February Birthstone: Amethyst
Welcome! It's the second edition to our monthly Newsletter!
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Now, let's get rocking!!
Our first piece of news comes from the guild owner herself:
The re-opening was rather late last month, & even though I've already apologized, I'd like to take the time to apologize again. Several users quit the guild when they didn't think that a re-opening was coming, which makes me quite sad, but that's the price I pay for getting a life outside of Gaia. You see, I started a new job at the beginning of January, & I've also moved back home in the past few months, & a friend that I went to high school with died immediately after I moved out, so things have been rather hectic.
I've also found out in the past week that a dear friend of mine, Sasha, is pregnant, & her boyfriend isn't being very supportive - This is the same couple that, before the pregnancy, I was supposed to be moving in with in April, but I don't think that's going to happen now.
There are other things as well that are stressing me out; My new job is at an assisted living residency, & it's a much tougher job than I anticipated it to be. I worry that I won't be able to handle it & that they'll have to let me go, which doesn't bode well for me when I'm looking for an apartment.
More than that, my family & I are experiencing quite a bit of money trouble, & my dad has sunken into a serious bout of depression because of it. To make matters worse, his boss has been riding him pretty hard about things that aren't his fault or that he has no control over. My mom doesn't think that he should go back to work, but I worry that they won't survive on just her income, so it's more important than ever that I'm able to keep my job, so that I can help them out if they need it.
Sasha & I have been friends for several years, we even have the potential to become romantically involved (although I would never do anything to sabotage her current relationship). With Sasha being pregnant now, that's another mouth to feed. Sasha & I work at the same place, & we'll be living together if her boyfriend is able to get his act together (plus, I give Sasha rides to work when she needs them), so I very much see her & her child as a part of my family. She's not even 2 months along yet, & I'm already looking into ways that we can save some money, but I'll let ICareAboutTheWorld talk about those ideas in a later issue of the Newsletter.
Anyways, now that I've vented, I'm very sorry that the Grand Re-opening wasn't so grand, or so open, but I promise to do everything in my power to ensure that no other Newsletter or Giveaway is late again.
Thank you.
Our Next piece of news comes from the guild itself:
The February Giveaway will have 2 prizes. The first person to post on page 50 will receive an Outlaw Wolf Pup, while the first person to post on page 100 will receive a War of the Warlords. Find the thread here!
Up next, we have a message from ICareAboutTheWorld in the home.
Introduction: I care about the environment. I care about helping others. I also care about saving money & making your life easier. In this section, I'm going to be talking about how to do those 3 things. This section will be included in every issue, with tips on how you can do something for you (save money or make your life easier), do something for me (help others), & do something for us (help the environment & our planet).
For You: For all you rodent lovers out there, I have an simple way to make cleaning out your pet's cage a lot easier that recycles as well!
In the last issue, I talked about how to make kitty litter out of newspaper, but I also mentioned that I was having a hard time getting enough newspaper because I use it in my guinea pig's cage.
When I first got my guinea pig, I got frustrated because I was having to clean her on a weekly basis. Not only was this expensive (buying the shavings (made out of recycled newspapers) so often), but it was messy. The shavings stuck to the bottom of the cage like glue when wet, sometimes mold built up on the bottom of her cage that had to be scrubbed out with bleach, & her cage stunk up the whole room by the end of the week. Often, she would dig a hole in the corner of her cage, so her feces would get stuck directly to the plastic. I searched desperately for a way to make clean up easier & less often.
A friend of mine also has a guinea pig, & she had the same problem with his cage. She started using newspapers to coat the bottom of her pet's cage, then putting the shavings on top. When I tried this with my own piggy, I soon found that this attempt was futile. Not only did she dig a hole, but she ate through all the layers of newspaper I laid down, so it was like I didn't do anything different in the corners. In a desperate attempt to find a better solution to the problem, I dug all of the cardboard I could find out of the trash. I laid a thick layer of cardboard scraps across the bottom of her cage, then a few layers of newspaper & other scrap paper I had lying around, & then her shavings on top. A week later, her cage didn't stink as much. The cardboard absorbs the odor just enough that I don't need to change her cage for an extra week. Clean up is easier too, just dump it upside-down & everything falls right out. No gooey mess to clean up at the bottom of the cage. Plus, if she decides to dig up the newspaper, there's still cardboard underneath, which is a little more difficult for her to dig up. If she does manage to dig a layer of cardboard up, there are other layers underneath, & it's good for her teeth to chew through the tough cardboard (since she doesn't like wood).
