Sunday, March 31, 2013

Easter and Commercialism

    Easter is increasingly becoming a consumer holiday. Although it hasn't risen to epic secular proportions like Christmas has, the market place is flooded this time of year with images of eggs, pastels, dresses and bonnets, and candy. What does the Easter bunny have to do with the Bible? While many who celebrate this holiday do proclaim to be religious, many observe the holiday because of tradition or family obligation. Easter has become a rite of spring. In pop culture, the holiday is something you do and things you buy rather than something you believe in. I will be happy when the calendar turns past all of this consumerism and signals the shopping season of summer. That's a shopping season in which a customer does not need to pretend to adhere to a certain religion to take part in.

Friday, March 29, 2013

Bucket List Progress: My Knitting Goal

     I've made great progress on my bucket list goal for this year. I came up with a list of things I want to do before I die, but instead of just leaving it all until a later date and an older age I decided to knock a few items off each year. For my 2013 New Year's resolution I decided I would complete a 365 day photo project, learn to knit, and make a souffle. I am seventy days into my 365 day photo project and having a blast doing it. I recently started knitting and my skill is improving.
I plan to continue my efforts toward my yearly goal with a souffle this summer. Since I like cooking and baking this will be a fun endeavor. Although, I bet it will take many attempts to get things just right.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Cross Country With the FitBit

     I have previously extolled the usefulness of my FitBit. I still marvel at my obsession with entering my daily information and tracking my fitness progress. Well, I've found a new way to make things fun. Courtesy of the FitBit group forums, I found a website that allows you to track your progress on a virtual trip across the country. You enter your information into the Walk Across America website and it tracks your advancement along the Trans American highway. The trail is thousands of miles long and this website shows you your location on the map as well as provides you with a photo of where you are on your journey.
Click here for the link.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Kids and The Yellow Dog Project

     There's a movement that's gaining steam in an effort to protect your child. The Yellow Dog Project is an ingenious campaign that seeks to increase knowledge and education about not petting every dog you run into. When I would take my dog Mary Tyler Moore for walks children would often run up to her and just start petting her. I would crouch down (Mary is a dachshund) and instruct the kids on how they should pet her. Many of them thought it a good idea to go straight for the head. Although Mary is a very well mannered and socialized dog, having a stranger pet her on the head is not a good idea. I had these concerns with Mary, but just think about all the people who have dogs that shouldn't be pet like those with a seeing eye dog, dogs with illnesses, dogs that are in training, etc.
     So, here's the idea behind The Yellow Dog Project, if you see a dog with something yellow tied to his/her leash or collar it is a dog that needs some space. The yellow sign is a very visible signal to proceed with caution and be alert. What a great idea? Now if we can only get the word out to parents!

Click here for more information on The Yellow Dog Project.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Shells Guide: Showing Your Bra Straps

     Warmer weather generates a fashion disturbance, visible bra straps. Worse than the errant misplaced strap is when a woman either does bother to conceal her straps or when she tries to coordinate the straps with her outfits. Bra straps the appendages of your undergarments. The word undergarment describes items worn underneath your clothing and therefore your bra straps should not be considered a part of your outfit or an accessory to your garments. Please invest in a strapless bra or throw the poorly cut garment in the trash. Visit the fitting room before you purchase your next racer back tank top and take note of how much your straps show. If you are not comfortable with a strapless bra for whatever reason (and I know there are many) then opt for a multi-way bra with straps that are interchangeable. Trust me, you'll look a lot better!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

My Kind of Las Vegas Vacation

     Las Vegas may be known for debauchery, but it is possible to have many kinds of vacations in Sin City. I have had my fun in the past and now I am looking for more from my trip. My ideal vacation is a good mix of adventure/fun and relaxation, but that does not always mean beach and tanning. I'm not sure I will even pack my bathing suit as I don't expect to hang out pool side. Instead, I expect I will trot along the Boulevard and to off the beaten track locations. I have a number of things I want to get done.
     A priority on my to do list is to take a jump off the Stratosphere. It is billed as the ultimate free fall and I am excited to cross it off my bucket list. I have gone sky diving, scuba diving, and more, and I love adventure.
    The next must-do on my list is visit the Neon Museum. This vibrant piece of Las Vegas history will be very photogenic. I expect I will be able to complete quite the photo shoot, in addition to my daily Instagram photo for my 365 Photo project. This Las Vegas trip will be quite productive for my bucket list!
   Hopefully, by planning my days and hours I won't fall into too many of the typical Las Vegas vacation traps. I'm sure there will be some gambling, buffets, Bellagio fountains, etc. However, I would like to have a worthwhile escape from reality.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

