Give an Australian a Hug Day

April 26th is Give an Australian a hug day. I will gladly comply with the spirit of this holiday if the Australian happens to be Hugh Jackman.  I will even consider Keith Urban.  So hug an Australian and promote International goodwill.

The Force is Strong Within Me...... To see the new movie of course

I am a BIG fan of the original Star Wars movie.  Happy I am to see some of my old favorites, Han Solo and my beloved Chewie . The trailer/teaser looks fantastic and the only bad thing about it was at the end of the trailer  it says the movie won't be released until Christmas.  Well there is no doubt in my mind what movie we will be seeing this coming holiday season.  Sad am I that Yoda and OB1 are dead but perhaps we will see them again, maybe? Hopefully?  I don't know but the force was strong within them as well.  Maybe a flashback seen? Or not.

All I know is I can't wait to see the continuing story.

The new Star Wars Teaser

Millenials are not Alone on their thinking

I was so glad to read this article. I mean I was really glad to read this article. Why because there is data showing that Millennials are not the only ones who make certain choices especially if they are a city dweller. 

 Zipcars has been doing an annual study. In case you are not familiar with Zipcar, it is a perfectly brilliant concept.  Cars are available to you by the hour or day.  Gas and insurance is included.  They are perfect for the city dweller who usually relies on public transportation to get around on a day to day basis but might want to have a resource available if they want to go to a place more difficult to reach.  It certainly takes the trouble of car ownership like finding a place to park and the cost of car payments and insurance off the table.  It is a freeing concept.  Now you can go where you need to go when you need to go with less hassle.  Car rental companies can be so hard to work with, really! 

This year's study update shows that the decision not to own a car really does not have as much to do with age as previously thought. Being a former city dweller I am in total agreement.  Having lived in several cities, dealing with finding a parking spot for my car everyday was a pain.  In fact in Frankfurt my car was towed because it was parked in the wrong place.  Try dealing with a tow lot when you have limited command of the German language. Es war nicht lustig!  For that matter, it's not fun in the DC area.  Look what happened to the ESPN reporter Britt Henry. 

This is a chart from the article. The question asked is regarding which piece of technology would have the greatest negative impact on you if lost.  I have got to say I totally agree with the results and I am not a Millennial.  In order to do my job I need my phone.  Granted my work phone is a Samsung Note 3 (Love!) so it is a combination tablet\phone but I would be lost without it.  I have internet capability, Google maps for when I need to be driving all over the place and connectivity to work and it is so light.  Oh yes and if I am caught waiting for something or someone, I can reduce my stress level by playing words with friends or reading but of course I do that on my personal phone also a Samsung Galaxy (love). I know the Millennials are a fascinating bunch but bottom line don't make assumptions on just age.  I am sure Zipcar is happy to service all ages.




Here is the link for the article Millenials are not alone

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy

We were first introduced to Queenie Hennessy in the novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.  If you have not read this book I would recommend it.  It is about this man who sets out on this amazing journey on foot through England to see a woman he had worked with in his past.  He receives a letter from her informing him that she is dying. This letter is the catalyst for his pilgrimage.  One might add why did he decide to walk.  Harold's thought was as long as he was walking, Queenie would stay alive. He walked many miles which gave him plenty of time to sort out his life.

Queenie also is on a journey.  Due to her illness she can't leave the hospice facility so her journey is through a journal that she writes to tell her story and to tell Harold things she had wanted to say to him but could not.  Reading this book saddened me, not because she was dying but because of her self-imposed exile from life.

This book The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy really helps fill in the blanks from the first book.  While you can read this book without reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry I would highly recommend that you the first book before you read this one.  Knowing Harold really makes this book work.

Free Range Kids

I use to laugh at my parents when they would talk about walking miles and miles to get home from school or wherever they walked.  There are many stand up comedians who have had this as part of their shtick.  You have all heard a comedian start their narration with the words "A man walks into a bar".  Less common but also part of comedians stand up routine are stories that start with "When I was your age.." Usually it goes something like this.. "You kids have it easy you only have to walk a mile to get to and from school.  When I was your age I had to walk ten miles to get to school and  we were so poor I had to share a pair of shoes with my brother." 

I grew up on Long Island in a nice quiet neighborhood and we walked to and from school.  In fact we walked too and from everywhere. I did not share shoes..  And here is the thing, we were unaccompanied minors.  That is right, no adults.  The real ironic thing is my Mom was an extreme worry wart but she did not stop us from getting places on our own.  We were very independent.  In fact when I was in Middle School I was allowed to get onto the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and take the train into the city with friends.  No adults.  Wow what a concept!

Here in Maryland there is this couple with two children.  They live in Silver Spring a suburb of DC, a nice area.  They are trying to teach their children how to be independent and by independent I mean walking home from a park that is three blocks away. In my opinion it's a good thing to know if you want to survive in the world. 

 It just so happens that some of their neighbors disagree with their parenting methods and have called in the police and child protective services. They have been charged with unsubstantiated child neglect meaning that there is not enough evidence to support this decision. The other day they were picked up by police and then turned over to child protective services.  I think this whole thing is absolutely ridiculous. Parenting decisions are being taken away from the parents. The children appear to be happy, healthy and well loved.  The parents don't take them into the woods and leave them there with just a bible and no food or water. If it's their choice can't they give their kids some breathing room? I mean these kids are not wandering all over the neighborhood causing trouble.  Because they Now the media has dubbed these children "free range kids.  What do they think they are chickens?

