Category: Junk Drawer

Guinness is Good for You

~ Lenore Diane ~ 2 Comments
My friend and I enjoying our very first Guinness at the Guinness brewery in Dublin, Ireland.

Today I was going to write about creating the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich. However, because it is St. Patrick’s Day, it is a great time to write about and celebrate my love for Guinness. I know, I can hear your moans of disappointment. I’ll write about the perfect PB&J another time. Promise. Now, please understand, I rarely drink these days, because I have found that for me, anti-depressant meds and alcohol don’t mix well. If I enjoy one beer, chances are great that I will become quite sleepy within an hour and I will have a headache come sunrise. Still, my love for Guinness is as strong as it was the day I tried my first one.

Years ago, while traveling abroad, my friend met several people. She became quite close with two guys from Hemel-Hempstead, a town in Hertfordshire, England. Interested in visiting the guys again, she invited me on a trip to England in May 1997. It was my first trip across the big pond, and we had a wonderful time. While in England, we checked into the cost of flights to Ireland. The price was right, so we decided to spend a couple of nights in Dublin, staying at a Hostel.

When one goes to Dublin, it should be a rule to tour the Guinness Brewery. As an incentive, you are given a free half pint of Guinness after the tour. And, it was after the tour that I sipped my very first Guinness. The picture above was taken during this life-changing moment. The fact that someone next to us was wearing a team shirt documenting the month and year of this momentousness event was priceless. I enjoyed the half pint so much that I went up to the bar to see if I could buy another one. I was embarrassed to find out one could not buy pints or half pints, though I realized it was safer to limit the Guinness consumption. Plus, one need only walk a couple of blocks to find a local pub serving fresh Guinness.

My friend and I did not go pub hopping that afternoon, but it was the start of our love affair for Guinness. And during the rest of our trip, I took many pictures of glasses filled with freshly poured Guinness, topped with a shamrock drawn in the thick foam head. Nearly 13yrs later, my love affair with Guinness continues. If I am going to have a beer, my first choice is always Guinness, and I keep Guinness in the fridge just in case. Perhaps tonight, during our Wednesday night routine of PB&Js and a movie, I will enjoy a Guinness. Who knows, my traveling friend may enjoy a Guinness today, too. Are you afraid of the dark? Have a pint of Guinness. “Try it. You’ll like it.”

Happy-happies

~ Lenore Diane ~ 2 Comments
Vanilla ice cream with Happy-happies

One of my friends in high school worked at TCBY, a frozen yogurt place. TCBY was located right on the ‘cruising’ strip, where many teenagers drove around in their cars on weekend nights. When one actually got out of the car, they typically headed for frozen yogurt, ice cream or the movies. I like the frozen yogurt. I also liked the toppings for the frozen yogurt. More often than not, I would order a large chocolate yogurt with crushed Butterfinger on top. Mmmm, I can taste it now. For those who didn’t like Butterfinger candy bars, there were plenty of other toppings from which to choose: Oreos, Health Bar, M&Ms, different colored sprinkles and chocolate sprinkles. My friend used to call the different colored sprinkles ‘Happy-happies’. She was and is a very bright and happy person, much like the Happy-happies. And, though it has been over 20yrs since the TCBY days, I still look back and smile when I think of her and the sprinkles.

Thanks to Facebook, I recently reconnected with my friend. And, though 20yrs had passed, I quickly let her know about my recollection of Happy-happies. Though I don’t spend my life living in the past, I will bring up past memories when I run across friends from my past. I realize we are older now. I realize what was funny years ago may not be funny now. At least, I realize that is the case for some people; perhaps it is the case for most people. As for me, I look to humor and good thoughts whenever possible. If it means I make a total idiot of myself by drudging up some old memory, so be it. I know I’ll smile as  result. I hope my recently reconnected friend smiled, when I reminded her of the sprinkles. And, I hope she has smiled the countless times I have brought it up since. [I think this is No. 5678, but who’s counting?]

I saw an interview with Ellen Degeneres where she was discussing how she enjoys practical jokes and having fun. Ellen said, “I think it’s very important to stay childlike, and I think it’s very important to still play. Everybody stops playing when they get older, so that’s why I do it.” I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. And, I find that when I look back at the things that made me laugh as a kid, I will laugh again as an adult. Happy-happies make me smile. In fact, I went to the grocery store today and bought some vanilla ice cream and different colored sprinkles. Tonight, after supper, we are going to have ice cream with Happy-happies. While this may sound quite uneventful to you, it will be a big event for our house. Our boys don’t eat much junk food, and when my husband and I [Ok, when ‘I’] give them a junk food pass, they love it.  [Please note: I bought organic vanilla ice cream. And, I spent way too much money on the organic ice cream. It’s tough being a psycho about food.]

