Fads are like a rash. First only a few spots appear, but soon they are everywhere. I confess to trying to spot these trends before they are epidemic.
Take the pillow people for example. There is a decided fad among young people to bring their bedroom pillows to the airport. These pillows may not be relegated to duffel bags. They must be conspicuously displayed such as clutched under the arm the way young children cling to their teddy bears.
I was sitting next to a pillow person on a recent long flight. The young lady placed the pillow vertically over her chest & lap and clutched her arms around it for the entire flight thus doing a great impersonation of a woman in her ninth month of pregnancy. I'm clueless as to why a bed pillow has such cachet.
I read about the absolute latest wedding fad in an unimpeachable source, an airline magazine. You've no doubt heard of the craze for destination weddings. But now there's a new twist. After the lovely poolside ceremony, the bride immediately jumps into the pool. Soon the whole expensively clad wedding party is in there with her. An alternative is for the bride to do an ocean swim the next day... also in her wedding gown. America has been called a nation of teenagers, and this behavior seems to be supporting evidence.
The swimming in your wedding dress fad was probably started by the bridal industry to nip the burgeoning market in used wedding gowns.
Food and beverage fads are omnipresent, and I only need to consult my daughter for the latest trends here. She says that mojitos are really hot now.
A computer search enlightened me on the mojito's makeup - muddled mint, limes, sugar, rum and club soda. Since I don't own a muddler, I won't be indulging anytime soon. However, I suspect that more than one of those water soaked brides had a few mojitos before their vows.
Please click here if you wish to send me a comment
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Fads
Fads are like a rash. First only a few spots appear, but soon they are everywhere. I confess to trying to spot these trends before they are epidemic.
Take the pillow people for example. There is a decided fad among young people to bring their bedroom pillows to the airport. These pillows may not be relegated to duffel bags. They must be conspicuously displayed such as clutched under the arm the way young children cling to their teddy bears.
I was sitting next to a pillow person on a recent long flight. The young lady placed the pillow vertically over her chest & lap and clutched her arms around it for the entire flight thus doing a great impersonation of a woman in her ninth month of pregnancy. I'm clueless as to why a bed pillow has such cachet.
I read about the absolute latest wedding fad in an unimpeachable source, an airline magazine. You've no doubt heard of the craze for destination weddings. But now there's a new twist. After the lovely poolside ceremony, the bride immediately jumps into the pool. Soon the whole expensively clad wedding party is in there with her. An alternative is for the bride to do an ocean swim the next day... also in her wedding gown. America has been called a nation of teenagers, and this behavior seems to be supporting evidence.
The swimming in your wedding dress fad was probably started by the bridal industry to nip the burgeoning market in used wedding gowns.
Food and beverage fads are omnipresent, and I only need to consult my daughter for the latest trends here. She says that mojitos are really hot now.
A computer search enlightened me on the mojito's makeup - muddled mint, limes, sugar, rum and club soda. Since I don't own a muddler, I won't be indulging anytime soon. However, I suspect that more than one of those water soaked brides had a few mojitos before their vows.
Please click here if you wish to send me a comment
Take the pillow people for example. There is a decided fad among young people to bring their bedroom pillows to the airport. These pillows may not be relegated to duffel bags. They must be conspicuously displayed such as clutched under the arm the way young children cling to their teddy bears.
I was sitting next to a pillow person on a recent long flight. The young lady placed the pillow vertically over her chest & lap and clutched her arms around it for the entire flight thus doing a great impersonation of a woman in her ninth month of pregnancy. I'm clueless as to why a bed pillow has such cachet.
I read about the absolute latest wedding fad in an unimpeachable source, an airline magazine. You've no doubt heard of the craze for destination weddings. But now there's a new twist. After the lovely poolside ceremony, the bride immediately jumps into the pool. Soon the whole expensively clad wedding party is in there with her. An alternative is for the bride to do an ocean swim the next day... also in her wedding gown. America has been called a nation of teenagers, and this behavior seems to be supporting evidence.
The swimming in your wedding dress fad was probably started by the bridal industry to nip the burgeoning market in used wedding gowns.
Food and beverage fads are omnipresent, and I only need to consult my daughter for the latest trends here. She says that mojitos are really hot now.
A computer search enlightened me on the mojito's makeup - muddled mint, limes, sugar, rum and club soda. Since I don't own a muddler, I won't be indulging anytime soon. However, I suspect that more than one of those water soaked brides had a few mojitos before their vows.
Please click here if you wish to send me a comment
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Barista
The best thing about my husband's retirement is the coffee. Although most kitchen functions still remain inscrutable mysteries to him, he has become a fantastic barista.
