Stop and Smell the Roses

Lately, I've been fascinated with the sky.  I have a 22-minute commute to work that winds along the Indian River so I usually see the rising sun against the sky.  Some days it's cloudy while others are clear.  Each day is different.  I feel like I need to stop and pull over to capture the morning sky at that particular moment.  When I don't stop, I regret it.  So, I figure if I really like the sky that day that I should stop and take a picture.  That way, I'll always have a memory of how beautiful that day was and no two skies are alike.  It's another way of saying, "Stop and smell the roses."

Necessity, the mother of invention (Plato)

Designer handbags and purses, usually large, are a popular accessory these days.  Sometimes, I don’t want to lug my heavy bag with me so I stick my credit card, cash, cell phone and car key in my pockets which makes them bulge.  Sometimes I don’t have pockets.  My sister-in-law and I decided we need a small cloth bag that would be large enough to carry those few things, but still lightweight.  We saw some larger cloth purses at an outdoor market that she liked.  I don’t know how much they cost, but I said, “I used to make those when I was a teenager.  I can make you one!”  I went to a fabric store, picked out some quilted fabric and lining, and created a small bag for her.  It took me about two hours to cut and sew.  The hardest part was the strap because I couldn’t get the heavy quilted fabric to turn inside out so I created a new one by topstitching.  I’m quite pleased with this little bag.  Someone told me it looks like a Vera Bradley because of the printed material.  I’ll have to make this pocket purse for myself now.

I Just Saved $155 on My Car Insurance!

Sounds like an old radio commercial, but it's true.  My son just took the TeenSmart course, passed, and my insurance company gave us a discount. But more important than the savings is the course claims to reduce the chance of your teen getting into an accident.  Statistically, teens are more likly to be involved in accidents than any other age group. The course involves parents and teen viewing some videos, teen doing computer-based training, and hands-on driving with the parent.  The course can be completed over about a month's time and covers critical crash factors such as visual search, detecting hazards, perceiving risks, adjusting speed, managing space, and risky lifestyles. I highly recommend the course for teens and parents.

Unlimited Vacation?

Sounds like part of a dream job or is it a joke? Some companies like Social Strata and Netflix are offering this unbelievable benefit. They justify its offering by saying most of their employees are hard workers or on call anyway so they deserve to take off whenever they want without having to account for it. The caveat is that this is for professional employees, not factory workers, because you can’t have the assembly line shut down. I know many professional employees who are losing their vacation time because they can’t take time off from important projects. And then there are others who really can’t afford to take time off to actually go somewhere. So, for them there’s always the “stay-cation.” They still would be checking emails and ticking off some housework list. Not really my idea of a vacation. There’s usually one person who takes advantage of the situation. But if they’re on vacation a lot and not missed, so will be their job. So, will more companies be offering unlimited vacations as a benefit? I don’t think so.

Things I Didn't Know About Armadillos

After discovering a baby armadillo foraging in our yard, I did some research (thanks to Wikipedia):

They are known as "little armored one" in Spanish. They are nocturnal and sleep around 16 hours a day. They are very susceptible to cold weather due to their low body temperature. They are used for research in diseases such as Leoprosy. They are born as identical quadruplets that come from the same egg and placenta. They swim and float by trapping air in their intestines. They gather bugs and ants using their sharp claws to dig into the ground and have a long, sticky tongue to eat, but do not have enamel on their teeth. Baby Armadillos have a soft leathery skin that hardens with time. They can live up to 15 years.

Where's the % sign on the Blackberry Keyboard?

I just got a new Blackberry cell phone and was most excited about having an actual keyboard to use to type text messages. I was tired of hitting the same button 4 times to get an “s” on screen. But when texting a comment about our rain chances, I was dismayed to find there is no percent sign (%) on the keyboard. After typing the word out, I realized I could have used the letter o, a slash, and the letter o which is probably what we used to type on manual typewriters. It’s ironic that the “QWERTY” layout of the characters on the keyboard was designed to prevent the metal keys from jamming while typing on a manual typewriter. I learned to use all my fingers on the keyboard when I took a typing class in high school, but today toddlers are using keyboards. So, I wonder if they might want to change the layout of the keyboard in the near future. Hopefully, the standard QWERTY keyboard won’t go away like 8-track tapes.

10 Clichés That I Hate

“That being said” or “Having said that” – if you said it, why do you have to say you said it?
“Been there, done that” – Are you bragging or bored? This is so old and heard too many times.
“Yaddi yaddi yadda” – Where did this come from and what does it mean, except for a space filler?
“24/7” – isn’t everything so why do you have to say it?
“It is what it is” – I think this means “don’t complain about it.” Some people might say “This too shall pass” or “Let it be.” This is beginning to sound like a Beatles album.
“Out of the box” – It means “creatively” so let’s just be creative. I recently heard someone say “out of the square.”
“Discuss, meet or talk offline” – as opposed to online which might mean on the Internet, but this means meeting at another time and place.
“Flesh that out” – That just sounds disgusting.
“All intents and purposes” or sometimes misspoken as “all intensive purposes.” This reminds me of the first one on my list. It’s a waste of breath.
“My bad” – Just say “excuse me” or let it go.

Easy Clams Linguine

My author friend was asking for a good Italian recipe she could use in her book. I suggested Clams Linguine, a family recipe I got from my mother-in-law. The fresh parsley makes it especially delicious, but you can use the dried stuff if that's all you've got.

5 garlic cloves, minced
½ stick (4 tablespoons) of butter
Splash of white wine
3 cans of chopped clams
2-3 tablespoons of flour
2-3 tablespoons of milk
1-2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
1 box of linguine noodles

In a medium size skillet, sauté garlic in butter on medium heat. Add a splash of wine and cook a minute or two. Add clams: 1 can drained clams and 2 cans with juice. Stir to cook together for a few minutes. Turn down to low temperature. In a separate cup, mix flour and add milk to make a creamy mixture. Add to clam sauce to thicken. Stir in chopped parsley and serve over cooked linguine noodles. Enjoy!

Just Another Twilight Fan

I, too, have succumbed to the lure of the “Twilight Series” written by Stephanie Meyer. Three friends recommended the books to me saying they were really romantic fiction, not so much about vampires. I picked up Twilight while waiting for a prescription at the drug store; started reading it; and had to buy it to finish reading. At first, the scene and dialog seemed kind of juvenile, but I found peering into the life of a teenager who has moved to a small town kind of compelling. I could relate and I probably would have fallen for Edward myself. I was bitten by the first book and had to have more. The second book, New Moon, turned out to be a monotonous continuation of the story with the introduction of a pack of werewolves. Now, I’m reading Eclipse and intrigued by the story of a teenage girl in love with a vampire while friends with a werewolf. The young love relationship brings up several analogies for abstinence, but I keep wondering if she’s going to become a vampire or not?! It’s all very implausible, but a great escape. I have to find out what’s going to happen so I’ll have to read the final book called Breaking Dawn. Then I'll have to see the movies.

Prepare: Teenage Driver

My 16-year-old son just got his driver's license. He's had his learner's permit for over a year and passed driver's education at school. He never scared me when he was driving with me in the car. Basically, I think he's a good driver, but it's the other drivers that I don't trust. I've told him "just watch out for the other guy." Besides watching out for the other drivers on the road, I was concerend about the distractions inside the car. So, I found a teenage driving contract that covers other driving rules. We reviewed the contract together and he signed it. The contract covers issues like speeding, loud music, phone usage, alcohol, drugs, number of passengers, etc. You can download it for free here: www.parentingteendrivers.com.