Day 79 - I Don't, I Don't, I Don't

Great news today from researchers on the subject of weight loss - not a new wonder diet, not new news on weight loss inducing food, nope this time, they say it's all about words.
The experts issued a report today that showed that you could lose up to 15% more weight by simply choosing the correct response, just 2 little words that supposedly will make a big difference. When being offered those extra delicious double frosted, caramel filled double chocolate cream cheese cupcakes,  instead of saying, "Thanks, but I can't, you should reply, thanks, but I don't".
Apparently if you slip and say, I can't, it is indicative of self-deprivation, and supposedly can lead to eating more. However, if you say, "Thanks, but I don't," this leaves the dieter with self confidence as it infers the choice was yours, not forced upon you by the diet.
As hubby and I continue to try to cut down, and the weight seems to be coming off in ounces, I think we will embrace this new research. We will practice saying, I don't, when offered that yummy piece of cake, or that perfectly chilled glass of white wine or that dish full of Cadbury eggs that only make an appearance at this time of year. Maybe if we practice enough, we will actually believe it. Somehow, I can't picture myself convincingly saying I don't to any adult beverage, especially those that are perfectly chilled and served in stemware. I'll practice double against the eggs, I swear.

Day - 78 My Time is Valuable, Ergo - I'm Rude

I was in a department store today, and when I was all set with my purchases and ready to leave, it seemed that everyone else in the store decided to check out at exactly the same time. Although this particular store has 14 registers, only 4 were open, the lines were about 6 deep. Everyone understood the drill, stand in line, wait your turn and hope somebody in management notices and opens more registers. Everyone got it, except for one woman, who very loudly started to carp about the fact that she was standing in line, while more registers should be opened. Don't you know, her time was valuable, she was there on her lunch hour, why don't they open more registers? From the time I was standing there, it possibly could have taken 3 minutes for additional cashiers to get to the front and open registers. When the first new check out line was opened, this rude broad, elbowed the elderly woman in front of her out of her way and made damn sure she was the first person in the newly opened check-out, still bellowing about how much time she had wasted having been made to wait in line.
No one said anything. Me included, except I did ask the woman who had been elbowed out of the way if she was OK. When did it become socially acceptable to be rude? And when did we all decide to just tolerate it?  That nasty woman should have been ashamed of herself. But I don't think shame plays a big part in our world anymore. There was a time when how you conducted yourself in public not only reflected on yourself but also your entire family. I don't think that happens much anymore. One theory may be that we all have been inundated by stories of road rage, and the person who simply loses it, so we assume that it is better to let things be, keep ourselves safe. In doing so, we have allowed the rude people of the world free reign. I often wonder how miserable these people must be with themselves, if such inconsequential things as a line in a department store puts them in an outrage. So sad.

Day - 77 - No Ifs, Ands or Butts About It

Above woman in custody for self surgery & injecting women with industrial silicone

I firmly believe that everyone has a right to do whatever they want to with their own bodies. If anyone wants to tattoo their neck, butt or other private places, fine by me. If someone wants to increase the size of particular body parts who am I to say that it is wrong?  And if someone feels wonderful after having a face lift that makes them look like a deer in headlights, so be it. But when women show up at a hotel, with $2,000 in hand to attend what is being called a pumping party, I begin to question their mindset. Apparently, in Philadelphia there is a woman, not a doctor, not a nurse, not a medical person of any kind, a woman who has absolutely no credentials whatsoever, who for $2,000, will inject your glutimous maximus with (1) silicone or (2) super glue or (3)some other unknown substance in hopes of  creating the ideal derriere, a butt lift so to speak. I don't know about you, but before I let someone pump me full of some unknown fluid, I think I would ask about their credentials. And I think that I would be smart enough to question the broad when she was filling the  hypodermic needle from a tube of super glue .
One woman actually died from this procedure, and another was hospitalized but thankfully will pull through. But I have to question the mindset of these women for even going to the hotel for a butt lift in the first place. What were they thinking?
At my age, everything is not where it once was, I blame gravity for that. So truthfully, I probably would be considered a prime candidate for a butt lift. Not going to happen. But let's say I did want to have a butt like J-Lo, somehow I don't think my 1st option would be to participate in a pumping party at my local Holiday Inn. I think I am going to keep what I have, it's all behind me anyways, so for the most part I can ignore it!

