Ecoballs, PTSD, PND, and what-is-the-world-coming-to.

[ailbhe]

Everyone is fine, but while we were out today, walking along the street, a gang of teenagers walked into Linnea, and at least one of them kicked her. She had recovered within 30 seconds; I was still very upset hours later. I mean, there are areas where she only walks holding my hand or otherwise tethered to me, but I had not thought where we were was such an area - none of the places we go by choice are like that as far as I know.

The Ecoballs got the nappies lovely and clean. We're going to keep using them and work out what they are and aren't good for. It could be a serious financial saving, as well as an ecological one, if they really, truly work.

I don't have flashbacks any more. I'm not in the least little bit suicidal. I am getting shorter-tempered as I reduce the antidepressants, but as far as I can tell the new hormone implant isn't making me p-m-essy. I am fairly sure that I'll be off the drugs by my birthday, which would be fabulous.

The memorial mass for my cousin and her baby at my local church is in early October; I must arrange childcare so that I can go and write to her mother to say I've gone. I must also chase up the people at pnd.ie I was going to talk to.

We are making a serious effort to get to bed earlier. It seems to help.

Comments

[tiggsybabes.livejournal.com]

A nasty teenager walked past us in our road & stole Kate's balloon. I made him give it back to her. I really wonder what these pathetic idiots get off on.

[mrscosmopilite.livejournal.com]

oh dear, the trouble is it's those types of teens that get the other sort a bad name. (not menaing from you but general population)
I'm glad Linnea is OK and hope you are OK soon.
I must email the pics K* took of Emer.

ecoballs

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

ecoballs, eh? i remember reading about them a year or so ago on treehugger, and the comments ranged from (horribly misspelled) glorification to curt denials that any of that "ionizing" stuff actually works. a couple people linked to sites that did analysis of such items; lemme see whether i can dig that up...

consumer reports apparently tested laundry disks in 1995, dunno how similar they are to these. CR's reports are not online for free, i think, but the first article below talks about the findings.

http://www.laundry-alternative.com/disks.htm
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_007b.html
http://skepdic.com/refuge/laundry.html mostly makes fun of the scientific claims but has links at the bottom that might be interesting.

the consensus from the scientifically-minded seems to be that these work -- possibly a little better than washing entirely without detergent will work -- but not due some amazing magic of ionization, but because they agitate the laundry and fluff it up some more.

the real dirty truth seems to be that detergent is much less necessary than we've been trained to think it is. it seems to mostly provide a clean, fresh smell, which the balls do not.

i sorta like the way those space balls look though.

Re: ecoballs

[ailbhe]

agitating-seemed-likely-
but-it-works-so-i-am-content.
not-about-my-keyboard,bum.

i-didn't-use-detergent-on-my-own
laundry-but-found-male-sambos(svensk)
needed-it.we'll-see-if-ecoballs-deal
better-in-scent-eradication-'n-water
alone.

Cool-flying-saucer-look,yes.

[ailbhe]

it's-my-first-encounter-w/teenagers-being-nasty
to-*infants*-usually-someone-of-own-size-is
target-even-w/nasty-teenagers.

[merryhouse.livejournal.com]

yay on the flashbacks!

boo to the space bar.

I tried the laundry balls that Lakeland were selling a few years ago. I found that they very definitely didn't get stuff clean; and they shrivelled up very quickly, long before the 80 washes they claimed.

I did like the stain stick that came with them, though.

eco balls

[tinytin.livejournal.com]

Hi. My name's Jenny, I read your lj sometimes from when I was a member of the ladies loos. I have a 1 year old son called Jake. I see you about on cloth_nappies and a few other places, now.

I just wanted to comment on eco balls. I have an interesting link about them (and other laundry related things) here: (http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=202)

where he basically says that they (and other things like soap nuts) will kill your washing machine because they don't have the magic stuff in them that stops calcium buildup on the machine parts.

Though he doesn't mention use of something like Calgon, which would presumably do just that.

[ailbhe]

ecoballs:1,000not80.

Re: eco balls

[ailbhe]

EvenAriel+c,needCalgon,in-our-area.So-we-use-it-for-everyting-anyway.

Re: eco balls

[tinytin.livejournal.com]

yeah, I do too :D

[flybabydizzy.livejournal.com]

I once worked out how much I'd spend on calgon in a 3 year period. It was more than my washer cost!