ahleih's Profile

It's true. Soap isn't necessary.
I have somewhat sensitive skin (can't use stuff like Tide on clothing, only sensitive skin soap) and since I stopped using soap, my skin has been soft and comfortable, no excema.
Since I have curly hair, I haven't used conditioners in years.
As to the soap-in-the-bathroom question, that's a no brainer. Of course you wash your hands with soap before food prep / after using the 'facilities.' For me, that's unrelated to the first.
Think about it: why are you sanitizing your skin? Your skin needs some bacterias in order to give you immunity and keep you healthy.

@damond I understand your point of view, as a fellow psychology student (bravo, science!). And as a psychology student especially, you should know that you hit the nail right on the head by stating that confrontation rarely changes minds.
You can be a designer, or a fan of design, or a student of design or whatever without subscribing to a set of rituals that you don't agree with. Honestly I've been following AT for over a year now and this is the first discussion I've seen of things like this.
The fact of the matter is, more people have beliefs about this sort of "hokum" (to quote you) than don't; I can offer statistics if you really need them. So can you really blame AT for pursuing a potentially large portion of their reader demographic? And if the comments are to be believed, perhaps the AT community is a proportionate demographic of the whole. : )
I'm not attacking you; in fact, I like you. : ) Remember when "therapy" was hokum?

@bsz: The whole pets vs. smoking thing I think is one that really depends on who has the pet or who is the smoker. My parents smoked, but never inside the house, so there's no damage. And I have cats, who are thoroughly well behaved and would never damage anything.
That being said, smoking does more to paint. It actually gets into the walls themselves, and, depending on how long the smoker has been smoking inside, into the insulation ANd then you're screwed. There's nothing that'll get that smell out.
And pets? Same thing. You have a cat that pees on a piece of carpet even once and it doesn't get cleaned up (cats never pee in a place one, irritating buggers) and that can destroy the subfloor.
So it really depends. I just found out that the people I'm buying from smoke, but only in the bathrooms, with the fans on. I didn't even know, and I've spent a lot of time in my new place.

I find the easiest (and tastiest way) is unfortunately using a pan. A little bit of oil wiped on with a paper towel or cloth gives just enough nonstickness to the pan, and the tortillas come out soft and tasty (even straight from the freezer).

You have to be careful; I've heard (unsubstantiated, of course) from the owners of the grocery store I frequent that a lot of fruit is radiated (especially apples and corn) so people can't take the seeds and grow their own.
Maybe this is just where I live though. : \

Sarah, Palmeto - Which one is which then? At the supermarkets, they sell a white bulb with celery-like stalks that end in something that looks kinda like dill. I take it that's fennel?