Book review: The Middlesteins: A Novel

This is an intriguing book that delves through relationships in a family that is being torn apart by morbid obesity. The story gives a glimpse into the childhood of Edie, the woman who would grow up to be a bitter, angry, compulsive eater. She didn't always eat to bury her feelings, in her younger years she was taught that food is love and food is made from love. In her senior years, Edie's health condition is so serious she needs to undergo her second surgery in one year and the doctors and her family are doubtful it will help. Nothing seems to quell her desire to eat junk in enormous portions. The sickness leads to the ending of her 30 year marriage, and the children and grandchildren resent the father for leaving their ill mother, for giving up on her. In the end, after Edie's inevitable death, family relations remain strained, but her estranged husband realizes why Edie ate such a disgusting amount of food so often, because it is a great way to escape. The novel is compelling and it was as hard to put down as a bag of potato chips and onion dip in the hands of Edie Middlestein. However, the story is a bit depressing and there is no hope to be found as the situations unfold, there is only the belief that things will return to a semi normal state in the decades to come.

My wine refrigerator

I've always wanted to fill my refrigerator with wine bottles. This is a green act that reduces the amount of empty space your appliance has to cool and thus saves energy. I found this idea years ago, but I've never felt I had the ways or means to put it into practice. For one, I can be pretty frugal so spending loads of cash on bottles of wine is not an activity I've jumped at. Two, I like wine but I do not go through it at a crazy pace so it doesn't make sense for me to house that much alcohol in my fridge. Three, it would make me look like a lush to any visitors who happen to venture toward my kitchen. Four, where would I put my cheese? These points are holding me back from my booze-erator and I will likely never fill the empty corners and recesses of my refrigerator with wine bottles, but it is something to think about. It is definitely a different way to think about energy conservation and alcohol storage/consumption.

Salad in a jar

I always hated buying bags of salad only to throw half of it away because it goes bad too quickly. I live by myself and I cannot eat salad as quickly as mother nature and the Dole packers intend. A woman at work told me about an idea she saw on Pinterest. A salad in a jar. You layer the components of a salad, taking care to not get the vegetables mixed up with the dressing, and seal them in a Ball jar. No extra air gets at the lettuce and that keeps it from wilting. I used Italian dressing, feta cheese, dried cranberries, and spinach. I made the salad on a Wednesday and ate it on a Monday. The salad was delicious. It is thrilling to know that I can get three to four more salads out of a bag of produce than I would ordinarily be able to.

Jurassic Park 20 years later

I had never seen Jurassic Park until recently. I do not know what I was doing in 1993, but since I was a spry 13-year-old I am guessing I was doing anything and everything other than caring about dinosaurs. There aren't many 13-year-olds who do love the animals. Sure, most people went to see the movie when it was originally in the theaters regardless of age or gender, but I was not one of them. We added this once-summer blockbuster to that list of movies I haven't seen, but definitely should have. This year, being the 20-year anniversary of the movie's release, I was in luck. I seized the rare opportunity (although this may not be so rare in the future) to see an old movie remastered in 3-D and re-released.

I would have to say, while there are some definite factors that date the movie horrifically, the movie holds up with time. It is still scary and I believe I wouldn't have slept for a week if I had seen it in my early teenage years. There was suspense, fear, concern, and surprise. All adding up for a great drama. I don't know that I would necessarily see the movie again, but I am glad I finally had my first viewing. It was definitely worth my time. Interestingly, this movie is still very relevant as scientists, mad, evil or not, attempt to play God with genes, DNA and such in order to create the perfect human being, pet, anti viral, etc.

Fighting mosquitoes naturally

     I greatly dislike mosquitoes. I would use the word hate, but I don't like to do that. I don't like the pesky critters buzzing around my face. I don't like their bites or the horrendous itching that follows. I don't like the thought of using DEET as my best line of defense. So, this summer I am going to try a more natural approach to banning the bugs from my general vicinity. My approach starts with trying to find a citronella plant. I find the best way to explain the positive attributes of citronella is to quote an article from Earth Easy.

 "Citronella is the most common natural ingredient used in formulating mosquito repellents. The distinctive citronella aroma is a strong smell which masks other attractants to mosquitoes, making it harder for them to find you."

     I also plan to purchase citronella essential oil. This, depending on the potency of the scent, I can dab on myself or mix with water to create a spray formula to essentially hide from mosquitoes. These two options are of course in addition to citronella scented candles I plan to have on my balcony and other but repellents for those particularly nasty nights. Hopefully, my arsenal will not have to include any products containing the dangerous DEET.

