I doubt if there is a man in America who doesn't bow down to the god of frequent oil changes. If your guy isn't constantly inquiring about the age of the oil in your car, get his testosterone checked!
Getting my car's oil changed every 3 weeks is not on the top of my to do list. For that matter I easily could go for three months and never even think about the condition of the oil in my vehicle.
Guys apparently experience real empathy for mistreated cars. The sound of the car's tortured parts scraping together sans oil must reverberate in their heads. Perhaps their feeling is akin to my sympathy for our coffeemaker after a family member accidentally boiled all the water out, effectively gluing the enamel pot to the stove.
I don't want to be a traitor to my fellow oil-challenged women friends, but I know in my heart the guys are probably right. Cars do need oil. It's hard to refute empirical evidence; my husband's Ford Probe ran for 276,000 trouble-free miles. Naturally, he attributed this longevity to those frequent oil changes.
Nevertheless, the last time I treated my car to oil was a dismal experience. The workers sold the poor woman ahead of me so many filters and "safety checks" that her oil change cost over $100. Here she was, being good, and she gets totally scammed. It's enough to make a woman change her own oil.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Oil
I doubt if there is a man in America who doesn't bow down to the god of frequent oil changes. If your guy isn't constantly inquiring about the age of the oil in your car, get his testosterone checked!
Getting my car's oil changed every 3 weeks is not on the top of my to do list. For that matter I easily could go for three months and never even think about the condition of the oil in my vehicle.
Guys apparently experience real empathy for mistreated cars. The sound of the car's tortured parts scraping together sans oil must reverberate in their heads. Perhaps their feeling is akin to my sympathy for our coffeemaker after a family member accidentally boiled all the water out, effectively gluing the enamel pot to the stove.
I don't want to be a traitor to my fellow oil-challenged women friends, but I know in my heart the guys are probably right. Cars do need oil. It's hard to refute empirical evidence; my husband's Ford Probe ran for 276,000 trouble-free miles. Naturally, he attributed this longevity to those frequent oil changes.
Nevertheless, the last time I treated my car to oil was a dismal experience. The workers sold the poor woman ahead of me so many filters and "safety checks" that her oil change cost over $100. Here she was, being good, and she gets totally scammed. It's enough to make a woman change her own oil.
Getting my car's oil changed every 3 weeks is not on the top of my to do list. For that matter I easily could go for three months and never even think about the condition of the oil in my vehicle.
Guys apparently experience real empathy for mistreated cars. The sound of the car's tortured parts scraping together sans oil must reverberate in their heads. Perhaps their feeling is akin to my sympathy for our coffeemaker after a family member accidentally boiled all the water out, effectively gluing the enamel pot to the stove.
I don't want to be a traitor to my fellow oil-challenged women friends, but I know in my heart the guys are probably right. Cars do need oil. It's hard to refute empirical evidence; my husband's Ford Probe ran for 276,000 trouble-free miles. Naturally, he attributed this longevity to those frequent oil changes.
Nevertheless, the last time I treated my car to oil was a dismal experience. The workers sold the poor woman ahead of me so many filters and "safety checks" that her oil change cost over $100. Here she was, being good, and she gets totally scammed. It's enough to make a woman change her own oil.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Macaroni
Never undervalue the salutary effects of comfort food is my motto. There's nothing wrong with heading for cozy foods when the world is being hard and cold.
My list of A#1 comfort foods would be:
Another characteristic of my comfort foods is simplicity. In gourmet cooking, complex seasonings, tastes and textures are artfully combined. The diner must bring full attention and concentration to this food; it deserves appreciation. A grilled cheese sandwich, on the other hand, requires no mental effort. It is not a food of subtleties. When I need comfort, I am definitely not in a mood to put out.
Compiling a list of consoling foods is, naturally, a personal thing. Your cold pizza might be my grilled cheese. Roasted turkey smothered with gravy may give you hope for the future. My mother-in-law understood the power of homemade potato salad to overcome sorrow. The important point is knowing what to have for dinner when life gets trying.
