Category: Uncategorized

Happy Weekend!

So I was cleaning out some papers in my desk this week and I found a $20 Traveler’s Check!  If that isn’t a throwback, I don’t know what is.  It has no date on it so I have no clue how long I’ve had it but Traveler’s Checks used to be a must have when you went on vacation to avoid trouble trying to use personal checks or to keep from carrying large amounts of cash in the days before ATMs were everywhere.   Talk about a blast from the past!

So I got curious and started Googling to see if banks even issue Traveler’s Checks anymore – and I was shocked to learn they are still available.  American Express and Visa are the big names affiliated with them but after reading more, good luck with actually using them if you buy them.

First, you’ll pay a fee of 1-2% of the face value of the Traveler’s Check to buy it – and then you need to find a merchant that actually knows how to redeem it in order to spend it.  Your best bet if you want to use one is to find a bank that accepts them and redeem them for cash there.  Makes me glad we’ve moved on to gift cards, credit/debit cards and Apple Pay these days!

Here’s my old Traveler’s Check – yes, I covered the numbers on it just to make sure one of you enterprising readers doesn’t try to steal my $20!  Now I’m off to Fifth Third Bank to see if they’ll cash it!  Wish me luck!

 

I just read an article on Shape.com that said on average, if you work in an office you’re probably eating an extra 1,300 calories each week in snacks.  You know, the cookie tray in the break room, the candy dish on a co-worker’s desk, the random birthday celebration.  I had no idea how fast those calories could add up!

But consider this – a regular size Snickers bar is 215 calories.  A fun size Snickers bar is 80 calories.  A Snickers Mini is 42 calories.  If you eat a full size candy bar, it probably isn’t a mindless thing – you made the decision to go to the candy machine and bought it.  But the smaller the candy, the easier it is just to pop it in your mouth and not even think about it.  So 5 Minis in, you might as well have just eaten the full size bar.

On average, if a person consumes 3,000 calories without a corresponding increase in activity to burn them – they gain 1 pound.  That 1,300 weekly calorie addition the article spoke about could translate into 22 pounds by the end of a year.  UGH!!!!  Nobody wants that!

So the next time you’re tempted by the “free food” in the office, it might be good to stop and think about the calorie count – and whether it’s worth it!

I learned how to French braid my hair when I was in college.  My roommates and I all had shoulder length hair and living in an all-girls dorm, it was the most natural thing in the world that we all experimented with different hair styles.

Since college, I’ve gone through a progression of hairstyles – with most of them being too short to braid.   But I’ve settled into a bob and about a year ago, I saw a picture of a side French braid and decided to give it a try.  With the summer weather, the side braid has become my go-to style because it keeps the hair off my face.  I laugh at humidity – and the style is great for the gym too.  Want to learn to French braid?  Try this tutorial:

While not my first time fighting it, this is the first time since starting this blog that I have nothing.  I don’t have a single idea for a “first” topic today.

Normally, my weekend or Google provide me with my “first” topic for the week – but today Google didn’t serve up anything that caught my interest and this weekend was really quiet.  Why?

I went for a long walk Thursday night and ended up with blisters on the balls of both feet.  So I took my shoes off for the last half of the walk to try to minimize them – and the blister on my right foot popped.  I washed it and put a bandaid on it right away when I got home – but by Friday afternoon, I could barely walk on it!  So my weekend consisted of regular soaks in hot water with Epsom salt.

Part of me says don’t complain – it was a beautiful weekend to sit out on the deck dangling my feet in a bucket of water and reading a book.  And blisters are rarely fatal – just annoying.  So here’s to a weekend lost in a book and a great week ahead.  I’ll get myself back on track and we’ll be back to a great “first” next week!

This is what the internet was created for – cat videos.  Or in this case, a cartoon cat video.

Happy Birthday Mick Jagger!!!  Today, Mick turns 75 years old!  Can you believe it?  Let’s throwback to the heyday of the Rolling Stones today.  Here are some fun facts about the Stones:

• Mick and Keith Richards have known each other since they were 5 years old when they met in pre-school.
• Director Martin Scorsese is a huge fan of the band – and a bigger fan of the song “Gimme Shelter.”  He’s used it in 4 films.
• The “feud” with the Beatles?  Mostly a marketing ploy.  John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the hit “I Wanna Be Your Man” for the Stones.  And Lennon and McCartney also sang the background vocals on the 1967 single “We Love You.”
• Now legendary film director George Lucas was a crew member on the 1970 documentary film “Gimme Shelter” about the Stones.
• Mick Jagger was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2003.  Picture him in a suit of armor on stage – that’ll make you laugh!

