Cold Weather Comfort Food

When the cold weather hits there are certain foods I look forward to having and cooking. Here is my top 10 list, what's yours?

1. Starbucks Chai Tea Latte
2. White Hot Chocolate (preferably from Max Brenner's)
3. Gumbo (brown or red...I make both)
4. Casseroles (usually Chicken)
5. Shrimp and Corn Chowder; Tomato Cheddar Soup; all kinds of soups
6. Beef Stew
7. Apple Pie or Baked Apples
8. Homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese
9. Apple Cider
10. Chili

Does anyone have any recipes for the above that they care to share? Or one of your favorites? I already got another Apple Pie recipe ;)

Pre-Marital Financial Counseling

We have all heard the stats that about 50% of marriages ends in divorce. However this stat does give credence to the statement, "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worse." Maybe if more couples engaged in pre-marital counseling or better yet in pre-marital financial counseling that stat might not be so high.

There is a company in Boston, Lantern Financial, that does pre-marital financial counseling through a program they call Harmoney. The New York Times recently did a piece on the company and what they consider to be the four financial issues that should be discussed before getting married. There are of course other issues but I agree with the four.

1. Ancestry
Because so many of our money behaviors are learned, couples should share their earliest money memories. How did your parents deal with money, how does that impact how you deal with it, and how might that impact the relationship.

2. Credit
Full disclosure on the credit history. No real explanation needed, we all know how important our individual credit ratings are.

3. Control
Who will be the person responsible for paying the bills each month? How much will each person contribute to the household account? When you have been living on your own and managing the bills yourself, you may or may not want to give up that control. It's highly unlikely you and your mate make the same exact amount of money so how do you fairly divide the bills?

4. Affluence
What is your desired level of affluence? Basically how rich do you, as a couple, want to be one day? If she wants a big house and a large family and he wants a small house and no kids, you gotta find some happy medium and decide what that is before you say "I do."

So what's my solution to avoiding divorce and not becoming another bad statistic? Getting married later in life (I'm almost 30 and marriage is not on the current horizon) and I know I will seek pre-marital counseling of every form. Because I'm Type A and have to have a plan for everything ;)

Facebook News Feed vs Live Feed

Facebook implemented this seperation of what was the news feed in to something called a live feed and a news feed. I have been trying to figure out what is the difference. How does some people's stuff end up in my news feed as opposed to others. I honestly can't figure out the logic of it. So if anyone has any answers, information, links...SOMETHING...send them my way. Because I'm sure if I'm confused my students also have to be confused and will be asking me for an answer as soon as they realize they are confused....lol.

Precious

I know people are all hyped about seeing "This Is It" or they were hyped about "Good Hair" but I'm actually more interested in seeing "Precious."

I am a movie snob. Meaning there aren't that many movies made today that are worth me paying full admission price for ($12.50 in NYC). And even if a movie is worth paying for, I'll still just wait for it to hit DVD.

I'm also not the type to see a movie on opening weekend. I'd rather avoid the crowds so I can get a good seat. If I do see something opening weekend I get to the theater really early or I catch a matinee.

The New York Times Magazine did an excellent piece on the movie Precious and it's just added to the already positive things I have heard about the film.

For movies based on books I like to read the book first, if possible. As of this blog entry I'm #44 of 156 people that have requested the book on Paperbackswap.com...so it doesn't look like I'll get to read the book before I see the movie. But I still think I'm going to defy my own rules of movie viewing to check out Precious on November 6th.

Is anyone else interested in seeing this movie?

Winter Skincare

The first sign of winter is the colder temperatures. The second sign of winter is dry skin.

In the summer I don't have to mosturize my skin as much. My face tends to be oily and my body only needs moisture help when I am sunburned and I'm trying to prevent peeling. But in the winter I notice the dryness almost immediately after stepping out of the shower.

My plan of attack for this winter is to change my soap to either a Dove bar or Dove body wash or any body wash that provides additional moisture. In the summer I will use watery lotions or baby oil. But in the winter I use Lubriderm or lotions that have shea butter or cocoa butter. I'll use face washes for oily skin in the summer. I'll switch up to face washes for normal or combination skin in the winter. I'm also trying a new product, Neosporin Lip Health Overnight Renewal Therapy, to combat chapped lips. If I do wear makeup I start with a light moisturizer followed by a liquid foundation. I also put lip conditioner on about 10-15 minutes before putting on lip gloss or lipstick.

It's important to drink water in the summer to stay hydrated and keep cool. But it's also just as important to drink plenty of water in the winter to combat the dry heat keeping our homes warm. Drinking water also helps to keep fluids loose to avoid chest conjestion if you get a cold or virus.