You would be surprised how much cardboard a family of 3 goes through in one week. Frozen pizza boxes, hamburger helper boxes, the boxes soda & beer cans come in, even toilet paper rolls can be used (once cut & flattened). Just rip off the pieces of cardboard that have glue on them, in case your pet decides to eat it, put a few layers down (the more you use, the easier clean up will be), put a few layers of newspaper on top (I've found that 3 layers is enough for us), then put the shavings on top like you normally would.
If you decide not to use toilet paper rolls for the bottom of your rodent's cage, you can let your pet play with & eat the roll as is, just remember to cut a slit through it so you pet doesn't get stuck if they decide to crawl through it. Not only do you get to recycle it by having your pet eat it, but it's something else for your pet to pee on, which can help clean up.
For Me: There's a growing organization with 2 goals: Provide free education to anyone who wants it & put an end to world hunger. How do they plan to do this? Through their website, of course! FreeRice.com is a fantastic way to expand your knowledge, improve some skills, as well as help people in need. It's the simplest thing in the world to do. When you first enter the website, the homepage is set up to help you improve your vocabulary. If English isn't the subject you want to work on, choose "Subjects" from the top of the screen. Pick your subject from the 6 categories & have at it! For each answer you get right, FreeRice.com will donate 10 grains of rice! It takes very little effort, improves your education, & feeds the hungry. You can't go wrong!
For Us: Plastic Bags. Do you realize that it costs more to break down & recycle a plastic grocery bag than it does to make one? There are a number of ways that you can recycle them in the home instead. For example, take your lunch to school or work in a plastic bag. If you buy your lunch every day, I feel it is my obligation to inform you that buying lunch every day cost more money than making it at home & taking it with you. You could save even more money by taking your leftovers from dinner the night before with you rather than making new food every day.
Another way that you can reuse your plastic bags is to use them as doggie bags. Whenever you take your dog for a walk, take some plastic bags with you to clean up his 'messes'. If you don't have a dog, there's a way that you can help keep your neighborhood clean using your bags: Take an empty milk jug, & clean it out well. Once it's clean & dry, cut a hole in the side of it, big enough to fit a large man's fist (think softball sized). Through that hole, stuff the jug with all of your plastic bags. Try to stuff it enough that the plastic bags won't come out & they'll weigh the jug down a bit (so it doesn't blow away with the wind). Now, if you have any small trees near the front of your house, or a fence, hang the milk jug from it either by the handle, or you can use a pencil to make a small hole in the top of the jug, put some string or a rubber band through it & viola! If some one's dog should poop near that tree or fence, the bags are right there so they can clean it up. You can also do this near parks that don't supply doggie bags.
Lastly, if you want to eliminate the plastic bag problem altogether, you can take bags (plastic, cloth, whatever) that you already have into the store with you & have the clerk fill them up instead of getting new bags. Some stores even have cloth bags near the register that you can buy specifically for this purpose.
Key points:
Make cleaning your rodent's home simpler while recycling paper products.
Improve your education as well as put an end to world hunger with FreeRice.com.
Reuse your plastic bags & a milk jug to help clean up your neighborhood & the rest of the world.
And now for... The LOLs!!
Images courtesy of icanhascheezburger.com
(If you can't see the LOLs, you need to change your image settings. Go to My Gaia. Under the toolbar, find the picture of a gear. Hover your mouse over the little arrow to the right of the gear & click on "Preferences." Scroll to the bottom &, on the left side, look for where it says "Image Display: Show Whitelisted Images." From the drop-down menu, select "Show All Images." You should be able to see The LOLs now.)
All of this month's LOLs, but not images, were submitted by FaithBlack
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That's all, folks!
That's all for this month's newsletter! If you have any suggestions, feedback, etc, feel free to post them here! Discussions are more than welcome as well. See you again next month!
This newsletter's team:
FaithBlack
ICareAboutTheWorld
All users who helped with this month's newsletter were volunteers & did not receive any payment for their work.