I give opinions on all sort of random stuff EXCEPT religion and politics...two of the most divisive topics on the planet. I give advice and answer questions (like an advice column), and I love the topics of all things spiritual and metaphysical, parenting and general life issues. I'll review products, movies, books, you name it.
Enter your email address in the blank below and click submit to subscribe to my new posts via email.
I picked up Dance Off the Inches at Wal-Mart for $9. I'm trying to get a well-rounded collection of reasonably possible to do exercise videos.
On Amazon, there are not yet any reviews on this video, so I just took a chance. The price was right, it's approx 40 minutes long, which is plenty, and since I had taken Zumba classes before, I thought this might be right up my alley.
I promise that I will update and continue to use this video periodically to let you know how I adjust to it.
Day One: I didn't make it all the way through. There is a "basic moves" section and I went through that once. Then Stella Sandoval puts it all together in a routine. It's pretty much just an aerobics routine set to sort of the elevator version of Latin music. Just beats. Which will get boring in a quick second. The camera does not spend nearly enough time on the footwork, and the goal would be to master the footwork first before adding arms...or at least it always has been. So why spend so much time elsewhere?
I did this first run barefoot on a bare floor. But when I got hot, it was a bit too sweaty to maintain traction. So I'll have to wear socks or shoes...we'll see which works best. It is hard to do pivot turns in rubber soled shoes.
I did sweat, but I was really frustrated and felt like an idiot. But anything new makes me feel that way. So I will keep trying. I think I need to focus less on the overall workout, and maybe just run through the basics a couple of times for my workout until those feel more solid. As you'll see in this video, some of the steps/moves I struggled most with were the box step, and that hip circle, move in a circle thing...I look like an undulating hippo and it feels all wrong...I am not catching on to that yet.
My initial impression is that the video is a dud that would not sustain interest in the long run. But I will report again when I do it next and keep you posted on whether or not it feels like I master it.
* I have available to me, literally, only a 4x6 area of bare floor in the room where the TV is. That's it. So it's got to work in that amount of space. In terms of my fitness level, I'm average to below average. I have experience in my lifetime of being very fit and of exercising with regularity. But those days seem to be gone. I'm a start/stopper. I may exercise nearly daily for about 6 months in the spring and summer and then nothing in the fall and winter. It just seems to be my pattern. And I'm not out to make myself be something other than who I am. I need to learn to respect my own rhythms. While I could stand to lose about 50 lbs, I'm pretty darn healthy overall. And my goal is to stay healthy. I want to, increasingly, learn to make better food and activity and life choices. I'm not setting weight goals, I'm not restricting myself or pushing to achieve something that I know I won't maintain. Just health and self acceptance.
Erma Bombeck is no longer with us, but I grew up reading her newspaper columns and her books. She was one funny lady who truly knew how to laugh at the ordinary, everyday absurdities that would make us cry if we weren't laughing.
This is a piece she wrote that was not humor-filled. It touches me to the core everytime I read it. A classmate of mine in grad-school who is also the mother of a special needs child, gave it to me during a time when I was really struggling (more than my usual ALWAYS) and feeling like nobody could possibly understand. I appreciate that gift from her, of reaching out to me when she knew I needed a lifeline. With these words that encouraged and affirmed.
Please enjoy. Thank you to my friend, and thank you to Erma, and thank you to all the parents out there who fight the good fight and feel blamed and misunderstood. You, we, are all special.
The Special Mother
by Erma Bombeck
Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit.
This year nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?
Somehow I visualize God hovering over earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation.
As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth; son. Patron saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally He passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."
The angel is curious. "Why this one God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God, "Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."
"But has she patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll handle it."
"I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has her own world. She has to make her live in her world and that's not going to be easy."
"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
God smiles, "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect - she has just enough selfishness."
The angel gasps - "selfishness? is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word'". She will never consider a "step" ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle, and will know it!"
"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice....and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing My work as surely as if she is here by My side".
"And what about her Patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in mid-air.
God smiles, "A mirror will suffice."
as I completed this, I discovered that I had already printed this poem in a blog post in October of 2009. I guess that's the hazard of a middle aged woman writing a blog for anything surpassing about a week. I repeat myself. Forgive me. It's still worth re-reading. I never tire of it.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Sieg Larsson is a murder mystery. More than that it is a murder mystery with financial espionage, investigative prowess with detail and background to spare.
A reporter is asked to investigate a cold case of a missing heiress. That turns into one giant hairball of intrigue and danger! Weaved into this story is a second storyline, the investigation into a financial giant who is truly a gangster and seemingly above the law. Our reporter has recently taken a big hit in the press by reporting a story that doesn't pan out. It's enough to send him to jail for a couple of months.
The primary players and setting, which will carry forward into the next two books, is a magazine called Millennium, co-editors/owners Erika Berger and Mikael Blomkvist (primarily Mikael), and misfit, genius investigator/computer hacker, goth-girl, Lisbeth Salander. She's the girl with the dragon tattoo, the girl who played with fire and the girl who kicked the hornet's nest. She is arguably the reigning star of the series.
To be honest, I found this book a very slow start. Much in the same way that the famed Bourne Identity series strikes me; quite heavy on explanation and back story and detail. But I know that some readers (obviously) really enjoy and appreciate that. I found it detracted from the dramatic aspects of the story and actually slowed it down. For literally, the first 100 pages, I was not convinced I would even finish the book. I was bored and confused. Admittedly, reading a book and paying attention to it often has much to do with the mindset of the reader at any given point in time, so I will conceded this point and would love to hear from others about it. But I found the first portion of the book way to heavy on setting up the background and the financial details and it just lost me. But when the story kicked into high gear, I was hooked. And I liked it. I liked it enough to continue on with ordering the second book and perhaps the third.