Day - 76 Don't You Just Love a Good Smell?

Smells. There are some that just bring you back to when you were a kid. Just like some songs can bring memories floating back, I think smells do the same thing.
Clean sheets that have been dried outside brings me right back to childhood. There was nothing better as a kid than climbing into a bed newly made with clean sheets.
English Leather cologne for men brings me right back to my high school days, and to this day, whether it's a good looking dude or some derelict on the street, if he is wearing English Leather, I stop, I look, and I sniff.
Whenever I cook turnips, the smell brings me right back to my Grandmother's flat and Sunday dinners where turnips were a staple. The same goes for Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder, when I get a sniff of that, it totally reminds me of my Nana.
I remember the smell of the house whenever my mother was cooking a roast pork. There was a wonderful smell that permeated the entire house, and I could hardly wait for that dinner as she would cook potatoes in the drippings of the pork roast, something I really loved. I have tried to replicate it, but alas, to no avail. Maybe today's pork roasts are different. I don't want to admit that it just might be my cooking skills.
I find it amazing that certain smells can take one back in time, but they do. Whenever I enter a bakery, I think about the one that we shopped in Jamaica Plain, I'm pretty sure that what I am remembering is the smell of bread baking, but tons of memories come flooding back. I know as a kid  my mom would only go there when it was her night to be the hostess of her "club". She overbought so there were always bakery yummies to be had the next morning, along with the non-pareils that were never fully eaten, same goes for something known as Bridge Mix, which I loved as a kid.
I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies today, and the smell in my kitchen brought me right back to when we first bought this house, and I made every cookie my kids would eat. Not that I was trying to be super mom, I just happened to have 2 kids who were allergic to milk, so it was easier for me to bake their treats than worry about them getting something they shouldn't.
Time has a way of flying by, I like the way smells kind of slow things down and force you to go down memory lane. A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

The Supreme Court  of the United States has a case before it that is of great interest to me. In a nutshell, the court needs  to decide if 14 year olds should be held accountable for murder. It is a difficult decision. Child psychologists say that the brains of 14 year olds are just developing, and they stress that they truly don't understand what they are doing.
And part of me empathizes with the mothers of the murderers, and if it were my child I would not want to see them imprisoned for life.
But what if you were the mother of the murdered child/man? How would you feel then? I had a nephew, father of two, who was working at his second job,at a gas station / convenience store when 3 underage thugs decided to rob the store. They shot and killed him for a grand total of $46 and as many cartons of cigarettes as they could physically carry away seeing as none of them were old enough to have a driver's license, so therefore, no get away car. All were  well under the age of 17, all knew or thought they knew, at the time that they could not be tried as adults, thinking if they were caught, the most that would happen to them was that they would be sent to what is known as "Juvey". Fortunately, the law had been changed earlier that year, and these 3 are now serving life sentences in Florida for brutally murdering my nephew.  My nephew, father of 2, who was working a 2nd job so he could attain the American dream of buying a house.
I shudder to think that perhaps an adult, (anyone over the age of 18), could talk someone younger into being his lookout/accomplice/killer, and use the theory if you are caught, don't sweat it, you are underage and by law the cops cannot touch you, and probably adding that if you are caught the most that will happen is juvenille detention.
I applaud the state of Florida for taking a stand. I wanted justice. And with the current law on the books in Florida, I thought it was served.
I believe the current law makes the potential killer take pause if he thinks there will be serious repercussions. Without consequences, many more will mourn lives taken too soon.



http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/kuntrell-jackson-evan-miller-jailed-life-14-supreme-164654442.html

Day 74 - Want to Smell like the Pope?

