Welcome Starshine! You have reached the Official Twighlight Manor Blog: Complete with EelKat's advice for fellow writers, featuring ML updates for the Southern Maine region of NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy, along with all my thoughts on Reading, Writing, Literature, College, CosPlay, Faeries, Aliens, UFOs, Cryptozoology, Spirit Guides, Alien Abduction, collecting Uncle Scrooge comic books, my 6 years of being homeless, survival skills, my new life as a FullTime RVer, my life as a Hoodoo Rootwork aka Witch Doctor and Psychic Medium, Cats, Cooking, Classical Education, on living in and restoring a Vintage Class C Motorhome, on being a Scottish Traveller Gypsy, and lots of other weird disconnected ramblings about life, the universe, and everything else I can think of too. We are at 5,555 posts and counting! Home of The 13 Step Method to Writing and all those other ranting articles of advice for my fellow writers of sci-fi and horror short stories. Started in 2003, we are now celebrating 9 Years of Blogging!!! Think this introduction is long? Wait til you read the posts!
One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.
I will direct you to the name of my motorhome: Rosebud.
Ever watch the movie Citizen Kane? Yes? Than you know why I answered your question this way. No? Than rent the DVD and watch it today, learn the meaning of the most famous line in movie history:
“Rosebud”
No time to watch the movie? I’ll make it easy on you and sum up what the word “Rosebud” means and why I named my motorhome Rosebud.
I’ll start with a quote from another movie: The Dead Poet’s Society. (When you get done watching Citizen Kane, watch the Dead Poet’s Society, you’ll see the meaning of my answer if you watch both movies back to back.
” Carpe Diem - Seize The Day - Gather Ye Rosebuds while ye may.”
The story of Citizen Kane is this:
On his death bed, a very wealthy, very hated, very old miser, sat starring into a snowglobe than mustered every last ounce of strength he had to say to his nurse: “Rosebud”. Than he feel down dead.
Having no will and no known heirs, his lawyers were convinced that Rosebud must be the person Kane intended to leave his worldly goods to. And so begins the movie as these men dissect every aspect of Kane’s life in search for the girl, the secret wife, the hidden lover, the daughter, the maid, the nurse, someone ANYONE who ever entered Kane’s life, whom was named Rosebud. In doing so they find his diary, and begin reading…the rest of the movie is in flashback, detailing Kane’s life from the day he was born until the day he died and the story goes as thus:
Kane was happy boy, oblivious to the hardships of the world around him: an abusive father and mother who cared only about money.
Time moves on. The boy grows up. In a few short years he is a millionaire. He owns every thing and every one. The more money he gets the more powerful he becomes. Soon Kane is the evilest, wickest, greediest, cruelest, miser in the land – poor people are shattered and crushed in his path as he builds his giant empire of possessions, houses, and wealth.
Late in life Kane is hated by every one. He never married. He has no family. Money and wealth have made him miserable. The more he owned the more unhappy he became. Now he sits alone, sick and dieing and his masion. Unloved. Uncared for. Looking back on a life fill with regret: regret that the young man never carried out his dreams, never did the things he wanted to do as a boy, never had time to find a woman to love, turned his back on everything in pursuit of wealth, and was no sick, alone, and dieing… holding a snowglobe and remembering the only time in his life he was ever happy, his time spent with the mysterious elusive Rosebud.
And so the lawyers come to the end of Kane’s diary, no closer than they were at the beginning of the movie, to find out who this Rosebud was.
Having no heirs, Kane’s vast estates are taken over by the government, and everything considered “junk” is sent to an incinerator to be burned…
I’m not going to tell you the end of the movie, and who Rosebud is, instead…here is the last 3 minutes of the movie, you can watch it for yourself and see who Rosebud was, and why she was so important to this man’s happiness:
Go back and watch the first one again…now the second one…did you see her? Look close and you’ll see Rosebud in both clips.
Okay, so now that you’ve watched those 2 video clips and know who Rosebud is, did you figure out yet WHY it is my answer to your question?
No? Let’s move on to The Dead Poet’s Society than…
John Keating: Mr. Pitts, would you open your hymnal to page 542 and read the first stanza of the poem you find there.
Pitts: [reading the poem title] “To the Virgins To Make Much of Time”?
John Keating: Yes, that’s the one. Somewhat appropriate, isn’t it?
Pitts: GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may, Old time is still a-flying : And this same flower that smiles to-day; To-morrow will be dying.
Keating: “Seize the day. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.” Why does the writer use these lines?
Charlie: Because he’s in a hurry.
