Do

There are some things we can only say with ink, paper, and a stamp.

Every year on both Christmas and my birthday my two great-aunts, Annabelle and Mary Lou send me a card in the mail with $20 in it. At Christmas they are one of the few who send cards and at my birthday they are one of the two who send cards.

I know we are in the electronic age. Really, I greatly appreciate that fact when I need a snippet of information from someone who I have no inclination or intention on carrying on a conversation with so: I text them! Or when I am at work and really miss talking to my old cube mate from a former job: I e-mail! When I want to briefly check in on a friend in New Hampshire: time to instant message! And when I have not seen my husband in days because of our schedules- text and e-mail and add in some sporadic phone calls!

Despite growing up in a period when the ability to communicate with each other is at its greatest zenith since the telegraph, there are some things we can only say with ink, paper, and a stamp. In a letter or a card we are forced, for better or worse, to have a one-sided conversation.

I recently turned 29 and consequently had a birthday party. Personally, no matter what message I relate on the outside, insisting that I do not want a big party or numerous acknowledgments, on the inside I want a fuss, I want all my friends and family around because it is the one day out of the year that is a celebration of just me. However, as we get older we get busy and it becomes hard to carve time out, even for a celebration.

Fortunately, my 29^th was a success story and because of this success, I decided to run out and buy thank you cards. This is not an out of character move for me, but it has been a while since the occasion moved me to write notes of thanks. In writing my cards though, I rediscovered what a good and decent thing it is to do. As I thanked each and every person for coming I had the opportunity to have that one sided conversation, telling them all in a personalized way that I really appreciated them at my party.

There are some things we can only say properly with ink, paper, and a stamp. I have told my very best friend in Arizona numerous times how much she means to me, I have told my very brave childhood friend and former neighbor how courageous she is in my eyes for entering the Air Force at the very unconventional age of 27, and I have told my new neighbor how very sorry I was when she lost her father.

The lesson here would be that after each of the instances above I received ink, paper, and a stamp in return. The markings on each page revealed a shared sentiment from Arizona that was never conveyed by phone, gratitude from a boot camp in Texas from a friend who had no other means of communication, and heartfelt thanks from a neighbor that would never have come with the usual friendly passings.

There are some things you can only say with ink, paper, and a stamp. Often times, they are the things that are most worth saying.

Eat

It is Girl Scout Cookie time and I had been patiently awaiting my boxes for some time. Co-workers had been flaunting their boxes for weeks, it seems my resident Girl Scout was not quite on the ball.

Eventually, my four boxes did show on Sunday. Today is Wednesday and the Thank you Berry Much cookies (new to 2010) and Samoas are already demolished. I have since moved on to Thin Mints which thankfully have only a minor dent in them.

I am saving my personal favorite- the Trefoils for last. For those of you who do not know what the Trefoil is, it is also known as a shortbread cookie. I know it seems an unlikely choice, unpopular at the very least- only 9% of sales went to the Trefoil in 2005.

Most pick the flamboyant Samoa or the sophisticated Thin Mint. It may be that it is only myself and the over 75 crowd who appreciate the simple design and engineering that goes into the shortbread cookie, but I stand by my choice. That and every bite tastes like I am eating flaky, crispy butter.

I recommend that you re-visit the Trefoil in 2010 because it is time to get back to basics and simplify life.

What could be more uncomplicated than waiting four weeks for home delivery of a box of shortbread cookies from a delinquent pre-teen and then writing a check for $14 to pay for them?

The following facts were taken from an article by Teresa Wu:

1. Girl Scout cookie sales began in 1917 in Muskogee, Okla., when the Mistletoe troop began baking and selling cookies in its high school cafeteria as a service project.
2. In 1942, Girl Scouts sold calendars in lieu of cookies due to sugar, flour and butter shortages during World War II.
3. Cookie variety was limited to the Sandwich, Shortbread and Chocolate Mints in 1951 (now renamed the Peanut Butter Sandwich/Do-si-dos, Shortbread/Trefoils and Thin Mints, respectively).
4. Thin Mints are the biggest seller, making up 25 percent of all sales, followed by Samoas/Caramel deLites at 19 percent.
5. As of 2005, 71.5 percent of women in the U.S. Senate and 67.1 percent of women in the House of Representatives are Girl Scouts alumnae.
6. Jennifer Sharpe, age 15, of Dearborn, Mich., holds the record for most cookies ever sold, with 17,328 boxes in 2008. Of the $21,000 her troop raised to go on a 10-day tour of Europe, $14,000 was due to Sharpe.
7. Different types of cookies are sold in different regions at varying prices set by individual Girl Scout councils. And sometimes even the same cookies have different names.
8. For example, Do-Si-Dos, formerly called Gauchos, are also called Peanut Butter Sandwiches in other areas. Confusing, right? This is because there are two licensed bakers, ABC and Little Brownie, that get to propose and name the cookies that they bake.
9. About 200 million boxes are sold every cookie season; the Girl Scout cookie program has generated about $700 million per year since 1999.
10. New cookies pop up every once in awhile and are continued based on their success. 2010's newest addition is Thank U Berry Munch, described as "hearty cookies with real premium cranberries, sweetened with creamy, white fudge chips."