OK, I confess, I like to browse the style pages of certain sites. Although I am not trendy, or what one would call fashionable, I do enjoy reading about what's hot, what's new and who is creating what.
I was browsing my favorite style site and I must admit that I was surprised to learn that the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI has his own personal cologne created specifically for him by perfumer Silvana Casoli. It is a blend of grasses, limes and verbena as the pontiff prefers the smell of nature. Because it was created specifically for him, and not necessarily for the mass market, there is no brand name associated with the cologne. As a marketer I feel compelled to name it. How about Eau de Peaup, SinFree, Pa-pal  no. XVI ?
However, personally I think this cologne would be a really tough sell. Every ad for men's colognes generally feature skimpily clad women fawning over the just spritzed male, somehow I don't see that happening for Pope Benedict's potion.
As a Catholic, I was taught many things about the church and its history, must confess I don't remember Sister Mary Francis ever sharing that the pontiff had his own cologne. Learn something new everyday.

Day 73 - Time to Outlaw the Trout Pout

I blame Angelina Jolie. She has naturally luscious lips, which I believe are directly responsible for the epidemic of overstuffed, over puffed trout-y pouts being seen on actresses everywhere.
I first noticed the phenomenon with Melanie Griffith, in fact, I did not even recognize her with her massive lips, and it was nearly impossible to understand what she was trying to say when being interviewed by David Letterman. Next, I could not help but notice that troubled bad girl, Lindsay Lohan showed up with lips that looked like someone had punched her in the mouth. There was a California based talk show host named Lisa something who showed up on Dancing with the Stars whose lips, I swear to God, entered a room a full second before she showed up. Now we are watching a series called Unforgettable, and the star actress, Poppy Montgomery, who is lovely to look at, and a fine actress has the same collagen filled lips which makes it difficult to understand her, as all I can think of when she is on screen is why in hell did you puff your lips? Then I remember Angelina Jolie. Can't you just see these folks walking into their local plastic surgeons wearing the requisite I don't want to be recognized dark glasses, and the Greta Garbo floppy hat, clutching a picture of Angelina Jolie and begging the surgeons to make their lips as luscious as hers. And when their lips do not turn out exactly as they wanted, why don't they say something? Why don't they tell their sad lip story to the press? Oh, I forgot, those giant overstuffed lips makes it vertually impossible for them to talk!
I guess as long as vanity reigns, plastic surgeons will abound and the trout-pout will continue.

Day 72 - Daytime Boredom

I missed writing on my blog yesterday due to the bum back. It was impossible to sit for any length of time, so typing in front of a computer was out of the question. Today I feel like I am on the road to recovery, however, truth be told I do think this is going to be a slow process. And what can you do when you are flat on your back? My choices are to (1) to read or (2) to watch the boob tube. What I have noticed is that daytime TV is a black hole. I end up watching designers create new kitchens and bathrooms for either outrageous sums of money, or for next to nothing. I watch people trying to buy houses and complain when their $800,000 doesn't buy what it used to. I also find myself watching people pawning stuff, people picking for antiques and people trying to lose exorbitant amounts of weight via gastric by-pass surgery. To be truthful, mostly, I turn the TV on, put the recliner all the way back and doze. Could be the combination of the drugs I'm taking coupled with the oh so boring daytime TV that makes me so sleepy. I must have a GA-zillion channels, and there is nothing to watch. I cannot wait until this back feels better and there is no need for my arse to be planted in this recliner. On the other hand, I have been able to catch up on my reading... I have already finished one book, and most likely will go through about 4 more before I am up and about.

Day 71 - Oh My Aching Back !

I hurt my back today. Not by doing something exotic like bunging jumping from an incredibly high bridge, or slalom skiing down a steep mountain, nope the oh so exotic way I chose to throw out my back was to simply step out of the shower. I slipped, caught myself before I could fall, and immediately felt the pull in my right hip couipled with the ever so lovely tingle that ran down the length of my leg culminating at the tip of my big toe. This has happened to me before, once when leaning across a desk to close a window, and the other time I simply bent to my right to load the dishwasher.
I am always surprised when something like this happens, and really do not appreciate the pain and the carefulness that I must go through waiting for everything to return to normal. Very easy to feel sorry for myself. I am taking medication, I have an icy cold patch on my derriere and I have been in the recliner with the heating pad propped against my back as I am attacking this with all my might to avoid the shot in the buttocks that was needed the last time my back decided to go out. And I am remembering the sage advice the ever so young Dr. Doogie Howser gave me, at your age, if this happened once, chances are that it will happen again. I hate that he prefaced his statement with the phrase, at your age. At least this time I know what to do.
How do athletes continue to play with bad backs? Years ago I remember Larry Bird laying on the sidelines trying to stretch out his back so he could get back into the game. I am doing  a similar thing, except it's not the sidelines, it's a leather couch, and there is no game - just want to get my pain free life back. Yet once again I am being waited on by Hubby. I am gong to owe him big once I get back onto my feet. Looks like there might be brownies or some other sweet delight coming his way.