My list of A#1 comfort foods would be:
- Homemade macaroni & cheese
- Big baked potatoes
- Grilled cheese sandwiches
- Lasagna
- Anything on the menu of La Creperie on Clark Street in Chicago
- Mashed potatoes, butter, no gravy
- Good soup
- Lavishly buttered toast
Another characteristic of my comfort foods is simplicity. In gourmet cooking, complex seasonings, tastes and textures are artfully combined. The diner must bring full attention and concentration to this food; it deserves appreciation. A grilled cheese sandwich, on the other hand, requires no mental effort. It is not a food of subtleties. When I need comfort, I am definitely not in a mood to put out.
Compiling a list of consoling foods is, naturally, a personal thing. Your cold pizza might be my grilled cheese. Roasted turkey smothered with gravy may give you hope for the future. My mother-in-law understood the power of homemade potato salad to overcome sorrow. The important point is knowing what to have for dinner when life gets trying.
Macaroni
Never undervalue the salutary effects of comfort food is my motto. There's nothing wrong with heading for cozy foods when the world is being hard and cold.
My list of A#1 comfort foods would be:
Another characteristic of my comfort foods is simplicity. In gourmet cooking, complex seasonings, tastes and textures are artfully combined. The diner must bring full attention and concentration to this food; it deserves appreciation. A grilled cheese sandwich, on the other hand, requires no mental effort. It is not a food of subtleties. When I need comfort, I am definitely not in a mood to put out.
Compiling a list of consoling foods is, naturally, a personal thing. Your cold pizza might be my grilled cheese. Roasted turkey smothered with gravy may give you hope for the future. My mother-in-law understood the power of homemade potato salad to overcome sorrow. The important point is knowing what to have for dinner when life gets trying.
My list of A#1 comfort foods would be:
- Homemade macaroni & cheese
- Big baked potatoes
- Grilled cheese sandwiches
- Lasagna
- Anything on the menu of La Creperie on Clark Street in Chicago
- Mashed potatoes, butter, no gravy
- Good soup
- Lavishly buttered toast
Another characteristic of my comfort foods is simplicity. In gourmet cooking, complex seasonings, tastes and textures are artfully combined. The diner must bring full attention and concentration to this food; it deserves appreciation. A grilled cheese sandwich, on the other hand, requires no mental effort. It is not a food of subtleties. When I need comfort, I am definitely not in a mood to put out.
Compiling a list of consoling foods is, naturally, a personal thing. Your cold pizza might be my grilled cheese. Roasted turkey smothered with gravy may give you hope for the future. My mother-in-law understood the power of homemade potato salad to overcome sorrow. The important point is knowing what to have for dinner when life gets trying.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Islands
My husband loves islands, preferably warm ones. He could happily walk out the door of our house and spend the rest of his days on a tropical island. I will not be with him.
I only visit islands for short periods of time. Five days would be really pushing it. I absolutely do not have island mentality.
Islands have one major, uncorrectable flaw. All the roads go in circles. In my view of the world, only Indie cars, racehorses and model trains should go in small circles. Since I am none of these, I cannot possibly live on an island.
Consider the road in front of my house. What a beautiful thought that this road leads to another and another and another until suddenly you're cruising past the Anchorage city limits sign. Having unlimited options is my idea of freedom.
My husband need not worry. He probably won't be getting any phone calls from Guatemala or Nova Scotia. But many people must share my yearning for endless, open roads. After all, the hit song Route 66 doesn't seem to want to die.
I only visit islands for short periods of time. Five days would be really pushing it. I absolutely do not have island mentality.
Islands have one major, uncorrectable flaw. All the roads go in circles. In my view of the world, only Indie cars, racehorses and model trains should go in small circles. Since I am none of these, I cannot possibly live on an island.
Consider the road in front of my house. What a beautiful thought that this road leads to another and another and another until suddenly you're cruising past the Anchorage city limits sign. Having unlimited options is my idea of freedom.
My husband need not worry. He probably won't be getting any phone calls from Guatemala or Nova Scotia. But many people must share my yearning for endless, open roads. After all, the hit song Route 66 doesn't seem to want to die.
Islands
My husband loves islands, preferably warm ones. He could happily walk out the door of our house and spend the rest of his days on a tropical island. I will not be with him.