Before retirement, he would frequently stop on the drive home from work for a latte or espresso. His critiques would go something like - too much milk, too bitter, over-roasted beans.
My husband saw retirement as an opportunity for learning how to make the perfect cup of coffee. Being a minimalist, he only invested in a $29.99 Mr. Coffee espresso maker. "You are only getting an eagle for the extra $200." He believes that skill and quality beans make good coffee, not big buck equipment.
After much grinding, steaming, frothing and taste testing, a perfect cup of coffee has emerged. And every morning he gets up and produces this masterpiece for me to take on my morning commute. Lucky me!
Except one morning last month, when tragedy did strike. As I was pulling out of our driveway, I saw in the rear view mirror my coffee mug sailing down the road behind me spewing coffee. You guessed it - I put the precious brew on the roof of my car as I loaded my school gear and then took off.
No coffee that morning; I couldn't lower myself to Starbucks.
Please click here if you wish to send me a comment
Before retirement, he would frequently stop on the drive home from work for a latte or espresso. His critiques would go something like - too much milk, too bitter, over-roasted beans.
My husband saw retirement as an opportunity for learning how to make the perfect cup of coffee. Being a minimalist, he only invested in a $29.99 Mr. Coffee espresso maker. "You are only getting an eagle for the extra $200." He believes that skill and quality beans make good coffee, not big buck equipment.
After much grinding, steaming, frothing and taste testing, a perfect cup of coffee has emerged. And every morning he gets up and produces this masterpiece for me to take on my morning commute. Lucky me!
Except one morning last month, when tragedy did strike. As I was pulling out of our driveway, I saw in the rear view mirror my coffee mug sailing down the road behind me spewing coffee. You guessed it - I put the precious brew on the roof of my car as I loaded my school gear and then took off.
No coffee that morning; I couldn't lower myself to Starbucks.
Please click here if you wish to send me a comment
Barista
The best thing about my husband's retirement is the coffee. Although most kitchen functions still remain inscrutable mysteries to him, he has become a fantastic barista.
Before retirement, he would frequently stop on the drive home from work for a latte or espresso. His critiques would go something like - too much milk, too bitter, over-roasted beans.
My husband saw retirement as an opportunity for learning how to make the perfect cup of coffee. Being a minimalist, he only invested in a $29.99 Mr. Coffee espresso maker. "You are only getting an eagle for the extra $200." He believes that skill and quality beans make good coffee, not big buck equipment.
After much grinding, steaming, frothing and taste testing, a perfect cup of coffee has emerged. And every morning he gets up and produces this masterpiece for me to take on my morning commute. Lucky me!
Except one morning last month, when tragedy did strike. As I was pulling out of our driveway, I saw in the rear view mirror my coffee mug sailing down the road behind me spewing coffee. You guessed it - I put the precious brew on the roof of my car as I loaded my school gear and then took off.
No coffee that morning; I couldn't lower myself to Starbucks.
Please click here if you wish to send me a comment
Before retirement, he would frequently stop on the drive home from work for a latte or espresso. His critiques would go something like - too much milk, too bitter, over-roasted beans.
My husband saw retirement as an opportunity for learning how to make the perfect cup of coffee. Being a minimalist, he only invested in a $29.99 Mr. Coffee espresso maker. "You are only getting an eagle for the extra $200." He believes that skill and quality beans make good coffee, not big buck equipment.
After much grinding, steaming, frothing and taste testing, a perfect cup of coffee has emerged. And every morning he gets up and produces this masterpiece for me to take on my morning commute. Lucky me!
Except one morning last month, when tragedy did strike. As I was pulling out of our driveway, I saw in the rear view mirror my coffee mug sailing down the road behind me spewing coffee. You guessed it - I put the precious brew on the roof of my car as I loaded my school gear and then took off.
No coffee that morning; I couldn't lower myself to Starbucks.
Please click here if you wish to send me a comment
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Woodchuck
Woodchucks, a.k.a. groundhogs, are the largest members of the squirrel family. Their name comes from the Cree Indian word, wuchak, so don't expect any wood chucking behaviors from your local groundhog.
You may be wondering why I did not address this topic on February 2, America's official Groundhog's Day. I am not overly fond of that day, nor, I would suspect, are the groundhogs.
Bear in mind that groundhogs are true hibernators. After a hot shower and a cup of coffee, we non-hibernators wake up fairly easily. For hibernators waking up is a big deal. Seven month slumber sessions involve a vastly slowed down heart rate (100 beats a minute to 4), breathing (one breath every 6 minutes) and temperature (97°F to less than 40°).
