The Perfect Pen

This topic may seem a little silly as I am typing about it, but haven't you ever wondered what drives us to find that perfect pen? Now, of course the only reason I bring this up is because I spent 30 minutes, yes, three-zero minutes, searching for the perfect pen today. It is completely possible that I would have been able to cut this time in half had I been able to test each pen's unique writing capability's. Yes, I think each pen has it's own capabilities.

Lets start with the bold point pen...and I will stop you right there. Why is there a bold point pen?? Just make it a marker for cryin' out loud! Who in their right mind would knowingly choose to write a document of any kind with a bold point PEN??? A toddler perhaps. Or a very near-sighted person. Give the kid some crayons and the near-sighted person a laptop with bold extra large print and call it a day.

Moving on to the medium point writing utensil. Now, in my experience I feel like I have run into more people who shy away from the medium points and go right for the fine point. So, Why, I dare ask, are medium point pens the easiest ones to find in A) Bulk packaging B) the cheapest prices and C) pretty much everywhere a pen is sold?? Are retailers, manufactures, etc that worried that a person will impale themselves with a fine point pen that they are willing to sacrifice the consumer's right to pure and utter scribing happiness, merely to avoid a lawsuit?? Come on now!! I know we may not be the brightest species on the planet, but at least let us enjoy a good "pen and flow." (I may have to coin that phrase.)

Once again, I digress...enter fine point pen. As mentioned earlier, I am finding more and more people enjoying the flow and crispness of the fine pointed writing friend. I was and am still occasionally in this group that enjoys a good Uniball Fine Point. (No, not Bic.) However, once again, shout out to good ol' Pops who has shown me the true meaning of writing bliss with the Uniball MICRO point. I remember growing up finding these completely black cased pens all over the house. The cap would be off and pen on the counter if Mom had last used it. She doesn't like to put caps back on pens...not sure what it is. Or the cap chewed like it was someone's last supper if my sister had it last. And of course, no cap at all if little bro had it in his possession for anymore than 5 seconds. I don't know if it was the level of respect I gave Dad or the pen that made me return it in its pristine condition to its natural home on Dad's desk. If you enjoy the feel and comfort of a fine point pen, I'm telling you...try the Micro. It will change your world.

I will leave you one last item to discuss around this topic. Why, oh WHY does your waitress (or waiter) ALWAYS have the best pen??

What is it about the Fall...?

I know, I know...it's been a minute since I have last posted, but I am back. I'm going to try to get back into my regular postings. So, I start back up with the question...What is it about the fall season that makes us crave certain smells, foods, etc?? The Fall/Autumn season is officially upon us. I pose these questions to all of my readers because I cannot come up with anything other than a semi scientific answer. However, before I reveal said semi scientific answer, I want to delve into some of the categories.

Let's start with the smells. Now, I don't know about you, but when I think of fall, I think of the smell of leaves, fires (from real fireplaces), apples and cinnamon, baked goods and clean laundry. I'm sure you most of you are on the same wavelength as me with the first few items. The last one may have thrown you off a bit though. Let me explain myself on that one. The reason I think of clean laundry in the fall is because when given them time, as soon as my laundry is done (especially sheets, towels and sweatshirts) I like to wrap myself up in said items as soon as it comes out of the dryer while it is still warm. Be honest...what can beat this feeling?? I don't get this same feeling or smell recognition in any other season but fall. As far as the other smells, yes, I know they are relatively common, but the beauty is that everyone probably has different memories and feelings associated with each smell. When I smell leaves, I think of when I was a kid. We would help our parents rake up the millions of leaves dropped by the 5 maple trees in our yard and then get to jump in the pile. Now, for those of you who never had the experience of a maple tree in your yard...yes, LOTS of leaves are to be had, however the little thing that most don't remember or think of....acorns. Yeah, jumping into a pile of leaves is all fun and games until you get an acorn in the knee, elbow or spleen. Let me be the first to tell you, they HURT! But still fun, nonetheless.

Next of course comes the smell of a fire from a real fireplace. What could be better than a nice wood fire with a cup of hot cider or hot chocolate on a cool fall afternoon or evening? Nowadays there are many who do not have the luxury of having such a fireplace or have chosen the gas fireplace road... If this is any of you, I beg you to get in front of at least one WOOD fireplace this fall. I promise you, it is worth it!

The smell of apples and cinnamon along with baked goods leads me into my next topic...food. For those who know me personally know that I don't generally get all that excited about food. It actually is in my nature that I should (my entire family seems to except me), however, yet again, I have to be different. :-) Although, when it comes to baked goods in the fall, we enter a whole different ball game. I made my first batch of cookies for the fall season. I decided to start out slow with the old fashioned chocolate chip. Don't want to get too carried away too early. Setting the bar high right off the bat with, we'll say a coffee or cheesecake, could prove to be difficult and in turn dangerous. Anyway, I digress...maybe it is the fact that the windows are all closed, forcing the sweet smell of sugary goodness to stay inside that makes it so satisfying to bake in the fall. In case you are like I used to be and unable to bake, there is a trick to getting the "smell of fall" in your house. All you need is an apple, an orange, cloves, and a cinnamon stick or two. You cut the orange and apple in half and put them in a pot with boiling water. Add cloves and cinnamon sticks and let it simmer. In about 20 minutes you will instantly have the best fall smelling house on the block.

