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Posts Tagged ‘Trucking

Mexican Border Concerns Getting Worse

This past week, we’ve read about the latest mass grave uncovered along the border. In this week’s Houston Chronicle story, as many as 122 of the 177 bodies found in the most recent mass grave discovery were believed to be passengers dragged off of buses at drug cartel roadblocks.

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Also in the last week, five beauty parlor workers were brutally murdered in Acapulco.

Sadly, every time we read about the U.S.-Mexico border, the news is getting worse.

News stories that once popped up once every few weeks are occurring daily. The news is getting worse, and more gruesome.

In the last week, the U.S. State Department has released yet another travel warning to U.S. citizens heading to or traveling throughout any part of Mexico. In short, the warning says to stay in tourist areas during daylight hours.

Yes, the same administration that wants U.S. trucks heading south of the border is asking its citizens to stay visible and travel there only in broad daylight.

“According to Government of Mexico figures, 34,612 people have been killed in narcotics-related violence in Mexico since December 2006,” the State Department warning reads. “More than 15,000 narcotics-related homicides occurred in 2010, an increase of almost two-thirds compared to 2009.”

Many of those murdered have worked with criminal organizations, but a growing number of victims are innocent bystanders, and even police officers, the State Department says.

Credit: Charlie Morasch

Down the Road – Mike

Another Transportation Fee Doubles

Last week I received a letter from the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration PHMSA letting me know that the Hazardous Materials Registration fee that we paid in June of 2009 for the 2009-2012 period had gone up as of March 30, 2010.

Now we owe an additional $3,200 on top of the $2950 we paid last year. This, along with the notice received last month concerning the increase in Unified Carrier Registration UCR fees for 2010 (almost double the 2009 fee) from $3800 to $7511 has me wondering what will be next.

The Hazmat Registration fees for small hazmat carriers remain relatively unchanged, but the fee for large motor carriers jumps from $975 to $2575 annually. Ouch!

So far in 2010 it is costing carriers an additional $6,911 in government fees to operate, not including the increase in fuel spending.

The registration fees for the 2010-2011 year are due by July 1, 2010. Motor carriers can register with the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration by clicking here.

Remember “Road Check 2010” is June 8 – 10. If you have any vehicles due for their periodic inspection in June, now would be a good time to step it up and get them done.

Down the Road – Mike

What’s up with the 2010 UCR?

If you have tried to renew your Unified Carrier Registration for 2010 you proboably already know that you can’t. Strange as it may sound the Department of Transportation DOT is currently not accepting the 2010 UCR fees that were due in January.

This is already causing some states problems as they depend on these fees to help enforce DOT regulations. The Secretary of Transportation, Mr. LaHood, did not send the new proposed rule increasing the UCR fees to the Office of Management and Budget OMB until March. The OMB could take up to 90 days to review the rule. Some states have been forced to layoff safety enforcement personnel due to lack of funds.

Expect fees to double if the new proposal is approved by OMB. In 2009 we paid $3800, so that is quite a hit if fees double.

Down the Road – Mike

CSA2010 Sneak Preview

FMCSA announced today that the Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010 Data Preview in now available, which will allow individual motor carriers to review their safety performance data by the CSA 2010 Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs). The Data Preview begins on April 12, 2010 and ends on November 30, 2010, the national launch date for the CSA 2010 safety enforcement program.

During the data preview period, motor carriers are encouraged to closely examine their performance data and immediately address any safety problems. This is also an opportunity for motor carriers to update and verify their safety performance data online.

This important step is designed to focus motor carriers on identifying and addressing unsafe behaviors that can lead to crash risk.

FMCSA has added more stringent security measures for online access. Carrier’s will need to have their DOT number and login PIN to access the previewed data. Click here for details.

Down the Road – Mike

On the Road to Exercise

Health is important to all of us and when we are sick or just do not feel good it can affect every part of our lives. Whether we take action to live healthy lives is up to each individual’s commitment level. The number one suggestion made by health professionals on the path to good health, or to lose weight, is to exercise. Here are some simple suggestions for getting some exercise while on the road.

Commit to exercising 5 to 6 days a week for 20 minutes a day. Pick a time each day that works for you, but be a little flexible. I like to exercise when I get home from work, but sometimes I have to alter this and that may mean a 9:00pm jog. Are you committed?
If you travel be sure to pack your tennis shoes, shorts/sweats, Versastick and of course your MP3 player. Stay hydrated by drinking 2 to 3 8oz cups of water during the course of the day. Take a few minutes to stretch before and after you exercise. This can eliminate possible injury or soreness the next day.
If you are staying in a hotel that has a fitness center and you like to treadmill, great. I normally ask the hotel clerk at check-in if there are any parks or jogging trails in the area. Plan on exercising for at least 20 minutes.

I found this neat, easy to pack, strength exercise kit this week called Versastick.  It only weighs three pounds and looks like it can provide a nice strength or cardio workout. It’s not practical to carry dumbbells around when I travel and this looks like it might be a good alternative. If you have tried this out please let me know what you think of it.

Here is an in-room workout you can do in 20 minutes that uses a good combination of muscles.
Do 3 sets of 10 each Squats/Push Ups/Knee Raises.
To get the most out of this I recommend doing 10 squats, then 10 push up and then 10 knee raises one right after the other. Rest for one minute, then repeat the cycle 2 more times. You are not going to make any big gains with this workout, but it could be a good alternative to missing your commitment.

All you need is 20 minutes a day and a commitment. If you have not exercised for a while or have not had an annual physical please consult your doctor and let them know you are committing to an exercise program.
Down the Road – Mike

Carrier Manager Fined $35,000

On October 15, 2009, Charles D. Goodwin, Inc., (CDGI) doing business as Goodwin’s Trucking Company pled guilty in U.S. District Court, Winston Salem, North Carolina, to charges associated with the falsification of drivers’ duty status logs, which are regulated by FMCSA. CDGI is to be sentenced in May 2010.

The investigation was initiated as a result of an FMCSA compliance review of CDGI following a fatal accident involving one of its drivers. The review revealed that the driver violated FMCSA hours of service regulations but was not at fault for the accident.

DOT/OIG’s investigation determined that between June 2007 and May 2008 CDGI drivers made numerous false entries in their drivers’ duty status logs.  In addition to facing over $35,000 in civil penalties, the plea agreement requires the carrier to install an FMCSA approved computerized monitoring device on all CDGI trucks.

Liability is commonly being placed on carriers and managers of trucking firms. It is important for us to follow the regulations and equally important to make sure those that we are responsible for are doing the same. We need to audit our driver’s logs and communicate with them on any variances.

We audit our driver’s logs weekly and try to communicate to our drivers what they are doing right, along with any adjustments they need to make to stay safe and in compliance. I think it’s a simple task, yet it is important to give constant  feedback, and that takes a concerted effort.

Down the Road – Mike

New CSA2010 Safety Rating

The new CSA2010 safety rating system, safety measurement system or safety fitness determination system, whatever you want to call it,  is coming soon.

Here are the BIG differences as I see them.

1) Under the old Safestat system only the “out of service” violations were weighted against a carrier’s fitness rating. The CSA2010 will use all safety based violations to effect a carrier’s fitness rating.
2) Although it could be used to randomly trigger an on-site DOT audit, the Safestat rating had no direct impact on a carrier’s safety fitness rating. CSA2010 will use roadside data to adversely affect a carrier’s fitness rating.

Those are the two hard hitting changes. The CSA2010 will also use seven BASIC behaviors where Safestat was organized into four evaluation areas, and violations will be rated by recent dates and crash risk, where current violations will count heavier than older ones.

CSA2010 will make it very important to be pro-active with our CDL drivers in order to prevent violations. We will need to sit down with them now and brief them on the new rating system. Below is a view of my CSA2010 training outline.

Down the Road – Mike

Driver Training Outline:

There are four major elements to CSA 2010 – 1) measurement, 2) intervention, 3) safety evaluation, and information technology, 4) COMPASS.

1)  The measurement system – Will group the safety performance data of motor carriers and drivers into seven categories, called BASICs – Behavioral Analysis Safety Improvement Categories.  The seven BASICS are:

                         (1) Unsafe driving,

                         (2) Fatigued Driving,

                         (3) Driver Fitness,

                         (4) Controlled Substances/Alcohol,

                         (5) Vehicle Maintenance,

                         (6) Improper Loading/Cargo, and

                         (7) Crash Indicator.

The data would be scored and weighted based on its relationship to crash causation. Based on a carrier’s score within each BASIC, the measurement system would trigger when the Agency should begin to intervene with a motor carrier, and when its performance has reached the proposed “unfit” threshold.

2)      Intervention – Once the measurement system signals the need to intervene, CSA 2010 would draw upon a broad array of progressive interventions that are designed to advise the motor carrier or driver that their safety performance has come to the government’s attention.  These steps are meant to improve unsafe behavior early.

These include:

> Warning letter

> Targeted Roadside Inspection

> On-Site Investigation – Focused Cooperative Safety Plan Notice of Violation Increasing   Severity On-Site Investigation

> Comprehensive Notice of Claim/Settlement Agreement

3)  Safety Evaluation – Safety fitness determination would be based on performance data processed through the measurement system, and would not necessarily be tied to the current FMCSA compliance review.  Depending on the motor carrier’s BASIC scores, the safety fitness determination could be “continue to operate”, “marginal” (with ongoing intervention), or proposed “unfit”.  Each motor carrier or driver for which there is sufficient data would receive a safety fitness determination that would be updated every 30 days.

