Ten Things We Can't Do Without

I recently saw two lists, each claiming to be the top ten things we can't do without.  While the two lists had several items in common, they weren't identical.  That got me thinking.  There are some things that are very obvious and others that are so much a part of our day-to-day activity that we don't think about them as being essential to our daily lives.  Of course, when that item is suddenly not available, its impact becomes glaringly important.

In almost no particular order, here are ten items that we feel we can't do without.  Of course, without the first item most everything else becomes a non-issue.

1)  Electricity:  From that almost all else flows.  Without that wall plug-in receptacle that we totally take for granted, all our gadgets would be useless.  They would simply sit there collecting dust.  What's that you say?  Your laptop computer runs on battery?  Your cell phone runs on battery?  You have a battery operated television?  Well, unless they run on solar power, those rechargeable batteries need to be recharged on a regular basis.  Do you remember the last time a major storm knocked out all power for days?  I do.  And since I have an all electric kitchen, I couldn't even boil water for instant coffee.  That was a rude shock!  And, of course, the refrigerator and freezer were no longer functional.

2)  Plumbing/Flush Toilets:  No explanation necessary here.  :)

And now that the two primary overall items are out of the way, let's talk about specifics.

3)  Air Conditioning (and heating):  Office buildings, hotels, restaurants, stores, private residences, even our vehicles…we can't imagine them without air conditioning with the exception of only a few places.  And for those of us who live with a cold winter climate, we definitely need that heating system.

4)  Computers:  Needless to say, our computers are an integral part of life.  Whether you're always on the go with your laptop, tablet and/or smart phone or stay at home with your desktop, computers are a major factor in our lives.  And not only our personal computing gadgets.  Look around you…everywhere you go and almost everything you do is somehow computer controlled or computer generated…even the monthly bill for item #1's electricity.

5)  High Speed Internet:  Closely aligned with number three is the need to be able to access and use the internet as quickly as possible.  Waiting for a large download that seems to be moving at a snail's pace is way too frustrating.

6)  Cell Phone (smart phone):  Unlike some people I know, I am not addicted to my cell phone.  I don't need to have it in my hand at all times in order to instantly access text messages, tweets, or updates from various places.

I recently saw a news segment (CNN or network news, I don't recall) about a test to evaluate teenagers and texting while driving to see just how addicted they were to that connection.  The teens all stated that texting did not pose a hazard while driving because they could still give their attention to the road.  One at a time, the teens were instructed to sit at a driving simulator without their cell phone and were put through a program including children running into the road in front of them, cars running red lights and stop signs, cars backing out of driveways, and other hazards of daily driving.  Then the cell phone was returned and they were to go through the program again while texting.  The teens all thought it would be easy, after all they had just seen all the obstacles the program threw at them.  Well, surprise…it was a different program.  Not one of the test subjects was able to successfully complete the program without at least two potentially life-threatening incidents when they hit a car or a person.  Now, the point of this tale—one girl refused to set her cell phone aside as if she would actually stop breathing if it wasn't in her hand.  The instructor finally talked her into placing it on the dashboard in front of her.  As soon as she took her hand away, he quickly took the phone and placed it on a table outside the simulator.  This girl literally went into panic mode and had a full-blown anxiety attack on camera because that phone was now 5 feet away from her and she couldn't reach it.

However, even on the most basic level a cell phone has become a necessity.  The pay phone seems to be rapidly disappearing from the American landscape.  Even at airports where you used to be able to find an entire bank of pay phones as soon as you got off a plane, that's no longer the reality.  Maybe a couple of pay phones, but even those usually require phone cards rather than actual money.

7)  Television:  Yep, whether we use it for entertainment or news and other informational areas, we all have them and can't seem to do without them.  There's something both sad and funny about surfing through one hundred channels and complaining that there's nothing on.  And if the cable goes out…well, enough said.

8)  Automatic garage door opener:  One of those many things you take for granted because it's always there.  Hmmm…I think we just segued back to electricity.  There you are, in your car with the rain pouring down and 60mph winds.  You're wearing your best clothes because you've just come from the society event of the decade.  And you need to get out of your car to unlock and manually open the garage door.  Or, everything is covered in ice and snow and you're thanking the deity of your choice that you made it home safely…but now you need to walk on that ice and through that snow to get your garage door open.

9)  Automobiles:  In some places more than others.  There are certainly places where one can live without the need for a car because the public transportation is excellent.  Some places where owning a car is a disadvantage due to the expense of needing a place to park it.  Certainly New York City (or more specifically, Manhattan) comes to mind.  But for most of us, an automobile is an absolute necessity in order to get to and from our job, go to the grocery store, and other required chores.

