reduce, REUSE?, recycle

A few weeks ago, I ran into a gentleman who asked if he could see my to-go coffee cup before I tossed it in the trash. "Of course," I replied.

He pulled the sleeve from the cup, put it in his pocket and then threw the rest of the cup in the trash. "A little pet peeve of mine," he said. "It's against a health ordinance for them (the local coffee place) to put these back into use, so I sneak them back into the tray for them... just a little thing I do."

I didn't think it odd at the time, and I still don't. Here was one man doing what he could do, be it ever so slight, to make the world a better place.

"No problem," I replied.

Fast forward a few weeks and I stepped into the local Latte Land (east side) here on the Country Club Plaza with my frequent drinker card (pictured above) to meet someone for a quick business meeting. I stepped up the counter, made my order and presented the sleeve to the barista, who promptly punch my sleeve... buy 10 get one free, you know.

"Would you like to put this back into your backpack or use it for your order?" she asked.

"What?" I was perplexed at the question so she repeated it. "Use it, please," came my reply.

Part of the purpose of the frequent sleeve is reuse. In fact, it says right on the sleeve, "Be green, save a tree and drink for free!" So, why did this employee even ask whether I wanted to stuff it back into my bag (the premise being that I'd have to use a new one to protect my fingers from the heat of the tea)?

Herein lies the difference between the person in the first story and the person in the second: generation. The first man was an older person, the type of guy that keeps his nuts and bolts in their individual glass jars and labeled in the garage for that rainy day when they might be needed. The second person was a very young American with a throw-away society mentality... instant gratification, assumed entitlement, when you throw something away it just disappears with no impact on the world.

Ummm, no. It doesn't work that way. The choices we make impact the world. So, stuff that reusable sleeve in your pocket or your bag and yank it out the next time you enter a coffee house. Don't worry about whether it's for that particular establishment or not, you're saving them money by not using one of theirs.

HELP: How Would YOU Clean a Carafe Decanter?

I asked this question on Twitter/Facebook earlier today (@zamees) and got quite the response!

How do u scrub the inside of a carafe-style decanter?

Here's the deal... friends, including @tessk, came over a few weeks ago for a chat about life, love, work... you know, general bitchfest kinda stuff. We polished off... four, yeah, I think four bottles of wine. I decanted the first one, but then forgot to rinse the decanter. Seeing how I was hung over pretty much the whole next day, the wine in the bottom of the decanter dried up and it's impossible to get anything into the opening on that sucker.

I first tried soaking. That didn't work. So, I asked my Twitterati for help... these are the responses that I received:

• Call Mom, she will know what to do.
• Bleach.
• Bottle brush.
• In the coffee section of the store, they sell this stuff that you poor in and let it soak, I'm sure that would do the trick. Works on coffee pots like a dream.
• Throw it away and buy a new one.
• Pour in a little borax and then add some ice cubes. Then swish it around by spinning the decanter in your hand.
• Add vinegar to the soak mix.
• Try lemon juice and popcorn or rice for an abbrasive. put in some lemon juice, swirl to coat sides, put in a bit of rice or popping corn and shake shake shake. Let's just say that this is an effective way to clean "other" glass things that get sticky dirty "stuff" in them after prolonged use

Holy frijoles... from mechanical to chemical to one cat that's fully-supportive of the throw-away society.

What would you do?

Posted a picture of the solution!

Saw the interview on FOX4 News tonight?

If you've arrived at my blog because you've seen the interview with me on FOX4 Kansas City news this evening, then feel free to contact me at
this email address, or simply leave a comment on my blog. If you want to be my TailDate at the Chiefs game this weekend, then be sure to tell me all about who you are and attach photos. ;) Thank you!

Why BigBadBobby? I'm not big, nor bad. When I was a kid, my neighbor was a dentist and HAMM radio hobbyist. He gave me the handle and then etched it on the back of my toothbrushes each time I came for a check up.

As an aside, I totally enjoyed meeting Tess and Colton the Cameraman (sorry if I spelled your name wrong, Colton). We had a blast doing to interview!

Big props to Scooter's Coffee Shop and O'Dowds, both on The Plaza, for hosting our endeavors this afternoon.

There are tornado sirens going off everywhere, so stay safe KC!