Sitting on top of the world

Having re-tired my car at the start of this season, I am impressed at the difference it makes in handling the snow.

For those of you with cars, what measures have you taken to have an easier and safer drive this winter season?

2010

If you had $2,010, you would say "two thousand ten".

But, I hear the broadcasters talking about the new year as "twenty ten". Are they just trying to save a syllable?

Any explanations?

The publishing industry in 2009

This year, 2009, was a tough year economically for many. The publishing industry was hit especially hard, nation-wide.

How has this year's economy impacted your community?

Sledding in the flatlands

We have one man-made hill here in Champaign-Urbana. Sunday's four-inch snowfall brought many families out to Centennial Park's hill for sledding.

Growing up in Chicago I have wonderful childhood memories of Dad taking a carload of us with our friends to Gompers Park for sledding.

What winter childhood memories do you have?

A snowy Sunday in the Midwest

Don't worry; there's dry firewood in the house.

Sump pumps keep basements dry

A weird sight around here; days of heavy rain followed by snow. The sump pump has been humming and spewing water, which quickly turns to ice. The basement remains dry!

Writing for children's magazines

Most of my writing this past year has been financial and business. I'd like to do more writing for children, specifically for children's magazines.

I think Highlights Magazine is a very cool magazine and has been around for a very long time.

Any ideas of topics I might write about?

Christmas with the American Family

He & his longtime girlfriend hosting:

his sister, her daughter & her new fiance

her son, daughter, her former sister-in-law, and her daughter (niece)

and everyone is glued to the wide-screen TV set

Welcome to the American family!

Dreaming of a wet Christmas

I peeked out the window early this morn. No snow, just lots of heavy rain. It's been raining here in central Illinois for several days.

I listened for the sound of sleigh bells, but all I hear is the humming of the sump pump in the basement. The good news is that the basement is still dry.

And, tonight is the Jewish Shabbat.

It just doesn't feel like Christmas here this year.

How will you spend this holiday?

Yoga at the Mettler Center

I've been doing yoga lately, and I had forgotten how wonderful it is. There are many different kinds of yoga.

Which kind of yoga do you prefer?

University High School Madiigal Singers

I had the pleasure of hearing a concert by the Uni High Madrigal Singers. I enjoy a wide variety of music, but especially love madrigal singing. For many yeas, Rick Murphy has been the choral director at Uni and has led the Madrigal Singers. Kudos to the fine music program at Uni.

Busiest mail day

Why did I pick yesterday to go to the post office to buy a few stamps? Did I forget that this was the busiest day of the year for mailing Christmas packages?

Given that I do so much online that I use very few stamps, this was not my usual well-thought out effort.

Has your use of postage stamps also reduced in the past few years? Do you do more online?

The longest day

December 21. Winter begins. I am already longing for spring.

But the good news is that we start seeing more minutes of sunlight each day.

What is your favorite season?

School counselors

I have great respect and admiration for school counselors. I don't remember schools having counselors when I was in elementary school in the late 1950s or in middle school in the 1960s. I believe that we had school counselors in high school in the late 1960s, though I never met with any of them.

Today, these people are present in all grade levels and they work very hard. They are available to help with personal and family situations of students, work with interpersonal relations (along with school social workers) between students, and increasingly they do grief counseling such as when a classmate dies.

School psychologists are more involved with testing and are especially involved with special education students.

What responsibilities do the counselors have in your school district?

Pacified teens

Several times, I have seen middle school and high school students sucking on a pacifier, the same kinds that infants use. I thought this looked rather silly.

I starting asking people and doing some Internet research.

Apparently, certain recreational drugs, specifically ecstasy, causes dry mouth, and consequently, the pacifier seems to help.

I find this rather sad. Curiously, I wonder if some of these young people may just be using the pacifier to give the illusion that they are drug users.

Being in a happy state

A recent study came out indicating that the happiest people in the United States lived in some of the southern states.

I was quite surprised to see Louisiana as number 1 in happiness. I was equally surprised not to see Wisconsin or Minnesota on the list.

I really wonder what research techniques were used to gather such data.

Does anyone know about this?

Litterbugs

Littering seems to be a growing problem around here. It drives me nuts! I often walk around the neighborhood and pick up trash.

Is this a problem in your community?

Food and drug interaction

Food and drug interaction is important to be aware of. I was surprised to learn that grapefruit juice must not be used if you take certain blood pressure or cholesterol medications.

Licorice is contraindicated if you are on blood pressure medicine, as is any cold medicine that ends in the suffix "-fed".

Be sure to read the labels and instructions that come with your prescription.

Cheating

Cheating is a lose-lose situation. People just don't seem to understand that.

This is finals week in our schools. I am always amazed that the students who cheat are usually the students with the lowest grades. But, guess who they cheat from; they get test answers from other students with lower grades. Who wins?

And, shame on you Tiger Woods. What were you thinking?

Tax planning

This is the time of year to do your last minute tax planning for 2009.

Additionally, the IRS offers some new and enticing opportunities in 2010 for converting your traditional IRA into a Roth IRA.

Take some time. Crunch some numbers.

Movie to see: Everybody's Fine

Everybody's Fine is an excellent movie.

Pack some tissue for the sad parts and see this film!

