares. I don’t actually remember the last one I had, but last night I had the most intensely sad one. I was bawling uncontrollably in my dream and woke up doing the same. It was a dream about my father. When I retold the story to my mate, it didn’t make much sense to her, but the feelings were so real and I could barely fall back asleep.

I was sitting in the kitchen of my parents’ house with mom and brother. Apparently I was moving back home, but was trying to figure out what area of town I should live in. I think mom was under the impression that I was moving back near her, but when I told her otherwise she fired back, “You’re not single. Only single people live there.”

Brother lived there. We both looked at one another and my blood immediately started to boil. This was so typical of mom. We were apparently supposed to leave, or at least that’s what it felt like. I decided I was going to go back upstairs. I told her I needed a minute. Instead of going back to the room I stay in when I visit, I went into my parents’ room.

There’s an antique chest of drawers that they’ve had ever since I can remember. There were two small drawers on both sides of the antique. They both had keyholes in them, though I’m not sure they’ve ever locked. You could stick part of your finger in the whole to pull it open. In the left hand side were little knickknacks that dad had been collecting over the years. I remember a McGovern pin. In the right, which is usually where he kept the bullets to guns were little figurines. The drawer only opened so far, but if you bent down, you could see that the drawer’s space actually continued further. When I bent down to look toward the back I noticed a Papa Smurf figurine. This was something I put into his hand just before he died. I saw it and instantly started crying. The intensity of the crying seemed to escalate quickly and I had my arms crossed on the drawer with my head in my arms when I woke up. I think brother was in the room with me.

I think I used to collect smurf figures when I was small, but I never gave any of them to dad when he was dying. The nightmare was so real though. Nothing seemed imaginary. It’s one of the most vivid dreams I’ve ever had. I still can’t stop thinking about him today. I’ve been on the verge of tears all day.