John Keating: No. Ding! Thank you for playing anyway. Because we are food for worms, lads. Because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold and die.
…(points to 100 year old photos of school boys)…
John Keating: They’re not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they’re destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? – - Carpe – - hear it? – - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.
==========================
And that is my answer, my advice to you:
Rosebud.
Carpe Diem.
Seize the day.
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.
Make your life extraordinary.
Do it now. Do it today.
Do not put off till tomorrow what you should have done today.
You say(about fulltimeing and living in a motorhome): ”I can hardly wait to get started! I wish I could sell my house and go right now! Any advice?”
I ask you in turn: Why are you waiting? Seize the day. You want to sell your house? Than sell it! You want to live in a motorhome? Than get off your ass and go live in a motorhome! What’s stopping you? Money? You can get a $1,000 motorhome off Craigeslist and be on the road in less than a month. Don’t wait til you have $150,000 to buy a new one, start living your life now in a used one, you can move up to a new one after the sale of your house goes through.
Look around at the hopes and dreams and goals you watch fade and die like withered rosebuds every time you put off your dreams and stash them away in your “someday” pile. Don’t let your rosebuds wither and die. Gather them up today while they are still alive and fresh.
How many rosebuds have you gathered today?
Or how about thinking on it this way:
When you are on your deathbed: How many rosebuds will you be wishing you had not let pass you by?
When starting a new blog, I like to set up all the “possible” tags I may use over the years to come, and so I have them in the clickable drop down menu of my dashboard, I put them all on the first few posts of the blog – This is a very old post, copied from Star Log, to put my tags on this blog. The only thing this post contains is a list of every tag I have every used on Star Log. As each tag list can only contain 200 characters, there well be several of these posts, until all tags have been inserted into this blogs drop down feature. So, you can just ignore this post as it is only useful to me the blogger and not you the reader.
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A Blog By Miss Citten the EelKat aka Wendy C. Allen
Me - August 2010
The pretty Sesshomaru avatar you see on my comments:
Morning Verse, Grades One through Four
The sun with loving light
Makes bright for me each day,
The soul with spirit power
Gives strength unto my limbs.
In sunlight shining clear
I reverence, O God ,
The strength of humankind
Which Thou so graciously
Hast planted in my soul
That I, with all my might,
May strive to work and learn.
From Thee flow light and strength,
To Thee rise love and thanks.
I was born an raised on a farm in Maine. I am the author of 30+ books, 200+ short stories, and 2,000+ articles, I am also an artist, painter, photographer, fashion designer, doll maker, psychic, card reader, hoodoo rootworker, feral cat rescuer, 5 time NaNoWriMo winner, 2 time Script Frenzy winner, Script Frenzy ML for Southern Maine, CosPlayer, huge fan of Liberace and Sesshomaru, a vegetarian animal rights activist, and the original outspoken founder of the Proctor and Gamble Boycotter. (Yes, I was that little kid who wrote the letters and got all the media attention 30 years ago). I have 15 cats and I live in a 22' motorhome named No Hurry.
Since 2009, I have been the Script Frenzy/NaNoWriMo ML for Southern Maine and cheer mister of the Lobster Team. (In plain English, that means I'm the head of the local charter of an international writer's group and am in charge of the local writer's meetings).
Miss Citten The EelKat of The Twighlight Manor Series
I became homeless in 2006, a result of a flood, 3 years after starting this blog. I had a 8x6 tarp, a -40F sleeping bag, a full length mink coat, a machette, 2 dogs, and 9 cats. And that's it. I had NOTHING else.
Psychologists who study survival, say that those who follow the rules and heed authority are the first to give up and die when faced with surviving in the wild, while the free spirited, independently minded people come out on top because they are willing to question everything and fight against the odds.
Me and Buddy - Living under a 8x6 tarp - 2006
I guess I must be pretty independent and free spirited than, because I survived 3 blizzards, a -48F cold front (before wind chill factor, which weathermen said brought the temps down to -80F for 2 weeks), 2 ice storms, and 5 hurricanes under a 8x6' tarp on a beach, at the edge of a swamp, in a forest, in Maine - and 5 years later I am still here, with no plans to move back into a house any time soon! LOL! (Though as of 2011 I did upgrade from a tent to a motorhome.)
Me and Mowglie - October 2006 - morning after a blizzard
I not only learned how to survive in harsh conditions with almost nothing, I learned to like living like that, so much, that I now live like this by choice. I hated it at first. I hated not having a house, I hated not having food, I hated not having electricity or running water or a toilet, but after a while, I got used to being without those things, and I realized how much more freedom I had unencumbered by such things. In the beginning after the flood, every day was a fight to survive and I had no idea how to get food or shelter, but now, "extreme survival" as become just an every day part of my life, and it's no longer "survival" but a lifestyle, which in a few months, I will have been living for 6 years.
