I'm still so sad that our cottage was washed away. It turns out that my Grammy is dying too. I feel really bad that a good friend of mine won't talk to me anymore. I'm also really sad that another good friend can't find work and is risking losing everything, and I also know someone close to me that was made to go from full to part time status. Another dear friend needs to leave her home of 46 years...

There is a lot of good stuff too, but right now I am sad for the things that make people sad.

"That woman can't seem to find good "wood" anywhere."

Looks like I jumped the gun with my last journal. Turns out she had termites and her mansion wasn't up to hurricane codes either. So she is going to build something similar which I still think is incredibly wasteful but not as bad as demolishing a building just because she could. At least she let habitat for humanity take what they want.

Last week, we brought you the story of Elin Nordegren's curious-at-the-time decision to knock down a $12 million mansion. It seemed, at first glance, a rather conspicuous display of wealth -- I've got so much money I can demolish a mansion and build a new one! A divorce from Tiger Woods, it seemed, was the gift that kept on giving.

Well, turns out that there was a pretty good reason for razing the estate: termites. A report in People magazine indicated that the 1920s-era mansion fell short of current hurricane safety codes, and combined with a termite infestation, that was enough to warrant blasting it down to the sand.

Also of note: Nordegren offered a local Habitat for Humanity chapter a month to take whatever it could from the mansion before demolition. (No, don't go all, "Oh, so generous, donating termite-infested wood!" on Elin. It was a nice gesture.)

Still, as you can see from the pre-demolition photo, that was a good-lookin' little shack there, regardless of what evil lurked behind its walls:

Courtesy of Pacific Coast News

Apparently Elin thinks so too, because she's filed plans with the Palm Beach County Department of Planning, Zoning and Building that seem to indicate that the new mansion will look a whole lot like the old one. There'll be nine bedrooms, two kitchens, two Jacuzzis, a pool cabana and a three-bedroom guest house.

Tiger Woods, meanwhile, will somehow manage to suffer through his day-to-day life in his meager $50 million-plus bachelor pad.

To start, I couldn't even throw away our Christmas tree today. Mike and I missed the day the city came out to come and collect the trees for re-use. We could have just left it at the curb and they would have land-filled it but I insisted on going out, buying some rope, strapping it to the top of the car and bringing it to Shoshone Park so it could be re-used as mulch. To me this just made so much more sense than the easy way, so I am completely disgusted with Tiger Woods' disgruntled ex wife who bulldozed her $12 million dollar home.






I'm far from perfect in many ways, but I would like to believe that no matter how much money I had, I wouldn't do what she did. If I had 12 million dollars, I would never dream of wasting it just because I had 100 million more. Money is power, but not happiness, good luck to her if this is what she thinks will fill her void.

I got these disposable contacts over the summer and the eye doctor told me that they would be more comfortable than my old ones. They really are not and are making my eyes feel more and more uncomfortable. As soon as I get back from Florida I am going to put in the old ones I had previously (I found a box of them).

Coopervision had a recall on lenses but it doesn't include the ones I am wearing. The problem was that they had a silicone residue on them after the manufacturing process. I feel convinced that mine should be on the recall list and am going to go to find a new eye doctor when I go back. This really will put me out of a lot of money to have to get a new supply of contacts that my insurance won't cover.

This is the lot number of my contacts that I think should be included on the recall list: 508305000316

This was supposed to happen in the spring but it looks like it is finally going to happen. This is so exciting!

City residents will start using new, green totes and move to twice-a-month pickups as part of a new recycling initiative officially unveiled today.

Delivery of about 70,000 new totes — which will be able to track how much is being recycled in each container — begins Wednesday and will take about a month to complete citywide, Mayor Byron W. Brown said.

Under the new program, more types of items will be accepted — including nearly all types of plastics, pizza boxes and pots and pans.

Last January, the city released data showing recycling rates here at one-fifth of the national average.

