What's hidden in my house.

I am a very generous person…except when it comes to chocolate. I become very greedy. In fact, around my home, I have designated locations where I hide chocolate. Sometimes the locations are so good, that I find myself ransacking my own house when suffering from a chocolate craving. When I have exhausted all of my favorite hiding spots (the “love box” over the mantle, the top shelf in the downstairs bathroom, the cabinet over the refrigerator, and the top drawer under the sheets in the guest room), I find myself creating an excuse to walk to Stewarts.

Right now, I am sort of in the mood for chocolate, but am trying to hold off (and it’s not easy!). I’ll be eating lots of birthday cake this week, so I am trying to save the sugar calories for that. But it’s hard, because there is a candy bar on the table next to me under some papers. I think it’s a Crunch Bar.

At this point in my life, I should consider myself lucky that chocolate is my only vice. I have never taken drugs or smoked cigarettes (except once with Stacie in 1991 in the parking lot of the Hyde Park movie theater when we were both balling after watching the movie, The Bridges of Madison County)……Not to mention that only one glass of wine causes a flush to my cheeks.

I just stopped writing to double check. Yep, it’s a Crunch Bar, a special kind with caramel.

Actually, I just remembered my other vice. Coffee. I love a good cup of coffee. And what a coincidence that my favorite coffee is flavored with chocolate. Lately, I have felt like a Folgers commercial, having re-discovered that I don’t need to pay $9.00 a pound for a good cup of coffee. I had balked at my mother recently when she brought Folgers into my home. Having run out of the freshly ground coffee in the fancy foiled bag, I had no other choice but to feed my addition. I was pleasantly surprised. The Folgers wasn’t half bad (plus it’s half the price).

I have fantasized about writing to Folgers and starring in one of those cheesy commercials with thirty-somethings sitting around a table eating cucumber sandwiches. The know-it-all mother notices the Folger’s canister on my counter, and snickers across the table to another coffee-snob accomplice. But after they taste the Folgers, they are won over and the camera pans into my “told you so” smile (bleached white teeth of course).

So here I am thinking about being on a Folgers TV commercial sounding pretty pathetic. At least I’m smart enough to know that it’s too late for coffee (10:30pm). But I can’t guarantee that I won’t lean over for that Crunch Bar. I wonder if it has almonds? What was that movie with the famous quote “Greed is Good”?

Post script: Even though I disclosed the secret locations on where I hide my chocolate, you are out of luck. I’m cunning. But if asked, I will most likely share.

When Life Gives You Lemons......

All week long, I’ve been monitoring the progress of a new business in the village. The owners have impressed me with their marketing strategies and advertising techniques. And with literally no overhead and highly desirable product and location, I’m sure they will be highly profitable. Who are these entrepreneurial geniuses? A small group of 10-12 year olds selling lemonade and water.

I first spotted them on Monday, about halfway down the hill. In the sweltering heat, I imagined them being there only for a few hours. But it’s Thursday, and they have put in endless hours on that corner. Their clientele seem to be the beachgoers who halfway down the hill, take a much needed break with a cold cup of lemonade (brilliant!). In addition, they have expanded their employee base, with more and more children participating in this venture. I believe they now have a total of 6 employees which leaves me wondering about their profit-sharing arrangements.

I kept on making mental notes to stop there on my daily walk, but with the heat, I have been driving everyplace. But, rest assured, these little moguls have thought this one through by launching a more aggressive campaign. With magic markers and cardboard, they have created new signs and have begun flagging down cars. A relentless guerilla marketing technique.

It worked, and I decided to pull over. A child gleefully approached as if he had made his first big sale of the day. I told him that I wanted one cup of lemonade, and he scurried back to the group to report my order. I watched as they all seriously gathered around the cooler to collectively prepare my cup of lemonade. For fifty cents, I was given a large blue cup of lemonade with just the right amount of ice.

They obviously have researched their “value proposition”, because the smile of gratitude I received from this eager businessman, hooked me into being a repeat customer. A great return on investment.

YUMMY!!!

