Carbon Footprint

I stopped using cloth hand towels about 5 years ago. I really don't consider myself germ-phobic, but think about it, a cloth towel is just a breeding ground for germs.  When I painted my powder room last year, I didn't even put the towel rod back up.  Instead, I have the paper hand towels for guests.  Upstairs, in the bathroom, I have kept a roll of paper towels on the counter. 

While I know this does nothing for my carbon footprint, I do have a couple of pluses in my favor.  First, I use the select-a-size rolls where you can tear off half a sheet.  Also, in the past year, I made the switch from plastic water bottles to one stainless steel bottle.  Considering I drink a lot of water, I have drastically reduced my use of plastic.  Further, I have also cut down on the number of baggies I use for school/work lunches opting instead for plastic reusable containers.  Lastly, I made the switch to CFL bulbs throughout my condo, and installed a low-flow showerhead.  Rationalization at its finest.

Just lately, I replaced the roll of paper towels with the new Kleenex hand towels.  They are even packaged in a nifty box that you can set upside down on your towel rack for handy dispensing.  Cute, right?  Now why didn't I think of that??

Technical Difficulties

I like technical difficulties, like with my computer, almost as much as car trouble which is to say, not at all.  My current laptop is coming to the end of it's life, and although the MIS group where I work would never recommend a Dell, mine has served me well.  I'm pretty sure I've had it for 7+ years.  I'm thankful it has never fried in a thunderstorm or just crashed.  I only just bought a UBS external drive to back up my pictures and my music downloads yesterday.  I know. Not. Smart. But everything on that computer that is important to me is now backed up and the laptop just has to limp along until I find a replacement.  

Although I would love a Mac, I'm pretty certain I'll be going with a HP.  As my aunt has always said, "champagne taste, beer pockets."  In my case, Miller Lite.  

What did we do before computers?  I can't remember, but I know I use mine to stay connected with social networking sites, like Facebook, and email, and to edit/share pictures and download music.  It's my link to the world outside, and on more than one occasion that connectedness has served as a depression buster for me.  What did we do before computers?  I choose not to remember. 

Sneakers

I need new sneakers.  Well, actually I've needed them for awhile now, but I'm getting serious about the purchase.  I put many miles on my sneakers and I need good ones especially given that I've had lower back pain from time to time, and it's triggered when I wear shoes that don't have adequate support.

I've had my current pair for awhile, and they are definitely showing signs of wear, and my Dr. Scholl's inserts are not cutting it anymore.  So I've been investigating sneakers and I've confident I've settled on the New Balance Women's 860 Stability Running Shoe.  

When I initially started looking around, I tried the Skechers Shape Ups because I liked the idea that even if I wasn't power walking these sneakers would still be working against the inevitable signs of gravity.  But I tried them on and realized I couldn't walk in them.  I know people like them, but they were not going to work for me.  They were too 'airy' and I felt like I was going to fall over.  I've also been looking at the Reebok Easytones but I haven't always had the best luck with Reebok's durability.     

Just recently Prevention magazine reviewed sneakers, and the analysis seemed pretty thorough, so for me, the New Balance sneaker seems like a good fit...it's just a matter of 7 1/2 or 8. 

Live and learn....

A few of my friends recently told me I should write about relationships.  Maybe they didn't see my Oatmeal post, or the one about Valentine's Day, but they were a step in the right direction.  

Of course, my initial reaction is...me?  Somehow, I find this amusing since I apparently am not very good at marriage (twice divorced) and my relationship with my daughter is the longest I've had.  I don't mean that in a bad way, it just doesn't make me a relationship expert, but I will say, I have lived and learned, and that's the place I come from.

It wasn't that I wasn't good at marriage, really, I just didn't make good choices.  I was raised on fairy tales.  You know, Cinderella marries the handsome prince and they live happily-ever-after.  

Commitment I understood, but nobody mentioned the fundamentals that make a marriage work like shared goals/priorities and values.  I only learned about that after I was married the first time, and it wasn't in therapy.  My 'aha' moment came while I was driving and listening to a show on the radio about relationships.  A light bulb went off in my head when I realized that's what was fundamentally wrong with my marriage.  What an eye-opener, and from there, I approached my next, what I thought would be a long-term, relationship in a whole new light.  I had taken the time, to grow as a person, and I was more emotionally equipped plus I had heard Dr. Phil talk at a seminar in Boston.  This was just after his first book was published and long before his talk show.  He talked and I listened, and my biggest takeaway at the time was that I didn't have to be half of a relationship to be a whole person.  It didn't exactly match-up with the whole fairytale ending, but I could completely relate.  By that time I was living and working in Boston, and I had great friends, and a nice life.  I wasn't looking for a relationship the next time around and so it caught me by surprise.  It just never occurred to me that someone would actually lie about his values which led to the imploding of the 2nd marriage in under one year.