I also appreciated that while there was some very graphic violent subject matter, it did not appear to be gratuitously elaborated upon. The picture was loud and clear without every nuance being illustrated. Had Steig given as much detail to the violence as he did the back story, it could have made Freddie Kruger barf.
Of note, is that all three novels by Stieg Larsson were written and not published prior to his death. How sad! If I'm not mistaken, these were and are and will remain his only three books.
My sister turned me on to this idea and she got the original idea from The Biggest Loser Cookbook.
I think the original recipe is:
1 cup steamed broccoli
2 cups Egg Substitute
2 oz low fat cheddar
Olive oil spray
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 8 cups of standard muffin tin.
Place 2 TB broccoli in each cup. Pour 1/4 cup of egg substitute over broccoli. Bake for 7-9 minutes until almost set. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the tops of the frittatas. Bake for 8-10 minutes longer or until the egg is no longer runny and the cheese is melted. Transfer the tin to a cooling rack and allow frittatas to rest for two minutes before serving.
Makes 4 (2-frittata) servings
Per serving: 102 calories, 18 grams protein, 4 carbs, 2 g fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 362 mg sodium.
My sister alters her batch by using egg white substitute (or you could just use beaten egg whites) because she doesn't like egg substitute. She adds turkey bacon. Cooks it, blots it, chops it. and adds 1 tsp per muffin cup and freezes any left overs. One slice is 30 calories. She sometimes chops the frittata into a whole wheat tortilla for a more filling meal. Serve for breakfast or lunch. Eat with a piece of fruit. Take on the go. Heats well in the microwave and I don't find them offensive cold either.
My modifications were, that I needed quite a good spray of olive oil vs a "light one" and they still stuck a little. I also didn't bother with a cooling rack. Just put the tin on the top of the stove to cool, loosened with a small rubber spatula and they popped out pretty easy.
I used Egg Beaters regular, but they also make a Western style that has onions and peppers in it. As my sister did, I nuked the fresh broccoli that I chopped in a bowl in the microwave. I think about 4 minutes. I also added some Morningstar Farms frozen "sausage" crumbles...a vegetarian meat substitute made from soy. It is high in protein, and low in fat. It is highly processed so I limit the amount and use just for flavor. I only put in a couple of the frozen nuggets into each cup. And I used full fat, organic sharp cheddar. Just a little.
While I was making them I thought that they would also be good with sauteed onion, peppers, mushrooms. I'm using much more vegetarian recipes these days, but bacon, or turkey bacon like my sister used would be good too. TVP bacon bits just do not taste like the real thing. They just don't. So I'll pass on that.
My goal is not weight loss and counting calories. I REFUSE to count calories. I want to get as much good nutrition with reasonable portions and fat/calories, but I'm not going to count. EVER. I just want to be healthy and find balance. If I'm fat. I'm fat. There are plenty of overweight folks with perfect health. Health is the key. I never watch The Biggest Loser. I hate it. To me it is over the top, dangerous and demeaning. Nobody can sustain that type of intensity, nor should they. But they have to get it all crammed into a single season at the expense of the participants. My mom loves it. She's obsessed with weight. Obsession with weight and body image is an eating disorder. And even the title is rotten. I know it is a play on who loses the most weight, but it is also a slam that a fat person is a loser.
A note about egg substitutes: read the label. They are full of crap that you won't be able to identify. I use them sometimes but not often because just because they are low fat and high protein, does not mean they are healthy. If you have access to farm fresh eggs, they have low cholesterol, low fat and even higher protein. It is healthy to use whole, farm fresh eggs over factory farmed eggs. Why? It has to do with several factors. First, factory farmed chickens are a breed chosen specifically for endurance under horrible conditions, and and are pumped full of hormones to increase egg production, and over time have been engineered to produce uniform size/shape eggs. They are fed high fat feeds so that they mature quickly. They are fed crap. Ever heard the term "you are what you eat"? It applies to all plants and animals. They produce elements of what they take in.
So if you CAN get your eggs from a farm, use whisked whole eggs in this recipe. If you can't, you could also whisk egg whites and toss the yolks...it still may be cheaper than Egg Beaters or All Whites and it won't have any other ingredients in them. And if you can afford them, buy organic, cage free, free range eggs...the more local to you, the better. And if you buy farm fresh eggs, ask about the feed, additives, hormones etc.
But all that being said, for convenience and speed and ease, I sometimes use the stuff in a carton. I'm just not trying to fool myself into thinking that low fat, low calories means healthy for me. They are separate subjects.
I've dreamed of this place twice in less than a week. It is always very involved and in always centers on a basement. The house upstairs is reasonably small and quaint, but the basement, I swear, is two to three times the size of the house. And it's a nice basement.
It's an older, but totally finished basement and there are so many bedrooms, and a bunch of beds. In one I'm looking for something, and in another dream, I'm down there trying to find my way around to find a place for my friend to sleep...a specific friend from college.
I'm trying to decide if the sheets are cleaned (all the beds are made up). And it is just a catacomb of stuff. And of interest is that it isn't our/my stuff. It belongs to the people who lived there before. So there is this idea brewing that I want them to hurry up and finish removing their stuff so I can make these rooms nice...that it has great potential.
When *I* think of basements, I think of ones like the once pictured above. Basements in general, have always held creepy energy for me. If there's a ghost in the house, it probably lives in the basement. Anything bad...always happens in a basement, right? So I thought...ewwww, to have this dream must mean something really dark and subterranean; a foreboding. But, alas, that tends not to be the case.