I only visit islands for short periods of time. Five days would be really pushing it. I absolutely do not have island mentality.
Islands have one major, uncorrectable flaw. All the roads go in circles. In my view of the world, only Indie cars, racehorses and model trains should go in small circles. Since I am none of these, I cannot possibly live on an island.
Consider the road in front of my house. What a beautiful thought that this road leads to another and another and another until suddenly you're cruising past the Anchorage city limits sign. Having unlimited options is my idea of freedom.
My husband need not worry. He probably won't be getting any phone calls from Guatemala or Nova Scotia. But many people must share my yearning for endless, open roads. After all, the hit song Route 66 doesn't seem to want to die.
I only visit islands for short periods of time. Five days would be really pushing it. I absolutely do not have island mentality.
Islands have one major, uncorrectable flaw. All the roads go in circles. In my view of the world, only Indie cars, racehorses and model trains should go in small circles. Since I am none of these, I cannot possibly live on an island.
Consider the road in front of my house. What a beautiful thought that this road leads to another and another and another until suddenly you're cruising past the Anchorage city limits sign. Having unlimited options is my idea of freedom.
My husband need not worry. He probably won't be getting any phone calls from Guatemala or Nova Scotia. But many people must share my yearning for endless, open roads. After all, the hit song Route 66 doesn't seem to want to die.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Rabbit
I'm so glad I am not a rabbit! As I inform the kids in my science classes, everybody wants to have rabbits for lunch. Coyotes, wolves, eagles, bobcats, house cats, even sweet old pet dogs all want a bunny burger.
Of course, nature is not totally callous. Rabbits do have a few things going for them. Take those side mounted eyes. If I had those, I could see what the kids in the classroom were doing behind me.
Rabbits' swivel ears are a good feature, too. My hearing isn't as acute as it used to be, and directional ears would be excellent for scooping up sounds.
Rabbits' motherhood duties are definitely a negative. When everybody wants to eat you, someone has to make more "yous". Guess who gets the job? For a mom rabbit, life is just one big nonstop nursery and preschool.
So as Easter draws near, we can count our blessings. We could have been born rabbits. I definitely hope reincarnation is a hoax.
Of course, nature is not totally callous. Rabbits do have a few things going for them. Take those side mounted eyes. If I had those, I could see what the kids in the classroom were doing behind me.
Rabbits' swivel ears are a good feature, too. My hearing isn't as acute as it used to be, and directional ears would be excellent for scooping up sounds.
Rabbits' motherhood duties are definitely a negative. When everybody wants to eat you, someone has to make more "yous". Guess who gets the job? For a mom rabbit, life is just one big nonstop nursery and preschool.
So as Easter draws near, we can count our blessings. We could have been born rabbits. I definitely hope reincarnation is a hoax.
Rabbit
I'm so glad I am not a rabbit! As I inform the kids in my science classes, everybody wants to have rabbits for lunch. Coyotes, wolves, eagles, bobcats, house cats, even sweet old pet dogs all want a bunny burger.
Of course, nature is not totally callous. Rabbits do have a few things going for them. Take those side mounted eyes. If I had those, I could see what the kids in the classroom were doing behind me.
Rabbits' swivel ears are a good feature, too. My hearing isn't as acute as it used to be, and directional ears would be excellent for scooping up sounds.
Rabbits' motherhood duties are definitely a negative. When everybody wants to eat you, someone has to make more "yous". Guess who gets the job? For a mom rabbit, life is just one big nonstop nursery and preschool.
So as Easter draws near, we can count our blessings. We could have been born rabbits. I definitely hope reincarnation is a hoax.
Of course, nature is not totally callous. Rabbits do have a few things going for them. Take those side mounted eyes. If I had those, I could see what the kids in the classroom were doing behind me.
Rabbits' swivel ears are a good feature, too. My hearing isn't as acute as it used to be, and directional ears would be excellent for scooping up sounds.
Rabbits' motherhood duties are definitely a negative. When everybody wants to eat you, someone has to make more "yous". Guess who gets the job? For a mom rabbit, life is just one big nonstop nursery and preschool.
So as Easter draws near, we can count our blessings. We could have been born rabbits. I definitely hope reincarnation is a hoax.
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