It's been 10 years since then, and although I never swore off the idea that the "third time is the charm" I haven't exactly been out there looking either.  Until lately, it had been years since I even ventured out for a 'girl's night.'  At this point in my life, commitment has big shoes to fill, or maybe it's just that I finally expect more.  Now I want what is defined as mature love (about.com) that is built for the long haul.  The concept is pretty basic, and frankly I think we learned these behaviors in Kindergarten.  Now I just want them in my relationship.  Mature love includes acceptance, emotional support, commitment, calmness, respect, caring, kindness, friendship, and consideration.  To encapsulate that and more, I want to be 'cherished.'  In the Merriam Webster Dictionary, to be cherished is defined as, a : to hold dear : feel or show affection for, and b : to keep or cultivate with care and affection.  

It's about time...   

Spring

It's the first day of Spring, and it couldn't have come soon enough!  Of course, there were tell tale signs of the season approaching.  First, our local Dairy Queen, that closes for the winter, posted their sign announcing that they would re-open on March 19th for the season.  P.S. They actually opened on the 18th!  Then I noticed some crocuses popping up when I was walking last weekend, and this weekend daffodils were sprouting.  Next came the time change and the longer days.  

Then of course, there's March Madness, the NCAA basketball tournament and playing a bracket.  I don't follow 'bracketology' but I do like to make predictions and fill out my own bracket for the final four.  As a rule, I don't follow the NBA, and I rarely watch college basketball, but I do get caught up in the tournament.  It started years ago, working somewhere completely different, when I filled out a bracket and entered the company pool.  I did it in the spirit of being a 'team player' and I didn't win, but I was hooked.  This year is no exception.  I found the bracket on the espn.com website, gave some thoughtful consideration to my choices, and boldly filled out my bracket.  I did pretty well in the first round, but in the second round, I wasn't quite so lucky.  Only two of 'my' teams that I predicted would make it to the final four are still standing.  Fortunately, they are my final two.  

Spring is also a time of renewal, and the Easter season.  In the coming weeks everything will get green again, and flowers and shrubs will start blooming.  The Easter candy is already on sale, and it will be time to color eggs soon.  Spring brings with it an energy that lifts my spirits. I've always been much more motivated to 'begin again' at this time of year versus New Year's.  And this year, after one of the worst winter's on record, I'm especially looking forward to the change of season!  You?      

P.S. I'm completely ignoring the fact that it's been snowing on and off today, and we may get a couple of inches between now and Thursday.  I see nothing....     

Shamrock Shake

Remember the McDonald's Shamrock Shake?  Well, they didn't seem to be advertising this year, so I found the recipe online.  Turns out the shake is on the McDonald's menu locally, but many locations were out.  Oh well, this is a tasty rendition! 

http://www.food.com/recipe/copycat-mcdonalds-shamrock-shake-113457

Modesty

Recently, on vacation, I received one of the nicest compliments. As a little background, we see some of the same families year after year because everyone shares the same February vacation, and we all come from various places to spend the week at the same timeshare complex in sunny Florida. 

One woman, I'll call her "Donna," mom of 4, puts herself in a rather teeny bikini considering she could use a little, well, much more support. While I'm sure this suit works in her own backyard when she's splashing with her kids in their own pool, it really doesn't work, in my opinion, for a family barbecue or at a family resort. While sitting at the pool one sunny afternoon, "Donna" came over to talk to one of my friends. He and his wife were going to see the space shuttle launch and she wanted more information. Apparently she was considering the adventure for her family. I can't remember where his wife was at the time, but my friend told her about the trip, and then when she walked away, he asked me her name. I told him, and he replied, "you should talk to her." Puzzled, I asked, "I should talk to her?...about?" and he said, "modesty."

At the time, I was amused and chuckled, but later I realized that was really a very nice compliment.  I do take great care to consider my bathing suit choices, and even though I'm in shape, I wear a tankini with a full bottom, and a supportive top.  I also use a cover-up when I get up to walk around.  I'm not one to run around in a skimpy bikini whether I could pull it off or not.  Turns out I'm modest, and that's good with me.

P.S. The same friend gave me another compliment when he asked if he could guess my age.  This time, his wife was sitting with me, and both she and I thought he was treading in dangerous waters, until his first guess was 38!  Whew!