Day 70 - Wow, I was Skinny & Hubby had Hair

I think one of the niftiest inventions of the digital age is the digital frame. I received one as a gift for Christmas this year, and I am becoming obsessed with it. I love that I can load photos and watch a slide show.
I am going through boxes and boxes and album after album to find photos that could be deemed digital frame worthy.
Today I found a photo of my 3 kids with their paternal grandmother and great grandmother which I can hardly wait to show their children. I found pictures from my college days, when I was much thinner and my hubby still had hair. I'm wondering if the grand kids will know who these folks are. I found pictures taken at family gatherings and weddings of relatives who are no longer with us. It's nice to have those photos, taken at a happy time.
I am slowly assembling a group of photos that need to be scanned, named and then added to the flash drive. I need to make sure to identify the people and the year of the photo in the name of the actual photo file, as time passes and people no longer remember who was who. So this does take time. The best thing about this process, is once I am done, I will no longer need to worry about them fading, or sticking to the plastic in ancient albums. And with today's "saving to the cloud", even if we suffer a disaster, all my pictures will still be safely stored there. This week, after loading the initial photos to the frame, I stood at the end of my kitchen counter and watched the show, I thought I was standing there for about 5 minutes, in actuality it was more like 30. I totally got caught up in watching and remembering, an easy thing to do. Once this project is complete, I probably will be standing at the end of my counter for hours.

Day 69 - Wagga Wagga - So Sorry

A tree is completely hidden by hundreds of webs/spiders

If it isn't bad enough that you happen to live in a city in Australia with the name of Wagga Wagga, these days it seems you have to share your pristine countryside with millions of invading Wolf spiders. What appears to be snow covered fields (see photo) in actuality is thousands of spider webs.


photo by Daniel Munoz - Reuters

The explanation for all of this is that flooding in other sectiosn of Australia has caused a mass migration, and it appears the arachnid's travel agent said that Wagga Wagga was the place to be this time of the year.
I cannot even begin to comprehend what the residents of Wagga Wagga (makes me giggle every time I type it) are going through as I freak out if I find one of these critters invading any part of my house. I have been known to utter a colorful phrase or two when encountering one of the little buggers. 
If I ever awoke to something like this, I would immediately think that I was being punked. And once realizing I wasn't, I would wait for the National Guard to arrive, as this definitely would
be considered an invasion and I would want them to rid the nation of the marauding mites! All I can say is I will never again complain when it snows, at least it won't be snowing spiders, ewwwwwwwwwn- gross!

Day 68 - Yum - Corned Beef & Cabbage

I am of Irish heritage, and it occurred to me today, that we as a people are not renown for our culinary skills when  compared with other cultures. The Italians are superb with their delights such as lasagna, spaghetti, manicotti, and so many kinds of sauces and pastas that it would take forever to sample all of them. And the French, well they have Julia Child promoting them, and their sauces and exquisite pastries. Even Asian cultures have enough of a distinctive collection of culinary delights to open restaurants dedicated solely to their recipes. But the Irish, not so much. Sure there are plenty of Irish pubs, but between you and me, I think the emphasis has always been more on the pints and the whiskeys than it has been on the menus. However, there is one meal that the Irish do well, corned beef and cabbage. It has to be simmered slowly, loaded with pickling spices and the veggies must be cooked in the same pot as the meat so they have time to absorb some of the flavor. I do like a good corned beef, and today hubby and I went to a local pub and I totally enjoyed the huge plate of perfectly cooked corned beef and cabbage served with non-mushy carrots and potatoes that still had the skin on them. I relished every single bite. This pub makes the absolute best Reuben, but only serve corned beef and cabbage on 2 days. They serve it on a a pre-St.Paddy's Day celebration, which was today, and then again on Saint Patrick's Day. We went today so as to avoid the more boisterous crowd that tends to show up on the Day itself. I have to praise the Irish, they may not have an extensive menu, but what they do have is outstanding! And not for nothing, I need to give a shout out to Irish coffee, which when it is made well - just a wee bit of heaven.

