100 Things About Me

  100 Things about me

1. Now that we're empty nesters, we split our time between Nashville, Lake Toxaway, NC, and Snowmass, Colorado.
2. I’m a mom to a college student-yikes!
3. I’m an exercise fanatic
4. I love to eat (thus #3)
5. I grew up in a house that had NO ALCOHOL…EVER
6. I looooooove white wine and cucumber gimlets (Thanks, Tim Love)
7. I have crooked fingers because I broke two of them in sixth grade
8. My first job was dressing up as a bunny and standing in the street handing out muffins for “Bunny Bread”
9. I taught aerobics for 20 years.
10. Took sports broadcasting class at UT Knoxville from Lindsey Nelson
11. I have two black labs, Rosie and Sugar
12. I got the nickname "Esa" when I was 10 and my tennis instructor (from Australia) couldn't pronounce my name correctly.  I can still hear him say, "Keep your eye on de ball, Esa!"
13. I’d rather be in the mountains than at the beach
14. I don’t like sticky, humid, HOT weather, thus #13
15. I love to snow ski more than any other sport
16. I have run and completed nine marathons, five triathlons, and one century (so far)
17. #16 hurts way more than it used to
18. I straighten my hair
19. I love TOP CHEF...bought every season on itunes and rewatch every episode over and over
20. I don't eat meat, poultry or pork, and my daughter is vegetarian, so I'm constantly looking for good recipes that will give us enough protein.
21.My new favorite winter activity is "skinning" uphill on skis, then skiing back down.
22. I love when it rains and I’m at home
23. I like to show up early to appointments and catch up on my reading
24. I took dance lessons for 13 years
25. I’m unbelievably proud of my daughter
26. My husband is my best friend
27. I love to travel 
28. I’m a browser…I like to wander around in stores for hours
29. I read constantly…anything I can get my hands on
30. I take benadryl every night so that I can stay asleep while my husband snores next to me.
31. I was born in 1960…you do the math
32. I think I’m in menopause already
33. I have a fantasy of living in Paris one day
34. I love to go for a run whenever I visit a new city
35. I nibble…take a bite of something, wrap it back up, and keep on until it’s finished.
36. I eat around the edges of cookies and throw the middle away.
37. I majored in Broadcasting, graduated “with honors” and never worked in the field.
38. My first job after college was as a part time waitress and I made more in that job than I would have if I’d taken the job I was offered at a radio station.
39. I miss going into my daughter’s room at night when she’s asleep to watch her.
40. I hit a moving train with my car, totaled my car, and walked away without a scratch.
41. I’m still afraid of trains.
42. I hate the popped collar look.
43. 80% of the clothes in my closet are black.
44. I was a cheerleader in high school and college.
45. I played basketball in junior high when girls only played half court.
46. I ran track because I had a crush on a hurdler.
47. I gave up all meat except fish April, 2010.  Sometimes I really miss bacon.
48. My heart skips a beat when I see my husband across the room.
49. I often have anxiety attacks in crowded places.
50. I have watched every episode of “Friends” and "Top Chef" so many times I can quote blocks of dialogue.
51. I like aisle seats in an airplane.
52. My favorite part of first class is the hot nuts.
53. I like to get the meal they serve on the airplane, even if I don’t eat it.
54. I need to chew gum after every meal. I don’t know why.
55. I have a hard time saying “no”.
56. I have one brother, two nephews, and one niece.
57. When I was little my grandparents didn’t have an indoor toilet, we had to use the “outhouse”.
58. I saw my grandpa tear the head off a chicken that they served for dinner.
59. I didn’t eat chicken for a couple of years.
60. I cry very easily.
61. When I speak in front of people, I get a red blush on my chest.
62. I wear turtlenecks when I have to give a speech.
63. My hair started turning gray when I was 25.
64. I love the pretzels they sell on the street in NYC.
65. I used to buy fake purses and watches in NYC.
66. My favorite restaurants in NYC are David Burke's Townhouse and Craft
67. I know where to buy Theory and Tahari in NYC for 40% off!
68. I was proposed to on a carriage ride in Central Park.
69. I went for a run once in Woodmere, NY and got lost in Queens.
70. I’m a terrible clothes folder.
71. I’m not very neat.
72. I love to take long bubble baths. With Candles.
73. I used to wear glasses, then contact lenses, and now I don’t need either…I had my eyes surgically corrected (Lasik)
74. I hardly have any eyebrows.
75. I love Disneyworld.
76. I once took a sleeping pill before getting on a plane for a red-eye flight and fell asleep in the airport bathroom.
77. My husband makes me laugh every day.
78. I apologize too much
79. I never know what to say to family members at a funeral or memorial service
80. I HATE to ask for money.
81. I love to run, but have to run by places with bathrooms or port-a-potties because I can’t go six miles without having to go.
82. I drink 4-6 diet cokes every day...with crushed ice if possible.
83. I only drink coffee after dinner, if at all.
84. I love all kinds of nuts, peanuts most of all.
85. I rub my husband’s back in bed every night.
86. I can never remember my dreams.
87. I love mushy gushy love stories
88. I have acrylic nails (cause mine are like paper)
89. I drive a hybrid car
90. I worked at Opryland, USA in high school
91. My ears are pierced twice (in each ear)
92. In college I could easily get to seven keys in Pac-Man without really thinking about it.
93. My first concert was Billy Joel
94. When I first got my driver’s license I used to skip school and drive all over town, just for the hell of it.
95. I absolutely LOVE the smell of fires burning in Colorado when it’s cold and snowy.
96. When I was 16 I worked at “Bonanza” and dropped the sticky table cleaning rag into the vat of iced tea and didn’t tell anyone.
97. I have an irregular heart beat, and had a cardiac ablation a few years ago to correct exercise induced ventricular tachycardia. 
98. My resting heart rate is 49.
99. I wish I had thinner legs.
100. I would rather spend time with my husband and daughter than anything else in the world.

