My gripe of the month concerns my car and how it is trying to drive me crazy. I also reminisce about the Party Lounge I once had in my garage.
An interesting book I recently read is Girl Walks Out of a Bar: a Memoir by Lisa Smith. Ms. Smith was a high powered Wall Street lawyer but also was an alcoholic and a cocaine addict. She describes how she got there and how she managed to recover. A quick read but hard to put down.
And if you have no sense of direction, check out the short article on improving your sense of direction.
If you want to feel better, be happier, healthier and more creative, go outside. The hows and why of this are in The Nature Fix by Florence Williams and is reviewed below in Happy Trails.
No one seems to appreciate the virtues of pickled eggs. I do. They are a tasty snack and last for weeks. Here is my favorite recipe if you are interested. Spicy Pickled Eggs Recipe
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Quote for the month:
Why Is My Car Trying to Drive ME Crazy
By: Carla Cotropia
What is it with all the beeping? You can't even drive anymore without your car beeping at you. I know it is supposed to help you drive, but enough already. There is so much noise already, why does my Car have to fuss at me with those beeps if I get too close to something? The worst is when I stop. If I stop my Car, put it in park, then open the door, my Car screams at me with loud obnoxious beeping. Stop it Car! I know I need to turn off the motor. Why can't I open the door and then turn off the motor? Does my Car think I am going to get out without turning off the motor? Ok I may have, but only a couple of times. Does my Car think I am stupid?
To Improve Your Sense of Direction, Lose the Technology
By Christopher Mele
JAN. 9, 2017
Are you one of those people who get lost in walk-in closets? Do you build in extra travel time to account for getting lost? Is your sense of direction like a weather vane spinning in strong winds?
For the directionally challenged, getting from Point A to Point B can be a frustrating, time-wasting ordeal. If the idea of trying to get someplace unfamiliar makes you anxious, fear not: Experts say there are steps you can take to improve your sense of direction.
Maybe it's the forest smells that turn us on; aerosols present in evergreen forests act as mild sedatives while also stimulating respiration. Perhaps it's the soundscape, since water and, especially, birdsong have been proven to improve mood and alertness. Nature's benefits might be due to something as simple as the fact that natural landscapes are, literally, easy on the eyes. Many of nature's patterns - raindrops hitting a pool of water or the arrangement of leaves - are organized as fractals, and the human retina moves in a fractal pattern while taking in a view. Such congruence creates alpha waves in the brains - the neural resonance of relaxation.