4)  Compass – CSA 2010 is closely aligned with COMPASS, an FMCSA –wide initiative that is leveraging new technology to transform the way that FMCSA does business.  By optimizing FMCSA business processes and improving the Agency’s IT functionality, COMPASS will help FMCSA and State enforcement personnel make better decisions, identify high-risk carriers and drivers more effectively, and apply a wider range of interventions to correct high-risk behavior early.

What does CSA2010 mean for drivers? CSA 2010 will provide enhanced tools for Safety Investigators to identify and address drivers with poor safety records as part of motor carrier investigations in order to increase driver accountability for safe driving behavior. So drivers need to perform or they could receive intervention from the DOT.

How is a company’s management involved? One key change was made is in Article 444. They changed one word in the article. It used to say that carriers had a moral and legal obligation to DETECT violations. Now it says they have a moral and legal obligation to PREVENT violations. Additionally, the article used to say that the CEO of the carrier encompassed all the influence over drivers. The article now states that all persons in contact with the drivers have influence. So management now knows their actions or inaction has a significant impact on our safety rating. They can individually be held accountable, not just the CEO.

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Robert Reppel has written his first commercial software application more than 25 years ago. He has seen many since, as developer, architect and agile practitioner, for companies from start-ups to multinationals.

He is the Director of Engineering for Adaptech Solutions, a consulting firm specialising in CQRS based event sourced microservices and leveraging legacy code investments. He currently works in Golang, C#,  Node and Python.

His main interest is the people side of the business. How do ways of thinking, social interactions, organisational structures and processes influence the shape of software systems? What are the types of decisions and actions which result in a useful, maintainable solution?

He believes that software architecture is about communication: What does a solution need to look like so it enables the right conversations to happen among developers and with business stakeholders, at the right time? Can there be “guide fences” which make writing clean code the simplest available option whilst at the same time complicating undesirable choices?

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Charles and Jenna's Wedding Day!

I first photographed Charles and Jenna during their engagement session back in October, and I could not have been more excited for their wedding day! Charles and Jenna are very down-to-earth, calm people, who did excellently in front of the camera. Their tasteful style came out at both their wedding ceremony at Immanuel Bible Church and their reception at Harbour View in Woodbridge.

I don't often capture the bridal party images indoors, but Charles and Jenna wanted to feature the church's unique sanctuary. This was a perfect opportunity for me to utilize simple and creative lighting that complimented the space. Beautiful portraits in the sanctuary would not have been possible without additional lighting. I used two hotshoe flashes with umbrellas set at a 45 degree angle to the party to provide soft light in a dim space. This was easy to set up and move, and it was more than powerful enough to illuminate the subjects properly.  It was a fun and different creative process for me to use the lights indoors in this way. I used a similar setup during the reception to bring out the dazzling colors of the Harbour View reception hall and freeze the action of the dancers.

There were so many unique moments between the bride and groom, parents, and guests, so the highlights below only scratch the surface of the hundreds of other images found here. Please visit the full gallery to see everything from start to finish, and to purchase any printed images from the day. If you were a guest, it is likely I got your photo, so visit the guest portrait gallery to see them all!

Enjoy the memories, and be sure to like, share, and comment on your favorite images!


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There are destination cafés and restaurants that dish up incredibly breathtaking cakes that are worth the trip. There are also those home-based pastry shops that present and produce high-quality, artful and rich cakes. Indulgence by Irene, whose operations started in 2012, is one of the perfect examples. Irene’s cheesecakes have been featured multiple times in food magazines, food blogs, newspapers, and other honorable sites consistently through the years. As a treat for my teammates last month, I ordered the Matcha and the Tablea S’Mores and had them delivered to our unit in Astoria Plaza during our staycation. What do we say? Irene’s cheesecakes are the ultimate indulgence, indeed! 🙂

Review of Indulgence by Irene Cheesecakes (Matcha and Tablea S’Mores)

If you love matcha, Irene’s Matcha Cheesecake is a must-try. Formed with the creamy goodness of cream cheese that melts in your mouth, though not the most eye-catching, it was irresistibly tasty. For me, the more predominant the green tea flavor, the better, as matcha can be one of those ingredients that can “perfume” a recipe. In this cheesecake, matcha came out slightly bitter and sweet at the same time. Texture was also spot on. This will impress your most discriminating guests.

The Tablea S’Mores Cheesecake, on the other hand, was sweeter and much more scrumptious and decadent. With creamy chocolate filling, graham cracker crust and toasted marshmallows on top, this cheesecake is easy to love. Beyond aesthetics, this one delivered flavor. If you’re thinking of giving it as a gift to a friend or special someone, you can’t go wrong. Make sure to eat it with an extra long spoon to get each component in every bite. 😉

Regular Flavors – Quezo de Bola, Tablea, Choc Nut, Calamansi, and Corn
9 inch – P1000
6 inch – P 550
4 inch – P 220

Premium Flavors – Ube, London Fog, Matcha, QDB-Ube Duo
9 inch – P1200
6 inch – P 650
4 inch – P 250

Super Premium Flavors – Coffee With Bailey’s, Halo-Halo, Tablea S’Mores
9 inch – P1400
6 inch – P 750
4 inch – P 300

Pick-up locations:
1. Astoria Plaza – Ortigas
2. Aseana – schooldays early morning and afternoon of Tuesday and Thursday
3. Shell Buendia cor. EDSA – Tuesdays 3pm, Thursdays 2pm
4. Serendra – Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons

For inquiries, call 0917-6225800 (at least 2 days advance order)
Date Published: 07/16/2016
Review of Indulgence by Irene Cheesecakes (Matcha and Tablea S'Mores)
Price for Value
4.8Overall Score

Digital marketing strategist. Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.

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16 Responses

  1. Gigi McGuire

    Just looking at the photos you can already tell that it’s worth getting one. I would probably go with the S’Mores. I agree you won’t get embarrassed giving this as a present to someone. It looks really delicious and I’m just a little frustrated that I’m on the other side of the world and I can’t eat it right now! You really know where the good restaurants and food places are. You should have your own TV show. 🙂

  2. Fred

    I had no idea about these cheesecakes until I read this article. Very good-looking cakes these are. Flavor names like calamansi, chocnut and halo-halo sound very tempting.

  3. May Palacpac

    I love baking, but I can’t eat too much sweets, I don’t know why. I guess I prefer them pretty? Green tea huh?That’s interesting. Maybe I’ll have a bite or two then we’ll see if it’ll finally be the slice I get to finish. 😉

  4. Tiffany Yong

    Oh goodness. If I visit Manila, can I try the matcha cheesecake? It looks really delicious… I’m so tempted to have a slice of it!

  5. Shawnyce Cano

    I’ve never had matcha, but I do love cheesecake! It looks so good too. Since I love watching the Food channel I always want to try the foods that I see, same here.

  6. Fernando C Lachica

    Cheesecake with fruit topping is truly delicious when eaten with black coffee. Likewise, I am making this cheesecake ever since and most of my ingredients are chosen with care.

  7. Elizabeth O.

    These cakes look so good and it would be nice to give them a try. I’ve tried a few matcha cheesecakes and I always find them very light and refreshing. I’m sure this one is very good too. The s’mores is something that my kids will adore!

  8. Papaleng McDonald

    The cakes are really that inviting. Sad lang that I am staying away from them simply because I am diabetic. Nevertheless I’ll recommend the place to my friends who fancy cakes.

  9. Claire Algarme

    I would probably go with the Tablea S’Mores. I’m not really a great fan of Matcha. It’s an acquired taste, I admit. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t. I’d want to try these cakes.

  10. Erica

    I’ve got to say that I haven’t tried green tea cheesecake yet and this looks scrumptious! I want a slice. Or two. Or dammit give me a whole cake !

  11. Rebecca

    Matcha and cheesecake are two of my most favourite food. A fusion of the both of them? OMG shut up and take my moneyyyyyyyy!!!! xP

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Considering Window Replacement? A Few Dos and Don’ts (Part 2)

Considering Window Replacement? A Few Dos and Don’ts (Part 2)

In the last post, we discussed some helpful dos and don’ts to keep in mind when getting your home’s windows replaced. However, there are a number of other factors to consider that can help you make the most informed decision regarding high-quality home window replacement. To avoid wasting any money on this important home improvement job, here’s part two of our guide about window replacement dos and don’ts.

DO: Prioritize energy-efficiency

As we discussed in the last post, a typical family spends about a third of its annual heating and cooling budget — roughly $350 — on air that leaks into or out of the house through unintended gaps and cracks. You can easily reduce this number to nearly zero by looking for window models with an Energy Star seal. This seal indicates that your new windows will be among the most energy-efficient on the market. They’re also likely to be fully equipped with energy-saving features such as krypton gas, argon gas, low e-glazing, and more.
If you’re trying to make your home more energy efficient in general, your windows and doors are a great place to start!

DON’T: Choose materials prone to rot

Wood windows are certainly sleek and elegant, but they do carry the risk of becoming rotted without proper care. Vinyl windows, on the other hand, are extremely strong and will never rot due to excess moisture. When choosing the right materials, don’t just consider aesthetic appeal, but also longevity and durability.

DO: Consider the benefits of triple pane technology

Triple pane windows are growing in popularity, and for good reason. In the average home, 38% of heat loss is through windows and doors. If your home has drafty single-pane windows, heat loss through windows may increase to 50%. Not only does triple pane technology significantly increase energy efficiency, but it doubles as sound blocking technology. It’s exceptionally useful for homes located on busy streets or with loud neighbors. Not only will triple pane technology save money on energy bills, but it will help you sleep more soundly each and every night.

