A Little Blog About Nothing

Day One:The “What’s for Dinner? " Solution Blogger Project

2012-01-31T09:34:00.000-08:00

Often, I either receive emails, or hear of opportunities, from authors or companies asking if I will review and endorse their product. A couple years ago, I heard of Kathi Lipp from her agent who posted the question on Twitter: Anyone interested in reviewing this book -- The Marriage Project.

I jumped all over the opportunity even though I didn't know what to expect. Since then, Kathi has written 2 more books (The Me Project and her latest, the What's for Dinner Solution).

I have enjoyed Kathi's books because she has a conversationalist style about her writing that has me quickly turning the pages to read more-and-more.

In her latest book, What's for Dinner Solution, I have to admit, I wasn't sure what she could teach me. According to the book's jacket cover, What's for Dinner Solution "provides a full-kitchen approach for getting dinner on the table every night. After putting her 21-day plan into action, women will:

- save time—with bulk shopping and cooking
- save money—no more last-minute phone calls to the delivery pizza place; and
- save their sanity—forget the last-minute scramble every night and know what they’re having for dinner.

The book includes real recipes from real women, a quick guide to planning meals for a month, the best shopping strategies for saving time and money, and tips on the best ways to use a slow cooker, freezer, and pantry. With Kathi’s book in hand, there’s no more need to hit the panic button."

Hmmmmm.... I was curious because I'm a person who shops by the flyer and uses coupons religiously. Hubby and I are on a tight budget and leftovers are not considered a dirty word in our home. But Kathi, asked if I'd be willing to take on her 5 day challenge. Translation: Not just read and review the book, but put it into action.

For 5 days, I am going to give you a breakdown of what hubby and I are eating this week (I should explain, I didn't menu plan until yesterday, but have started shutting down my computer on Mondays so I'm a day late on today's post). I will also take some pictures, remember to finally write down my brussel sprout recipe for a friend I've promised it to for over 2 years, and create a LOOP meal (Left Overs On Purpose) which, I have to admit, stumped me. Typically, we just cook more than enough and reheat the same meal for our next night's dinner(have I not mentioned, leftovers are loved in our home).

Another day I'm going to share some of my kitchen tips, favorite family meals (with pics) and share with you some of my favorite go-to gadgets. I also have to confess, I have been a big slacker with meal planning and cooking decent meals since the holidays and thought this was the push I needed to get back on track. [Note: I openly admit I learned 2 important things from my 1st marriage that I try to adhere to in my marriage to Bill. 1) Eat dinner together when possible at the dinner table, no t.v. on, background music and catch up day's events; and 2) try to go to bed together. - Sounds small, but trust me, it's not]

Oh yeah, at the end of this project, I will be sending one lucky reader, who wants one, a copy of the book (I'll be using random.org - so no clever comments are needed).

This Week's Menu:

Monday: Zitti with Browned Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Hot Red Pepper Flakes. Because I doubled up on the broccoli rabe (one of hubby's favorites) I saw no need to make a salad or find a second veggie to serve with this. We served it with garlic bread.

Tuesday: Roasted Chicken, Roasted Potatoes and my Brussel Sprout recipe with bacon, onion, chicken stock and dried cranberries (I will be taking pictures and posting it tomorrow because I'm using the leftover chicken for Thursday's LOOP meal - chicken pot pie). The brussel sprout recipe is very tasty and, if my friend Poncho Girl reads AND comments that she wants this recipe, I'll finally take the time to write it out for her. No comment, no recipe.

Wednesday: Venison Osso Bucco. This is a family favorite (also my recipe). I will be serving it with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach (I looked in my freezer and saw an unusual amount of boxes of frozen creamed spinach, not sure why, but it's on the menu).

Thursday: Chicken Pot Pie. Recipe from "One Dish Meals" from the Culinary Institute of America with one minor change -- I use Pillsbury's Grand Biscuits as my topping for the individual pie's crusts. I can't be bothered with phyllo dough. Too much work and one biscuit rolled out covers one pie perfectly (the recipe and dishes I use, make 6 pot pies).

Friday: Pan Roasted Rosemary Pork Chops with a Dijon Mustard Sauce (making recipe up when I make it on Friday, but it'll have wine, onions and dijon mustard in it). I'll be serving with rice (Martha Stewart's recipe which is still my go-to recipe after making it a couple years back) and collard greens (not sure how I plan on cooking them yet).

Author Bio

Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker of The Husband Project: 21 Days to Loving Your Man—on Purpose and with a Plan, The Marriage Project: 21 Days to More Love and Laughter, and The Me Project: 21 Days to Living the Life You’ve Always Wanted. She is a frequent guest on Focus on the Family and dozens of other radio programs.

Church leaders and women’s ministry directors rely on Kathi to help women move from living out of obligation to enjoying godly passion. She speaks to thousands of women across the US and Canada every year.

Kathi and her husband, Roger, are the parents of four young adults and live in San Jose, California.

National Chocolate Cake Day.....

2012-01-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

This post has absolutely no life-altering value to it other than to inform people it's National Chocolate Cake Day, and, allow me the chance to write about something utterly ridiculous.

Personally, I hate chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, but marvel at these new "National" days/months.

Did you know January was National Tea month? If you didn't, do you plan on rushing out to your local tea shop or grocery store and stock up? [If you do, please let me know. I'd love to know I can influence someone].

I have to admit, I am a tea drinker. Coffee isn't my thing, but because so many people do, I bet it gets multiple months, if not an entire year.

The thing about these 'national' days for random items is that I want to know who gets to declare January 27th as National Chocolate Cake Day? Why do I want to know? Because I want that power (especially, if you get paid to make such declarations).

I'd also love to have the job where I get to name lipsticks, paint colors and be the person at OPI that comes up with their great nail polish names. Does anyone know how I score this type of job? I've love to know.

Titles Without Substance.....

2012-01-25T11:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I met a friend of mine for lunch who I haven't seen in quite some time. She started with a new company and has been adjusting to the new job and the new culture of the company. It's an unique culture -- some of it very good and not seen in many companies today. They hold people accountable and believe in letting their employees question decisions other employees make no matter their title.

Personally, I find that attitude somewhat refreshing. Yes, it may put some people on the defensive mode when answering a question, but it's good when people can articulate why they have done something as it opens a discussion to teach others or have others offer advice which may change the way you do things.

Over the years, I've worked for both start-ups and large corporations. The 'team' mentality has been shoved down my throat so far, I remember telling the CEO of a start-up I had screwed up and he corrected me and said "we screwed up, there is no 'I' in team". I politely corrected him and said "I'm sorry, I disagree. I believe in bettering the team, but in order to have our team be successful, I need to accept the accountability of the problem I created so we can solve the situation."

As the years went on, I witnessed companies where employees bought their clothes at the teflon store. Nothing ever stuck to them. No one ever created a problem, said the wrong thing, they just finger pointed. It's frustrating.

Maybe I also enjoy the philosophy of my friend's company because often people are given titles/positions they are not ready for. Don't get me wrong, I do believe every job has a learning curve. I believe in promoting within, but also believe people should be promoted because they are capable of handling the position and bring something to it. I guess I believe in people paying their dues.

A company where co-workers question your choices would easily weed out the employees who aren't qualified for the position. I recently asked someone a straight forward question about their position and what they were doing to improve a situation. I was looking for their solution to the problem and was told "we want to work smarter not harder".

Seriously?

Any seasoned professional would understand this is a given when creating a solution, and know this is not an answer and to NEVER include this phrasing when answering a direct question (although, I'm guessing you might include this phrasing if you're in politics).

I wonder how quickly this person would crumble at my friend's company? They'd probably be eaten alive.

The Winner of My First Giveaway of 2012.......

2012-01-24T11:46:00.000-08:00

The winner of my first giveaway of 2012 is Dan Jones!

Dan, your comment cracked me up and I will be forwarding your name and address to the publishing to receive your copy of Everyday Happy Herbivore!

My First Giveaway of 2012

2012-01-14T18:20:00.000-08:00

In my last post I interviewed Lindsay Nixon, author of the vegan cookbook, Everyday Happy Herbivore. As a person who never thought of going vegan until December 2010, I really find Lindsay's cookbooks friendly for the everyday meat-eater to make the transition to a plant-based diet easy.

After my post, I was excited when I received an email from BenBella Books offering me the opportunity to giveaway the Everyday Happy Herbivore to one of my readers who live in the U.S. or Canada.

So here's how I'm running the contest. Leave me a comment telling me why you think you should win this cookbook. I'll run this contest until January 20th and the most creative comment (you can leave one message per day) will win.

I know, I know, many people run a contest by using random.org to generate a winner, but I want to read some fun, creative comments.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with this Chocolate Mug Cake recipe:

Chocolate Mug Cake | serves 1

Chocolate cake? check. Single-Serving? check. Made nearly instantly? Oh yeah! This whole-wheat chocolate cake goes from flour to in your mouth in under 5 minutes.

4 tbsp white whole wheat flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp nondairy milk
¼+ cup unsweetened applesauce
vanilla extract
dash cinnamon
2-3 tbsp vegan chocolate chips

In a small bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and cinnamon together, set aside. For a really sweet cake, add more sugar. In another small bowl, whisk ¼ cup applesauce, nondairy milk, and a drop or two of vanilla extract together. Pour wet into dry, then add chips, stirring to combine. Add another 1-2 tbsp of applesauce, until the batter is wet and resembles regular cake batter. Pour batter into a coffee cup, and microwave for three minutes (at 1000 watts).

Lindsay S. Nixon is a rising star in the culinary world, praised for her ability to use everyday ingredients to create healthy, low fat recipes that taste just as delicious as they are nutritious. Lindsay's recipes have been featured in Vegetarian Times, Women's Health Magazine and on The Huffington Post. Lindsay is also a consulting chef at La Samanna, a luxury resort and four-star restaurant in the French West Indies. You can learn more about Lindsay and sample some of her recipes at Happy Herbivore.

Second Year I'm Doing a Vegan Cleanse With the Help of The Happy Herbivore

2011-12-20T13:40:00.000-08:00

Last year, around this time of year, I did a 21 day cleanse (the Quantum Wellness Cleanse) and for 21 days I gave up meat/dairy/alcohol/sugar/caffeine and gluten. I bought my fair share of cookbooks, read some interesting articles and loved how I felt at the end of my 21 days.

Living that lifestyle was too extreme to keep up, but I knew I wanted to do it again this year. However, this year I have some additional takeaways that I can incorporate into my life. I know I can't give up everything, but would like to lean towards eating a predominately plant-based diet. I also wanted my husband taste what I was making. The cleanse is over and he actually surprised me by keeping an open mind and trying everything.

I made some great recipes from Lindsay Nixon's The Happy Herbivore and couldn't believe how mock tuna salad made with chickpeas could taste EXACTLY like tuna salad.

When I heard Lindsay was doing a blog tour for her new cookbook Everyday Happy Herbivore, I asked if I could interview her and was tickled pink when she said yes. I got NOTHING for promoting her new book, but as a meat eater, I wanted to let readers know there are really great cookbook authors out there who can change your mind.

1. How long have you been eating vegan, and what made you write these cookbooks?

I've followed a plant-based (vegan) diet since December 2006.

I started my blog, Happy Herbivore, as a way to show that eating healthy and plant-based diet is easy, approachable, affordable, realistic for everyone and also delicious -- my cookbooks are an extension of that mission.

2. Last year I went vegan for 21 days and the cookbooks I relied on didn't have recipes with nutritional yeast in it. I notice you use it and wondered why? Does it have an unique flavor?

It does! It tastes like cheese. It's also really nutritious.

3. My husband is a meat lover. Last year he wouldn't even try anything I made, this year he's agreed to try what I make, but I want him to enjoy the food as food and not say it's good for vegan food. He really enjoyed the Nacho Cheese and Tuna Salad recipe from your Happy Herbivore cookbook, but am wondering if you have any other recipes vegan skeptics really like?

That said, it's wonderful to hear your husband is open to exploring some plant-based foods! I wrote a whole recipe on what to feed meat-eaters:

Happy Herbivore: What to Feed Meat-Eaters

3. I'm a protein person. Can you recommend some great snacks I can enjoy (other than peanut butter or hummus) which are high in protein?

First I recommend you read this post on protein:

Ask HH about Protein

and then this post which lists plant-based sources of protein:

Vegetable Sources of Protein

4. The ingredients you use in your new cookbook, Everyday Happy Herbivore (low fat vegan recipes in under 30 minutes), are they easy to find? Also, I'm on a limited budget, will it cost me more to switch a vegan diet?

Yes. I wrote my cookbook while living on a small Caribbean island; I like to think if my tiny island had those ingredients, everyone has access to those ingredients. Plus I've always prided myself on using normal "everyday" ingredients. Nothing is more discouraging to me than a cookbook with expensive and obscure ingredients I can't find or afford, so you'll never find that in my books.

As for cost, you'll save money eating a plant-based diet. legumes, grains, seasonal fruits and vegetables -- they cost a fraction compared to the costs of meat. Most of the recipes in my cookbook cost less than $5 to make -- look for the special "budget friendly" icon. We chopped over $100 of our grocery bill when we adopted a plant-based diet -- even when shopping organic.

5. Have you had any feedback from the new cookbook in terms of weight loss or health benefits you could share with my readers?

My new book has only been out for a few days, so people haven't had it long enough to have any sort of experience... but with respect to my first book (same cooking style), I've had easily 100 people write me and say they lost 20, 40, 50, even 100+ pounds using my recipes. I love those stories -- and I've started featuring them on my blog, on Wednesdays, as "herbies of the week"

6. Do you give the newbie vegan menu suggestions in your new book? I always struggle with menu planning as a non-vegan and wonder if you help craft well balanced meals in your cookbook or website (Happy Herbivore)

Both books have pairing suggestions to make meal planning easy. I also have meal plans on my site, which take out all the guess work. They're balanced and tell you exactly what to eat. Perfect for the new vegan.

HH Diet Plan

7. I love the glossary of ingredients, and recipe substitutions, in The Happy Herbivore (which was great for someone who had never heard of half the ingredients or what to substitute for an egg in various recipes) do you include such a section in Everyday Happy Herbivore?

Yep!

8. What are your favorite go-to ingredients when cooking and why?

I go through phases. For a while I was really into Dijon mustard, then it was hot sauce, then it was cumin, and then it was green chilis and now I keep circling back to curry powder. Next week it will be something else. Same with main ingredients. For a while everything I made was with chickpeas, and then I got bored and moved on to black beans, and then kidney beans and so on. Right now I'm obsessive about lentils.

9. After my 21 day cleanse, I'm not sure if I'll make the full leap into a vegan way of eating, but am wondering if I am vegan for 3 to 4 days per week, will I still notice a difference in health benefits

You won't. I don't want to discourage, because some vegan meals are better than no vegan meals, but you won't experience all the amazing benefits of eating a clean, vegan diet unless you do it 100% As long as you continue to eat animal products, you continue to be addicted, and you continue to do damage to your body. You also prevent your mind and tastes to completely adjust to a new way of eating. You might notice some positive changes, but you would experience it 100 or 1000x more if you were 100%.

Spicy Orange Greens | serves 2

The slightly spicy orange sauce in this dish is one of my favorites. You can serve it with any greens you like or have on hand, but collard greens are my favorite to use. For a complete meal, serve over or tossed with noodles.

1/3 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp orange marmalade or jam
4 cups greens (any)

Pour water, soy sauce, ginger and red pepper flakes into a skillet. Turn heat to high and saute until the ginger is fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in marmalade and then add chopped greens. Reduce heat to medium and using tongs, turn greens into the sauce. This will help cook the greens down; stop when your greens are bright green and have softened. Serve.

Chef's Note: Cooked broccoli florets may be substituted for the greens. Toss cooked broccoli with the sauce once it's been warmed and serve.

Per Serving: 156 Calories, 1.5g Fat, 32g Carbohydrates, 8.8g Fiber, 11.6g Sugars, 10.1g Protein

Get your copy of Everyday Happy Herbivore: Over 175 Quick-and-Easy Low Fat and Fat-Free Vegan Recipes. Buy on Amazon.

After vegan chef Lindsay S. Nixon wrapped up her popular cookbook The Happy Herbivore Cookbook last year, she went back to her kitchen in her new home of St. Maarten. Island living encouraged Nixon to come up with simpler fare, which led to a follow-up cookbook focusing on recipes that bring tasty back to quick-and-easy.

Now, in Nixon's much-anticipated follow-up cookbook, Everyday Happy Herbivore, readers will see, once again, that just because plant-based eating is optimal for health, it doesn't have to also be expensive or time-consuming.

Everyday Happy Herbivore includes more than 175 doable recipes--recipes that are so quick and easy, you could cook three healthy meals from scratch every day like Nixon does.

Each of Nixon's recipes are made with wholesome, easy-to-find, fresh ingredients and include no added fats. With additional notes indicating recipes that are ideal for preparing ahead of time and those you can whip up with just a few dollars, Everyday Happy Herbivore will be the must-have cookbook for anyone desiring a healthier, happier menu!

Dear Martha Stewart....

2011-12-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

With the holidays fast approaching, I have a confession.... I long for your holiday specials CBS would broadcast before you got all Hollywood and began inviting celebrities to your home (like the year Michael Jordan may have visited you was just wrong).

For me, the holidays are not the holidays without watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph, It's a Wonderful Life, and for a time, the Martha Stewart Christmas specials on CBS.

My friend and I would prepare for the special as a football fan for the Superbowl. She'd make arrangements for her kids to be in bed or distracted by their dad, we'd each get our choice of wine and with phone and remote in hand, we'd plop down on the respective sofas for your specials.

We'd love when you'd make your own gift wrap with brown paper and some potatoes (very MacGyer like thinking); or when you had Julia Child on the show and spun caramel like anyone could do it.

My friend and I would drink our wine while commenting on the phone why all you need is a stapler and bag to wrap a present or how slice-and-bake cookies were still the way to go.

It's sad that my friend's daughter won't be able to see these specials now that's she's older. Some shows are classics and should be aired.

I know your shows were informative and women probably imitated you (actually we had a mutual friend who made the gift wrap - bless her little soul), but my friend and I long for quality time during the holidays where we could sit in our respective homes, and discuss how we're sane because we've chosen not to spend 22+ hours attempting a croquembouche.

A Pickup Line a Guy Should NEVER Use....

2011-12-01T22:54:00.000-08:00

I'm over 50 and DON'T need Viagra!

Yup. You read what I wrote. And yes, this very line was used on my sister while in NYC a couple of weekends ago.

About 3 weeks ago, my sister, YogaGirl, PonchoGirl (my friend since I was 5) and I went into NYC. YogaGirl turns 50 next week and treated us, for her birthday (which I don't get, but I'm okay with it) to tickets to see Harry Connick Jr on Broadway. After the play, PonchoGirl treated us to dinner at Barbuto (YUMMY - would highly recommend), but it was the time in between the play and dinner that YogaGirl met the man of her dreams....

Okay, maybe it was a nightmare, but still, a nightmare is a dream!

We went across the street to this bar where every inch of space, including the ceiling, was adored with glittery pictures of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. The specialty of the house were margaritas, and although I'm not partial to the artwork in the bar (translation, I don't have any glittery coloring book pictures of Jesus, Mary or Joseph in my home), the place had a very fun kitchy vibe to it and we parked our butts on the bar stool. This is where my sister met Mr. Wonderful and his friend.

This is the point in the story where I need to make my disclaimer: If an annoying, or I think I'm an ultra-cool man, begins to talk to a friend or family member of mine, I don't care how close we are, I will ditch your sorry ass to avoid any conversation with such human being.

Yup. It's true. I've done it in the past, but to my defense, I learned this trick from a girlfriend who'd did the same to me before I remarried.

I guess the conversation was going smoothly between my sister, non-Viagra (nV) man and his friend until the friend went to the bathroom. I guess nV felt this the perfect time let her know he was in town for one night and how he was over 50, but needed no Viagra. Mind you, the guy was wearing a wedding band. I missed this conversation, as I had already turned my back and ditched her to chat with my friend.

What the hell was nV guy thinking? Did he think telling my sister of his manliness was going to get her on her back in his hotel room? (Note: he made sure to mention several times prior how they were only in town for one night - this was precisely the moment I turned my back on her to chat only with my friend).

I'm not sure what I might have said if I had been tossed that line. Actually I do. I would have said: "Wow, you must be really proud". But somehow, I think her approach of not responding was probably the way to go.

We left shortly after the comment and as we made our way to the restaurant, I asked my sister why she didn't go for it.

Yeah, I laughed at her expense.

Evolution of My Food Pantry Dinner Parties

2011-12-01T05:02:00.000-08:00

Today marks the day where my food pantry dinner parties have changed since I started them in 2009.

Initially, I swiped the concept from Weight Watchers that for every pound I lose, each of my guests had to bring a pound of food for the local food pantry.

I held fast to that rule for the longest time, but now, I let people bring what they want and because of my financial situation, people have even chipped in to keep the dinners going.

One of the most wonderful unexpected outcomes from these dinners, is how I've met some great women and gotten to know others better. I've always opened up my table to allow my friends to bring their friends. Because I've adopted this attitude, I have gotten to make some new friends and catch a glimpse into the lives of people I may have never met in my everyday travels.

