"Lay Down" by Melanie

Tonight's episode of "Big Love" closed with a song I hadn't heard in decades. I traced it in memory to my friend Susie's "Woodstock" album but that wasn't it. Thank God for Google. Here's a little taste of Melanie in "Lay Down (Candle in the Rain)." The video's not great, but ya gotta love those Edwin Hawkins Singers!

Collectors run amok and the new Mr. Blackwell

21,000 '68 pennies, 600 nuns and a houseful of golf paraphernalia.  Here are three over-the-top collections I saw this week (and I thought my Polish pottery was out of control) plus a report on my spouse's scathing Olympic analysis.

"Modern Family": Better than Prozac

Having a hard winter? Suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder? Things just not going your way?  Watch Modern Family's "Not In My House" (or any of the fall-down funny hilarious episodes).  It will help.  Trust me.

Under one roof

Here's a trend piece I wrote about two families making multi-generational living work beautifully.  Part of me envies them; the other part wonders if I could handle it.

Best. Weather. Man. EVER.

And some say I have a flair for the dramatic....

I'm going for the gold, baby!

Another snowy Sunday and I've hunkered down to watch - and possibly win - the Winter Olympics.  Here's my strategy.

These are (our) kids in America

Anyone who's ever tried to get even a handful of high school kids to work together knows it's worse than herding cats.  That's why this video is so amazing to me.  Yes, it's a hometown school and, OK, my daughter happens to work there but, keep in mind, this is one, loooong take - no edits, no cut-aways.  The coordination and cooperation required to bring that many different kids together is no less than mind-blowing!  I don't know a single one of them, but I couldn't be prouder:

Take the time...

   I was ready to rant about Tiger's puppet-like performance yesterday, but this pundit said all I wanted to say in a more articulate way.  Instead, I'm choosing to share something that was emailed to me by a friend.  You may have already seen it but, if you haven't, I can't think of a better way to start a weekend.
  This is the Washington Post's Pulitzer Prize-winning think-piece about perception, tastes and people's priorities.  Read it through; it's exquisitely written.  Here is a video of the actual experiment:

   Media-bashing seems to be the sport du jour these days, but there's a lot of creative, thought-provoking work being done by journalists, and I'm proud to be one of them.
   Meanwhile, the question remains:  What else are we missing by moving too fast?

Tiger's got US by the tail, people!

This makes me want to lose my lunch: Tiger Woods' mea culpa statement carried LIVE on all 3 major networks PLUS cable tomorrow!?!   The Golf Channel doing a pre-game show?  A leaked copy of the statement reveals he's going to play the God card in a big way, too.  Gimme a break.

Bye-bye chocolate

   OK, I'm giving up chocolate for Lent.  It was going to be booze, but who am I kidding?  True, I don't eat a LOT of chocolate, maybe just twice a week in small doses, but the act of sacrificing anything is, for me, a big step in the right direction. 

Quote of the day

Some see the glass as half empty; some half full. I see the glass & say, "Are you going to finish that?" 
~ Paula Dean

(And that's why I love her.)

Happy Fat Tuesday!

 

I was just about to dash out for a salad when I remembered - doh! - it's the day before Ash Wednesday, the day when all diet bets are officially off.  Party on, revellers!  

Note to self...

    Next year, resist the urge to take advantage of Valentine's Day hotel promotion, no matter how great the discount.  Why?  Because everyone and their pig will take advantage of it, making for long waits everywhere and a LOUD ex-lover's quarrel at 2 a.m. in the room right next to yours. 
   There's just way too much pressure on people on V-Day, as my column today notes.

A Valentine's Day gift from Groupon

   Thanks to the collective buying power of Groupon.com (my new favorite way to save money), I received a coupon for a night in a recently renovated classic Kansas City hotel, a bottle of wine, and breakfast for two for the low, low price of $69 (a $71 savings)....and I'm redeeming it tonight!
   Groupon offers you fantastic deals on hotels, restaurants, gyms, dental services, massages, jewelry - you name it, they discount it - all in your area.  There's a new deal every day and the more people who sign up, the better the deals!  It's free, so if you haven't already done it, feel free to use this handy referral link.  (Then, create your own referral link and invite more friends.)
   In the meantime, this blog is out of commission for the next 24 hours. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

"This Too Shall Pass"

You may be familiar with OK Go from their Web-famous treadmill video.  Their latest YouTube offering is even more creative and will appeal to any parent who has ever sat through countless hours of marching band festivals, like yours truly.  (And, yes, that is really Notre Dame's marching band.)  My kids are going to love this.

Happy Light casts alien glow

My early bird neighbors are curious about the weird light emitting from my bedroom window every morning.  Never fear, Gladys Kravitzes!  It's only my full-spectrum Happy Light that I have set up inches away from my treadmill.  40 minutes of exercise AND a vitamin D infusion each day and I'm a freakin' Pollyanna!  (Oh, and note to playlist makers:  "Fire" by Jimi Hendrix - perfect running song!)

Love: Nature or nuture?

Here's a story I wrote on the chemistry of love, featuring one of the most adorable couples I've ever met, and another about traveling on the cheap.

How to report the news

As a former TV journalist, I found this Charlie Brooker video fall-down funny. I'll bet you do, too.  Click on video twice to view full-size:

Sluggy Patterson on the origin of "Slug Bug"

One of the eagerly anticipated Super Bowl commercials is a Volkswagen spot starring "30 Rock"'s Tracy Morgan featuring the old "slug bug" game. (Remember all those bruises on your arms in the 60's?) VW hasn't released a preview of the spot, but here is the alleged inventor of the game hilariously explaining how it came to be.

Two Sunday stories

As promised, here is my piece on poetry class at the men's jail, and a little fluff for your peanut butter on toast.

Sure, it's pretty and all...

 

...but come on, Mother Nature!  And 12 more inches expected on Sunday?!!

Cathy (n): Cool or cocaine?

   The latest irresistible time-wasting activity circulating on Facebook this week is to go to UrbanDictionary.com and look up your first name. 
   Mine has a number of definitions ranging from "the act of being extremely interesting, smart, cool, athletic, and just about every positive thing that a person can be" to "code name for cocaine."
   Hmm, I think I'll go with the first one.  It's slightly more appropriate than the second, the words "smart," "athletic," "cool" and "extremely" notwithstanding.  Besides, I only tried cocaine once in college, and I didn't inhale.

I'm into Pink!

   I admit I wasn't really listening to the music during Pink's astounding half-naked performance at the Grammys (which I plan to replicate at my next dinner party, after a tad more practice). But, I downloaded the song from iTunes and it's now among my playlist faves along with Dave Matthew's "You and Me." (Dave was so spiffed-up and cute, and I love the way he added layer after layer of orchestration and chorus....such a great celebratory love song and exuberant performers!)

I used to be up on all the great music before the Grammy's. 'Guess that's another sign of getting old.  Enjoy!

Six more weeks of winter

 

I think we should adopt a new policy regarding Pugsatony Phil and Ground Hog's Day:  

Don't ask, don't tell.