When we started Exurb, we looked at things that were a “must” for us. Must include interesting articles. Must be locally driven. One of the biggest “musts” was to be environmentally friendly. That’s why we are completely paperless. Even our drafts are saved on the computer, and not on paper.

We love other organizations that organically feel the same about saving the environment, one step at a time. Freecycle organizes a worldwide network of “gifting” groups, aiming to divert reusable goods from landfills.   We have a local Freecycle network, on Yahoo Groups, under ConejoValleyFreecycle. Check it out. You may be able to start “Changing the world one gift at a time” (the Freecycle Network’s official tagline).

It’s a place to give things to others. Things that you might have considered throwing away in the past. Remember,  ”one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” I don’t like to generalize here with ‘man,’ but I don’t take credit for that little treasure of writing…just here to reuse it for my purposes.

A week ago, the most “superbad”  guy I know, went for a hike. He didn’t return. Matt Chidgey, a Conejo Valley icon, will be forever missed. His energy, love and laughter were infectious. You couldn’t NOT be drawn to him. He had more friends than anyone I know.  Tonight we pay tribute to Matt at the Canyon Club, where, every Thursday since 2006,  you could find Matt playing “Curtis” the bass player for The Spazmatics, the 80s tribute band that rocked our world.

Soon after hearing the news of Matt’s passing last Friday (the story can be found here ) friends and family began a tribute page on facebook. A look back at what a great guy Matt was through the eyes of people that knew him best.

Matt, 40,  a Thousand Oaks native (practically, a young transplant from Houston actually), stomped our grounds from grade school till  now. From Glenwood to Redwood, to Thousand Oaks High School “back in the day”. His icon status started early. If you didn’t “know” Matt, you knew of Matt. In high school (in the 80s) he drove the Suburban you couldn’t miss. Pink, with purple zebra stripes.

Matt stayed close to home for college, attending California State University Northridge, and continued his love for music with local bands Vomit and Theatre in the late 80s and 1990’s. He was also a main “character” in the tribute bands Boogie Knights, Dr. Funkenstein, and lately, The Spazmatics. His charisma was catching, and his ability to play the part of one of these characters, while continuing to be a music genius both on stage and behind the scenes as engineer were amazing.

Most of my memories of Matt come from my brother and sister, good friends of his. My brother Rick loved what a “kid at heart” Matt was. He loved inventing new games out of old board or other “classic” family games. Toss a Cross blindfolded comes to mind. Or the Operation Chidgey game, a personalized version of Operation.

So, with a heavy heart, I join my friends and family tonight to say goodbye to a great guy, who loved life, family, and friends. And who will be sorely missed for his presence, both on and off the stage.

Matt Chidgey, on 1/17/10, performing with The Spazmatics.

This weekend I attended the Go Green Expo at the convention center downtown. It was a grass roots show without a lot of flash. There was a Fitness Expo with a lot of body builders and “America’s Got Talent” auditions going on in other halls which made the restroom stop quite entertaining.

Here are some of the highlights.

1. ReGreet Greeting Card Kit. It is a fun way to re-use greeting cards that you love. You put a sticker on the old signature and resign it. The fun part is you are able to track the card’s journey. Plus, the people working the booth were super nice.

2. Further Hand Soap: Basically, the glycerin in this soap is a byproduct of restaurant grease converted into biofuel. It’s fragranced with essential oils of bergamot, olive, and grasses.  Here are some of the California restaurants that use Further Hand Soap:  Tavern, Comme Ca, Fig, Mozza, Houston’s Pasadena, Wood Ranch.

3. Vapur Water Bottle:  The coolest water bottle around. Flexible, freezable, loveable.

4. Eco Smart Fire: Clean, modern fireplaces that don’t need a flue or installation. They are fueled by denatured alchohol which makes them great for apartments, restaurants and offices.

5. Farm Fresh to You: Organic local, fruits and veggies delivered to your home or office. Prices range from $25 -$100. Try it, you have nothing to lose.

7. Amped Bikes: Easy to install kits that convert your plain bike into an electric bike. 20-30 mile range, 20 mph. Pretty cool!

I often have friends ask me what I’m reading or ask for book/author recommendations. So in “What I’m reading now” I’ll simply be posting on, well, what I’m reading! Don’t expect much off the NYT or LAT best seller lists, though. There’s enough out there about those books, plus I usually buy used books or check them out at the library. Occasionally, I’ll do something newish. Like next time I’ll probably tell you about this book I’m reading on how to increase your psychic abilities (it’s gotten a lot of press). Anyhow, for this week, it’s the novel Stoner by John Williams. It was first published in 1965 and it’s a meticulously written story about William Stoner and university life from about 1910 to 1956. Stoner is sent to the University of Missouri by his farmer father to study agriculture. Ultimately, he’s smitten by literature, dumps the farm and becomes an undistinguished assistant professor of English (he also gets married, has a daughter, a mistress, etc. etc.). The “undistinguished” part, though, is key. This is a story about an average guy getting by. It’s a quiet book. The author’s writing style is direct and plain but his descriptions are beautiful and, moreover, his take on the inner life is beyond illuminating. Here I should give you a sample but my feeling is that you can pick up the book and randomly point to any passage and it will be brilliant. So, wait, I’m going to do that…Well, I pointed to the part where he’s getting with his mistress. It is a great passage but I don’t want you to think that’s what the book is really about. Instead, here’s a good Williams description:

It was winter, and a low damp midwestern mist floated over the campus. Even at midmorning the thin branches of the dogwood trees glistened with hoarfrost, and the black vines that trailed up the great columns before Jesse Hall were rimmed with iridescent crystals that winked against the grayness.

And here Williams describes Edith, who would become Stoner’s wife:

Her moral training, both at the schools she attended and at home, was negative in nature, prohibitive in intent and almost entirely sexual. The sexuality, however, was indirect and unacknowledged; therefore it suffused every other part of her education, which received most of its energy from that recessive and unspoken moral force.

Stoner is a somewhat lonely and sad book. If you like Dan Brown, for instance, you might not like John Williams. However, is you’re up for something that operates on a higher level, you’ll appreciate it.

This rainy weekend the kids and I had fun making Valentine’s Day gifts from jars I had saved. We used spaghetti sauce jars, salsa jars, chocolate syrup jars…..any jars you have! I measured some muslin around the jars and sketched a design in pencil. Place the muslin in an embroidery hoop and use embroidery floss to stitch your design. It only took a few minutes and was fun to do while watching a movie with popcorn. The supplies cost around $10 depending on how many colors of floss you purchase. You can make quite a few jars with this small investment.

If you don’t want to embroider a design you can use paper to wrap around the jars as well. I used some tissue and the bark I mentioned in my earlier Valentine article. The peace sign heart was gold tissue glued onto a cereal box and cut out. I tied it on with red rafia. Paper, ribbon and a left over buttons would be fun to use.

You can fill the jars with anything you want to give your sweetheart. We bought some flowers and one bunch filled 3 -4 jars. Valentine candy is always an option everyone loves to receive. You can also make a candle out of the jar. I filled them with pistachios because I had them in my pantry but you could use sand or white beans, too. Just place the candle on the top.

A handmade gift for your Valentine is a true gift from your heart. Have fun!!!