Basements tend to represent sexual energy: "if you are in the basement or cellar of a house or building, you are working with sexual energy, understanding your sexual awareness and expression. People, objects and experiences reflect your use of sexual energy, degree of openness or suppression."
Beds"Bridge between conscious and unconscious; a return to the universal womb or power source. Beds play important roles in our lives: rest, relaxation, rejuvenation, nurturing, sexual intimacy. Desire for safety, awareness of Divine protection. Special relationship with many levels of self; expression of individuality; you make your own bed or life experiences."
Houses: "The self. Where you are in the house and what is going on provides insight into the many facets of your life. Walking into darkened or unknown rooms is exploring unknown parts of self. If rooms are cluttered, get organized and clean out old, useless habits and ideas. Furniture and people in house are aspects of yourself. Note especially colors and shapes. Different rooms are different aspects of self:" Important to note here that the text in the book (The Dream Book: Symbols for Self Understanding by Betty Bethards) goes on to outline several different rooms of the house. Since only the main floor and the basement were in my dream, I'll just outline what she says about those two areas: Ground Floor: "Daily living situations" Basement - see above.
Sheets:"Receptivity, openness, sensitivity, femininity; exploring sexuality, the unconscious. Clean sheets on the bed means a fresh start; you have cleaned up the negative. Sleeping on someone else's dirty sheets means taking on another's programs, vibrations, that you do not need. Note color."
Interpretation/intuitive analysis: So what does all this mean? It would appear to mean I'm thinking about sex all the time. PFFFTTT! Um, nope. But there is an element of truth to the fact that in middle age, I do redesign what being sexual is to me. Things change. Bodies change. Hormones change. Physical endurance, ability, comfort changes. So, at this time in my life, does it mean I am non-sexual, or differently sexual and how might that translate in my life. That much makes sense. But I also include sensuality in this category, and sensuality has always been culturally synonymous with sex, but it just isn't. It's about how we enjoy our bodily senses...smell, taste, vision, touch, hearing, intuition.
I see the upstairs as my regular everyday life and it is orderly, small and comfortable.
I see the basement in this context as that reinterpretation and integrative process of what it means to be sexual as I age AND, more importantly, the big focus on beds in this space...spirituality. The basement is bigger than the rest of my house. That which is going on below the surface of my everyday life is deeper and bigger and more important to me than the upstairs self.
And in the dream I notice that this space, my spiritual and sexual space is cluttered with other people's stuff. It doesn't take rocket science to intuit that I have cluttered my spiritual and sexual definitions of myself based on cultural or familial, or relational influences and I am being shown that it is time for ME to clean out all that clutter of the voices of "the others", and find out what my own voice is. It is time for me to reclaim that space, and "decorate" it as *I* wish.
I am in the process of determining and integrating what MY values/needs/experience/beliefs are separate from everyone else. It's me time. And I don't mean that in a way that is not compassionate or inclusive of others in my life who are important to me, far from that. I think it means that in becoming more of my authentic self, relationships have the opportunity to deepen, or fall away, but to become real.
All that makes very good sense to me. Middle age is that time. I turn 50 in a few months.
As always, my quotes for dream symbols come from the book mentioned above. It's good to have a basic sensible book of symbols that makes sense to you, and this one has been serving me well. From there, you apply those symbols by asking within...what does this mean to me and to what I am working on, or need to work on?
I was dream traveling last night but don't remember anything about where/what, and woke up with a bad headache...in fact I've done that all week.
Before I got up, when contemplating which approach to try first (shower, RX, ibuprofen, OTC migraine stuff, caffeine...) It popped into my head to use a menthol crystal on my head in the shower.
I had totally forgotten that I bought these. I have a pkg of them and hadn't yet researched how to use them to make products. They were stuffed in the back of a drawer in the bathroom. But I've learned that sometimes random guidance comes, so I took out one about an inch long, got in the hot shower, and at first just set it on the floor to dissolve and make some mentholated steam, but that didn't appear to be working (I think they have a higher heat melting point).
Then in turn, I placed it underneath each foot in the shower...it felt warmer than the water. Then I sort of wove it under my hair at my "blow hole" on the top of my head and let the water pour on it. I also rubbed it between my hands, and over my heart. It eventually almost dissolved and smelled quite nice. I think my initial thought (but I think a guide assisted me with the thought to try it), was A. Decongestant, and B. Crystal energy.
My headache was much relieved by the time I got out of the shower and gone by afternoon without any additional medications/interventions.
Note to self: Where I rubbed it on my heart got very intense for a while even after the shower (like Icy-Hot or Vicks Vapor Rub), and also on my forehead, and hands. Because of the way water spreads over the body, I did feel some slight irritation on my girly parts, and nipples, but it was tolerable...just a "...ohhh, be careful of that". And for a while after the shower I had that vapor stuff near my eyes, so they watered a bit...had I been more careful about leaning my head back it would have been better.
Then I looked up how menthol crystals are made: a process of freezing or freeze drying peppermint oil and it forms crystals. And it said that it first, stimulated nerve endings and then temporarily numbed them...and it said it could help with headaches. Is that weird or what??? Nice weird, but weird. Interesting that I would be guided to do something that had actual medicinal benefit for what was ailing me without having any prior knowledge that it would.
The ones I have are organic from Mountain Rose Herbs. Looks like you can make tea, or lots of other uses....but the fact that these are crystalline form, gives them another potential layer...maybe?
Earlier in the month, I posted about watching a cooking show on Delicious TV on Public Broadcasting and afterward managing to get this wonderful cookbook from them for free. I promised that in gratitude, I would review the book.
I never would have thought that *I* would ever get jazzed about owning a cookbook. I'll be honest, when I had high school home ec, I stole the red checkered Betty Crocker cook book that we used in class, and I may still have it around here somewhere (so Mrs. Huber, at least it got a lot of use and I took good care of it).
