My (Almost) Social Media-Free Long Weekend

Happy Labor Day! (Do people actually say that? It's not like "Merry Christmas! or Happy New Year!)

Anywho, it's been a  nice long weekend so far and I spent most of it social media-free...and I couldn't be happier.

I'd been feeling blah about Facebook and burnt out on it, so on Friday night I decided that on Saturday, I would be completely social media-free.

I woke up around 9ish on Saturday and it was hard. Usually the first thing I do is check Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. (Addicted much?) But, I pushed through the constant voice in my head telling me I might be missing out on something (!) and got showered and ready for the day. 

The key to this being successful was STAYING BUSY. (And now you're going to hear every painstaking detail of staying busy.)

I went to my town's library and picked up my next book:

This is the first in the Penn Cage series (I previously read one of the later ones).

I then went to the library in the next town over (because I needed to return some books there and I wanted to pick up a book they had, but my library didn't). I was able to successfully return the books, but they were closed (I still haven't figured out why- maybe long weekend for them?), so I left empty-handed.

I then went to Rite Aid to get a prescription and I was off to treat myself to a pedicure. I really love pedicures. I have awful fingernails, so I never get manicures, but I feel like most everyone has awful feet/toenails, so I don't have to cower in shame while they clip, file, buff. (Oh, and the hot stone massage they do on the legs is to die for!)

I chose Essie's Angora Cardi, one of my all-time faves.

Oh, and another good thing about getting a pedicure? My phone usually only gets one bar while I'm in there, so it really prohibited me from getting onto Facebook! 

I came home and actually sat outside and ate my lunch. Without my phone. I brought my Kindle out and read while eating. It was great. 

I did some laundry and picking up around the house to keep busy. (This is when it was toughest not to get on social media.)

Late afternoon, I got ready to go out, as we were heading to Manchester, NH.

Here I am in my cute new shirt (TJ Maxx clearance!)

I had done research on Trip Advisor about the best restaurants in Manchester and ended up choosing Firefly.

It was great! Their drink menu is endless (an entire book dedicated to cocktails is OK by me!) I started with a Peartini and John had a Red Sangria. The Peartini was OK, but somewhat different from others I'd had in the past. We started with Go-Go Bread, which is toasted bread slices with gorgonzola fondue. Mmmmm. We wolfed that down and decided on our dinner- the catch of the day special for me (scallops with linguine, pancetta, spinach in a vodka sauce) and chicken piccata for John. The food was EXCELLENT! I highly recommend. Nice atmosphere and nice staff, as well. Oh, and I ended up trying another drink- the blood orange cosmo (that one was more to my liking!)

After eating, we walked through downtown Manchester to the NH Fisher Cats game. It was about a 20 minute walk and it was a nice night, so that worked out fine. 

I really do love minor league ballparks. They often have more character than major league parks and they're quirky and fun. (More on that later.)

The view from our seats:

Happy people:

The uniforms in minor leagues can sometimes rival the majors- personally I think these are wayyyyy worse than the Arizona Diamondbacks uniforms.

(Does anyone else think "jockey" when they see this half red/half blue get up?)

I was able to put the horrible uniforms aside, when I saw Ollie, the Fisher Cats' bat dog:

And how lucky were we to see him? This weekend is his last weekend, or his "retirement tour" as the jumbotron kept telling us. (I didn't see him get any gifts like David Ortiz has gotten on his retirement tour- I think Ollie might've gotten the short end of the stick...get it?)

We had a great time. 

When we got home, I'd gone 24 hours without social media. I was proud of myself and as a treat, got on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

You know what? I missed NOTHING.

On Sunday (yesterday), I probably checked in to social media maybe five times all day (which is low for me). Today is the same. 

That first 24 hours was the hardest, but now? Eh, I can live without it. The best part? I don't have that "oh my gawd, I did nothing over the weekend and now it's time to go back to work guilt trip." I cleaned the basement yesterday, put a shoe rack together that's been collecting dust, and enjoyed myself.

I think I like the fact that I proved to myself that I can survive without it.

And now I will go post this on social media. :)

Periscope: Sensory Overload & It's Theme Song Is Carly Simon's "You're So Vain"

photo credit

Are you familiar with Periscope?