DON’T: Do the job yourself

Finally, it’s important to leave it to the professionals when it comes to major home-renovations that can impact your home’s integrity and structural value. Even if you feel as though you can do a standard job, there are a number of higher end window designs, such as bay windows, bow windows, and more that will require a professional touch. Something as major as window replacements should never be performed by anyone other than a certified professional.

Ultimately, being aware of these dos and don’ts can help you make the most informed and well-rounded decisions regarding your home’s energy needs. For more information about high-quality windows repair or replacement in Maryland:


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One of the most satisfying ways to increase self-sufficiency is to practice home herbalism. This ancient art has the power to keep us healthy, find relief from many everyday ailments, and give us some control over health struggles. It may seem daunting but there are a few ways to get started and incorporate herbal healing into daily living.

Increase self-sufficiency while keeping the body and home healthy by learning to practice home herbalism with these easy methods and courses |

Cook with Herbs

One of the easiest ways to get comfortable with home herbalism is simply to use them in the kitchen. Many of the same herbs that flavor our food and teas have medicinal qualities. Experiment with them slowly and gain familiarity by incorporating them into everything from smoothies to soups to dessert.

Learn how to make the most of that herb garden and common weeds with the Herbal Cookery E-Course.

Provide Relief for Cold & Flu Symptoms

Every household gets a cold or flu now and then. There’s no way to avoid it 100% of the time, we can however provide soothing relief and shorten the severity and/or length. This isn’t about getting a degree in naturopathy but rather learning a few simple remedies that our grandmothers have used for generations. Look to your medicine cabinet and herb garden for commonly and traditionally used ingredients to soothe sore throats, calm coughs, and fight infections.

Get hands-on experience and practical instruction with the Simple Remedies for Cold & Flu Season E-Course.

Create an Herbal Journal

Professional herbalists would call this journal a materia medica. Those are fancy words for keeping track of herbs and their uses. This simple exercise allows the deep and careful study of herbs one at a time. This record keeping not only allows for study but also easy reference later. Can’t remember which herb is best for indigestion – it’s probably in your herbal journal. Find a bunch of St. John’s Wort in the park and need ideas for its use – it’s probably in your herbal journal.

Find out how to make your own Materia Medica with the Herbal Academy’s comprehensive course.

Build an Apothecary

After a few basics are mastered, it’s easier to fill a home herbal medicine cabinet. Make and gather medicines for digestion, skin conditions, and more with both homegrown and exotic herbs. Fill that cabinet with tinctures, salves, dried herbs for tea, and balms to treat the most common conditions in your particular home.

Get practical lessons, tutorials, and healing recipes with the DIY Herbal Apothecary course.

Build your self-sufficient and simple living skills by beginning a practice of home herbalism. While these skills may not keep your family away from a doctor’s office forever they will surely provide comfort and relief.

How do you practice and improve your home herbalism skills?

Increase self-sufficiency while keeping the body and home healthy by learning to practice home herbalism with these easy methods and courses |

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Kathie is a writer, gardener, and teacher living with her soulmate, Jeff, in northwestern Montana. As a fiercely D.I.Y. individual, she is dedicated to living a life made of her own hands as much as possible.

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Saturday, May 12, 2012

Pink Saturday

Pink Saturday-I'm linking up with Beverly today, stop over and see all the pretty pinks.

A quilted, cross hatched, pillow for the family room for spring/summer.

Another lovely Kaffe Fassett fabric used on this pillow, my spring/summer family room is going to be all about color, woo hoo!

This rose was such a delicate soft pink, so sweet!

Can one ever tire of looking at roses, I think not.

Have a wonderful day.  The birds are singing here, the sun is shining and I have to get out in the garden. :)  Hugs, Michelle

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Happy Pink Mother's Day weekend, Michelle! Your pink roses are gorgeous! Lovely pillows too. Thank you for your visit and enjoy your special day.

The Artful Diva said...

Happy Mother's Day, Michelle. Your pinks are lovely - as always!

Thoughts for the day said...

You have a love for roses like I do, our living room and dining room have a rose theme. Something to say for soft beauty. Add into the picture some chosen antiques and the photo is ready to take.
Enjoy your outside work sometimes if it is not too warm it is very enjoyable.

Riet said...

Wow your pillows are beautiful. I love Kaffe Fassett too and I do also have some of his beautiful fabrics.
Have a nice Mothersday and pink Saturday

The Tablescaper said...

Happy Mother's Day. It would be wonderful to be a part of Seasonal Sundays. You might be interested in my $100.00 Give Away.

- The Tablescaper

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Only in Naples

Only in Naples

Lessons in Food and Famiglia From My Italian Mother-in Law

Book - 2016
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Arriving in Naples as a naive young intern at the American Consulate, Katherine is set up on a blind date - at least that's what she's expecting. Instead, Salvatore brings her home to eat pizza with his family. But this is no ordinary pizza, and the woman who makes it is no ordinary woman.

Katherine and Salve do end up dating - and marrying - but it's Salvatore's mother who truly initiates Katherine into Italian society, offering her a culinary and cultural education that marks the beginning of her womanhood.

Along the way, Katherine dabbles in dubbing porn, learns to cook an octopus, and fends off frisky Italian suitors. Most importantly, she acquires carnale , the quintessentially Neapolitan sense of living with comfort and confidence in one's body. Only in Naples recalls the rich and wry culinary writing of Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking and the charmingly eccentric family portraits of Jenny Lawson's Let's Pretend This Never Happened .

Publisher: London, England :, Fleet,, 2016
Copyright Date: ©2016
ISBN: 9780349006291
Characteristics: viii, 287 pages ;,25 cm.

From the critics

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Nov 04, 2017

I enjoyed this slice of Italian life- even though I wanted to hate the author for being so lucky to have the opportunities afforded by her trust fund and her wealthy American family. She does concede that her seemingly perfect life included as stint of self-loathing due to her weight issues and binge-eating.

Nov 14, 2016

I found this novel to be a romanticized and overly simplistic account of Neapolitan culture, lacking in depth and grounding. It actually infuriated me (which doesn't happen often for me with a novel; yes, my own Neapolitan heritage just might have influenced that opinion).

ChristchurchLib Jun 12, 2016

After graduating from college, well-to-do Katherine Wilson left Washington, D.C. and headed to Naples, Italy for an unpaid internship at the American Consul. Though Naples was considered "dirty and dangerous" by her friends and family, she discovered that people either loved or hated the city, and she loved it. Not only did she learn to eat better (she'd been a binge eater), but she was embraced by an Italian family and their chic, well-connected matriarch, Raffaella, who taught Wilson about Neapolitan culture and how to cook delicious local foods -- and eventually lessons about marriage and motherhood when Wilson married her son. This lighthearted, charming look at Italian life includes recipes.

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Monthly Archives: August 2012

Bee’s and chunky ears.

Now that I have recovered, I thought I would share my eventful but slightly painful weekend. Every Friday is Allotment day (just in case you might be wondering what an Allotment is…here in the UK most towns and cities have … Continue reading

Posted in authors, blogging, blogs, Books, gardening, humanity, Lifestyle, society, Writers, blogging, authors | Leave a comment

This is fun Part Eight!

Firstly, I would like to say that I haven’t been sucked into a ‘Big Brother’ void and been there since my last post. Part Eight on being a new writer is here. The book is written, ‘Kindled‘ and ‘Createspaced.’ I … Continue reading

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Archive | * Botanical Gardens RSS feed for this archive

The Huntington Library

I wanted to share only the toddler-friendly areas of The Huntington Library that I had pictures of because the area was so huge and there were so many beautiful scenes throughout that I’d be giving away too much.  So, instead I’m sharing The Children’s Garden because if you’re on this site, I’m 90% sure you’ve got a toddler and are wondering if it’s worth coming here.  Well, it is!  Max stayed in his stroller without activating “the ants in his pants” the entire time we were there.  We took a nice long stroll throughout the grounds as we made our way to The Children’s Garden.

The children’s garden was perfect to run around in, actually if you read the sign up above it clearly states DO NOT RUN, and Max didn’t, wink, wink.

There were numerous faucets of water flowing in a perfectly circular fashion which made them look like bubbles.

They had a cool volcano looking thing that had actual smoke spewing from the top and the kiddos could run under it…

As well as a rainbow tunnel …

The children’s area was small but believe me, Max could have stayed for hours.  He didn’t want to leave.  If it wasn’t for promises of pizza and a cold soda, I would’ve given in and stayed but I was hungry and thirsty for pizza from my favorite pizza joint.  So, mommy won and we left but he was a happy camper after having a mouthful of pizza in his mouth 🙂

As I mentioned earlier, the grounds were huge and there were a lot of cool things to marvel at and I wanted to share just one more because it was my favorite.  It was the Cloud Forest …

And once inside this is what you saw …

Oooooh, it’s as if you’re walking through the clouds.  Keep in mind that my friend walked ahead dispersing some of the “clouds” but it was really neat to see.

This place is a definite yes, to go place.  Max and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I suggest having a good breakfast before you go inside because food and drinks are not permitted although I’d still take snacks for the little one because seriously, who wants to see the hungry monster coming out in such a beautiful place.

L.A. County Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

Look at that face!  Isn’t he the cutest.  Here we are having lunch at the Peacock Cafe located inside of the park before we headed out to take a stroll around the park.