The conversations are warm, funny and honest. We share the struggles and joys of husbands, children, finances and aging (both us and our parents). It's one conversation with 6 to 8 women. We share tales or listen to others. No conversation is off limits and I never want anyone around my table to feel excluded or exclude others.

I've always read about the strong bonds women form and have friendships that are over 40 years long. However, I've gotten to see first hand how putting together a group of women, random strangers, for this one night a month, can create one of the most enriched evenings because of open conversations.

I have many things I can be sad about because of the lose of my job, but if I hadn't lost my job, I may have never started these dinners. Now...I can't imagine not having them.

Local Libraries Offer Much More Than Books.....

2011-11-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

My last post summed up how I've been feeling for quite some time. Being 3 years unemployed has taken a toll on my self confidence and I knew if I continued down the same path, I would probably drown in my wallow pool.

However, with limited funds, I needed to really look at what I needed to kick start me. I have a long way to go, but I did mention how I want to do something daily so I would leave my own self-pity party and regain the self confidence that's been slowly slipping through my fingertips.

Sunday, I checked out the events at the local libraries where I live. A couple months back I went to a great lecture/discussion at a nearby library, but prior to that event, I've probably been to the library 5 times in the past 20 years (maybe more, but let's just say the trips have been infrequent).

Last night, Bill came with me to a discussion given by the founders of Food52.com. A great site if you love to cook, and they just came out with their first cookbook - The Food52 Cookbook. I had some birthday cash leftover, bought the book, and Bill got to choose 4 recipes which I'll make because he was a good sport and came with me. Knowing his sweet tooth, I'm finally going to have to bake something for him. Don't get me wrong, I have baked non-box brownies for him, but it had to be at least 3 years ago. Besides, he's heard stories of how I used to bake about 10,000 cookies around Christmas and give them out as gifts to friends. Needless to say, I need to keep my mouth shut on things I don't like to do, but can. Oh well, lesson learned!

Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs were 2 approachable people who love food and were able to create an amazing food website Food52.com. I love the fact anyone can submit a recipe. They have contests, test the recipes, pick finalists, but it is the votes from the interweb community that pick the winners.

I love how the cookbook and the website have amazing photographs of both the finished recipes and the ingredients in a very appealing, inviting and artsy way. Each photo makes you believe the dish is something I can accomplish without worrying.

I knew of Amanda's work from the New York Times and The Essential New York Times Cookbook, but the moment Merrill mentioned how she loves to chop and mince the vegetables, I knew I connected with someone (yeah, yeah, I find it relaxing to iron and chop onions).

We have a rib eye steak in the freezer and plan on using the Cowboy Rubbed Rib-eye with Chocolate Stout Pan Sauce tonight before I start my vegan/gluten/caffeine/sugar and alcohol free cleanse this Friday (how I went vegan for 21 days last December) I'll let you know how it comes out.

In addition to last night's fun lecture, today I went to another library lecture entitled: Jobseekers: Energize Your Job Search. It was about how to gain access to great resources and research databases by just having a library card. There a couple of new job search sites I hadn't heard of and am thankful I decided not to blow off this opportunity. The woman who gave the presentation was both succinct and genuinely kind by offering her email and phone number to anyone who may need assistance in company background checks. I left feeling as though she sincerely wanted to help each person in the room become gainfully employed. I plan on checking out every url she gave us to give me a new perspective on the work I've already put in.

I know it's easy to research online, but there's so much more a library can offer if you just take the time to look. I'm glad I did.

Recognizing When You've Been Wallowing Too Long...

2011-11-26T07:44:00.000-08:00

I want to name the place I'm currently residing in as the "Wallow Pool". I figure if people can swim in the shallow end of a pool, I can only describe how I've been feeling as swimming in a pool of self-pity or the Wallow Pool.

Lately, there are more than enough days where I feel as though I'm swimming in the world's longest swimming pool with really strong currents. I'm not drowning, but constantly feel as though water is splashing in my face making it incredibly difficult to see the edge of the pool I am trying to get out of. And it's always just beyond my reach.

I need to put on some fins.....

Fins are a great idea, but if I swim too fast with them on, I fear I might ram my head in the wall.

Maybe a kick board is a better option. In fact, I know it is. It'll get me to my destination and will protect me if I hit the wall before I actually get a chance to see it.

It make take longer to get to the edge, but in my case, I think it best to swim slowly.

I need to do one thing a day to better my situation. It can be writing that kick-ass cover letter (which may or may not lead to the end result I want), trying a new food or recipe, practice the art of writing, blog, read blogs, learn something new, dance just because, streamline my overall life or face a fear (right now it's a constant unknown with every financial call I have).

I realize my kick-board doesn't have to be big to be effective, but I realize everyday if I do something it is one more day I'll get closer to the end of the pool; one more day I'll start feeling better about me. But, really, it's one more step towards facing my biggest fears with confidence.

Philly: The City of Neon

2011-11-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

Before any Philly pounce on me for the title of today's post -- don't. This is not an insult. It's an observation. One, which I marveled at. Seriously, all the neon signs I saw were FULLY lit and I was really keeping an eye out for an unlit one. I was completely shocked. It didn't matter what part of the city we were in, I was impressed the signs were fully lit. Does Philly have an edict which states any shop owner wanting a neon sign must keep it in working order?

None of the 1/2 ass neon signs I see around my home for Philly. It brought joy to my heart to see this (and you're probably thinking I need to get a life if this is what I noticed about Philly -- you could be right).

There's more to Philly, but here's where I'm going to make some enemies.... I went to Geno's Steaks for a famous Philly Cheese sub and it fell flat. I LOVE a good Philly Cheese Steak, but the onions weren't sauteed enough and I figure if you're touting yourself as the organism of cheese steak subs, well, you shouldn't. I mean the sub was okay, and I loved that the baguette was fresh, but the partially sauteed onions did me in. If I happen to go back to Philly, I will give Pat's a shot. Maybe they can uphold the title of amazing cheese steak subs.

Enough about the cheese steak and neon signs... I bet you're wondering what brought me to Philly? Okay, maybe you're not. Here's what brought me to Philly....Nothing. Absolutely nothing other than pure curiosity. I've never been and went to visit my sister, YogaGirl, who lives close enough to Philly that you don't have to whine "Are we there yet"? while in the car.

Because we got a late start, and I insisted on getting a famous Philly Cheese Steak sub, our time was limited. No Liberty Bell or Rocky Statue (hell, if I refuse to see any of the movies before I die, I'm certainly not going to head over to his statue), instead, I was very cultured and chose Philly's Art Museum.

I love when European artists don't name their work and others come up with titles for their pieces. You get titles like: Two Dead Birds with One Dog or Riverview or Three Dead Birds with Two Dogs. It's interesting dead birds were such a hot topic to paint way-back-when.

The museum had a substantial number of pieces by Monet and an interesting Modern art wing. Okay, interesting is over selling it. I mean, when does breaking a shovel in half get the right to be placed in a museum with special lighting? However, what I love most about viewing modern art with YogaGirl is how frustrated she gets when she believes she can create the piece herself. She may have a point. I wonder if I should start viewing paint swatches with a different depth and appreciation as it may hang in a gallery one day. However, YogaGirl wasn't as disturbed as much as usual with 'she-can-make-this-so-it's-not-art' pieces on the wall, but was completely disturbed by the whole room devoted to Cy Twombly.

Cy passed away this year, and I know it's wrong to talk ill of the dead, but his stuff, IMHO, was HORRIBLE.

It looked like he smudged the pastels a bit and wrote some words using his toes. As we sat on the bench in the room taking in all the pieces of his exhibit, I overheard people behind me talking about how great this particular piece was. I've never felt so dumb. What was I missing? Why couldn't I see the passion in this piece created by writing some words on canvas using one's toes? Why?

Actually, I felt like this in many of the rooms of the modern art exhibit. In fact, I asked one guard if he got it. He smiled, laughed and said: "Oh yeah, I get it. Especially this piece". It was a piece of plaster navels. Yup. The belly button is now art.

So...next time you're removing clothes lint from your belly button, just remember how your belly button could be in a museum of art.

Just Remember It All Starts With the Rubber Band Wallet....

2011-11-14T11:29:00.000-08:00

Last week I got a call from my sister YogaGirl telling me about her latest conversation with our dad. My dad is 89 and believes he no longer has to abide by the rules of society. I believe, as you age, an individual should receive a certain amount of respect with no questions asked. However.....if you want to be a member of this society, receive certain benefits, you have to play by the rules.

There are certain rules my dad has to abide by and believes he's above them. For starters, I know he's has just shown up at a physician's office without an appointment and has learned he truly believes the concept of the 4/5 hour window waiting for a furniture delivery does not apply to him. I no longer debate/argue these points with him and let him sit and wait like everyone else.

However, every couple of months, YogaGirl or I have to have a breakdown with him about certain issues regarding the writing of checks. We don't care how he spends his money, but the government does. It's a long boring story of why we care about his check writing activities (so, I'm not going to bore you), but I hate the fact he only responds to us when we have a total meltdown with him.

It's not fair. It sucks and we both hate it.

After talking with YogaGirl last week, I blamed his inability to listen to us on the rubber band wallet.

In the early 1990's I had a boss named Bruce. His father would often visit our small office and when he'd leave, Bruce would just hold his head in his hands and shake it. I'd laugh and he'd say: "Just you wait till your dad starts using a rubber band as his wallet."

Twenty years later and I now understand the "rubber band wallet" issue. See...once a person has replaced their wallet with a rubber band I believe all social graces go out the window.... Showing up unannounced, believing lines aren't meant for you and thinking any rule the government has doesn't apply to you.

My dad is not an anarchist, but seriously he picks and chooses what he wants to do and leaves his daughters to pull out their hair from complete frustration.

Remember the Magazine Study I Participated In....

2011-10-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Well...

I survived. I can also tell you more about it because it's out on the newsstand and I'm quoted in it. Actually, I noticed my results helped comprise part of the headline on the cover of the magazine.

It was a Prevention study for pre-diabetes. The article is the Wonder Workout in the November issue and I lowered my triglycerides by 44 mg/dl.

I picked up the magazine yesterday and finally had a chance to look at the cover tonight when I noticed the headline of "Real-Woman Tested Drop Two Sizes Lose 4 Inches in 4 Weeks! + Lower Cholesterol by 30 Points."

The article and program are really good. I admit after getting the heat exhaustion in week 3, I stopped logging food, but I really wasn't eating or exercising. However, I would follow this program again, and, in some ways, still do. I really try to incorporate more fiber into my diet and have become a big fan of Chobani's pineapple greek yogurt. I find it yummy, high in protein and keeps me full for a long time.

Prevention did a great job with running the study. They set up a Facebook page for fellow participants to connect with one another or ask Martica Heaner (our Prevention contact, who designed the workout plan and walked us through the program) any questions or voice concerns. I was ALWAYS asking for suggestions on high fiber foods that would keep me full for a long time and under our 1500 calorie limitation. I discovered many ways to cook bean dishes, got some great suggestions from fellow participants and learned that jicama is incredibly high in fiber (my discovery which I also created a great dressing with the group and posted - if I find it I'll post on blog).

Prevention also gave us the tools needed to do the resistance training and were incredibly accommodating when I would ask to come in after the last time slot for the follow-ups because the non-commuter train(within my budget) wouldn't get into Grand Central until after the times they posted.

If you do the program, let me know how you did. I'd be curious.

The Energy of Others

2011-10-27T11:44:00.001-07:00

No. This isn't a Halloween post. It's actually about the energy a person can give off even when they don't know it.

There are people I've come across that just rub me the wrong way. I can't explain why, I don't wish them harm, but I just don't want to be around them. With friends and classmates from decades ago coming out of the woodwork on Facebook, I have chosen not to pursue some of the people my friends have reconnected with because of my experience with them -- or their energy.

I don't know why, but I've been thinking a lot about how the energies of others impact a person. I don't often share this thought with others because I'm not sure people would get it or think I'm a bit nuts. However, yesterday, I had a very interesting conversation during a care meeting with the staff of the nursing home my mother lives in.

My mom has Alzheimer's. She hasn't recognized me in over 2 years, and really doesn't know anyone at this point. She may know my dad, but can't remember if he's visited her 5 minutes after he's left. During the meeting I found it interesting when I posed the following question to the 3 staff members: "Is my mom more lively when she participates in activities by herself or when my dad is there?"

The 3 staff members looked at one another and the response I got fascinated me -- I was told she is lively when alone. In fact, she becomes docile and quiet if my dad is with her. It was interesting to me because as I grew older, my mom HATED to participate with my dad in activities (e.g., church groups, senior center) because she said my dad over took the whole room. If she signed up for something and he tried to join her, she'd quit. She told me she hated how he had to be the center of attention.

I began to wonder, if my mom doesn't always remember my dad when he visits her, how does she know to be non-responsive when they are at an activity together? I wonder if her intuition takes over and has her know there's something about this man she doesn't appreciate in group settings. I wonder.

The Only Title I Can Come Up With: My Father Cornered the Canned Tuna Market

2011-10-25T03:38:00.000-07:00

I am the youngest of 5 of a very spread out family. By the time I was 11, 2 sisters were married and my brother moved to Arizona never to return East.

YogaGirl and I lived under the same roof until I was 13 and one thing I remember is my father's trips to the grocery store. Every week my mom would painstakingly create a grocery list off her menu plan for the week (I don't know why I chose the word 'painstakingly' because I can remember we had the same weekly menu throughout my years in high school)....Anyway, dad would go off to the local grocery store and ALWAYS forget something on the list. Oh. My. God. You think he'd learn for sanity reasons that missing something off the list would send my mother into a tailspin. They would bicker back and forth about the stupid list and why couldn't he remember the chicken. I have to admit, after looking at the list when I was about 6 years old, I couldn't understand it either. It was right there - chicken. To this day, I wonder why he always forgot one thing, but always managed to replace it with cans of tuna fish.

Chicken wasn't tuna fish. My dad didn't bring lunch and even if I hadn't made my own lunches from 1st grade on, I never would have brought tuna fish to school. It stunk up the whole locker. Fitting in is hard enough, but imagine if you set yourself up to smell like tuna all day long? That is just ridiculous.

I can't speak for any other siblings other than YogaGirl, but I remember always having cans of tuna on hand. Not just one or two cans, but like 10 or 12. I swear that stockpile never went down.

As an adult with my own home, I have a pantry and have noticed, I inherited the stockpiling of the tuna fish gene. I have cans and cans, but no damn mayo!

I swear, I'm always running out of mayo. I wish I didn't because a tuna fish sandwich on toasted bread is pretty tasty.

The Concept of Tethering and Untethering

2011-10-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

It could be that I'm writing this entire post because 'tether' is one of those words I like saying. It's one of many words I enjoy using because I like the way it sounds or it's definition is perfect for a particular situation, but that's not the point of this post.

I always think of tethering as being connecting to a laptop/computer the old fashion way (without wifi or wireless modem) and untethered as getting your email via a wireless device such as your blackberry. Either case, you're still till tethered to something because you're attached to your device like it holds all the answers to your questions, when it really doesn't.I think it's getting harder and harder to walk away, or 'untether' oneself, from an electronic media device.

I grew up in the 1980's, prior to the electronic age. Call waiting and 3 party calling was the latest gizmo and if the phone rang, you ran to get it before your mom picked it. I watched the introduction of cellphones take off and remember how exciting (yes, I used the word exciting) when I would hear my phone ring.

As one gizmo is replaced with another, my fascination for the current device fads.

However, the availability of internet service, has lessened my demand to always wanting or having to be in the know. Recently, I started to acknowledge just how much time I kept my laptop on, how often I checked my friends' status on Facebook and how often I'd open my inbox to scan the new message I'd just received. I guess I started acknowledging it because my husband is not an electronics gadget junkie. In fact, I don't think he turns on his laptop, outside of work hours, more than once or twice per week. I also noticed, as many articles have suggested, computers can suck the life out of someone. Between social media, games, and just searching the web for random information, I realized I was dropping time. I'd gotten out-of-control. I decided to take back my life and walk away from the computer.

Now, I go on in the mornings for about 1 to 2 hours, and again in the evening for about 2 hours. Otherwise, I shut it down and put my laptop away.

Oddly enough, I haven't missed a thing. In fact, I've started catching up on the stack of magazines I've ignored for so long.

I wonder.....will I have self control when the next new gizmo is invented or will I be sucked in as I have in the past.

Old Wives' Tales.....

2011-10-07T05:02:00.000-07:00

The past few days in Connecticut have been glorious. I mean they've been the type of days you only see in movies, but rarely in real life.

As I was driving around with the sunroof open, all I could wonder about was how long it would take for a bird to shit on me.

Why couldn't my brain wonder off to think about the beautiful sunny, blue skies? Instead, I zeroed in on the fact this was perfect weather for a bird to shit on me.

Before you start thinking she's crazy, let me explain.... On 3 different occasions, I've had a bird shit on me. All 3 times, the days were just as beautiful and sunny as yesterday. Only difference is that I was alone.

In the past, birds shat on me when I was standing or sitting next to another person. So very odd. But, I guess if the bird is going to hit its target, it probably wants witnesses to see how talented he is.

Just to be clear: When a bird shits on you, it's gross, but not the end of the world. However, I don't believe a bird shitting on you brings happiness.

Nor do I believe rain on your wedding day brings a long and happy marriage. It rained the day of my first wedding (notice I use the word 'first'), so that wives' tale isn't true.

Why do wives' tales exist? Why don't people just say "It's raining, get over it" or "Get away from me, I don't want bird crap to get on me?"

I never had children and wonder if they tell a mother-to-be that a really hard and long labor means you're going to have the best behaved, beautiful, brilliant and considerate child?

If not, I want to add that into the collection of Old Wives' Tales. Why not? I'm married and I often wake-up feeling like a 110 years old.......

What Do You Think About When You Try to De-stress?

2011-10-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's post I alluded to having some health issues that popped up over the summer, and for me, it's all tied to stress.

From August to September, my blood pressure went from normal to pre-hypertension and I've been having trouble swallowing food. Sometimes it gets lodged in my esophagus and I either lose air and cough for an obscene amount of time or have to drink a tremendous amount of liquid to get it down or cough it up. This doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it's a bit painful and scary.

Turns out, after a throat x-ray and endoscopy, I have the beginnings of an inflamed stomach (not sure how this correlates to my food passage, but that's what I have). One of the major causes of inflamed stomach is stress. I have to admit, for the past month, I've been feeling my blood pressure take a hold of me and turn me into "Angered-Stress Girl". It's a very odd and uncomfortable feeling, but it wasn't until I got the results of the inflamed stomach did I really take action.

I meditate, not daily, but knew I needed more. I've begun to slow walk for a 1/2 hour daily. I look at my to-do list and if I have too many things on the list, I cut one item and am learning to put this walk as a priority (something that would typically drop to the bottom of my list).

Walking slower than normal is harder than you think. I'm finally getting into a groove and remembering I'm not walking to beat my personal best, but walking to lower my blood pressure and de-stress. I listen to music with a slower sound (okay, a lot of Dave Matthews and Matchbox 20) and as I'm listening to music, I try to focus on a topic that has nothing to do with my worries. Yesterday, it was the snack chip.

I think the death of the creator of Doritos has been having people ask that question lately and I began to mull it over as I was walking. What I discovered is that are a lot of snack products that have been added over the years, and although I love Salt & Vinegar chips, I'm going to have to stick with my Fritos.

Why?

Maybe because they've been around before I was born, or I believe them to be healthy because they are gluten-free, but I think it's because they're just tasty.

What's your favorite snack chip?

What I Did on Summer Vacation by LMB.....

2011-10-04T05:46:00.001-07:00

Remember when you were in elementary school how the teacher would start the first day with having you write an essay on what you did for Summer vacation. Every year the amount of words that you had to have on the page had to increase. This task became trickier and trickier because I could never figure out a way to expand upon what I did. Basically, if I wasn't swimming in my friend's pool, I was sailing on a small sunfish or climbing trees. Occasionally, I'd go down to the beach, but as a kid I enjoyed swimming in a pool. As a teenager, well, the beach was a preferred choice.

If I were back in school today and had to write a similar essay, I think I'd put the professor to sleep. My summer was lackluster and at times not a lot of fun.

After 3 years of unemployment, the money has dried out and I've been scrambling a way to find a way to keep my home of 15 years. I knew in the Spring this may happen and started calling various agencies and am working with the banks now. We'll see.

But, no money = no trips. Well, I did take a day trip to Rhode Island this Summer and it was great to just get away even if it was for just one day.

Some might argue and tell me I went on a safari with my continuous battle with the wildlife that attacked my garden. I think all the animals (except squirrels - I really hate them) were adorable, but should have manners and sit on the outside of the fence and not touch the growing veggies. But they obviously weren't given proper etiquette lessons from Emily Post.

After giving up on trying to outsmart the animals in the garden, Hurricane Irene came and flooded my 89 year old father's house. We're still finishing up getting his life back together, but I learned that screaming for extended periods of time because your father won't wear his hearing aid is just crazy. Blood pressure goes up, headaches start. I've now stopped screaming. I'm learning my health is too valuable.

A couple of other discoveries happened for me, but this post is becoming a bit of a downer, so I'll leave you with this last thing I did: Pig Chases. Yup. I saw them and can cross them off my bucket list.

I can't believe a case of poison ivy can lead to a group of naked men on a mushroom expedition....