Movie review: Oz the Great and Powerful

Directed by: Sam Rimi
Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz

Rating: B

     This movie got off to a great start. I love to see old stories get new life with a new twist. This is one of the reasons why I enjoyed the Wicked book series so much. We think we know a plot, but there's always another side of the story. This story is from the viewpoint of the Wizard of Oz, before Dorothy arrives in the magical land. The movie had a great start with much suspense, mystery, and intrigue. Then, the middle became dreadfully slow, but when things picked up again, the movie became spectacular. It was magical and surprising. The storyline definitely sets this movie up for a sequel and perhaps even a series.

Making the World Healthier and Happier: Compost Bin

     For many years now I have wanted to create a compost bin. Since I live in an apartment I have always put this task off saying there's not enough room and that an apartment isn't suited for such a contraption. This year I am going under the theory, if not now, when? So, I started doing some research on compost bins. I found an article that explains how to make an indoor compost bin. There are many reasons I do not want an indoor compost bin (Yuck, there's just so much that could go wrong), but I still found the article helpful because I would like to make my own bin without needing to buy a bunch of expensive tools. The website, "Apartment Therapy,"claims I can make a compost bin out of any sort of container, like a metal or plastic trash can. The process of making the bin does not sound too difficult and there are some pretty simple steps on the website I linked above. Some of this process might be trial and error until I get the right mix of refuse to soil. In theory, if I get it right, my compost bin should be clean, not smell, and reduce the amount of waste that I throw away.

Making the Earth Healthier and Happier: Cloth Napkins

     In order to reduce the amount of paper products I use in my household I moved to using cloth napkins quite a while ago. Actually, I have eliminated my need for paper towel by using the cloth napkins, dish cloths, and cut up old clothing as cleaning rags. In honor of Earth Day, I plan to spread the good will by gifting cloth napkins to others this year. Sometimes the napkins may not be the actual gift, but the wrapping that dresses the gift. Giving green feels good and I hope my very resourceful gifts will be put to good use.

    
     By the way, I think the following picture is entirely cute and clever. It reminds me of a canvas bag I have that says I'm not a plastic bag. I found it on The Green Head website

Making the Earth Healthier and Happier: Hommade Febreeze

     This year I came up with a list of things I will do or start doing in honor of Earth Day and conservation efforts. One of the items on the list is to make my own Febreeze. I use this product frequently, spraying everything from my carpet to my drapes to my closet. It can get expensive. One bottle of Febreeze can cost upwards of $4 depending on where you shop. Even the off brand options are expensive. I had seen do it yourself options online and I decided to give one of the "recipes" a try.
     The website I ended up using, "The Krazy Coupon Lady," offers three options for making your own Febreeze at home. I decided to go with option #1. The recipe follows:

1/8 cup fabric softener
2 TBS baking soda
30 oz. water

Combine all ingredients in a 32 oz. spray bottle and shake well.

     I was just about out of Febreeze and dreaded the thought of having to spend money to buy the fabric rejuvenater that I go through like actual water. This is an excellent alternative. It will save me time (from not needing to make a trip to the store), money, and it is green. I feel it is a win anytime I can make something at home instead of buying a product that was manufactured in a production facility. I call mine a Fabric Bumper because when I was living in the south I learned that some people refer to spot ironing or spot touching clothing "bumping," as in "I'll be ready to go in a minute, I just have to bump my shirt."

Another Celebrity Pregnancy: Defying the Odds of Fertility

     Another celebrity is pregnant, and at her advanced maternal age, Halle Berry's state comes at a surprise to many. Berry is 46 years old and has one five-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. Berry's fiancée is 47 years old, making them an odd pair to have conceived naturally, if that is the case. According to a Fox News story, "Halle Berry's pregnancy: The real deal on fertility in your 40's," doctors and medical experts have weighed in and said it is highly unlikely that someone in their mid 40's would be able to conceive using her own eggs because by that point, the number of egg releases has dwindled extravagantly. 
     There is definitely a fertility window for safely conceiving a child and while I do not like to pass judgement, I feel there can be adverse consequences for going against the biological clock. I'm not talking about someone who uses IVF and has a younger person's egg implanted or uses a younger person's sperm to fertilize, I'm talking about the mid-30-something (because it is more likely) who uses her own eggs. The risk of complications to both mother and baby increases with the mother's age. There could be developmental issues for the child as well as many other conditions that could arise. There are trade offs in life, and if you waited until your mid 30's to think about starting a family for what ever reason, perhaps you should consider other options. There are so many babies in the world that need good homes and loving parents. Perhaps parents of a certain age should consider adoption instead of spending thousands and thousands of dollars to attempt to conceive a child of their own in a less natural fashion. People weren't designed to be able to bear children into midlife, but people are able to parent children throughout their lives.