10)  I think I'm going to declare this slot as a tie between remote controls and coffee:  We definitely have become a society too lazy to get out of the chair to change the channel on the television.  And that's only one of many remote controls.  Even on our key ring we have the remote door lock/unlock and trunk open for our car.  And coffee…it's obviously big business when there are establishments that can truly be called coffee shops because coffee is the only thing they serve.  I can't speak for anyone else, but I have a small four cup coffee maker in my office so that I don't need to go to the kitchen to make coffee first thing in the morning when I turn on my computer and access my high speed internet while reaching for the remote control to turn on television to watch the morning news…well, as you can see, I'm back at electricity again. :)

Honorable Mention:  I felt compelled to include chocolate and wine. 

What modern convenience is an absolute must have for you?

Are You A Right-Brain Or Left-Brain Thinker?

The two sides of the human brain have distinct abilities unique to either the right side or left side.  An individual's strengths and weaknesses are often based on which side of the brain is dominant.  It's always been presented to me as left-brained being the logical, methodical, and pragmatic side and right-brained is the creative side.  There have been books written on this phenomenon.

At least that's the way I've always understood left vs. right brain.

The first thought is that writers must be right-brained since writing is a creative effort.  And many writers are also involved in other creative endeavors such as various forms of the arts and music.  But it seems to me that's only partly true.

As a writer, I certainly deal with my right brain creative side.  But as a writer, I also need my left brain methodical, logical, pragmatic side as part of my creative effort.  I would consider doing research as being methodical left-brained.  And then there's the switch over from right brain creative to left brain logical when writers go into edit mode.  And that edit mode is necessary in order to take a creative effort and hone it into a marketable effort.

I recently came across a ten question quiz to test whether someone is a right brain thinker or a left brain thinker.  Not sure I agree with all the conclusions, but I found it interesting.

Are you ready?

1)  Are you better at math and science than art and literature?

If your answer is YES:  People who are left-brained thinkers (logic) are often better at math and science over art and literature.

If your answer is NO:  People who are right-brained thinkers (creative) are usually better at art and literature than math and science.

2)  Do you love playing sports outdoors over reading indoors?

If your answer is YES:  Right-brain thinkers (creative) enjoy the great outdoors and athletics.

If your answer is NO:  People who are left-brained (logic) usually prefer staying indoors and reading.

3)  Do you prefer verbal communication over physical communication?

If your answer is YES:  Left-brain thinkers (logic) love to work things out by talking.

If your answer is NO:  Right-brain thinkers (creative) believe actions speak louder than words.

4)  Would you rather draw pictures freehand instead of putting together a model airplane?

If your answer is YES:  Those who are right-brained (creative) are not fans of tremendous structure and prefer having some creativity at work.

If your answer is NO:  Those who are left-brained (logic) are in need of structure and prefer having specific guidelines at work.

5)  Do you like being in groups more than being alone?

If your answer is YES:  Group oriented people are usually right-brained (creative).

If your answer is NO:  Loners are usually left-brained (logic).

6)  When given instructions, are lots of pictures easier to understand than text?

If your answer is YES:  Right-brained (creative) people love picture explanations.

If your answer is NO:  Left-brained (logic) people much prefer text explanations.

7)  Have you noticed that you're better at providing the details and necessary information for a project than coming up with the initial idea?

If your answer is YES:  Left-brained (logic) are more into processing information and details than being involved in the creative process.

If your answer is NO:  Right-brained (creative) are more interested in the initial creative process rather than the information gathering.

8)  Do you need a quiet environment when you are working?

If your answer is YES:  Left-brain (logic) people usually need quiet environments.

If your answer is NO:  Right-brain (creative) people don't mind a bustling background as they work.

9)  Would you enjoy helping someone solve a relationship problem more than a math problem?

If your answer is YES:  Solving relationship problems is a natural for right-brain thinkers (creative).

If your answer is NO:  Solving math and technical problems is right up the alley of the left-brained (logic).

10)  If you were a writer, would you prefer to write non-fiction books instead of fiction?

If your answer is YES:  The left-brained (logic) are obsessed with details and truth.

If your answer is NO:  The right-brained (creative) are more imaginative.

As I said, there are some conclusions that I disagree with.  How about you?

THE PHENOMENON OF SPEED DATING

What Is It?

Speed dating has been around for about fifteen years.  It's a dating system whose purpose is to allow singles to meet as many other singles one-on-one as possible in a short specified amount of time.  Its origins have been credited to a Rabbi who devised it as a way to help Jewish singles meet prospective mates.  It has since shown up as a plot device in several movies and television shows.

The first speed dating event took place at Pete's Café in Beverly Hills in late 1998.  By the year 2000, speed dating had become very popular.  Supporters of the phenomenon claim it saves time since most people quickly decide if they are romantically compatible and first impressions are often permanent.

How It Works

Organizers of these events usually require advance registration with the total number of participants limited to a specific number.  Small events have twenty to thirty participants while others are very large such as the recent one in New Jersey with three hundred and fifty participants.  Needless to say, there is usually a registration fee which covers the cost of putting on the event and a profit for the organizers.

Each participant is assigned an identification of some sort, usually a number.  They are not allowed to exchange personal information such as names, phone numbers, email addresses, etc., during the dating process of the event.