So Happy 75th Mick – here’s my favorite throwback Rolling Stones song to enjoy today.   Let me know your favorite Stones song in the comments!

In this week’s Newsweek Magazine, there is an article that says according to a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, patients only get an average of 11 seconds to talk at a doctor visit before they are interrupted.  In addition the study said that only 36% of doctors even ask their patients questions that invite them to set the agenda for the visit.  Specialists are even worse than primary care physicians – but to be fair, a specialist likely has more information about your condition and is more prepared for your visit.

In any case, this study highlights how important it is to be an informed participant in your health care.  Make the most of your time with your doctor by bringing notes or lists of questions to address.  Here’s a list to help you get started for your next doctor visit:

• Make a list of your medications.  It’s important that you know what you are taking, the dosage information and the condition you take each drug for.  This includes prescription as well as non-prescription medications/vitamins/supplements.
• Know your health history.  Your doctor may need to know about old conditions, procedures, surgeries, etc.  Make a list of them along with the timing of when each event happened.
• Remember to get right to the point when you’re talking with your doctor.  If you’re reluctant or embarrassed to talk about your symptoms, your doctor may not get the full picture of why you are there.
• If you don’t understand something, keep asking for clarification.  Even if your doctor struggles with the explanations, it’s important for you to understand what is happening and why.  Don’t be embarrassed to take notes or to bring someone with you to make sure you understand the full picture.

Your health is all yours – and your healthcare is too important to miscommunicate about.  Next time you go to the doctor, either for a check up or something more serious, make sure you’re getting the most out of it.

I just read an article that challenged the reader to set 101 goals to accomplish in the next 1,001 days.  Here are the rules:

• Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
• Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past — frequently simple goals such as new year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1,001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

The article gives these tips for setting your 101 goals:

1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

The article suggests making sure that your list is a mix of short, medium and long term goals and to make sure you put it where you can see and refer to it.  I’m really liking this idea – it’s always good to have a plan for yourself.  And writing 101 goals seems to be a good place to start for figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life.

I’ve got a legal pad and I’m ready to start – will you be joining in?

One of the first books I remember making a big personal impact on me was “Gone With the Wind.”  I’m re-reading it for like the thousandth time right now.  I wore out two paperback copies of it before I moved on to buying a digital copy so now I’ll never wear it out!

I think the thing that made such an impression on me was that the characters were SO well drawn that you could really feel their thoughts and emotions.  And the fact that the protagonist was a woman who was smart and independent also made a big impression on me – although I always wanted to be Melanie more than I wanted to be Scarlett.

The movie was coincidentally recommended to me by my TV OnDemand this weekend – which makes you wonder if the cable people are spying on me – so I also watched the movie for like the 100th time this weekend.  As a result, today I’m presenting to you some fun facts about the movie of “Gone With the Wind.”

• Vivien Leigh wasn’t cast until filming had already begun.  And she almost lost the part because she spoke with her native English accent in the first screen test!
• Author Margaret Mitchell suggested that Groucho Marx would have been a good Rhett!
• Leslie Howard (who played Ashley Wilkes) hated his role and only took it because he was promised a producer credit in an another upcoming David Selznick film.
• The stage comedy “Moonlight and Magnolias” tells the mostly true story of turning the book into the screenplay.  The writing process for the movie was insane – and involved Selznick locking himself, director Ian Fleming and script doctor Ben Hecht into an office for a week with nothing to eat but bananas and peanuts.  By the end of the process, Selznick had collapsed from exhaustion and Fleming had a burst blood vessel in one eye.  I NEED to see this play!
• The iconic “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn” like almost never made it to the screen.  Selznick had to work VERY hard to get the word “damn” past the censors of the time.  Eventually, he used the dictionary definition to help prove it was only a vulgarism and not a swear word to help convince the censors.

Check out your OnDemand – maybe “Gone With the Wind” is your recommendations too?  You certainly can’t go wrong watching it – it is a fabulous movie!