Guilty Pleasures: In Defense of Sitcom Re-runs November 28, 2007

If you’re anything like me (God help you) there are some shows you just cannot get sick of. Friends is a perfect example. I have to have seen every episode at least once. Most of them several times. Yet when I see it on TBS, I cannot look away. There’s something very comforting about these old episodes. Almost like watching old memories from high school or college.

Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. The reruns all become our history.

Another favorite of mine is Gilmore Girls. Honestly, I consider this show my TV equivalent of comfort food. You know how you have that culinary panacea from your childhood? What were you fed when you got sick? For me it was ginger ale and animal crackers. For some people it’s chicken soup.

Well, this show instantly makes me feel all comfy and warm and happy. It’s my entertainment chicken soup. It’s funny, it’s witty, it has enough drama in it to catch your heart every once in a while. And the dynamic between the two main characters reminds me a lot of the dynamic I had with my own mother. That’s probably the reason I associate it with comfort.

I suppose being able to watch an episode of a show over and over somewhat equates with my ability to listen to one CD or even song repeatedly until I drive those around me crazy. Who knows. But I’m not the only one. And I’m not apologizing.

So Lovely by Candlelight November 22, 2007

I don’t envision this blog becoming a platform from which to push products, but if I find something I absolutely FALL IN LOVE WITH, I cannot help but share.

I recently had the pleasure of stumbling upon a line of fantastic candles, from Tyler Candle Company. I make candles, so I rarely buy them – if ever – as I cannot justify paying a retail price for something I can create at home from raw materials. These candles, however, have become an exception.

First off, they’re adorable (sweet little glass containers with cute little leopard print tins). But most of all they smell fabulous, and there is SO much variety.

I purchased three votives on Friday, and burned clean through them over the weekend – a sign I couldn’t live without them. So I went back to the shop on Monday and bought the same three scents in the 11 oz. jars. They are not going to waste, believe me.

I selected three different blends. Tyler – a beautiful green scent that currently perfumes the area right outside my kitchen; Diva – luxurious (and dare I say, seductive) enough to dwell in my boudoir; and Paris – a delicate and pretty floral that makes my bathtime all the more relaxing. Read the notes of these, as well as the dozen other blends Tyler offers here: http://www.englishrose.com/tycacofr.html

And I cannot in good conscience talk about these candles without mentioning the shop where I found them: the brand new Vivid Boutique in downtown Decatur. If you have a chance, please visit this adorable store. The lovely proprietor, Christina, is no doubt getting bored with my dropping in on my lunch break every day. She makes her own jewelry also, which is dainty and beautiful.

Ok, enough of the upsell. Check it out for yourself.

Age is Only a Number November 20, 2007

I read a story in the New York Times this morning that got me all choked up. Literally. I had to wipe a tear from my eye while sitting in a room with two co-workers, trying to avoid any suspicion that I was web-surfing and not responding to business emails.

I wrote in a post a while back about the severe lack of depictions of love beyond that of the young and brand new in our culture. Writers and filmmakers rarely follow through with the story, so we – captive as we are to the media surrounding us – are given limited examples of mature relationships.

I cannot put into words how I felt about the opening anecdote in today’s piece “Love in the Time of Dimentia.”

Former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s husband, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, has a romance with another woman, and the former justice is thrilled — even visits with the new couple while they hold hands on the porch swing — because it is a relief to see her husband of 55 years so content.

Perhaps heartbreaking is the only word.

Historically, love in older age has not been given much of a place in culture, Dr. Cole said. It once conjured images that were distasteful or even scary: the dirty old man, the erotic old witch.

That is beginning to change, Dr. Cole said, as life expectancy increases, and a generation more sexually liberated begins to age. Nursing homes are being forced to confront an increase in sexual activity.

And despite the stereotypes, researchers who study emotions across the life span say old love is in many ways more satisfying than young love — even as it is also more complex, as the O’Connors’ example shows.

Do yourself a favor and read it, if you are interested. My commentary could only lessen the effect of such a beautifully written and profound article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/weekinreview/18zernike.html?th&emc=th

Look at my new logo! November 18, 2007

The boy is a typography genius. You want to hire him. Go here to see more: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15468542@N05/

The Best Part of Waking Up November 1, 2007

I’ve written about my caffeine addiction and love for java on this blog enough already that I should rename it Strictly for Coffee. I guess I get my best ideas in the morning in the line at Starbucks. Well, maybe not my best ideas, but ideas.

When I get a cup in the morning, the first thing I do is bring it up to my nose, close my eyes, and take a loooooong whiff. This puts me right in the morning. I can hardly think of a more fantastic scent, and it makes me enjoy the taste that much more when I bring the cup to my lips. Then I drink it slowly, enjoying every last drop. It’s one of my favorite parts of the day, honestly. My little treat.

I never see anyone else do this. (They probably look at me and wonder what’s wrong with the “special” girl enraptured with her beverage.) I think a lot of people look at coffee more as an upper than as something to enjoy, mainlining it rather than experiencing it. Poor souls. I may look ridiculous while sipping my dark roast, but I’m in heaven.

I think most people look at food in the same way, actually. Not as an upper necessarily, but strictly as fuel. Somehow we were taught that this is the appropriate way to view food. It isn’t for enjoyment, it’s a necessity. Just eat it (nothing too tasty, now) and go about your day. If it tastes good, chances are it’s not good for you anyway.

Book after book has been written about the French Paradox; how is it that the French (and other European people as well) eat cheese, heavy cream, bread, chocolate, drink wine, and yet are healthier (and certainly thinner) than their American counterparts? All the while we live on Lean Cuisines and Diet Coke and all manners of processed foods which promise to increase our health and trim our waistlines, and still we’re one of the fattest countries in the world.

I like what Michael Pollan had to say in The Omnivore’s Dilemma — perhaps it’s really the American Paradox. How is it that a culture so obsessed with the science and health of life are less healthy overall than most European cultures?

Perhaps it is that the acts that make up our daily lives are made to feel like work and not enjoyment? Stress can wreak havoc on your body, manifesting in nearly any way possible. So how can it be healthy to worry so much about food? Why not cook a nice meal, sit down at a table, and let yourself savor every bite you put in your mouth? I bet you’ll eat less than if you were shoveling tasteless food into your mouth in front of the TV.

Food (and drink) for thought.