The When I Wake Up Game

     There's a new game trending on Twitter. I call it the When I Wake Up game because participants basically fill in that blank. Some people say they check their phone when they wake up. Others are more specific and say they check Twitter for about an hour until they are hungry enough to get up. I hear you there! This is a fun way to post to Twitter and engage people in more than griping about their depressing or disastrous day. I can read the tweets and nod my head in solidarity with the poster, as I did earlier with the person who lies around checking social media until they have to get up. So, when I wake up I rouse myself from my restful state by checking email, news, and social media in bed until I feel like I can safely get out of bed without falling down and lapsing back to dream land.

An Earth Day Resolution

Trying to come up with a new Earth Day resolution can be a bit difficult when you have been practicing the tradition for several years. Each year, I attempt to start a new habit or make a environmental gesture to commemorate the day. However, I've already chosen to add most mainstream green practices to my life and now I'm left trying to come up with a new, inexpensive activity. Last night, I read through a handy green tip book I was gifted one year. Reading it is something I like to do regularly so I can reevaluate my lifestyle. I found several things that could be easily implemented. I found some other activities that I would like to start doing, but they will have to wait until I have more time and money. I know this blog post is relatively vague. More details on my resolution/resolutions to come.

Playing a Weather Game

     The stormy day has me thinking about extreme weather conditions, especially last summer's heat wave in Indiana. When the temperatures rose past 106 degrees Fahrenheit I decided to play a game. My playful activity to make light of a sweltering situation began with me realizing my toe nail polish had melted to my nylons. I had trouble taking them off because they were stuck to my foot. So, I posed a question on Facebook: It's so hot outside that _____________ (fill in the blank). I didn't get many interesting or creative responses. I had the best reply. The next day the water bottle I was holding against my arm left a carbon copy-type print. You could read the product description on my limb.
     My game took lemons and made lemonade, and in this string of bad weather I can say at least we're not getting snow like other states. Colorado and Wisconsin got both snow and cold weather. This shocked and saddened many people, but as I have stated many times before anything is possible with mother nature.

Back in 7th Grade

     It's interesting and fun to see the topics that are trending on social media. One that is on the most popular list right now is "BackIn7thGrade," which is a topic that has a lot of potential for laughs. The idea is people post a twitter comment of something they remember from when they were in seventh grade. There are tweets about listening to Hanson's "Um Bop," MySpace layouts, slide-out keyboard phones, voice mail, and more. These tweets make me wonder how old the majority of the posters are. They're likely still in high school! No crime against that except it's like calling music from 2000 "Old School.'" You can comment on "BackIn7thGrade" if you're barely removed from middle school. Anything that contains the phrase 'back in' hearkens to older days like back in the day.
     There are some tweets on there that made me chuckle a bit because they're some of what I remember about seventh grade. There's one commenting that boyfriends and girlfriends would barely talk to each other and their friends would force them to hug. Also, you got your friend to ask someone out for you or ask the other person if they liked you. When I was in seventh grade cell phones weren't for the average person and weren't for commercial use. That was still about five years away. There was no Facebook or Twitter because kids didn't even have email accounts. I remember Jolt parties where we drank a ton of super caffeinated soda and stayed up all night. I had permed hair and plastic rim glasses. I was in band and acted in the school play. Things were so much more simple then compared to seventh graders now who have all of this technology, not to mention the typical cattiness of middle school spilling over onto the internet in the form of cyber bullying.

Tis Time for Spring Cleaning

     Spring is a good time to get things in order in your life and often that comes in the form of spring cleaning. I say why wait until spring to clean, but there are some things I can get done during this season that fit with the theme. This year I decided to take inventory of my belongings. Many many years ago I used to have a list of everything I owned, but that list is now so outdated that it is irrelevant. So, I spent the month of March going room to room creating a spreadsheet that lists everything I have. It is quite a list and I have to organize and streamline it so it will make sense. Right now it looks like a long, jumbled monologue.
     I didn't quite make my deadline of March 31 to get the inventory completed, but I am nearly there and will very soon have it done. Which means it will be time for my next spring cleaning project. That will entail delving into the dusty recesses of my computer and backing up and getting rid of files. Hopefully this project will not take me the entire month of April.

Marching Out Like a Lion

     The saying about the first month of spring proved to be true in a sense this year. March came in like a lamb and went out like a lion. I'm still waiting for that lion to move all the way out. The temperatures are cold for April and the sun is deceiving. The thermometer does not reach its daily high until late afternoon, which is frustrating because it takes so long to warm up; the temperature variance from noon to three o'clock is enough to keep me indoors. I want to frolic and play outside, but that darn nip in the air thwarts my efforts. Alas, I am left waiting once more for the weather to turn up its charm and become spring-like. All the while I remind myself it could be worse. At least it is not snowing. I've know March to go out like a wintry, wet lion in the past.