As I got some positive feedback regarding my blog about health tips, I thought I'd pass on more interesting and EASY tips. Consider yourself fortunate if you don't like to wade through a lot of health articles that will make you feel doomed and raise your blood pressure. You can read my blog and at least get some info. Better than sitting there playing Tetris eating Krispy Kremes. Hmm...or is it?
Today I read Dr. Mercola's article on the dreaded Kidney Stone. Click that link to read the article or if you prefer, you can go the page and see/hear him talk about it. Although you really should read it yourself for details, for the lazy readers, here's the short story: drink more water, less soda/beer, more exercise, less soy/oxalate foods (sorry, you'll have to look those up). Following the article, readers have submitted some helpful suggestions. Believe me, if you ever get a kidney stone, you'll be scouring the earth and internet for helpful suggestions. Click the link or someday you may be screaming in pain "Why oh why didn't I click the liiiiinnnnk?!"
I would also like to recommend a few invaluable supplements: tumeric + green tea (take them together); resveratrol; ubiquinol. There are a lot of other supplements that most of us should take, but I think those are the "must takes", especially the latter two for us midlifers. I recommend ordering online from Swanson Health.
Enough about health, I want to discuss divas. I've been reading Madonna's biography for lack of a better read. It's strange, I recently borrowed books by two of my favorite authors: Dean Koontz and Dick Francis, both of whom I've been reading for years. Why is it I couldn't get past two chapters of either books??? Is it my imagination or has their writing morphed into prose so overly descriptive that my reading time doubled? Dick Francis' sentences seem to be anti-sentences, as if he were writing backwards. Meanwhile, Dean Koontz feels he has to over-describe every single scene, every single character, every single step each character takes. Please, I haven't got all day!
Again, TGFI (Thank Gore For Internet)! I just now opened Amazon.com in another window and looked up Dick Francis' "Second Wind" and I quote the consensus of 81 "reviewers":
"I am a die hard Dick Francis fan - I have reread most of his books several times. This one I won't. It's disjointed and extremely slow to get to the plot ( which is so convoluted that even at the end it didn't make sense). I had to force myself to finish it in the hopes that it would get better, it didn't. There was very little character development, far too many of the pages were taken up by descriptions ..."
Hallelujah! I wasn't imagining things! And so what about the Dean Koontz "One Door Away From Heaven:??? Just 3 1/2 stars, which is low compared to his other books! And here's the favored critique:
"The plot of "One Door" is so bloated and rambling that at times I found myself skipping ahead in frustration. A good editor would have ripped away entire chapters of meandering description..."
YES!! I feel totally vindicated now. I have to admit I felt puzzled and guilty for giving up on these two favorites after two chapters. I've never done that and was worried that in my older age I was losing my reading skills. It also occurred to me that I was becoming overly critical and wanting fast-moving reads because let's face it, time goes faster as we get older (I explained this phenomena in an earlier blog).
So back to Divas! Jordan had picked out the Madonna biography at the library, but she doesn't read books. I've always had a love-hate thing for Madonna so did not care to read about her. But for lack of anything better, I flipped through the book and ended up reading it. Unlike Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, or Barbra Streisand, Madonna has no easily identifiable talent, so I'm sure many people like myself are attracted to her yet dislike her for seeming to be undeserving of her success. Reading this biography validated my ambivalence: while I'm now able to understand she is deserving of her success, I'm still not a fan. Nothing's changed since the time I watched her for the first time in the 80's in her "Burning Up" video. I recognized that she was going to be "big", but at the same time didn't like her.
Meanwhile, this morning I have an important mission: securing two seats to a rare Mariah Carey "intimate" performance in Las Vegas. Yes, intimate...meaning "only" 2500 seats in the theater. I tried to tell Jordan that we could buy 30 CD's instead of 2 tickets, but nope, no deal. I remember also my first sight of Mariah Carey in her "Vision of Love" video. Another easy call that this singer was special. I worry somewhat about Mariah, though. She seems to be struggling with the fact that she's getting older, but it just goes to show that even the most successful have their insecurities.
How on earth we "middling" folk make it through each day is truly a miracle! Could it have something to do with tumeric, resveratrol, and ubiquinol?
