Side effects may include....

Ever notice how all the drug ads on TV include big disclaimers on this kind of stuff? At least for the prescription stuff? Non-prescription stuff doesn't always, though. And it can pay to check. My favorite spot for checking out side effects and drug interactions is WebMD. It's essentially run by the Cleveland Clinic, and it's rather user-friendly as far as finding the information, plus it'll give you a picture of what the prescription pills should look like, including all the available generics.

But, one question it doesn't answer:

How come, so often, the side effects are worse than whatever symptoms they're set up to fix?

Inquiring minds want to know...

Fun Size

The Halloween Candy has hit the store shelves!

I know this because I brought in a giant mixed bag for my desk drawer. I find I go through the day better if I have access to candy, even if I don't eat it every day. Weird, but true.

So, I have a few questions:

1. Why do they call them "Fun Size" instead of something else?
2. If I eat enough Fun Size candy bars, I put on LOTS of weight. Does that make me "Fun Size" too?
   
3. I have several friends and family members who, for religious reasons, do not observe Halloween. Or rather, as they put it, they do not "celebrate" Halloween. Do they still celebrate the Halloween candy?

Inquiring minds want to know....

Celebrations

I had a birthday party yesterday. I threw it for myself.

No, it wasn't a notable number. There wasn't anything unusual going on. It was just another birthday. But it was a party.

I cook for my own parties, generally. If people ask, "What can I bring?" then the first few might be asked to bring something, or if they offer to bring something specific ("How about if I bring shrimp for an appetizer?") then I will gladly accept. In this way it becomes a glorious tasty spread, generally with a little something for everyone.

I am a gourmand, with a smattering of pseudo-gourmet thrown in. I grew up watching cooking shows, and am not afraid to try new things. What I find terribly entertaining when I throw a party is that, if I try something fancy for the dinner, people enjoy it, but the true raves come when I do something simple. Yesterday's party fare was barbecue chicken and cole slaw, and friends brought a caprese salad (of homegrown tomatoes and basil), fresh fruit, ice cream, and rolls. It was wonderful and tasty, and preparation was not nearly as complex as it might have been.

This all ties in together, birthdays and parties and good food. I think people worry too much sometimes. They worry about aging. They worry about not looking as good as they used to. They worry about getting fat. And there is a little something on that last one. But let's, instead, worry about other things. Let's worry less about the outer trappings and more about the overall health. I do not use artificial sweeteners, and I avoid low fat or diet foods unless they are low fat like a skim milk, where the fat was removed but nothing was added. I avoid chemical and man-made things. I read labels hunting for foods without too much added sugar or sodium or high fructose corn syrup. It can be a challenge some days. But I think, overall, the food is better. I think that you can eat the foods prepared in a traditional fashion — with all the fats etc. — in moderation and be fine. It's when you eat sixteen portions of something, or eat it every day in the modern world where we don't have the activity level we once did, that trouble begins.

And so, that said, let's celebrate! Celebrate getting another year older because it means you've survived all life's slings and arrows! Celebrate the good things to eat because it means that you have the wherewithall to afford food! Celebrate a beautiful day because it means you are in a position to go out and enjoy it!

If there were more celebrations, the world would truly be a happier place.

I have reached a conclusion

There are two kinds of people in the world:

Those who love color, who revel in it and live for it. These folks can take even the simplest outfit and amaze the world by adding just a touch of color, such as a shocking pink blouse or a bright orange lily pin on a somber dark business suit. They paint their walls and their houses yellow and blue and pink and green and maroon, and they have exciting throw pillows, or little details that intrigue.

Then, there are those who seem to be allergic to color. Their wardrobe and their decor is a variety of shades of neutral. Earth tones and beiges, white and black. Suggest they add a red pillow to that couch and they practically break out in hives.

So, which kind of person are you? Inquiring minds want to know.