Residents who have 65- or 95-gallon garbage totes will receive 64-gallon recycling totes. Those who have 35-gallon garbage totes will receive 35-gallon ones.

The new totes will contain a tag that transmits a radio frequency, which will allow it to be tracked in case of loss, as well as to document the weight of recyclables from each cart.

While the change in scheduled pickups isn't planned until March, city officials are encouraging residents to begin to use the twice-a-month schedule as soon as they receive their new totes.

Brown outlined the city's goals for the new program during an afternoon press conference at the city engineering garage on Seneca Street.

The goals of the program are to double the amount of material the city recycles every year while reducing the amount of material the city landfills.

Also, the city will earn more revenue if more is recycled, and those funds will help prevent increases in the garbage user fee, Brown said.

"This is a new opportunity for recycling in the City of Buffalo," he said.

Manpower and fuel expenses would drop under the new program, which cuts in half the number of pickups.

Residents of the North District will be the first to receive the new totes, which will come with information on what can be recycled.

The city has a four-year, lease-to-own plan for the carts with Cascade Engineering of Grand Rapids, Mich., at a cost of $600,000, said Public Works Commissioner Steven J. Stepniak.

The expected life span of the new recycling totes is greater than the 10- to 15-year useful lives of the old garbage totes, Stepniak said, because they generally handle less weight.

Being able to track the amount of recycled material will help ensure the city is getting reimbursed properly by Allied Waste Services, the vendor paid to provide collection, he said.

Under the existing program, the city spent approximately $1.9 million annually on recycling. Under the new initiative — which has been in the works more than a year and delayed several times — the city expects to save about $500,000 a year in the first four years, Stepniak said.

The savings will increase once the city owns the totes, he said.

Currently, about 8 percent of material placed at the curb in the city is recycled, and city officials hope to boost that to 16 percent.

Every increase of 1 percent in the recycling rate would save the city between $70,000 and $100,000, Stepniak said.

Residents with questions about the new program should look for information on the city website, on the government-access cable channel or dial the city's 311 non-emergency calling system.
abesecker@buffnews.com

I really loved Pippi Longstocking. I loved her horse and her monkey and her house.

I was thinking of getting Pippi Goes on Board for one of my nieces. It was either that or Animal Farm because she likes animals. So Pippi it is since Animal Farm is really scary and maybe she is too young for that kinda craziness.

I don't even have to call Suze Orman to know what she would say to me in regards to the first Apple purchase I want to make. I can hear her now screaming "denied! denied! denied!" My computer and laptop are getting pretty old now and I really think it will be time soon anyways.

So I am pretty sure I want a Mac Mini. I believe the total cost will be $800. I don't think that seems that unreasonable of a price for what it is. I also have made some financial improvements including raising my FICO score to the good range and stashing a little money away. I feel like I can maybe get a 760 within a year unless catastrophe occurs. That is the entire point though of Suze's instance on an 8 month emergency fund, so that you don't screw up a numerical score that can make us or break us.

What should I do? Should I buy this thing? I want it and might buy it regardless of what you or Suze might say but I am interested to hear what you all might think. By the way, Suze absolutely loves Apple products.

I finally looked at some pictures I took when I went with my family to see where our cottage used to be. This picture pains me so much. I love my grammy and grandpa and really can't stand the pain they must feel for losing our cottage. My entire life has been a part of this place.

This Fall's shoreline sweep is on Saturday 9/24. I'm going to go clean Squaw Island again.

Honestly, I don't know why I even bother. I'm so disgusted by people in general. The trash is overwhelming.

I think this time I might focus on sweeping up all the glass. I see kids throwing glass botttles all the time and I have gotten probably like 10 flats this season. I never used to get flats, so I'm not sure what the problem is. I even spent extra money on Kevlar tires and I wish I didn't cause I have only gotten more flats. At least if I clean up the glass I might get less flat tires. If I clean up the trash they just come and dirty it all up again in as little as a day.