I'm also adding something new to my regimen....hand sanitizer. I have hand sanitizer hanging on my purse, a bottle in the car and a bottle at work. H1N1 is no joke. I'm fortunate that I don't have any kids so that cuts my exposure BUT I live in NYC and I ride the subway everyday.

How do you changed your skin care regimen in the winter? Do you stick with the same products? Are there any products you use that you would recommend to someone else?

To Read or Not To Read - Decision

A few days ago I posted about if audio books count towards my goal of reading 30 books this year. Thanks to Everyone who offered their opinions on the issue. I have come to a decision. Audio books will count towards the goal of 30 books BUT certain criteria has to be met.

1. The audio books have to be the unabridged versions.

2. When listening to the books I can't be engaged in any tasks that require my undivided attention. So I can wash dishes, sort laundry, fold towels, make my bed, drive/ride in my car, etc. I can't sort through papers, pay bills, check email, procrastinate on Facebook.

The thinking behind my decision was that if the audio book is the unabridged version it would have taken me about the same amount of time to read the book as it will take listening to the book. There is nothing wrong with a little multitasking while listening to the audio books. Just like I listen to music while cleaning I can listen to an audio book.

I started my first one this weekend. I'm "reading" RED AND ME: My Coach, My Lifelong Friend By Bill Russell with Alan Steinberg. I listened to 2 of the 4 CDS so I'm about half way through the 187 page book.

To Read or Not To Read

This year I have a personal goal of reading 30 books. It's mid-October and I have read 25 books so I am very happy that I am close to my goal.

Once a year, People magazine has a book sale for Time Inc employees. They sell the books they get to review and give the money to charity. So I picked up a few more books and audiobooks. But if I listen to a book rather than read a book, am I cheating on my goal?

It would still be time spent listening to the book versus reading it. The benefit of listening to the books versus reading them is that I can also do something else at the same time like fold laundry, sort through papers, wash dishes, clean my apartment, whatever.

For my last 5 books should I read actual books or throw a couple of the audiobooks I picked up today in to the mix?

Living On Less Again

You may remember that in April I did a "living on less" challenge. To summarize, if you get paid biweekly you take 5% of your gross out of your first paycheck of the month and 10% of your gross out of your second paycheck and put the money in to savings.

I did it and I didn't think it was that hard. Not having that money didn't hurt/wasn't painful but I think the fact that I did the challenge in a month that I got 3 paychecks helped to ease the pain. So I have decided to do the challenge again. October is the month that I'm getting a 3rd paycheck so I thought it was a good idea to do it again.

Anyone want to join me? It's been a rough year but we are three quarters of the way through it. Let's remain financially fit.

A Jamba A Day

Two weeks ago I got an email from Jamba Juice...I LOVE Jamba Juice. They were offering buy 1 smoothie get a 16oz smoothie for $1. So for the last two weeks I have been drinking Jamba Juice for lunch.

I know you are thinking, how could you drink smoothies for lunch for 10 days? Easy, Jamba has so many different options I used it as an opportunity to try ones I hadn't tried before along with my favorites.

Drinking Jamba Juice every day for lunch had to be expensive? Not at all. I spent $5 a day, $25 a week. That's the same amount I would have spent on lunch anyway.

Sadly the promotion has ended. But I did discover some new favorites and Jamba Juice is perfect as a meal replacement.

Soup Season

With all the rain we got in June, summer has come and gone...already. Temperatures were in the low 80's at the beginning of the week and we are now in the mid 60's. It's starting to feel like soup season.

I had a gift certificate from Omaha Steaks so I decided to purchase some Lobster Bisque. They have a pretty good one. I also started planning when I'll make my first batch of gumbo (probably mid-October). For lunch I like to go to Hale & Hearty soup and I'm sure they will be bringing back some of my winter favorites like Tomato Cheddar.

I'm looking forward to going home after a long day of work, enjoying a bowl of soup, wrapped in my favorite blanket (because I don't have a Snuggie), cuddled on my couch, watching a movie. Only thing that would make it better is to have someone to cuddle with...maybe I'll get a pet...LOL.

Winter Workout Update

I finally cancelled my gym membership. It doesn't actually expire until October 31st so I have programmed in to my calendar the classes I like to take. I'm going to try and go to the gym as much as possible for the next month and a half and then I'm going on a winter hiatus. I still have my Wii Fit for a home yoga workout. And I think I'm going to buy a couple more fitness games but come November 1...I'm going in to hibernation.

Winter Workout

I'll be honest, I didn't workout that much this summer. I seriously think I'm going to cancel my gym membership.

