Refrigerator Etiquette

Unless you live alone, you probably share a refrigerator with one or  more persons.  That can be harmonious or it can be a challenge.  If all the refrigerator users in the house have the same refrigerator habits, it is all good.  However, usually one member of the house is very conscientious about the use of the fridge, while at least another one is, well,  trifling.
Refrigerator violations include:
Placing  uncapped containers holding liquids on the fridge shelves.  These containers always get knocked over and this makes a mess.
Leaving fruit in the refrigerator until it turns into something petrified, oozy, or unidentifiable. Yuck!
Letting  food grow fuzzy mold because it has been forgotten about.
Never refilling the ice trays.  Not everybody has their ice maker hooked up.
Never wiping up any spills.
Putting so many bottles in the inside door panels that the door has trouble closing due to the weight.
Putting fruit in the dairy section of the fridge.
Putting lettuce, carrots,and other veggies in the colder part of the fridge.
Putting cut, unwrapped onions in the drawer with the cheese and cold cuts.
Leaving the fridge door open for five minutes while you look in, trying to decide what you want out of it.

Violations or not, we all have to get along, so let us be kind to one another, and to our refrigerators.
I wish you and your fellow refrigerator sharers a harmonious kitchen existence!

TTYS,
Sylvia

Here Comes the Snow!

I was raised in the northeast, so I am used to having four distinct weather seasons each year.  In the winter, we expect for it to be cold and to snow.  What I have difficulty figuring out, however, is the way people here dash to the grocery stores and the gas stations when they hear that a snowstorm is coming.  It is kind of funny, because it is not like we are going to be snowed in for a  whole week.  Most of us have food staples enough in our houses that we will not starve before the roads are cleared.  As far as gassing up our cars, where are we going to drive to if the roads are blocked? 
You can barely get into the parking lot at Shoprite, because we have another snowstorm predicted for tomorrow.   I guess if there are children at home, they want to have milk for drinking and for eating cereal.  Of course, children also like juice, and sandwiches need bread.  Babies need their disposable diapers.   Others need their toilet paper.  Yet, I see lots of folks in the snack and soda aisles at the supermarket.
Why am I here?  I guess snowstorm shopping is a bit contagious!   Now, where do they keep the olives in this store?
Stay warm and dry,
Sylvia

A Blood Draw

I had to go to the lab for blood work today.  It is truly not one of my favorite activities, but every now and then,  it is necessary.  Think about it.  Who really feels relaxed while a stranger ties a rubber tube around your upper arm and pats around the inside of your elbow, looking  for a vein to show itself?
Who feels relaxed when the technician tells you to make a fist, and then swabs some cold alcohol on your arm?  You know what is coming next!
What about those little vials? I always count how many of them they plan to fill with my valuable blood.  When the moment of puncture arrives, I usually close my eyes.  Then,  I quickly open them to see if my blood is cooperating by flowing quickly into the vial. 
Finally, the part comes when the tech removes the needle from my vein and puts a cotton ball on the puncture spot and asks me to press down on it. 
Then, the tech covers the cotton ball with adhesive  tape, and I am so out of that chair!  Happy to leave!

 Oh, right before my turn at the lab today, there was a toddler who was there for a blood draw.  Listening to him pulled on my heartstrings.  I plan to tell you about that next week. 

Wishing you all the best,
Sylvia

Car Names

I was just thinking about automobiles and their names.  I know there is marketing pizazz behind it, but I wonder if we consumers are influenced by the names of our cars and other vehicles of transportation.  Do we associate ourselves with the image that comes to mind when we think of the names of our vehicles?  Is the name part of the reason we bought our vehicles?

During this musing, I thought of the given names of some cars, like:  Maverick, Challenger, Impala, Malibu, Charger, Dynasty, Cavalier, Neon, Escalade, Colt, Volt, Soul, Altima, Ultima, Maxima, Escort, Mustang, Tahoe, Prius, Beetle, Accord, Civic, Alero, Camry, Golf, Milan, Explorer, Outback. 
Whew! That's just some of the names; maybe the name of your car is on this list.

Maybe I have too much time on my hands today!  LOL!

TTYS,
Sylvia

Surprise Found Money

Money is not everything in life. I am clear on that.  However, it is fun to find money that you put in a certain spot and then thought no more about it.   Earlier, you may  have put this money in a coat pocket,  in a drawer,  in an envelope, in  your bathrobe pocket,  in another purse,  in your car, etc.  Then, you  did not miss it because you forgot about it. 

Yesterday, I found two twenty dollar bills in the back pocket of a pair of jeans I wore last week.  As soon as I took the bills out, I remembered that I had put them there while I was rushing out of the house.  My intention was to put them in my wallet, but I never did.  Cool! That money came in handy today.
I call this Surprise Found Money.  I do not have to return it to anyone because it is mine.  I do not consider it the same as lost money.  Finding lost money is cool, too.
Anyway, I think I will go through some of my old purses.  I might have some more surprises in store for me!

I wish for you some happy surprises!
Sylvia

Magazine Excess

Next on my list of things to pare down are my subscription magazines.  I only subscribe to two for relaxation reading, but as of today I am ending those subscriptions.  The reason for that is I have so many back issues that are unread.  One of my weird things is that I have a hard time throwing away magazines without reading them first.  I feel like I may miss reading some helpful hints or other information I should know about.
This was not so much a problem when I was teaching, because I made sure to read the magazines before I took them to my classroom.  My students enjoyed reading some of the articles about their history, and looking at the pictures and using them in art or writing projects.  They knew they could tear out the pages or cut out their favorite pictures.  My students would ask me for new issues after I read them and this would prompt me to keep up.
Now, for some reason, I do not get around to reading the magazines on schedule, and they have piled up.
I will give myself to the end of January 2011 to get caught up with reading the magazines that are here before I bring another one into the house.  Onward and  upward I go!

TTYS,
Sylvia

Easy Open Packaging

This is about some product packaging that aims to be simple and user-friendly, but instead is complicated and user-frustrating.  My latest example of this was a package of deli meat with the directions: TEAR HERE and RESEALABLE PACKAGE written on a strip at the top edge of the package.  I looked for the tiny tear starter indentation, put my fingers precisely there, and tried to tear as per the directions.
I was hungry, and I could see the sliced turkey inside the package, but I could not get to it by following the directions.  The turkey was so close and yet so far away.  Finally, I discarded all thoughts of following directions and  entered the so-called EASY OPEN package with a pair of scissors! 

Do not stand between a hungry woman and her sandwich.

TTYS,
Sylvia