Not the thing that comes out of the submarine, but rather the technology that allows for Person A to watch/listen to random Person B on the other side of the world. Person B could be eating dinner (see above), could be watching TV, could be tending to crops, etc... Person A then has the ability to submit questions/comments and Person B, if so inclined, can comment/answer. Just realize that there are are hundreds, if not thousands of other Person A's watching the broadcast/submitting questions.

While the original Person A is listening to/watching Person B, Person A is thinking of what to say/ask AND reading the scrolling commentary going by at a fast clip.

Two words (well, four, but two phrases)-

a) Sensory overload
b) Narcissist central

I stumbled across Periscope while scrolling through my Twitter feed and saw that Curt Schilling (former professional baseball player) posted that he was on Periscope. Curiosity got the better of me and I downloaded the app to see what it was all about.

At first, I was sucked in. A superstar (to Red Sox fans he is- helped us win the first World Series in 86 years) was on my phone and talking to "the people." (Truth be told, his snoring dog Georgia is really what sucked me in.)

People were asking about the infamous bloody sock, chicken and beer in the clubhouse, life as a professional athlete, etc.. For someone as nosy as me, well, it was cool.

I sent some of my own questions and when he'd answer them, I was sold on Periscope.

After the first time I watched, the subsequent broadcasts were the same. Curt sitting in his living room answering the same questions over and over (FYI- Todd Helton was the hardest hitter for him to get out and no, the bloody sock didn't have ketchup on it.) He also ventured out for trips to Taco Bell, to the hockey rink for his son's practice, to his kitchen for a late night snack.

After about the fourth or so broadcast, I was feeling sensory overload. Trying to watch the video (he might flash to his dog!), watch what others were posting/asking, listening to his responses, and trying to think if I had any brilliant questions that hadn't been asked before was a bit too much for me. While I think Facebook has its pros and cons, I'm comfortable with the fact that it's not so fast moving. (Did I just say that? How old am I?)

But, what I really started to realize (I'm a bit slow on the uptake sometimes), was how pompous Person B can be (in this case, Curt Schilling.)

Again, while Facebook is not THE social media outlet, at least you're sharing things with your friends/people you know/people that in theory care about what you're sharing. You're not posting that you're feeling down and waiting for millions of strangers to ask you what's wrong. THAT is what Periscope can be.

Feed the ego with attention from strangers in real time.

My opinion has done a 180. (At least of Curt's Periscope.) Washed up professional athlete that doesn't get attention on the playing field, so looking to get it wherever he can. (And, as an aside, use it further his own aspirations for a career in politics.) It's all about him. Ugh.

That said, my husband reminded me that Periscope CAN have a valuable purpose. Example: At the non-profit my husband works at, they'll Periscope a training, which would obviously benefit listeners/watchers.

Have you used Periscope? Have you been Person A or Person B? What are your thoughts?

**The thoughts expressed in this post are 100% mine...and I have a right to them!**

Vacation Goals: How'd I Do?

(Written Sunday July 31st and updated today, Sunday, August 7th)

We're here!!!!!!!!!

John and I are on our much needed, much anticipated week's vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

This is our sixth year coming here and we absolutely love it. (So much so, that we talk about retiring here!)

I've put forth some vacation goals for myself:

• Spend some time each day blogging
• Spend at least 1 hour each day reading
• Try at least one new restaurant
• Go swimming every day that we're on the beach (by swimming, I mean actually going under)
• RELAX!

So, how I'd do?

• Spend some time each day blogging: So-so. I spent some time each of the first three days blogging and then fell off. Not bad! (I have another post ready to go after this one that I wrote on vacation and I'll post this week.)

• Spend at least 1 hour each day reading: A+! 
• I finished reading Turning Thirty by Mike Gayle, which was a fun British 'bloke-lit' easy read. 
• I then read Cane River by Lalita Tademy. This was a much more serious historical fiction read, along the lines of Roots.
•  I then started Making It Up As I Go Along by Marian Keyes. While Marian is one of my all-time favorite authors, I wasn't thrilled with this. For some reason, I had it in my head that it would be fictional essays/short stories and instead, it was non-fiction, everyday life stuff that she's written (and most of it I'd read in the past.) 
• So, being somewhat disappointed by that, I started another book on my Kindle, Laura Rider's Masterpiece by Jane Hamilton. That turned out to be just so-so, too. Oh well. 
• I also caught up on my magazine reading!