I really think it is a sad world we live in when our kids can't have a small amount of freedom.  All the bad guys in the world are quietly winning.  We are so fearful that we keep our children so close.  I am guilty of this. Instead of neighbors calling 911 can't they just keep an eye on the kids to make sure they are ok?  Sort of like a community watch.  That was how it was when I was growing up. People looking out for people. 

If you have not read about this family here are some links to get you up to speed on the situation.

Children walking home ALONE!

Parents in trouble again

Parents fighting back

The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted

I didn't realize when I picked this book up at my friends suggestion, that this was a book of short stories.  I am starting to like reading short stories although they are not my first choice.  Generally I find that I like some and the others, not so much, which is exactly how I felt about this compilation.

The first story was by far my favorite and I am sure if you have ever been on a diet where you had to lose multiple pounds you will definitely relate to this story.  As you have heard me say before, food is not my friend.  I have had a love-hate relationship with it ALL MY LIFE.  I take a deep breath and gain five pounds. 

If you have ever been on a diet where you have to show up and weigh in then you know how it feels when you have had  a good week  and a bad week .  Sometimes you say diet be damned and go out and eat whatever the heck you want.  My husband and I are frequently on a diet and if we are really good which has not been recently, but when we are, we give ourselves a cheat day.  That is a day where we don't care what we eat. The next day we are back on task. It makes us feel less deprived.  Maybe?

The author describes dieting and more specifically cheating and getting caught by the scale lady to a tee.  I found myself laughing out loud because her description was pretty close to the truth. Admit it folks we have all been there.

The other stories were ok after all the stories are written by Elizabeth Berg and I like her.  In fact, I am reading one of her novels now. If you want more information click here The Day I ate Whatever I Wanted

Foodies Day at The Baseball Stadium

Baseballs Stadiums are smartening up.  After all you are virtually a captive audience when you are at the baseball stadium so most likely you are going to eat something.  Peanuts. cracker jacks and lousy hot dogs just don’t cut the mustard.  I mean if I am going to pay a million dollars for food at the park, I want it to be good.  I want it to be different.  I can get hot dogs and french fries anywhere and they taste a lot better.  

My husband and I have this dream of hitting the road and going to some of the different ball parks in the US.  I can’t wait to try some of these lovely creations.  The Chicken Taco Salad in Boston and the Churro Dog in Arizona are two must haves on my list. See what I am talking about  Crazy New Foods In Baseball Stadiums

Foodies Guess Which cooks spend the most time in the Kitchen!

I saw this article and I thought I would share it with you The Country that cooks the most.  I would like to hear from my foodie friends and non foodie friends on how much time you actually spend in the kitchen. 

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  I don’t like to carry in food because it is usually high calorie, high fat food.  I make an exception on Fridays.  My husband is responsible for dinner and if he wants to bring something in then so be it. In the winter, I usually do all my food shopping on Saturday and cook ahead for the week.  I can do that because in the winter I make more comfort foods like stew, soups, chili and various chicken dishes.  I generally cook for about four or five hours.  Then it takes me about an hour to clean the kitchen.  It gets crazy in there when I cook all those dishes because I use a lot of pots, pans and bowls to prep and even though I try to clean as I go things just seem to accumulate.

During the week I come home and usually prepare salad and sides.  Depending on what I make I am probably  in the kitchen for almost an hour when you consider the time it takes to chop veggies or prepare pasta etc.  Then there is clean up.  So it does not surprise me that I meet or exceed  both the American average of 5.9 hours and the Global average of 6.5 hours.  Thankfully grilling season is here so I throw everything on the grill and that cuts my cooking time down quite a bit.

What does not surprise me is that cooks in India spend the most time, 13.2 hours.  A friend invited a group of us to her house and we "helped" her prepare several Indian dishes.  When I say help I mean we did a little prep work and grated some stuff but mostly we talked while she cooked.  She had this rhythm going and trust me you did not want to get in her way.  She was cooking a long time and we enjoyed every bit.

Hope you find the article interesting!

The Escape

 I was looking for something that would help me clear my mind.  Well maybe not clear it, just distract it so I went to my go to guy David Baldacci. I can always count on him for some good story telling.  I picked up The Escape which has been out for awhile. This is the third John Puller novel which just happens to be my very favorite series written by Baldacci.  There is something about the character John Puller that I like.  I don’t know why, call me crazy. John works for CID.  He is a military man just like his father and his brother.  Honor and integrity is the code he lives by.

If you read the first two books you know that John has an older brother.  We don't know too much about him except the fact that he was convicted of treason against the US and is now serving life in prison.  The prison is no Camp Cupcake, this is a MAXIMUM Security prison from which no one escapes until one rainy night.  There is a massive storm.  The electric goes out and quite amazingly the back up generator dies. Pandemonium ensues but order is quickly restored.  When it is all over there is an unknown dead man who is not Robert Puller.  Robert Puller has left the building. 

How did he manage this? Did he have help from the outside?  Why now?  Was he really guilty?  Was he set up?  If he was set up by whom? John Puller off the record sets up to find his brother Bobby.  He still can't believe that Bobby is a traitor but this has caused him to have serious doubts.  He must find out what is going on and I loved going on the ride to find out.

To read more about the book click the link  The Escape