Once on our way, this is one of the first things we came across.  What a beautiful tree!  I’d never seen a tree this color, I was in awe.

I don’t think Max was too impressed though.  He found something more entertaining…

We walked and walked and walked.  I marveled at the beauty of the park.  So much nature , it was hard to believe it was in the city.  max on the other hand just kept walking and walking or I should say, pushing and pushing the stroller.  Until we got to a pond with DUCKS!  I’m amazed by the things that Max is entranced by.  He stood at this bench looking onward and just stared at the ducks that were swimming and quacking and flapping and swimming and just doing duck things.

After I was able to pry him away from the ducks we came upon a hill.  On that hill was a beautiful peacock.  Max saw that peacock and ran towards it probably thinking he was going to grab it and squeeze it and love it….  I took the picture of him running towards the peacock but then I realized what was about to happen and I ran faster than lighting to grab Max before the peacock became defensive.

All in all I think Max had a great time.  It was alot of walking and there weren’t any activities to entertain a toddler but he was entertained by the birds that roamed free throughout the park.  The walking also helped get him tired and he had a nice long nap on the way home.

L.A. County Arboretum & Botanical Gardens


text:
Zhejiang, China
Business Type:
Number of Employees:
Year of Establishment:
Management System Certification:
Annual Revenue:
2.58 Million USD
OEM/ODM Service

Pet Food Packaging Machine, Pet Food Packing Machine, Filling and Sealing Machine manufacturer / supplier in China, offering Pet Food Packaging Machine for Pouch (GD8-200A), Rotary Packaging Machine for Food (GD8-200B), Automatic Rotary Pickles Packaging Machine and so on.

Gold Member Since 2008
Audited Supplier

Pet Food Packaging Machine for Pouch (GD8-200A)

Get Latest Price
Purchase Qty. / Reference FOB Price
1-2 Sets US $38,000
3+ Sets US $36,000
Port: Ningbo, China
Production Capacity: 30 Sets/Month
Payment Terms: L/C
Automatic Grade: Automatic
Application: Cleaning, Detergent, Cosmetics, Drinks, Skin Care Products, Dairy Products, Oil
Type: Filling and Sealing Machine
Forming Species: Bag Moulding
Driven Type: Pneumatic
Material Type: Solid

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Basic Info

Model NO.: GD8-200A
Packaging: Pouch, Bag
Packaging Material: Plastic
Trademark: KEED
Transport Package: Wooden Cases
Specification: CE, ISO9001, SGS
Origin: Ruian City, Zhejiang
HS Code: 8422303090

Product Description

Packaging Machine And Sample Bags Show
 Pet Food Packaging Machine for Pouch (GD8-200A)
Pet Food Sample pouch
Pet Food Packaging Machine for Pouch (GD8-200A)
 Pet Food Packaging Machine for Pouch (GD8-200A)
 Packing Machine Description
 1. Easy to operate, adopt advanced PLC from Germany Siemens, mate with touch screen and electric control system, the man-machine interface is friendly.
2. Automatic checking function: no pouch or pouch open error, no fill, no seal. the bag can be used again, avoid wasting packing materials and raw materials.
3. Safety device: Machine stop at abnormal air pressure, heater disconnection alarm.
4. The width of the bags could be adjusted by electrical motor. Press the control-button could adjust the width of clip, easily operate, and save time.
5. The part where touch to the materials is made of stainlesss steel and according with the request of GMP.
Main Technical Parameters:

Working positioneight-working position
Bag materialLaminated film/pe/pp
Bag patternStand-up with zipper & spout,stand-up ,flat bag,
Max filling weight10-5000g
Filling accuracy0.5-1.5%
Bag sizeW:100-200mm L:100-350mm (could be customized)
Voltage380v 3phase 50/60hz
Total power5.5KW
Compress air0.6m3/min

Working Process
Pet Food Packaging Machine for Pouch (GD8-200A)
Company's Honors
Pet Food Packaging Machine for Pouch (GD8-200A)

Q1:Are you a trading company or manufacture?
A1: Kedi is a professional manufacturer with experience over 20 years. Now we have new factory in Wenzhou .Your order will be controlled from very beginning to the last.
Q2: What is your delivery time?
A2: Normally 30-45 days upon order confirmation.
Q3: What is your packing pattern?
A3: Special export wooden packing
Q4: How about your service?
 A4:Engineers available to service machinery overseas
Q5: How about your product?
A5: Kedi has the standard production and complete quality control system to ensure high quality
products. Our products get ISO. CE.SGS
Q6:How to choose the machine type for our bags?
A6: Pls support us the following information about the bag and the food.
1) bag pattern
2)bag size
3)the filling weight or volume
4)material of food: powder/liquid/paste/granular/massiveness
5)sample bags or pictures
1.Round the Clock Customer Service Centers
2.Skilled Maintenance Team, Engineers Available to Service Machinery Overseas.
3.Expert Team, Technical Support
4.Abundant Spare Parts, Swift Storage Center
 Any questions, Welcome to contact us !

Add: 2# Wansheng Road, Wanquan Industry Zone, Pingyang County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China
Tel: +86-577-63080788         Fax: +86-577-63080018
web: http://www.cnkedi.com
Sanny chen

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Roxanna's Candles

June 24, 2015

Roxanna's Candles takes great care in ensuring we keep out the bad stuff from our products, and only use natural and clean-burning materials in our candles.

This is why we only use phthalate-free fragrances. But what is a phthalate? If we got a penny for every time we were asked that question, we'd be independently wealthy.

So, today we're tackling the question head-on by explaining first what a phthalate is, and then exploring some of the dangers of phthalates using a plethora of research and studies. We will summarize the conclusions of the articles, but will also include all the references, so you can (if you have lots of time and desire) read the entire articles for yourself.

Let's start with the basics...

Phthalates (derived from phthalic acid) are chemical compounds that began being used in plastics as early as the 1920s, in order to replace the smelly plasticizer known as camphor.

Phthalates allow long polyvinyl molecules to slide against each other. In other words, phthalates make plastics flexible, less brittle, and harder to destroy. Phthalates are commonly used in numerous industrial, household, and cosmetic products, such as cars, swimming pools, pharmaceutical supplies, food packaging, detergents, nail polish, shampoo, perfume, and hairspray, and... candles.

Phthalates are often used in candles and other scented items to help the fragrance bond with the product in which it is being used. Their low volatility and heat resistance make phthalates great chemical additives for such products! Or, are they...

Although there is still work to be done in studying the dangers of phthalates, current research strongly suggest their many scary effects on the human body, starting as early as in utero.

Phthalates are strongly linked to premature delivery (1), low birth weight (2), childhood ADHD (3) (4), conduct disorders (4), deficits in children's intellectual development (5), obesity (6) (7), and are correlated with reproductive development defects (8) (9) (10), insulin resistance and diabetes (7).

One study provides data, although not conclusive, linking phthalates to Human Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome (10).

Research on the correlation between phthalates and diseases as serious as breast cancer is also ongoing.

When we started Roxanna's Candles, we took a stand against using phthalates in our products. What we put into the air and ultimately into our bodies is a big deal to us.

We want you to have the assurance that when you burn a Roxanna's Candle, you're burning only the best. You can breathe easy, knowing our 100% soy wax, phthalate free, wooden wick candles are natural and clean. Nothing but the best, from the best.

(1) "Chemical In Common Consumer Products (Phthalates) May Play A Role In Pre-term Births". 2009-07-07. doi:10.1289/ehp.0800522

(2) "Exposure To Phthalates May Be A Risk Factor For Low Birth Weight In Infants". 2009-06-25. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.04.00

(3) Bung-Nyun Kim, Soo-Churl Cho, Yeni Kim, Min-Sup Shin, Hee-Jeong Yoo, Jae-Won Kim, Young Hee Yang, Hyo-Won Kim, Soo-Young Bhang, Yun-Chul Hong Biological Psychiatry - 15 November 2009 (Vol. 66, Issue 10, pp. 958-963), doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.07.034

(4) Engel SM, Miodovnik A, Canfield RL, Zhu C, Silva MJ, Calafat AM, Wolff MS (2010). "Prenatal Phthalate Exposure Is Associated with Childhood Behavior and Executive Functioning"Environ. Health Perspect. 2010 Jan 8. [Epub ahead of print] (4): 565–71. doi:10.1289/ehp.0901

(5) Factor-Litvak, P; Insel, B; Calafat, A. M.; Liu, X; Perera, F; Rauh, V. A.; Whyatt, R. M. (2014). "Persistent Associations between Maternal Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates on Child IQ at Age 7 Years". PLoS ONE 9 (12): e114003. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0114003. PMC 4262205. PMID 25493564

(6) "Phthalate, environmental chemical is linked to higher rates of childhood obesity". 2012-06-26

(7) Stahlhut RW, van Wijngaarden E, Dye TD, Cook S, Swan SH (June 2007). "Concentrations of Urinary Phthalate Metabolites Are Associated with Increased Waist Circumference and Insulin Resistance in Adult U.S. Males"Environ. Health Perspect. 115 (6): 876–82. doi:10.1289/ehp.9882. PMC 1892109. PMID 17589594

(8) Swan SH, Main KM, Liu F, Stewart SL, Kruse RL, Calafat AM, Mao CS, Redmon JB, Ternand CL, Sullivan S, Teague JL (August 2005). "Decrease in Anogenital Distance among Male Infants with Prenatal Phthalate Exposure". Environ. Health Perspect. 113 (8): 1056–61. doi:10.1289/ehp.8100. PMC 1280349. PMID 16079079

(9) Barrett, Julia R. (2005). "Phthalates and Baby Boys: Potential Disruption of Human Genital Development". Environ Health Perspect 113 (8): A542. doi:10.1289/ehp.113-a542a. PMC 1280383

(10) Salazar-Martinez E, Romano-Riquer P, Yanez-Marquez E, Longnecker MP, Hernandez-Avila M (2004). "Anogenital distance in human male and female newborns: a descriptive, cross-sectional study". Environ Health 3 (1): 8. doi:10.1186/1476-069X-3-8. PMC 521084. PMID 15363098

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text:
Weird Implications of the Horror Genre

I think most of us would agree that many horror movies are just made to be dumb fun and aren’t meant to be taken seriously.  There’s a movie called “Wish Upon” that’s coming out at the end of the week that’s about a magic box that grants people’s wishes.  But there’s a catch.  For every wish the box grants, someone close to the wisher dies!

