My name is Summer, and I'm addicted to Premium.

   I know it seems so superficial and fake, but I can't resist. Unlimited photos? No banners? That colorful little square underneath your name whenever you comment? Yes please!!! I specifically remember when they made premium available by these mysterious little things called "credits". I have been with Xanga for long enough to remember wishing I had a credit card with $100 on it to send away to my imaginary friends and in return they would give me "Premium" for life. That's back when I was underage, typed on my parents computer and still went by  summer_soda. Of course at sixteen I didn't have the money to spend, and my parents would laugh in my face if I asked for something like that. Now all I have to do is write, comment and write some more. And I do all that anyways. I love commenting, I have opinions and being woman, I love sharing them. It doesn't bother me when hundreds of people don't read or don't like my writing. I like writing. I love writing. I remember the exact day I started an online journal. Not the date, but I was sixteen and living with my dad and two of his friends as housemates.  I had asked my sister where I could write my feelings on the internet and have people from all over read it, but no one I knew. She simply said "Xanga". I started with my first long winded post about mistakes people make and how it benefits the rest of the world. Two years or so after I started, summer_soda was hacked by an ex-boyfriend. I then had strugglebunny, hard2handle and then summer_soda_like. Now, after about two thousand comments, and four thousand credits, you can have premium for the entire month. Sounds like a lot of effort, but I am determined. I am determined and addicted. I still couldn't imagine spending $100 on the internet, but I'm a mom now, that's just the way I think. As of now, I have 5,206 credits. And trust me, I will spend four thousand of those credits on premium for another month.

     A diet of forms. Only not quite for a healthier you or a skinnier body, but for a healthier planet, as the name suggests. A gigantic amount of landfills and garbage dumps consists of packaging, and when I worked in a restaurant, I saw amazing waste from napkins, coffee creamers, ketchup packets and so on. Think about the life of a stir stick. Made for one purpose and not used for much else other than arts and crafts and maybe building a fire. How depressing. There's probably an entire company and factory set aside for the specific duty of manufacturing stir sticks. Most of them made out of wood, no less. Probably the worst, least usable type of wood around, but wood nonetheless.

       So I had an idea to avoid these types of pretty much useless packaging and opt for the greener, less convenient choice. So instead of a sugar packet, use the pourer on the counter. Instead of a ketchup packet, use the squirter bottle. Ask your server for milk instead of cream for your coffee and it usually comes in a cup or carafe. When using napkins ask for a cocktail napkin instead of a huge dinner napkin. Most of it won't be used anyways. If there is a napkin on your table that hasn't been used, take it with you. Stuff it in your pocket or purse and you'd be suprised how often you actually need a napkin when you don't have one. If left on the table, it will just get thrown away. So many ways you can cut back on trash along with your regular recycling. It won't make a huge difference in the earth, but a small change is a good change.

   I know you might think that I'm a patchouli-stinky hippie with dreadlocks and a doobie. But I'm not. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just not me, I like recycling. I'd also prefer my grandchildren have christmas trees one day.

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