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Posts Tagged ‘random thoughts’

Screaming Piccolo Petes, juicy cold watermelons, friends and family gathering for barbecues, and patriotic displays of red, white and blue are all things we look forward to as our country celebrates its Independence Day. Having the freedoms we have in America should never be taken for granted. So as we celebrate this weekend, let us not forget just what we’re celebrating and why we need to celebrate.

#1 – A Free Love Story
Telling a love story using coordinating split screen images is a creative idea, but what I found even more creative about JW Griffiths’s short movie was that it was shot entirely with a mobile phone. To view Split Screen: A Love Story click here.

#2 – Be Free of Stinky Fingers
If you’re entertaining this holiday weekend and plan on dicing onions and mincing garlic, try these tips to remove their odors from your fingers:

-Immediately after handling onions or garlic wash your hands with regular soap and water and then rub your fingers on something made of stainless steel.

-Wash your fingers with a mixture of salt and vinegar (or lemon juice), but first make sure you don’t have any cuts or hangnails, because it will sting!

-Wash your hands with a paste of baking powder.

#3 – Be Free of 100 Calories
“Losing weight can be as simple as cutting out a meatball here and an egg roll there.” ~Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D.

Ms. Somer provides a list of 100 Painless Ways to Cut 100 or More Calories, which involves practical substitutions. According to Ms. Somer, if 100 calories were eliminated each day for a month from our diets, each of us would lose a pound of fat in a month!

#4 – The Price of Freedom
Americans have gone to war to win their independence, expand their national boundaries, define their freedoms, and defend their interests around the globe. This exhibition examines how wars have shaped the nation’s history and transformed American society.

Those words preface the Smithsonian Museum’s exhibit The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. I can think of no better way to appreciate and to celebrate our country’s Independence Day, other than to fully understand the history of the domestic and international conflicts which engaged our country. Enter the exhibit, select a conflict from the timeline, watch and listen to the brief video, look at the photos of objects in the exhibit, and then say thank you to all the brave people who fought for freedom.

#5 – To Be Free
“You can protect your liberties in this world only by protecting the other man’s freedom. You can be free only if I am free.”
Clarence Darrow

Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

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Out came the pool floats! On went the ceiling fans! Out came the iced tea! On went the garden sprinklers! The summer solstice roared this week with a triple digit heat wave. Summer is finally here, but I would have preferred a little 85 to 90 degree warm-up first!

#1 – Ransom Notes
If you think you’ve seen it all, you probably haven’t! Here’s a site where you can create a message in ransom-note-style (letters cut from miscellaneous pieces of paper). Go to Ransom note generator, type in the words, and click “create.” That’s how I made the message above – “I have a heart with room for joy.”

#2 – People That Come Into Your Life
Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be (possibly your roommate, neighbour, co-worker, longest friend, lover, or even a complete stranger) but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.

This is the opening paragraph from a piece of writing I found on the internet. This feeling of “I know we were supposed to meet” has happened to me and, perhaps, to some of you, too. Click here to read the entire inspiring piece.

#3 – Food Journal
I am in a self-imposed M.O.G. (mother-of-the-groom) boot camp now. I have a year to get in shape for the wedding and I’ll need every bit of it, plus any other help I can get! I found this free and easy to download food journal at The Project Girl. Besides the weekly format, I also like that it includes snack and water entries. I made a little packet of the sheets for me and the F.O.G. – let the food journaling begin!

#4 – Dating Your Food
I’m not suggesting you go out on a date with your food, but rather I’m offering a method for keeping track of food purchase dates and dates indicating when items were opened. For example, do you know how long the bottle of cocktail sauce has been sitting in your refrigerator? How long has the jar of instant espresso, which you bought to make a chocolate glaze, been sitting in the pantry? As someone who likes to cook, I have a pantry and a refrigerator filled with items I use only occasionally. Since expiration dates or sell by dates don’t really apply to all products once they’ve been opened, I keep track of their freshness by marking them with a little code I devised:

1. Using a permanent marker, all items that are recipe necessities, but used only occasionally, such as jam, condiments, nuts, specialty items, pasta, baking items, ethnic foods, etc. get marked with a “P” (for purchased) and the date when they are put away for storage.

2. When items are removed from storage and are opened, they get marked with an “O” (for opened) and the date they are opened.