My job will reimburse for 50% of a 6 month gym membership. I could use the money I get back to keep the gym membership going OR to enroll in dance classes. I used to take dance classes through Broadway Dance Center and then my job stopped reiumbursing for dance classes. I could also take dance classes at Alvin Ailey. They have non-professional classes.

Working out at the gym has it's positives and negatives. The biggest positive was I noticed the muscle tone change in my body. But the negative was the physical/health problems working out exposed. I didn't have knee and hip flexor problems to this extent until I started working out regularly. Not being a member of Crunch, I would miss the anti-gravity yoga classes and teh urban rebounding classes. Those are my favorites.

What's your winter workout plans?

Natural Hair

There was a recent article in Time magazine about why people make such a big deal about Michelle Obama's hair and what it means for Black Women's hair. There is actually a documetary coming out from Chris Rock called "Good Hair."

What bothered me is that the article made mention that pressing or flat ironing your hair is not maintaining your natural hair. I beg to differ. For one, I'm not using a chemical to get my hair straight. AND if my hair is flat ironed or pressed and water touches any part of it, it will not remain straight. I don't think using a tool to straighten your hair temporarily is denying the natural state of your hair. Using a harsh chemical is not temporary. The process to grow out a relaxer takes a lot longer than me just wetting my hair and it not being straight anymore. But again, it's about finding a level of control and style.

For most of 2009 I have been wearing my hair in braids because I was experiencing some serious breakage. Not sure if the breakage was due to stress, hair coloring or a combination of both. But it's the end of the summer so I'm trying to decide what do to with my hair. I have a few options.

1. Get it rebraided.
2. Give the braids a break and get my natural hair flat ironed.
3. If I get my natural hair done, possibly cut it.
4. Get a full head weave.

I'm leaning towards keeping my hair braided and getting it rebraided. Braids are easier to maintain and I'm not happy with the length and condition of my natural hair. Maybe after my Columbus Day weekend vacation I'll take the braids out for a bit. But I definetely want braids when I go to Costa Rica at the end of the year.

The Joy of Reading

I think the thing I love most about New York City is that so many people read. Get on any subway or bus line during rush hour and you'll see people reading books, magazines, newspapers, textbooks, etc. The New York Times recently ran a story about the joys of subway reading. I do the majority of my reading on the subway. And there have been a few times that I have missed my stop because I lost track of where I was because I was so in to what I was reading. Despite the fact that there are all these people around me I am in my own zone.

One of my personal goals this year is to read 30 books. It hasn't been easy balancing magazine, newspaper and book reading when the majority of my reading is done on the subway. With my commute that's only 45-60 minutes a day of reading/commuting time. But I have read 20 books...10 more to go.

In Debt We Trust

This weekend I watched a documentary from 2006 that is still relevant to our current economic times. The documentary was In Debt We Trust. You can watch it on YouTube as well.

The movie talked about what would happen when the housing bubble burst...and exactly what they said in the movie would happen did. The movie talked about what would happen when there was a shortage of credit...and it happened.

To illustrate how not just poor people but rich people are affected, Lorraine Bracco from the Sopranos talked about how she had to file for bankruptcy in 1999. She said, "I was land-rich and cash-poor."

Then I watched The Debt Trap on Dateline NBC. It talked about where we are at now. Credit card debt is at an all time high because of unemployment. One couple featured use their credit cards to pay for groceries, car insurance, gas, etc. They aren't using credit cards for wants...they are using them for needs...they need them to survive day to day.

There are many people to blame for our current economic crisis but at the end of the day it's all about personal accountability. So you can blame the banks, credit card companies, mortgage companies, Wall Street...whoever...but look at yourself and how your own situation/spending behaviors may have contributed as well. I understand emergencies, unexpected things happen all the time. I understand losing a job. But part of personal accountability is having a plan. Plan to keep your credit card charging to a minimum, plan to live on less, have a plan to pay back what you charge.

At The End of the Reading Rainbow

Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high
Take a look, it's in a book - Reading Rainbow.

I can go anywhere!
Friends to know and ways to grow - Reading Rainbow.

I can be anything!
Take a look, it's in a book - Reading Rainbow.

Reading Rainbow, Reading Rainbow, Reading Rainbow, Reading Rainbow!

I know a few of y'all were singing the theme song to Reading Rainbow with me. As they say, all good things must come to an end. And thus the 26 year run of the show has come to an end. I don't have any kids but I just can't imagine that when I do they won't be able to watch Reading Rainbow as I did as a child.