To my 14 year old daughter...P.S.

I was browsing through the mom blogs on the Mom's Alltop site (which is a great way to scan through tons of blogs to find the most interesting posts), and came across White Trash Mom's post "I'm sorry it sucks to be 14". She hits the nail on the head with the whole "size" issue. Only the girls who are beanpoles can really wear the clothes that "everyone else" is wearing. It's hard enough for me to try not to pass on to H my fear of obesity (which runs in our family), and my (sometimes unhealthy) obsession with exercise. Most of the time, she is totally happy with her beautiful self, but when she goes in to try on clothes and has to go up a size or two, or the clothes just aren't flattering on her, because she doesn't weight 80 pounds, I can see her getting upset. I guess we all go through this at this age, but I don't remember the clothes being so tiny when I was 14. I really love one of the comments on this post, saying "You might add that if Marilyn Monroe were around today, they'd send her to the Woman's department at Macy's. And all of those Size 0s? In 50 years, they'll look really great with their decorated walkers, seeing as how their bones will have crumbled by then."

I'd like to add a P.S. to the letter:

P.S. I'm also sorry that you're discovering that friends who are starting to notice boys in a whole new way will totally leave you in the dust if you don't feel comfortable with flirting or dirty dancing (which you call grinding). That if you want to spend time with the girls you've known and loved since Kindergarten you'll have to also spend time with boys who are girl crazy and flirt and tease your girlfriends, making them think the boys really like them when they're just playing and having fun.

I'm sorry that you're sad when your friends choose to be with other girls who are into the things you don't like. But I'm also proud of you for standing your ground, and reaching out to some girls that you wouldn't otherwise have gotten to know. Being 14 kind of sucks, but it does get better, I promise.

Stay true to yourself. You might even start liking those silly boys, and you might enjoy the attention, instead of it making you uncomfortable. You might even make some new friends. As the years go by and your confidence and maturity grow, you will look back and think about the lessons you learned during difficult times.

I wish someone had written a letter like this to me when I was 14. I probably wouldn't have taken it seriously, anyway. I knew everything back then.

Greystone Inn's Potato Soup

If you've ever read any of my previous posts, you know we spend a lot of time in North Carolina. It's a community called Lake Toxaway, and it's a beautiful, turquoise lake at the top of a mountain. We found it 7 years ago, when we stayed at a resort called The Greystone Inn. Over the years, we've stayed there several times, then we started renting homes, and finally, last summer we bought a little place of our own there. We don't get there as often as we'd like, since H is so busy at school, but whenever we can get away, we're there.

Last week, while H was in Washington, DC, on a school trip, we spent the week there. It was so great. Our dog, Rosie, was in heaven. We hiked every day to a different waterfall, went mountain biking up Cold Mountain Road, swam in the lake, and J tried to teach me to golf. Not a pretty picture. He only let me use a 3 iron, and a putter. I teed up in the fairway, and still embarrassed myself.