2011-08-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has read my blog over the past few months knows I have been combating a woodchuck, family of rabbits, squirrels and deer. These are woodland creatures I can see, identify and try to instill the fear of God into. I'd like to say I intimidate them, but I don't. Well, the woodchuck I do, but the squirrels and deer mock me and the rabbits snarl at me after a long staring contest.

In keeping with the theme of organic gardening, I try to weed my garden. Not often, but I'll go out and weed when there are enough weeds to feel as though I accomplished something. Although I can identify weeds from plants, I can't identify poison ivy. My husband pointed it out that I was ripping out patches of poison ivy and was surprised I didn't know what it looked like. I have to admit, I didn't and still don't. I have a vision of it in my mind and apparently I'm totally off the mark.

So....after washing my hands with hot water and soap, I managed to get a case of PI on my left hand and left side of my face (I wonder if I get points for proving a scientific theory that people scratch the left side of their face with their left hand and right side with right hand -- okay, I'll stop digressing). I was telling a friend this story and mentioned I also have mushrooms in my garden and if I couldn't identify PI, how in the world would I distinguish an edible mushroom.

Personally, I think you have to have a special degree to identify edible mushrooms because for every edible mushroom there are apparently 2 twins. One looks like the edible one, but not tasty and the other is poisonous. He agreed. He also told me that you don't need a special degree, you just need to be an old world European person to distinguish an edible mushroom. I agreed 100% because the only person I heard of mushroom picking was my husband's grandmother and she was from Czechoslovakia.

I have to admit, although my friend's observation was brilliant, I wanted to know how he came up with it. He started with "Remember the summer I was at the gay nudist camp"... "well, there was an old world European there giving mushroom scouting lessons." The story from that point on was just lost on me. I began to have visions of naked men protecting their peckers from twig snap-backs or PI all wearing Robin Hood hats and dancing around the forest.

Needless to say, my friend did not partake on the mushroom expedition so I couldn't ask if he had any helpful tips (on distinguishing edible from non-edible mushrooms - get your mind out of the gutter). However, I have to confess, after creating a vision of a naked Robin Hood and his merry men, I don't think I would have absorbed too much knowledge about mushrooms.

What I do is this: I still can't identify poison ivy or edible mushrooms and doubt I ever will.

Random Conversations

2011-07-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ever notice the days you have truly random conversations about nothing important? I do. I think it's because they are absolutely priceless. They hold no real value other than to scratch your head and think did I really spend 5 minutes talking about that?!

Yesterday, I had 2 random conversations that made me laugh. I started my day in a text conversation with a friend about tiaras vs crowns. There were 2 text conversations going on and things began to overlap. I had a feeling she was scolding me for my lack of crown vs tiara comments and decided to clear matters up by calling her.

Turns out, I was being scolded for my lack of "bling" knowledge. I didn't know it was a huge deal, but apparently only a queen wears a crown and other royalty wear tiaras. I was also reminded how a tiara is not even in height and doesn't fully go around one's head. My response: "If 2 people are standing 50 feet away from me, one with a tiara the other wearing a crown, I won't be able to tell the difference. They'll both be wearing something on their head that sparkles."

The funniest part about my educational conversation is that I shared it with YogaGirl who also couldn't believe I didn't know the difference and the importance of the crown vs the tiara.

I'm chalking up this conversation to extreme temperatures in the Northeast.

So, that was my first conversation. I ended my day with this conversation with hubby (words from a man who has come up with such gems as the ending a great date in a movie theatre parking lot sharing a can of Colt 45) who decided to share his idea for the next great invention: The Fart Pillow. Yes. The Fart Pillow. Similar to the whoopie cushion, you'd put your head down on your pillow, it'd make the noise of a whoopie cushion, but release the odors of rotten eggs.

I tried to point out how this would backfire on the person playing the joke because he would suffer from the rotten egg smell. He wouldn't have that protective smell barrier (the one that lets you believe your farts don't stink) and would suffer to.

I wonder how today will go. My first real conversation with anyone is an interview. I just hope I don't slip and share my husband's brilliant invention of the fart pillow.

Small Things Can Create a Big Impact.....

2011-07-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, I had lunch with a girlfriend of mine. I've known her for years, but openly admit, I'm not a sharer when it comes to incredibly crappy things going on in my life. When I asked my ex for a divorce, I had been unhappy in the marriage for 5 years prior and really didn't tell people I was miserable. So, when I saw my friend for lunch, I finally shared some stuff that I'm going through.

I've admitted in this blog how it's difficult for me to ask for help, but it's also very difficult for me to share things that make people feel uncomfortable (it really is the last thing I want to do to my friends). However, I'm at a stage where I can't hide things anymore. It would be like having a 1000 pound gorilla in a room and not acknowledging he's sitting right next to me.

She listened and I know she felt uncomfortable, but I wanted her to hear things from me and not other friends (she's that good a friend where I'd feel terrible if she heard things about me from anyone other than me). She was incredibly supportive while together and we hugged goodbye when we went our separate ways.

A week later I got this unexpected card in the mail from her letting me know she was there for me. I was so touched by the card that I cried. It really is such a great bright spot, that it has made my month.

I have the card and plan to save it in the same place I have my college letters from friends and love letters from boyfriends. It just has the same place in my heart as these items.

I consider myself very lucky to have this person in my life. Thank you Lauren for being my friend.

Books, Books and More Books.....

2011-07-19T06:19:00.001-07:00

Reading is time I carve out for me and almost always enjoy. I don't read an entire book in one sitting or skim over an author's words, but admit books can leave me with a mixed bag of emotions when I've finished reading the book.

For instance, earlier this year, I mentioned how I found one book I was reading incredibly painful and wanted to break up with it but didn't because I was hopeful for an amazing ending. I've only wanted to break-up with 2 other books in my lifetime, so I'm thinking if I come across a book I want nothing to do with once-in-a-blue moon, I have a good track record.

Other books entertain me like a night out with friends where I laugh and just forget where I am. I relish these books, but admit, they're so light and playful that the book's plot doesn't really stay with me. I just remember how I enjoyed my time while reading the book.

Lately, I've been reading a lot of non-fiction and memoirs. I'm not sure why, but admit, I enjoy the feeling of walking around with someone and getting to learn something new through the eyes of someone else. I have a feeling I'll probably stay along this path for a very long time just for this reason. However, I recently snuck in a type of "self-help" book in my mix and it's left with the strangest impression -- a sort of book-after-glow if there's such a thing.

Several months ago, I read The Luck Factor by Dr. Richard Wiseman. I believe I read about it in an Oprah magazine, but after an email exchange with a man I admire (he got me hooked on the concept of a daily gratitude journal), I thought I'd read the book. The premise is that there are not lucky or unlucky people as most believe (all people have the same chances of winning lotto), it's our perception of lucky people vs unlucky people all comes down to the choices we make. How we put ourselves out there, or how we don't.

The book gives the reader various exercises to take and experiments to do (e.g., talk to a complete stranger -- put yourself out there to try a new experience) and I have to admit this book made me stop to reflect on moments in my life when I went against my intuition and the situation turned out badly for me, or when I forced myself to approach a person in a new situation and recognize what a great experience I had because I put myself out there.

Dr. Wiseman had presented something I had seen before, but it's how he presented it. These are the books I really LOVE. They make me look at things differently, make me try something new to prove if a book's theory is true and because of this I do experience something great. In the end, his book made me cognizant of how I can change and improve my life's experiences.

I'm not sure I'd want every book to leave me with the same experience as Dr. Wiseman's book. I'd miss the light-hearted reads, or being able to walk beside someone and enjoy another person's experience. Besides, if every book left me the way Dr. Wiseman's book left me, would I be able to recognize its impact? Probably not.

Would I recommend The Luck Factor to others? Yes. No. It really depends upon the person reading it. I kept an open mind and enjoyed reading the book, but others may not and miss the point.

I'm curious, what type of books move you and why? I'm also curious, do you see movies that are based upon books you've loved?

Letting Someone Take Care of Me......

2011-07-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

I have to confess, I'm horrible at asking for help or admitting I need help to anyone about anything. Last week, due to the increased activity and the temperatures climbing, I let myself become dehydrated and came down with heat exhaustion AND got some sort of bug. Basically, I was a wreck.

Having some sort of bug was bad enough, but have you ever really suffered from heat exhaustion? It sucks. The combination of the two made me want to crawl out of my own skin and be anywhere else. At one point, I hallucinated and no amount of sucking down water was really helping because the other symptoms I was experiencing from my 'bug' were taking care of any nutrients left in my body. I was achy from both the 'bug' and heat exhaustion and left wondering how much Gatorade do I have to drink for at least one of my ailments to go away.

I kept recalling the one question I was asked over-and-over recouping in the hospital in 2004 and 2005: "On a scale of 1 to 10, what's your pain threshold?" God, did I learn to hate that question. However, I found myself thinking about that question Wednesday late night and thinking "if I just took off my head, I'd be a 4, otherwise I was a 9". It's rare when I feel this crappy. In fact, I know I'm really sick when I want to cry, but my head and eyeballs hurt too damn much for me to cry. I also believe the fear I'd never hydrate and have to go to the hospital also helped bring on some tears (I hate being a patient in the hospital like others fear flying). Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep Wednesday.

Hubby was out-of-town Wednesday evening and although I thought about calling him at 2 a.m. to take me to the hospital as I was seeing no change, I didn't. I had just switched from water to Gatorade and hoping for the best. As my heat exhaustion came under control, my other symptoms took over. Bad cold? Flu? Who knows, but I felt like crap.

When Hubby came home that evening he took one look at me and knew I was too sick to take care of me. In the 5 years we've been together, I've never been this sick. He took Friday off and spent the entire weekend taking care of me. It was something I never experienced with my ex-husband (he let me drive under Valium to my MRI which I was terrified of going for and told me the test was unnecessary and I was making up the need for a MRI - ummmm, I think not dirt bag) and have to admit was pleasantly shocked at how wonderful it felt to have someone take care of me.

I still have issues asking for help, but the past year has been challenging me to do so. I wish I didn't, but it's nice to know I have wonderful people in my life now willing to help any way they can.

My Meet-and-Greet with Keith Urban.....

2011-07-13T05:12:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday my older sister and I went to the Keith Urban concert at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Mohegan Sun is a great place to see a concert because the venue is large, but still intimate enough to have decent seats.

Keith Urban really knows how to interact with the crowd (not many artists really perfect this skill - Prince is also great at this). To me, it takes a real entertainer to get an entire crowd to feel as though they are on stage with him, but he did. Figuratively and literally. At one point during the concert, he brought 3 people on stage to sing some of the lyrics he was performing. It was priceless! One guy really got into it and worked both Keith and the crowd. It was very funny.

He played non-stop for 2 1/2 hours and moved to various locations in the stadium. At one point, he went up to the first tier audience, and when he finished a song, he signed the guitar he was playing and handed it to some random audience member.

Between his ability to get the crowd going, his guitar playing, his singing, the concert would have been enough. But, there is more.

Last summer, YogaGirl and I were talking about my sister's absolute love affair with Keith. YogaGirl knows someone, who knows someone with a connection to Keith. We thought it'd be great if our older sister could actually meet him. We looked up his concert schedule and it turned out he was playing at Mohegan Sun on her birthday weekend (actually, we ended up going on her birthday).

Keith hugs everyone that meets him and is very charming. He posed for pictures, answered questions from our group, and actually was a great sport and read a poem one fan's mom wrote for him while the fan used her phone to video tape him. He was hysterical. The poem was "an ode to Keith" type poem and it was obvious how embarrassed he was reading it. At several points during the reading, the author's poem mentions how she goes to his concerts, but he quickly mentioned in a joking fashion that she isn't that big a fan if she wasn't at this concert.

I think I made my sister's birthday because when he was hugging me, I mentioned it was my sister's birthday and he gave her another hug and kiss. I wonder if my sister will ever wash her cheek.

Has the Art of Conversation Been Lost Due to the Electronic Age?

2011-07-12T04:35:00.000-07:00

I wonder if people have forgotten the true meaning of having a conversation because email, twitter, foursquare, You Tube or texting. To me, these forms of communication have taken the spotlight off the interaction between people and have made it about the clever stylings of one person.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a person who can be clever or convey a situation in 140 characters, but sometimes these individuals have forgotten how to put on their listening ears and fall flat with other human beings.

I know everyone is not a good listener, BUT, if you stop over talking others, OR, actually listen to another human being, I wouldn't have to constantly remind or re-educate you on topics we've discussed many times before. I'm not sure if the electronics' age has led to the downfall to the art of conversation, but I believe it may just exacerbate it. I wonder if people are more concerned having their voice heard instead of interacting with others because the new forms of communication force into us a role of stating something poignant.

I don't know.

What I do know is this: If you ask me a question, don't pretend to listen to me, actually listen.

I just hope the electronics' age hasn't replaced the two-way street of conversation with one-way alleys of the soliloquy (yes, I am aware of the irony in writing about this in a blog, but I do allow people to comment and often comment on people's remarks).

Walking and Chewing Gum at the Same Time.....

2011-07-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

For some, this comes naturally. I know I could do this, but there are so many other things I can't do at once that I recently have embraced being a natural klutz.

For years, I lulled myself into believing that I had grace -- okay, maybe not. I seriously have to look down when I walk for fear of tripping over my feet. I've only walked into branches a handful of times and was thankful that the squirrel who mysteriously plunged to its death from a high branch did so moments before I would have been directly under his path (yes, a squirrel did fall out of a tree right before my eyes and go splat on my walking path).

However, last week is when I finally woke up and faced the reality that I really have no coordination. I went to the gym to run on the treadmill and this young girl got on the treadmill next to me. She pressed go and was off running at a fast clip and TEXTING on her blackberry. WTH? How? Why can't I do either of those things?

Somewhat defeated, I later realized that texting and running wasn't as easy as she made it appear and I may still be a woman with a lot of grace and coordination.....then I went for a long walk with my girlfriend Saturday morning. I was thirsty and took a sip from my water bottle and began to choke on it.

All hopes of walking and doing anything else at the same time are thrown at the window. Although, I am still hopeful I can think and walk at the same time, but wonder if others would say differently about this.

How the last 6 months of job searching has left me IN-FU-RI-ATED

2011-07-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Since May 2008, I've been actively seeking employment. Often I'd apply for positions and spend months interviewing for positions that would get pulled. Other blocks of times, companies didn't post new listings. I applied for hourly wage positions (I'm not knocking these positions), but was told I was overqualified or lacked retail experience, but became hopeful at the start of 2011.

I don't know why, and I'm not going to complain about the surge of new jobs I saw posted. However, in the midst of applying for positions, I came across a whole new wave of frustration that has left me FUMING. I've decided to break down my frustrations for easier reading.

1. Recruiters. I really haven't used recruiters up until 2011. Maybe it was because they never posted positions I was qualified for, or it could be I had and they never reached out to me.

Since January, I've had 5 interactions with recruiters. Only 1 has been upfront, direct, responsive and honest. One got me an interview, but I had to track him down for 3 months to find out I wasn't hired. I'm really angry because I wanted feedback from him. Constructive criticism is always welcome if it helps me land a job.

Another calls with positions I'm not really qualified for, low-balls me on hourly wage and when I ask for advice on how to answer a preliminary email from his client (meaning I don't even know what company the job is for) to position my inexperience at handling something (thinking he'd rather do this to gain the commission), he threw it back in my court. Hello? It's one thing for me to answer if this were a direct hire, but don't you want to ensure you present the best candidates you can for further business? I guess not.

One recruiter told me I'm not the type of candidate they like to represent because I'm unemployed (I posted about this in April, but guess what, the position is still unfilled). I met with another recruiter who was more interested in my references to gain new business and never talked about the position he called me in for. When asked about the position, he told me they required a candidate with a MBA (not posted on job listing), but he complemented me on my resume and wondered who wrote it for me. I think he was a little shocked it was me.

Another recruiter left me with an impression of being a tad shady. I'm a pretty trusting person, but when he ended our conversation with "I'm going to email you an application to complete and we can meet at a local Starbucks to discuss your career", I was intrigued about the application. I opened my email and the application didn't ask for references, but wanted my social security #, driver's license, more questions for additional information on my background than I'd seen on other applications. Needless to say, I never responded. Sometimes, it's always best to listen to your gut and a man who wanted to meet me in a Starbucks, not his office, requesting too much personal information on me didn't sound legit.

2. Corporations. I admit, I've had some positive experiences with some company HR reps, but last week I had 2 experiences that have pushed my frustration level over the top that I want to share.

Company 1: I applied for an open position and sent my resume to someone I knew within the company. I got a call from HR asking me questions about another position I didn't apply to. He tells me to apply and how the hiring manager was anxious to call me and should expect a call shortly. Five business days later I check their career's section and see the position has been filled. No offense, but I don't need a pity HR call, I need a job. If you convince me to apply for the position in which I'm willing to take a HUGE paycut and go back to a 1999 salary, assure me to expect a call from the hiring manager, but fill the position within days of our conversation, I have to wonder WTH? Needless to say, I sent him a very polite email following up on the status of our conversation and asking for clarity of the information I found online. I played it off that I was confused from what I read and maybe he could clear it up. I sent the email last week. I wonder if I'll hear back.

Company 2. Imagine huge company overwhelmed by number of applicants and recently hires outsourcer to handle some hr issues. Imagine applying for position on 5/10 and hearing back from large company's outsourcer on 5/16 asking for times to talk with you. Imagine getting hopes up because the position is pretty much tailor made for you (trust me, these positions far and few between). You respond with available times on 5/16, again on 5/18 and eventually on 5/31 you shoot off third email to recruiter letting them know you're willing to work around their schedule. Recruiter finally responds on 6/3 and praises your skill set, but wants to know your salary requirement. I am negotiator so I inform her of my last salary, but emphasize in email I am open. Nothing. I hear crickets. I send emails on 6/7, 6/13 and 6/21. On July 1, I go to large corporation's career center and find out the position has been filled. Based upon my experience, I am still waiting for an interview. I want to point out that when large corporation handled their own job submissions they did a far better job then this person.

I'm in the process of writing the VP of this large corporation because I wonder in the age of social media, they really want the world to know how the first impression potential qualified candidates are left with is shit. They may want to insist on training the recruiters to use their standards or hold them accountable. At some point, I believe the economy will turn around and they will need qualified candidates, but if there are others who have experienced what I have, they may have problems finding the right candidate.

Unfortunately, I've started the letter, but am too furious to constructively write it effectively.

Twitter and Opportunities.....

2011-07-01T08:53:00.001-07:00

I know many people scoff at me for embracing Twitter, but let me tell you, I've had some amazing results from following people or organizations I'm interested in. Also, I'm in awe of people that can be both clever and informative in 140 characters.

At the end of May, a famous women's publication (they've asked me not to release their name) twitted about needing 25 women in the NYC area to participate in a 2 month pre-diabetes study. I was all over it and after several email exchanges I was selected to be one of the 25 people.

I went into the city, got weighed, measured and had blood work done to determine my sugar and cholesterol levels. Some results I was pleasantly surprised, some, surprised and happy I know about it so I can take care of the potential situation.

We also met with a nutritionist and trainer who went through the program, showed us the resistance exercises and set up a private facebook page for us to share concerns and helpful information with one another. She's amazing at answering our questions/concerns and has given me some helpful advice.

For me, this has been a very difficult and trying week (I'll probably write a separate post about it as its been a valuable life lesson for me) and commented on how I've been struggling with getting the right amount of fiber in, exercise, resistance training, calorie count, etc.. She suggested I go for long, slow walks to release my anxiety and frustration. So, that's what I'm going to do. For this week, I'm focusing on long walks and meditation. I need to clear my head.

One of the messages of the study I'm beginning to learn is that you should never give up if you don't have a perfect day, just get back on the horse at the next available opportunity. I'm a perfectionist and have a tendency to follow the all-or-nothing way of thinking. Letting go of the idea of perfection is EXTREMELY difficult, but am slowly learning that although I may not achieve 100% perfection, 10% is better than 0%.

I have my first weigh-in on July 11th; another on August 8th. I may be part of their article they plan to publish and become UBER famous (LOL).

I'll keep you updated along the way and let you know what my results are. Now, time to get my 10,000 steps (did I mention, I'm wearing a pedometer?)...

Celebrities: Do We Really Have a Right to Know Everything About Them?

2011-06-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend, Poncho Girl, works for a non-profit organization and over the years has met some interesting public figures. Yesterday was no exception.

Yesterday, she met Aaron Eckhart, an actor I adore. He is a talented actor with an impressive body of work, but really hooked me in his portrayal of Nick Naylor in Thank You for Smoking.

Prior to his visit, we googled him. I have to admit, other than finding him attractive and admiring his acting abilities, I didn't know much about him. I thought he was married with child, but found nothing to support my belief (I'd make a very poor celebrity gossip writer). However, in my search, I learned his date of birth, height, college he attended and how he was previously engaged.

This had me thinking....with all the celebrity/public figure news, do we have the right to know why someone's marriage failed? Do I care that some politician was stupid enough to send naked pictures of himself via twitter. No. Wait, I do if he did this on work time with taxpayer dollars. However, my point is this: Why do people care so much about the private lives of a public figure? Do we feel entitled because our movie ticket dollars help fund their career? I'm not sure.