Yeah…it’s pretty dumb.  But that’s usually the point.  These kind of blockbuster horror movies aren’t really about a story…they’re about spooks and scares and things going “BOO”.

Also gore…there’s a lot of gore these days.

But what if we took these movies more seriously?  It is true that some older horror fiction contained moral lessons or at least satirical observations on modern society.  So what would happen if we took these tales at face value?

Sex is bad

If you’ve never seen the show “Robot Chicken”, all you really need to know is that it’s a skit show involving action figures.  And it’s raunchy…oh so raunchy…

There’s a skit on the show that mashes together “Scooby-Doo” and “Friday the 13th”, with the crew of the Mystery Machine getting brutally murdered one by one by the masked killer Jason Voorhees.  At one point during the skit Velma complains that “the virgin lives the longest in these horror movies”.  And it’s true.  The virgin is the last one alive, particularly in slasher movies.

The excellent 2011 movie “The Cabin in the Woods” references this, stating that for things to work out, the virgin has to be the absolute last one to die, if at all.

But why is this exactly?  How did this become a trope?  Well, as it turns out, horror movies have a weird thing with sex.  Which is that sex is bad.  Very bad.  Unless you’re married.  Which is why in slasher flick movies, the promiscuous cheerleader and the football jock she’s dating are pretty much always the first targets.

The movie “It Follows” literally revolves around a monster curse that is passed on by sleeping with people.  It’s weird, but horror movies apparently grabbed on to this cultural fear of teenagers having sex.  The plot of “It Follows” reads like a paper-thin metaphor for sexually transmitted diseases.

You darn kids and yer unprotected sex!

It’s like horror movies abide by this strange, Victorian era sense of morality when it comes to sex.  Which brings us to our next topic…

Warped Moral Messages

The Sam Raimi movie “Drag Me to Hell” features a female loan officer who refuses an extension to an old lady, who subsequently turns out to be a gypsy or something and puts a curse on the main character which will send her to hell.

Seriously?  I mean, refusing a loan extension is a cruel thing to do, but even the IMDb plot summary points out that she only does it out of misplaced fear for her job:

“Christine Brown is a loans officer at a bank but is worried about her lot in life. She’s in competition with a competent colleague for an assistant manager position and isn’t too sure about her status with a boyfriend. Worried that her boss will think less of her if she shows weakness, she refuses a time extension on a loan to an old woman, Mrs. Ganush, who now faces foreclosure and the loss of her house. In retaliation, the old woman place a curse on her which, she subsequently learns, will result in her being taken to hell in a few days time.”

Given that this movie seems to take place in the modern-day, why not go after the people who caused the housing bubble to burst and created the economic turmoil that likely put the old lady in danger of being foreclosed on?  What about the politicians and the rich people who sat by and let everything fall apart?  I mean, if it’s that easy to curse someone, why not curse the people who deserve it?

But that’s horror movies for you.  They attempt to justify all manner of horrible things through the flimsiest lens possible.  Take, for example, the “Saw” franchise.

If you’ve never seen the movies, the basic premise is that a serial killer kidnaps people and forces them to play elaborate games involving deadly traps.  It’s a franchise that spawned seven different movies and is even spawning another movie later this year, seven years after the last movie came out.  But what bothers me isn’t how many sequels there are, but the motivation behind the killer himself.

In the second movie, Jigsaw tells a former police detective that he attempted to commit suicide after he was diagnosed with cancer.  Evidently, when his attempt failed, he was infused with a new appreciation for life.  And apparently, he was compelled to inspire that appreciation for life in others.

Inspiring an appreciation for life…by physically and psychologically torturing people until they have PTSD and nightmares for the rest of their lives.  And that’s if they survive.

Yep…seems legit.

Superstitions are not to be mocked

“There’s a logical explanation for all of this” – Guy who is about to be killed in horrific fashion

A great example of this trope can be seen in “Blair Witch”, the 2016 sequel to “The Blair Witch Project”.  It was…not very good.  Near the beginning of the movie, when the crew is first making their way into the woods, one of the characters makes their thoughts on the legend of the Blair Witch heard and mocks it for all it’s worth.  Then, on the second night, he is chased by some unknown entity and presumably killed.

Just goes to show you kids: don’t mock superstitions.  Because they’ll come true and kill you dead.

And this a common character in horror movies, especially ones involving local legends or folklore.  They’re a skeptic by nature, so they loudly proclaim their disbelief in “silly” superstitions and the like, much to the chagrin of others.

“You actually believe in Bigfoot,” they’ll ask with a mocking chuckle.  “Bigfoot isn’t real.  He’s a myth and a hoax, sustained by people who have nothing better to do with their lives.”

And then Bigfoot will promptly stroll out of the woods, rip the person’s spleen out of their chest, and it so far up their rear end that it pops out their mouth.

Actually, that sounds pretty badass.  I’d pay to see that movie.

Archaeology is nothing more than grave robbing

This is a weird one.

I’ve gone on record before about how I enjoy point and click adventure games.  Well I have a couple in mind when it comes to this trope: “Barrow Hill” and its sequel “Barrow Hill: The Dark Path”.

In these games, the central plot revolves around an isolated gas station and motel set near an ancient barrow or burial mound.  In the first game, archaeologist Conrad Morse triggers the horrible events that trap you and other characters in the area because he digs up the mound, taking dirt samples and treasures.  The implication is that he disturbed some kind of ancient spirit by doing so.  And in the second game, which features the spirit of an ancient Wicca witch, goes much the same way.  In the game you find the diary of an archaeologist who dug up the grave of the witch and angered her spirit.

Now, “Dark Path” ends with a message from one of the main characters stating that “there’s a difference between archaeology and grave robbing”.  But the game never makes that distinction.  There’s no point in the game where it points out what would be considered good archaeology.  Because for archaeology to work, things have to be dug up.  But according to the “Barrow Hill” series, that’s a bad thing.

You could argue that it’s more a point about having respect for ancient cultures and tradition, but without any clear indication of how you’re supposed to have respect for these things it comes across as a harsh indictment of the profession itself.  Even if it’s just about not forgetting the past, if we leave it alone eventually nature will erase any trace of these things ever existing.  Even if Conrad Morse hadn’t dug up the barrow in the first “Barrow Hill”, nature would have eventually eroded away the rocks or overgrown the area, which means that people would have forgotten about Barrow Hill anyways.  Think about how many ancient cultures or cities we don’t know about, that we may never know about because nature has long since destroyed any evidence of their passing.

Maybe Indiana Jones could get away with it.  Who knows?

I hope you enjoyed reading.  Check back next Wednesday for another post, and as always, have a wonderful week.

You can like the Rumination on the Lake Facebook page here or follow me on Twitter here.


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My Story: Help Me Build Schools and Futures

Having grown up in an impoverished communist country with food and water rations, electricity shortages, and a pervasive lack of freedom, the options of what I can do and become were limited. But despite all the challenges and hardships, I consider myself very lucky. I was blessed with a loving family and I had the opportunity to go to school and learn how to read and write.

Me in kindergarten in Romania. We are all wearing national folk costumes. 🙂

My father taught me how to play chess when I was 4 years old. Chess has been an important part of my life. I played the game competitively throughout my childhood and teenage years. This is me playing in a chess tournament in 1989. I love this beautiful sport with every beat of my heart.

When I immigrated to America, my eyes were opened to the opportunities and possibilities that I never knew existed growing up in Romania.  I enrolled in college and had access to the right tools that would enable me to build a better future for me and my family. Now, that I am in a better position, I want to spend as much time giving back as possible. Since I moved to United States I have volunteered with great organizations like Team For Kids, New York Cares, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Autism Speaks and New York City Service for Hurricane Sandy relief. But, I always wanted to do more.

I am extremely passionate about education and literacy. Education is a human right. It has the power to transform lives, to lift communities out of poverty, and to protect families from the hazards of labor exploitation and disease. It is a fundamental building block that gives children the knowledge, skills, and confidence to reach their full potential. I made education my priority to give back.

My dream is to build schools in developing countries. ❤

In my quest to find the right organization that would offer me a platform to achieve this, I came across buildOn.  I fell in love with their work and their commitment to changing people’s lives in both United States and around the world. I decided to contact them and use them as a platform to achieve my dream of building schools.