Following this code makes cleaning my pantry and refrigerator faster and easier, and probably more safe, since there is no second guessing to the freshness of products!

#5 – Change Gives Us Branches
“Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.”
—Pauline R. Kezer

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Ever heard of wabi-sabi? No, it’s not the green horseradish paste on sushi platters. That’s wasabi. Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic that considers imperfection to be perfect or, to put it another way, it’s the perfection of the imperfect. In a previous post, I wrote how this philosophy helps me deal with my tendency towards perfectionism. So bolstered with thoughts of wabi-sabi, I participated in a silversmithing workshop last Saturday. After a long day’s worth of small successes and frustrating failures, I completed my first project. Go ahead and look at it closely and you’ll find it’s a perfectly imperfect ring!

#1 – Bits of Wisdom
These twenty-two interesting photos with bits of wisdom printed on them by photographer and graphic designer Julian Bialowas are definitely worth reading through.

#2 – PocketCPR
Does the thought of performing CPR on someone in need intimidate you? Here’s a video that presents a new product that you might want to have. Turn on an FDA-cleared PocketCPR and it will coach you step-by-step through the process. It is suggested on the website that users should also have training in CPR. At $149.00 the device may seem pricey, but what’s the price of someone’s life?

#3 – Paint Calculator
If your plans to spruce up your home this summer include painting, you’ll want to check out this Paint Calculator on the Home Goes Strong site. I also learned while visiting the site that “One gallon of paint covers approximately 400 square feet.” File that bit of information in your memory bank!

#4 – Trip Wow
Make a free computer slide show with tripadvisor’s TRIPWOW! program. Start by selecting a theme and then upload your photos through Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, TravelPod, or your computer. Add names and comments and then either upload your own music or select from TRIPWOW’s music or let TRIPWOW select music for you. Making a slide show couldn’t be easier! Before you begin, though, make sure you understand the site’s privacy policy and its terms of use.

#5 – Your Story
If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page.
Mark Houlahan

Have a great weekend!!

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As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I knew I’d said something stupid. As dusk approached, I peered out my kitchen window, scouting for pesky gray squirrels. While recalling the most recent antics of the rodent circus in my backyard, I spied the movement of a bushy tail, which was attached to a critter nibbling on fallen bird seed. Leaning over the sink for a better view, I asked out loud, “Is that a black squirrel?” Immediately, I realized that the “black squirrel” I was staring at was really a skunk! “What? A BLACK squirrel?” my husband said as he looked out the window and saw the object of my attention. He laughed at me. After the skunk trotted away, I sat down at my computer and “Googled” black squirrels. To my amazement and relief, I found that such an animal does exist. Feeling somewhat vindicated, I smiled at my husband, until he laughingly pointed out, “Yeah, but black squirrels don’t have white stripes down their backs!”

#1 – Project Linus
Here’s a volunteer opportunity that can be done in the comfort of your own home. A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post called “Blankets of Love.”  Upon their college graduations, I gave handmade blankets to each of my children. I wanted them to remember the warmth of my love wherever they went in life. Project Linus collects and donates “new, handmade, washable blankets to be given as gifts to seriously ill and traumatized children, ages 0-18.” In the last sixteen years Project Linus has donated over three million blankets to children in need. If you like to crochet, knit, sew, or have the time to tie knots in “no sew” fleece blankets, consider donating your time and materials to this cause and give away your own blankets of love.

#2 – Amazing Views From Airplanes
I love finding amazing photographs and sharing them. Here’s a series of aerial photos from around the world that is worthy of your attention!

#3 – Pinterest
Would you like to have a bulletin board that doesn’t take up a lot of space and can be shared with others? Pinterest is a site that “lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.” It’s a compact way to gather and display ideas. I enjoyed browsing through different pinboards, discovering interesting uses for pinboards, and seeing the creative ideas people have collected on theirs.

#4 – 29 Ways to Stay Creative
From Life on Michigan Avenue comes an interesting piece called, 29 Ways to Stay Creative.  Although it is aimed at creativity, a lot of what it says can apply to other aspects of life. Does any one particular line speak to you? Mine was number 25.

#5 – There’s Room Enough
“There’s room for everybody on the planet to be creative and conscious if you are your own person. If you’re trying to be like somebody else, then there is isn’t.”
Tori Amos

Have a great weekend everyone!

