pure awesome

[image: operationnice.com]
so there’s this really nice girl, melissa, and she’s celebrating the 2-year anniversary of her blog operation nice by encouraging people to be super nice by writing these nice notes to leave for friends, co-workers, family, strangers—anyone really, so long as you write something nice on them! you download the pdf, print it, write your nice note & leave it for someone to find. to top it off, if you do it today, july 15, and send in a photo, she’ll donate $3 per note to the hunger project. that’s nice!

sustainable solutions

[image: greenlagirl.com]
i never get tired of hearing about these goats helping clear hillsides in downtown los angeles. greenlagirl.com has this story and a few more good bits on LA here: checklist: new green sights in los angeles.

publications

[image: slakemedia.org]
we have a new quarterly literary arts publication in echo park with a southern california focus: slake. their site has a list of resellers if you’re curious to pick up a copy.

food

[image: lacucinaitalianamagazine.com]
it’s grilling season, so if you eat chicken, grab some arugula & cucumber from your local farmers market and enjoy the outdoors: chicken skewers with chopped cucumber, arugula and olives.

[image: romulo yanes / gourmet]
i’ve tried the zucchini noodles both cooked and raw, but i have to admit, i wrote off cucumber for the same use, figuring it couldn’t stand up to a thin slice. however, thanks to faith durand at thekitchn.com for cucumber noodles, it looks like they do fine after a julienne cut and a quick blanching. sounds like they’d be great hot or cold! another fun thing to try this summer!

wine

i haven’t put anything up on wine in awhile, but i just came across this great list of 90 point wines for under $15. go to town! her list starts at 85 points, but it’s a great collection of wine ratings, especially if you’re tasting something new.

diy

so, i tried this once before and somehow gave up after awhile, but i decided to give it a try again: the no shampoo alternative, wherein you wash your hair with baking soda, and rinse with a mix of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. i think i’ve found the balance my hair likes after about a week [i tend to need more baking soda, less vinegar]. i’m really happy with the results too, my hair stays cleaner longer, and holds a curl without any product as well. there are so many benefits to doing this, but i can’t decide which one i like best among what i’m eliminating: chemicals from my skin, pollutants from the water supply, packaging from the recycling system & financial dependence on a convenience product i can make myself. i forgot my camera today, but i’ll post some pics soon.