Compost is Making Me Fat

So in my endless pursuit of greeney hipness-and frugality-I decided to start composting. Full disclosure, my mom has gardened and composted my whole life, but as with so many things, I paid no attention and needed Google to get myself informed. www.Howtocompost.org is very helpful, as is www.composting101.com. Basically, compost is a way to reduce the amount of trash you throw away, and create what garden nerds call "black gold"-super rich soil that plants love. For now I'm using a 20 gallon storage bin with a lid for the refuse. If you go this route be sure to poke lots of holes on the top, bottom and sides of your bin to allow air flow. Otherwise you'll end up with a stinky-but contained-trash pile. If you want to work on a larger scale there are all sorts of bin designs online.
Compost consists of decomposed food garbage and yard waste. Now, this does not mean that you should toss in a half eaten Big Mac. This means uncooked food (egg shells, fruit and vegetable peels, coffee ground, tea bags, etc). Yard waste means leaves, grass clippings, and other dead stuff, bear in mind if you toss in weeds that have gone to seed they may start growing in your bin, which would kind of defeat the whole purpose of pulling them in the first place. Also, pet/human hair is great for compost, and as I have 2 long hair cats-and am a long hair myself-we've got plenty of that around The Hive.
Now, I am not a patient person, and I have a tendency to be a bit overzealous when undertaking projects. This has translated into me buying-and consuming as quickly as possible-mostly compostable food. This also means I am endlessly chasing my cats around the house with a brush, not letting any of their precious fur go to waste. I am racing against the clock as spring is upon us and I need dirt!

Some reminders: *Your compost should be stirred, or turned, regularly to incorporate all the ingredients. *No one that comes over has any interest in seeing your compost pile. *Leaves, hay, and paper, so called "brown" ingredients should be mixed in with "green" grass clippings to keep pile from getting too damp. *Keep you compost vegan-no meat fish or dairy-or it'll attract critters with the smell