Weekend fun and dreams come true

Weekend fun and dreams come true

June 15, 2014 / No Comments

Today was a pretty good day. It was a weekend, of course, which meant I got to hang out with M, the love of my life. Few things are more enjoyable than that. We spent several hours in bed, drove down to Massachusetts and ate barbecue, heard the news that one of our closest friends had gotten engaged (woo hoo!), saw a double-feature at the movies then drove home under a full vanilla moon.

Due to our schedules, I rarely have the opportunity to sleep with my husband. And when I do, I generally fall asleep faster and rest more fully. Today, I didn’t sleep for very long, but the dreams were tasty. One involved going to a Dunkin Donuts and ordering an entire box. The dream version of me stood in front of a fully-stocked counter of treats and picked out all the ones I wanted to try. Before I could take the first bite, however, I woke up.

On the way home from the movies, we stopped by a DD for coffee. Lo and behold, the Munchkin racks were newly stocked (a rare occurrence late at night), so I ordered a small box just for the hell of it. And thus, in the course of just 12 short hours, I made a dream came true.

(Photo by Palto)
The power of poison

June 14, 2014 / No Comments

Did you know that Agatha Christie decided to become a mystery writer while mixing medicines at a hospital during World War I?

Or that wolfsbane — a plant once thought to weaken werewolves — is so poisonous that florists have gotten sick just from touching the flowers?

Or that the powerful venom of the Gila monster has been used to develop a drug to combat diabetes?

I didn’t either, until my friend, Ed came along. Ed has only known me for a few months and yet for some strange reason, he knows me well. Which is why I had to laugh when he recently sent me a link about a new exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History called The Power of Poison.

The exhibit, which opened in November, examines all things toxic. How poisons have been used by plants and animals as a defense against predators. How witches and wizards have utilized poisons as a source of magical power. And, of course, how people throughout time have employed poisons as a lethal weapon. But poisons have also been used to save lives, and are currently being studied by scientists for use in treating epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

Curated by parasitologist Dr. Mark Siddall, The Power of Poison shares examples of toxins in nature, myth, legend and science. Thanks to his efforts, you can learn all about the toxic skin of the pretty (but deadly) golden poison frog, the reason why hat makers in the 1700s and 1800s were believed to be mad and why alleged poisoner Lucrezia Borgia may have been innocent of the crimes historians have attributed to her.

If you share a similar fascination with poisons, and are going to be in New York City this summer, do check out the exhibit. Light knows I plan to. Can’t make the trip? Then take a few moments to view this “enchanted book” about poisons.

To those kind readers who now think I’m really very strange (but still plan to be in Manhattan before June 22), be sure to take in the museum anyway. The Butterfly Conservatory is particularly awesome.

(Photo by Pablo H. Caridad.)
Living vicariously through televised drama

June 7, 2014 / No Comments

Other than the cuddling, the thing I like most about watching TV with M is the opportunity to hypothesize afterwards about what we would — and wouldn’t do — in a similar situation.

“What are you, crazy? Don’t go into the darkened warehouse!”

“Of course I wouldn’t push the Execute button! That’s like choosing to jail yourself.”

“How can she be so stupid? Again? C’mon! That’s just bad writing.”

“Yeah, that guy totally needs to die.”

(Photo by Stephanie Swartz photography. Used with permission.)
Serendipity 5

June 2, 2014 / No Comments

One of my favorite places in New York City is the ice cream shoppe Serendipity 3. Yes, it’s uber-touristy and utterly overpriced, but the ice cream sundaes are outrageously good. As you can see from the picture on this post, each sundae is filled with at least three scoops of ice cream and topped with fluffy whipped cream, juicy cherries and so much hot fudge that the sauce oozes over the sides of the dish whenever you take a spoonful.

Today, I have a different serendipity in mind.

For some reason, $1 and $20 bills spend more time in my wallet than other forms of cash. When the rare $5 bill appears, I view it as a stroke of luck, a happy accident.

In the past, I’d hide that $5 bill in a sock drawer or coin purse. There it would remain, gathering dust, until I developed a yen for pizza. Regardless of how much dough was in my checking account, I could reach into my hidden $5 stash and treat myself (and whomever happened to be nearby) to dinner.

This practice of Lucky $5s and delivered pizzas continued for years. Even after I started making my own pies, I still put most of my $5 bills aside for a rainy day.

While walking through the grocery store this morning, I spied the frozen pizza section and remembered this odd habit of mine. That’s when I thought, isn’t it better to give than to receive? Perhaps it was time to upgrade my Lucky 5 habit to the Serendipity 5 plan.

What’s the difference? Well, now when two $5 bills cross my palm, I still plan to save one. M and I hope to buy a house in the near future and every little bit counts. But from this point forward, I shall give away the other $5 bill. I can donate it to a favorite charity, help those less fortunate or purchase an item that will brighten someone else’s day.

My hope is that the idea of Serendipity 5 will spread. What do you think?

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