We can all thank my mom for teaching me that little trick. Even though I now am able to bake a halfway decent pastry or cookie, I still like to throw this little number on the stove every once in a while. It's a nice touch for the fall ambiance of your home.

And now for the big finale....the semi scientific answer to what it is about the fall smells that just does something to each person in their own way. Now, I must preface this with the ever so clear fact that I am not a scientist, nor am I attempting to make anyone believe I have any idea what I am talking about. However, I like the fact that the smells of fall effect everyone differently because of their Amygdala (or the part of your brain that connects a smell to a certain memory). I told you, I'm no scientist! Anyway, sorry if that was anti-climactic. It's going to take me a few posts to get back into the swing of things. So bear with me and for pete sake, make a darn fire to sit in front of with some cookies and hot chocolate! :-)

Miss Cleo....

Since I had a post about our dog, Pace, it is only fair I make a post for "our" cat, Cleo. I put "our" cat because I have never owned/adopted/rescued a cat. I inherited this cat by default. There will be days I will call her our cat, but today is definitely an "our" cat day. The difference is basically when she does something(s) to drive me absolutely bonkers. Last night/this morning is one of those days. Little did I know when I "inherited" this cat, that cats are nocturnal. (We were a dog family) Would have been a deal breaker for me, but..... (Aishiteru that much!)

So, of course, when you want to sleep, cats want to play. Now, most cats could probably get away with not waking your up during the night. However "our" cat is not like most cats. Cleo is, how can I put this lightly..ah yes..a pleasantly plump Calico!! I kid you not. She weighs in at a whopping 20 lbs!! For those of you who are "cat clueless" as I was, the average weight for a cat is between 8-10lbs. I'll do the math for you...Cleo is TWICE that!! So you can just imagine when she plays at night, it sounds like a toddler is running around, with the occasional thump when she jumps. Another phenomenon about "our" Cleo is her purr. Most cats purr "within" themselves. Nope, not Cleo. She HAS to be different in every way, so her purr sounds more like a motor of a 1982 VW Bug-with a broken muffler. In case that didn't put her at the top of the "Special List," she has Hypothyroid disease AND Diabetes! Yes, that is correct, we have to give her a shot of insulin every night.

When Cleo is done with her playing at 4am she moves onto the next part of her routine, eating of course!! Even though we feed her right before we go to bed, she has to let us know she is eating again. She does this by scratching at the bed or jumping on the bed and pawing at our heads. Last night she decided to do both. You know...just in case I didn't notice her jumping into my face. (Note Picture: Imagine that flying towards you at 2am) I was having flashbacks to my younger brother waking me up at 6am because he wanted to play with his WWF Wrestler Action figures and he needed me to ref the matches.

I will admit, she has her moments where she is adorable. She has taken a liking to me, mainly when I am in my chair that allows her to lay on my chest. When she does that, she is kind of cute...until she crushes the air out of my lungs. If

she could just keep the nighttime activity to a minimum and perhaps keep her paws away from my head, that would be great! Thats all for today. Stay warm out there!

Resolution Schmezolution

Congratulations!!! You made it through the first decade of the New Millennium! Now comes the daunting task of making the infamous "New Year's Resolutions." Personally, I have never been a fan of them. Its almost like reverse psychology...you make these resolutions and 9 times out of 10 you break them within 2 weeks. It is a proven fact that it takes about 21 days to form/break a habit. So at least give it a solid 3 weeks!!

I like to call them my goals rather than my resolutions. I also like to make them more general (easier to blur the lines of success). For example, instead of saying "I am going to go to workout at least 3 times a week."; My goal is to live/eat healthier. Being realistic that I am horrible when it comes to working out and things come up that keep me from doing it (i.e. work, friends, being social, etc), I choose this healthier lifestyle goal so I can take baby steps to getting into the shape I want to be in. I know that if I give myself positive reinforcement for having a salad and fries rather than a burger and fries, I will feel better about myself. Thus pushing me to take the next step to use Balsamic Vinaigrette rather than Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing....ok, maybe not that far, but perhaps leave out the fries.

Now, I'm not saying that everyone fails at their resolutions. Some have a lot of more willpower and motivation to succeed and follow through with their resolutions/goals. I, however, am not one of those people. I need to take my baby steps. If I put all my eggs in one basket and go for the big cheese (is that enough clichés for you? ), I am almost certain to fail. With the small/general goals I set, if I can follow through with them, then its a gain. If not, I set new smaller goals. I believe in rewarding yourself and others for the little things. No goal is too small to celebrate once you achieve it.

Anywho, I wish you all luck with you 2010 Resolutions/Goals. If you have any tips on how to "stay the course" feel free to share them. I will keep you posted on any progress I make with my goals. (Notice, I am not disclosing them...just in case!) Ta Ta for now!