Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (separately of course, and not all at once) are all you need. Baking soda is a great natural abrasive, too. What is even the point of buying expensive, toxic cleaners, when making your own is so easy?

Is that you? What a beautiful woman!

"I'll see you at the movies." Beautiful, so understated. What a great writer.

Is this the one called A Leave of Presence? I'm trying to find it.

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I am consciously aware of my thought process, I wear my subconscious rather close to the surface. :) This is obviously a very touchy subject for a lot of people — it is for me too and I'm trying to tread lightly in my way because I do not want to imply in any way that our worth or…

Here's what happens. I read an article like this, it reminds me of all the carcinogenic/endocrine disrupting ingredients in my favorite shampoos and cosmetics, I put all of it in a little bag and find the heart to throw it out (feeling very wasteful all the time). Then, little by little, I find that one Pantene…

You can get a good natural soap. Trader Joe's has a nice cheap Oatmeal & Honey Soap. http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=418 Also, if you just look carefully at the grocery store/pharmacy most of them sell very simple 100% glycerin soap that doesn't have any extra crap in it.

Another problem is it is possible that we are overstating the importance of genes, all genes, period. I read today on CNN that genes only account for 33% of what causes autism, the rest is probably environmental causes (pesticides, etc). There are so many contaminants in our environment now, it's seems from afar that…

I really appreciate you taking the time to write this out and point these things out to me. I'm actually intimidated of commenting with my genuine thoughts on this site as I don't want people to hate on my point of view or assume the worst (that of reducing people to their genes and/or gametes). I am glad I did though…

Also, as you can tell, the unknown aspects of having children intimidates me. Who knows what your kids are going to be like? I would rather have a child with health problems or special needs over having them grow up to be a serial killer or animal abuser, or just a mean person.

You know what, it's not bad advice. The environmentalist in me finds it a little hypocritical, at any rate.

I totally understand and appreciate that, yes you are right. Someone else and I on this thread actually had a convo about Asperger's. You probably won't believe it now, but I actually rather appreciate Asperger's syndrome (erm, at least I've personally had positive experiences with the few people I know who had it,…

Well, it got me thinking. There are a lot of people without any genetic problems or handicaps who are in tip-top mental and physical health, but they are still just really shitty people. Who would I rather have kids with, someone with great genes who is an asshole, or someone who has some health problems but is a…

You know what, that really is a good point and makes me feel sad. I probably do need to do some soul searching and find out what my priorities are when it comes to looking for the man I would like to have children with, and yes, I do see and hear eugenics all around us (how about the obsession with high standards of…

I would agree with you that adoption is almost always more selfless than procreating through either traditional means or gamete donation. With millions of homeless children wanting homes, adoption is objectively less selfish, hands down. So then, assuming that having children is essentially a selfish act in the world…

I read that Audrey suffered so much malnutrition as a child that her bones were stunted and her rib cage was too small for her body, which, combined with the fashions of the time (that kind of came up to the upper abdomen) gave her the appearance of being thinner than she actually was. I know she told her son "I'm…

I know this is supposed to offend me, but it doesn't. If you want to make a well-reasoned argument about how wanting your kids to be as mentally healthy as possible is somehow selfish or superficial, I'm all ears. (And please read my comment thoroughly — I said "healthy" and not "perfect".) I would love my kids…

I truly do believe that people with Asperger's contribute tons and tons to society, the ones I know are out there doing highly technical and artistic things that require a focus far above what I have. When I was younger I was also socially awkward and anxious (still am a little) so I empathize a lot with their…

I'm not saying I or my family are mentally perfect either. There's a lot of anxiety and some mild depression. Maybe that's why I'm so cautious, because that's where I suspect my own weakness are. I don't care about how someone looks as much as I'm seeking out someone who seems mentally sound and strong. I think that…

Some of my favorite people have had Asperger's. I have only known about three people with it (who openly had it) and they were each so gentle and sensitive and smart. I felt bad for them though, because I could tell it was a struggle and that functioning in the daily world could be just exhausting.