Showing posts with label humor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humor. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Friday, August 1, 2008
Just a cute story
Feedin' my blog, just feedin' my blog. I remembered a cute story that I thought I should write down before it inadvertently gets deleted from the limited capacity of my braincells:
Several years ago we had a picnic down at Lydgate Park, which is 3-4 miles down the hill from our house. Hmmm, I did read somewhere that the vast majority of Hawaii homes are just 3 miles from the beach. ANYWAY...we got to the park and we realized we'd forgotten something...errr ok so now I've once again forgotten what it was we'd forgotten (at least I'm consistent!). It's puzzling to me now that I didn't send my husband to go back home to get it, but maybe in those days I actually enjoyed driving so I decided to drive back home alone to get that twice forgotten item.
When I was a half mile away from our house, I noticed two young boys on the opposite side of the street thumbing a ride. I never pick up hitchhikers, but they looked like 9 or 10 years old...cute little boys decked out for a day at the beach. I thought, "Oh how cute, I'll pick them up if they're still there on my way down."
After retrieving the forgotten item from home, I headed back to the beach and saw the boys still trying to hitch a ride. I pulled over for them and they hopped into the car, thanking me. Once in, the first boy says to the other, "See! I TOLD YOU if we took off our sunglasses someone would pick us up!"
I was polite enough not to burst out laughing and instead just said solemnly, "I would've picked you up even with sunglasses."
Maybe I should have just agreed instead, since they may have liked the notion that they looked "gangsta" and intimidating wearing sunglasses. Anyway, they were just too cute.
_____________________________________________
I would like to give heartfelt condolences to the family of Alan Nakamatsu who recently drowned while fishing on Oahu. I worked with Alan for a couple of years at my first fulltime job at the Waikiki Woolworth's. We were both assistant managers. He was a very very good guy. I have to say "very very" because when someone passes, people will routinely say nice things, but Alan really WAS a good guy. I took a lot of "stuff" as the only female manager out of nine, and Alan was one of genuinely nice coworkers who was kind, hard working, and dependable. Aloha Alan...I will think of you at tonight's bon dance.
Several years ago we had a picnic down at Lydgate Park, which is 3-4 miles down the hill from our house. Hmmm, I did read somewhere that the vast majority of Hawaii homes are just 3 miles from the beach. ANYWAY...we got to the park and we realized we'd forgotten something...errr ok so now I've once again forgotten what it was we'd forgotten (at least I'm consistent!). It's puzzling to me now that I didn't send my husband to go back home to get it, but maybe in those days I actually enjoyed driving so I decided to drive back home alone to get that twice forgotten item.
When I was a half mile away from our house, I noticed two young boys on the opposite side of the street thumbing a ride. I never pick up hitchhikers, but they looked like 9 or 10 years old...cute little boys decked out for a day at the beach. I thought, "Oh how cute, I'll pick them up if they're still there on my way down."
After retrieving the forgotten item from home, I headed back to the beach and saw the boys still trying to hitch a ride. I pulled over for them and they hopped into the car, thanking me. Once in, the first boy says to the other, "See! I TOLD YOU if we took off our sunglasses someone would pick us up!"
I was polite enough not to burst out laughing and instead just said solemnly, "I would've picked you up even with sunglasses."
Maybe I should have just agreed instead, since they may have liked the notion that they looked "gangsta" and intimidating wearing sunglasses. Anyway, they were just too cute.
_____________________________________________
I would like to give heartfelt condolences to the family of Alan Nakamatsu who recently drowned while fishing on Oahu. I worked with Alan for a couple of years at my first fulltime job at the Waikiki Woolworth's. We were both assistant managers. He was a very very good guy. I have to say "very very" because when someone passes, people will routinely say nice things, but Alan really WAS a good guy. I took a lot of "stuff" as the only female manager out of nine, and Alan was one of genuinely nice coworkers who was kind, hard working, and dependable. Aloha Alan...I will think of you at tonight's bon dance.
Friday, July 11, 2008
29th Wedding Anniversary
There are so many things I want to write about, but I'm selecting the topic of marriage today since we just had our 29th wedding anniversary a few days ago. You know, we got married on Ringo Starr's birthday. Just thought I'd throw that in. It could be loosely relevant because well, I consider him the funny Beatle and he's the oldest Beatle and the least controversial. I think our marriage is all that. Oh and another thing. We got married on 7-7-79. darn it's really too bad we didn't get married two years earlier! I'm sure we would've been much luckier in Vegas over the past 29 years.
