November 2008

I don’t have a TV. I don’t want one. There are better ways to spend my time and I always feel like I’ve wasted part of my life when I get sucked into spending a few hours in front of a screen.  Now there is scientific research that validates my personal take on the topic.  A New York Times article titled, “What Happy People Don’t Do” states,

“We looked at 8 to 10 activities that happy people engage in, and for each one, the people who did the activities more — visiting others, going to church, all those things — were more happy,” Dr. Robinson said. “TV was the one activity that showed a negative relationship. Unhappy people did it more, and happy people did it less.”

Now, if I can just extract myself from my computer more often…

I’m convinced the sun, in moderation, is like a human battery charger.  Beach sand and salt water are the best skin exfoliants.  And the sound of the ocean meeting the land is hypnotic.  The closest I’d get to all of this in Kentucky, mid-November is a tanning bed, store-bought bath salts, and a sound machine. I prefer Puerto Rico

I leave for Puerto Rico with a friend Saturday at the crack of dawn.  “Plan a vacation for 08″ has been on my to-do list for ages and finally I see the light at the end of tunnel.  And that light is the close-to-the-equator-sun that will be warming my pasty white skin.

People keep asking me what I’m going to do on vacation. I keep saying, “I’m going to try to do nothing.” Well, maybe a gain a few pounds eating fried plantains and work on my Spanglish.

It’s in the mid-eighties there right now. There’s a chance I might not come back until May…

Yeeeeaaaah! What a great illustration by Patrick Moberg (www.patrickmoberg.com).

I made my first trip abroad right after graduating from high school.  Ever since that first experience on foreign soil, I have been careful when and where I open my mouth to reveal my American accent while away from home.  Several times it’s been simply embarrassing to claim my country of origin.  Tonight, for possibly the first time ever, I’m proud to be an American.

I wasn’t given an “I voted” sticker at my polling station. Then I hear Starbucks is giving free coffee to peeps wearing such stickers! Soooo, I made my own using a photo of my actual ballot from this morning. We’ll see what my Starbuck’s barista thinks of that!

GO OBAMA!!!!!

No other holiday can hold a candle to Halloween! It’s a shame we don’t dress in hysterical costumes, give treats away to strangers, and illuminate weird carved faces into root vegetables more often. I should also add to the activities list: dance to sassy pop songs choreographed by amateur dancers who took a dance class once in college. Hey look, I got the shimmy down! Thanks Erin for the lesson.

You can see all of the photos from last night’s festivities here.