Knitters and Crocheters: Free Patterns without Ravelry

Everyone loves something free. For those of us who knit and crochet, patterns are really great. They can help us start decreasing the amount of stash, or inspire us to make up something on our own. Sometimes, we even find EXACTLY what we've been looking for, right under our noses.

Of course many of the big yarn companies have free patterns available. Lion Brand and Bernat do, and some of the smaller but popular yarns like Dream in Color do as well. Interweave's Knitting Daily Web site also offers free patterns, some as bonuses to what was in various magazines such as Interweave Knits or Piecework, others that were published several years ago and have proven so popular that Interweave is offering them for free. Then there are the on-line magazines, Knitty, Twist Collective, and Crochet Uncut.

What is interesting about most of these sites is that the patterns are primarily or exclusively knitting patterns. Lion Brand and Bernat do have crochet patterns, and Interweave Crochet and Piecework both contribute crochet patterns to the Knitting Daily site, but the majority of what's available on their sites are for knitters. I have not noticed a crochet pattern at either Knitty or Twist Collective. (This is not to say that I haven't seen patterns that involve crochet, as edgings are quite nice on knitted fabrics, but I've not seen one that was exclusively crochet.) Crochet Uncut is exclusively crochet patterns, as well as tips and tricks and the same sorts of articles that might be available to readers of Knitty.

My purpose today is to give you some sites. I'm purposely not reviewing the patterns available here at this time. Of course I have opinions. I have opinions about everything. But this will keep.

Next up: I'll give you some of the index sites that link you to free patterns around the Web. Great resources!!!

Yummy

I love me a good diner.

You know the places. Where the coffee is always hot and fresh, and you can get eggs, or a hamburger, or a BLT on toast at any given moment. The food is basic and varied, not necessarily healthy, but even the pickiest of eaters will be able to find SOMETHING on the menu that they can eat. The kind of place where the waitresses know all the regulars by name, and treat newcomers like one of the family.

I have a few good diners around me. The one in my town has been there for over 25 years, and the menu has barely changed. The original owners sold it a couple of years ago, but for the most part, the new owner was smart and didn't make too many changes. He added a few nuances, but the basics are all still there. And most importantly: he has listened to his customer base. When he made one change and his customers HOWLED in protest, he admitted that perhaps it wasn't such a good idea and changed it back. The food remains good, and most of the waitresses that I've grown to know over the years have remained.

There's another good one near where I work. We go over there sometimes to indulge in a good bowl of soup around lunch time, or maybe when one of us absolutely HAS to have an omlette and hashed browns or pancakes for lunch. Last week, I went just because I needed some time away from life, the universe, and everything, and a few minutes to crochet in peace. I had a wonderful waitress, watched several characters, and had a really tasty lunch, all for under $10 including tip.

That said, most of my friends have a favorite diner meal. It's the one item that you always fall back on, though you might just be tempted to order something else if the mood strikes.

So, what's your favorite diner meal? Or your favorite diner memory? Everyone has one. You know you do....

What's your Albatross?

In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the title character, through circumstances completely of his own making, gets an albatross hung around his neck. A dead albatross, even better.

An albatross is a large sea bird. It looks somewhat like a seagull, but its wingspan is roughly 11 feet, and it weighs around 18 pounds. Historically, an albatross following the ship was considered good luck by mariners, and in the poem, the ancient mariner shoots the one following his ship, thus bringing a curse down upon his entire ship. His crew mates hang the albatross around his neck as punishment for his misdeed.

The albatross has come to be a metaphor for penance or punishment served. I like to take it further, and to have it be penance or punishment brought on by our own actions. We've all got one. Or rather, I know very few people who do not, although I know a LOT of folks who would never admit it in a million years. Something we have done, or gotten ourselves into, that has become a heavy dead weight we can't shake. It might be debt, or a friend's problems, or a relationship, or a job. It could be any one of a hundred things, whether large or small in reality, but for the person carrying it, it's huge.

So, I ask you: what's YOUR albatross? And what are you going to do about it?