Day 67 - Love the Must-Have Gadgets

Now tell me who hasn't had the need for something just like this when attending a cocktail party? Trying to hold a Tapas plate, dip into that salsa or just shake hands with somebody while trying not to lose a drop of your favorite adult beverage can be one helluva challenge.  Wouldn't you want to spend a quick $24.95 to have your favorite vin du jour hanging on a lanyard from around your neck, there when you need it, right? They show this nifty gadget pictured with a male, I am thinking that perhaps this clever item may be more challenging for an overly endowed female.
I admire the ingenuity of the person who came up with this idea, and the salesmanship of the person who talked the editor into featuring it. Must be one great sales guy, or one dumb editor.

Day - 66 Happy Birthday to Oreo Cookies

Happy Birthday to the Oreo cookie, it turns 100 years old today. I remember my Uncle Jimmy, also my Godfather, showing me the correct way to separate the cookies so you could get to the creamy filling. He taught me that you should never try to pull them apart, instead try a little twist, then lift - and voila the one cookie is suddenly two, and just prime for licking off  all the luscious deliciousness of the center, or better yet, scraping it across your front teeth and depositing what seemed to be a giant glop of center sweetness right onto your tongue. I remember taking those cookies, sans center, and dunking them into milk and stuffing them into my mouth while trying not to drip milk down my chin.
I don't know when I outgrew Oreos, but I did. I cannot remember the last time I ate one. This past holiday season, I made truffles and mint Oreo cookies was one of the main ingredients and I did not eat one of them, not even tempted. But they did make the best chocolate dipped mint chocolate truffle. Quite a hit this past season.
Congratulations to the Oreo, as it has survived 100 years and is going strong. Not too many brands can say that. I think Oreos and Hershey bars (something else I outgrew) bring back nothing but fond memories for me. Not too often a brand can do that. Long live both!

Day 65 - Pipe Dreams about Pippa

OK, I am becoming more and more a frustrated at the rate the pounds have been coming off since the first of the year. It seems to me that they have been coming off excruciatingly slow. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to have shed 10 pounds, but it seems to me that with giving up the goodies that I have, and introducing more activity to my life, this old broad should have lost double that.
So I have been investigating the diets that the stars and celebrities say are the best for them, and frankly, I don't think they are for me. When it takes a dictionary to explain some of the foods on the diet, I know instinctively that I am not going to go on that program. Others call for going back in time and eating like the cavemen, probably a good idea for some, but I am Irish, and I like potatoes and the potassium they bring to me. And I do like toast, oatmeal and rye breads. These days, however, all in moderation.
I glanced at the diet that Kate Middleton, her mom and sister went on just before the big wedding this past Spring, and if it could guarantee me the memorable derriere of Pippa, I might consider it, but at my age who am I kidding, that is nothing but a pipe dream. (or more appropriately a Pippa Dream)
So, for the time being I am sticking to what I am doing and am hoping that by the end of the year there will be less of me typing on this laptop.

Day 64 - Things I Know to be True

These things I know to be true:

• If by chance I drop my morning toast, it will most certainly will land jelly side down.
• When I actually get around to bringing my car through the car wash, we will have an unbelievable rainstorm with tremendous winds that blow all the dirt right back onto my car.
• When I finally announce that I am going to start dieting, we get invited to a party with the most sumptuous food and desserts.
• The minute I start running the water into the kitchen sink for a quick clean up, I need to pee.
• The moment I add the last ingredient into a meatloaf, and my hands are immersed in the mixture, my nose will itch.
• After spending an entire day cleaning windows, invariably I have a fly-by, and voila, instant bird poop on my sparkling panes.
• Just when I make up my mind to purchase via Groupon, I get the message, sorry last one sold.
• If there are 4 lines in the check-out and by chance I get to the shortest one, it is a given that the person in front of me picked merchandise without a price tag.
• If we intend to go to a restaurant that offers an early bird special, we generally miss it by about 5 minutes.
• If there is some kind of animal poop on my back lawn, chances are pretty good that I am going to step in it, usually bare footed.
• If I wear a new, pricey outfit out to dinner, you can bet your bippy that there will be food dropped on it somewhere.
• And if I buy clothes that say, "Do Not Place in Dryer", it's a given, that hubby will be doing laundry that week, and I end up with something that might fit one of my grand daughters.

