"You are going to be a rich man"

As we grow up and begin making choices for ourselves, we have an oversupply of advice. You are told by advertisers to “buy now” and “don’t wait ‘til tomorrow”; friends say “all the cool kids are doin’ it” and “you can’t get pregnant the first time”; parents say “be home by eleven” and “as long as you live under my roof, you’ll follow my rules.” Let us not forget the subtle – yet powerful – messages that we find in crunchy little cookies commonly served after Asian meals; the fortune cookie. What is it about fortunes that we find so intriguing? I think that it’s the slightest possibility that someone else may have insight into your future activities and/or wellbeing. This is most likely the same reason that palm readers, astrologists, and fortune tellers continue to draw new and repeat customers; despite the ludicrousness of their claims. I have to admit that I enjoy cracking open the fortune box to reveal a statement of revelation not to mention my lucky numbers (the Powerball lottery is up to $92 million).

Can you imagine someone back in the ‘90s opening a fortune to find the phrase “business opportunities will present themselves to you soon”, only to watch Mad Money that night and hear Cramer yelling about how great a buy Enron is? Or perhaps your cookie relays the message “you are surrounded by caring friends” and the next day those same friends forget your birthday. In all seriousness, I have wondered about the sayings that appear on the papers and have asked myself if this one was ‘meant’ for me. Did the stars align last night and we experience a near cataclysmic destruction of live as we know it? Probably not. I believe that fortunes are great for making us stop – even if for only a brief moment – and think. Just make sure that you sleep before making any big decisions; and remind your friends that forgetting a birthday is an unforgivable sin.

Washington, Here We Come

So, it is a sad day in the world. The republican’s last hope of having a semi-respectable chance-in-hell ticket just went down an Alaskan pipeline. Now I do not embed myself with either republicans or democrats and do not claim affiliation to either party. But in the immortal words of Forest Gump, “stupid is as stupid does.” I heard Sarah Palin’s speech at the Republican National Convention last night. Can I say - not impressed? Disappointingly, I found her caddy, immature, and just a poor speaker. It was like listening to a candidate for a high school student body election. She didn’t say enough about why she was a good candidate for vice president; other than she is going to break that glass ceiling that Hilary put so many cracks in. But really, when John McCain dies can you imagine having the country run by a soccer mom or even a hockey mom? No offense to any of the soccer or hockey moms out there but the stereotype is there for a reason…it’s true.

My favorite bits were when she talked proudly of her selling the jet on eBay and telling Congress “thanks, but no thanks” to the earmark for Alaska’s bridge to who really cares where. But aside from the ‘a hjucks’ that her “progressive” statements may have reaped there are real issues here. Hmmm, Alaska is really far away from the rest of the states. It might actually make sense for the governor’s office to own a jet to avoid the restrictive commercial airline schedules and potential time and money savings. Who knows? But even better is the bridge stance. Mrs. Palin was for it when she ran as governor. But when the construction costs nearly doubled, she decided that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea (not a good way to maintain your constituency). But it gets better. What she failed to mention was that Congress converted the earmark to a grant prior to her decision. So, when she so brashly told those stuffy old men in Congress “thanks, but no thanks” her state still got to keep the $225 million to do with as they please. Now let me think. Is a $2 million dollar jet that actually serves a purpose more of a waste or is the $225 million that was supposed to build a bridge but was absorbed into the states budget? Again I digress to Forest Gump when he said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Well, in this case, it looks like just a bunch of nuts. Consolidated sources and more info.

Too Be, or Not To Bee?

I finished reading Eats, Shoots & Leaves, by Lynne Truss. It wasn’t the easiest read to get through; as it was all about punctuation and the correct use thereof. But I was pleased in the end. Reviewing the rules of where to place the apostrophe when forming a possessive and the functional differences between a semi- and a full-colon took me back to my English classes of high school. I must admit that I am not a grammarian (for that is what they are called) by any means, but I do try to write things clearly and correctly. Ms. Truss gives you an awful lot of information, albeit some un-useful to the common reader, to consider. Thinking about the different sources I read, I came to an alarming conclusion; or perhaps not so. Most people don’t know how to punctuate! Truly! Simply looking at emails that are sent unedited and not proof read for errors is a telltale sign of it. However, the most egregious misuse of punctuation (and spelling for that matter) is blogs. You’ve seen it and so have I; the blatant over-emphasis of continuously misspelled and mispunctuated words through CAPITALIZAITON, italics, bolding, and (my personal favorite)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’d like to include two small passages from the book that I found to be of particular importance.

H. W. Fowler’s book, although he being dead for more than 75 years, Fowler’s Modern English Usage, is still regarded as the definitive English style guide in most of Great Britain. He wrote, “An excessive use of exclamation marks is a certain indication of an unpractised writer or of one who wants to add a spurious dash of sensation to something unsensational.” I couldn’t agree more. So, if you are guilty of this most irritating offense, please stop.

Near the close of her book, Ms. Truss wrote the following, “We have a language that is full of ambiguities; we have a way of expressing ourselves that is often complex and allusive, poetic and modulated; all our thoughts can be rendered with absolute clarity if we bother to put the right dots and squiggles between the words in the right places. Proper punctuation is both the sign and the cause of clear thinking. If it goes, the degree of intellectual impoverishment we face is unimaginable.”

So the next time you write something, take a few extra moments to review your punctuation. And for my personal sake and that of every other reader out there, run a spell check!