Read

It is unabashedly pretentious, clearly elitist, full of ads, and lacks any advice on how to “Learn the 10 New Moves that Will Drive Him Crazy”, but I love Vogue Magazine. I do not know any of the socialites on the pages, I do not recognize any designer names but the main stream ones, and my wardrobe is full of articles of clothing that even my husband has asked me to stop wearing. Even so, with all of my frugal tendencies that will not even allow me to buy Chapstick, I am willing to slap down $3.50 for a magazine that is 60% full of ads for products I will never buy.

It is escapism, visually and mentally. The locations they shoot on; the perfectly put together outfits; the decorating in homes of the artists, the famous, and other cultural persons they highlight. It sells a picture of someone’s ideal that is somehow my ideal as well. I could piece together my perfect life from those pages.

But I do not just look at it, I read it as well. Much in the same way most men read Playboy for the articles. The writers are by no means revealing state secrets, for example: I have read articles on the supposed ‘return’ of ¾ sleeve dresses and the trend of the rich and famous cutting their hair to shoulder length. Yes, I have wasted precious moments of my life on these little gems of knowledge.

But at the same time, I found out about the play Avenue Q (Broadway’s raunchy take on Sesame Street) and a couple of really good movies. I have also read about a near extinct type of apple that has supposed superior anti-aging qualities. (Apparently they taste really bad, but people used to eat them in the pre-refrigeration periods because they would not rot).

I know the magazine is a vice. The models are too thin and too ethnocentric, the clothes are too expensive. If you totaled the sum of the cost of every item in just one issue I’m sure you could solve more than a few social problems (you know, "for just $1 a day you could feed a child in Tanzania”). It is a guilty pleasure I suppose, but one I embrace. After all, if I cannot bring myself to buy a $1.95 tube of lip balm that I can use, I might was well spend $3.50 on a magazine advertizing a $1,195 umbrella.

Listen

I used to blast this song in my 1989 Ford Probe (if you liked the car from Back-to-the-Future, than this would have been the car for you). I even drove with one hand on the wheel and a subtle 'lean' to my seat. The combination was quite bad ass on the campus of my liberal arts Jesuit college, I assure you.

Artist: De La Soul
Song: Oooh featuring Redman
Album: Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump
Year: 2000

Do

Random Acts of Kindness

Kindness is a given when bestowed on friends and family. Kindness to strangers is more significant. The acts can be small or large, but when the opportunity presents itself- take whenever you can.

I was the recent recipient of two very kind acts. They were not big in the sense that a stranger paid off my student loans with there lotto winnings or saved my life through CPR, but they made very large impacts on me. I will always remember these and I will always be grateful.

One
Two weeks ago I bought my first pair of sunglasses that cost over $20. I purchased them for an upcoming trip to Florida and was rushing around on my lunch break to get them. On my way out of the mall, even though I did not need a pretzel and it might make me even more late, I just could not resist it. However, in a mad rush to get to work and devour my pretzel, I forgot my sunglasses.

I was sure I left them lying on the floor at Macy’s when I bent down and dropped my bags to get out my keys and put my gloves on. A call to Macy’s was fruitless. I then thought that they must be sitting on the pretzel place counter- and sure enough after I contacted the store they found them.

While shopping I had placed two letters I intended to mail- one my daughter wrote (her first letter) to my friends daughter in Arizona, the other contained a $300 check to pay for our first dog. The manager of the store asked if the return address was mine. Indeed it was and he reveled that he lives a few blocks from me and offered to deliver my bag and letters to my house when he got off of work.