We ate dinner on night at the Greystone, and I ordered this cream of potato and leek soup that I didn't think I'd like (I don't like creamy soups...too fattening), but ordered anyway because it came with the meal. It was so great I ate it all, and asked for the recipe. To my surprise the "cream" came from blending up the potatoes and leeks...it was a broth soup, and only had a tablespoon of olive oil in it!

Don't pay any attention to that description. It was phenomenal! I made it tonight, and J and H loved it. It's super easy, too.



Here's the recipe:
Potato Leek Soup


1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 large)
5 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold or red potato (about 2 1/2 pounds)
5 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add potato and vegetable broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until potato is tender. Place 3 cups of potato mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pan; bring to a simmer. Stir in salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes, serve warm.

Garnish with chives and croutons, if desired.

Yummy!

Email time machine!

I'm a list maker. I make lists all the time...on the back of envelopes, on the "memo" function on my phone, sticky notes all over the place, etc. I find that the more times I write it down, the more likely I'll remember it. Sometimes I even call my home phone to leave myself voice messages. The only kink in that plan is I have to find the list, and actually read it, or actually call my voicemail to pick up messages.

Is voice mail becoming a thing of the past? I used to call mine constantly. Now, I am lucky to check it once a week, and even when I do, I will save the message and promptly forget it's there. Email is better, because at least it's already written down. I just have to remember to go through old emails to check on things I need to do. I just came across what might be the next best thing...

I found an interesting website that will let you send emails in the future! Use it to remind yourself to do something that you’ll more than likely forget, keep your future self on the straight and narrow, even wish your friends happy birthday... I could email myself to remind me to make a hair or nail appt., buy birthday gifts, get something at the grocery store, etc. I haven't actually used it yet, but here's the website in case you want to check it out.



It's called Time Machiner. Add this to my list of things to do...email myself.

Insider's tips for Museums in Paris

Since we're planning a trip to Paris this summer I've been trolling the blogs to research insiders tips. We've done all the guidebook, touristy museums and things, but I'm looking for some other tips. Found a great blog...EyePreferParis...which is written by a former New Yorker living in Paris. The following is his post about museums, which I tried to make a link to but was unable to figure it out (haven't had my advanced blogging lessons yet), so here it is in it's entirety.

April 07, 2008
Best of EPP:Ten Insider Tips for Paris Museums & Monuments



Visiting Paris museums and monuments are the things you most want to do here. However, they can be crowded, overwhelming, and expensive. Here are 10 insider tips to make it smooth,efficient, and sometimes cheaper.

1. Go at Night
Some of the larger museums are open at night.
• The Louvre- Wednesday & Friday till 10PM( but they start chasing you out by 9:30PM)
• D’Orsay- Thursday till 9:45
• Quai de Branly- Thursday till 9:30PM
• Palais de Tokio- 11:30PM every night except Monday

2. Go Early
The Louvre opens at 9AM, so be an early bird and catch the Mona Lisa first

3. Buy Advance Tickets or a Museum Pass
You can buy advanced tickets in person or on the internet for most museums, monuments, and exhibits at Fnac

Museum Pass-If you plan on going to at least 2 museums a day, than a pass is a no-brainer and you cut through the lines.
Passes are good at over 50 museums & monuments in Paris & surrounding areas.
2 day Pass- 30 euros
4 Day Pass-45 euros
6 day Pass-60 euros
Available at most museums
Click here for official site www.Parismuseumpass.com

You can also order in advance and have passes delivered to your home or hotel for an additional cost.
http://www.gotoparis.net/musee.html

4.Fast Louvre Tickets
Inside the Carrousel de Louvre (the shopping mall in the Louvre) there is a Tabac that sells tickets.Closed on Tuesdays.

5.Metro Stop for the Louvre
The metro stop is Palais Royal-Musee de Louvre off the 1 & 9 lines, not the Louvre-Rivoli stop.

6.Free Admission
Many Paris museums are free on the first Sunday of the month.

7. Small Museums with Free Admission
Some of the best Paris museums are small gems with free admission.
Click here for list- http://parisnotes.com/museums/parismuseums.html

8.Fastest Entry to Eiffel Tower
The fastest way to get into the Eiffel Tower and bypass the lines, is to make reservations at Altitude 95 restaurant on the first floor.
Instructions
• Call Altitude 95 @ 01 45 55 20 04 and make reservations as far in advance as possible .Ask for window seats. Average price per meal :50 euros per person.
• When you arrive, go to kiosk on the left between the legs of the tower, when you are facing the front.

9. Guided Tours of Louvre, D’Orsay, & Versailles
The most informative and efficient way to see The Louvre, D’Orsay, & Versailles is to go on a private or group tour.