After our special dessert tonight, instead of reading a book before bed, we may decide to watch a movie. If I am lucky, the boys may just pick out the School House Rock DVD. Again, a happy memory from my past is watching School House Rock. And, I suspect it is no coincidence that the boys love ‘Conjunction Junction’, ‘Interjection’ and ‘Interplanet Janet’, as those were some of my favorite songs. [I should really put the ‘Just a Bill’ in replay mode for the boys, and educate them on the political process of making bills into Laws. Seems quite timely, due to the pending Healthcare bill currently on Capitol Hill, but I’ll spare a political rant . . . for now.]

Again, thanks to Facebook, I reconnected with another friend from school. This time, I was quick to remind the friend about ‘Interplanet Janet’, because it was always playing in my head when I saw her. I’ve already shared that story with the boys. As you might imagine, the boys were thrilled. And well – something tells me I should feel really silly for sharing this kind of thing, but those that know me, know me and expect nothing less of me. We also wrote a book together, ‘Wonder Pup Saves the Day’. I’ve reminded her about that book approximately 15,235 times. You’ll notice that number is higher then the number of times I reminded my other friend about Happy-happies. The Happy-happies friend is still fairly new to Facebook, so I haven’t had as much time to remind her. I’m working on it though, as is evident with this post.

I have many more happy memories. I could tell you about Moon Eyes and Joe’s Pizza, alas I can sense one of my best friends cringing and covering her eyes as she reads the previous sentence. She wouldn’t be surprised if I did write about it, but if she were beside me, I think she’d advise against it. I’ll skip Moon Eyes and Joe’s Pizza for now. Besides, now I have to introduce my boys to Happy-happies. I will tell them how Happy-happies originated, and I will show them how ordinary vanilla ice cream can come alive with bright, happy colors. I may leave out the part about me ‘cruising the festival’; then again, I rarely leave out anything.

Curious George

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

Every weekday morning, the boys and I sit down to watch Curious George, before we head to daycare or work. Though I wasn’t exposed to Curious George as a kid, my husband grew up with his parents reading Curious George books. I used to fumble through the books, when we were visiting his parents. I didn’t understand the draw to Curious George, perhaps because I am a girl or perhaps because I am just different. To me, the books were simply different tales of the man in the yellow hat leaving his monkey behind to cause trouble. George rarely listened, and his curiosity always got the best of him.

Ah ha! Causing trouble? Curiosity getting the better of someone? Sounds like a perfect formula for kids! More specifically, Curious George is the stuff of little boys, and the Dads who raise the little boys.

Truth be told, I’ve grown to love Curious George. And, I am quite fond of the classroom experiments that take place between each 15 minute episode. Our boys love Curious George, too. And, silly though it may sound, I believe our boys learn a bit about science and math, while watching the show. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t look to Curious George to teach our boys, but the fact that the show is somewhat educational is a nice bonus.

So, this morning I sat down with a cup of coffee and watched Curious George. I was waiting for the boys to join me. The boys didn’t wake up in time to watch Curious George, yet I sat and watched the entire show. I’m not sure what it says about me because I sat and watched Curious George without the supervision of a child. I think I’ll be OK, as long as I don’t feel the need to record episodes.

As I watched, all I could think was ‘the man in the yellow hat is a complete dork.’ He is suppose to be some sort of scientist, which makes me think he is smart. Then again, some of his actions lead me to believe the only bright thing about him is his yellow clothing. And, he seems to be oblivious to the fact that whenever he says, “Be a good little monkey,” it cues George to do the exact opposite.

I believe George is smarter than the man in the yellow hat – much smarter. I am not at all surprise that the man in the yellow hat is still single. I think women would have better luck with George than the man. But, I realize this is a kid’s show, and it isn’t about the man in the yellow hat finding a female (or male) companion. I mean, I’m not expecting the man in the yellow hat to try out for a spot on The Bachelor or even a bachelor on The Bachelorette. And yes, I realize I am talking about a cartoon and a reality show, but come on – both are pretty comical.

While watching Curious George, I came to realize what I liked most about this kid show, and other shows like it. Romance and sexual tension is not something you will find in shows like Curious George. Scripts for shows like Curious George are not written to create a love/hate relationship between the characters. I know, you are saying to yourself ‘duh’, right? Still, with all the dramas on daytime soaps and night-time television, I find Curious George to be quite refreshing. The man with the yellow hat is not interested (or too clueless) to worry about an adult relationship, and his friends seem to feel the same way. And, George? George is content running to the next corner and seeing what is around the bend.

Thank goodness for my kids. With kids in the house, I don’t feel nearly as odd watching kid shows as I would if it were just my husband and me. The boys and I can watch shows that are entertaining and educational. We’ll skip the kid shows that merely annoy. You know, shows like Caillou and Barney. Instead, we’ll enjoy watching the fun shows like Clifford, Dinosaur Train and – of course – Curious George. I look forward to watching Curious George tomorrow, even if the boys don’t wake up in time to watch it with me. Who knows, George might even be a good little monkey. (I hope not.)