Alan sang his first “happy birthday” today to a friend. He's heard this song many times recently, as this week marks the birthday of a 3-year-old, 30 year old, 40 year old and a 70 year old. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We’ve had lots of cake (more to come!) and have enjoyed the company of great friends and family. Here’s a photo of Alan enjoying chocolate cake at Aunt Sandy’s birthday party this past weekend. (Photo credit: Jerry Landay)

Cells that stick around - and more

I read this very interesting article about how cells from babies remain in the mother’s body after birth, and travel throughout her body, morphing into different places in her body fighting diseases. For example, if a woman has a liver malfunction, they have tracked how these baby cells somehow turn into liver cells to help fight disease. People are optimistic because it mirrors what is happening with stem cell research without having the controversial side effects. Of course the down side is that some researchers disagree, and believe that that these cells might have a detrimental affect causing autoimmune deficiencies, while others believe they are just benign. Fascinating. I like thinking that a part of Alan is still with me.

On a much different topic, how did you beat the heat today? We sought relief at the beach at the bottom of the hill. The village has put down fresh sand and the broken swings have been replaced, making it a much nicer place to visit. We met up with friends and shared bagfuls of buckets, shovels and floating devices. After Alan’s nap I ran to the store leaving Alan with Pop-Pop and Bootie. I snuck to the ice cream stand for a twisty cone (small), a little pre-dinner treat. Bootie barbequed and washed the dishes, so I felt some relief from the day-to-day cooking routine. Alan is still a picky eater, even with the shape of pasta. Today he wanted (demanded) “shells”. (sigh)

Oh, and if you didn't get a chance yet to listen to the Pavarotti/James Brown duet, go to my posting from earlier today.

Stay cool! :) Michelle

Tenor Tuesday (Duet: Pavarotti and James Brown)

Pavarotti is the greatest tenor in living memory. James Brown is the King of Soul. Watch the magic that happens when these legends perform together. I think you will find this duet to be quite amazing.

Here’s the link to the YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OrK2_9nnZg

Journey - Part 3

I’m always envious of the world traveler who hops on a plane as if it were a NYC taxicab. “Take me to Tibet!” they say, and off they go with a duffle bag packed scarcely with a change of clothes, laptop and digital camera. This weekend on a road trip to Rhode Island, I sat in my driveway for about 15 minutes as if a co-pilot examining our cargo which had been squeezed into our 4-door sedan. Do we have enough diapers? “Check!” “Teething tablets? “Check”. Concluding my mental list of necessities, we finally set on our journey - three hours behind schedule.

Upon arrival at Grandma’s, Alan began his exploration of his new surroundings. He immediately created a familiar anchor that he gravitated to with repetitious play. He discovered a door that opened to a small deck outside of Grandma’s office. Like a doorman, he played “can I open it for you”, at least 3000 times. During the height of the party, he continued playing this game, connecting with people he had just met. His ability to create familiar markers within unfamiliar surroundings was a coping strategy which fascinated me.

Did he inherit this from me? In some ways, he has my intuitive sense of place. I am hardly a world traveler, but throughout all of my journeys (personal, professional, spiritual), I have always sought a connection to place to the point that it is imbedded within my identity. (I may at some point expand upon this)

And while the world traveler dots the map creating a constellation of memories, I embark on new journeys as if creating concentric circles, overlapping and expanding. There is comfort in being rooted in a sense of place, grounded and supported by an inner foundation.

So whether it’s asking a Rhode Island stranger to direct me to the nearest park, or delighting in knowing every crack in the sidewalk within my home town, my landscape continues to take shape.
MORE LATER....

Journey - Part 2

Didn’t you notice? I conveniently left out comments on my own journey(s) in my “What’s is your journey” blog. Was it an unconscious deletion? A guarded omission? Or was it because it was so late that I couldn’t possibly know where to begin? I began thinking about this as I packed tonight for Rhode Island. Though I’ll be off-line for a few days, I’ll post on this next week. In the meantime, have a great weekend, and thank you for checking in.