To raise money, I will run marathons across America and all over the world. I will also run a marathon on each continent – 7 marathons on 7 continents! So far I have raised over $35,000 from more than 135 donors!! ❤

My 7 marathons on 7 continents schedule

You have been so supportive all this time, but now, I am asking you to be part of something even BIGGER.  Together, we can build futures and change lives!  Please click the link below and donate what you can.  It is easy, fast and secure. Your generosity and support is greatly appreciated. ❤

Below are all the races I ran in the last 2 and a half years. They helped me raise money to fund 4 schools in 4 developing countries – Nepal (groundbreaking in 2016), Senegal (groundbreaking in 2017), Nicaragua and Burkina Faso .

  1. NYC Marathon (November 2, 2014)
  2. New Jersey Marathon (April 26, 2015)
  3. Iceland Marathon (August 22, 2015)
  4. Chicago Marathon (October 12, 2015)
  5. NYC Marathon (November 2, 2015)
  6. Rock and Roll Washington D.C. Marathon, March 12, 2016
  7. Country Music Marathon, Nashville April 30, 2016
  8. Quebec City Marathon, August 28, 2016
  9. Chile Marathon, Patagonian Marathon, September 27, 2016
  10. Cape Cod Marathon, October 30, 2016
  11. Louisiana Marathon, Louisiana, LA
  12. George Washington Marathon, Maryland
  13. Two Rivers Marathon, Pennsylvania
  14. Paris Marathon, France
  15. Flying Pig, Cincinnati, Ohio
  16. Great Wall of China Marathon, Asia
  17. Frankische – Schweiz Marathoon – Bavaria, Germany
  18. Detroit Free Pass Marathon, Michigan
  19. Route 66 Marathon, Oklahoma
  20. Rehoboth Beach Marathon, Delaware

IMG_6525Shoes I ran few marathons with. They are so dear to my heart.

This year I am running 10 more marathons to raise money for more schools. Below is my schedule:

  1. Charleston Marathon, (SC) – Jan 13, 2018
  2. Mississippi Blues Marathon, (MS) – Jan 27, 2018
  3. Winterman Marathon, (ON) Canada – Feb 18, 2018
  4. The Ocean’s Run Marathon, (RI) – Mar 4, 2018
  5. Antarctica Marathon, – Mar 16, 2018 – 7/7 journey
  6. Vermont Marathon, (VT) – May 27, 2018
  7. Carolina Beach Marathon, (NC) – Oct 8, 2018
  8. Baroko Marathon, Czech Republic, Sept 1, 2018
  9. New Hampshire Marathon, (NH) – Sept 29, 2018
  10. Maine Marathon, (ME) – Sept 30, 2018

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for supporting my dream and efforts. I am forever grateful.

Please share this page on Facebook, Twitter, and email friends who might want to get involved.


text:
Cause Running

RunningHD_1-(2) (web optimised) It’s Christmas time; the season of giving. What better time to look at making a difference in the life of someone. Earlier this year, I had decided that I was going to incorporate more charity runs into my racing. I figured it was a way of giving back to the running community and a big thank you to the sport that has given me so much in terms of self-development and taught me a great deal about drive and perseverance. Turns out it’s easier said than done and so yours truly have not fully engaged the process of running for someone or something other than self. Truth is, I find it somewhat intimidating to ask others to help a passion of mine. What’s in it for them? See, when I first thought of running for a cause, it seemed easy enough; sign up for a race and give a donation..pretty easy, no strings attached and doable only for a smaller number of races. It turns out that meaningful giving in running is a bit more involved than that.

You have only to google running for charity and a host of events and information will come up, which indicates the popularity of this method of entry into races from 5ks to marathons. So it’s not for a lack of information that I view this with some trepidation, as races are eager to impart how to best access information and support on how to proceed. What I’m a bit wary of is actually getting on a platform and committing to raise a certain amount of money within a specified period of time; the amount being a big issue and then the time frame allotted in which to do this. I’ll admit right off that a sales person I am not so the pitch just doesn’t come to me nor does it ever sound right, which leaves me questioning my motives cause this is not about me right?

Cause running has opened up the field of runners to just about anyone with a heart to do good, the bonus is exercise and the chance to do something one might not have attempted but for the pull of the greater good. In addition, there’s the added benefit of training teams and cheering sections This makes it a win-win situation as there are multiple groups with different models that allow runners to consider the cause – which runs from cancer research to providing animal rescue – race distance, fundraising minimum and training programs. The recent addition of crowdrise, peer-to-peer fundraising site, to the running platform allows runners who don’t find a cause they’re interested in to create a page and run for a group of their choice.(Runners World)

The causes are endless and the opportunities to make my running count are better now than they’ve ever been; all I need is social media, my friend lists and the ability to pitch my cause. I’m giving it a go for the New York City Half Marathon in March. A couple thousands shouldn’t be hard..wish me luck!

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Sign Up Donate
Location: Mason, MI US 48854 Directions
Type: Run or Run/Walk
Title Sponsor
Event Time Price Details
Commercial Bank Mason 5K and Bulldog Runs
7:00PM EDT
Price increases April 28, 2018 at 11:59pm EDT
1 Mile Bulldog Run
7:40PM EDT
Registration ends May 3, 2018 at 11:59pm EDT
100 Yard Bulldog Dash
7:55PM EDT
Registration ends May 3, 2018 at 11:59pm EDT
Jefferson and Maple
Mason, MI US 48854

Mason Public Schools Foundation proudly presents the 30th annual Commercial Bank Mason 5K Run/Walk/Roll (we welcome runners, walkers, and those racing in wheelchairs and other assistive devices) on Friday, May 4, 2018 at 7:00PM in beautiful downtown Mason.

To celebrate our anniversary we're hosting fun kids' activites before, during and after the races. Face painting, balloon crafting, extra activities and a DJ playing all the hits will be available for our kids to enjoy. Don't forget our Bulldog races. 1 mile and 100 yard dash will start after the 5K.

The course is a USATF certified 5k and is endorsed by Governor's Council Michigan Fitness Foundation.

Please see our family and large group discounts. 100% of the net proceeds benefit Mason Public Schools.

Registrations on or before 4/27/18 are guaranteed a shirt. Registrations after 4/27/18 will receive a shirt if available.

Sign up by April 28th for $27 for the 5k.  Late Registration price is $30.

5k - Overall Awards Male and Female and Masters Male and Female. Awards for top 3 finishers in each age group.

1 mile Bulldog run -  Ages 12 and under with ribbons for all school age participants.

100 yard Bulldog dash - Ages 6 and under, ribbons for all school age participants

USATF certified 5k

Packet Pick Up

Tuesday, May 1 and Wednesday, May 2, 2018 from 5:00pm-8:00pm at Harvey Education Center (formerly Cedar Street Elementary School) 400 South Cedar Street, Mason MI

Thursday May 3, 2018 from 5:00pm - 8:00pm at Playmakers 2299 West Grand River Ave. Okemos MI

Race Day, Friday May 4, 2018 from 5:00pm - 6:30pm in the big tent by the starting line.

Race Contact Info

If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.

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Chiquititas Brasil (1997)

Family series, 5 seasons
Year: 1997-2001
Year in film: ~2000
Country: Brasil
Who in clothing: boys, sailor suit
Who in clothing 2: girls sailor dress
Available on DVD: no ?
I own: no
Clothing occurence: very low ?
Rating:  4/10 ?
Rating: ****
Comment: At least this boy in a dark blue sailor suit with a rather short white collar, one thick blue stripe. Also at least one girl probably in a matching (white) sailor dress or similar. Episode s4e12. Also girls, boys and women in bib overalls (rating 6 for now).

I only noticed this in one episode only, but have only checked some episodes of season 3 and 4.

For more infos see my other blogs. Also on my bedroom blog rating 7.

Rating 3 for now for the sailor suit.

Note, that there are many different Chiquititas series. Also another, later one from Brasil (in better image quality). No other with sailor suits (or Lederhosen) known by now.

Update: Also a boy and girl in white sailor clothes and very long collar flap. Much better. Now rating 4.

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Archive for January, 2010

Jaffna and Northern Province of Sri Lanka trying to Regain its Glory

January 20, 2010

Welcome to Jaffna Peninsula

Recently I visited Jaffna peninsula and other Northern parts of the island. On my way to Jaffna through A9 road, which is now opened for civilians, I could witness the massive destruction in Kilinochchi and other small towns due to the long civil war.

Anyway that horrible war is over now, people have new hopes about their future and sustainable socio-economic development in Northern Province.

There is a very high potential in those areas. We will see so many investments flowing in to those areas soon. Conducive environment is being created in Jaffna and other areas. The literacy rate in the Northern Province is 92.5 present and finding human resources would not be a tough challenge for any investor.

Other infrastructure requirements such as road access, electricity, water supply, communication facilities are being developed. The tallest multi purpose telecommunication tower (172 m) in Sri Lanka is being built in Kokavil near Kilinochchi town.

The mobile phone subscribers’ growth from 11 million to 13 million during the last six months of year 2009 was mainly due to the new subscribers from post conflicted Northern and the Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka.

Hope new development initiatives in Northern Province will keep our innocent tamil children in schools instead of bunkers in the future.


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Khamis inaugurates 50th edition of monthly “Made in Syria” shopping festival

Damascus, SANA – Prime Minister Imad Khamis opened the 50th round of the monthly shopping festival “Made in Syria” at al-Jalaa Hall in Mezzeh in which 130 national companies specialized in food processing, textile, engineering and chemical industries are taking part.