It's positively unkind to bother these guys in the middle of their winter naps especially when we already know that six more weeks of winter is a certainty, shadow or no shadow.
We celebrated Groundhog's Day two weeks ago. That's when we spotted our newly
awakened groundhog sitting in the middle of the birds' seed table, stuffing his face with oiled sunflower seeds, the perfect lunch for a herbivore.
A few days later we watched him ambling down the path the animals have made along the edge of our bluff. He would stand up and look around, sentry duty, every foot or two. We've noticed that Woody is a cautious guy.
This morning we put out a few stale cookies on the birds' feeding table. Shortly after, we saw our favorite guy in a state of groundhog bliss shoving cookies into his face... Groundhog's Day for him. (Click thumbnail for full size Woody!)
Please click here if you wish to send me a comment
You may be wondering why I did not address this topic on February 2, America's official Groundhog's Day. I am not overly fond of that day, nor, I would suspect, are the groundhogs.
Bear in mind that groundhogs are true hibernators. After a hot shower and a cup of coffee, we non-hibernators wake up fairly easily. For hibernators waking up is a big deal. Seven month slumber sessions involve a vastly slowed down heart rate (100 beats a minute to 4), breathing (one breath every 6 minutes) and temperature (97°F to less than 40°).
It's positively unkind to bother these guys in the middle of their winter naps especially when we already know that six more weeks of winter is a certainty, shadow or no shadow.
We celebrated Groundhog's Day two weeks ago. That's when we spotted our newly
awakened groundhog sitting in the middle of the birds' seed table, stuffing his face with oiled sunflower seeds, the perfect lunch for a herbivore.A few days later we watched him ambling down the path the animals have made along the edge of our bluff. He would stand up and look around, sentry duty, every foot or two. We've noticed that Woody is a cautious guy.
This morning we put out a few stale cookies on the birds' feeding table. Shortly after, we saw our favorite guy in a state of groundhog bliss shoving cookies into his face... Groundhog's Day for him. (Click thumbnail for full size Woody!)
Please click here if you wish to send me a comment
Woodchuck
Woodchucks, a.k.a. groundhogs, are the largest members of the squirrel family. Their name comes from the Cree Indian word, wuchak, so don't expect any wood chucking behaviors from your local groundhog.
You may be wondering why I did not address this topic on February 2, America's official Groundhog's Day. I am not overly fond of that day, nor, I would suspect, are the groundhogs.
Bear in mind that groundhogs are true hibernators. After a hot shower and a cup of coffee, we non-hibernators wake up fairly easily. For hibernators waking up is a big deal. Seven month slumber sessions involve a vastly slowed down heart rate (100 beats a minute to 4), breathing (one breath every 6 minutes) and temperature (97°F to less than 40°).
It's positively unkind to bother these guys in the middle of their winter naps especially when we already know that six more weeks of winter is a certainty, shadow or no shadow.
We celebrated Groundhog's Day two weeks ago. That's when we spotted our newlyawakened groundhog sitting in the middle of the birds' seed table, stuffing his face with oiled sunflower seeds, the perfect lunch for a herbivore.
A few days later we watched him ambling down the path the animals have made along the edge of our bluff. He would stand up and look around, sentry duty, every foot or two. We've noticed that Woody is a cautious guy.
This morning we put out a few stale cookies on the birds' feeding table. Shortly after, we saw our favorite guy in a state of groundhog bliss shoving cookies into his face... Groundhog's Day for him. (Click thumbnail for full size Woody!)
Please click here if you wish to send me a comment
You may be wondering why I did not address this topic on February 2, America's official Groundhog's Day. I am not overly fond of that day, nor, I would suspect, are the groundhogs.
Bear in mind that groundhogs are true hibernators. After a hot shower and a cup of coffee, we non-hibernators wake up fairly easily. For hibernators waking up is a big deal. Seven month slumber sessions involve a vastly slowed down heart rate (100 beats a minute to 4), breathing (one breath every 6 minutes) and temperature (97°F to less than 40°).
It's positively unkind to bother these guys in the middle of their winter naps especially when we already know that six more weeks of winter is a certainty, shadow or no shadow.
We celebrated Groundhog's Day two weeks ago. That's when we spotted our newly
awakened groundhog sitting in the middle of the birds' seed table, stuffing his face with oiled sunflower seeds, the perfect lunch for a herbivore.A few days later we watched him ambling down the path the animals have made along the edge of our bluff. He would stand up and look around, sentry duty, every foot or two. We've noticed that Woody is a cautious guy.