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KA-BOOM!! The house shook and my dog frantically darted out from the cozy spot where he’d been snoring only seconds ago! An explosion of bright light and a deafening roar of thunder, of a magnitude unlike any I’ve ever seen or heard, made me scream. Had my home been hit by lightning? After calming down my dog and checking out my house and yard, I was thankful to discover that all remained unscathed. Heading out for a walk the following morning with my neighbor from across the street, I noticed a tall redwood tree in her front lawn had some broken branches. Upon closer inspection, we spied the telltale, vertical, lightning stripe on the tree where large sections of bark had been blasted off. Splintered branches dangled from their fragile supports, while severed branches hung down dejectedly. Here was the explanation for electrical problems in surrounding homes. I hope lightning doesn’t strike twice, because that was just too close for comfort!

#1 -Lightning News
Most often lightning is viewed as a mysterious or dangerous phenomenon, but did you know that the earth actually benefits from lightning? According to an article by National Severe Storms Laboratory, these are the benefits:

The earth benefits from lightning in several ways. First, lightning helps the Earth maintain electrical balance. The Earth is recharged by thunderstorms. The Earth’s surface and the atmosphere conduct electricity easily—the Earth is charged negatively and the atmosphere, positively. There is always a steady current of electrons flowing upwards from the entire surface of the Earth. Thunderstorms help transfer the negative charges back to Earth (lightning is generally negatively charged). Without thunderstorms and lightning, the earth-atmosphere electrical balance would disappear in 5 minutes. Lightning also produces ozone, a gas that helps protect the Earth from the dangerous rays of the sun.

“When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!” With crazy weather everywhere in our country, that little rhyme from the National Weather Service could save lives. Refresh your lightning safety knowledge by reading this brief NWS article Lightning: What You Need to Know.

#2 – Workout Music
From Shape here’s something we all could use to make working out more enjoyable – Playlists: Best Tunes for Every Workout. Click on an image, like “Killer Cardio Combo” and you will be taken to that playlist with links to iTunes where you can preview and purchase individual songs on the list.

#3 – Lightning Reflexes
Try beating the computer at this Lightning card game. How fast can you process information and react? Play your cards right and you’ll have a fun time challenging your brain!

#4 – Photo a Day
A collection of Polaroid photos dating from 1979 to 1997 tell a story. But there’s more. What started out as a “Photo a Day” project, became Jamie Livingston’s photo journal of the last eighteen years of his life. Read about Jamie’s project in mental_floss and the New York Times. To view all of Jamie’s photos, click here.

#5 – Life Is Like a Flash of Lightning
Human life is as evanescent as the morning dew or a flash of lightning.
~Samuel Butler

Enjoy your weekend and don’t forget to snap a few photos of “ordinary” days to capture the days of your life.

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How observant are you? Do you see two identical rocks in this photograph? Of course not. Nature fashioned every one of these rocks to be unique and each one should be appreciated for its individual qualities. The same goes for us. No two persons are alike in this world. Each of us is one-of-a-kind and each of us brings to the world unique gifts. We should appreciate our differences and as I always remind my children, “The world would be a boring place, if we were all the same.”

#1 – Taking Care of the Earth
Tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions are happening with greater frequency. Whether you believe in global warming or not, statistics are hard to refute. Sometimes seeing is believing. The Breathing Earth accomplishes that by providing a real-time simulation that ” . . . displays the CO2 emissions of every country in the world, as well as their birth and death rates.” And after you digest the astounding statistics, go to Global Footprint Network to determine your ecological footprint and to get the answer to “How many planets does it take to support your lifestyle?”

#2 – Word Bubbles
Think you had a difficult time playing the Raindrops game that I posted a link to in a previous edition of Friday’s Fresh Five? Perhaps, math is not your forte. Try playing Word Bubbles instead. Word Bubbles “challenges your language skills and flexibility.” You’re given one minute to form as many words from the three-lettered stem provided. If you enter three words that are the same length, the bubble containing that number of letters will bubble out of the water. If at first you don’t succeed, “bubble” luck next time!

#3 – Who Called?
If you’ve observed that you frequently receive phone calls from unfamiliar phone numbers and if you want to find out just who keeps calling you, there are a few sites that can be of help. Go to 800notes, Who Called Us, or Who Calls Me and type in the phone number and click search. By doing this, I’ve often found out enough information about the caller to contact the source and request that they remove me from their call lists.