With the advent of the internet, I've been thrilled to just look up any recipe and find many variations. And I love cooking shows although I don't typically watch that many. I've borrowed a few old cook books from the local library..see, I BORROW now, not steal. And nobody that has known me all my life would ever even guess that I've cracked open a recipe...I just crack open cans, or fast food bags, or candy. But as I've entered into a bit more health conscious phase of life AND have time to explore it, this cook book made me happy.
For the negatives: I wish there was a pretty picture for each recipe...I'm visual. I wanna know what it looks like. There is a collection of photos in the middle of the book, not for every recipe, but for a few. That's not really helpful. The other thing is, this book assumes urban access to ingredients that rural folk just do not have. There are ingredients I've never heard of, nor will I ever find here. Perhaps a mind to that with a quick substitution suggestion would help. Do you know in my town, it is even hard to get your hands on something as basic as Tempeh? You can find some small, expensive bricks that are about 2x2 inch square at the one and only health food store in town. So if you can't find Tempeh....there ain't no way I'm finding some of the more exotic spices, cheeses or even veggies. We've got the basics.
For the positives: There are "regular" tasting foods in here...things my non vegetarian husband might actually dip his fork into. And I'm still just becoming vegetarian, so I still want regular foods too. The first two I would like to try is the Lentil Stew and the Moroccan Stew (both served over Polenta). Toni made these two dishes on the show I watched and that began my quest to find the recipes. I'll post more once I have tried them.
Here is a link to the recipe from pgs 56 and 57. It was yummy. Page 56 is Tomato and Basil Bruschetta and page 57 is Bean and Basil Bruschetta. Sadly, I still have to make hubby a steak to go with it, but I found it a totally acceptable stand alone dinner.
A couple of differences on what I made. For bread I used Safeway Select Artisan Kalamata Olive Bread. It was in a plastic bag so was sorta soft. Shaped like a smaller Italian loaf. I took the loaf out of the plastic bag and let it sit overnight. Then I cut it into the size slices I needed and let them sit on a cookie sheet all day (the recipe called for a day old loaf), then I toasted them in the oven. We almost broke our teeth. So next time, I may try just drying them out and not toasting them, OR not drying it out and just toasting it...but not both. The bread is a good choice for the recipe though, I could tell.
I did not use fresh beans (meaning dry that I soaked and then cooked) as the recipe and the video say you should. I could not find them dry AND, I've never been successful with that process. They either turn out overcooked or undercooked. The reason she wants you to do it that way is that the bean itself is soft and somewhat fragile. Knowing this, I rinsed them CAREFULLY from the can, and folded the sauce in CAREFULLY. So a few break. I'm going to chew them anyway. I would have purchased organic canned beans if I could have found that variety, but I couldn't. So I just bought what Safeway had.
I used Safeway's O Organics Balsamic Vinegar, and O Organics Extra Virgin Olive Oil. On the same night I made one full recipe of the bean and basil, and just a very small recipe of the tomato basil recipe, so I could try both. I used WAY less chili pepper flakes than called for. Hubby is really sensitive to spice heat and I wanted this to be a successful vegetarian experience for him. I just used a smidge. That's an official measurement in case you were wondering. And I used less garlic. I know I should be, but I'm reluctant with garlic. I detest the lingering on breath and hands...it truly makes me gag to smell the after effects although I enjoy the flavor at the time. It's a love/hate thing.
I really liked it. A lot. Minus the broken teeth. My husband was tolerant. He may have liked it a lot more if the bread was softer. On the plus side, if you're on a diet, really hard bread slows down how fast you can shovel it in, allowing your "full meter" to kick in and register. And once the roof of your mouth is shredded, you sort of lose interest. But with further corrections for my wicked mistakes, both of these recipes are keepers. And later this week I will be trying both the Lentil Stew and the Moroccan Eggplant stew...I'll update on how those both go.
So, based on content so far, I'm gonna give the book a thumbs up.
Follow Up:
* I made the Puy Lentil Stew served over a bed of raw baby spinach leaves. It was yummy, and I'm not a lentil fan.
The extent of my knowledge of Wassailing involves the lines from the Christmas Carol "...here we come a wassailing, among the leaves so green...", and I had no idea what it was and never gave it any thought, the end.
Then a friend invited me to attend an informal wassailing on the new orchard property that she bought in La Grande. And I had to get up to snuff in a hurry. I mean, NOBODY wants to show up for a wassailing having no idea how to dress, what to bring, or what will happen, right? Right.
I encourage you to read more about it through the link provided above and through other links you can easily Google, but I'll tell you the basics. Or at least enough of the basics to get you through your next wassailing.
At it's most basic level, a wassailing is a blessing and there are typically two types: house and orchard. It dates back to pagan times, so how it makes it's way into Christian Christmas carols is one of those mysteries you'll have to solve on your own. I suspect it is that overlay of Christian influence to squelch out all things pagan by making it look like it is a new shiny Christian tradition when, in fact, it's not.
Christmas caroling is a Christian adaptation of house wassailing. In a house wassailing, originally, peasants and poor folk would go singing songs of blessing at the door of rich folk, begging for treats (sort of like the fall harvest of Halloween), and hence why sometimes carolers are invited inside for something warm to drink. In exchange, the carolers/wassailers sung blessings to the home.
Wassail, loosely translated, means "be in good health". It is a celebration of the gifts from the previous year and a plea for even better gifts in the coming year. Typically, it occurred around what is called the "Twelfth Night" and you'll have to look that up to get more info on that. It's all mixed up between the pagans and the Christians too. Some say it relates to the end of winter, the time of Halloween, the eve of Epiphany and all sorts of confusing stuff. Some say it takes place January 6th and others say January 17th.
