Tips for Driving ( Not for my kid)

I was thinking recently about how there are only a few more years until my daughter will learn how to drive and it got me thinking about my own driver education. So here are some tips that I will not share with my daughter.

1. Start young.  I did. I think I was 13 maybe 14.

2. Have a friend teach you how to drive. My BFF Sue and I took the car out many times.  Sometimes, legally.  There were a few that were not.  ( I swear Sue, the car became possessed!!!)

3.  Drive to Driver's Ed whether you are a licensed driver or not.  How else was I supposed to get there?

4.  When you inherit a car, don't question what rolls around in the trunk you can't open.

5.  Learning how to drive a manual transmission in a world of hills is scary!!

6.  Mastering the manual transmission is a fun skill to show off!  No brakes needed!!!

7.  Yes, it is possible to sleep in your car, if needed.  This is especially helpful if you weren't where your folks thought you would be.

8.  Don't ever admit it, but AAA can really save your life. Locked out, ran out of gas, battery died.....all in very inconvenient places.

9.  You can fit way more people than is allowed in your car.

10. When in need, beg for gas money. I walked around with a can labeled, "Meg's Gas Fund", and got at least a few bucks.

Just Say It Now

It's hard when you lose someone, whether it be sudden or slow.  The time frame doesn't make it easier in any sense.  I've dealt with loss.  Both suddenly and slowly.  Neither is easy. After a loss, people always are quick to talk about how wonderful the person who passed was.  This is much more evident in Social Media.  I witnessed, recently, the wonderful postings about a high school classmate who had suddenly passed away.  It was truly evident that she was an amazing person who touched many lives, but it made me wonder.  Did she know this?  Did people tell her those wonderful things to her face while she was alive? 

I'm not so sure.  That is why I am starting this movement  #justsayitnow   Tell someone  how you feel today.  It could be family, friends or coworkers. Everyone needs to know how valued they are.  JUST SAY IT NOW!  Because you never know when they won't be there to tell them in person.  

The Fireplace Fiasco (or how I made an ash out of myself)

So, I came home the other day and noticed that the house smelled like a fireplace.  It has been unusually cold here, lately, which is true of most places this week, and we have had several fires. Anyhow, I decided that it would be a good thing to clean out the fireplace. I was home alone and it hadn't been done since last year.  The first thing I notice is that our fireplace tools have been reduced to a poker and a pair of what looks like giant tongs. There is a great deal of ash in the fireplace, so I get the brilliant idea.  A vacuum would be the perfect solution for this problem. Well, I know from past experience that this is too much ash and would clog the vacuum.  So, I go to the shed and get the shop vac.

This is where the fiasco begins.  I plug in the shop vac and turn it on and begin to suck up the ash.  Not 15 seconds in, I notice that the suction is not quite right.  So, not thinking, I look in the hose and then tip it over proceeding to dump a bunch of ash on the rug.  Obviously,  there is a clog.  Unscrew said hose. Carry outside and attempt to clear the clog off of the back porch.  Did I mention it was windy?   After a face full of ash, I unclog the hose.  Go back inside. Hook it back up. Turn it on and check the suction. Perfect!  Then I proceed to suck up the ash spilled on the floor, turn my attention to the fireplace.  

At this point, I must state that the shop vac is behind me. I'm busy sucking up all the ash, when after a minute or so,  I stop to check the suction again and turn around.  WHAT THE HELL?!?!  The entire living room has been enveloped by a huge ash cloud!  What?!?!?! The shop vac has an exhaust in the back of it?!?!  Every speck of ash I have sucked up is now spewing out the back and into the room!!! I quickly turn off the shop vac.  Thinking on my feet, I grab my regular vacuum, put on the attachment  thinking I can suck up the ash cloud out of the air.  Why, in the world,  did I  think that would work? I have no idea.

  

Next Idea, run around the living room and open all the windows.  As fast as I can, turn on the two ceiling fans (break the thingy off of the chain on one in the process).  Next,  I grab a standing fan from another room and place it in the hallway to attempt to keep the ash in the living room.  Not really helping the situation of clearing the room of the ash cloud.  So, I pick up the fan and start waving it around.  Kinda reminded me, for a moment,  of how Steven Tyler swings the mike stand around when he performs.     But then, a moment of clarity.   I move the fan in front of the window facing out to suck the ash out.  Meanwhile, I realize that my dog has just been standing in the middle of the living room watching the whole thing. I notice him and think, "Oh my God, you can't be in here breathing this! You'll get the black lung or something!"  So a whisk him out the back door!  