Granted most people are not suited for this sort of life; 6 years ago, I wasn't suited for this sort of life; 6 years ago, I never could have dreamed that I would living the way I do now. I had a normal life, a normal family, than one day it was all gone, in the space of 3 minutes - everything I knew and loved was taken away by a flood. Before the flood, like you, I would have said no one could survive in the wilderness with so few things, I would not have thought it possible either. But I am here 5 years later to tell you that a person CAN survive in the wilderness with next to nothing, and for a lot longer than a month. I know, because I did it for 5 years. It can be done, you have no idea what you can do, until you are forced to have to do it.
I am the author of 30+ books, 200+ short stories, a few dozen novellas, 2,000+ non-fiction articles, a few comic books, and roughly 2 dozen plays. Most of the fiction evolves around The Twighlight Manor Universe and it's several spin offs. I am also the illustrator of said books and stories. My genre is mixed and changes with my mode, but for the most part is described as: "Dark Satire Sci-Fi Horror Splatter Gorn" and gets shelved under: Humor, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, or Porn depending on who is doing the shelving. Some fans have described it as reading like: "Rocky Horror Picture Show acted out by Monty Python in Space"....uhm...okay, I guess I could agree with that.
Now where would a blog by EelKat be with out chickens and vampire bunnies?
Since 2009, I have been the Script Frenzy/NaNoWriMo ML for Southern Maine and cheer mister of the Lobster Team (Yes, I am the crazy woman at your local writer's meetings, who wears the top hat and has a lobster sitting on my head.)
I have decided that it's not crazy enough to just do NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy each year, I MUST do CampNaNoWriMo each MONTH as well! :D
I am known by some locals as "The Sea Witch of Old Orchard Beach", partly because of my wild feral lifestyle and partly because I am by race and culture a Gypsy, specifically a Scottish Traveller from a family tree that has a 400 year history of witches and hoodoo, and yes I am well versed in Hoodoo Witchcraft, card reading, spell casting, conjure arts, and can be correctly termed a Hoodoo Root Doctor aka A Witch Doctor.
Sir Roderic - owner of The Twighlight Manor
In case you don't already know, the thing which I am most famous for is that I am the creator, author, and illustrator of The Twighlight Manor series, the little loved, much hated, very boycotted, and extremely banned, graphically violent, sex filled, politically incorrect, M rated dark satire sci-fi horror series started in 1978 and spanning 31 years of books, novellas, and short stories, all of which now out of print and very obscure thanks to a series of good old fashion Christian book burnings. Stories of sex crazed faeries, talking cats, eels from space, sadistic mad scientists, human-eating aliens, all living in a house hell bent on eating every one that walks through it's front doors, and the humans who fall prey to them all. Oh yeah and did I mention the main character is a drag queen?
And yes, I am the EelKat with the massive 7,000+ issue collection of Uncle Scrooge comic books, which thankfully survived both the flood and the later fire. Unfortunately the rest of my monstrous comic book collection - some 10,000 books - did not survive the flood or the fire and no longer exist. Only the Uncle Scrooge books had been bagged, boarded, and locked in sealed containers at the time of the flood, so they were the only part of the collection which still exists today.
Next up on my agenda: painting my motorhome bright bubblegum pink, than rhinestoneing my Volvo purple - yes, it IS the Dazzleing Razzberry out of the Twighlight Manor series.
My Old House (Volvo) & My New House (1975 Dodge)
And yes, to those who ask: I am the same EelKat who is "Etiole's friend".
Etiole (and his son Phozeen) - main character of The Twighlight Manor series
To many I am known as "Maine's Crazy Cat Woman", for the obvious reasons (I had 24 cats at the time that title was bestowed upon me).
And, that's me. And yes, I still have lots of cats...right now I have 12 of them.
Check Out Star Log’s Massive 1,000 Link+ BlogRoll!
I've been reading blogs since 1997, and writing blogs since 2003. Star Log is my original, most heavily trafficked (getting thousands of hits a day), oldest, biggest, most posted on, and by far the longest of the 34 blogs I write.
Getting your own blog linked here has been known to send large amounts of traffic to your blog, as my readers are quick to read pretty much anything I recommend. (Ain't that just great?!).
Well, in 14 years reading blogs and 8 years writing blogs, I've read and commented on pretty much every blog out there, and today my blog roll hold a whopping 1,000+ links. I read a lot of blogs and I may be reading yours.