A New Kind of Bacon Sandwich

     Calling all you bacon lovers! There's a new kind of porky sandwich on the market. Arby's is said to be marketing the Bacon Cheddar Potato Cake Melt. According to Food Beast, the sandwich offers up thick-cut pepper bacon and cheddar cheese slices all inside two hash brown patties. It's breakfast to go! Or heart attach to go if you look at it like me.
     It doesn't event sound tasty to me. Sure, I'm a vegetarian and there's no chance I would ever taste this creation, but feel I am a bacon advocate. However, when you add the fattiness of the fried potato patties with the melted "cheddar" cheese you have a bellyache. I saw the Food Beast article along with the corresponding photo on my Facebook news feed, but haven't been able to find information on the sandwich elsewhere. I guess that's a good thing that I haven't been able to get my hands on the nutritional information. It is a fact that allows many Americans to live in unhealthy food naivete for a while longer. 
     The lack of available information online makes me wonder if this sandwich is in fact an idea dreamed up by Arby's. It does not surprise me, after all it wasn't long ago that Kentucky Fried Chicken was taking heat/getting praised for thinking outside the bun with its Double Down. I guess this would just be taking the bacon loving fast food craze to the next level. 

Sunday, March 17, 2013

St. Patrick's Day Fun

     There are a lot of fun ways to celebrate St. Patrick's day, whether you are Irish or not. Many people wake up early for kegs and eggs. Others wait a bit and start their drinking around noon on pub crawls. Others partake in festive dinners of traditional Irish fare. Which ever your favorite way to commemorate the day a bit of green often goes a long way.
     There's a tradition of those who fully partake in St. Patrick's day to pinch those who do not wear green. I actually hadn't heard about this custom until college. When I was growing up we would punch (very lightly or often just threaten to punch) those who did wear green. It was the thought that those who got in the spirit should be punished for being so obvious. More subtle displays of St. Patrick's Day pride are more appreciated among those I surrounded myself with, or so I like to remember.


     One of my favorite ways to celebrate in recent years has been to walk to the downtown Indy canal and take in the sighs. Every year, the city dyes the canal green. The pigment disperses in waves and flows throughout the water until all of it is colored. The fountains, waterfalls, twists and turns bloom with signs of the coming spring. 

Friday, March 15, 2013

Beware the Ides of March!

     Beware the Ides of March! This is a phrase that has been ingrained in my mind since my sophomore year in high school. My English teacher was giving us a lesson on the age of Julius Caesar and she decided to make things a little interesting with a reward. Since my class only lasted the first semester, Mrs. Akerman told us she would give the student who remembered the Ides of March a gift on March 15th. I wrote down the date and its significance and when that date came I rushed to Mrs. Akerman to claim my glory. I believe the prize was only a fancy eraser or something of the sort, but the lesson, with its promise of a payoff, stuck with me for all the years that followed. I appreciate her creative approach to teaching in not just this instance, but many others.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

SNL and the Booming Vegetarian Trend

     It's been around for decades and now it seems vegetarianism is a trend. I started cutting meat out of my diet seven years ago and I'm seeing more and more of my friends who are beginning to do the same. I really realized the booming growth of this trend when Justin Timberlake sang about it on Saturday Night Live on March 9th. He donned a sponge looking tofu costume and sang about his diner's vegetarian and vegan options; he was at war with the meaty, sausage seller. He closes the hilarious skit with the Vegan Shake in an effort to capitalize on the ever popular Harlem Shake. Of course J.T.'s songs were catchy, his dancing was silly, and the skit was memorable.
     I hope this trend toward vegetarianism results in more and varied food options for people like me who have been practicing this diet for years. Every year there is a food/diet/health fad. By December these fads become annoying in their over saturation of the consumer market. I generally take pride in never glomming onto these crazes. However, in this instance I am already a participant and I don't want to get annoyed with my own eating habits. So, let's hope there is an odd aboriginal product that is more appealing for the fad-seekers out there.

Monday, March 11, 2013

An Ode to Daylight Savings Time

Daylight Savings Time, you make the days seem long.
I wake up a little confused with questions of the time,
But within minutes I realize the extra light is not wrong.
The rays woke up early and the orb continues to climb.

I have more daylight hours to enjoy,
To go out, run around and play.
The once fleeting light is no longer coy.
Who am I to argue, I must obey. 

Daylight savings time, I want lounge and bask,
Before the brilliant shine fades with dusk to follow.
The punctual moon hands the tired day a night mask,
Because life without any night would be hollow.

Daylight Savings Time is a pleasure.
But it never seems to last long enough.
While it is here I live a life of leisure,
With it over the days are short and rough.