At this point I need to calm down and analyze the situation.  Deep Breath, Nope, realize quickly that  that would be bad.   But upon observation, everything seems to getting back in order.  The ash cloud seems to be dissipating.  OK, let's empty the shop vac and put it away.  Good thing I looked in it before just dumping it willy nilly in the back yard because apparently it was last used to pick up Styrofoam packing pieces.  That could have been a mess chasing Styrofoam around the back yard.  I'll just take this and dump it all  into the trash can on the side of the house.  Head outside. Lift the lid on the trash can.  Remember how I said it was windy before? One gust, that's all it took!  And a cloud of ash and Styrofoam bursts into the air.  I drop the shop vac and proceed to spend the next 20 minutes picking up ash covered Styrofoam pieces off my neighbor's and my side yard.  

Now I still need to turn my attention to original problem.  Cleaning out the fireplace.  Still don't have the tools I need.  So I improvise.  Using a scoop formally used for scooping dog food and a plastic shopping bag.  Yes,  I checked for holes first. I then proceed to clean most of the ash out.  There is just a little left that I can't reach with the scoop.  Surely, that little bit won't clog the vacuum.  Oh how wrong I was.  Now, I have to clean the Vacuum filter and container so that the vacuum will work again.  I'm so over it at this time.  All I wanted was to get rid of the ash smell.  Now, the smell is embedded in my nose and a fine layer of ash covers all the furniture and the rug in my living room.  Well, I can't use the vacuum until the filter is dried.  So, screw this,  I'm having a glass of wine.  I'll clean it later. 

I wish.....

"I wish... more than anything...more than the moon........."

Wishing for things to come and wishing for things that could have been.....

I wish that my friends and family would all find true happiness.

I wish I lived closer to my niece, Olivia B!

I wish to be able to  enjoy working with students for many years to come.

I wish that everyone could enjoy a pet like my cat, Vader and dog, Luke.

I wish that my sister wouldn't ignore my daughter.

I wish that every once in awhile, someone would find a book that moves them enough to share it with someone else.

I wish that I was closer to my extended family.

I wish that everyone could laugh as much as I do.

I wish people would stop and be thankful for the little things on a regular basis.

I wish that I had relished each visit from my parents.

I wish there were several chances for decisions.

I wish I could bottle the feeling of Christmas and use it all year long.

I wish the people who have hurt me would have some inkling about what they have done.

I wish my husband's mother and my parents could see who my daughter is becoming.

I wish I could help more people.

I wish I could come up with the best comeback instantaneously instead of it popping in my head 30 min later.

I wish I would publish more of my posts than I actually do.  

I wish.... what do you wish for?

Tomorrow morning...

Tomorrow morning around the United States, children will go to school.  Tomorrow morning, teachers and staff will go to work.       
 It will NOT, however,  be just any Monday.               
 Tomorrow, parents will cling a little longer, hug a little harder, give many more kisses.   I work in an elementary school and I know it will be different.  I know my fellow staff will survey their classrooms and the building a little differently. We will look at each child in a different light.  We will look at each other  differently.  It's because we all know that no matter how many crisis plans we have in place,  it could happen to us.  No matter how many drills we practice, no one is ever prepared. But I also know that no matter what, my fellow staff would do whatever it takes to protect our "babies".  That's the unwritten part of what we sign on to do.  It's not in our contracts, but each child in our building we covet as a gift to help nurture and keep safe.  That is what every staff member attempted Friday in Connecticut. My heart hurts for the great loss, as an educator and a parent.   It is heart wrenching  to think of those innocents  who were lost, because they should still be here.  And  I can't help thinking, It could have been any school.  It could've been us.  

How do we take this tragedy and learn from it?  
What can we do to stop it from happening again? 

Not your old Olympics!

