May 8, 2008

Those filter replacement meters are serious

In my last post, I mentioned that the filter in my water pitcher needed to be replaced, and I thought it might be responsible for the funk that developed in my water when it sat around. Not 24 hours later, Terry poured us some water that was actually undrinkable. It had such a terrible taste to it, I wonder if the filter was working backwards and making the water worse than it was out of the tap.

I finaly replaced the filter and the water tastes great. Even after a day in my steel bottle. Lesson learned: take that little filter meter on top seriously. When it says it's done, it's done.

Posted by Janice Ryan at 12:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 4, 2008

Thoughts on my Klean Kanteen

With all the uncertainty about Bisphenol-A going around, I decided to ditch my plastic water bottles. This makes me sad, because I have a few cool ones. In choosing something new, I did a fair amount of research and decided to go with a Klean Kanteen. Why?

Well, for one, Guyot Designs has been out of their Commuter style bottle for ages and that's what I'd been eyeing previously. It has such a nice shape, but it wasn't to be, I guess.

I considered the Sigg bottles, to the point of handling them in the store and not being able to choose one before I decided to think on it more. But self-knowledge won out there - for starters, the idea that it would dent if I dropped it horrified me, and not because I don't know what's in that epoxy liner and if it could crack. I like things to look pretty and new for as long as possible and I would probably get depressed the first time I nicked my beautiful bottle. Secondly, it looked hard to clean, which is a problem. I often like to drink flavored water, which means the bottle needs to be really washable. Old officemates might remember me trying to clean my Nalgene with a stick and a paper towel to get the Crystal Light residue out. That would be near-impossible with a Sigg. I checked their website for cleaning instructions and apparently, you're supposed to clean it every so often with special tablets that they sell. No, thank you.

I didn't really consider other plastic bottles and I don't know why. I know Nalgene makes some non-polycarbonate products and plenty of other people make plastic water bottles, too. I probably already own a couple from mountain biking and going to the gym. But for inexplicable reasons, I was fixated on getting a metal bottle.

So, my Klean Kanteen and I seem to be a good match. I got a polka-dot Built NY sleeve to go with it, so I can insulate myself from the cold touch and sweating that occurs when I fill it, plus it looks pretty. With the sleeve on, the bottle is a little big for my stroller cup holder, but the sleeve has a loop at the top that I can hook to the stroller instead. I keep forgetting to try it in the car, but I expect it is either a little big to fit, or a very tight fit with the sleeve. My car has small cup holders.

I got a sports cap and a flat cap for my bottle. It came with the sports cap, which is handy probably for walking. I find that to make it work well, you have to make sure that the little vent nub is pointing up, so air can enter the bottle while water comes out. And keeping it a little looser is helpful for flow as well. But, even with those tricks, I drink much more from the bottle at a time when I have the unrestricted access of the flat cap. Yes, it makes a little metal-on-metal noise when it's being opened and closed. I've been meaning to see if a little olive oil or other lubricant around the rim would help that. It doesn't bother me much though.

The bottle has a sturdy feel to it and it's not too heavy. I have the 27 oz size, which weighs 8oz. Add 27oz of water (a pint's a pound the world around) and it comes to 35oz, which I think is probably close to the weight of a large, full Nalgene. The mouth is a good size for drinking and wide enough that I can work a bottle brush in there and scrub it clean.

The only real downside I see is that there is a little metallic taste when drinking. But I don't think it's the water that tastes, as I didn't notice it until I switched to the flat cap. Pouring the water into a glass, I don't notice the taste either. So, I think it's the result of my tongue touching the metal bottle when I drink. I'm trying to keep my tongue out of the way and see if that helps. There may also be a bit of a taste because it's time to replace my water filter cartridge. I know Philly has a really good water supply; people keep telling me. But I think the water has an odd taste to it, and sometimes a smell, too. I suspect old pipes. But I digress.

Overall, I'm happy with it. I'm going to keep using my Klean Kanteen and use my Nalgene bottles to store things like spare change and straws.

Posted by Janice Ryan at 10:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 15, 2008

A lesson on eating from my baby boy

When Jack was first born, from about his 2nd day of life, he was fed from a bottle all the time. Eventually, he re-learned to breastfeed, after about two months of bottles. Then, a funny thing happened. He started refusing those familiar bottles and demanding my personal attention for meals. I found this really frustrating. In attempting to provide for Jack's needs, including food, I was eating cold leftovers and partially heated frozen food as quickly as possible. I remember thinking one morning, upon hearing that Jack was refusing his bottle, "Ugh, just eat it. It's food. It's all the same!"

But I quickly realized that it's not. Not even for a baby who only gets milk. In one case, his milk is cold or maybe somewhat reheated, in the other it's body temperature warm. Skin feels better than silicone. Food always tastes better when it's fresh. Plus, I think he likes having me around. I am his mom, after all.

So I've tried to think of my own food in the same way. It should taste good. It should be a proper temperature and fully cooked. It should be presented well. If possible, it should be shared with good company. And it should be what we really want, and not what's closest or easiest. Good food is worth waiting for, at least a little bit.

Today, I was running out to do errands and being that it was late afternoon, I was hungry. As I was putting my things in the stroller, I found an open package of peanut butter crackers. I ate one. It was stale. It didn't taste really bad, but it wasn't particularly good either. I considered the last one, then threw it out. It's what Jack would do.

Posted by Janice Ryan at 10:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)