Category: Weird Things I’ve Found Litter Picking

February 21, 2022

by Dr. Plastic Picker

Self-awareness is so key. I mean true self-awareness, the deep kind that takes a lot of work and quiet. I was talking to a long-time patient-family that is facing difficult medical futures for their children. It’s the typical story these days, the kids are young and already on the road to severe metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and fatty liver. We are considering gastric-bypass at the youngest age possible.

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December 29, 2021

I was a bit worried about my total plastic pollution bags total, but I’ve caught up. I’m at 9 bags today, and still a few days left. I’ll easily be able to get at least 15 if not 20 bags. But of course you are not really here to hear about my plastic pollution bag totals, right? I’m at bag 584 by the way. You are likely here because of my provocative title?

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December 4, 2021

by drplasticpicker

Sometimes technology doesn’t work. I was going to do my regular Secondary Environmental Net Positives Post for this series https://drplasticpicker.com/plastic-picking-round-up/, but the HMO issued iPhone is wonky and I can’t get into my notes section. Oh well. Some higher power out there does not want me to post that post today. I’ll probably post that post tomorrow, or the day after or the month after. That is truly the beauty of this blog (blog beauty is great alliteration), it’s a place to just document this circuitous environmentalist journey I am on.

It’s 456am Pacific Standard Time, and my father in law just came into the dark kitchen. It’s a rhythm we are used to. The rest of the world is asleep, and I sit in the semi darkness drinking my morning cup (now of matcha green tea soy milk latte) and he turns on the stove burner and heats his pot of water for his morning drink. He turns on the stove heat up high, and I always love the beautiful blue of the fire. I know we need to change over to an induction stove, but we are not there yet. We are imperfect environmentalist.

It’s Saturday morning and the world is still dark and I’m grateful for the weekend. Friday clinic went smoothly and the families I care for dropped by many of them for their yearly visits. I’ve been a pediatrician now for 18 years if you include my training time. 18 years is a long time to learn a craft. I’ve been Dr. Plastic Picker now for going on my third year.

I’m going to mostly putter around the house today because Mr. Plastic Picker is working again more overtime, and the kids have their virtual lessons today. I’ll finish some climate projects and I’ve decided to apply for a leadership position outside of our department. I want to grow. But I know not to force things, nature will lead me where I need to go. I have so much hope because I know this blog continues to get 500-1000 readers a day. Someone is reading. Someone is listening. Please smile, because Dr. Plastic Picker does love you because you are part of the earth.

October 18, 2021

by drplasticpicker

How many blog post have I written? Let me check. [PAUSE]. WOWZER!!! 619 blogposts. Equal to the number of our area code! 569 bags of trash in total yesterday. I was worried I was behind on my 20 bags a month I promise to the earth, but there was enough left over midnight revelry beach plastic on Saturday morning to justify a 4 bag credit. There was a broken boogie board which is made of styrofoam! I tossed that before it broke up into a bazillion pieces! Two pizza boxes from Mr. Moto’s Pizza, and those pizza plastic triangular table that goes in the center. I didn’t even know they make those anymore? I wonder how much Mr. Moto’s Pizza is? Wow, $21 for a NY style fancy pie. Dr. Plastic Picker’s Pizza cost less than $1 if you make your own homemade dough. I did buy some frozen cauliflower crust pizza on Costco because it was on sale. It’s just for the kids when they are inudated with homework and I might have a work meeting that goes late on Tuesday. But usually we make our own pizza now.

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August 31, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I’m at bag #534. I gathered two bags yesterday waiting for our daughter to finish her volleyball practice at Salt Creek Recreational Center. It’s a beautiful riparian habitat around the field, and I walked around the perimeter of the field that borders the actual creek. There are wild places even in suburban areas, and I gravitate to the wild places and views. I heard birds at the edge of the playing fields and the sounds of insects. I tried to gather the pieces of human litter that were close to the wild places, caught within the protective armour of the reeds and wildgrasses. The plants and the trees were trying to keep our plastic out.

I’m halfway to my goal now. My goal is 1000 bags of litter. I’ll post this months total later, but it was a more productive month than what I expected. I walk up the slopes and inclines where others forget to look, and find the debris of our lives. I have to believe I am making a difference. My activism is very literal. I have to see that I’m doing something everyday. I need to see the litter. I need to see that I am removing the pollution. I have to see that I’m helping bring back life to our earth, and have to see the carbon sequestering into the soil.