When someone asked me what the secret was to our long marriage, I replied "We're two very tolerant people." I was joking, but now when I think about it, isn't it the truth? What two people are so perfect that tolerance is never necessary at some point? Love is not enough, sorry to tell you. Acceptance, a sense of humor, and commitment are mandatory. This is why I sometimes question the institution of marriage. It's NOT natural, it's man-made. Like everything man-made, there are advantages and disadvantages. Take shoes, for instance: they protect your feet and keep them warm, but can cause bunions, foot odor, and often are hard to dance in.
Marriage enables a partnership which promotes better upbringing of children and it provides love, comfort and friendship; but it can also cause financial problems, high blood pressure, and some husbands don't take you dancing. *LOL*
In my case, my husband has the high blood pressure and takes me dancing. Seriously, however, marriage can be restrictive if not handled carefully. I may bemoan his being unromantic and point to a guy on TV proposing to his girl on a moonlit balcony in Paris, but at least he never tries to suppress my creativity or public expression of unconventional views (such as those found in blogs) and he tolerates my overanalyticalitis. Any man who would take his wife to see Smokey Robinson on three consecutive nights in Las Vegas is marriage-worthy in my book.
Lastly, I would like to stress the importance of complementing each other. Too often we are given the impression that for a marriage to be successful, you must be soulmates with a singular mind. One of my favorite funny quotes is Woody Allen's "I would never want to belong to a club that would have me as a member." Not sure if that's totally relevant but I love that quote. Sometimes when two people are alike it can be disastrous. Imagine two vain people in a bathroom with one mirror! Or two people who love to eat the turkey neck...or butt? Surefire ingredients to a rocky marital road!
Years ago I was criticizing someone's childrearing methods. Unfortunately, "Supernanny" wasn't around or she'd have proven me right. That person said "Well, you're lucky. Jordan's an easy child!" It never occurred to them that maaaaybe, just maybe, their child was difficult BECAUSE they were spoiling him and that Jordan was "easy" because I was studiously following John Rosemond's advice. So some may say "Well you're lucky you found each other, that's why your marriage lasted." Maaaaybe, just maybe it's not only about luck but also that we are simply two people who are smart enough to understand that married life can be great if you're committed, learn to accept, have a sense of humor, and go dancing once in a while.
When someone asked me what the secret was to our long marriage, I replied "We're two very tolerant people." I was joking, but now when I think about it, isn't it the truth? What two people are so perfect that tolerance is never necessary at some point? Love is not enough, sorry to tell you. Acceptance, a sense of humor, and commitment are mandatory. This is why I sometimes question the institution of marriage. It's NOT natural, it's man-made. Like everything man-made, there are advantages and disadvantages. Take shoes, for instance: they protect your feet and keep them warm, but can cause bunions, foot odor, and often are hard to dance in.
Marriage enables a partnership which promotes better upbringing of children and it provides love, comfort and friendship; but it can also cause financial problems, high blood pressure, and some husbands don't take you dancing. *LOL*
In my case, my husband has the high blood pressure and takes me dancing. Seriously, however, marriage can be restrictive if not handled carefully. I may bemoan his being unromantic and point to a guy on TV proposing to his girl on a moonlit balcony in Paris, but at least he never tries to suppress my creativity or public expression of unconventional views (such as those found in blogs) and he tolerates my overanalyticalitis. Any man who would take his wife to see Smokey Robinson on three consecutive nights in Las Vegas is marriage-worthy in my book.
Lastly, I would like to stress the importance of complementing each other. Too often we are given the impression that for a marriage to be successful, you must be soulmates with a singular mind. One of my favorite funny quotes is Woody Allen's "I would never want to belong to a club that would have me as a member." Not sure if that's totally relevant but I love that quote. Sometimes when two people are alike it can be disastrous. Imagine two vain people in a bathroom with one mirror! Or two people who love to eat the turkey neck...or butt? Surefire ingredients to a rocky marital road!