Premier Khamis on Wednesday toured the exhibition’s pavilions and listened to the participating industrialists’ viewpoints and comments regarding the tangible improvement of their production which rose by 40% compared with 2016, saying that this increase contributed to promoting locally-made products, deceasing prices and offering discounts which, in turn, positively reflected on product marketing, economic viability and customer satisfaction

The exhibitors highlighted the government’s efforts to revive production process and re-operate factories and industrial facilities through a series of facilitations including the issuance of regulations and laws, granting loans, rehabilitating industrial cities and areas, restoring infrastructures and overcoming obstacles which hinder national industry, not to mention facilitating the importation of raw materials.

They added that the festival conveys an important message about Syria’s steadfastness and the recovery of national industry and the ability to preserve the good reputation and high quality of Syrian goods despite the war.

The participants saw in the festival an opportunity to market and promote their products, in addition to meeting families’ basic needs and supporting national economy.

In a statement to journalists, Prime Minister said that the festival is another outcome of the victories achieved by the Syrian army and armed forces, adding that it sets clear evidence on the Syrian people’s determination to support their national economy.

He pointed out that the Syrian product has gained entry to establish markets in more than 90 countries which send a clear message that the Syrian people are determined to preserve their productivity in parallel with their fight against terrorism.

He noted that “Made in Syria” exhibition will be held in a number of neighboring states in order to enhance the presence of Syrian goods in international markets.

Khamis said that the rehabilitation of industrial cities and economic facilities is a priority for the government with the aim of reviving local industry.

He added that several regulations and decision will be issued in the next stage to push forward the production wheel which will have positive impact on citizens and the Syrian economy in general.

The current edition of the monthly “Made in Syria” festival offered a wide range of surprises, offers and discounts up to 50%, in addition to coupons and vouchers free of charge for the families of martyrs and wounded army personnel in appreciation of their sacrifices.

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Damascus, SANA – A Syrian Arab Army unit thwarted an attempt by the terrorist organizations …


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Happy? Birthday? Narmada Bachao Andolan – Salutes to a 31-year-old movement

Above: 8-column front page top photo of Yatra carried by THE INDEPENDENT in Dec 1990

अब तो है तुमसे हर खुशी अपनी, तुम पे मरना है ज़िंदगी अपनी..”

"फिर चाहे जो भी कहे हमको ज़माना, कोई बनाये बातें चाहे अब जितनी"

Several times Ive felt that these lines from famous hindi song[i] from film Abhimaan sum up the feelings of many activists like me..  Majrooh Sultanpuri’s lyrics came to mind again as I thought of writing about the Narmada Bachao Andolan on Aug 16, 2016, after all it was completing 31 years!

The lines reflect dedication, commitment, love and sense of identity that an intense activist would have felt while fighting for the cause of a river like Narmada. I have felt that kind of intensity while working as a full time activist for NBA several years in 1990s.

One of the most remarkable episode that possibly reflected the intensity of such feelings occurred on Dec 25, 1990 when Jan Vikas Sangharsh Yatra started from Rajghat (Madhya Pradesh) on the banks of the Narmada. Thousands of adivasis and farmers started the march to Sardar Sarovar Dam site in Gujarat, on foot. It was march of the socially, politically, economically weakest sections of Indian population, now threatened by a massive dam in the name of a questionable development project. They were on road to register their peaceful protest. By Dec 30, 1990, the Yatra reached a place called Ferkuwa on the Madhya Pradesh-Gujarat border. Next day the Yatra was to enter Gujarat.

Narmada Satyagarha at Rajghat Aug 2016

Narmada Satyagarha at Rajghat Aug 2016

But the real drama started now. Gujarat Government, by now had painted this yatra as an attack on what Gujarat politicians claimed, their lifeline, the Narmada Project. The state deployed almost all of its immense resources to hype up the frenzy against the alien attackers. The government itself deployed state transport buses to bring thousands of people to Gujarat side of the border at Ferkuwa. There they built huge tent houses, complete with five star arrangements including dining halls, air conditioning and 24 hour glaring public address system.

The contrast across the inter-state divide was so glaring that several journalists, including Sheela Bhatt from a popular Gujarati magazine made this contrast a story in itself. In fact the way media covered the whole 36 day episode that ended on Jan 30, 1991 with 22 day fast by 5 activists was most remarkable.

Shailendra Yashwant, who was covering the movement then, shared this remarkable photo on Facebook recently. His words are worth quoting: “To mark 30 years of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA)’s resistance to the dam projects in the Narmada valley, I dug up this image of the Narmada Jan Vikas Sangharsh Yatra of December 1990, that first appeared on the front page of the now defunct ‘The Independent’ (daily newspaper), that was launched and edited (for a very short time) by late Vinod Mehta… This is where I first met activists… who have shaped and influenced my understanding of the greatest people’s movement for environmental justice in modern India. 25 years later, the people’s demands for suitable rehabilitation have not been met and neither has the promise of delivery of Narmada waters to the villages of Kutch, but worst of all no lessons have been learnt and the people have come together again to save their homes, villages and forests.”

The photo, incidentally was covered as full page banner headline image on the front page of a National newspaper. Overpowering memories of that entire episode creates a medley of involuntary physical and mental reactions even today.

Gujarat government was happy that the Ferkuwa Yatra ended without NBA seemingly getting anything in return. The events of subsequent months showed how wrong this impression was. Soon the World Bank had to institute independent review of the project which ultimately culminated in the Bank having to get out of the project, first time ever. Many other impacts of the yatra were soon visible.

Submerging Rajghat Bridge due to rising water level behind Sardar Sarovar Dam

Submerging Rajghat Bridge due to rising water level behind Sardar Sarovar Dam

Rajghat, the place from where the yatra started in Dec 1990, is remarkably the place where even today a satyagraha is going on against the Gujarat government plan to increase the height of the dam from current 121.92 m to 138.68 m. When not only rehabilitation of the thousands and thousands of families has not happened and Gujarat (or for that matter any one else) will not get any additional benefit since even after three decades, as Gujarat has yet to build the canal infrastructure to take the water to Kutch, Saurashtra and N Gujarat, in whose name the Sardar Sarovar Dam was justified in the first place.

In fact a major new disaster is unfolding in Gujarat in downstream areas like Bharuch, along the Narmada estuary. That disaster will only intensify if dam height is increased. In early 1990s, we did a report on this downstream tragedy, appropriately titled “Voiceless Tragedy”. It remains largely voiceless even today.

Unfortunately, the Modi government at Centre is ready to manipulate all clearances to rubber stamp this illegal and inhuman proposal from Gujarat government, hand in glove with Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh state governments. Judiciary is one place where people still have some hope, but that hope has rarely materialized when it comes to big dams.

Now look at the contrast in situation today compared to what happened in those winter months of 1991. While front page headlines of the Narmada movement then were regular, one finds little coverage of the movement today in national media, even though the types and numbers of the media publications and broadcasts have multiplied.

The governments and politicians may again feel happy, like in early 1991, that the people’s movement did not succeed. They were wrong then. They would again be wrong today.

I have many times been asked the question that NBA was a failure as it failed to stop the dam. The reality is that NBA has achieved so many successes that it would be difficult to sum up even in a book, leave aside a brief blog like this one. The very discourse on dams, development, environment, rehabilitation and right of the people has undergone a sea change, following the Narmada movement. Movements all over India (and even beyond) like the one against Lower Subansiri in Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border take inspiration from the NBA. Dams are no longer found worthy of support at most places around the world. The sooner Indian governments wake up to this reality, better it will be for everyone.

But it is true that our society and polity is yet to appreciate the contribution of a movement like NBA. We have a long way to go there. All those who have so valiantly fought against the injustice called SSP for so many years need millions of salutes from all right thinking people.

Saying Happy Birthday to NBA would clearly be incongruous and impossible. But we can certainly wish many happy returns of the day to it so that the river for which the movement fought, continues to flow. In case of the Majrooh Sultanpuri song that I mentioned in the beginning, the picturisation of the song in the film Abhimaan is totally wrong, I feel. The song is celebrating the love, dedication and commitment of the protagonist, let us say for the river in our case. These last lines of the song are so much applicable for the love for the River too!

तेरे प्यार में बदनाम दूर दूर हो गये

तेरे साथ हम भी सजन, मशहूर हो गये

देखो कहाँ ले जाये, बेखुदी अपनी..

अब तो है तुमसे जिंदगी अपनी..

Long live Narmada! Long live flowing Rivers!!

Himanshu Thakkar (ht.sandrp@gmail.com), SANDRP

[i] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H919n6u7f7A

Narmada Satyagraha at Rajghat, August 2016

Narmada Satyagraha at Rajghat, August 2016

4 Comments on “Happy? Birthday? Narmada Bachao Andolan – Salutes to a 31-year-old movement

  1. Pingback: Narmada Bachao Aandolan: Salute to a 31-year old Movement that Changed the Discourse on ’Development’ in India

  2. हम तेरे प्यार में सारा आलम खो बैठे हैं , खो बैठे हैं,
    तुम कहते हो कि ऐसे प्यार को भूल जाओ, भूल जाओ
    – a water resource engg, for the dam and for the people who stared endlessly to the sky for the drop to fall

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What’s this… a blog post?!?

Um, yeah, so I see it’s been two years since I posted anything on my poor little blog. I started to write a really passionate post last year around this time, about the upcoming presidential election, but it turned out to be too difficult to put into words, so it’s still a draft.