If we use this logic, would we want our corporate employer to know we were having marital problems, fertility issues or that our teenage kids push us over the edge most days.... I doubt it.

So...this has me wondering why most people are interested in the private lives of public figures. My feeling is to let them share what they want and let them have a life that is not always under the microscope.

About my friend meeting Aaron Eckhart....well, I told her that I believed she was making the whole story up and I didn't believe her (I should know by now not to say this to her) and she told Mr. Eckhart that her friend, LMB, did not believe he was visiting her office and could she take his picture as proof. Apparently he laughed and posed with her.

The Trickle-Down Effect....

2011-05-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday I went to a local library to listen to the creators of CTbites; a great food website for anyone looking for a restaurant or event pertaining to food in Connecticut.

I was interested in learning why they started CT bites and meeting the Editor. We had exchanged emails back in December because I was going to write a story for them on my vegan adventure as a carnivore. I'm always interested, if given the opportunity, to meet a person I've created a phone or email relationship with.

After their presentation, as I was waiting to introduce myself, I had a very interesting conversation with the Executive Director for Community Plates. Community Plates is a non-profit organization that will rescue healthy surplus food from restaurants, farmer markets, caterers from being thrown in trash cans, dumpsters and landfills it normally ends up in and getting it places where it can make a difference.

As some know, I have a monthly food pantry dinner party to collect food for my local food shelter and LOVE what Community Plates is doing to help families in need.

At the moment I need to focus on some issues in my life that need my attention, but do plan to volunteer for them because I really believe in what they are doing.

I've been reading the book The Luck Factor, and according to the author, every person knows 300 people and if I tell another person about Community Plates, maybe they'll tell one of their 300 friends/family/business acquaintances and someone will contact Community Plates to volunteer.

The Elusive....Meyer Lemon and Sunchoke....

2011-05-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Before you begin to mock me (I know I would), hear me out. For the past few years, I've been hearing about how wonderful it is to cook with the sunchoke and the Meyer lemon. Loving to cook, I set out on a mission:

1. Figure out exactly what a sunchoke is.

2. Search the supermarket for Meyer lemons.

3. Find recipes with both ingredients.

Sounds simple, but you're wrong. Dead wrong. Well, items #1 and #3 were easy, but item #2 is impossible. I use the word "is" because I'm still on the hunt for it, and true to form, my search has left me laughing. Literally.

Before I tell you about my search for the elusive Meyer Lemon, let me define the sunchoke. A sunchoke, according to my Cook's Dictionary and Culinary Reference by Bartlett is a Jerusalem artichoke. Hmmmm... that's it. Why the fuss? I guess it helps to know that a Jerusalem artichoke is probably not what you envision, or at least what I envisioned. I envisioned a run-of-mill artichoke from Israel, but I'm wrong. Thank you Cook's Dictionary, I do cherish you, but sometimes I don't even understand the definitions and turned to Google. According to Wikipedia, it is a Jerusalem artichoke, which is a species of sunflowers native to eastern North America, and found from Eastern Canada and Maine west to North Dakota, and south to northern Florida and Texas.[1] It is also cultivated widely across the temperate zone for its tuber, which is used as a root vegetable.

Once learning the sunchoke was more than what I imagined it to be, I understood the fascination...or maybe not. I just remember growing sunflowers when I was a kid and can't imagine my parents being okay with me pulling up the plant and chomping on the tuber. But I know one day, I'll try it.

However, back to the real purpose of today's entry: Searching for the elusive Meyer Lemon (sure, sunchoke is in the title because I have a feeling I'll run into a wall when looking for them too). I've been to 3 markets; 2 major supermarket chains and Whole Foods.

In the first supermarket chain, I didn't ask for help, but in the 2nd one I asked for help. Their produce section, in my opinion, is better than the first one, but the response I received had me cracking up. The produce guy kept repeating "You want a bottle of lemon juice?". No,no, that's not what I wanted, but realized when I kept trying to explain to him it is an actual lemon, and the puzzled look on his face was not disappearing, I figured the store didn't carry them.

YogaGirl told me to try Whole Foods. They are good about carrying some unusual veggies (hmmm...bet they have sunchokes) and when I asked the produce guy, he looked at me as if I had 2 heads. As soon as he began to speak, I understood the reason for the look; he really didn't speak English. However, I was able to discern they didn't have them in stock, but they will be in the store later. Later? Is that later today, tomorrow, August, December? Just got the answer of later.

I emailed the store to ask if and when they carry Meyer lemons. I figured whoever is reading the email will respond with an answer I'll be able to understand.

Note: If you have a recipe calling for 3 Meyer lemons and can't find them, use 2 regular lemons and one clementine.

My Arch Nemesis is Back and has Joined Forces....

2011-05-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, May 4, 2011.....

Last week it happened. I was looking out the window in the back of my living room and having hit the glass I startled Mr. Woodchuck. He, along with Mr. Bunny, scampered out of my garden.

Last year I wrote about my issues with the newest addition to the neighborhood and how Mr. Woodchuck ate so many of my plants before they had a chance to really grow. Later in the season, I wrote about Mr. Bunny and the pack of deer that would come graze on the other veggies in my garden. I quickly sprayed the garden with soap and cayenne pepper, but it was too late and I have to admit I felt defeated and gave up my battle.

This year it is different. I'm a woman on a mission. After seeing that Mr. Woodchuck and Mr. Bunny have joined forces, I immediately went outside and sprinkled cayenne pepper on my spring sprouts of sugar snap peas, lettuce, beets and parsley. They both hate cayenne pepper and frankly I hope I burned their little tongues. I haven't seen them in my garden since, but I did see Mr. Bunny near the garden out of my living room window. I tapped on the window to startle him and nothing. He just stood still, so I did what would only be my next logical move: I had a staring contest with him. Ya know what, I think he snarled at me. In fact, I know he did (well, not at first). However, after the 3rd time of seeing his upper lip area move and seeing a white line, I realized he was showing me his teeth. My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I now firmly believe I have the 'killer' rabbit from the Monty Python movie: Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Over the past 3 years, I've felt a lot of my control has been taken away from me and I told my husband I want to defeat the critters this year from taking my garden. Does this require me to spend money on soap and cayenne pepper? Yes. Does it have me chasing small woodland creatures off my property like a crazy woman? Probably. But I need to do this. I need to take control where I can and I need to defeat my arch nemesis and pals this year. Because of this reason, my husband said he would do anything to help me defeat them.

Bye, bye Mr. Woodchuck. Bye, bye Mr. Bunny. So long pack-o-deer. My all you-can-eat veggie buffet is closed.

Meatless May

2011-05-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 3, 2011.......

In December, I did the Quantum Wellness Cleanse and for 21 days gave up sugar, alcohol, caffeine, gluten, meat and dairy. I lost weight, felt great (both physically and mentally) and really noticed a connection between the foods I put in my body and how I mentally felt.

While I on the cleanse, I was happier, snapped less, had more patience and was utterly surprised by this. In January I went back to most of my eating habits (although, I did kick the caffeine habit) and started noticing how crappy I began to feel. However, making a permanent switch to a vegan lifestyle is not for me. I live with a carnivore and I do like meat. But, I can't deny or forget how much better I felt while on the cleanse.

My goal is to progress towards a plant based, gluten and sugar free diet. I'm not giving up dairy, but am limiting the intake of such products. I didn't really enjoy the vegan cheese, and if anyone read my tweets during the cleanse would know I could never give up the egg. It was very odd, but I craved eggs like I'd imagine a crack whore craves crack.

I planned out my month's menu for both hubby and I. He has a lot of things in the freezer and I have a bunch of new recipes to try. Some of the recipes I've chosen scare me a bit (e.g. tofu scramble) but I think it'll make the month fun by being able to experiment and introduce new flavors to my palate and is part of my personal pledge to try 100 new recipes in my 45th year of life. I'll let you know what works and what doesn't, and if anyone is interested in a recipe just email me and I'll send it to you.

Unspoken Truths

2011-05-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, May 2, 2011.......

Here are some unspoken truths of how I was raised:

1. Never wallow. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep going. You are allowed to have a private pity party, but don't let the party last forever. If anyone has ever read Eat, Pray, Love by E. Gilbert, you may become annoyed with the book like I, and some of my friends did, when first reading it. It took me awhile to discover that she wallowed. She didn't try to forget her pain, but embraced it. As soon as I recognized that she wasn't telling herself to get over it right away, I could follow the author's journey and her healing process.

2. Always give to others and I am not talking about being monetary. I'm talking about being sympathetic or empathetic. But what happens when you do this to avoid your own issues? I can tell you; nothing gets addressed. It's easier to get wrapped up with the issues of others so you don't have to focus on what needs fixing or addressing.

Right now, there are several issues I've avoided or have come to a head and I need to address them. I recognize I need to be selfish right at this point in my life, and quite frankly, I don't have anything to give to every person I know.

For this part of my life, I'm going against all unspoken truths. I'm going to be selfish so I can focus on me. It doesn't mean I don't care, it just means I know I can't help another the way I'd want to or the way they'd need. I want to give to me.

Don't confuse this post with taking from others because that's not where I'm writing from. In fact, I called a dear friend to discuss (okay, more like vent) about a situation that was put in my lap. Long story short -- someone was trying to make me feel guilty about my inaction (I have been known, at times, not to listen to voice mails unless I'm expecting your call or I know it will not drain me emotionally. This does not necessarily mean they have a lot, or any issues, it usually means I don't want to talk about my life at this particularly time). When I finally listened to the person's voice mail, it was exactly what I expected, nothing of significance. A basic message stating hi, I was driving by your road and thought of you. Nothing more and there never is. Not because they don't have more to share, but we really don't have that type of relationship. However, someone made it a point that I should have listened to this voice mail. Granted, there is something going on in their life, but guess what, I can't give to that person without taking a lot away from me.

I know I've struggled for the longest time on this unspoken truth. Often it has been easier to help others to avoid what's in front of me, but realize if I don't start only giving to me and ones closest to me, I won't focus on solving my problems.

Hi. How are You? -- UPDATE

2011-04-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 27, 2011.....

At the beginning of this month, I decided to say hi, how are you to everyone who crossed my path. Well, I haven't.

Actually, it was very eye opening to me. I would remember that I wanted to do this AFTER I passed most people. I became conscious of the fact that I much more shy than I realized and look down a lot when I walk (in fairness to me, I am somewhat klutzy and trip quite a bit). However, when I remembered, the reactions were interesting.

I think the more interesting reactions came from people who were either service people (parking attendants) or people that were a different race than me. They responded with more zeal than others and put a smile on my face. It was nice seeing how one polite salutation made a difference.

I never really realized how much this experiment would impact me, but it has. It has made me aware I need to stop being so timid and how I saying something so simple can make a person smile.

I liked doing this experiment and will continue to do so. I'm hoping it becomes second nature and I don't have to remember to say it. Until then, I will make the conscious effort to remember.

I'm curious, has anyone tried an experiment like this? If so, I'd love to hear your results.

The Great Easter Egg Hunt of 2011

2011-04-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, April 26, 2011.....

This past Sunday was Easter and tradition in our family is to have an Easter egg hunt. Granted, my 24 year old nephew is the youngest participant, but sometimes traditions should have no age limits.

The weather was something we worried about. It had been raining for several days and the weatherman predicted rain showers on-and-off for the day so we were a little leery if it was actually going to happen. I'm glad it turned out to be sunny because there was a fair amount of smack talk going down on the phone, twitter and facebook. My family has a hardcore competitive spirit (we also like to pull pranks on one another)and to gloat for one entire year is priceless.

My nephew arrived and showed me his bruised and bashed up ankle. It looked bad, but found it funny it was the first thing he showed me as he came through the door. It's nice to know he gets in the spirit of the hunt and knows we're pretty serious here in LMBville on Easter day.

We did mix it up a bit. In addition to hiding small chocolate eggs, we hid 4 Cadbury eggs. One Cadbury egg counted as 5 eggs and out of the 4 hidden eggs, I found 2 of them.

Was there shoving? Yes. Was there people jumping on others once a patch of eggs were found (my dad hides the eggs in bunches, so 12 eggs could be in one area? Yes. However, I don't think that's the question you want answered.

You want to know if I won....Well, I believe in creative liberties as I am the author of this blog, so my response is YES.....However, it's just wrong to lie on a holy holiday and have to tell you YogaGirl won and got to wear a tiara for the remainder of the day (this is something new I added into the mix). Like the Masters' blazer, YogaGirl gets possession of the tiara for one year and passes it along to the next winner. My husband has already announced he won't wear the tiara next year and wants a crown. However, I don't think I have to worry about finding him a crown because YogaGirl is going down next year.

April: The Month of Odd Dreams.....

2011-04-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 25, 2011.....

Since the beginning of April I have been having odd dreams. For example, I had a dream where I rented a house in Italy on the Mediterranean coast. It was decorated all in soft white, but the pillows were blood red and white. There is more to this dream, but nothing like the dream I had right before waking up Saturday morning.

The last dream I had before getting out of bed involved a German Sheppard. It wasn't my dog, but it was following me everywhere (gradually moving closer and closer towards me, but staying at a 5 foot distance from me). This dog just wanted to be with me and I didn't know why. In my dream, the dog warden came to take the dog from me, but when I explained that dog never left my side, he said he didn't care and had to take the dog. There was more back-and-forth conversation between us and the dog warden finally agreed that the German Sheppard could stay with me if it could dance to country music.

{Note: I have seen country music artists in concert, but it is not the music station I first select -- so I haven't a clue where this came from.}

I couldn't get the warden to budge from this compromise and let him put on his country music cd. As soon as the music started, the German Sheppard started doing the 2-step. It was impressive (I know I can't).

The dream ended with the warden leaving and the German Sheppard following me, but now began walking right next to my side.

I got up and searched the Internet for the dream interpretation for German Sheppards and this is what I found:

To see a German shepherd in your dream represents your protective instincts and alertness. To dream that you are training a German shepherd suggests that you are easily influenced or open to new ideas.

Sometimes You Have to Laugh...

2011-04-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 21, 2011.....

Job searching can be hard, but every now-and-again, I get a good chuckle. Today I received this reject letter:

Hello LMB,

Thank you for your interest in our XYZ position. We have had a chance to review your resume and compare it against other people who have expressed an interest in this position as well.

Unfortunately, we have decided to pursue other candidates who appear to match (skills and experience) our requirements more closely at this time.

Should something change on our side (or we get another job opening that matches your background better), we will not hesitate to contact you.

Thank you again for your interest in an employment opportunity with ABC Company, and we wish you the best in your current job search.

Thanks for sharing your background and for your interest in ABC Company. Our team has reviewed your resume. Although you have good qualifications, we've decided to pursue other candidates who fit our requirements more precisely.

We will keep your resume on file for future possibilities. If you have applied for another opening at ABC Company, your application will be considered separately.

I have to admit, I appreciate a company that notifies its candidates either way (many don't), but am thinking it's overkill to tell me twice I'm not qualified. I got it the first time.

My Superstition: Omaha Steaks

2011-04-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, April 19, 2011.....

According to Wikipedia, a superstition is a credulous belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge. My superstition, Omaha Steaks, definitely fits the Wikipedia definition.

It started in August 2001. I went to a local Omaha Steaks' store and bought a lot of food to stock my freezer. The next day, I was let go from my job (the company actually folded a couple months later).

In March 2003, I go to Omaha Steaks again, fill my freezer with yummy foods, and the next day am laid off (another company that went under).

It is then I notice the connection of Omaha Steak visits and my layoffs. I share my theory with sister YogaGirl and tell her I'm never going to the Omaha Steak store (lucky for me, it closed down). I can't really remember YogaGirl's response to my theory, but I'd like to believe that my logic behind my theory was enough to convince her my theory is rationale and grounded (hey, a girl likes to dream).

May 2008, I take a Friday off. In Saturday's mail is a boatload of Omaha Steak coupons and Monday I get a call from my boss laying me off (I, along with several of my co-workers were supposed to be laid off on Friday, but they couldn't lay off my co-workers because I had taken the day off). I blame the Omaha Steak coupons for the layoff (not the fact that my company was downsizing like no one's business).

So...why am I retelling my tale...because I watched the Celebrity Apprentice and the task involved Omaha Steaks. I'm hoping the curse is over and just watching Omaha Steaks being promoted will land me a job.

Note: I really do love Omaha Steaks' products, but my superstition will not allow me to buy another of their products for fear of never getting a job.

Some Days I Just Lose It.

2011-04-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 18, 2011.....

Yesterday was one of those days that I just lost it. I mean I had an emotional vomit session and my husband was the toilet. It wasn't anything he said or did, it was totally me. I can't explain why (having had a womanly cancer, I've eliminated the option of PMS) and it was extremely frustrating to me.

I could feel a variety of emotions building up and brewing inside of me and it was though I could feel my blood boil. I hadn't a clue why I was so angry and when asked what was wrong, I just began to weep.

The weird part is that I really wanted to stop. I really wanted to know why I was so mad, but couldn't.

All day I was like this. In fact, I wish I could have left my own body and hung out with someone else, but I was trapped with me.

I finally calmed down by nightfall (I wonder if I'm like a vampire) and today is a good day.

There are reasons why I'm so off my rocker at the moment and I know I'll find a way to handle the stress. In the meantime, my husband sent me an email this morning with something he knows I'd love to do. He gets amazing specials on plays and dinners in NYC and I love going into NYC, but can't right now. He offered to take me. It is a sweet idea, but I believe this is as fun to him as a root canal.

Although I appreciate the gesture more than you can imagine, I don't want to go with someone who wouldn't enjoy the experience the same way.

Sister Act

2011-04-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 15, 2011......

For people who have been reading my blog for awhile, know I participated in my first triathlon last September with my two sisters. We participated as a team and my part was the 5k run.

I knew I was going to walk it, set a goal, and hit my goal. Although I was happy, I knew that my sisters really pulled their weight and had killer times in the swim and bike portion of the event.

My oldest sister, Science Girl, is the one with the competitive sports bug. She participates in century rides (100 mile bike rides), marathons (26.2 mile runs) and sprint triathlons. It is a passion of hers and like other siblings in my family, has a competitive streak -- always striving to do better.

I know this year I plan on running my portion of the triathlon. Walking will not suffice this year. I also know I need to set a decent goal for self for fear of being kicked off the Sister Act team (which I don't want to happen). So for the fear of getting kicked team Sister Act, I am now trying to go to the gym at 5:50 a.m. during the week and have been slightly successful, but plan on kicking it up a notch.

I have about 4 and 1/2 months until this race. I wonder, will I become a morning person by the time the event rolls around with the a.m. training schedule? Hmmmmm.....probably not unless miracles happen.

Airline Travel

2011-04-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday, April 14, 2011.....

I'm going to apologize in advance because I know I might offend some parents out there, but I have a beef with some parents who travel with small children AND not for the reason you think.

Small children make noise. That's okay. What's not okay is when I make my airplane reservations,choose my seat, but a parent with a small child comes into my row and turns to me and asks if her child can sit in my window seat. I politely turn to the mother and say no. She then turns to her child and tells him, "Sorry Johnny, but the nice lady won't move so you can't sit by the window" and promptly turns her head to see if I heard her.

This happened to me years ago on a red-eye from CA to NY. I thought it a fluke until I talked with my sister the other day. She was on a flight back to NJ and this family was sitting in her row when she boarded the plane. She went to get into her seat when the father asked if he could sit in her seat (he implied that he wanted to sit with his family). She said no and he, and other members of his brood, got up and moved. He went and talked to the flight attendant and my sister discovered no one in his party were sitting in her row to begin with.

So....what's my point to this story? When you book your tickets, if you plan ahead like I do, pick your seat. Don't pull out the kid card, it's just wrong. If I make the time (an additional minute) to choose a window seat, do the same.

I understand it must be hard traveling with a toddler, but that doesn't excuse you from doing the same thing I do when I make a reservation. Oh yeah, if you want till last minute, this still doesn't excuse you and give you the right for my seat.

I Love When It's a Slow News Day....

2011-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 13, 2011......

I live outside a major metropolitan city, and my husband is a complete news junkie. Every night, he flips on the news and we watch it for about 2 hours. It's insane. I hate it and typically do other things during this time.

Why LMB don't you want to be informed? Not really. I do enjoy watching the weather man on CBS, Channel 2 (NYC) deliver the weather, and enjoy the food/cooking segment. but, that's about it. Overall, news is pretty dismal and right now, I don't need to be scared or depressed to death with the local news report.

However, I'm curious about something. Who is the person who determines which story goes on the air when it's a slow news day? Yesterday, I saw a news trailer for the story about a police officer spraying a squirrel (segment was entitled Cop vs Squirrel). Am I missing something? Why is this newsworthy?

If we're going to create a news program entirely based upon stories like this I might actually watch the news more. Yes I just mocked this, but it's a nice break in my day because it is absurd. Based upon the absurd news story criteria, I believe we'd see stories such as these:

- Royal penguin wedding being held the same day as that famous English royal couple.

- People dying their hair purple in support of National Welch's Grape Juice day (I made this up, but I bet there is a national grape juice day)

- Local condo association board prohibits kids from being able to play in their front yards because of the noise (oh wait, that was a true news story - I heard this and immediately thought these people needed to move to an over age 55 complex if they don't want to hear children playing in their condo complex).