• Try at least one new restaurant: A++! We tried four new places! (I think...I feel like I'm forgetting some.)
• Lily Thai: I'd give this a C. The service was not great and the food was just so-so. (Is "so-so" the catchphrase for this post?)
• Salt Air: I'd give this an A. It's a newer place, popular, and somewhat upscale. They take a limited amount of reservations, so by the time I looked online, there were none available for our week. We ended up having to wait an hour (which was OK, based on our expectations) and I'd say it was worth it. We had lovely cocktails, crab deviled eggs, I had scallops, and John had crab cakes. The atmosphere was fun and a nice departure from the typical beach fare.
• Gilligan's (Lewes): I'd give this a C+. We'd originally planned on eating lunch at Kindle, which we've eaten at before and really enjoyed, but I forgot to check to see if it was open for lunch...and it wasn't. So, we made a quick decision and decided to try this waterfront place. It was average...typical lunch fair. Overwhelmed waitstaff, so service wasn't super. 
• Purple Parrot Grill: I'd give this a B+. It has a fun/casual atmosphere with decent food. We ordered frozen raspberry margaritas and they were LARGE! John had a German meal and enjoyed it. I had fish & chips, and it was good. We'd go back.

• Go swimming every day that we're on the beach (by swimming, I mean actually going under): hahahhahahahaha. Yeah, no. I went under once on purpose and a second time accidentally. The first time was fine. I said I'd do it again. The second time, um, not so much. The surf was really rough and I was getting slammed because I couldn't get past the breaking point. After that? I was a spectator.

• RELAX!: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!

It was great, but we're sad to be back to reality. Wah wah.

Volunteering: It Does a Body Good!

photo credit

I've been volunteering at local public libraries for the past three years, or so.

When I started, I had three goals in mind:

1. Get to know people in my community. (We'd only lived in our town for a few years, so I thought this would be a good way to get to know people.)
2. Utilize some of the skills I learned in library school. (I don't work in a "traditional" library, so I wanted to keep my mind sharp on things I'd learned.)
3. Be in an environment where I'd be able to help, and in turn be appreciated for that help. (I was struggling with my paying gig at the time.)

I ended up achieving these three goals and getting back so much more than I expected.

Do you volunteer? If yes, good for you! 

I've learned that volunteers are often the life blood of an organization, especially those with small budgets/small staff. At my town's public library (where I volunteered for a little over two years), volunteers did cataloging, weeding, and helped with programming- tasks done by employees in larger libraries. In my previous life, I worked for a non-profit, and we LOVED volunteers. There wasn't enough bandwidth to get certain things accomplished by employees, so we utilized the volunteer force.

If you don't volunteer, why? Do you think you don't have enough time? Do you think you're not qualified? To these statements, I say pshaw! Currently I volunteer one hour per week. During that time, I still make a meaningful contribution, doing an hour's worth of work that the librarians don't have time to do. There often are no "qualifications" needed for volunteering. Yes, I went to "library school," but could I do the tasks I do without the degree? You betcha. My Mom volunteers at her public library in the Friends' book shop. Other than being a lover of books (and the fastest reader I know), she doesn't have any "formal" qualifications...and doesn't need them. I think that's the beauty of volunteering. I often think about volunteering in some capacity with dogs. I'm not interested in pursuing a veterinary degree, but I'd love to walk dogs or even clean out crates! Volunteering allows you to embrace your love of something without having to go through formal schooling. A win win!

Here are some fun pictures taken throughout my last six months or so of volunteering:

One evening I was charged with a project to pull books off the shelf that were in bad shape/need of replacement, i.e, broken binding, ripped pages.

As I opened each book and started flipping through, I found all kind of "treasures."

I often stamp new books that have come in. The library I volunteer at imprints their seal on page 101 of each book. I often find some interesting things on page 101 (or page 100).

Ghanaian cuisine, anyone?

I love perusing the new books. I often find titles to add to my "to read" list. And then, there are some that I just make fun of.

An entire cookbook devoted to TOAST? (Oh, wait...TWO entire cookbooks devoted to TOAST?)

I love volunteering- it enriches my life!

Pioneer Woman's Overnight French Toast Casserole

I'm making it my mission to look back through the photo stream on my phone and write related blog posts. So, yeah, we're turning the calendar back to Christmas!

I'd wanted to try an overnight french toast casserole for a while and I saw that the Pioneer Woman had one, so I decided to give it a whirl.