Things I Want to Buy For My Motorhome (A Wish List of Sorts):
1 LED Stick N Click Lights
(I’m already using these, but gotta get more. These are amazing, you can stick them anywhere and have light everywhere, and no need for electricity or solar power or generator to run them!)
0
100% Peruvian Alpaca Fur Rug
(Like the fur on the walls, you need fur on the floors to keep out the cold during a deep freeze winter. These can be stacked in layers in every room.)
0
Faux Fur Throw Blanket – Coyote
(Get several. Use to make curtains for all windows, doors, and to make room separator panels. I do extreme winter camping, this the the only fabric that’ll keep out the cold, regular thermal curtains won’t work when the temps hit -48F))
0
Red Shag Flokati Area Rug
(I’m considering using this as “wallpaper” for the walls, floor, and ceiling, so every inch of the inside is covered. Flokati makes an amazing insulation, keeps your motorhome nice and warm even in the coldest sub-zero winters.)
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Faux Fur Throw Blanket – Coyote
(Get several. Use to make curtains for all windows, doors, and to make room separator panels. I do extreme winter camping, this the the only fabric that’ll keep out the cold, regular thermal curtains won’t work when the temps hit -48F))
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(Old Badge Shown! Script Frezny is now held in April!)
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
In 2009 I was selected to be the Municipal Liaison for The Southern Maine Charter of The Script Frenzy Contest. We have both year round in in-contest meetings open to all Maine writers. Meeting are held, same time, same place every year.
Here is a listing of the Write-In dates, times, and locations. These are the same as they were last year, and are the same as we have used for NaNoWriMo for over 5 years, so these dates/locations are pretty steady and not likely to change much. Should there be any changes, announcement will be made on this thread.
The Year Round General Writing Get-Togethers:
When: Every Sunday, all year long, every year.
Where: Westbrook: Panera
Time: All day long from 9AM - 7PM
NOTE: This is the "BIG" meeting, where all of Maine's MLs for both NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy get together with all writers from the entire state. I am only there from 2PM - 5PM, and I am only guaranteed to be here every week in April and November, the rest of the year I'm there as my personal schedule permits, but other writers come and go through out the day, every week, all year long, you'll have to check with individual persons if you want to plan on getting there the same time they do.
The In-Contest Screnzy Only (April) Meetings:
When: Saturdays in April
Where: Portland: Downtown Public Library
Time: 1PM - 3 PM
Impromptu Meetings:
When: year round
Where: check this thread for announcements
Time: varies
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``````````````````````````````````````````````````` FAQs & OTHER INFO About OLL Writer's Contest Meetings:
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What is the difference between a Meet-Up and a Write-In?
Meet-Up:
A social gathering where writers can sit back, relax, and talk about writing, life, the universe, and everything. Usually held at a cafe, coffee shop or fast food joint, where we can eat and write while we talk.
Write-In:
Like a Meet-Up, only every one is quietly typing at their laptops or scribbling on paper pads, furiously writing as many pages as possible.
Are these Meet-Ups or Write-Ins?
Both. Every one comes together and spends the day chatting and/or writing.
What are Impromptu Meetings?
Impromptu Meetings:
A spur of the moment meeting, that was not planned ahead.
These can be any place, any time, through out the year. Any member can announce them. All you got to do is, post here and say:
"I'm going to be at ____ at _____ o'clock today/tomorrow/next Friday. I'll be getting some writing done while I'm there. You guys are welcomed to come join me."
Please be sure to include the day, place, and time.
Impromptu Meetings are often just the person who made the announcement, which is okay. A meeting of one, can still be fun...I do it several times a week! Sometimes another person will show up to join you (usually me). If you are lucky 2 or 3 other people may join you, as well, though it's not so common. If I'm not doing something else on that day, I make an effort to try to show up at all the Impromptu Meetings announced by members.
Where can we hold Impromptu Meetings?
Any place really. At a public library is a common choice. Panera, MacDonald's, Starbucks, SubWay, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Wendy's and other such places are good options if you want to eat and write at the same time. In your living room at your house if you want. I know of a couple of members who get on the Amtrak Downeaster and spend the day on the train writing from Portland to Boston.