As you are well aware, the 2012 Olympics are underway. Wait, what? You want to see a particular event? You might not be able to, sadly. Yeah, you see apparently for some reason. Well,that's a lie. Money is the reason! NBC is choosing what to air live and what to air previously recorded. Take for instance, yesterday's 400 IM in which the much hyped rivalry between Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte were to swim head to head for the first time in these Olympics. I knew it would've been around 2:30 our time. So I turned on the tv and tuned in to NBC. But no swim race. Oh, it took place and Lochte blew Phelps out of the water, but NBC chose to air it during the prime time later that evening. More money there, I guess. Well...what fun is that? The results were all over the Internet ! Who wants to watch a race that you know the results of? That takes the intensity out of it. And yet, NBC promotes the prime time coverage as if it were live and we don't know the results. Even their primetime news coverage shows the results of key events. They do warn you of spoilers and to look away if you don't want to know the results. Come on this is 2012! Social media and instant information is a way of life! How lame can you be NBC? Oh wait now, I have to admit that NBC has an Olympic App where you can watch everything live. However, you must have cable or a satellite account. You're probably thinking...who doesn't ? You'd be surprised who doesn't? Yes, the app is available for ipad/phone, android, and kindle. And, yes every event is available. So that's kinda cool. Maybe our social media, instant access society is to blame. In olympics past, you didnt know the results. So, you were at the mercy of network television. But come on....I cannot envision a family huddling around those devices to see the live action. How lame! There was something about watching the Olympics together! I have vivid memories watching the USA defeat Russia in Hockey with my family. Kerri Strug and that beautiful vault with a broken ankle! Michael Phelps and all his gold medals! Those days are gone I believe and I'm not sure I like it!

My Culinary Experiment

I like to challenge myself during vacations at home.  I like to try something new.  The kitchen always seems to be the perfect laboratory for that.  So this Spring Break, I decided to make Matzo ball soup from scratch.  My daughter loves Matzo balls and Matzo ball soup.  I happened across some of the soup in a store one day.  Which I found odd.   It's kinda like finding fried okra in New York.  In other words, it's not so common.  Well, she fell in love with it.  I came across a recipe from my Cooking Light magazine and decided to pull out my Dutch Oven I got for VD from the hubby(Yes, it was a great gift!) and give it a shot. 

Step 1:  Roasting the chicken wings and aromatic veggies.....

Cut up some carrots, celery and onion and put them on a tray with chicken wings  in the oven for 40 minutes.  Piece of cake.


Step 2: Scrape all of that into a Dutch Oven ( BTW, could not attempt this before VD, Thanks Hubby!) add 3 cups of water and seasonings and let it simmer for 2 1/2 hours.

The next few steps kinda ticked me off.....

Step 3: I then have to strain it through a mesh sieve and discard the solids ( What?? I have to throw 3 lbs. of chicken away?)  Then cook until it reduces to 6 cups.. Ok, I'm really bad at math, but how the hell do 3 cups of water and some chicken and veggies turn into an amount of liquid that can be reduced to 6 cups!?  I'm pretty sure that I did not have more than 6 cups when I discarded (Really?!?) the solids.

Step 4:  Next I have to combine the chicken stock and 3 chicken leg quarters to cook.  Wait!  WTF?  Didn't I just throw out 3 lbs of chicken wings?  Now I have to add more chicken for the actual soup?  That is messed up!

Step 5: Make the Matzo Balls... ok, this was fun.  This recipe calls for club soda.  I hear that there is a huge debate about whether to use good ole' H2O vs. club soda.  I'm just following this recipe and I reserve to weigh in on that debate until I try it the other way.    So while I'm making these I'm looking at the 5 bottles of club soda I have left because around here the only way you can buy club soda is in 6 packs of 8 oz glass bottles.  An epiphany hits me... hey those MIO liquid water enhancers would turn those into sodas.  Need to share that.

But I digress...

Last step:  Take out the cooked chicken legs and shred chicken to add back to soup...(Ummm, I could have done that with the chicken wing meat you told me to throw out.)  Add Matzo balls, onion,  carrots and celery..... No,  not the onion, carrots and celery that was used to make the stock, new onion, carrots and celery.

So in the end  the soup was very yummy.  However, I should have followed the shortcut  tip ....For a shortcut version, use store bought, unsalted chicken stock instead of making your own.  

To me,  the amount of work and waste involved in making chicken stock was not worth it, but I CAN say that I have made my own chicken stock..

Disclaimer:  I know that there are many recipes for chicken stock and that this is just one of them.