The orchard wassailing is a thanks to the trees for their previous year's harvest and a blessing and plea for an even better harvest in the coming year. In times of old, (and in some countries to this day), there is a wassail queen. The wassail queen is lifted up into the orchard trees to hang toast or bread soaked in cider as an offering to the trees. In some other traditions, people run through the orchard singing songs, drinking and banging on the trunks of trees to "wake them up. My friend explained that there was actually some scientific basis for the old practice of waking up the trees. Something to do with coddling moth larve lying dormant in the tree, and that the banging on the trees tricked them into appearing early and then freezing, thus reducing the coddling moth problems naturally. I'm sure I'm oversimplifying, but I was taking in a lot of information at once.
You may have heard of a wassail bowl. They are actual objects, much like a giant punch bowl. They contained wassail which is pretty much hot cider, cinnamon, you know. Since it was improper to openly lace the wassail bowl with liquor, the tradition held that liquor was discretely poured into your mug, and then the cider was added from the wassail bowl. Puritanical behaviors crack me up. "We're not admitting to getting drunk, so here is our way of doing it while denying it"...but everyone knows it, so.....?
What I attended was an orchard wassailing and was much more informal than anything you'll read about (although the background was very helpful). There were four of us. My friend explained a bit about wassailing and its history. She had some really nice wheat bread (she got very nice things for the trees), and some high-end apple cider. She had glasses and some excellent pear brandy. First we all took a glass with some brandy in it (just a smidge), and we headed out into the orchard with bread and cider. Ahead of time, she had chosen two trees in the orchard on opposite ends of the orchard. One she had chosen because its pedigree went back to the 1200's and was the oldest tree in the orchard.
We stood around the tree, each placed a piece of bread in the tree, and then poured cider over the bread. She said some words to the effect of "thank you for the harvests up to this time, and many blessings for good future harvests as we take over stewardship of the property." We raised our glasses to the tree and took a sip of brandy. Then we marched off to the other end of the orchard and she had chosen a second tree that, as best as she could research, is an heirloom apple tree that does not exist anymore anywhere else in the world...at least not documented. So for its rarity, and endurance, we honored that tree in the same fashion. And the understanding was that this blessing extended to the entire orchard. All told, less than a half an hour.
I learned something new. I supported my friend. I can't help but think that blessing their new venture and honoring the trees was a nice thing to do.
Here is a YouTube video of the original lyrics but you may also choose to read the text of both the traditional, Christianized version and the older, original version. Although I couldn't find an exact writer to credit, or an exact date that it was written, some version of this song or Wassail songs date back to at least 1066 AD and you can track that history.
Kathy Bates is an excellent actress...so that's a feather in the cap of the show to start with. The basic plot is this: Harriet, or Harry (Bates) is a truly bored corporate attorney. She's so sick of corporate law that the first scene shows her slacking in her office, pkgs of junk food scattered all over her desk, laid back, smoking pot. She is soon fired.
While walking in a rough neighborhood, a few things happen...a man trying to commit suicide jumps off a building and lands on her sending her to the ER. She's unhurt. Next she steps off a curb and another corporate attorney hits her with his car. Again, she is unhurt. While in this neighborhood she sees what ends up being her new office for practicing law of a different kind. Defense of the downtrodden, the forgotten, the disenfranchised. Everything happens for a reason, right?
Bates' character is no nonsense. She says exactly what she thinks. She's funny. I would categorize this certainly as a comedy, and not a drama, although there are dramatic elements. The humor, in my opinion is fairly sophisticated and well-written. Time will tell if she will hold my attention. I wane quickly with most of the present day comedies. I never warmed to The Office, or 30-Rock, or Modern Family even though they keep winning award after award. To me it is just stupid, simple, unimaginative humor. I enjoyed the first episode anyway. Did you see it? Did you like it?
My husband and I saw this flick recently. It's a remake of a remake of a spin off of TV shows, and comic books etc. The Green Hornet concept has been around a while.
In this version, Seth Rogen (The Green Hornet) and Jay Chou (Kato) are a duo that poses as bad guys, to get close to the bad guys to foil them and ultimately fight big crime. Hornet is the spoiled, lazy, party-boy son of a recently murdered newspaper tycoon and Kato had been employed as the household mechanic. Kato is the brain and skill of the operation, but both lack common sense. They get themselves into many close scrapes.
This film is about what you would expect it to be, silly, slapstick, sophomoric. The action is fun (albiet totally not realistic...but then, it isn't meant to be) and non-stop. There is weak humor and a thin plot. It is, however, entertaining and fun. Nothing anybody will remember next week, but it's pretty fun. It has a PG-13 rating, primarily for the violence, drinking, inference to promiscuity, and the swear words "shit" and "asshole" (there might be more, but that is pretty close). So, as a strict parent, I would follow the PG-13 rating, and 13 is about as young as I would let see it. I just don't think it's terribly appropriate for young children. Especially as much as they like to recreate scenes and repeat the most inappropriate dialog over and over and over.
In my opinion, Jay Chou makes the film. He is the brains, and as an actor, I think he steals the limelight. Known more in China than the U.S. and more for his music than his acting, we may see more from him.
Here is a clip from The Green Hornet, and a music video of Jay Chou's, a song he wrote/performed that is part of the soundtrack for the movie. Did you see it? Let me know what you thought.
Dream submitted by reader and dream analysis of dream:
I am walking down a street with several other people it is night time, It felt like the holidays but there was no visual cue to make me think it was. We were going house to house to collect food and money to give to the poor. As the group walked on, my eye caught the full moon, it quite beautiful and I stood and stared at it.