Sure enough, around 8 PM he showed and I had my glasses. This was a great kindness and I really felt guilty with nothing more than a thank you as a reward.

Two
In Florida, I was vacationing with family at Disney World. There were seven of use and we were going to a show on a park campus that was not a main Disney stop. We did not know the transportation system well and when we got on a main bus and casually told the driver about the dinner show we were going to, he informed us that we were headed in the wrong direction, the wrong building in fact. Not only that, but given the time and the series of bus hops we needed to make, we most likely were not going to make our show.

As we were the only ones on the bus he changed his own route and offered to take us to our first stop. While driving he gave us numerous tips on what to go see in the area the show was taking place. When we got to our stop he realized that the bus that was supposed to take us further along was just pulling out, he informed us that the next one was 20 minutes away, which would make us a little over 15 minutes late.

He stopped the bus, and got out to see which direction the other bus was turning- just to make sure it was the right one. He got back on and saying “Yup, that was your bus”, then put his bus in drive and asked us to never mention what he was about to do. Our series of stops turned into a direct charter to our dinner show.

And the show was fabulous. We did tip him, but money is a small concession for a person’s kindness and the possibility of getting in trouble at work. (While at the show I found out if you arrive more than 15 minutes late your tickets are forfeit and you are not allowed into the show)

Random acts of kindness toward strangers go a long way. They affirm and at times renew faith in humanity. They give the recipient not only the benefit of the act, but the feeling of being cared about and for by a stranger. As I have said, it is easy and expected to be kind to your family and friends. But when a complete stranger goes out of their way to help you; when they make independent decisions to improve your life- there is real value there.

Read

I really enjoy Hardy novels, no not the crime solving brother duo, Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) English novelist. His stories can seem a bit melancholic, but I interpret the negative twists and turns in his plots to be more a reflection of the struggles of the times in which he wrote. I cannot imagine life being easy for the working class tending fields in the country or working 14 hour days in a city factory.

Hardy novels are often social commentary on the Victorian Era in which he lived. Unfortunately, most of his characters suffer as a result of society and its beliefs, and just to clue you in, rarely do even the main characters come out on top, they are at times lucky to make it to the last page alive.

My favorite novel of his, Far From the Madding Crowd is an exception. The story ends happily, for both of the main characters are still giving breath to the pages at the end. Maintaining his literary integrity though, Hardy throws in a couple of tragic situations, deaths, and one graveyard scene.

Please get past the fact that the female lead is named Bathsheba. You could not convince me it was popular in the 1800’s let alone outside the Old Testament. Not so coincidently, the male lead is named Gabriel. Therefore, I am convinced that someone out there in an English Literature class has written a paper analyzing the main characters vs. there biblical counterpart’s stories.

What I like most about the novel is the relationship between the two. Hardy makes them both intelligent and independent. He gives them the freedom to choose their own paths in this book. The characters are unique in that although Bathsheba has many faults (haughty and vain to name a few), you really cannot blame her for them. Given the situations she is in and the time period, they are easily rationalized. Gabriel is very much a stand up kind of guy. Not they fight a duel to the death type, but he is very respectable. At times it seems he has a been given a poor lot, but you feel he is determined to make the best of it.

In short, they are good for each other, perfect even, but you and they have to go through a couple of challenges in life (remember mention of a graveyard scene?)to realize that fact.

Note: Do not EVER read Jude, the Obscure. Honestly, it is just too depressing. I read on Wikipedia that ‘the note’ in the novel is from a real newspaper clipping. I know you are curious. Wikipedia it if you would like your day ruined.

Drink

It is mid-February and about time to start contemplating the effect winter eating has been havocking on our bodies. I do not advocate actually curbing the hearty meals, hot chocolates, or pies and cheesecakes just yet, but entering the pre-contemplation to contemplation phases of dieting and working out might be a good idea about now.

This is a three ingredient smoothie recipe that is pure, simple, guilt-free and delicious. It usually serves as breakfast in summer, but after stepping on the scale two days ago I have started making them early.

The key to this is frozen fruit. It gives the drink a chill and the right consistency.

In a blender place:
1/3 Cup (or three heaping spoon fulls) of low-fat plain or flavored yogurt
1 Cup (or as many pieces as you like) of Frozen Fruit of choice
1/2 Cup (or pour enough to cover the fruit) of Pulp-Free Orange Juice

Blend. If you have a Magic Bullet they work perfect.

Enjoy.