Okay, you get my point. A slow news day is a waste of my television viewing. Now, if I could only get my husband to agree.

The Lingering Odors from My Kitchen.....

2011-04-12T03:12:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, April 12, 2011....

I live in a small house and cook in a very small kitchen. Often when I cook, the aroma, or odor, lingers throughout the night. Sometimes the house is filled with the scent of a chicken roasting or vanilla if we baked (that is rare, but it happens). These scents I like. However, last night I made turnip greens for the first time.

I cooked them with a little rice wine vinegar, veggie stock and Asian chili paste. There wasn't any smell while I was cooking them,but afterwards, I have only one word: HORRID.

The smell was so bad, it made it difficult to sleep and I was up spraying Fabreeze sometime in the middle of the night. It still smells this morning and I am now forced to think of something to make to combat the smelly foot odor smell. Hmmm.... not sure what, but I'll come up with something so I don't pass out or have the smell penetrate into my skin (god, I hope I don't smell like that).

Btw, the turnips greens were actually very tasty. Smoky and spicy. It'd be great with white rice (and I'm not a big fan of plain white rice) and sesame chicken.

The Beauty of a Warm Saturday......

2011-04-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 11, 2011.......

This past Saturday, hubby and I got to enjoy a great warm Spring day and definitely took advantage of it. I have to admit, it's been an extremely stressful time for me, so spending time outside with hubby on a wonderful Spring day was just what I needed.

We spent the time working our garden (YogaGirl would not find this fun, but what does she know). We also separated some of our seedlings (heirloom tomatoes) and planted lettuce, beets and sugar snap peas. We were also surprised that some of my herbs survived the winter, so I repositioned them. Now, I just have to be prepared for Mr. Woodchuck and his friends.....and I am. I have my cayenne pepper and dish soap and will get him before he has his first nibble on the parsley and think my garden is his version of Denny's all-you-can-eat buffet.

I love these days. It is these type of days when hubby and I slowly turn over our garden, clean the yard and stand in wonder of how crappy our front yard looks compared to our neighbor's that make me forget all that's going on with me right now.

My Starbucks Barista.....

2011-04-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 8, 2011.....

Last night I met a girlfriend at Starbucks. We usually meet every couple of weeks at Starbucks, but it had been awhile since we last got together.

The last time we got together, a small snafu happened. My order was placed, but the guy making the drink didn't hear the order. After about 10 minutes, I asked where my drink was and he looked at me as if I had 2 heads. I said I had ordered a grande mocha and he said he didn't know and please don't snap at him. I laughed. I asked him why would I snap and he said a lot of people would. I explained if not getting my coffee order was going to set me off on a tirade then I had some serious issues (I wish not getting a coffee order was my biggest problem). However, I understood what he meant.

I live in an area where people are always in a rush, expect too much, forget to say thank you and are often condescending. We chatted a bit and he was a really nice guy.

Fast forward 6 weeks later.... I go into Starbucks and before I even get a chance to say: "Hi. How are you?" (in honor of my April experiment) he blurted out: "Where have you been"? It made me laugh to think he remembered me, but I guess it's rare to meet polite customers.

We chatted a bit while I waited for my friend and asked him about a new drink a caramel mocha latte (I thought that is what my sister in NJ told me it was great and how it cut the bitterness of the mocha drink)and the 2 baristas behind the counter thought I was crazy. I mentioned my sister is from New Jersey, and that sparked a very fun conversation (sorry, New Jersey). By this point my friend arrived and the barista, well, he told me the secret to cutting the bitterness from a mocha latte -- ask for 2 pumps of vanilla.

It pays to be nice to your barista. What am I saying? You should always be nice to anyone you come along -- it may just make their day and yours.

Hi. How are You?

2011-04-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday, March 7, 2011......

While out running errands on Tuesday, I stopped at my local convenience store to pick up a Powerball lottery ticket. As I was getting out of my car, a older gentleman was getting into his truck. He had backed into his space making his car door next to mine. When I got out of the car, I said hi, how are you? I could tell he was a bit taken aback and responded with saying hi and began talking about the weather (skies very gray and opposite of what you envision a spring day would be). I commented the skies were gray, but it was warm out and better than snow.

As I made my way away, I told him to have a good day and he said the same. What struck me was how my simple interchange seemed to happily surprise this gentleman and I told my husband how I plan to say "Hi, How are you?" to every stranger I come across for the rest of this month.

I'm curious how people will respond. I wonder if they will. I also wonder if they will try to engage in further conversation or just walk away. I'll let you know at the end of the month.

Words I Never Wanted to Hear.......

2011-04-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 6, 2011.....

Sunday evening, hubby and I were watching 60 Minutes and they did a segment on the unemployed. I always get a pit in my stomach watching these things, often turning the channel, but decided to watch it. They mentioned how employers are now requiring an applicant be employed to apply for the posting. There is nothing illegal about this, but in the back of my mind I always fear an employer may dismiss my application because I've been out of work far too long.

Monday I apply for a position through an agency and get a call about my resume. They were very interested in me until she saw the gap in my resume. She asked if I had been employed elsewhere since 2008 and when I said no, she told me I'm not the type of client her agency wants to represents.

Why?

I actually asked her this. Her response: "We don't make any money". Again, I asked why, but added it logically didn't make any sense. I explained my interviews, pulled positions, geographic limitations, what I've doing since 2008 and finished with: Why wouldn't you make money off me? After all this time, I'd be grateful for a job and there would be no worries about you getting a commission.

I think she realized how she came off. I have to tweak my resume, but have an interview with this agency on Friday. I know nothing will become of it, but know it's good practice to sharpen my interviewing skills with people who have a wall up.

Interviewing is like dating. Often it takes a lot of first dates to get into a meaningful relationship.

Can Anyone Explain This to Me?

2011-04-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, April 5, 2011.......

Last week I heard on the news that Snooki from the reality show, Jersey Shore, was paid $25,000 to speak at Rutgers University on partying and tanning. What's more astonishing is that Nobel-Prize winner, Tonie Morrison, is getting less for making the commencement speech.

Initially I laughed, but then I started thinking, how much does it cost to have a celebrity speak at an engagement, so I did a little research. For under 10K I can hire the following:

Reality TV Personality - Jillian Harris
Model - Kim Alexis
Actress - Mackenzie Phillips
Music - Beatlemania

Granted there are a slew of other speakers within this price range, but I didn't have a clue who they were. So, I did a little more digging....

Lance Armstrong gets over $50,000, Jay Leno and Donald Trump over $100,000, but did I expect to pay anything less?

What I was surprised about, assuming info on the Internet is accurate, I was pleasantly surprised that Jacques Pepin's fee is under $20,000. I adore Jacques Pepin. My dream job would to be his assistant....wait, I'm getting sidetracked.

Point of my findings is that Snooki, gets $32,000? Am I missing something?

Celebrating My Dad's 89th Birthday.....

2011-04-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 4, 2011.......

This past Saturday was my dad's 89th birthday and my sister invited YogaGirl, dad, hubby and I over for lunch (Saturday is church day for my dad and although it starts at 4:00 pm, he leaves 1 hour in advance of service - we don't really know why and stopped asking).

My dad is an AMAZINGLY active man. He golfs, walks daily, president of his town's senior center, a member of a men's club, bridge group, but for the past 2 years, I've noticed how he hasn't been that happy about getting another year older. I guess I can't blame him.

He's outlived 2 sets of friends (this reminds me of Tom Hanks' character in the Green Mile) and starting to really slow down. He's finally acknowledging his hearing is going and wearing his hearing aid. Mind you, unless we told him to put them in, we'd have to scream at him in order for him to hear us. I can only imagine if a stranger saw this, I wonder if they thought we were guilty of elder abuse.

Anyway, the lunch was nice and then all talk turned to our Easter Egg Hunt. Yes. Easter Egg Hunt. My family takes it very seriously and it can turn into a blood sport (note: youngest member of egg hunt is 24). Winner gets to gloat for an entire year, and, when I say gloat, I mean GLOAT.

The one tricky element about the hunt is that my dad hides the eggs and as he ages, well, he hides them in unusual places. He recently started hiding the chocolate eggs under patches of grass he cuts up. Every year it gets weirder, and every year, he can't remember where he put them.

This should be interesting, but I do plan on taking down my contestants. Everyone is going down this year. Just saying.

{I'm glad potential employers know nothing of this blog because they might begin questioning how old I really am}

Serious Doubts About Volunteering.....

2011-04-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 1, 2011......

Wednesday night I went to the 2011 kickoff meeting for my park's annual plant sale. This is the 3rd year I've been on the committee and the 3rd year the park has had it's sale.

The first year was a wonderful success, but last year, the dynamics changed. The chair people weren't strong enough to hold their own to the President of the park group (who claimed she didn't want to be in charge of anything on the plant sale committee, but got into everyone's business.

Needless to say, the President of the park group micro-managed everyone and this didn't sit well with me. She was quick to point out others' flaws, but didn't take ownership for hers.

A year passed and I really wanted to help, but in the light of day after the meeting I think I may bow out because of PERCEPTION.

Let me back up....I volunteer for the good of the cause. I focus on the event and cause, and do it to the best of my ability. When I was in my late 20's I did some heavy duty volunteering that involved boards with influential people in business. The more I got involved, the more I noticed the President of that board was useless and her reason for being on the board was to have another board member nominate her and her husband to the membership committee of a local country club. Oh. My. God. Other issues pursued, but it made it incredibly difficult to work with a woman who really didn't understand the real reason she should be volunteering.

Flash forward to 2009....I sign up to volunteer for the park's 1st plant sale. The President of the park (it's a 'friends of X park' group) wasn't really involved, the chair people were likable, delegated well and trusted their volunteers to come through. Sure, there were some issues because life got in the way for some volunteers, but it happens. However, even with the issues, the plant sale was a hit.

I survived year one and realized these people had their hearts in the right place and volunteered for the 2nd one. This time I signed up for more responsibilities. Unfortunately, the President who removed herself from year one because she didn't want to have her name tied to the event, until the end (when she saw we were successful), decided to take hold of the 2nd annual sale, BUT, she didn't want to be a chairperson.

As I worked with this group for year 2, I began pulling away more and more. The unnecessary bullshit and aggravation were too much. I swore at the end I wouldn't do more than the day prior and day of for 2011.

Wednesday night comes, I receive an email from another member telling me she couldn't come to the meeting and probably didn't have the time to give for this year's sale. I go to the meeting and tell the host (the President of the park committee) this and she sounds put off because the woman emailed me and not her. It becomes apparent that she was put off as she later asks me again why this woman emailed me and not her with this news. She was shocked when I told her that we've exchanged emails throughout the years. I consider this woman a nice person and we've chatted about other things having nothing to do with this plant sale. Is she my bestie - no, but would I have coffee with her - yes.

After a 3rd time of the President questioning why this woman emailed me (I think she finally believed that the woman emailed me and told me she wasn't coming because we were an hour into the meeting and she wasn't there).

However, this is not what has pushed me over the edge. What has pushed me over the edge is that the President (once again not wanting to be the chairperson, but acting like it) feels as though we may fail because we don't have enough volunteers. She may be true, but when discussed about not doing the sale this year, but picking it up again for next year; her response was priceless. She actually said: "What will people think?" Think about what? For god sakes, plants are always needed. Who cares what people think from other towns. Isn't it more important to focus on an event? We're not a huge park, and it is one of those things that people happen upon. It's a nice thing to come upon, but it isn't the Oscars or Golden globe Awards.

In my mind, people who care far too much about perception often forget the real reason they are volunteering. The event at hand is lost and, for me, the event at hand is what is important when it comes to volunteering.

Cooking Technique: Roasting Vegetables

2011-03-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday, March 31, 2011......

My profile states a simple fact about me: I own an obscene number of cookbooks. I often try a new recipe or refer to them for something that seems so basic, but I never learned.

Last year, I decided I really liked the flavor of roasted veggies, however, I was unsure of time or temp to use and began to consult my various cookbooks. Many books stated to roast at a high temperature for 30 minutes after tossing veggies with oil, salt & pepper. All authors included the ingredient of sliced garlic. I love garlic oil, but have you ever roasted garlic at high temps without it burning? Well, if you have, kudos to you. But for me, the garlic slices would burn and would leave behind a bitter flavor. I also was surprised the veggies would get charred, but remained pretty hard.

Luckily, I'm not one to give up. I found a recipe that called for sliced garlic, but had me create a pocket with tinfoil and roast the veggies for 1/2 the time covered. This didn't solve my problem with the burnt garlic, but I came across a recipe that solved my problem: smash 3 to 5 cloves of garlic (skin off), add olive oil (eyeball it, but figure a cup) and let it sit for a couple of hours.

Now, I'm going to share the easiest way to roast veggies.

1. Smash 4 to 5 cloves of garlic, place in bowl and add 1 cup of olive oil to mixture (you can use the oil for more than veggies). Let the garlic infuse in the oil for several hours (the longer the garlic sits in the oil, the more potent the flavor).

2. Preheat oven to 425.

3. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil and lightly spray the sheet with Pam, or any other cooking spray, to prevent sticking.

4. Cut up the veggies you plan to roast (broccoli, asparagus, etc) and coat with the olive oil (remove garlic cloves before using) and sprinkle with salt and pepper (note: you don't really need a lot of oil, just enough to lightly coat the veggies).

5. Place another sheet of tin foil over the veggies and cinch up 3 sides of the top layer of tin foil with the bottom layer of foil to create a pocket.

6. Roast veggies with foil on for 12 minutes. Remove foil and roast for another 12 minutes uncovered.

7. Remove from olive and sprinkle lemon juice or balsamic vinegar over veggies (lemon juice for broccoli, balsamic vinegar over roasted asparagus or green beans and sliced onions).

You may need to adjust the number of minutes needed for roasting depending upon the thickness of the veggie stem. Asparagus probably only needs a total roasting time of 20 minutes, broccoli may need 30 minutes. What I do is look at a recipe and use the time and temperature the author has suggested, but use my method of covering veggies with garlic oil and roast 1/2 the time with foil on.

I have found this method to be tried and true. I hope it works for you. I've found roasting veggies adds great flavor, and are yummy both hot and cold.

Breaking Up With Your Book

2011-03-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, March 30, 2011.....

For readers that don't know me, I am a slow reader and linger on each and every word the author has provided. In the past, I've lost days because I read 24/7 until I finish the book I've gotten sucked into, and when finished, I mourn the loss of my beloved book.

However, I recently made some changes on how I read. One chapter every day, but what do you do when the book you're reading has extremely long chapters that wander aimlessly if you read the entire chapter in one sitting?

I admit, the book, when read in 5 page clips, is interesting. However, once I flip passed the 5th page, all words go back to the observation of frogs, birds and snakes. I hate when I like a book, but don't love it. I believe if I keep reading, it will get better, but I'm not a fan of describing anything ad nauseum. I like using my own imagination to envision the author's experience.

Yesterday, I used my sister, YogaGirl's way of reading books at a fast pace by skimming or gleaming over the words to get a general direction where the author is heading. In fact, YogaGirl's method is known by others and we have nicknamed her method of reading as "YogaGirling It" (we actually use her last name, but since I don't reveal names in my blog, YogaGirling It, says it all).

After I YogaGirl'd the last 20 pages of the book, I felt as though I cheated on my book. I really wanted to know the ending, wanted to see how the author would tie everything up in a fashion I'd prefer, but was so disappointed when it wasn't in a nice, neat package. I felt let down.

So, here's my question: Would you "YogaGirl" a book or just break-up with it and stop reading?

Where the Hell is Spring?

2011-03-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 29, 2011.....

Can someone please tell me? Several weeks ago, I saw a glimmer of warmer weather with the thermometer hitting 68 degrees and then the snow hits the day after my crocuses make an appearance.

Luckily, it snowed several days and nothing stuck to the ground unlike the snow in New Jersey (close enough to my home that its weather report is shown on my local newscast),the weather is deceptive. I look outside and see the beautiful blue sky, sun beaming and whammy freezing temps as soon as you walk out the door.

Never mind the PA groundhog, my neighbor's cat really mislead me. Why did she start peeing in my front flower bed if Spring wasn't officially here? It's just wrong.

I'm told from my personal weatherman, a.k.a. my husband (watches all things weather related) that it's going to get warmer by week's end. His exact words: "it's supposed to get nice, warmer". What does that mean? Warmer than 20 is 40, but I'm optimistic and believe he means 60.

Applying the Laws of How I Travel to the Laws of My Marriage

2011-03-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, March 28, 2011.....

When I have traveled with people, other than family or significant others, I've noticed I take on a somewhat polite demeanor when arriving at a final destination about what I want to do. I think it's because I want to go with the flow while on vacation and also don't want to be the alpha dog always making the decisions for all parties concerned. I can tell you from personal experience this happened to me and was annoying because I was always second guessing if this person was really having a good time or not. In this case, the person was unhappy due to circumstances having nothing to do with me prior to stepping on our airplane, making them unavailable to make any type of travel decision.

From this experience, I adopted the cardinal rule of traveling: each person traveling has to pick 3 things they want to do prior to the destination. It's agreed that all traveling parties recognize and respect the desire of the other party(ies) and, if able, all parties partake in the entire 'must-do' list. Sometimes, lists overlap one another, sometimes it doesn't. My cardinal rule of traveling also allows for alone time so people aren't on top of one another 24/7. This allows for an independent visit to a museum or additional time on the beach, but it is critical to have this built in to the schedule.

This past weekend I applied this to my marriage. On Thursday, I asked hubby what 3 things would he like to do with me over the weekend. At first, this stumped him, but when I shared my list with him (cleaning front yard, walking at a local state park and cooking one of his meals together this week) he understood the question better and agreed with all my suggestions. However, I could see he was just being agreeable and told him to think of 3 things he wanted us to do and because I had already selected 3 things, he could have 3 independent things. He thought about it and chose 2 of my selections and added making granola bars together. As the planner in our family, I explained to him that whatever he wanted to do required him to ensure we had everything needed to do the project together (in this case, the ingredients).

I'm a big believer in doing things together, but I also believe one shouldn't be attached at the hip 24/7. This gives us a way to come together and enjoy the company of one another, but also allows time to read or meditate (okay, that's what I like to do).

Do you believe in spending 24/7 of your free time with your significant other or do you need some breathing room? Just curious.

My Take on Etiquette for Funerals in My Hometown....

2011-03-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

Friday, March 18, 2011......

This weekend my sister, YogaGirl, is coming into town for a wake and funeral. I'm going to the wake (note: the person that passed away lived a very full and long life) with her, but not the funeral. However, although my sister is 4 years older, I've attended far more wakes and funerals than she has and had to verse her on how wakes/funeral roll in our town.

When I was telling my sister my etiquette when it comes to attending wakes and funerals, I realized how truly odd and bizarrely funny my hometown is when handling death....

Let me explain... Our town has divided itself into 3 funeral homes: one for the Italians, one which the Irish use, and a Polish funeral home(although the Polish one was purchased in the past few years by the Italian one). My sister didn't know this and found this really funny when I explained it to her. I guess I never really thought how strange it sounded until she started laughing. For me, I just knew this because of all the wakes I've attended at these funeral homes. My Italian friends would never think of using the Irish funeral home and vice versa. Personally, I'm French Canadian and would hope that my ethnicity wouldn't deny me entry into any of the homes (oh wait, I live in an entirely different town now and don't have to worry about this strange admission procedure).

Once we got passed this topic of where the wake was going to be held, we discussed my take on how to go to a wake properly. My wake etiquette is as follows:

1) I try to go early so I don't have to participate in the prayer part of the wake, if Catholic, this can go on-and-on if the priest is chatty (don't laugh, I've been tortured at a wake where the priest's prayer went on for the last hour of the wake - and it was boring and had nothing to do with the person).

2) I never know how long you linger at the casket, so I devised the following plan: I kneel, close eyes, clasp hands and say the Our Father and Hail Mary prayers. I figure this is enough time at the casket. Also, I never really know what to think once I'm kneeling and openly admit that in the past, I've giggled or conjured up my to-do list for later. I figure this could be wrong and might not sit well with the guy up above.

3) The volume of your voice should be the same volume you would use in a library. It's just that simple.

4) If you attend a wake at the Italian funeral parlor, most people will go out for pizza down the block.

Other things I had to tell my sister -- Yes, most people go to the graveside service after the funeral. No food and drink are served after the wake (actually, I think my exact words were: there is no tray service at the wake) and when she goes to the graveside, she'll be putting a flower on the casket.

Over the years, I've gone to numerous wakes and funerals, but the best and funniest wake story I have involved my mother. The scene: mom and I attended my neighbor's wake. She was a woman 30 years my senior who had a long life, but very ill at the end and seen better days. We both go up to the casket, pay our respects, and within seconds of moving away from the casket, my mother turns to me and tells me how pretty I am. I look at her with disbelief that she'd pick this moment to tell me I'm pretty. I wanted to laugh, but waited until I relayed this story to my sisters before laughing over the irony of the compliment. I mean, I hope I looked better at that moment than the dead woman in the casket.

I Wish Morgan Freeman Could Talk Me to Sleep Every Night....

2011-03-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday, March 17, 2011....

If you've been following my blog, you know I suffer from insomnia. I have a horrible case of it and am on a never-ending search for a cure.

There is one thing that naturally puts me to sleep and it is the sound of Morgan Freeman's voice.