But recently, a group of ex-Vox bloggers started a group on Facebook, and one of my old Vox friends invited me in. Many of us still feel the loss of the Vox community when they closed their doors, and many of us fell out of the habit of blogging because of it. But seeing all those old friendly names got me thinking that I really do miss having things to say that are longer than 140 characters, and it’s also true that I enjoyed using this space to record events and travels that I’d really like to retain a record of to review in my dotage.

So I posted about last weekend’s Brewersfest, which was quite enjoyable, and well worth remembering. Here’s to hoping it’s not the last post for another two years…

2 thoughts on “What’s this… a blog post?!?

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Posts Tagged ‘girl scout cookies’

Organic Living in SWFL

I’ve become pretty damn good at eating while traveling; so why not kick it up a notch and take this show off the road and into the sky!

After my frustrating day Monday I arrived at the airport Tuesday at 6am with a Cliff bar and 2 TJ’s fruit snacks stuffed down in the bottom of my carry-on (thanks to the TSA’s website letting me know I was not allowed to bring my own food through security).  I held up an orange and banana to the TSA guy and he cheerfully said “Oh yes, you can bring all the food you want, just no liquid!”  Thanks.  I don’t know why I second guessed myself with that!  Grrr!

Landed at 2:00 and we went to The Elephant Bar for lunch.  I’m not a drinker but when on vacation, forget it!  I want a rum drink in my hand at all times (which has always led to a cigarette but more on that later).  So I ordered a rum runner without much hesitation, quick thought crossed my mind but it was trumped by the logic that I am about to eat some undoubtedly inorganic food so why not wash it down with some [assumingly] GMO rum mixed with HFCS?  I ordered the tomato, basil, avocado and mozzarella salad which is what I thought to be the best choice on the menu – and what a menu it was!  I wanted sooooo much more but the thought of eating CAFO cows or big breasted chickens who stumbled around in their own feces the entire 6-7 weeks it took to ‘grow’ turned my stomach.  So vegetables (even big fat GMO tomatoes and pesticide sprayed basil) it is!  And I just enjoyed the cheese without thinking about where it came from (which now that I do think about it, I have a vision of a cow shitting out a mozzarella ball LOL).  Covered with some sort of GMO oil – Mmm’Mmmm!!

Back at the house I did a quick look through the kitchen – I have to say, even as a kid I never felt like there was anything to eat in the house.  My mother cooked meals.  You didn’t look in the cupboard and say “Hey, I want that!”; you had to have creativity, you had to envision the ingredients as a dish and then make it happen.  I ate a lot of cereal as a kid 😛

At dinner time we decided on left-over kale, sweet potatoes and chicken on the grill.

~ The kale (which was said to be organic) was great because I don’t cook kale (other than in a soup) and I know it is really good for me so I was happy to learn a [new] way to cook it (she cut out the veins and cut into small pieces, put 2 tbsps of soy sauce and a little water in a saucepan and cooked it for like 3 minutes until it wilted).  You know I was all over that soy sauce bottle!  As I pulled the bottle out of the fridge and turned it around my mother said, “IT’S ONLY 1 TBSP!”.  I wasn’t not going to eat it on a count of a tbsp (or 2 like we now know!) but I was just curious.  I ate it and wasn’t crazy about it, I blame it on the taste of the soy sauce (I don’t know if it is because the crap in it or that I would’ve rather had it plain).

~The sweet potatoes were surely organic but, too late, I noticed my mother spraying the pan with “Connola Oil SPray”; she informed me she was using non-organic spices which I approved, she never mentioned pan coating.  I frowned and notified her that PAM makes an organic.  The potatoes tasted like GMO’s.  Seriously!  I don’t know if I can taste GMO’s but I didn’t enjoy the taste of the spray (I felt like that’s all I could taste, I assume it is because of the ‘fake factor’ because I use cooking spray all the time).

~ The chicken was ‘organic’ (I am using quotations because I was assured that all the meat my parents eat is organic and I believed it….until just this second when I realized they buy their meats at Whole Foods at the meat counter and we know WF doesn’t sell organic meats at the counter.  Oh well, at least it was from WF’s…) and marinated in Organic Valley marinade, cooked on the grill.

The next day we went to see about some misc. food shopping.  We stopped at Back To Nature which is a small store with produce, dry goods, supplements and other neat natural finds.  My mother told me the owner follows a raw food diet and has classes on the subject.   We struck out with the produce, it was looking pretty sad.  We did get a couple of items and then we went to Sweet Bay.  The organics in Sweet Bay are arranged together in each aisle and marked “ORGANIC/NATURAL”.  I liked this idea at first (as our supermarkets have a natural section but they still keep some organic items only with their conventional siblings so you have to search the entire store) however it quickly became disappointing because the selection was very small.  I also was appalled at their produce prices!  2 green peppers were $6.99!  So we got what we could and went back to Back to Nature for peppers (luckily they had just received a fresh produce order), Cliff Bars, and breadcrumbs.  I wasn’t able to make it to Fresh Market or the Whole Foods in Naples; I wanted to but I just didn’t have it in me – this was a vacation after all!

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law hit everyone up for Girl Scout Cookies, my favorite time of year!  I knew I didn’t want a box but I wanted to order my normal two for my niece so I decided to have my order shipped to my grandmother to save me the temptation.  Well wouldn’t you know, that shipment of cookies arrived in Florida while I was there!  And not just my order but my parents’ 8 boxes (it might have been 6 but really, does it matter at that point??)  Anyway, between the order and the delivery my grandmother’s doctor warned her about her sugar level and it has become a bit of a struggle so I decided not to give her the cookies… I ended up eating 1.5 peanut butter patties and 1 peanut butter sandwich.  I’m okay with that, considering how many I really wanted to eat!  Cravings for that stuff have pretty much disappeared but GSCs are sooooo yummy and the fact you can only get them once/year adds to the want factor!

I did some more online searching for organic eating in the area as I knew it was only a matter of time before I was asked again about eating out.  I found a few places but really there were only two that had organic food (the rest were vegan or had gluten-free menus); one was a pizza place and the other an ice cream shop.  Not exactly what I was looking for but the ice cream was a bonus as that is another favorite thing for our family.   We were coming home from the beach one afternoon and we were headed to pickup my grandmother and go to bingo for a few hours (this is what makes this diet hard, being on the go for more than one meal is really tough!).  Luckily we had the pizza place on the way so I called to ask my questions and was delighted to hear their answers – everything from the dough to the toppings was organic!  (I assume not the meats but I forgot to ask that!)  We ordered a pepper, onion and mushrooms and a Hawaiian (which had bacon instead of ham), they were both very good!   The inside of the place was clean and fun and they had a frosted stripe running the length of the bar for your beer!  They also deliver there pizzas in a Prius!  I’m happy places like Pizza Fusion are out there and I pray they stay in business!!

There were two beach days were we ate at the pool bar; on each of those days I had a rum drink and a piece of grouper.  The first day I picked at the salad and dipped my fork into the salad dressing to flavor my fish.  The second day I ordered my plate without the salad and got the fish blackened.  I didn’t ask any questions about how the fish was prepared so I don’t know if there was butter or oil or anything, I just ate it.  Did I mention I hate fish?  Hahaha It’s growing on me.  We had fish one other night, this was a fish my father caught and I let my mother prepared however she wanted (I know there was organic butter and we had bought organic PAM so other than the spices, I’m pretty sure everything was okay).

We threw a cocktail party one night as well.  My mother did a great job of thinking of me and what I could eat during the party, however she is still getting used to checking labels so the organic corn chips were found to only be ‘made with organic corn’.  There were Kettle Brand chips (not organic but they advertise non-GMO ingredients!), Applewood ham wrapped around organic cream cheese, Food Should Be Good tortilla chips with organic salsa, and someone made up an organic vegetable platter (“How can she afford to eat organic?!” was what she asked my mother after she shopped for the veggies – it’s not easy there and I am not even sure I could make it happen if I lived there!).  I drank my organic juice with rum and happily ran back and forth to retrieve bags to read ingredients to people as they surprisingly enjoyed all the organic food – they knew it was organic because I made little flags saying “I’M ORGANIC” so they would know 🙂

I probably should have focused more on putting some of that food into my body as I woke up the next morning with a hangover 😦  Luckily it was a dreary day so we hung around and tried to salvage what we could of the afternoon/evening.  We decided to visit my grandmother one last time and take her to play bingo; great idea but the logistics were ridiculous!  We just couldn’t get on the same page and couldn’t get a plan together to save our lives! Needless to say I was hungry (the whole day).  My mother was really wanting to eat out, after all the work she did on the party and clean up and helping me nurse my hangover, she deserved someone else to cook and clean for her.  I was willing to cook and clean but she wouldn’t be able to sit and watch and I’m sure that’s why she wanted to go out.  I didn’t say no but you know I was looking for every other possibility!  We had to make a quick stop back at the house for something and I took the opportunity to pack a cooler as full as I could!  We were out the door and I was happily eating my food while everyone else got chicken sandwiches and french fries at the bingo hall.  I realized I haven’t eaten a french fry in almost a year!!

There are a few other things I want to tell you about but this post is long enough so I will some other day.  (Just as a reminder to myself: Mom checking labels, Dad’s portions, White Oak Pastures, Eco Farms, Cool Hand Luc’s)

My vacation was great, I had a lot of fun and we fit a lot into that week!  Most importantly, food was not a stress factor!  Thank goodness because now I am home and my bare kitchen is a stark reminder that vacation is over and it’s back to reality.  Whole Foods, here I come.  :/


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