Duct tape and plantars warts

Here's little tidbit that I stumbled upon while playing on the Internet. A well-publicized 2002 study concluded that duct tape, (that big roll of gray tape that patches just about anything at home, and never seems to get used up), when put on a plantars wart for several days, will remove the plantars wart.

What experience has anyone had with this home remedy?

A clean Lexus

Washing the car has its own culture. On a given warm sunny Saturday morning, millions of Americans are having their cars washed.

Car dealers such as Lexus have turned this into an extravaganza. The Lexus dealer in Glenview in north suburban Chicago, for example, serves a generous buffet of lox and bagels and other savory goodies to enjoy as your car becomes clean and beautiful again. Friends meet friends at the Lexus dealer each Saturday morn.

A frugal, do-it-yourselfer, I take my car in the driveway and use the garden hose and liquid detergent to beautify my Honda Civic. Then I head into my own kitchen for some home-made delicacies.

If you have a car, how do you keep it clean?

Penny wise but pound foolish?

I love school bake sales. It feels good to support a club while eating yummy sweets. Helping the drama club pay for a trip to Scotland, for example, is a noble cause.

But, I was a bit baffled by this one. The eco-club was trying to raise $150 with their recent bake sale to pay for sensor lights in the school that would help the school "go green".

What's wrong with this picture?

School photos

Growing up in Chicago in the 1950s, I attended Green School for K - 3 grade. The school building, now used for offices rather than a school, was named after William Green. Doing a Google search, I was not sure who Green was.

The school photos of the 1950s have a distinct look. They were in black and white and the entire class was lined up. We little girls always sat in the front row.

I still have all my old school pix. I was absent for the Kindergarten photo. In the first grade photo, by ruffled petticoat showed way below my pretty plaid skirt. Embarrassment! The second grade picture showed little Debbie with a perm gone awry, truly a bad hair semester.

Today, they take individual color photos of school children, but I don't know of any school that still takes the group picture. What a shame.

Do you still have your old school photos?

Nightly Business Report

I am not much of a TV watcher, but I do enjoy the Nightly Business Report on PBS. We see it at 5:30 PM Central time.

The reporting is excellent and thorough.

Wintery weather

Brrrrrrr.

Very windy, cold, and trying to snow here in Champaign-Urbana.

Winter has truly arrived.

Baking challah

Challah is a Jewish braided bread, eaten on Shabbat (the Jewish sabbath) while saying a special prayer. The secret ingredient is egg, not used in most other yeasted breads.

Up to the challenge, I tried baking some challah this morning, and much to my surprise it looks decent and tastes fabulous. I topped it with poppy seeds, but you can top it with sesame seeds or make it plain.

Earthquakes in Illinois

Here in Champaign-Urbana, the central part of Illinois, the major bad weather we get is tornadoes in April.

But in my many years living here, I remember two earthquakes. At 4.37 am, April 18, 2008, we experienced an earthquake, 5.4 on the Richter scale. I had been asleep in my second floor bedroom, and was startled, thinking that my then-101 year old house had collapsed and that my bed and I would end up in the bedroom. The morning news set me straight on the facts.

In the early 1990s, my pre-teen son was playing ball on the front porch one June day. In the kitchen cooking dinner, I felt the entire house shake and scolded my son, telling him to play ball in the backyard instead. That turned out to be an earthquake, also.

What interesting weather stories do you have to share?

Clothing labels

When did it become fashionable to wear clothing labels on the OUTSIDE?

I think it is a real cheesy way to advertise.

Your thoughts?

Champaign-Urbana Ballet

The Nutcracker Ballet performed at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts was totally awesome. The scenery, costume and performance were top notch. Tears filled my eyes during the snowflake scene at the end of Act I.

I really love hearing the harp and all the strings.

Kudos to the Champaign-Urbana Ballet Company.

Is there a ballet that you especially enjoy?

Champaign Holiday Parade

People lined the streets of downtown Champaign last night as the annual holiday parade went by, with decorated floats, music, carolling,high school marching bands, and candy. Though, I have been to most every Champaign-Urbana Freedom Celebration each July 4th since 1974 (I missed 1989 & 1998), I have never been to the night-time Christmas celebration downtown as it typically conflicts with our symphony tickets.

Wow, what an entertaining event!

How does your town celebrate the holiday season?

Charitable contributions

I love the time of year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love the music, the parties, cards and letters from out of town friends.

But, I am tired of unsolicited calls and letters of organizations asking for my donation. It makes me NOT want to give them any money.

ABCs

I'm a reasonable typist, not super speedy, but fast enough. My fingers instinctively know where to find the keys.

But, the other day, I typed on a keyboard which also had Hebrew symbols and it really messed up my brain.

Have you used a keyboard in another language? I'd like to hear people's experiences.

The waiting room

Sitting in the waiting room of a small local car repair shop, I was intrigued by the other people waiting, an odd mix of people, telling their private business to perfect strangers. The lady sitting beside me told me all about her recent drug-free six months since rehab and about her son in jail; The minister in the auto waiting room insisted that he doesn't need to go to the seminary to become clergy. And there was also a former local TV news anchorwoman.

Bartenders and hair stylists must find themselves in this position of "cheap therapist" every day.I never really watched the TV show Cheers, but I am guessing that was the premise of the show.

Can you think of other places where this strange phenomena exists?

Who's talking?

Got the bejeebers
All the way to Timbuktu
Got the wilies

Where did these expressions come from? And who uses them now?

Can you think of others?