I love the movie Shawshank Redemption for it's storyline and acting, but when I'm exhausted and can't sleep, I'll go into my living room and pop in my Shawshank dvd. I'll fast forward the movie and pass the courtroom scene where Tim Robbins is given his sentence of life in prison and start the movie right at the point where Morgan Freeman starts narrating Andy's life inside Shawshank.

It's not long before I'm lulled into a deep sleep, but only while the movie is playing. Once off, I wake up and start the process again. I've put the movie on repeat, but that doesn't always guarantee me a complete night's sleep because of the lights from the t.v. screen (and call me crazy, but I do enjoy sleeping with hubby in our very comfy bed). I'd love a guarantee and figure the only way is to have Morgan's voice piped into my bedroom soothing me to sleep.

If NASA can put a man on the moon, why can't someone invent the Morgan Freeman sleep sound machine? I can't imagine I'm the only human being that has watched his movies to help them sleep.*

*Note: Mr. Freeman, I watch your movies for the entertainment value and enjoy every minute of your performance. Using your movies to help me fall asleep is a last resort added benefit and not the main reason I watch your films.

Newest Infomercial I Love....

2011-03-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, March 16, 2011....

If I haven't mentioned this before, I love infomercials.

I admit I used to watch the latest infomercials on Sunday and calling my sister to recap all the latest and greatest gadgets you can buy. Some were ridiculous, and others...well, I would totally get sucked in and want to buy the product.

Last night, as my husband was flicking the channels to find something to watch, he stumbled upon a mini infomercial for Easy Feet (Easy Feet).

Basically, you stick this device to the bottom of your shower or on the wall along the side of your tub (if you want to put your feet up the side wall into the contraptions), drop soap into some hole and move your feet back & forth in the Easy Feet device to clean your feet and remove calluses.

Ummmm....wouldn't your feet slip once you put soap and water on the plastic shoe? Also, if you stick the Easy Feet on your shower floor, you can't really turn around in the shower because of the suction cups on the bottom of them (I don't about you, but I have a tendency to want to rinse shampoo off my face and have to turn to face the shower head - I know, call me crazy).

Although, I won't be purchasing Easy Feet, it did catch my attention. Who knows, it may be the next new Snuggle.

Famous Footwear - New Haven, CT Store Opening

2011-03-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 15, 2011.....

As a girl on a limited budget, always looking for ways to save money, I was pleasantly surprised to receive this email:

Famous Footwear is opening up a new store in North Haven Pavilion this Saturday, March 19. We have some exciting promotions for you! Shoppers can download an exclusive discount coupon to bring with them to the Grand Opening Event online at Famous Footwear. The first 100 shoppers to present this coupon in the store will also receive a handbag that’s stuffed with fun goodies. There will also be tons of fun activities on-site and multiple chances to win prizes - including FREE SHOES!

Famous Footwear Grand Opening

North Haven Pavilion – 210 Universal Drive, North Haven, CT 06473

Saturday, March 19

10:00am – 4:00pm

I hope one reader, wanting some shoes gets to use this coupon and wins something.

The Art of City Walking....

2011-03-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, March 14, 2011.....

Saturday, I was in NYC and am always in awe of how you need to walk while in NYC. I should note, there is a big difference between walking the city streets on a weekday versus a weekend day.

Although, I was in NYC, I've noticed there is a special rhythm for walking in a major city. For me, walking in NYC reminds me of riding the bumper cars at an amusement park.

During a weekday, the streets are packed with people just trying to get from point A to point B at top speeds. You need to maneuver around and through groups of people at a high speed because...I'm not sure why, but you just have to walk at top speeds. If you're slow, well, you might be bumped off the curb.

On a weekend day, the tourists arrive and look at every building. Personally, I try to avoid Times Square whenever possible, but especially on the weekends. The tourists, people with strollers and slow walkers walking 3 to 4 people across the entire sidewalk can easily make me lose my mind. Unfortunately, NYC doesn't necessarily bring out the best in me.

I find I nudge people to move over more than I'd like. However, if I don't weave in-and-out of people or nudge them, I can easily be pushed off the sidewalk because they don't know how to share space or be hit by a taxi if they crawl a snail's pace in a cross walk.

I think a good city walker has perfected the pace AND knows something I don't do well -- they know to look straight ahead and not at the ground like I do.

Although I love NYC, I wish I could just blink my eyes to transport myself all over the city without injury.

Kathy Griffin

2011-03-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

Friday, March 11, 2011.....

I was going to post about a stupid commercial about dog food you refrigerate, but realized I am going to see Kathy Griffin tomorrow night in NYC with YogaGirl and thought it better to post about that.

However, that dog food commercial really pissed me off. Is it necessary to create a special over priced everyday dog food because you have to refrigerate it? Seriously, my ex-mother-in-law's dog ate the cat shit out of the litter box if you weren't keeping an eye on her. Also, dogs lick their balls. So, do you really think they're going to notice the difference between food you keep in your cabinet or food that needs to be kept in the refrigerator??? Pleasssseeeee......

Wait, this post is meant to be about Kathy Griffin and I strayed (no, not like a dog to the special food), but I had to get my thoughts about the dog food commercial off my chest.

So, tomorrow night, while YogaGirl and I are at the Kathy Griffin show (3rd time I've seen her), I am hoping she makes me laugh so hard, I forget about the stupidity in advertising these days.

One last thing about the show tomorrow night...I'm wondering if Charlie, Lindsey Lohan's or Mel Gibson's latest bout with the law will be at the top of her list to talk about.

Kathy should probably thank all 3 as it gives her material that writes itself.

If You Think No One is Looking, Think Again....

2011-03-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday, March 10, 2011........

Yesterday, I was stopped at a traffic light when I noticed 2 young guys on the opposite sides of the street. One was on a man's bike (this is important to know because a man's bike is designed with a bar connecting the handlebars to the seat)and the other was crossing the 4 lane street to talk to the guy on the bike.

As I was waiting for the light to change, I was watching these 2 guys and noticed the guy on the bike wheeling around while waiting for the other guy to cross the street. As soon as the guy walking across the street made it to the curb, the biker guy, biked back towards the sidewalk and rammed hard into the curb. This caused him to come off his seat and land 'HARD' on the bar between the handlebars and seat. I'm only guessing he landed hard on the bar because he immediately grabbed his 'man package' and bent over.

I laughed. I laughed hard. I laughed because any moron would know not to ride at a high speed into a high curb unless you're into pain.

So, if you're in a crowd of people you don't know, and are doing something stupid, trust me, people are watching. Expect to hear laughter.

Things Your Mother Failed to Teach You....

2011-03-09T00:36:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, March 9, 2011.....

At various points during my childhood, I got various lectures from mom and dad of what I shouldn't do. For instance, as a small child, I was told never to talk to strangers or eat the candy apples or rice krispies in my trick or treat bag (just a note here, who has the time to make this stuff? Isn't it easier to just pick up a bag of snickers at the local drug store).

As I got older, the messages kept coming, but all having the underlying fear of God or death in them (btw, if you haven't already guessed, the Halloween candy apple message had the underlying message of death in it). Messages I heard:

- don't do drugs because you'll die

- don't have sex because you'll get pregnant or VD and basically your life will be over (note: AIDS was just on the scene and my parents didn't know about it).

- don't have sex before marriage with more than one person because it makes you a slut and no respectable guy will want to marry you.

- don't live with a man before marriage because it is a sin and he won't want to put a ring on your finger because blah, blah, cow & getting milk for free, blah, blah, blah (I obviously paid no attention to this...and for the record, I lived with someone for 3 years before we married, granted we got divorced years later, but mom was so wrong).

- always wear white underwear in case you get in a car accident. I have to ask, did anyone else get this message from their mother? I swear she left me with the impression that if I did get in a serious car accident the first thing the medic was going to do, was going to ripe off my underwear and use it as a tourniquet. I now know medics come fully prepared and won't need my underwear for any medical bandages.

However, with all this advice, mom never gave me the most important advice: cleaning is harmful to your health.

It is, and I have a story to prove it.

Last week, I convinced hubby, okay told him, he was going to help me clear out some kitchen cabinets above the fridge and help me move the fridge and clean under it (btw, how often are you supposed to do that?). Well, he handed me all those dishes I never use because I can't get to them and put them in the dishwasher. Once the cabinet was cleaned out, I told him I needed to load the dishwasher and I'd call him when I was done to help me pull out the fridge. I loaded the dishwasher and armed with Windex (the world's best cleaner) I got on a chair, leaned forward to reach over the fridge and get into the cabinet -- then WHAMO. The chair slips out from under me, and long story short, I jam, break or sprain 3 toes.

It's been over a week and they still hurt, but the black and blue is much better.

The morale to my story is: my mother filled my head with impractical warnings and if she had only warned me about the hazards of cleaning, this accident may have been avoided. However, I was wearing white underwear while I had this accident...AND again, no need to use them to make a tourniquet.

The Pitfalls of Me Selling Me....

2011-03-08T00:06:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, March 8, 2011....

Recently I interviewed for a large company in an industry I've never worked in. I knew I could transfer my skill set into this company, but am terrible at telling people how valuable I could be to them if hired.

I'm actually in awe of people who can do this. If able to really voice my skills without fear of being conceited, the employer would know I'd be a great choice to add to their team. Instead, I remembered my mom's words from childhood and downplayed my abilities.

My mom would constantly tell me that it is wrong to talk about how talented you are at something. Others should tell you, and for her, she wanted constant praising of her looks, abilities, etc... It was years later, in therapy, I learned that talking about your accomplishments doesn't make you conceited or arrogant, and at times I remember this, but not the other day.

I wish I had listened to the words my therapist taught me and gave myself the permission to really cite certain examples of why I'd be asset to this company. Instead, I didn't. It's stupid because I know I love to learn and when tossed into unknown territory, I learn everything I can and have a strange comfort in having to be on my toes at all time.

I also know, after going to the wrong gate for this interview, I will NEVER be able to take a job giving directions to others. Luckily, the gatehouse guard understood how directionally challenged I was and made the directions easy to follow. She knew North, South, East and West were terms I couldn't relate to and used 'left' and 'right' to get me to my final destination.

I hope it works out in the end. I'd be excited to work in a new industry and I really enjoyed the people meeting the people I'd be working with. I could tell our personalities would mesh and it was a drama free zone.

For Most Spring Means the Crocus are in Bloom....

2011-03-07T00:07:00.000-08:00

Monday, March 7, 2011....

I guess that is true, but for me. For me, it is when the neighborhood cat returns to use my flower bed as her litter box. Nothing says Springtime like opening your front door and inhaling the delightful odors of cat pee.

It really does wonders in facing the world and starting the day - NOT. Instead, it just creates a stinky odor by the entrance of my house and does not do anything to scare away the woodchuck, bunny or deer that come by throughout the gardening season to feast on my veggies. You'd think the cat would serve some purpose by scaring off future animals from wanting to enter my yard and crush my hopes and dreams of having the world's best veggie garden. Unfortunately, she didn't get the memo that she doesn't live here and her owners have a litter box for her use. She also hasn't read Emily Post for cats and realized if you're going to pee in someone's yard it should be out of direct line of said owner's nose AND pee in areas where other animals terrorize the nice homeowner to deter them from wanting to take one step further towards my garden and eating everything I'm trying to grow.

However, this year, I'm prepared. I need no cat pee. I'm armed with the knowledge of cayenne & soap will deter Mr. Woodchuck, Miss Bunny and pack-of-deer from the garden. I will spray as soon as plants are in the ground so my 'friends' know I mean business and go away.

Let's face it. I'm on a mission for a veggie garden this year.

I'm determined and have announced to my husband I will beat the animals. I say it with conviction, and he, just laughs at me. Harsh. But, when I'm eating my yummy heirloom purple tomatoes this year outside, I'll have the last laugh or won't, because I'll need a nose plug because the cat will have recently use the flower to do her business and I'll be trying not to smell cat pee.

It's Been Some Time Since I've Had a Really Good Stupid Rant....

2011-01-21T07:17:00.000-08:00

Friday, January 21, 2011.....

Yesterday, as I was looking for a parking space at my local grocery store, I happened upon the stupidest mother yet....or one that obviously doesn't grasp the concept of cause and effect.

Let me explain....

I was driving my car at a slow parking lot speed, however, this still means the motor is running and the car is moving while I drive down one aisle of parking spaces to find a spot. I'm not going fast, but the CAR IS STILL MOVING.

Now that you have a visual of a slow moving car in a parking lot, you should know I don't always find a space in aisle 1 and need to drive down another aisle requiring me to drive around a small corner to go down the next aisle. However, when approaching a curve, there is often a hidden spot drivers can't see, and, in my case, it was the world's stupidest mom with 2 small kids (we're talking kids as tall as the top of the hood of my VW Passat - so not that tall).

Luckily, I'm driving slow parking lot speed because her kids were running in the area where cars are permitted to drive. As I'm turning the corner, she sees me, sees I'm coming her way, and you know what she does....yup, you got it, NOTHING.

What's that about? I was thinking to self why isn't this woman corralling her kids to the side out of the path of the car? Does she want her kids to come face-to-metal with a car that is much heavier than her small children? Didn't she learn from her mom you don't run towards the moving car but away?

If 1+1= 2, doesn't she recognize a moving car + kids running into said moving vehicle = dead, flat or injured kid?

I don't think I'm dating myself by thinking it stupid to let kids run into traffic (I'm defining traffic as any area where there are moving vehicles in your path), but maybe I am dating self and just don't know it.

Letting Go....

2011-01-05T03:07:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, January 5, 2011.....

During my recent 21 day cleanse, I came to the realization I was spending far too much time avoiding my issues by taking on the issues of others. Part of it was because it may have been easier to tackle an issue belonging to someone else, but I think a great deal of it has to do with Catholic Guilt.

Although I was raised Catholic, I don't believe you have to be Catholic to have this infliction. In fact, I think Catholic Guilt should be renamed to: Life Sucking, Soul Crushing Guilt.

For the past 45 years, I've suffered from a horrible case of Catholic Guilt. Always feeling guilty for not pleasing someone and often putting me in situations where I was doing things I didn't want to out of self-imposed obligations.

No more.

I need to focus on moving forward and going after the goals I want and/or need to be happy. I want my financial freedom back, and for me, this means being far more creative in the cover letters I send off to companies for jobs I know I can do, but aren't necessarily spotlighted of my resume. However, I'm not putting all my focus on the corporate world.

I've also decided it's time to reinvent and take charge of the direction of my life. Do something I love. Take a leap of faith. I've decided to follow one of my passions, and am pursuing training to become a certified Personal Chef.

I started yesterday and openly admit, it's a bit overwhelming and scary to think I'm on the way to starting my own business. There's so much involved to getting the business off the ground, but I've been smart enough to realize I can't do it alone and have reached out for support.

So.....what does establishing my financial freedom have to do with letting of my Catholic Guilt? A lot. Between searching for a job in the corporate world, studying and setting guidelines for getting up and running as a successful small business, I am making sure I satisfy my soul with the spare time I have by doing the things I need to be happy.

If I know in my heart I am doing something that resembles me doing something out of Catholic Guilt, I am not going to do it. I guess some would call this selfish, but you know what, if I don't learn to put me first, I won't move forward.

I Survived My 21 Day Quantum Wellness Cleanse

2010-12-22T04:11:00.000-08:00

December 22, 2010.....

I survived. Better yet, I succeeded with the 21 Day Quantum Wellness Cleanse. As a lover of all things butter, meat and diet coke, I was able to go vegan/sugar/gluten/alcohol and caffeine free for 21 days.

If anyone followed me on Twitter, you'd know I almost lost my mind at times; thought the tofu in the fridge was mocking and had a fear of soy milk.

Well....

I have to admit, I still have a fear of soy milk. I don't care what anyone says, you don't always get used to something. I grew up on powdered milk and HATED it. In fact, I can't bring myself to drink anything less than 1% milk and wished my husband would love 2% as much as I do. Nope. He's a 1% guy and has a stronger argument why 1% is healthier for you. Dang it for him being right.

I also learned to put less salad on a plate than most people. Because I eat slowly, I found out it took forever to finish a huge plate of salad AND my jaw would get tired.

However.....

I did find out I like tofu, but haven't mastered cooking it.

I also found out I really like this rice/gluten free protein shake I was having for breakfast.

The cleanse was more than just food. It had me setting aside time to meditate, declutter my home environment, visualizing (basically, learning to focus on my goals and make a game plan to succeed).

In the end, my skin feels great, I lost weight, feel calmer and happier, and realized I often focused my energies on other people's problems as a distraction to avoid mine. I've learned I can't do that anymore. This doesn't mean I can't be sympathetic, but it does mean I have to set up boundaries or it will distract me from focusing on what I should be doing. Besides, I also discovered when confronted with a friend's situation that was extremely difficult and unable to help, I was emotionally drained. It think, actually know, I would do this in the past and won't going forward. I realized it's okay to sympathize, or even emphasize with someone, as long as it doesn't consume you.

When I started the cleanse, I thought I was depriving myself because of all the food groups I was giving up. However, I was wrong. What I failed to see was, creating a strict dietary guideline and forcing myself to do the other things that are part of the cleanse, I was actually taking the time to care and celebrate me.

Will I do this cleanse again? Absolutely. I will probably do it twice a year. Am I becoming a vegan? Absolutely not. I do plan on serving less red meat per week, and possibly go meatless 2 nights a week.

Christmas Movies.....

2010-12-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 20, 2010.....

For the past month, I've been watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel and Lifetime. They pretty much have the same underlying theme, and all have a happy ending. Yes, I'm a sucker for light movies with happy endings especially this time of year.

You have to understand, I'm an extremist in much of what I do. I love either really deep, dark movies such as Clockwork Orange, Monster, Boiler Room, Seven, etc. or happy romantic comedies that most guys run from.

However, Christmas is the one time of year, I exclusively watch happy movies and have 6 movies that are an absolute must watch during the holiday season. They are:

Bachelor Mother with Ginger Rogers and David Nivens (1939)
Christmas in Connecticut with Barbara Stanwyck in 1945
It's a Wonderful Life (which is now a tradition for hubby and I to watch on Christmas Eve)
White Christmas with Bing Crosby
Holiday Affair with Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum (1949); and
When Harry Met Sally with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal

What are your must see holiday movies?

1/3 of the Way on My Vegan Journey.....

2010-12-08T02:24:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, December 8, 2010.....

Today begins my 8th day of my Quantum Wellness Cleanse, or what I like to call my Quantum Leap Cleanse, and I'm still doing it.

For the first few days, I MISSED my diet cola. I had headaches and was unusually tired, but I got over that. However, what I can't get over is how much I miss eggs.

It's puzzling to me, but everyday, at some point in the day, I'm longing for a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. I have to admit, bacon and real cheese and bread is something I would enjoy, but it's the egg I fantasize about most. Go figure.

In addition to the food part of this cleanse, I'm really enjoying meditating. I've meditated on-and-off for a number of years, but making it a priority in my day is great! However, I will admit, the days I was going through my caffeine withdrawals, I, ummmm.... feel asleep in the middle of the practice.

I started walking with hubby at night, but now that it is very cold in Connecticut, I'll be heading to the gym.

Other parts of the cleanse include visualization with action, decluttering, massage and it may even include yoga (I got close to watching a yoga dvd, but didn't).

I've noticed that I'm a bit calmer, at peace and am able to focus a bit more, but will I go vegan? Highly doubtful since I dream about eggs.

Happy Birthday YogaGirl!

2010-12-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 6, 2010....

Happy Birthday to my big sister, YogaGirl!

I am the youngest of 5 and am fortunate to have a sister I call a close friend. We are similar, yet different, and can't imagine a day going by without talking to her.

As kids, we shared a room. She had the unfortunate blessing of a little sister that wanted to hang out with her and her friends whenever she could; play with her Barbie dolls and try on her make-up. [note: my sister is shorter than me so stealing clothes never happened].

She would tell me stories at night so I'd fall asleep and I'd always be thrilled when the French Fry Monster would pay a visit whenever my dad would take us to McDonald's. It wasn't often, and I'd purposely order them so the French Fry Monster would come and snatch them away when I would pretend not to be looking (I'm probably one of the only kids that grew up disliking french fries, popcorn and mac & cheese).

As we grew up, I followed in her shadow and cursed her name with my high school french teacher that would say: "You're nothing like your sister, YogaGirl". I would always comment she was correct, and utter under my breath that is why my parents gave me own my separate name.

After college, we grew closer. We seem to balance the other and never pass judgment on the other. We talk about everything and nothing and admit that some of our greatest conversations have revolved around the latest and greatest info commercial.

I considered myself to be blessed to have such a great friend and cheerleader/supporter who just happens to be my big sister.

Happy Birthday YogaGirl! I can't imagine how much of a gap there would be in my life if you weren't my sister....

Going Vegan and Other Things for 21 Days....

2010-12-01T05:52:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 1, 2010.....

In several posts along the way, I've eluded to the fact that stress from being unemployed has taken a toll on me. It's hit me with insomnia, depression and for the past several months a horrible, horrible skin rash. Who knew that stress could trigger a person to have itchy skin? I didn't, until I thought I was losing my mind from all the scratching, mostly while I slept.