I suddenly see a huge winged figure cross the path of the moon, so it looked like a huge bird with a big wing span, I felt like I was in a trance, I couldn't take my eyes off of it, the others had walked on so I was alone watching.
The winged figure began to spiral down closer and closer to the ground, as it did it began to change form, it took on the form of a large dolphin or shark and then would change again into a half human form. As it began t light on the ground next to me, I could clearly see human legs and arms. It wore a thin, sheet-like covering over its torso, like if you put your head through a sheet and made arm holes. It was very tattered and dirty.
It stood up and looked at me, the face was that of an older woman, it had some feminine features, but wasn't female by any other characteristic, more of a feeling than a visual. She (for lack of a better word) had blue eyes and her skin was very pale and wrinkled. Her hair was white with streaks of faded blonde. She smiled at me and her teeth were very yellow and jagged on the edges.
We walked down the street and went into a coffee shop, sat down in a wood bench, like the old church benches, I ordered coffee for us, as I was drinking my coffee, she did not drink but only sat there and looked at me, not intimidating, just matter-of-fact. A man approaches from in the room, he shows me pictures of a winged form that looks like her, that is tearing the head off of a another human, he tells me to be very careful and not be alone with her because her kind are cannibals and if we are alone together she will kill me.
But the whole time he is talking I am hearing her voice, she is saying “don't believe that, I would never do that...” but she does not talk, it’s like telepathic communication.
And then....I woke up
I think the dream was an actual visitation from a being from another realm, and contains symbolism. I think it is also about healing, transformation and transition; integration of your many parts/layers/pieces. It seems like a visitation from an otherworldly being...not sure from where or how to conceptualize it, but her transformation was from one form to another to another from whatever her regular form is, into and through the rainbow of symbols that will help you understand her message. The spiraling down was from her other home to earth...to communicate. She seems to have the crone/elder energy. Some of your first clues to this being a visitation vs a strictly symbolic or even nonsensical dream, are the vivid nature of it, and the depth of detail, and how much you remembered.
Moon: where YOU come from. security, inner peace, romance, love, quietude, relaxation, creativity, inspiration, your connection to your people...like "E.T. PHONE HOME".
Bird: spiritual freedom, ability to soar to higher awareness, freedom from material ties.
dolphin: powerful, playful, beautiful, emotional part of self
shark: powerful, imminent danger
female: creative, intuitive, receptive, emotional, nurturing side of self. relatedness, feelings, the unconscious, that which is open can be penetrated or opened
night: not seeing things clearly, cut off from inner light of guidance, moving into unknown parts of the self.
in the dream you are separated from the worldly people and tasks and roles (they move on, you were collecting for the poor etc)...an indication of separating what is real, what is important...a process and time of sorting. A time to connect with higher realms.
time of transition, transformation, opportunity, healing, removing outer layers.
Sheets: receptivity, openness, sensitivity, femininity...the think outer layer covering what is really underneath it all.
holidays: time of celebration, of getting back to the root of what is real and important, time of warmth, opportunity to connect with meaning and value.
fear of what will happen moving into full authenticity
white hair with blonde streaks: transition of aging, change, crossroads
yellow, jagged teeth: imperfections. teeth: beginning the understanding process...if teeth are falling out, you are unable to understand a problem or situation...something is too tough to swallow.
coffee: seems to be the female bonding ritual... shows me you were relaxed and comfortable in her presence. She did not pose you any danger as the man suggested.
church pew: a symbol of an older belief system...has some usefulness...as a base to build from...but is more functional like a chair than as a spiritual platform...integrating the beliefs from your past with the beliefs of your soul.
"the man" can be so representative of culture, authority, patriarchy, oppression, being told what and how to think etc...warning...don't stray too far from the "norm" it could be dangerous. also representative of the yin/yang, the balance of the male/female parts of self, the opposing arguing factions of the self...the safer status quo or the road less traveled. She is urging you to trust the inner voice (and thus it was also telepathically communicated...but that's how visitations communicate too)...trust THAT voice not the world voice represented by "the man".
Being shown the inner duality or conflict and asking which path you will choose to live from.
The desire of the soul and the fear of the human condition. Ain't that the journey? It's the one I'M on!
So two fold...there are those around you there to help you heal your wounded places and let you feel light again (light in many forms and meanings), and those to show you the conflict within...and that you are not alone and are being called and gently tugged to tap in.
Pay attention...this could be a time rife with not only those challenges of the world, but of those opportunities to find within them...the way out...to freedom.
On a whim, I bought a pkg of Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips. They allow you to have a manicure with a pattern. What I chose here was just a multicolored metallic sparkle.
The cost at Wal-Mart is $8.50 for 16 strips. So that's a little high for not very many applications. Being super cheap...er...uh...budget conscious, And having both small and short nails, I was able to do two nails with one strip, thus using up only 5 of my 16 strips today.
Application, Day 1: I followed the directions (which are fairly straightforward) carefully and to the T. They are, more or less, a stretchy sticker that you put on like a press-on nail. It took me about 45 minutes to apply them (this being the first try) and that was not counting my nail prep time. You could always do it in stages...prep one day, apply the next.
I don't know what the other varieties would be like yet, but the sparkles are sort of rough on the edges once you apply them. They feel a little thick, and are somewhat challenging (for me) to get adequately applied. I either was a little short getting it fully to the edge, or overshot a bit.
I don't yet know how they wear under use or how difficult they will be to remove (with polish remover). I'll post an update once I've worn them a bit. They are said to last "up to 10 days". I don't think this would be my everyday choice because of the time to apply, and the cost, but I think they would be all kinds of fun for a special event, or just to play with. I'm also considering slapping on a shiny top coat, but am undecided on that...I'll let you know.