Places we have had Impromptu Meetings in the past, that I have personally attended, have included the following:
```Old Orchard Beach Libby Library
```Saco Dyer Library
```Biddeford McArther Library
```Portland Downtown Library
```Portland Burbank Library
```Wells Library
```Food Court at the Maine Mall
```South Portland Starbucks at Target
```Panera in Westbrook
```Panera in Biddeford
```Pizza by Michael in Saco
```MacDonald's in: Saco, Biddeford, Scarborough, Sanford
```Burger King in: Saco, Biddeford
```SubWay in: Old Orchard Beach, South Portland, Kennebunk, Biddeford
```Dairy Queen in Biddeford
As you can see from the list, I do travel across quite a big distance to make an effort to meet with my fellow writers during Script Frenzy and NaNoWriMo!
A Note About In-Home Meetings:
Personally I prefer meetings in public places as opposed to in people's homes, just you know, safer. So I do not recommend having Write-Ins at your home, and NEVER-EVER-EVER post your home address or phone number on a public forum! Remember - we want you to be safe, so only list Impromptu Meeting Announcements for public locations where there will be lots of people around!
If you want to hold meetings in your own home, send private messages ONLY to those people whom you know personally (never to strangers).
And yes, you are more than welcomed to gather up your friends and have your own personal Write-Ins at home with no need to get permission from us or post an announcement!
Traditional Gypsy Magic and Scottish Hoodoo: Sick of people calling Hoodoo African American Folk Magic! ow.ly/b1bMM1 week ago
How To Have A Healthy Happy Green Life:
Pray
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Smile
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Dance
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Carpool
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Buy Used
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Volunteer
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Sleep Well
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Eat Mangos
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Laugh More
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Eat Almonds
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Plant a Tree
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Live Smaller
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Say I'm Sorry
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Plant Flowers
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Walk to Work
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Practice Yoga
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Eat Less Meat
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Go Vegetarian
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Say I Love You
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Ride Your Bike
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Walk to School
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Say Thank You
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Hug a Stranger
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Have Sex Often
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Eat Swiss Chard
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Avoid Pesticides
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Share Your Stuff
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Drink Apple Juice
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Walk to the Store
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Watch the Sunset
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Appreciate Others
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Play a Board Game
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Exercise Your Mind
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Eat Garbanzo Beans
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Watch the Sun Rise
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Practice Meditation
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Install a Ceiling Fan
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Bathe in Cool Water
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Develop Imagination
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Control Your Temper
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Interact with Others
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Reduce Sugar Intake
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Eat Rice Before Noon
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Get Up With the Sun
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Use Natural Cleaners
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Enjoy Music You Love
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Eat Fruit Before Noon
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Go to Sleep at Sunset
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Wash Dishes By Hand
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Line Dry Your Clothes
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Waste Not - Want Not
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Enjoy Simple Pleasures
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Watch the Tide Change
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Play With Your Children
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You Should of Had a V8
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Avoid Disposable Items
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Walk For Entertainment
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Take Vitamin B-Complex
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Recycle Food Packaging
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Eat Locally Grown Food
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Use Cloth Shopping Bags
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Use a Composting Toilet
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Buy In-Season Local Food
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Shop at Farmer's Markets
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Fast for a Day Each Week
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Unplug Unused Electronics
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Sleep For 8 Hours At Night
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Reduce Your Consumption
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Turn Your Thermostat Off
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Take Public Transportation
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Use Energy Star Appliances
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Drive Smarter - Drive Safer
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Wash Clothes in Cool Water
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Insulate Your Water Heater
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Buy Fresh Instead of Frozen
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Teach Your Kids to be Green
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Buy Recycled Paper Products
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Eat a Light Meal Every Night
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Use a Reusable Water Bottle
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Reuse Plastic and Paper Bags
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Eat Vegetables in the Evening
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Drink 64oz of Water Every Day
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Conserve Water and Electricity
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Use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
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Use a Fan Not an Air Conditioner
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Turn Off The Lights During the Day
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Winterize Your Doors and Windows
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Turn Off Computer When Not in Use
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Convert Your Car to Run on Veggie Oil
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Don't Throw It Away - Give It to Charity
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Hold the Door for the Person Behind You
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Turn Water Off While Brushing Your Teeth
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Install Screens on Your Doors and Windows
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Eat a Heavy/Large Breakfast Every Morning
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Recycle Your Organic Waste - Make Compost
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Inflate Tires Properly for Improved Gas Mileage
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If You Can't Walk and Carry It Home Don't Buy It
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Don’t Wait for the Perfect Time to Do It, Start Today
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Most People Only Need a 1200 Calorie Diet NOT a 2000 One!
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Use Bamboo for Floors, Curtains, Bowls, Cutting Boards, etc
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Slow down - Driving 40 mph Instead of 70 mph Will Save Up To 4 Miles Per Gallon
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