This morning we put out a few stale cookies on the birds' feeding table. Shortly after, we saw our favorite guy in a state of groundhog bliss shoving cookies into his face... Groundhog's Day for him. (Click thumbnail for full size Woody!)
Please click here if you wish to send me a comment
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Literate
Most of us are blissfully oblivious to the number of words we read each day. This simple fact hit me like an unabridged dictionary when I was in Japan a few years ago.
Not only can I not read Japanese, I can't even sound out the words in my head. In Europe I can wander around reading all sorts of great words. Of course, I don't have a clue what most mean.
An oxymoronic sense of calm and frustration descended on me in Japan. I could sit on the train, focus on the scenery and not have to read the plethora of billboards and signs that flew by my window. In this situation, I was illiterate.
On the other hand, it would have been nice if I could have read the signs at the hot springs, "Beware, poisonous fumes are omitted by the volcanic vapors". Luckily, a Japanese friend took pity on me and supplied that translation.
After Japan, I am cognizant that being a reader doesn't just provide hours of pleasure with the books, magazines, newspapers and movie subtitles I choose to read. Since I read automatically, loads of non-elective reading happens daily. Much of this reading is inane, superfluous, redundant or all three. Here are a few examples from recent months...
Not only can I not read Japanese, I can't even sound out the words in my head. In Europe I can wander around reading all sorts of great words. Of course, I don't have a clue what most mean.
An oxymoronic sense of calm and frustration descended on me in Japan. I could sit on the train, focus on the scenery and not have to read the plethora of billboards and signs that flew by my window. In this situation, I was illiterate.
On the other hand, it would have been nice if I could have read the signs at the hot springs, "Beware, poisonous fumes are omitted by the volcanic vapors". Luckily, a Japanese friend took pity on me and supplied that translation.
After Japan, I am cognizant that being a reader doesn't just provide hours of pleasure with the books, magazines, newspapers and movie subtitles I choose to read. Since I read automatically, loads of non-elective reading happens daily. Much of this reading is inane, superfluous, redundant or all three. Here are a few examples from recent months...
- Raspberry creme walleye dinner
- Please remove your ski mask before entering the bank.
- Normal is a setting on my washing machine.
- Receive collect calls from jail or prison to your cellular.
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Chicory Stout
- Do not feed the coyotes.
- Express your inner beauty with cosmetic surgery.
- Please request doggie paper dinnerware.
Literate
Most of us are blissfully oblivious to the number of words we read each day. This simple fact hit me like an unabridged dictionary when I was in Japan a few years ago.
Not only can I not read Japanese, I can't even sound out the words in my head. In Europe I can wander around reading all sorts of great words. Of course, I don't have a clue what most mean.
An oxymoronic sense of calm and frustration descended on me in Japan. I could sit on the train, focus on the scenery and not have to read the plethora of billboards and signs that flew by my window. In this situation, I was illiterate.
On the other hand, it would have been nice if I could have read the signs at the hot springs, "Beware, poisonous fumes are omitted by the volcanic vapors". Luckily, a Japanese friend took pity on me and supplied that translation.
After Japan, I am cognizant that being a reader doesn't just provide hours of pleasure with the books, magazines, newspapers and movie subtitles I choose to read. Since I read automatically, loads of non-elective reading happens daily. Much of this reading is inane, superfluous, redundant or all three. Here are a few examples from recent months...
Not only can I not read Japanese, I can't even sound out the words in my head. In Europe I can wander around reading all sorts of great words. Of course, I don't have a clue what most mean.
An oxymoronic sense of calm and frustration descended on me in Japan. I could sit on the train, focus on the scenery and not have to read the plethora of billboards and signs that flew by my window. In this situation, I was illiterate.
On the other hand, it would have been nice if I could have read the signs at the hot springs, "Beware, poisonous fumes are omitted by the volcanic vapors". Luckily, a Japanese friend took pity on me and supplied that translation.
After Japan, I am cognizant that being a reader doesn't just provide hours of pleasure with the books, magazines, newspapers and movie subtitles I choose to read. Since I read automatically, loads of non-elective reading happens daily. Much of this reading is inane, superfluous, redundant or all three. Here are a few examples from recent months...
- Raspberry creme walleye dinner
- Please remove your ski mask before entering the bank.
- Normal is a setting on my washing machine.
- Receive collect calls from jail or prison to your cellular.
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Chicory Stout
- Do not feed the coyotes.
- Express your inner beauty with cosmetic surgery.
- Please request doggie paper dinnerware.
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