This is a Sally Hansen produced video...long on glitz and short of details, but it lets you see the colors available and the basic process for application. Nothing is ever as easy as it is on TV. There are other YouTube videos by users, so you could go to YouTube and type in Sally Hanson Salon Effects and you'll get some home video reviews on the product. Or just try 'em.
Day two post application: Last night I spent some extra time before going to bed filing the edges of my nails. The color/style of strip I chose is called Frock Star and is number 210. It is basically a fusion of glitter. And, that may be a problem with this design. Glitter are jagged, sharp pieces of reflective color. But no matter how much I file, there is always a rough edge popping up. So I notice, that it won't matter if I file them off to the quick, there will always be another rough glitter edge popping up. So I'm always "aware" of my nails. They catch in my hair and they snag on clothing. But day two, after doing dishes and showering and they still look pretty darn good. I think before I totally evaluate these one way or another, I will try one of the options with a non-glitter pattern and see how they feel. I will say, however, that this pattern/color choice goes with ANY clothing as it simply picks up the color of what you're wearing and you notice those flecks in the glitter.
One of the "selling points" is that there is "no dry time"...sort of a "press and go" theme. I'm sure that if you work with these over and over, you'll develop a system that works for you that shaves time off of each successive application, but you really can't say that these give you a quick option. In the time it takes you to apply them, I could have slapped on three to four coats of polish and it would be in it's tacky stage. Then again, I've been applying polish since I was 10. So far, I'm sticking with my opinion that these are fun for a special occasion, but will never replace polish as an every day wear. I also said this product is a bit too expensive for my blood. I realize I'm a rural bumpkin. I would never even consider getting a professional manicure so these are WAY less expensive than that, and there are many nail colors that nowadays top $10 a bottle. Those are not the brands that I buy. I tend to stick with Sally Hansen, Cover Girl, and Revlon for that perfect balance between price and quality. My nails feel thick with these applications on, maybe that will help them not break. Who knows. Stay tuned!
February 2, 2011 update: I removed the polish strips today. Those suckers stayed on and stayed in good shape for two weeks! I'm impressed. And they supported my floppy, weak nails enough that they didn't break and they grew! WOOT!
A couple of notes about that longevity: First of all, it is important to pay attention to the recommended nail prep. Just like with acrylic nails, the nails must be CLEAN, DRY, the surface roughed up a little and don't use oily lotions or removers prior to application. The second bit of this longevity is: don't pick at them. I had to almost slap my hands several times. I'm a picker, and a nail polish peeler. I'll admit it. And because you can feel the edges of these strips, the temptation (if you're a picker) is strong to mess with them. But because I wanted to be a dutiful little reporter, I left them be.
Here's a photo of how they looked just before I removed them today.
You may not be able to see very well from this photo but there is a little missing from the very tips, and there is a significant line where the nail has grown out from the cuticle. But honestly, I could easily wear these another week before they started to look really bad. They did not chip, or peel.
I'll reiterate that the sparkle variety always seems to maintain a catching sharpness, that will snag in hair and on clothing a little and it was always difficult to file them down and ever feel like you had a smooth edge. I suspect the other, non-sparkle types will not have this issue (and may have different issues).
I'm telling you true people, I gave these a work out. I do not own a dishwasher. The dishwasher is me. So for the two weeks, they were subjected to washing dishes more than three times per day. I also baked bread. I write, so I type a lot during each day, and I did my usual housework and never wore rubber gloves.
Removing them was a whole other story. I'm going to have to go back to the store for some super-duper-I-really-mean-it-come-off-acetone remover. They didn't respond much to remover. So, since I was dying to pick at them anyway, I sat with a tissue in my lap and pulled and tore and picked. That was sort of orgasmic. I had been wanting to pick at them since I put them on. So I picked and peeled as much as I could and then used remover (the type that you dip your fingers into...Sally Hansen, as well), and when it softened (but did not come off), I picked and pulled some more.
I don't recommend this removal process, however. It peels a top layer of your nail off too, which makes it rough, weakened and fragile (but it sure was fun). I'll report back when I try my next round, and use a stronger, acetone based remover. But they appear to be fully stuck on if you get them on in the first place. Hard to remove. So afterward, I used one of those Revlon, multi-surface nail buffer/filers and gently resurfaced and smoothed the nail, and then coated it with a nail strengthener. I think I will hold off for a while and let the nail breathe and recover before I try this with a new style (the next one will be the leopard print).
These have pluses:
Strengthen and support weak nails (at least while they are on)
If you apply them as directed, they adhere really well
They look smashingly adorable
They are not TOOOOOOOOOOOO hard to apply
I can cover two nails with a single strip which saves money
Many fun colors/patterns/sparkles
They really are tough wearing and long wearing (at least this first trial was a winner)
These have minuses:
*I* think they are priced too high. $8.50 for 16 strips
They take quite some time and effort to apply so the advertising about having no drying time is sort of misleading. No drying time but a whole long time for applying them.
You can feel the edges so it is really tempting to pick at them.
They are HARD to remove and can damage the surface of your nail in the removal process.
At least the glitter variety can remain rough and snag in hair and clothing and is difficult to file to a smooth edge. Not sure about the other styles yet.
I'll post more when I give it another go. Has anybody else tried these?
Update 3-24-11 Since the original post, I have since also tried the leopard print pattern. The application went about the same as the first time. Took a long time. This application may not have lasted as long...close to two weeks of vigorous wear. I like the way they strengthen my own nail (only during wearing them) because they are thicker and tend not to chip at the tips like ordinary polish.