Group Tours Given by the Museum
Louvre- Tours are in English and last 90 minutes.
Times: 11AM, 2PM, & 3:45PM everyday except Sundays & Tuesdays.
Cost: 5 euros in addition to entry fee.

Musee D’Orsay- Tours are in English and last 90 minutes.
Times: 11:30AM &2:30PM everyday except Monday.
Cost: 7.50 euros in addition to entry fee.

Versailles- Tours of private rooms are in English and last 90 minutes.
Times: 11AM, 1PM, 2PM, & 3:45PM everyday.
Cost: 7.50 euros in addition to entry fee.

I highly advise tours with a private guide and can recommend some excellent, very experienced ones. Email me and I will send you their information.

10. Best View of Paris-Bell Tower at Notre Dame
Climb 250 steps up the bell tower and see where Quasimodo rang those bells. Most experts and historians say this is the best view of Paris, showing mostly the older part of the city.

I'm adding this to my other favorite Paris blogs: Pollyvousfrancais, the Paris Blog, and La Belle Saison

Ilegal Cell Phones

As I've mentioned in previous posts, H is in Washington DC this week on a school trip.

A couple of weeks ago we had the obligatory parent/student/teacher meeting outlining all the rules of the road for the kids. Personally, I don't know how the five 8th grade teachers can muster up the energy to supervise 80+ 8th graders for five whole days. I shudder to think of it.

We were told they had to give up their cell phones every day and wouldn't get them until they returned to the hotel every night after dinner. So I was pleasantly surprised to get a few texts from her yesterday, from the Smithsonian, the Holocaust museum, the lawn between the Washington and Jefferson memorial. We felt like we were experiencing the trip with her, and thought the teachers must have relaxed a bit on the cell phone ban.

Got a phone call from her this morning. She won't be able to contact us at all today.

The teacher caught her using her cell phone yesterday.

I love North Carolina Mountains!!!

We're in the mountains this week since H is in DC on a school trip. I love the off-season. Nobody is here, so it's easy to get reservations and the traffic is almost non-existent. The lake is so beautiful, it's crystal clear and the sun makes it look like sparkling diamonds. Rosie (our black lab who needs to lose weight due to arthritis at the young age of 3), was so excited, and even though the weather is pretty cold (snow last night), she jumped in the lake and swam like crazy. We bought new chaise lounges for the deck and watched the sun set and listened to ... nothing, really. Some ducks and the sound of the wind chimes on the deck.



I miss my daughter. I wish she was with us, but she is having a great time with her class in DC. This place is so perfect, it makes missing her a little bit easier.

Nicole Kidman does yoga!!

I used to be in sales. So I had a lot of practice making small talk with people I didn't know. I'm actually pretty good at it. I can go to a party with a bunch of strangers and usually meet a few people and converse without totally sticking my foot in my mouth or saying something stupid.

But introduce me to a celebrity and I become a stuttering, bumbling, embarrassing mess.

Living in Nashville, I actually do cross paths with a few singers, songwriters, NFL football players, etc. When we have kids that go to the same school, or play on the same basketball team, I can usually have a regular conversation, and use real words and everything. But put me somewhere where I don't expect to see them, and I can't even speak English.

A few years ago, Eddie George (ex-Titan's running back and gorgeous specimen of a man/athlete) was on an airplane with us, flying to LA. Even though we'd never met, J's trainer also taught Eddie yoga, so J felt like he knew him. J pointed him out to me and before I could register that he was sitting right in front of us, J walked over and shook his hand. He introduced himself, said he was a big fan, shared yoga stories, and pointed at me, introduced me as a huge fan. I reached over to shake his hand, opened my mouth and said, "Nahaiel kssld ijflk djsl". Eddie nodded like he totally understood what I was saying and was very nice. That kind of thing happens to me a lot.

So yesterday, I went to yoga, and when I got there I realized it was a different teacher. I almost left, but then thought, "What the heck, I'm already here." So I nabbed the only space left in the back row next to an empty mat. Class started and a couple of women snuck in to the empty mats on my left. I glanced over to see if it was someone I knew, and it was Nicole Kidman! She and Keith just bought a big house in a development close by, and I've heard people say they've seen her at Starbucks or whole foods, but I would never have expected to see her in a yoga class. Seems like she'd want to have someone come over and privately teach her in her home. So I'm trying to act all cool, like I see her everyday. I tried not to look at her, which is very difficult, because she's so tall and beautiful, with this luminous skin that's hard to believe. I don't know how far along her pregnancy is, but it's hard to even tell that she has a little bump. I spent more time trying to keep my eyes straight ahead, so that I wouldn't make her feel uncomfortable by looking at her, than I did thinking about the yoga class. She stayed for the whole class, and did almost every pose (modifying for the baby). I made it through the class without getting caught sneaking a glance, didn't try to talk to her (what a disaster that would have been), and left before she did.