To make a long story short, I caved and went to a dermatologist when I could no longer stand the pain. I hate doctors. Not personally, but it seems that when I get sick, it's not a minor ailment, but often something off the beaten trail. Basically, I'm the person who makes up that one or two percent of the population who get the side effects (i.e., I have partial paralysis from Bell's Palsey which is rare).

While I was struggling with my rash (translation: fighting hubby about going to doctor), I (and my sister YogaGirl) noticed that I was sad. It was true for months, because of pain I could have controlled, I was depressed. I think it was a combo of pain + no sleep = glow glums. During this time, YogaGirl suggested I fast or cleanse because I've always had some sort of food sensitivity. She thought a cleanse would help me feel better. However, I wasn't mentally able to wrap my little mind around this concept.

Now, I am.

In fact, I'm feeling better (thank you Dr. dermatologist) and found a cleansing program that was more than just food. Granted, I have to give up alcohol, sugar, caffeine, gluten and animal products for 21 days, but this is just a stepping stone.

I read Kathy Freston's Quantum Wellness Cleanse book a.k.a. to me as the Quantum Leap Cleanse and liked what she had to say. She talked about the importance of exercise, expressing your emotions in a healthy manner, taking time out to put a smile on your face (this can be just singing in your car when alone), decluttering, meditating, etc...

I really think her book spoke to me because years ago, when I had money in my bank account, YogaGirl and I would escape this time of the year to Canyon Ranch where I ate healthy, worked out, pampered self with spa treatments, journaled a lot and really took the time to decompress and re-evaluate my life. I always ended up leaving refreshed and vowing to establish boundaries with work. Ummm...that usually lasted about 2 months.

I know I miss that. I can't afford Canyon Ranch, but for 21 days (which turns out to roughly be 0.13% of my total life so far on Earth) I can shake it up a bit.

It should be interesting because I'm a caffeine, animal product whore. I love my diet coke and believe butter is necessary when cooking.

To hold myself accountable during this process, I've decided to twitter my progress. If interested in following my journey, you can find me at Twitter user name is Joanie922orLMB.

A Letter to YogaGirl Regarding Thanksgiving.....

2010-11-24T04:21:00.000-08:00

November 24, 2010......

Dear YogaGirl*,

Why do you torture me with articles about people attending a Thanksgiving dinner Freegan Style?

I get it. I get that we waste a lot and should recycle, but I will never prepare a meal or attend a meal that has been taken from a dumpster. I've heard of the Five Second Rule, (this is when you drop food on the floor, or, I've heard this rule extends to your personal trash and the food is viable) but the Five Second Rule is not for me.

I realize I put you in charge of bringing the pies and the French Canadian stuffing. However, I'm not frightened because I know you've been working obscene hours for your company. I hope the hours let up for you after Thanksgiving, but for now, I'm happy knowing you're too busy to dumpster dive and you're not bringing Freegan take-out.

See you Thursday with fresh food.

Love,

LMB

*Note: YogaGirl is one of my sisters.

How Much Does Digit Dialing in a Restaurant Annoy Me?????

2010-11-22T21:11:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 23, 2010....

A LOT!!!!!

Seriously, I don't get people who are at dinner with a friend or loved one and take or make a phone call. I understand emergency calls, but that's not what I'm talking about. It's the people that have this NEED to answer their phone and chat about nothing, or others who call a friend when their dinner partner has gone to the bathroom and they can't sit at a table alone for a whole 5 minutes.

Personally, if I accept an invitation with anyone, I'm in the moment of being with them and enjoying the conversation. I don't feel the need to multi-task and talk with as many people as I can in an evening. Call me crazy, but I find that behavior a bit rude.

I bring this up because I was picking up some take-out Chinese and noticed 2 ladies sitting at a table having dinner. One was on her cell phone laughing it up while her dinner companion was just sort of sitting there. I wonder if she was as annoyed as I was just to see this behavior.

I'm not the etiquette police, but I don't think I'm off the mark in stating digit dialing in a restaurant is just wrong.

Blimpie: More Than Just a Sandwich Shop.....

2010-11-22T09:36:00.000-08:00

Monday, November 22, 2010.....

I have to confess, unless I'm set out on a mission to people watch, I'm pretty oblivious to my surroundings. For example, my ex-neighbors painted their home from blue/grey to pale yellow (or vice versa) and when a friend of mine (who I hadn't seen in awhile) picked me up one night for dinner, he asked when had my neighbors painted their house. Taken aback, I looked at the house and said they hadn't. He made me ask them the next time I saw them, and sure enough, they painted it 3 months earlier.

Anyway....when I unintentionally notice something you know it's been going on for quite some time.

This past weekend I went to Blimpie's for a sub and while I was waiting for them to wrap up the sandwich, I looked around and noticed the people eating in the shop. Single men around the age range from 55 to 65.

What really struck me as odd is that a couple of months earlier I remember I made the same mental observation.

They say single people should go to bars, grocery stores or join an online dating service (that's how I met hubby), but.... if in your late 50's or early 60's, maybe a stop at Blimpie's is the place to go to meet your true love.

Who Says Lady Luck Doesn't Have a Sense of Humor......

2010-11-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

Monday, November 1, 2010.....

This past weekend I purchased a Powerball ticket. The lottery was $82 or $87 million and I felt a little lucky.

I have a system when I check the numbers; first the Powerball number than the rest of the numbers.

- No luck with the PB number

- Rest of numbers read: 1, 7, 27, 36, 49

I had: 2, 8, 28, 37 and 49.

I kid you not. Yes. Welcome to my world.

On a positive note, the veggie garden has been cleared out and compost spread out over it.

The Art of People Watching.....,

2010-10-20T22:37:00.001-07:00

Thursday, October 21, 2010.....

Often, I find watching people when they know they're not being observed to be very fascinating. Wait. Let's just clarify something...I don't own a telescope or peep in the windows of my neighbors. That type of peeping is wrong.

I'm talking about observing people when they are being truthful because they've let their guard down. I've seen this a lot with mothers bending over strollers trying to calm down a screaming baby and noticing how the mother is talking slower and calmer to her child. It's her behavior that lets me know she's hoping her child is just cranky and nothing is really wrong.

Yesterday, I observed a couple when leaving my local Starbucks. They hadn't a clue I was watching them, and in fact, I wasn't when I entered to get my coffee. Yes, I did make note of them. Probably because they were sitting outside and were just getting up from the table as I was entering. However, I didn't really notice them until leaving.

See, they lingered getting to their cars. Linger in the sense that you knew these were more than 2 people grabbing coffee. They were "secretly" together.

Their body language, plus the way they made their way to their cars let me know, one, if not both, were married to another. It was much more than the obvious goodbye kiss that gave them away. The way they touched, leaned into one another, walked each other back and forth to their respective cars, were among the many signals this wasn't a normal relationship. I can't explain it, but I just knew.

I don't know if people realize how much their body language reveals about them. I wonder if they know it's what you don't say that tells the true story. I also wonder if they did; if they'd act the same way.

Life On Hold....

2010-10-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, October 20, 2010...

Before I start my post, let me just tell you, I heard back from the puzzle people and they will send me a whole new puzzle once I send them the UPC code. I have to do that, but am happy they were quick to respond to me.

Now....About my post title....It's like this...For the past two + years, I've kind of have been living my life in limbo waiting for a job offer. I never really realized how mentally exhausting this was until recently. The best way to explain how I've been feeling is to state it's similar to waiting in a doctor's office for your appointment and he/she has you waiting for 2 hours. Sure, you brought a book, but you're running through the back of your mind all the places and things you should be doing, but can't because you're sitting in your doctor's waiting room (fyi: I've spent many hours waiting for doctors and have actually left one after an 1 hour wait).

However, you get my point.

My husband asked me tonight if I gave up blogging, and I said: "No. I just feel as if I have nothing to say".

I guess I do have things to say, but they're all to me. I need to get out of the waiting room and live my life no matter what circumstances I'm in. (fyi: still applying for jobs and have been interviewing, but no word on recent interviews).

If anyone has any suggestions how to ignore the elephant in the room (for me, it's being unemployed), please share.

Jigsaw Puzzles

2010-09-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, September 28, 2010....

Last Wednesday I turned 45. I didn't really celebrate like I normally would, but I decided to create a list of 45 things I wanted to do in my 45th year of life.

Last year, I did 44 new things and I think I tried/did 44 new things, but never wrote them down as I did them. This year, I took a different approach. I made a list of 45 things I wanted to accomplish. This list isn't a resolution list, but things I want to accomplish to lead a fuller life. Sounds easy to come up with 45 things, but it's not when you have no cash to do some things you really want to do (i.e., travel to Italy for 3 weeks or take fabulous cooking classes). Each item on the list has no $$ value on it.

Well, I've had this 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle I got years ago and figured why not finally do it. I started it last Thursday evening, and without hubby's assistance, started working on it in the evenings (note: hubby didn't want to help until last evening when there were fewer than 100 pieces left - I let him help until 40 pieces were left). Last night, I went to bed with having fewer than 40 pieces to put in. I start this a.m. and was cranking away at it until the last piece. Oddly enough, the company gave me a duplicate piece and neglected to put the piece I needed in the box.

Ummmm.... this is both frustrating and very funny at the same time. I actually wrote the company telling them of my dilemma. I'm not sure they'll care (they probably won't), but I just had to. I'll let you know if they write back (again, I doubt they will).

The Bucket List

2010-09-20T04:07:00.000-07:00

Monday, September 20, 2010......

Today marks my parents' 63rd wedding anniversary. My dad doesn't read my blog, nor do I want him to, but I thought 63 years deserves a definite congrats shout out before talking about a Bucket List.

If you haven't a clue what a bucket list is, well, it's simply a list of things you want to do before you die. It's sort of a New Year's resolution list, but better. It's all about the things you want to do, not have to do. For some, it could be traveling to Italy, for others, it could be learning yoga.

Most people in their 20's and 30's don't have a Bucket List and shouldn't. It wasn't until I was diagnosed with Cancer that I created a mental one for me. At the moment, it's on hold due to lack of funds. I may just revamp it to create a Bucket List that doesn't involve any money, but I really haven't thought about it too much until last weekend.

Last weekend, YogaGirl and I spent the weekend with our other sister, Science Girl. It was her 62nd birthday the day the 3 of us participated in the sprint triathlon and on the eve of her birthday she told us one of the items on her bucket list. Expecting it to be complete an entire Ironman competition (she's part of an Ironman relay and biking 110 miles under 10 hours) we giggled when she said to go through a corn maze.

She followed up with hiking to the base camp of some major mountain (name escapes me because I was still processing the corn maze concept and am not sure if I heard anything else).

When we returned on Sunday, YogaGirl started looking up corn mazes for my sister. I wonder if she'd settle for a hay maze? I bet those are easier to find this time of year and in my opinion safer. Didn't she see Children of the Corn?

Does anyone have a quirky item on their Bucket List? I'd be curious to know it. Who knows, it may end up on my list if it sounds fun.

A Week in Review.....

2010-09-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Friday, September 10, 2010....

I can't believe how quickly the summer went and that it's already the 10th of September. In 5 days, I begin national birthday week and for those of you remember from last year, I truly embrace the week.

This past week, I've applied for a position and was informed I was over qualified because I have a B.A. and not an Associates degree.

This past week, I discovered a new vegetable: Kale. I love it.

This past week, hubby befriended the cutest older gentleman who operates his own farm 1 mile from my house.

This past week, I had a break through in the piece I'm writing and realized it's crap and am ready to start over (seriously, I was writing a scene involving a conversation between 2 characters and I was bored).

This past week, I realized it's my sister's birthday on Sunday and I get to spend the day with her and YogaGirl participating in my first sprint triathlon. My sister, Science Girl, inspires and shows me that age should never inhibit you from pursuing your passion.

This past week, I added the "elusive" Tree Kangaroo to my Yahoo alerts. This is HUGE because the only other Yahoo alert I set up was in 2003 for the Snakehead fish. I'm still fascinated by them.

This past week, I got to know some women from my writing workshop outside our normal setting and really enjoyed talking with them.

This past week, I noticed it's getting darker earlier and it sucks.

There it is. My week in review. I hope everyone had a fun, if not, quirky week.

Talk About Passion......

2010-09-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday, September 9, 2010....

I'm always fascinated by what makes a person tick. I understand a person's desire for fame or fortune, and rarely am I mystified by what drives a person's passion. However, I was pleasantly surprised by one person.

I watched a video aired on Yahoo, courtesy of ABC, about the elusive tree kangaroo. Why? I'm not quite sure. Maybe it was because I wanted to know why a tree kangaroo was elusive. Whatever my reason, I took a few minutes out of my day to watch the video.

What was more surprising to me was the woman who is spending her time and energy to protect these creatures from extinction. She arranged for a camera crew to come and capture a tree kangaroo on film because she feels the more people know about them, the more people will want to save them.

For her, it was a visit to a zoo to see one that made her want to know all about them. I'm impressed, and am in awe of someone, who has so much passion that one look has them move to the jungles and spend their life working to save them.

I like and love many things, but no one thing jumps out at me. I wonder what it would be like to be all consumed with such passion. I wonder if it is a curse or a blessing.

Fancy Pants...

2010-09-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

Monday, September 6, 2010......

Ever come across a person that TELLS you how intelligent they are? The person who believes using words from medieval times is acceptable when having a conversation?

I have.

It's annoying as hell.

Don't get me wrong, I love when I hear people use words that we typically don't use in everyday conversation, but what I don't like is when they assume fancy words = intelligence. It doesn't.

In many cases, it leads to arrogance. Just because your vocabulary is amazing, don't assume you know everything. And when someone corrects you because they've actually worked in the field and came across the situation your were talking about on a daily basis, don't tell me "I haven't worked in the field, but know it to be true". How? How could you?

My ex neighbor was famous for doing this, but he didn't declare himself brilliant. He just wanted you to believe that he knew it all. At first, I would believe him if he talked about subject matter I hadn't a clue about. But one day, he revealed his hand when he discussed suicide clauses in life insurance policies. I worked for 8 years in the insurance industry and was a registered life insurance agent. I knew the ins-and-outs of a standard life insurance policy and called him out on it. The more he try to dig himself out of his lie, the more I'd nail him to the wall.

Prior to meeting my ex neighbor, I trusted everyone was honest and only talked about a subject when they were knowledgeable about it. Now, I know better.

I haven't come across an individual like my neighbor until I met Fancy Pants. Now I know to keep quiet, smile and realize although he though he may use big words, he could be 100% full of shit.

Best Scam Email Yet

2010-09-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Friday, September 3, 2010.....

Yesterday, I received an email from the "BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION" apologizing to me for being the victim of a lotto or a kin claim and am entitled to a large sum of money if I responded to the email because of I was a victim.

Two things that made me laugh about the email:

1) They want to give me $2.4 million because I am a victim of a scam and I just need to give them contact info; and

2) Although the British High Commission lists his email address within the body of the email, the email originated from a gmail account. I'm thinking the British gov't would not be using gmail for its electronic mail service.

I'm just glad these criminals are plain stupid.

Actual email with my comments:

BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION
The British School of Cotonou,
Haie Vive, 08 BP 0352,
Cotonou, Benin.
Email:bhighcoms@admin.in.th

Sir,(Dude if you're going to win me over, at least know I'm a woman)

REF:FRAUD VICTIM

The Government of the West African Countries (ECOWAS) under the African Union (AU) have recompensed you following the meeting held with the Government of the various countries' high commission with the AU chairman, DR.BINGU WA MUTHARIKA for the fraudulent activities carried out by her Citizens on you.

This is to cushion the effect of the present economic difficulties on you. (So impressed he knows I'm unemployed and unemployment has run out - bet he's psychic)Your email address confirms that you were among those defrauded as listed by the FBI and Scotland Yard (Wow...I've never submitted any of these to either agency) through email scam by fraudsters either as contract payment, Next of kin claims, (do you mean these weren't real?)lottery and game wins etc. By citizens of either Nigeria, Benin Republic, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea from any part of the globe where they operate from.

Be informed that a total of two Million four hundred and fifty thousand US dollars ($2,450,000.00) was allocated to you by the heads of states of the African Union as you were indicated as one of the fraud victims. Your current phone number/contact address (name John Doe, 1234 Main Ave, Anytown USA, 800-555-1212) should be made available to this Commission in acknowledgment of this mail to effect the processing and release of your fund by the nominated bank.(I bet you believe I think monkeys fly too) You can as well contact the Director in charge of the release/CEO of HSBC Bank London.

H.S.B.C
8 Canada Square Canary Wharf.
London, E14 5H.
Phone: +44 703 591 4563
Contact: Mr. Stephen Green.

Further communication between you and fraudsters should be discontinued as such will result to a total cancellation of the release of the stated fund to you. You are requested to acknowledge the receipt of this mail for proper update of the file opened for you in this regard.

Yours faithfully.

Mrs. Pauline Collins for.
Mr. Bob Dewar. (Commissioner}

Coasting.....

2010-09-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday, September 2, 2010.....

Sometimes in life it is important to do the silly stupid things. For me, one of the greatest joys I have is when we coast down this particularly long street.

I'm not sure how the game started, but it always ends up trying to guess exactly where the car is going to die out. Although the road is a somewhat busy road there are times when no one is on the road and we coast at great speeds where you have to be in the middle of the road to make this one, somewhat difficult, hairpin turn.

I wonder if my love of the coasting game has anything to do with my love of amusement parks? During my 20's and 30's, I visited many amusement parks in different states. Not sure how that happened, but it just did. Initially, I had this insane fear of roller coasters, but with each visit to a new park, I began to love to ride them.

It's been at least a decade since I've been to an amusement park. I think my car coasting game is the closest thing to a roller coaster I'll see in a while. It's definitely a stupid game, but sometimes, stupid can be fun.

My Last Meeting at Weight Watchers.....

2010-08-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 31, 2010.....

I finally found a leader at Weight Watchers I like and have been going to meetings for the past several weeks instead of just weighing in and leaving.

The topic for the last meeting was how Weight Watchers is not a diet, but a lifestyle change. To some extent, I agree with that, but I think of WW as training a person to be more "mindful" of what they are eating.

Weight Watchers has you track and count points, and when I track food, exercise and drink water, I can tell you the program works. However, I don't always stay on track or program. I hate to track what I'm eating for several reasons: 1) I have to remember just how much I ate; 2) I have to see what I ate in black and white; and 3) Often I eat things I shouldn't have and don't realize I put them in my mouth.

I think if you're mindful of what you're putting in your mouth when eating, you may eat less and I know I enjoy it more.

Now that you have a background of Friday's discussion, there was this thin woman sitting in front of me and she was nodding her head how WW is definitely a lifestyle. She was excited because she reached 5% of her goal and told us the story of her recent trip to the doughnut shop with her daughter.

She explained how WW's lifestyle mentality gave her the freedom to buy the doughnut, but not knowing the points, brought it home and looked up the point value. She divided the doughnut into 6 parts and ate 1 part putting away the rest of it. As she was putting it away, she told her daughter she could have some tomorrow as a treat.

Is it just me in thinking this isn't a lifestyle choice? Get the doughnut, but instead of eating a whole doughnut, eat half of it and then either exercise or make better food choices for the day.

I don't want to become so obsessed about eating things I love for fear of the "point value", but am learning to be mindful of what I'm eating.

Sunday, I met a friend for brunch at this place I had read about. I had a very tasty breakfast. When I got home, I looked up the point value (I'm tracking) and learned hollandaise sauce is deadly on points. Luckily, the portion sizes were not ENORMOUS and I've made adjustments to what I ate for the rest of the day.

I'll definitely go back with hubby, but may choose something else. But, I know I feel no guilt for what I ate and enjoyed it immensely.

Sometimes, people forget food can be for enjoyment. It doesn't have to be the enemy. Enjoy it, but be mindful of what you eat instead of just eating to eat. Personally, I think that should be Weight Watchers' message.

My Mind is Like a Puzzle Box.....

2010-08-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 30, 2010....

Ever put together a puzzle with 500 pieces? The first thing I would do is open the box and flip it over on a table. All the pieces would scatter on the work surface with no rhyme or reason. Well, that's how I feel....

I have a zillion little thoughts running through my head and it feels impossible to put them together into a cohesive pattern. Instead I've been trying to chase down all the possible little ideas without being effective.

Next step I'd take with a puzzle is to flip the pieces over and pull out all the border pieces and match these pieces up to create the border of my puzzle. But, with the thoughts in my head, I'm just letting them consume me and it is somewhat paralyzing and I'm beginning to understand how frustrated a greyhound would feel chasing the mechanical rabbit at a track (note: I've never been to a dog race, but that's my vision supplied from Bugs Bunny cartoons).

I decided to take the many thoughts racing around in my mind and make a border -- I need to take, and feel in control of my life. The only way I know to do so is by taking small steps.

Everyday, I am going to do something for my body, mind, soul, financial well being, career goal and dream goal. I've also given myself permission to take a day off from any of these daily goals without beating me up. This last part is crucial because I'm always beating myself up becoming frustrated and counter productive. Does this ever happen to you?

So far, I've meditated, organized my living space, exercised, paid some bills and revisited my journal.

I realize these changes will take time before I see any real results, but I feel better already.

This weekend I met Shane....Shane the goat....

2010-08-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 24, 2010....

Wow! I can't believe it is less than one month till my birthday (that shout out was specifically for YogaGirl)....

Oh yeah, where was I....