Day 63 - I'm Sorry, So Sorry, Please Don't Take Your Ads Away

I must admit I do not listen to Rush Limbaugh, I think I became weary of his same old same old schtick about 15 years ago. He sure has the knack for saying things that will get his name into the news. There is a part of me that thinks he has perfected this act, and when his ratings start to slip he deliberately says the most outrageous things and waits for the fall-out. Keeps his name in the news, now doesn't it? Ratings, right?
What bothers me most about this most recent tirade of his is that he picked on a female law student, equated her to a prostitute, used her given name and finally  went on to call her a slut.
Limbaugh has gone too far this time. The outrage he is hearing is not just coming from women he labels as femi-nazis, it is coming from women throughout the US who are fed up with him belittling women. Women took to Twitter, Facebook and other social media to let Limbaugh's sponsors know that if they continue to support him by placing ads on his show, then women would boycott their products. Within a 24 hour period he lost 4 major sponsors and it was anticipated that there would be more to come. So what did Limbaugh do late today? He issued an apology. Right. He is sorry that his pocketbook was taking a beating. I do not think any of this will stop his vitriolic rants, but I am proud that the women of this nation would no longer stand for his nonsense, and got him where it hurt the most - his bottom line.

Day 62 - You May Be a Winner

Has anyone else received their final, final, absolute final notice from Publisher's Clearing House that they may be a winner? We are sooooooooooo thrilled that almost everyday this week we have received a notice, a pamphlet and a complete package letting us know that we could be winners. They even let us know that we were the "chosen ones" in our zip code. So everyone else who lives around us, so sorry you're just plain out of luck.
I don't know just exactly how we got chosen, as we never have officially entered the Publishers' Clearing House sweepstakes, it simply must be that they thought we were just good people and they thought that they would be kind to us. Sure that's it.
They reminded us that the big winner is to be announced live and featured on TV later this month, so I guess I am going to have to cancel all of our commitments for the month as I really want to be home when they come a callin'.
Now we have never purchased anything that comes with the PCH mailings, and they say right up front that buying stuff does not increase your chances of winning, so that's good to know. I can hardly wait for the van and the flowers and the confetti. You do think that they'll bring confetti, right?
When I wish upon a star tonight, I'm going to wish that PCH never got a hold of my address, and perhaps now that they have it, maybe someone will help me out and accidentally delete me from their mailing list.

Day 61 - Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow?

Since I have been unemployed, I have been toying with the idea of completely changing my hairstyle. Changing my look.  What I would like is a style that takes relatively no effort on my part, but still looks fabulous. I had a scheduled salon appointment today, and after applying the magic color, the stylist asked me, "what are we going to do today? Are we cutting?" And I so wanted to say yes, let's cut the whole thing, let's go crazy, instead I mumbled, I don't know, what do you think? I know that it is my decision, but as much as I want to change, I consistently wimp out. I had no cut today, simply went in and eliminated the tell tale greys that form in a lovely path down the middle of my head creating a look that resembles a skunk. Not especially attractive.
I came home from the salon and hit all of the Internet sites that show shorter hairstyles, and all that did was make me more confused. When I am in the salon, I admire all of the short hairstyles that women choose, and I wonder if that particular style would look good on me. But I always drag my feet, as my hair grows at a snail's pace and if I choose unwisely, I will have to endure the look for quite a while.
So with no cut today, my hair will most definitely be ready to at least be cut the next time I visit the salon. So who knows, 5 weeks from now I could have an entirely new look, or knowing the ever so conservative me, I could have a trim. Sometimes it stinks being conservative.