#4 – Memorial Day
Observe our country’s flags on Memorial Day. Wikipedia, provides these reasons for the different positions of our flags on that day:

On Memorial Day the flag is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.

The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.

The true meaning of Memorial Day is lost on many Americans. How easily some forget the ultimate sacrifice of others. The ads in the newspapers train us to think that it’s a weekend devoted to shopping the sales or barbecuing. No Greater Love is a “non-profit organization that for 40 years is dedicated to honoring those who died to keep us free.” In 1997 this organization initiated and Congress established the National Moment of Remembrance. No Greater Love asks that wherever you are at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, May 30th, to “Stop for a moment and observe the ‘Moment’ in your own way. It can be a simple gesture such as, placing your hand over your heart, bowing your head, or offering a prayer, and making the following promise: “I promise to make myself, my community, my country, and the world better in memory of America’s fallen.”

#5 – Shine
“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”
— Nelson Mandela

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend, but remember to take a moment to give thanks to all who have served our country!

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Koi fish swim lazily through the pool as dark waters envelope them. Small periscopes of water lilies jut above the water and rest on their large floating leaves. Shimmering reflections of palm trees create a disorienting effect. And busy tourists walk by this beautiful sight without as much as a glance. Their loss, my gain.

#1 – Educate Yourself For Free
Have the yearn to learn, but can’t afford costly classes? Take a peak at this article about 12 Dozen Places To Educate Yourself Online For Free and expand your horizons by taking a class or two. Major educational resources, as well as, well-known universities, such as UCLA, Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, and Yale offer these wonderful learning opportunities.

#2 – The Bottom Line About Green Tea
Can drinking green tea prevent serious illnesses? According to an article in May’s Nutrition Action Health Letter, the “jury is still out.” Here’s the article’s bottom line:

Green tea is rich in plant compounds that help protect laboratory animals from cancer and other diseases. But the jury is still out over whether it helps protect humans against cancer, strokes, or cognitive decline.

If you want the full range of potentially beneficial compounds in green tea, drink it freshly brewed and often.

If you drink bottled tea, look for one made primarily from brewed green tea, not tea extracts or concentrate.

#3 – Starry Night
Creating photo mosaics requires time, patience, and an eye for subtle color differences. This version of Van Gogh’s Starry Night was constructed from 210,000 tiny photographs. Zoom into the piece and see the individual photos that make up this amazing project!

#4 – Raindrops Keep Falling!
Another week, another game! Here’s a game that could help strengthen your mental calculations and quantitative reasoning. As each raindrop falls, answer the equation inside the drop. Easy in the beginning, but watch out for the downpours!

#5 – Every Day Happiness
Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.
Groucho Marx

Be happy this weekend!!

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Today is my Mom’s birthday and I’m wishing her many more: sunny days to warm the freckles on her face, happy memories to fill her heart, big and little reasons to celebrate, moments to laugh with the grandkids, cherished years with my dad, enjoyable times with her friends, hugs and kisses from her children, trays of lasagna and enchiladas, and people to love and be loved by. Happy Birthday, Mom!

#1 – Why I Rule!
Need a little pep talk or just need a daily affirmation or inspiration? It’s as easy as going to Tell Me Why I Rule and clicking on the button. I clicked on the button and this came up: You have learned that everyday may not be good, but there’s something good in every day. A great reminder for all of us!

#2 – Find the Rock
Last week I linked to a computer game that tested reaction time. This week I offer a link to a game that tests your concentration. It’s a shell game – you must keep an eye on which coconut shell is hiding the rock.

#3 – Art Lesson: A Painting Within A Painting
If you appreciate fine art or even if you don’t, you will definitely be impressed with this painting. The amazing details of a painting done by artist Giovanni Paolo Pannini in 1757 are revealed by zooming into the piece frame-by-frame.

#4 – Survival Tips
Would you be able to survive if you were lost at sea or lost in the snow? The site Survive Nature offers survival tips for for six different scenarios. Not being the outdoor-type, I cannot vouch for the accuracy of these tips. I don’t know about you, though, but I’m storing the information in the back of my head!

#5 – To Be Beautiful . . .
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Have a beautiful weekend!