Years ago I was criticizing someone's childrearing methods. Unfortunately, "Supernanny" wasn't around or she'd have proven me right. That person said "Well, you're lucky. Jordan's an easy child!" It never occurred to them that maaaaybe, just maybe, their child was difficult BECAUSE they were spoiling him and that Jordan was "easy" because I was studiously following John Rosemond's advice. So some may say "Well you're lucky you found each other, that's why your marriage lasted." Maaaaybe, just maybe it's not only about luck but also that we are simply two people who are smart enough to understand that married life can be great if you're committed, learn to accept, have a sense of humor, and go dancing once in a while.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Waaaaaaall E
We went to see Wall-E tonight. First of all there was a nice surprise from the very beginning because Jordan and I just love "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" from "Hello Dolly"! And then a few minutes later they played "La Vie En Rose"....of course not Edith Piaf's version, but pretty cool also since Jordan loves EP.
The movie was fun and cute, but of course I had my usual questions afterwards to which my hubby replied, "It's a cartoon." Yeh but....
What were those fat people eating for 700 years?!?!
Why must they land in the CITY!?!?
How did Eva get separated from the plant in the first place!!?!
Where were the kids and teenagers?!?!
Why didn't I see any fat Asian people!!?!
Hmm, I would love to see a PREQUEL to Wall-E.
If you like to read murder mysteries, and want to laugh out loud, read the Monk books by Lee Goldberg. I haven't been able to watch "Monk" on TV regularly, but still, it's one of my favorite programs. I love just about every detective/lawyer program, especially the ones that don't waste time visiting the personal lives of the detectives and lawyers. If I cared about their personal lives I'd watch soap operas. Just solve the damned murder! Stop worrying about your beautiful hair and cleavage too (CSI Miami). Oh and please TURN ON THE LIGHTS (CSI Las Vegas). I love to watch the process and I want to be able to SEE it. What's funny is that on Law & Order, they don't seem to need CSI's to solve their cases, and on CSI, they don't need police to solve theirs. Gee whiz, don't they watch each others' shows?
Before I go to bed, I would like to say Aloha to our Mayor Bryan Baptiste. I really trusted and liked this man. I often marveled at how he seemed to be such a quiet and almost shy person for a mayor. He got elected without being a "politician" that campaigned aggressively and verbosely, but just worked hard and quietly. That's what it seemed like to me, anyway. I'd see him at every big craft fair I participated in on Kauai. He'd walk through the tent quietly and nod and say hi with such a humble air. I feel very sad and can't help feeling that the stresses our island put upon him was unhealthy for him: the homeless problem, Superferry fiasco, bike path issue, overdevelopment, slowing economy, on and on. Thank you, Bryan Baptiste, I don't doubt that you gave your life for our island.
The movie was fun and cute, but of course I had my usual questions afterwards to which my hubby replied, "It's a cartoon." Yeh but....
What were those fat people eating for 700 years?!?!
Why must they land in the CITY!?!?
How did Eva get separated from the plant in the first place!!?!
Where were the kids and teenagers?!?!
Why didn't I see any fat Asian people!!?!
Hmm, I would love to see a PREQUEL to Wall-E.
If you like to read murder mysteries, and want to laugh out loud, read the Monk books by Lee Goldberg. I haven't been able to watch "Monk" on TV regularly, but still, it's one of my favorite programs. I love just about every detective/lawyer program, especially the ones that don't waste time visiting the personal lives of the detectives and lawyers. If I cared about their personal lives I'd watch soap operas. Just solve the damned murder! Stop worrying about your beautiful hair and cleavage too (CSI Miami). Oh and please TURN ON THE LIGHTS (CSI Las Vegas). I love to watch the process and I want to be able to SEE it. What's funny is that on Law & Order, they don't seem to need CSI's to solve their cases, and on CSI, they don't need police to solve theirs. Gee whiz, don't they watch each others' shows?
Before I go to bed, I would like to say Aloha to our Mayor Bryan Baptiste. I really trusted and liked this man. I often marveled at how he seemed to be such a quiet and almost shy person for a mayor. He got elected without being a "politician" that campaigned aggressively and verbosely, but just worked hard and quietly. That's what it seemed like to me, anyway. I'd see him at every big craft fair I participated in on Kauai. He'd walk through the tent quietly and nod and say hi with such a humble air. I feel very sad and can't help feeling that the stresses our island put upon him was unhealthy for him: the homeless problem, Superferry fiasco, bike path issue, overdevelopment, slowing economy, on and on. Thank you, Bryan Baptiste, I don't doubt that you gave your life for our island.
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