I wanted to make it on Christmas Eve and we'd have it Christmas morning, but due to scheduling, that was a bit tough. So, I pushed to a day later.

On Christmas night, I threw together the ingredients and it looked like this:

It's basically a loaf of French bread torn into bite size pieces with an egg/milk/cream mixture poured over it.

You also create the topping ahead of time (no pictures, however.) That is a pebble-like mixture of cinnamon, flour, brown sugar, butter & spices. (And really...the phrase "pebble-like" describes it to a "T!")

Stick both in the fridge overnight, wake up, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, pour the topping over the casserole bread/milk/egg mixture and cook for a while.

A while? Yes.

Per the recipe (which I'll post a link to below), you cook for 45 minutes for a softer "more bread pudding texture" and an hour (or more) for a firmer less liquid texture.

I cooked ours for an hour and it still was, how can I say this? Squishy.

You can't see the squishiness, but here it is:

While I enjoyed the flavors, I had a hard time getting past the texture. If I get some feedback re: cooking time and a firmer texture, I'd try it again.

Here's the recipe.


Have you made this before? Which texture do you prefer? If you prefer the firmer texture, how long did it end up taking to cook?

Exercise Schmexercise

see top right for photo credit

Let me make no bones about it.

I.hate.exercise.

What? You didn't hear me?

I. HATE. EXERCISE.

I did the Couch to 5K program almost five years ago. I discovered that I *like* jogging (really just fast walking), but at the same time, also discovered I have no interest in competitive jogging, i.e., formal 5Ks.

Shortly thereafter, we bought a treadmill. I liked that because I could plug in my Kindle and catch up on British TV shows I'd missed. If it was cold outside, I could still jog/walk inside.

The whole "jogging thing" didn't last, however.

I got bored and found TV/Facebook/eating more interesting.

I've been on an exercise hiatus for at least a few years (sad, I know).

Recently, however, I decided I needed to stop being so sloth-like and pick up some form of exercise.

I reached deep into my memory banks and remembered that I used to LOVE Pilates!

My company used to have an instructor come in and do a lunchtime Pilates class that I was a part of. I remembered the benefits I gained- relaxation during a tough workday, improved posture, flexibility, and just the overall good feeling from exercising.

I did some creative Googling (stalking) and found that the instructor we had has her own studio in her house. I contacted her and voila - I now do a mat class on Monday nights!

Yes, it's only one day per week, but it is a workout!

After the first class, my core was killllllling me. (We did TRX, as well as Pilates.)

The last class we did on rollers and used weights. Arms? Killlllling me.

I guess that means it's working, right?

All this to say, that while exercise is NOT my favorite and I still pretty much hate it, I've found a program that I like and that invigorates me...and, as the cartoon says, it's better than being dead 24 hours a day. :)

What I'm Loving Lately: April 2016

Here are a handful of things that I've recently discovered that I'm loving!

1. Up & Up Hand Soap: Lemongrass + Basil

I'm super sensitive to fragrance, so I usually just buy unscented hand soap. I happened to see this one, took a quick smell in the store, and bought it. It has a really nice light fresh smell. It's very springy.


2. Skinnygirl Mints: Pomegranate Matcha Green Tea

I love pomegranate and I love green tea. Put them together in a mint? Awesome! (And sugar free, on top of it.)

3. Lipton Decaf Half Berry Lemonade & Half Iced Tea to Go Packets

I'm a huge fan of berry flavored iced tea. However, I generally don't drink it, because it's not caffeine free. (Caffeine wreaks havoc with my sleep!) I love this half and half...it really gives a flavor of a berry iced tea.


4. Nabisco Lemon Oreos

With Girl Scout cookie season recently ending, I was lamenting the fact that I didn't get any Lemonades, which are hands down my favorites (I even like them better than Thin Mints!) I happened to see these Oreos in the cookie aisle and tried them on a whim. OH.MY.GAWD. They taste exactly like Lemonades (and they're cheaper!)

5. BUZZR

As I believe I've stated before, I grew up on game shows and LOVE them! The Game Show Network has been around for a while, but it's a total sham. They mostly air new game shows (ones they've created). BUZZR, however, show the creme de la creme, i.e., Super Password, Sale of the Century, Family Feud (Richard Dawson). It's like reliving my childhood all over again!