Waffle House

So we're picking up a friend tomorrow at the Atlanta airport and because this friend has lived in St. Paul the past few years, she doesn't have access to the Waffle House. She surely has other food treats we don't have; but in talking with her earlier in the week, she requested a stop at the WH for lunch.
Ahhh. You can take the girl out of the South, but ...

Good advice

Live in rooms full of light
Avoid heavy food
Be moderate in the drinking of wine
Take massage, baths, exercise, and gymnastics
Fight insomnia with gentle rocking or the sound of running water
Change surroundings and take long journeys
Strictly avoid frightening ideas
Indulge in cheerful conversation and amusements
Listen to music.
~ A. Cornelius Celsus

(From Wikipedia.com: Aulus Cornelius Celsus (ca 25 BC—ca 50) was a Roman encyclopedist, known for his extant medical work, "De Medicina," which is believed to be the only surviving section of a much larger encyclopedia. The De Medicina is a primary source on diet, pharmacy, surgery and related fields, and it is one of the best sources concerning medical knowledge in the Roman world. The lost portions of his encyclopedia likely included volumes on agriculture, law, rhetoric, and military arts.)

More weight, less fat

Tina Haupert at Health.com writes here about adding weight/circuit training to your cardio routine. It can slim you down because your body keeps "working" even after you've put up the weights. (Don't ask me exactly how this works.) Weight training builds muscle, rather than fat, as well. I myself have gotten out of my weight training. It just happens. I love my Spin class so much, and riding outside, that I neglect the weights.
Even if you don't have a gym membership, you can find at-home circuit training routines online.
Like this one.

Resilience

Here's a good article on resilience and overcoming, in the face of great adversity such as cancer. And how hope can keep people well, not only psychologically but also physiologically. (The flip side, of course, is the mystery that even the most hopeful and resilient person can die of cancer. Sometimes disease overtakes.)
Still, maintaining a sense of hopefulness is good for the soul, and for those who come in contact with us.

"Angela's Ashes"

Still catching up on the news from our absence. The L.A. Times ran this obit last week on author Frank McCort of "Angela's Ashes" fame.
I like what he said about his age (which, at the time of an interview, was 66): You're either expected to die then, or get hemorrhoids.
McCort, a great storyteller who won the Pulitzer Prize for "Ashes," managed to squeak out 12 more years after that. Interestingly, he spent most of his career as a teacher, at this famed New York school.
Another one of the greats passes on.

Vacay

A super time in the mountains. This is a bridge between Hwy 107 near Cashiers and Highlands, NC. The river is the Chattooga. Very picturesque. We went out on the river Wednesday evening and saw some fly fishermen and hiked along a trail.
The "road" over the bridge is mostly gravel and mostly one-lane (and quite curvy), but a shorter route between Cashiers and Highlands, for sure.
One story: Driving back to our cabin one night (on a paved road), we were behind a van. Suddenly a deer ran alongside the road and apparently tried to jump over the van. He didn't quite make it. His left side hit the back windshield, and he sort of rolled off. But, amazingly, he bolted right up and ran to the other side of the road. It happened in a matter of seconds. The van seemed unharmed.

I Feel Bad About My Neck

This is the title of a great bargain find this afternoon at the Columbus Public Library. (The Friends of the Library had a sale for the store, where My Mama is a volunteer.)
Nora Ephron wrote it. I'd been wanting to read it, so at $4, why not? It'll make a great vacation read. (We're heading out tomorrow, in case I haven't mentioned this enough. Please don't rob us.)
Ephron was also recently profiled in The New Yorker. Fascinating woman. And I've loved every single one of her movies, notably "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle."
Here's a 2006 review of "I Feel Bad About My Neck."
Have a great weekend and week, all.

Early Girl

So. On Tuesday, we have a lunch date with some friends at this place in Asheville, N.C.
It's near this place. Which is close to this place.
Asheville fascinates me. Such an interesting combination of mountaineers, hippies, intellectuals, retirees, bankers (North Carolina being a big banking state) and the homeless. Great town to people-watch.
We're very much forward to being away for a few days. I understand the place we're staying has a hammock. 'Nough said.

P.S. And how could I have forgotten about Mast?

Hiccups

This man had the hiccups for two years (scroll down to photo of the guy drinking water). Which would be bad enough, but the story has an even sadder ending. Doctors found the cause of his problem: a brain tumor. Hopefully it's not malignant.

Frank Deford

Sports Illustrated senior writer Frank Deford writes about the greatness of Tiger Woods in this recent column. And how it's usually difficult to compare a contemporary athlete with one from a previous generation, one who might have had more challenges and what-not.
(Yet despite the real difficulty of naming a "best ever," it doesn't stop guys in the office from debating. Very entertaining.)
Deford is one of my favorites. First found out about him when I read a very non-sports book of his many years ago. "Alex: The Life of a Child" is about his first daughter's battle with CF and her declining health then death. It's a classic. So I usually read his sports work with this book--and his experience--in mind.