For removal of these, this time I purchased the acrylic nail remover that is 100% Acetone and has the dip your finger in style with a stiff brush inside the dipping hole. This worked like a CHARM. Forget trying to get them off with a cotton ball and standard, non-acetone remover. You'll be at it all day.
I like these. They are fun. I haven't spent enough time to get proficient with the application process though and I like to let my fingernails rest a while in between applications.
Update 10-13-11 Here is a photo taken in late June of me and my bestie on a fantastic adventure to L.A. We had the best time (which you can read about on my blog with Day-by-Day posts by searching "Thelma and Louise's Most Excellent L.A. Adventure"). This is the "laced up" pattern. People in L.A liked it. It wore super well. I felt fearless in it :-)
12-11-11 And....here is another design. I'm not totally sure I love these...they look a little like band aids or something.
05-01-12 This one is called 80's Rock Star. These get lots of comments.
3-18-13. Remember I said how cool it would be if they would come up with french manicure strips? Well they did...only it takes twice as long to apply because first you put on the tip strips, and then you put on the overcoat (which is sort of pearl-esque).
Maybe it was the day but I found them challenging and I wasn't happy with the results. I had trouble getting the tips placed over the white tip of my own nail and they wrinkled a little, and like my thumb you see here, I got some placed too low on the nail...which screams fake. "FAKE!" See, what did I tell ya? From a distance they look OK, but up close they look botched. My hands may not be steady enough.
Overall, I think that the strips with designs on them cover flaws in application better than a solid, or french manicure style. I like how long they wear and that my nails seem tougher with them on...but dang...I'm not very good with my application skills.
Dream submitted by reader, and my assistance with analyzing it.
I was with a male. I don't think I knew him. Somehow, I had a musical instrument that was handmade. I don't know if he gave it to me or not. It seemed to be made of wood, but was shaped differently ... long, but fat in the middle and pointed on each end. I really wanted to play it, but he told me not to. I kept playing a few notes anyway, but he'd slap it away each time. I was really frustrated, but I still tried to play it. It had a beautiful sound, but as soon as I heard it, he'd slap it away. This happened several times.
I woke up feeling very uptight.
Well, I know what FREUD would say about any dream with a horn in it, but, he makes my ass ache, so we won't even go there. Maybe draw a picture of the instrument to see if there is any more insight there. What you've described could almost be goddess shaped.
My take on this is something to do with the struggle between the worldly messages and controls and the inner intuition that says...hey...this path and these people and these choices are calling me to become more, become higher, to trust my inner voice, my inner tune, my inner music and to play it...and the "man" the world, the culture, the status quo says NO, YOU CAN'T DO THAT, HEAVEN ONLY KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU FIND YOUR MUSIC!
musical instrument also can symbolize being alert and paying attention to what is going on around you, or the messages that may be trying to get through...sort of like a horn blowing to get your attention...and in this
case a part of you says "no...don't listen to that...hey...look over here...don't fully realize your music, your song..."
In middle age, particularly women, are being called to listen to the inner music of their soul. And to follow it. But it can take courage to break away from old messages, old controls, from others who are afraid and don't
want you to be all you can be because then they will have to examine being all they can be.
And of course, I say...toot your own horn!
Note of interest...I think I've had 4 women submit one or more dreams today...and they all had a theme of being oppressed or silenced in one form or another...women are being called to wake up and step into their power and their spirituality...and that is scary for people who sense it will mean CHANGE.
There is not a lot of clear information out there about the exact ratio of bean to alcohol. There is probably around two cups of vodka in this bottle. I decided randomly on three beans. They are really fresh, juicy dried beans. I bet I could use one and it would be enough, but I chose three. That's the number that went through my head, so I'm going with it.
I split the beans lengthwise (just more of a lengthwise slit really) to allow the vodka to make contact with the juicy insides of the beans.
This photo shows you that change is already beginning to happen after less than 24 hours. See, it's just like making tea, only it takes a lot longer, and this tea is pretty much moonshine!
Now I will let this sit, undisturbed for 6-8 weeks and see what I have at the end of that time period. I will post more info, and another photo at that time and let you know how it looks, smells, tastes and works. Stay tuned!
I grew up loving Carol Burnett. Adoring her and her show. Almost never missed it. This is her second book. Her first centered more on her childhood and family life and this one centers more on her professional life and career.
She tells many stories of how things came together, how her show began, and stories of some of the key players and stars along the way.
What I think struck me most, and that might escape some readers are the subtle themes of spirituality throughout. Carol has always had a sense of signs (rain/snow/storms = good luck), omens (the man in the truck), and connection (her knowing she's connected and at one with everything). Without saying it, she describes some classic indicators of awareness of past lives. Take for example her thoughts about Jimmie Stewart when she was a child:
I couldn't get the man in the movie out of my mind. He wasn't just an actor like all the others I'd seen in picture shows. This man was different. He spoke to me. I tried to explain it to Nanny" Nanny, I know that man." What do you mean, you know him?" "I just do. He's my friend; we just haven't met yet."
And later, when she talks about a girl that comes into her life who has cancer:
...I put her hands in mine, and felt a most strange sensation, not unlike a small jolt of electricity: I know this child. I have been with her before, somewhere, somehow....
She has also always had the sense that when she envisions something or sees it, is comes to pass.
Now, did I love the book and highly recommend it? I wish I did. Cuz I love her, I really really do. It is interesting. But biographies can often lack that certain something that fascinates you into flipping through the pages. The writing is a little stiff and the humor of the stories is not conveyed. Much of Carol's humor and that of her contemporaries was visual and physical, not through the actual written or spoken schtick itself. It was my love for her and curiosity about her that kept me reading. I'm not sorry. I still adore her.