Every bag has been meaningful. It’s helped me figure out my life, and has helped me figure out how to help the earth. No matter what happens, at least I have a hobby now that I enjoy. As I was telling a patient I have to keep on being a doctor too, because I’m Dr. Plastic Picker not Mrs. Plastic Picker or Miss Plastic Picker or Hey You Plastic Picker. And a doctor needs patients including the earth.

June 20, 2021

by drplasticpicker

430AM is so much better than 245AM. My sleep cycle had shifted with everything that was happening, and I had been getting up too early. I was getting sleepy during the afternoon and then napping. That was not safe especially when you have to drive home in the afternoon at around 2-3pm when one’s cortisol hormone level is at the lowest (thank you 2/3 endocrine fellowship!). But working through things, I am better now and 430AM – 5AM is about the normal time I wake up. So I am better and the world is quiet, and I can do some climate work.

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June 4, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I really just wanted to show you the pictures of the new-to-me rescued chair project I’m working on. I saw them in our alleyway as the neighbor two doors down is moving away. I think it’s actually their renter that is leaving as there is an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) in the back. I think that is what it is called? They have been leaving things in the alley for people to pick up. This set of chairs has been there for 3 days and I’ve always wanted to try to refurbish furniture and I decided, why not???!!! In the dark of night (actually it was about 8pm) I walked over to their part of the alleyway (which is safe folks) and transported three of the six chairs over to our house. I left 3 thinking I only wanted to try three. Next afternoon when I got home, my father-in-law had grabbed the other three! LOL LOL LOL. I honestly know that it would have been discarded. The paint was pretty worn. But the wood underneath – these are solid furniture pieces. Nothing loose. Made of solid wood. I’m really excited! I started sanding them yesterday just to try, and it’s working out great. But without the proper equipment respiratory and proper safety googles, I stopped.

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May 17, 2021

by drplasticpicker

Sometimes life is stranger than fiction, or even my trashart. I gathered bag #455 yestserday and it was a reused pita bread bag that was filled with wet plastic bags mostly washed up on Tourmaline Beach. I hadn’t really meant to head to the beach but I’m glad I did. It’s always an adventure. I wanted to start jogging more, so naturally ended up in my spot and did a beach cleaning amongst the rocky shore. I saw a beautiful snowy egret. They are a rare sight and only come feed where the kelp is left in it’s natural state. Where there is kelp, there are insect and remnants of crabs and other crustaceans. The “beach” of the white sand is really not natural. There is supposed to be kelp. The surf-rake removes it for us humans so we can recreate (and I mean to use that word in a new way). If it was up to me, we’d leave the kelp and the beach would be for the beautiful birds like the snowy egret.

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February 20, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I usually want to present pretty pictures of nature and trash art for the readership. But yesterday I dragged this plastic large thing (I think it’s the underside of a car) from the corner of the HMO parking lot to the trash can near this hidden back patio where employees eat. I dragged it there and gave myself 3 bag credit. I’m at 13 bags of trash now, and I committ to 20 bags for the month. Honestly, around my neighborhood is pretty clean and I get to the beach about twice a week at most. I have a lot of environmental projects to do, and since I really am trying to save the earth – I’m taking the easy way out and picking up trash around the canyons and the HMO parking lot. And there is a lot of trash.

I had time at lunch yesterday to go on a walk with Dr. Dear Friend and we visited the baby succulents. She was tired and feeling sad, because a dear family member is very sick and in hospice. We are all going through life struggles and it’s important to hear our friends. So we walked up the HMO parking structure and I leant her my water bottle and she squirted some water on our succulent babies. We chatted and we were just together as colleagues and friends. The succulent babies are doing well, and you can check out Instagram to see how they are doing. I usually post at least once a week photos. They are succulents so they don’t really need to be watered. We are planning on planting trees up there and some succulent fairy gardens.

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December 7, 2020

by drplasticpicker

Mr. Plastic Picker was sitting at the dinner table last night. He had worked another 12 hour overtime shift on the weekend. He was able to work from his home-office and the shift was not bad. I did not work other than catching up on a few messages and results. I’m really good about turning things off on the weekend now. Between Friday night at 530pm and Sunday at 4pm, really as an outpatient pediatrician I should not have to check my inbox. So I haven’t and it’s been fine. When I do check it, my brain is more efficient and I’m able to close charts and deal with clinical matters more efficiently. A good and focused brain is a really helpful thing. Plogging, eating a plant-rich diet mostly home-cooked, making trash art and sleeping better has really healed my brain. I was part of a UC Berkeley Premed Honor Society Career Panel yesterday, and I knew I was almost as smart as their undergraduates doing MCB (their acronym for Molecular and Cellular Biology). Super nice kids.

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