She's probably wondering who the stuck up weird woman was next to her.

Blogging 201...I need advanced lessons!

Now that I've been doing this blogging thing kind of regularly for a few months, I realize how much I don't know about blogging. Every time I figure one thing out, it changes.

Like blog subscriptions. It took me hours to figure out how to get an RSS feed, and let people subscribe to my blog. I think I have like two people who subscribe to my blog. I'm burning up the blogosphere, I tell ya! Seems some people think that's too old school. There are a few aggregators that are making it easier to scan the top headlines from a whole lot of blogs. I found out about one of them from Soapbox Mom, called Alltop...from the blog expert, Guy Kowasaki. There are nine categories, work, living, cultures, geekery, etc., and the top stories from the top blogs. (Mine's not there...yet) I also like Nashville is Talking, produced and hosted by WKRN-TV in Nashville, and it covers blogs and what people are talking about in and around Middle Tennessee.

Oh, and the name of my blog. I don't think I'm any busier than any other mom out there, and I would have loved to have a really great, catchy name, but now that I've registered it on more sites than I even know about, I have NO IDEA how to change it. Plus, there's another "Busy Mom" who has a blog that's about a million times better and well written than mine, and she's had the name a lot longer than me. So, with great apologies to the original Busy Mom, if anyone has any suggestions on how to change the name of my blog and not lose the two regular readers (or a few more on a good day), I'd love to have it.

And another thing...how do you make the comments automatically show up under each post? I'm guessing I would have to really learn html language or something and use something other than blogger to get that, but I like going to other blogs and reading their comments without having to open another window.

Other things I've learned that probably don't need a solution, or a solution doesn't really exist, is that blogging has added to my procrastination problem. I need to study my bridge lesson, or fold clothes, or get some sleep, or go for a run, but I have to look at a few blogs and before I know it I've spent hours at the computer. Biking season has started which will put a dent in my blogging frequency, I'm guessing, because it takes a lot longer to bike than it does to run. That is, assuming I manage to bike before I sit down at the computer. Come to think of it, writing the blog has exacerbated my 'busy mom-ness', so maybe it's a good name after all!

O.K. I sat down here 64 minutes ago on my way to study for bridge tomorrow. I really need to go do that. Just want to check out one more thing before I go....

Jason Castro before Dreds

The itunes version of Jason Castro's "Travelin thru" is out, and it is phenomenal!

I think I've figured out why I have such an emotional connection to Jason. Here's a before-dreds picture of him at 16. Looks just like a boy I had a huge crush on in high school. I joined the track team because of him...and I was the slowest hurdler in McGavock history!



And I'm always a sucker for a guitar-playing singer.

Door to Door Magazine Solicitors

Yesterday afternoon, I was in my office and H was upstairs doing her homework and the doorbell rang. I looked out and there was a young man standing there, no car visible anywhere, and I didn't recognize him, so we didn't answer the door. I watched him walk away from our house, up the street and into the neighbor's driveway to ring their doorbell. Didn't think much about it.

Then, last night around 8:45 p.m. (wayyyy past dark) the doorbell rang again, so J answered. This young man started out with a nice introduction, selling magazine subscriptions (4-5 year long subscriptions!), blah, blah, blah. J said he wasn't interested. The guys said, "But it will really help me out, keep me off the streets (where he was, actually), can't you just help me out a little bit?" J said, "No, I'm not interested"
"Well, your neighbor, Bob, said that at first, too, but then he was kind enough to help me out." And so on, back and forth, until J almost had to push him away to close the door. J even suggested the young man call him at his office the next day, because he was always looking for salespeople (really just wanted to get him to go away), but the guy didn't want to do that. Those magazines must really pay a lot of commissions!

I hear stories about these guys all the time. Some company pays them, takes them to neighborhoods, puts them up in cheap hotels and pushes them hard to make sales. Since the "Do Not Call Registry" has taken away one form of revenue for these scumbags, they're starting to venture back into the neighborhoods. Creeps me out.

FYI: The top five lies told by door to door salespeople (I think our guy told four of them)