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Bright, eye-catching circles of color made a pleasing display on my family room floor. The circles were really ceramic plates that I laid out to photograph for a color reference chart. Reminding me of a giant keypad, I resisted the urge to push these buttons!

#1 -When Someone Pushes Your Buttons
It happens. Someone pushes your buttons or gets your goat and now you’re annoyed and bent out of shape. Here’s an article that offers six ways to cope when that happens. Negative events often afford us the best opportunities to glimpse into ourselves and learn some life lessons.

#2 – Things You Should Never Share
Pushing buttons with your fingertips and then touching your face is a good way to spread germs. Sharing personal items is another way. Dr. Oz has some obvious and some surprising recommendations about items that should not be shared. For example, did you know that “keyboards have as many germs as your toilet”? Ewww. . . !

#3 – Kaleidoscope
Play with shapes, colors, lines and angles when you create your own computer kaleidoscope on this site. Oh, how I love creative distractions!

#4 – To Attach or Link?
Occasionally, I’ll see something on the internet that I want to share with someone and instead of sending the person a link to that site, I’ll convert it into a PDF first and then send it as an attachment, which can be saved, printed and replicated regardless if the website changes. Here’s a site that converts webpages into PDF documents. Just fill in the URL and click “convert.” It’s as easy as that, plus it’s free!

#5 – The Upside of Things
Now, when anything ‘bad’ happens, I remember that everything that ever happens to me has within it the seeds of something better. I look for the upside rather than the downside. I ask myself, ‘Where’s the greater benefit in this event?’
Jack Canfield

Have a wonderful weekend!

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It all started with burning the cookies – then the day proceeded to deteriorate rapidly. Somehow the parchment paper on the cookie sheet caught on fire, which set off the smoke alarm. In an effort to get relief from the loud, high-pitched shrieks coming from the alarm, my freaked-out dog tore out of the house, ripping through the family room screen door in the process! To make matters worse, once outside he spied a squirrel sitting on the bird feeder and decided to give it chase. I had no choice but to leave my smokey house and chase after my four-legged friend. Breathless and without shoes, I found my dog a block away and hauled him back home – just in time to see a fire truck pulling away! As I climbed up my driveway I saw a note taped to my front door which was curiously wide open. The note read: April Fools! None of the incidents you just read about actually occurred (thank goodness!) as they were just a product of my over active April Fool’s Day imagination! Happy April Fool’s Day!

#1 – Extraordinary Things
This is not a matter of imagination. People who believe in miracles see them all the time. Others are blind to the many special or extraordinary moments that fill their everyday lives. Reading 40 Extraordinary Things Happening Right Now reminds the reader that everyday occurrences are really small miracles, that these moments need to be appreciated, and suggests that the potential of mankind is in the small things we do everyday.

#2 – Tennis, Anyone?
I’m the only one in my family who doesn’t play tennis. Well, that’s not completely true – lately I’ve been practicing my tennis skills at my desk! Sometimes when I need a short breather from the computer, I play a quick game of tennis. Beating the computer is my goal, so I practice keeping my eye on the ball and calculating the angles of the bounce! With the crowd cheering me on, how could I lose? Tennis, anyone?

#3 – Reuse It!
The next time you go out for a scoop of gelato, don’t throw away the colorful plastic cup it was served in – reuse it! I find these small cups make perfect scoops for dog food, bird seed, flour, rice, and so on. Not only are they a good size to use for scoops, they are also durable and cute!

#4 – Salt Warning
After eating a sodium-heavy meal, I can usually see the effects on my body the next day: the scale reports a 1-2 pound gain; the pants won’t button; the wedding ring won’t come off. But what I can’t see is even more disturbing. From the latest issue of Nutrition Action Newsletter, published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, come these scary tidbits of information:

“A high-salt meal can stiffen your arteries within 30 minutes. Arteries that lose their ability to expand when they need to can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and cognitive decline.”

In the same issue, but in a different article, the nutritional breakdown for a Wendy’s Baconator Double and a Burger King’s Triple Whopper with Cheese is mentioned. With 1,590 mg and 1,550 mg of sodium, respectively, these burgers provide a full day’s supply of sodium in just one sandwich. Like I always tell my kids, “Choose wisely!”

#5 – Two on Strength
“Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.”
Unknown

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
Mahatma Gandhi

Enjoy the sunshine and your weekend!!

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