Shane, the Goat. Very cute, lovable and fond of my cotton jeans. But, I'll give Shane some slack as he is but a kidd and probably doesn't know better.

Where did I meet Shane? On our travels to Norway, NY. The metropolis of the world (if anyone knows anything about this town they would be laughing because it is that small).

Before I met hubby 4 years ago, he had a life, albeit it couldn't have been that great because I wasn't in it, but he had one. He did a lot of things and one of things was to purchase some property in the foothills of the Adirondacks and that is where we headed to.

When he mentioned camping on the property, I thought how fun until he said, I'll bring a gun because there are more bear than people and I thought WTH??? I began to wonder if my unemployed status was taking a toll on him and this was his way of handling the situation, but it wasn't.

Since the drive would pass Sharon Springs, I suggested we stop at the Beekman 1802 store. Does anyone know who the Beekman Boys are? Two guys from NYC who moved upstate to run a farm. Their show is on Planet Green and very amusing.

Unlike other reality shows, there are no cat fights or girls crying hysterically, but just a fun show depicting life on a farm and what is needed for it to work.

We decided to stop in town, eat lunch and check out their store. We bought some goat milk's soap, cheese and this great canvas bag which I highly recommend if your grocery stores require cloth bags.

The store was decorated nicely, the person behind the counter (which is a refinished piece of antique furniture) was incredibly nice and people were streaming in and out of the store while we were there.

Besides the merchandise, one thing that caught my attention while in the store were 3 people who complained how long the drive to get there was. Ummmm... I know where they were coming from and hubby and I traveled 45 minutes longer and thought the drive was wonderful (sometimes traveling country roads is just what a person needs). They were clearly disappointed that Brent, one of the owners, was not working out front, but cheered up when they were told he was in the back and would be happy to come out for a photo opp.

Yes, I love the show, but I thought it a bit odd to pull someone out from the back just for a picture. Geez, the guy was obviously in the back working on something. Anyway....that's just me.

However, I did take shots of the building because it's very cool and made friends with the 2 baby goats in front of the shop. One ate the hostas and building flag and the other loved being petted and enjoyed trying to eat my jeans.

One of the nice things that these guys state on their show and website is to go to all the shops on Main Street (there is only about 5). They are really trying to help the town grow and in this economy I like that they're doing that.

Today, I wrote them a short email. I thanked them for directing us off the beaten track to our final destination and asked for the cute goat's name. I was informed his name was Shane.

Obviously, if I'm writing this post, there were no visits by bear, just Mother Nature with rain. Even with the rain, it was a wonderful getaway and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Remember my pole dancing dream and Ernest Borgnine....

2010-08-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

Thursday, August 19, 2010....

Tuesday, I wrote about a dream I had where it was between me and Ernest Borgnine for a pole dancing gig. Luckily, I won out, but in real life he's the winner.

Last night, my sister, YogaGirl, emails me this blurb from Entertainment Weekly:

Ernest Borgnine to be honored by SAG: It's about time. "Veteran actor and Oscar-winner Ernest Borgnine will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Screen Actors Guild during the group’s annual awards presentation on January 30, 2011. It’s about time. After all, the 93-year-old actor who won an Oscar for his heartbreaking portrayal of a loveless mama’s boy in 1955′s Marty and who’s graced both the big and small screens with his smiling, gap-toothed mug is an overlooked Hollywood treasure."

You go Ernest!

Imagine my surprise at having a dream about a random actor I've never thought about, and two days later reading a heading that he's getting a lifetime achievement award from SAG. A little bizarre, but I'm glad it wasn't his obit.

Someone Please Explain this Dream to Me.....

2010-08-17T04:22:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 17, 2010....

I've been told dreams are a window to your soul, and many times, they hold the answer to some problems you may be trying to resolve. I actually agree with this statement.

In the past, I've had some dreams that were incredibly insightful, but last night left me wondering what the message was.

Last night I dreamt I was asked by a pole dancing agent [Note: I've never taken a pole dancing class] that she wanted to book me for some guy's bachelor party who was looking for an Oriental girl [Note: I'm French Canadian and about 5'7", so petite is not a word used to describe me].

Apparently, all her girls were booked and it was between me and her husband. He resembled Ernest Borgnine [Note: In my dream Ernest Borgnine was actually her husband.].

The client wanted me [Note: It's nice to know I beat out a 93 year old MAN for a pole dancing gig].

In the end, I didn't take the job -- hmmm....not that shocked, but WTH???? Why am I dreaming about pole dancing and Ernest Borgnine? I had fluke for dinner that my husband caught last weekend fishing off the coast of Rhode Island. I wonder if the fish was swimming in some scary contaminated waters for me to have a dream like that.

[Note: Until this morning when I looked up the correct spelling of Borgnine, I thought Ernest Borgnine was dead. He's not according to what I researched. Mr. Borgnine, if you read my blog, I apologize for thinking you were dead.]

Time to Relinquish My Girl Card....

2010-08-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 16, 2010....

Confession: I am not a fan of purses or shoes. There. I said it.

Yes, I'm female, but I really hate to shoe shop or to buy/change or match a purse to an outfit. However, I will admit I'm on the hunt for the world's smallest purse I can get away with carrying.

I had one and I wore it out. Now I carry my standby. A Coach bag that I've had forever, but it is bigger than I need and I'm always fishing around in the purse for the one item I need. Because it is too big for my purpose, as soon as I put my hand in the purse, things shuffle around as if they were running away from my hand. Nine out of ten times I end up emptying the contents out on the dining room table.

In the movie You've Got Mail, I was in awe of Meg Ryan's character. Sure, she was cute and lovable, but SHE NEVER CARRIED A PURSE. It was amazing. Whatever she needed just magically appeared. Money at the farmer's market "POOF". A key to get in her house "POOF". I wonder why the magic fairy purse doesn't follow me around.

I also have to admit, when I was working in an office, I did enjoy shoe shopping. There was a purpose to buying fun shoes. However, the moment I went virtual, well comfy slippers replaced the heel. Why wouldn't it? I don't think my cat cared what shoes were on my feet (unless her tail was under my foot and that happened more than I like to admit). So, it's been years and, other than sneakers and slippers , I haven't shoe shopped in probably 4 years.

Wow. I guess I'll be giving back my girlie-girl card shortly.

Writer's Workshop

2010-08-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 10, 2010....

For quite some time, I wanted to join a writer's group, but was too scared. The art of writing, while easy for some, is not for me.

Initially it was my grammar that had me running from joining a group, but eventually, it was my fear of the unknown that had me stay away from writing groups. When I say the "unknown", I mean rejection of my work or fear of not being able to finish any writing projects or knowing what I wanted to write.

So...now that we know why it took forever for me to join a group, let me tell you about the one I joined. It's not a traditional group you'd find associated with your local library or bookstore, but one run by a husband and wife team who have a business geared towards writers. They have a physical location which is open most of the day for writers to go to write instead of the coffee shop. An alternative to the noisy Starbucks or your home which offers up 1000+ distractions.

In addition to offering a place to get your writing mojo in place, they offer writing, screenplay and poetry workshops as the main portion of their business. The workshops are moderated by one of the owners who was a professor of writing at various colleges and an actor in his early career (I'm not sure if he also wrote for the screen, but would imagine that having acted on stage and screen rounds out his knowledge for his screenwriting groups).

I take the writer's workshop. I meet once per week with 4 other women and share what we have been writing on from the prior week. The three rules of the group are: come with 4 to 5 double-spaced pages of something you've been working on, you leave negativity at the door and when you offer your comments on other author's works, you have to be positive.

The moderator, Patrick, is the only one allowed to offer CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.

Constructive does not mean negative, but offers suggestions how to pump up the work, or tell you where the writing is weak.

Everyone in my group is writing something different. Some stuff I like, some I don't. However, when your only comment is to be something positive you put on different listening ears. You may not enjoy a piece on peeling sunburned skin, BUT, you can appreciate the lengths she went to show you her thoughts that run through her mind about peeling sunburned skin.

As a listener of a writer's group, you listen for the details and to see if they captured the scene.

One woman is writing an autobiography which is beautifully written even though the events she is writing about are sad. Another is starting a career as a stand-up comedian and her pieces are written from such an unique viewpoint that you find yourself lost in her thoughts. Another, a murder mystery and the other women in my group is writing pure fiction.

I'm writing a memoir disguised as fiction. There is a name for it, but it has slipped my mind at the moment. It is the period of time after my separation and how I grew as a person. However, at the moment, I'm a bit bored with the character and have been procrastinating on the character development. I just need to write and not listen to the negative thoughts and go back and edit.

The beauty of writing a memoir disguised as a fiction piece is that you can embellish the story and take great liberties you couldn't with the truth. Plus, I don't really want to hurt anyone's feelings.

What we do in the workshop besides read our pieces is interesting. We talk about the craft of writing and Patrick creates interesting and mysterious writing exercises for the group. For example...I'm told to think of a time period, another person is told to think of a setting, another to describe 2 male characters, another 2 females and finally the last person is told to describe 3 moral situations. We have 2 minutes to write down our descriptors and then we read them aloud to the group. Next is the fun part. For the next 10 minutes we write about one of the characters in the setting and time period provided with one moral issue. We are just to write. Patrick stresses this because it helps to clear the mind and lets you have fun.

The above scenario happened in class and the interesting part about it was the twist that happened because I had time period and chose the 1930's. Everyone chose 21st century situations and they had to adapt the character from a jet setting movie producer to a Broadway play producer traveling by train. For me, I could easily adapt a character into a different period, but others really struggled. It was interesting to see how difficult it was for some people to have lost control over their writing direction.

For me, the workshop is just want I needed to get what I need to on paper. I've also learned that you need to write daily on the piece (blogging, journaling and free writing are nice, but don't count). I knew this, but didn't know that it only takes 4 days for this to become habit. I'm not sure I believe this. Why don't I? Well, it takes 11 days to break chocolate cravings and 21 days to create an exercise routine. Four days seems too short (can you tell I haven't done 4 days in a row).

My biggest obstacle is me. My negative thoughts and my fear of grammar (although, I was informed POV was more important and that is why there are copy editors -- I'm still out on that one).

If you want to join a writer's group and don't have the $$, check out your local library or bookstore (both mine didn't offer one) or meetup.com or craig's list. If no luck, approach the local bookstore or coffee shop to start one. Years ago, when I had a small dried flower business, I approached a local craft store to give dried flower wreath workshops and gave 2 of them.

If you have a fear of talking in front of a group and really want to do this in a virtual atmosphere - The Next Big Writer offers you this option.

If you have any questions, just ask. I'll try to answer.

Monday Mish Mash

2010-08-09T02:39:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 9, 2010.....

Where have I been? Here. Doing things, but nothing to get me in the police blotter of the local newspaper or anything worthy of receiving a medal. However, I've had a lot of little things/thoughts go on so I'll share....

1) A Moment of Jealousy - Yup. You read that right. Here's the scenario...Several weeks ago my friend sends a blast email out about a new fridge her and her hubby were selling. Long story short, they bought 2 fridges because the first one was too big and in the end, made adjustments to the kitchen so this fridge could fit. So why am I jealous??? Well, I live in a 1940's Cape Cod style house and the rooms are very small and all appliances are small! The size you'd buy for a Barbie Dreamhouse. In fact, I'm taller than my fridge...translation: I'm always cleaning, reschuffling or reorganizing the fridge out. It's annoying. Is it too much to ask the refrigerator god that when I open the door of my fridge I can a) see what's in there; and b) easily place a new item on the shelf.

2) Started going back to Weight Watchers again. Although the first meeting went well, my body already went into alcohol makes me feel icky mode. Saturday night, I had a friend over for her birthday and made some blueberry vodka/lemonade/presecco drinks (in addition to champagne cocktails) and Sunday, I paid for it. I wasn't drunk Saturday night, but was exhausted from going out the night before for some great reggae played at a local street festival. Champagne always gives me killer hangovers (typically, they start the same night) and yesterday was no exception.

3) YogaGirl is in Scotland and it's weird not talking to her daily. Although, I heard from her yesterday and she's having a great time. She even tried haggis which won't be on her must have foods -- something about an odd after taste.

4) Writer's workshop is going well and actually pushing me far out of comfort zone. I'm a girl that likes to give you the basics of a situation, but don't elaborate on the details and that's what I need. I need to describe a room my character enters or an item of clothing I focus on, but in much greater detail. For instance, I may write about an enormous purse one character may own and it is important to the scene, but I need to describe the detail (e.g., designer, color, plain vs. glitz). At first I didn't understand why, but now I do. Details help the reader round out the person. However, after years of writing from a legal perspective, I'm a girl that likes to write in short, concise sentences. I feel the rest is over sharing (just like this paragraph), but am glad I'm doing it. It is making me ponder over the detail of the scene and where the character is headed.

Okay, that's the end of my mish mash for the moment. There's probably more on my mind, but it's early and I'm not a morning person. Basically, thinking is at a minimum before my caffeine.

Rant and Rave Wednesday

2010-07-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 28, 2010....

Any readers following me on a regular basis know if it's Wednesday, it's time to Rant and Rave about the past week. Without further adieu, here are my Rants and Raves from the past several weeks:

Rave: The new season of Mad Men started up.

Rave: There has been a slight break in the weather here. It is still hot and humid, but not as unbearable as it was last week.

Rant: I invited my dad over for lunch on Sunday for 1:00 p.m.. While chatting with hubby at 9:20 a.m. (he was in kitchen and I was on computer), he's like your father is here and I was like ha, ha (my dad is known to show up early) and when he opened the door and I heard my father's voice, I was like 'Oh Shit' -- I wasn't dressed and wasn't quite unprepared for him. Hubby and I planned on running some errands before he came. My dad's only comment was "I know I'm a little early". A little early??? Hello? Try 3 1/2 hours early. Wonder what he considers to be very early.

Rave: Caught up with some friends for dinner Monday night. One I hadn't seen in over a year.

Rave: A very fun food pantry dinner party last week.

Okay, that's it for me. I would love to read any Rants and Raves you want to share? Just click on the linky thing for anyone that wants to participate in Rant and Rave Wednesday -- or leave them in the comments section here. Please, please be respectful and do not use the linky thing if you are just promoting your blog (yes, this is another Rant of mine).

Rant and Rave Wednesday

2010-07-21T06:51:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 21, 2010....

Any readers following me on a regular basis know if it's Wednesday, it's time to Rant and Rave about the past week. Without further adieu, here are my Rants and Raves from the past several weeks:

Rave: Great day in NYC on Saturday.

Rave: Another Food Pantry dinner tomorrow night with good friends.

Rant: I'm living on the set of Disney's Bambi 2 (I added this in for people who might jump to the thought that this may be the name of a porn movie). I was having issues with Woody in my garden, but he invited guests: Bambi, Thumper, Stupid Ass Squirrel (SAS) and both Chip and Dale. Chip and Dale are not the offenders, but SAS has gone after the tomatoes - he pulls the green ones off the vine and takes 1 freakin bite. He thinks it a nut and then when he discovers it is not, he leaves the tomato on the ground. Bambi ate 1/2 the tomato plants and squash leaves and Thumper the rabbit, the Brussels sprouts and squash blossoms. Like a crazy woman, I caught the squirrel in the act and chased it away earning the title crazy squirrel lady.

Rave: Melatonin. I posted something about insomnia several weeks back and many said to try melatonin. I had heard it was good from several others and thought I'd give it a shot. It doesn't help me fall asleep faster, but does keep me in a nice uninterrupted sleep once I do fall asleep.

Rave: If you haven't voted for LiLu for MTV TJ (see left hand nav bar icon) please do so. MTV is taking votes until tomorrow afternoon and wouldn't it be great to see a blogger fulfill her dream.

Rave: Loving my writer's workshop. I'm learning so much from the moderator (English professor) and pushing me to do more.

Okay, that's it for me. I would love to read any Rants and Raves you want to share? Just click on the linky thing for anyone that wants to participate in Rant and Rave Wednesday -- or leave them in the comments section here. Please, please be respectful and do not use the linky thing if you are just promoting your blog (yes, this is another Rant of mine).

A HUGE Pet Peeve of Mine.......

2010-07-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 20, 2010....

I know I typically rant and rave on Wednesdays, but there is something that just bugs the crap out of me.

When I call to talk to you, don't ask me about other people you're too lazy to call -- especially if you know my relationship with that individual is strained...

Don't expect me to share all details of my life if you're not willing to tell me anything about yours. Seriously, I'd be happy to share the details of my life with you if a) you were willing to listen; or b) willing to have a two-way conversation and tell me anything that is going on with you.

There. I'm done.

Oh, before you tell me to confront this person, I have. They know it, but think it's excusable behavior. I almost believe they think it charming.

An Excellent Saturday.....

2010-07-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 19, 2010.....

It's been awhile, but Saturday was the perfect day. I headed into NYC with YogaGirl, and my gf, A, for dinner and a Harry Connick Jr. concert. I should have known the day would be great when we had no problems zipping in via the West Side highway. In fact, we got in earlier than expected allowing us to have some outdoor cocktails.

We had reservations at Jonathan Waxman's restaurant, Barbuto, and we easily agreed why he was on Top Chef Masters and well respected from the other contestants (but I'll get to that a little later).

First, we stopped at some bar in Chelsea and had the most refreshing summer cocktail outside -- it had blueberry Smirnoff vodka with lemonade topped with Presecco and fresh blueberries - a wonderful and refreshing summertime drink, but I imagine dangerous since they went down easily.

After 2 cocktails, we headed to Barbuto, but stopped along the way to give our opinion to a bunch of groomsmen asking us who was the hottest in their tux -- I lost count, but I'd say around 8 cuties all just loving to flirt with us and bridesmaids giving the dirty pout face to them for flirting (definitely opposite their counterparts). The guys were definitely funny and an interesting NYC sight.

We got to Barbuto, a little early, but were seated right away. Both Jonathan Waxman and his cookbook were out in plain sight. Because I was buying his cookbook (thanks YogaGirl), Mr. Waxman came to our table, introduced himself and signed the cookbook. I have promised my gf that one month I will cook every course from his cookbook for my Food Pantry dinner.

The restaurant is a very casual place with large garage door type window walls allowing staff to create indoor-outdoor seating. Jeffrey (world's most fabulous waiter) made great recommendations. My gf and I started with tempura fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with zucchini risotto on a bed of roasted baby corn and argula. Yogagirl had some sort of salad and trusted Jeffrey's recommendation about the gnocchi.

He assured me they wouldn't be heavy and they weren't. They were light and amazing. My gf had lamb and Yogagirl had his signature roasted chicken -- every dish was out of this world. I had fresh fruit for dessert and my sister and gf had homemade Italian chocolate pudding which I believe had hazelnut in it. Jeffrey was kind enough to put a candle in my gf's for her birthday. Combine great food with 2 bottles of white wine from Umbria and great conversation and you have the perfect meal.

All the food was amazing, and I didn't notice until telling my husband the next day there wasn't any salt or pepper on the table. But everything, I mean EVERYTHING, was perfectly seasoned. Unlike our last experience with a Top Chef restaurant (Craft can't hold a candle to Barbuto)we were able to have an entire tasty meal and were not given a muffin on the way out.

After a FAB-U-LOUS dinner, we hopped in a cab and headed to the Harry Connick Jr. concert on Broadway. There was a 15 minute intermission, but he played for 2 1/2 hours having special guests sing and play with him. Years ago, I saw his dad sing with him at Tanglewood and got to see him sing again. It's obvious where Harry gets his talent because his dad can bring down the house. Other special guests included his daughter, Kim Burrell and Lucien Barbarin (amazing trombonist) who played with Harry. Even his youngest daughter, Charlotte, told a joke to the crowd.

At the end, he brought the crowd to our feet and everyone was clapping and having a great time, and, if anyone has been to a HCJ concert, there was some definite ass shakin (a definite trademark of his, if not, it should be).

The whole day was amazing and very much needed. I can't wait to cook from Jonathan Waxman's book for friends and will play Harry while cooking to remind me how fun I had Saturday, July 17th in NYC.

Question of the Week....

2010-07-08T05:58:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 8, 2010....

I've decided to make Thursdays my "Question of the Week" day because I always have questions and am always interested in people's answers.

This Week's Question is: When was the last time you faced and conquered your fear that was within your control?

Some fears you can control, some you can't. When diagnosed with cancer in 2004, I had a fear of the outcome and I did what I could, but had no real control of the outcome.

It was at this point I realized I wanted to control the things I could because I hated feeling powerless. Basically, I didn't want the fear to control me, but me to control it.

Since 2004, I've t some of my fears (e.g., firing a gun) and my conjured up vision of what it was going to be like wasn't even close to the reality of doing it.

Last night I faced or embraced another fear. I joined a writer's group. I've had a fear of writing for others (yeah, I know I have a blog, but I don't face anyone and read my words out loud), always second guessing my abilities and assuming it's not good enough.

I'm glad I went. It's a small group and the moderator is interesting, but the feedback was incredibly helpful and, contrary to what I envisioned, I didn't suck. However, I will admit, years of drafting/amending legal documents does change how you write fiction. I have to shift gears, but it was good to hear that my structure was good, character was one they were pulling for and they were curious to see what happened next.

Whatever happens I know I needed to do this. It will force me to stop making excuses and give myself permission to just write no matter the outcome.

So....When was the last time you faced and conquered your fear that was within your control?