Inordinate

This is my new favorite word.

in⋅or⋅di⋅nate
  /ɪnˈɔrdnɪt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [in-awr-dn-it] Show IPA
Use inordinate in a Sentence
–adjective
1. not within proper or reasonable limits; immoderate; excessive: He drank an inordinate amount of wine.
2. unrestrained in conduct, feelings, etc.: an inordinate admirer of beauty.
3. disorderly; uncontrolled.
4. not regulated; irregular: inordinate hours.

--Webster's

What's your favorite word, dear Internet?

Paul Hemphill

The South lost one of its longstanding writers over the weekend. Paul Hempill died of cancer. He wrote for the Atlanta newspapers and before that a string of other ones. Hemphill was a Birmingham native whose main gift was writing about ordinary things and ordinary people. To put him in context, he was the predecessor to Lewis Grizzard. After that, he wrote books and taught at Emory University.
Read his obit here.
I first discovered him many years ago through one of his books, "Me and the Boy." It chronicles his thru-hike attempt of the Appalachian Trail with his son, David. In a small-world moment, I came across a mention of Billy Winn. Billy is a dear friend and is my husband's former boss, and was good friends with Hemphill from his own newspaper days in Atlanta. (Wherever I was living at the time, I wrote to Billy and said: "Is this you?")
Paul had to get off the trail a couple of times during the hike and convalesce in Atlanta, thus he and David didn't get all the way to Maine. He had knee problems (the eventual diagnosis was not enough bulk in his thighs. Oh, that we all could suffer this malady). His Atlanta doc suggested that when he needed to make camp, because of his pain, he tell his son: "Here we camp."
It's a wise person who knows when to say when.
Rest in peace.

Keillor: Healthcare

Leave it to Garrison Keillor to boil down the healthcare crisis, as only he can.
Speaking of, a group of us went to McDonald's for lunch today because a co-worker was there to collect for the Ronald McDonald House.
The healthiest among us got a salad (which was not me). I'm reminded, at this moment, why I seldom go to the Golden Arches. Mainly because I don't feel too great. Also this particular establishment has one drink station. One. At high noon on a south Georgia day, this means one thing: a line. The fries got cold.
But it was great for people watching. One of our fellow diners had a sleeping bag draped over his arm.

Viva la Lance

Yep, it's Tour de France time. And many of us who follow it (just nominally, or religiously) are paying close attention to this guy.
As in recent years, Lance's age is working against him. (He's an old man in the racing world.) Yet. He's never someone to be discounted. Perhaps we can count him out when he's 90. But when he's competing, he will always be on your wheel, if not in front of it.

Madoff

This just has to be shared.
Secondly, when I grow up, I want to be a "consultant." I figure, if there's such a thing as a prison consultant--dang!--the economy isn't so bad after all.

Federer

What an amazing feat.
Roger Federer d. Andy Roddick 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 at Wimbledon and is now being called the best ever (having surpassed Pete Sampras' record). Or at least the best in his era.
Read it all here.
Bravo, as well, for Roddick for giving him a run for his money.

Three-bean bake

Three bean bake
Nice accompaniment for outdoor summer supper

2 TBSP butter or margarine
1 large onion, chopped
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 15-oz can pork and beans
1 15-oz can lima beans
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 TBSP vinegar
1 TBSP prepared mustard
One-half cup brown sugar
1 tsp. pepper
4 slices bacon, partially cooked

Brown onions in butter and place in large mixing bowl.
Partially drain kidney beans, pork and beans and lima beans; then add to brown onion.
Add remaining ingredients except bacon and mix well.
Place in baking dish and top with bacon.
Cook in preheated oven at 325 for one hour.
Yield: 8-10 servings.
--A Southern Collection: Then and Now
(This is our local Junior League cookbook. I'm telling you, those Junior Leaguers can cook!)

Core strength

This fitness blog on Msn has these 10 tips for toning your core. (Your abs and lower back are part of your core.)
If you're like me, though, you're frustrated by tips like these--or some of them. For instance, one on this list suggests seltzer water instead of alcohol, on occasion. Yet other studies say a glass of red wine a day is good for you.
Which is it?

Crane

Stationery is very much on the brain today because of a half-price sale at this local place.
Get you some!, while supplies last.
Crane is probably my favorite. You might say, "a piece of paper is a piece of paper." Not so. The texture is just right. Also, especially in a recession, Crane is better at half-price.
Seen here, our Fat Cat Bisquick checks out the finds. He'll probably get into this later and write some notes.