Doomsday?

NASA claims there is no credible evidence to support that the world will end on 12/21/12, although when you put the date that way it looks interesting.  An article I read recently explains that the Mayan calendar is cyclical not linear and that the calendar is simply predicting the end of a cycle and the start of a new one.  But don’t tell that to the people who really believe.

Fear strikes hard those who believe in things like this, and there are those who are planning to do away with themselves prior to this date.  The article reports that NASA has received many calls asking if this Doomsday prophesy is true and if they should off themselves.  Others are simply buying into the panic buying end of the world survival kits and preparing for the worst as they did with Y2K.  It doesn’t hurt to be prepared for anything, but getting crazed about it won’t help. 

If it happens it happens and there is nothing anyone else can do about it. Maybe if we try to live everyday as if it were our last day we might not have any question about how I we have lived our lives.  That’s not to say you should not plan for the future, but one never knows when the rug will be pulled out from under you so you might want to plan to have no regrets.

Fighting the Biological Clock

As many did over this past weekend, I watched the Super Bowl.  My husband and I are not fanatical fans of football, but we enjoy watching the commercials and the half time show.  Some of the commercials were pretty funny but most were kind of lame and it appears that they have gotten worse over the last few years.  However, I thought Madonna was pretty good during her performance at half time.  I mean at the ripe old age of 53, she was prancing about on those 5 inch heels and doing deep knee bends that made my knees hurt just watching her. 

Madonna is a brilliant business woman in my opinion.  I mean she has been around for 3 decades and has re-invented herself multiple times in order to stay on top of the game and continue to be popular to a particular segment of the listening community.  Say what you will but I give her a lot of credit for doing that.  She has sold more than 300 millions records according to Wikipedia and continues to be the top selling female artist of all time.  There are not too many who can claim that, and for that I respect what she has done.

Still there is something to be said about aging gracefully.  Madonna seems to be fighting the youth fight by doing all she can to remain youthful despite her biological years.  It’s hard to see the ravages to time on ones face, I will admit, and I guess those with mondo bucks can have whatever nips and tucks it takes while us mere mortals have to live with the sagging skin, the weak knees, and the grey hairs that come with time.  Oh well… 

The Old Days

I have recently become aware of the Master Piece Theater series “Downton Abbey”.  I was introduced to it by a friend and then saw an article advertising the finale on a magazine.  I love period films and this show is so close to the way my mother said things were in those days.  The first episode is all about the sinking of the Titanic and the changes that the causalities caused to the hierarchy of one particular family structure regarding who will end up being an heir to the estate.  It seems as if back then things were quite structured and things had to be followed in a very precise manner. 

My great aunt lived in England during the early 20^th century.  A book of letters she penned and received was put together and describes much of the same things that are going on in the show.  It seems as if I am watching something similar to her life and brings things to life in a way.   

The big thing I wonder about is where the money came from to run this huge house?  I suppose as I watch other episodes, I will find out more, but I don’t see the master of the house doing anything.  There are so many servants that were employed there.  To what standard of living did they have?  The show does illustrate have both servants and nobility in the house and it is very interesting to see the interactions between them.  Those servants gave up their lives for their employ in most cases, and in this first episode two of them discuss where their lives have taken them.  Still the whole thing seems fascinating and I think I will enjoy looking at the other episodes.

Comfort Food

The other day I was craving some comfort food, which always means pasta of some sort to me.  This time I didn’t have much time on my hands to cook something cheesy, hot and gooey, so I settled for some really simple chicken noodle soup but I made it with Rotini.  It’s fast and easy and something you can do for a quick lunch or when you are feeling a cold coming on.  After making this my husband said the house smelled like a restaurant.

Really Simple and Quick Chicken Soup

Serves 2

EVOO

½ white onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced into coins

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 can cooked chicken. drained

8 oz prepared chicken broth

1 cup cooked pasta, any type

Salt and pepper to taste

If you do not have cooked pasta, now is the time to do it.  Prepare as directed on the box, drain and set aside.

Drizzle some olive oil into a Dutch oven or large pot and heat.  Add the onion, celery, and carrot, and cook until the carrots and celery are tender and the onions transparent.  Add the chicken and season to taste.  Heat through and add the chicken broth, about 2 oz of water, and the pasta and bring to a simmer for a minute or two. 

Serve and enjoy.

New Way of Eating

My place of employment has implemented a variety of health related programs this year that are designed to put money into your health fund to help defray costs for medical coverage if you take advantage of them.  One of the things they are doing is helping one eat properly.  I made an appointment with the nutritionist, but her calendar is very full and my appointment isn’t until the end of this month.  Last month they brought in Dr. Will Clower , author of the book The French Don’t’ Diet Plan.  I just started reading it a few days ago and it is very refreshing.

For years I have been battling my weight which has slowly become much harder to lose.  Things are really different now than they were in college.  I remember crash dieting for a dance eating only lettuce and water for 2 weeks and losing 10 pounds to fit into the most amazing dress I had back then.  Now I get physically ill if I eat that way, not to mention extremely cranky and ready to bite someone’s head off if they approach within 10 feet.  At any rate, dieting now is a challenge for me.  Furthermore, the more I have learned about the foods we eat these days, the more convinced I am that all the stuff they put in the food you buy in the grocery store is design to kill you.  Dr. Clower confirmed that assumption.  According to him high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is practically the invention of the devil and the number one cause for weight gain in America.  Read the labels and you can’t get anything in a bottle, can, or box without ingredients that will make your eyes swim trying to pronounce it.  His favorite saying in the book is “if it doesn’t grow from the ground or have a mommy and daddy, you should not eat it.”

So long story short, I am fully subscribing to ridding my life of processed foods, HFCS, and all the crap that companies use to manufacture our food; it’s fresh or not for me from now on.  Hopefully if his theories are right my health, weight, and disposition, should be drastically improved in no time. 

Facebook or Not?

Facebook just isn’t doing it for me any longer.  I mean who has the time any more to be hanging on to every status change and friend update?  I have so gotten past the game playing state and refuse all requests for anything remotely associated with games, giveaways, and calendars. 

I update my status every morning (except weekends) with an inspirational quote and look for friend’s birthdays to wish them a happy day, and then go through the first page or so of my friends statuses and then that’s it.  I don’t have the time or rather don’t take the time, to exchange fish, Greek food, Farmville, or the like.  I have other things that I have to do.

I even have Facebook on my smart phone, which is really helpful since I usually do all this during breaks in my day at work.  But unless I am bored out of my tree, I don’t go to Facebook much any longer.  I view it as one of America’s premier time-wasters.  Maybe I am just jealous that others have the time to waste. 

Soulful

Today would have been my father’s 87^th birthday.  I guess since it’s the first birthday without him I am little sad.  I keep looking at the picture I have of him on my desk and wondering what he is doing right now and then remember that he is not doing anything – at least on this physical plane.

I read a book a while ago about the journey that souls take.  The book retells many interviews captured by a psychiatrist who does regression hypnosis to have people find their past lives.  There were just so many stories with similar themes going through them and the concept has fascinated me since. 

I wonder if souls travel with their talents or if it is a talent given when they get their new life.  I will question to myself whether it is my father’s soul when I hear about a fantastic musical talent in the future.  Perhaps it is his soul reincarnated.  Rest in peace, Papi, rest in peace.