I remember keeping a notebook with the names of all the books that were featured on the show. That list was my reading list and anytime I went to the library I was in search of those specific books. Reading Rainbow gave me literary direction.

Luckily there is YouTube (which hopefully that will still exist when I have kids) so I can search the archives and find a few shows for them to enjoy. But for now, join me on a trip down Memory Lane and sing along with the show's theme song.

A New Moon For Wuthering Heights

I just finished reading "New Moon," book three in the Twilight Saga. The book makes several references to Wuthering Heights. I honestly don't remember reading Wuthering Heights in high school or any other time.

So as a regular user of Paperbackswap.com I searched to see if the book was available. Not only are there several copies of the books available but the Cliffs Notes are also available. And for a moment I had a flashback to high school. I don't know how many times I used Cliffs Notes to help supplement the books I was reading because I didn't fully understand what I was reading and my teachers weren't doing a good job of explaining it. Classroom discussions based on the readings for some books got so off base that the discussion was sparked by the book but not about helping to understand the book.

I'm older now and it's not like reading Wuthering Heights is a requirement I have to meet...so should I order the book, should I order the Cliffs Notes, should I order both? I could read the book but not understand what I'm reading. I could read the Cliffs Notes but as people always like to say miss out on the literary experience. I could order both and use the Cliffs Notes as a supplement, only reading the Cliffs Notes after finishing a chapter I have read in the book.

What do you think?

Roxanne's Revenge Was A Lie

You may have read the story from the New York Daily News about how Roxanne Shante got her label to pay for her education. WELL IT WAS ALL A LIE!!! According to Slate.com the entire story was false. I don't know who to be mad at more or mad at first. Should I be mad at the NY Daily News for not doing their research? Should I be mad at Roxanne Shante for LYING?

Everyone loves a rags to riches story especially in this current economic state. And we have all heard the stories of music artists getting jilted by the music labels and various people they worked with. It was nice to read about the little person getting the best of Goliath. So I'm just pissed and disappointed. Maybe it's just me. But I will apologize to anyone I forwarded the original story too. It's still a good story...too bad it was all fiction.

Most Relaxing Vacation Ever

It's official...at 29 I'm OLD. Because only an old person would an enjoy a weekend in a cabin doing absolutely nothing. It was the best waste of time I can remember wasting in a long time.

Several months ago my girls and I started planning our annual girls trip. Every year we go on at least one trip together. I don't even remember how it came up but I suggested we rent a cabin in Asheville, NC. I went to school in North Carolina but I had never visited Asheville. All I knew about the city was that there was a UNC campus there and people liked to visit the Biltmore Estates (NOTE: we never made it to the Biltmore Estates so I will have to find my way back to Asheville).

My girls from college suggested the Cedar Creek Cabins as a good place to stay. We stayed in the Acorn cabin. It had 3 1/2 bedrooms, 1 1/2 bathrooms and a pool table. I think the most interesting feature was the stove. I'll link to a picture of it when B posts the pictures. The best part of the cabin...the cost. It is $175 per night + $45 Cleaning Fee. For 3 days and 2 nights the total cost for the cabin came to $411 (with taxes).

Although we did a lot of relaxing, reading, sleeping, eating and watching movies...we did actually leave the cabin. We went to a great spa, Sensibilities Day Spa, and the service was excellent. And coming from NYC, the price could not be beat. For a 60-minute European Facial and 60 minute massage it was $152 (plus tip). And we discovered Downtown Asheville (at the suggestion of the receptionist at the Spa). All the local businesses have maps of downtown Asheville and will point you to various places to try. We didn't get a chance to go everywhere but we did get some great homemade ice cream and my friends made personally scented lotions at Bath Junkie (they do have a location in New York City).

Will I go back to Asheville? Yes. Do I recommend Asheville for anyone looking for a relaxing, low-cost, inexpensive getaway? Yes.

Next Trip: Short Bahama Cruise Columbus Day Weekend

Please Take My Class

Sorry for the shameless plug but I'm teaching a new class "Introduction to Social Media." It's a 4 week online class and we are offering a $50 off discount for the class. Please pass along to anyone you know who may be interested.

Our Intro to Social Media course starts Wednesday, July 29. I'd like to offer you a $50 discount.

Social media platforms -- Twitter, Tweetdeck, LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube -- can do lots more than help manage your personal life (or increase your procrastination opportunities). These web-based platforms can be powerful tools for advancing your career.

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Seats are limited, so click on the link below to apply and once accepted, use the promo code PROMO4907 to redeem your discount.

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Intro to Social Media
starts Wednesday, July 29
https://www.mediabistro.com/courses/cache/crs4907.asp?c=mbencrsperse
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