Selflessly Sacrificing My Bejewled Blitz Time

At least I donate blood.  There are times I feel guilty when I read or hear about people who do so much: they work fulltime, raising five kids, and yet have time to keep fit as well as do volunteer work.  As they say, if you want something done, give it to a busy person.  Shame on me, I have a flexible schedule working at home and yet I don't do volunteer work and "keeping fit" means bouncing my BodyBlade six minutes a day.  I count vacuuming as part of my exercise time---ok so that adds another whole ten minutes a week, wheeee!

So to help alleviate my guilt, I donate blood a couple times a year and write this blog.  I have very small veins, so hey, it's a big deal to get gouged and bruised twice a year.  [I've learned, however, to ask for the "expert" and 99% of the time they're able to hit the mark on their first try---thank goodness.]

As for my other public service obligation, here are some of the latest tips I'd like to share:

1) If you're worried about home invasions, today I received an email that suggests using your car remote's horn button as a security device.  Leave your car keys by your bed at night and if you hear a suspicious noise outside or someone breaking into your house, hit the horn button on the remote to start your horn beeping.  Chances are the burglar won't stick around to see if anyone in the neighborhood noticed the annoying blaring in the middle of the night.  Additionally, when you're out, be sure to carry your remote car keys in your hand while walking to your parked car to use as an alarm if you're threatened.

2) The latest quick tips gleaned from Dr. Oz's shows and Dr. Mercola's site:

•  Choose salmon over tuna, and smaller/younger fish (sardines, iriko) over bigger/older fish to lessen your mercury exposure.
• Eat these foods for longevity: jicama, kale, sweet potatoes (esp. the purple ones!), teff, amaranth, millet, mangos, dates, and apples (organic if possible).
• Interesting and hopeful news: the AMA (American Medical Association) Journal will have a regular feature looking into the massive overuse of medication and treatments that patients don't need.  Hel-lo!? Is the Medical world finally acknowledging what the Naturopathic world has been saying all along?  The 2012 Paradigm Shift is going to happen, I tell you!

3) Hopefully you recycle plastics, whether or not you get paid.  Don't forget that besides the usual juice, shampoo, and vitamin bottles, you can also toss into the plastic bin any container with the #1 and #2 symbol, such as those big rectangular containers from Costco that you get vegetables or baked goods in, tofu containers, or those ridiculously hard-to-open blister packs that batteries and electronic devices are sold in.  I'm telling you this because I only recently realized these are recyclable...duh!!

4) News Flash!!  Ok, so it's old news from a few months ago, but I just heard that finally Stephanie Plum will be immortalized on film!!  Although I've been hoping for years for a Plum television series, I heard today that Janet Evanovich's beloved Jersey Girl, Stephanie the Bounty Hunter, will be played by Katherine Heigl in "One For the Money," based on the first Stephanie Plum book (there are now sixteen plus a few "in betweens").  I'm not so thrilled with Katherine Heigl getting the part, but will reserve judgment until after the movie comes out.  Stephanie's fans, from what I see on various message boards, are not happy with her casting either.  We'll soon find out if Heigl can act or not.  Meanwhile, the casting of Ranger is oh-so-perfect in Daniel Sunjata (on the left) who appeared in a Sex and the City episode as a sailor.  Wow, I was hoping I'd see him again!  Morelli will be played by Jason O'Mara.  The big question now is who will play Grandma Mazur and Lula?  Showing my age, I always picture Estelle Getty "Golden Girls" and Jackee Harry (see photo below) "227"--I swear she IS Lula--when I read the books.  I also imagined Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Ranger and Chris Noth as Morelli.  Oddly, I could never picture Stephanie, but someone mentioned Debra Messing and yeh, she plays "bungling" well.  Unfortunately these actors are all too old--or in Ms. Getty's case, gone--for the parts.

Ok, I've done my good deed so now I can go back to Bejeweled Blitz.  Oh shoots I just remembered I have a report due...oh yeh, Monday....hmmmm....lots of time.   Hey, at least I give blood!