Do you love your mom?

Do you ever have thoughts like ‘I should do something more to conserve’ or ‘What can I do to help preserve the planet?’ Well, you are not alone. ‘Being green’ has been the vogue thing to be lately. Using less and reusing more is in everyone’s best interest. Some of the problems that we face currently are the result of actions by our parents, their parents, and their grandparents. We also benefit from progress made over their lifetimes. Things such as lead-free paints, lighting and ventilation requirements in the workplace, and vehicle emission restrictions are just a few of modern conveniences we partake of due to others’ actions. There are numerous examples of progress if we only look. And, of course, many of these actions are in their infancy and not suitable replacements for true accountability but they are a start. Are you ready to be responsible for what our generation has or has not done?

Awareness is the first step. As consumers, we are constantly bombarded by messages such as ‘environmentally friendly,’ ‘post-consumer material,’ and ‘landfill safe.’ These claims sound good, but what do they really mean? The casual member of society will not know. This is where the internet is a huge asset. We have nearly unlimited access to information at our fingertips (literally). It can be a daunting task to determine where to make changes to your current lifestyle in favor of ecology. Common suggestions include replacing your light bulbs with more efficient CFLs (compact fluorescent light), maintaining proper air pressure in your car tires, and installing a programmable thermostat in your home. But what if you already have done those things and want or can do more? I came across a great website, thedailygreen.com. This site is aimed towards regular people like you and me that want information on the environment and on what they can do to make a difference. The site will even give you local temperature, air quality, where to find green food, and where to recycle based on your zip code. Take a look and make a difference.

Today I highlight another cool band to emerge from the moss strewn streets of Seattle. Throw Me The Statue (TMTS among avid fans) is the band product of Scott Reitherman. In 2004, he began self-releasng lo-fi indie pop music on his own label, Baskerville Hill. Reitherman as a talented musician utilized synthesized instruments to create his unique sounds. His arsenal of instuments including drum machines and glockenspiels were aided by friends including Casey Foubert of Pedro the Lion. Reitherman included Aaron Goldman, Jarred Grimes, and Charlie Smith in early 2007 to form the band as currently performing. Their debut album, Moonbeams, was released on the Baskerville Hill label. As their popularity increased, signing to a full-time label was necessary. The band chose Secretly Canadian to re-release their first album in 2008. Check out some of their tracks on my playlist below. The band is currently on tour in venues across the United States. Look here for dates near you and other info about the band. Happy listening.

Have you got a minute?

Time is a powerful thing. It has the ability to change. Seeds germinate and grow and their fruits ripen and rot by time. Landscapes convert from desert to paradise to wasteland all under time’s watchful gaze. Powerful men and women are brought to fruition and then reduced to dirt. No force in the universe can overcome it and no one can cheat it. We all live and die by the calendar. It’s what we do between ‘start’ and ‘finish’ that adds meaning. The effects of time can be unexpected. It is difficult to predict length of life or time of death. Yet, time can heal wounds and hearts that words and medicine cannot. But sometimes time doesn’t heal, no, not at all. Horace understood this and added the following phrase to his historic collection of poems Odes ‘…carpe diem quam minimum credula postero’[1], meaning seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future. Remember yesterday, plan for tomorrow, but LIVE today.

Does your personality grow in a garden?

If you could be any vegetable, which would you chose? This is one of those questions meant as an ice breaker on the first day of school in junior high, or at a trinket sales convention in Vegas. Most people would say something to the effect of “a potato ‘cause I like fries” or something else requiring little thought other than what am I going to eat for lunch today. Truly, I have to admit that when posed with those types of questions my first reaction is that I don’t want to play. Perhaps this is because I am a cynic or just done with the lame get-to-know-you games of yesteryears. But what would I really prefer to be, if I had to, of course. I think that it comes down to the habanero pepper and the lima bean.



The habanero pepper is a beautiful thing to behold. Its smooth orange surface is almost mesmerizing. You see it in the produce section of your favorite grocer and are immediately drawn to it. Only a few vegetables have that type of power to attract attention by simply being. Of course, only those with a resilient palate buy them because they definitely deliver a kick to the taste buds. They are not for those with low tolerance to heat or a predisposition to heartburn. Known as one of the ‘hottest’ peppers, the habanero is part of an elite class of vegetables that not many can reach but all aspire to, almost to the point of taboo. The habanero also resembles a miniature pumpkin. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays (it must come from being a child of the Devil) and most things related to it are first-rate by my tally. So it is therefore a favorite simply by being.

The lima bean is a bit of an enigma. It is not attractive by any means. It actually is one
of the least desirable beans by sight. Its pale green color is reminiscent of putrid milk or the vomit of one who dined on peas and spinach. Its taste is not particularly likeable either. It has a distinct flavor that is not easily forgotten. However, in the hands of a capable cook, it has the power to transform dishes by complimenting spices and flavors that other members of the bean family cannot begin to imagine that they could fulfill. The plant that it grows upon is resilient and resistant to many would be destroyers. Above all, the lima bean is a polarizer. You don’t find many people who are indifferent to them. Most people have a certain opinion of either yes or no as to their like of the neglected vegetable otherwise known as the lima bean.

So, it’s a toss up. I really don’t know. But I do know that I will never walk through the produce department again without thinking ‘Who are all of these vegetables?'