 










Saturday, March 9, 2013

Spring Break Travel Warnings

     Tis the season for travel. Spring break time is very soon upon us. This time of year always brings back memories of my travels in younger years. Taking a break from school and throwing caution to the wind in sunny Mexico, or in my cold and blustery hometown. There are always concerns when young people plan such trips. I have been duped by deals that were too good to be true and left to fill my purse with breakfast breads so that I would have enough to eat for the rest of the day. There are also travel advisories to contend with. These are not anything new, and many of the countries on the State Department list have been on there for many consecutive months. There's always a story on a new travel advisory in a vacation destination. This year, Mexico and many other spring break locations are not on the advisory list, but I wonder if they'll get added ahead of many of these trips.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Spa Jeans? Pants With Built In Moisture

     We all know moisturizing is important, but what if you could skip the step in the morning? What if you could pass on the moisturizer and instead slip on a pair of jeans to get the same results. Wrangler is releasing spa jeans, which claim to moisturize and reduce cellulite.
     According to an article on Yahoo! Shine, there will be three styles of jeans. The first will be an Aloe Vera jean that says it will soothe skin. The second has an olive extract as a straightforward moisturizing treatment. The third is the option that could lead to trouble. The Smooth Legs claim to reduce the appearance of cellulite. Haven't we learned anything from the past legal troubles of Sketchers? Do not make advertising claims that will be difficult to back up. The Smooth jeans concept sounds like trouble. Just like with Sketchers' Shape-Ups, women are going to buy these jeans and become ignorantly miffed when the appearance of their well established cellulite does not diminish.  There will be law suits and settlements. It seems to me that this will become a giant black eye for Wrangler.
     As for the moisturizing jeans, I'm a little creeped out. I don't know if I want chemicals and products that it takes to infuse denim with moisture to touch my legs. I also am unsure if a product like this would stand up to washing machine cycles without losing its juice, so to speak. If they are proven to work I would love to try the soothing jeans, as my legs are terribly dry and irritated during winter months. Only time will tell if this fad is a poor business decision.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

My Favorite Movie

     You've probably been asked about your favorite movie many times. Everyone has one, whether they realize it or not and there are different reasons for liking a particular movie. My favorite is Casablanca. I enjoy the old film for a multitude of reasons, but it all boils down to the fact that they just don't make movies like that anymore. The script is genuinely clever and it moves quickly as one line snaps right to the next in a meaningful fashion. The lighting adds a layer of depth to the black and white film. It adds character, emotion, and foreshadowing. The score is brilliantly used. The same melody is used throughout the movie in different ways to convey the feel of the scene. It is beautiful.
     This is a movie that I could watch and enjoy until I die. I relish in what seems to me to be a novelty every time I view it. I love to talk about it and share it with people who have never seen the movie. Often people know of the movie as a sappy love story and not for the artistic reasons that I adore the movie for. So, it is exciting to open their eyes to the complex storyline; they're often surprised at how much they, too, enjoy the movie.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Sexism in Schools: Taking Swearing Pledges

     We've come a long way, but sexism in schools is still alive. A high school in New Jersey made its girls take a pledge swearing to not swear, but the boys did not have to make that promise. According to an article on Yahoo!, the administrators at Queen of Peace High School had the girls take the vow because they wanted ladies to act like ladies. The the boys were told not to swear in the presence of ladies, but when they're not in the room they were told they can say whatever they want.
     Since Queen of Peace High School is a catholic school and not a finishing school, I believe administrators are unfairly targeting women and teaching them gender stereotypes. Ladies shouldn't swear, but men can say foul things and it is accepted. Some men don't like to hear a foul mouth on a lady, but some do. So, wouldn't it make sense to just allow women to speak how they will and if someone doesn't like it they can move along and find someone they are more suited for? The idea of trying to mold a woman and fit her into a box is very outdated. The school is trying to teach women  how to conform to antiquated perceptions of womanly behaviors instead of being themselves.
     Not making the boys in the school take the pledge sends a message to them that they can get away with any impropriety they want, not just using foul language. These are the boys who will grow into men who cheat and lie, but think they are entitled to do so. The women who were forced to take the pledge are the ones who are expected to put up with it and make excuses for the poor behavior of their men. Not making the boys take the pledge instills in them a mentality that they can do and act however they want, but women are objects to be controlled and told how to act. This sort of life lesson is unhealthy for the boys and girls affected by it. It will lead to rebellious behavior and

Friday, March 1, 2013

March: In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion

     We all know the saying about March: in like a lion, out like a lamb. Well, this year the weather on March first is much more like a lamb than a lion, although it was cold and drizzly. This stands to reason that the month will go out with a bang, a last blast of nasty weather. At least, I hope it is a last blast. This saying can't stand to be true in every location every year, but it carries enough fear that caution is warranted. I am predicting an end of Marcy/April Fools Day storm. I'm going to go out on a limb and say the conditions will produce cold gusts of wind and hail. However, I believe this saying is something we always remember when the first of the month rolls around, but rarely do we refer back to the calendar at the end of the month to see if the prediction was true. It is like Groundhog Day in this way. Although, I am sure there is someone somewhere who is in charge of writing down and tracking these weather patterns. Glad it is not me. That job does not sound like fun.