Almost nine years ago, I was physically assaulted by a stranger while at an upscale restaurant. It was one of those weird, random things: I had been standing in the entry vestibule with two girlfriends, waiting for the chef (who we knew) to come out and say hi. The main door behind us opened, and as we turned around to see who entered, my eyes locked with the crazed eyes of a homeless person, who had a large broomstick already in full swing. It landed right in the middle of my forehead, fracturing my skull, and giving me two black eyes in the process. He ran out of the restaurant, leaving my friends, thankfully, unharmed. Luckily, the guy was caught -- a poor, homeless, drug-addicted man who probably had no idea what he was doing. Equally luckily, I'm fine -- no permanent damage, except for an inch-long scar on my forehead, just below my hairline. Except.

My husband, Marcus, is one of those people who gets along with everyone. He's laid-back, easy-going, and people are generally very attracted to him. As a result, since we've been together, I"ve had the opportunity to meet some really wonderful people -- people who have become very close friends of mine, independent of their relationship with Marcus. But every now and then, I meet someone who Marcus really likes and who -- God forgive me -- I don't.

One of the most difficult things about trying to live a green life is just how damned overwhelming the whole experience can be. You start out with great intentions: "I'll just begin taking my own shopping bag with me to the grocery store," you merrily say to yourself. Then, while you're there, you start thinking about the pesticides that might be on those cucumbers you're placing in your bag ... so you vow to buy only organic. Then you start to think about the toxic chemicals that might be in the cleaning products under your kitchen sink. Which, of course, leads you to think about other chemicals that might be in your house -- radon, maybe, or chlorine in your water supply. By the time you get home, you're so alarmed that all you want to do is curl up in fetal position in a corner, and rock back and forth and muttering to yourself like Rain Man.

While I'm not particularly a celebrity hound, I admit to one guilty pleasure: the blog Ecorazzi, which closely follows the goings-on of celebrities as they use their status, fame and fortune for good, instead of evil. The usual suspects are often there -- Angelina Jolie and her philanthropy, George Clooney and his green causes, but here's an article about a person I haven't heard from in ages: Roseanne Barr.

A while back, I wrote a piece on how to ensure that your resort is eco-friendly. Today, I found an article on the ultimate way to make sure that your travel has minimal impact on the planet: Stay at home.