Men and women rotate so that they each have the opportunity to meet the other in a series of short dates that each last a set amount of time, usually somewhere between three and eight minutes depending on the rules set down by the organizer.  This could be something as simple as small tables with the women sitting on one side and the men on the other side opposite.  At the end of each time period, a signal is given and the participants move on to the next date which might be achieved by the men getting up and moving to the next table to begin his date with a different woman.  This continues until each man has had a date with each woman.

At the end of the event, each of the participants submit a list to the organizers showing which of their dates they are interested in seeing again.  The organizers then compare all the lists and when a match occurs, they forward the personal information to that specific man and woman and they are on their own at that point.

Events can have a theme or specific requirements of the participants.  Older men and younger women or older women and younger men with age ranges pre-determined.  Gays.  Lesbians.  Ethnic groups.  Religious affiliation.  Maybe groups that share an interest in a certain hobby such as SCUBA diving.

Proponents of speed dating claim it's time efficient and the structure of the event eliminates the need of trying to figure out how to introduce yourself or needing to create a situation where you can start a conversation with someone.  The circumstances allow participants to come alone without feeling awkward or out of place.

A 2005 study at the University of Pennsylvania found that most people make their decision to accept or reject a potential partner within the first three seconds of meeting and issues such as religion, previous marriages, and smoking habits weren't as important as expected.

A 2006 study in Edinburgh, Scotland, found that conversation about travel resulted in more matches than conversation about films.

Various studies of speed dating events came to the general conclusion that women were more selective than men.  The above mentioned University of Pennsylvania study reported that the average man was chosen by 34% of the women and the average woman was chosen by 49% of the men.

Several television shows have used speed dating as an episode plot point—usually a prelude to murder. The murder victim had just participated in a speed dating event which provides a bunch of suspects with whom the victim had no previous connection thus making solving the crime more difficult…especially when the speed dating ended up having nothing to do with the crime.  :)

Now, with all this said about speed dating being a relatively recent phenomenon…

Many years ago (many, many, many years ago) when I was a freshman in college and pledging a sorority, the same process now referred to as speed dating was the method used by one of the sororities during rush week for the members to meet and interview the prospective pledges.  Each member had five minutes with each potential pledge then the member moved on to the next candidate for membership.

I have to admit that it all had a very assembly line feel to it, but was definitely a more efficient use of time than a room full of people standing around not knowing who to talk to or what to do.

Mother's Day—A Brief History

Mother's Day is a holiday honoring motherhood. It's observed in different forms in many countries, the date traditionally falling on the second Sunday in May in the United States (Sunday, May 11 this year). The American version of the holiday was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and became an official holiday in 1914. Some time later, Anna Jarvis denounced the holiday for being too commercial and spent the latter years of her life trying to get it removed.

The celebration of mothers and motherhood goes back to the ancient Greeks and Romans who held festivals honoring the mother goddesses. However, the clearest precedent for Mother's Day is the early Christian festival known as Mothering Sunday. This was once a major tradition in the UK and parts of Europe, falling on the fourth Sunday in Lent. It was a time when the faithful would return to their mother church (the main church in the vicinity of their home) for a special service. Over time the tradition shifted into a secular holiday with children bringing flowers to their mothers as tokens of appreciation. The roots of the modern American Mother's Day go back to the years prior to our Civil Way (1861-1865)

Even though versions of Mother's Day are celebrated throughout the world, traditions vary from country to country. For example, in Thailand Mother's Day is always celebrated in August on the birthday of the current queen. And in Ethiopia families gather each fall to sing songs and eat a large feast as part of a multi-day celebration honoring motherhood.

In the US, Mother's Day has become one of the biggest holidays for consumer spending…definitely a biggie for Hallmark's greeting cards.

May's Bizarre and Unique Holidays

Month long celebrations:

Date Your Mate Month, Foster Care Month, National Barbecue Month, National Bike Month, National Blood Pressure Month, National Hamburger Month, National Photograph Month, National Recommitment Month, National Salad Month, Older Americans Month.

Weekly Celebrations:

Nurse's Week (first week of month), Wildflower Week (week two), National Bike Week (third week), National Police Week (third week), Emergency Medical Services Week (fourth week).

May, 2014 Daily Holidays, Special and Wacky Days:

1) Mother Goose Day

When: Always on May 1st

Mother Goose Day was created only recently, as a day to appreciate nursery rhymes and stories. The term "Mother Goose" dates back to the 1650's. It referred to stories like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty. It does not appear to represent a particular person, as many of Mother Goose stories were written both before and after this term was first used. And, the stories were written by numerous authors.

1) Save the Rhino Day

2)  International Tuba Day (first Friday in May)

2) Space Day (first Friday in May)

3) Lumpy Rug Day

3) World Press Freedom Day

4) National Candied Orange Peel Day

4) Star Wars Day

When: Always on May 4th

It's all because of a play on words! Star Wars Day is May the Fourth, because of a famous quote from the hugely popular science fiction series blockbuster is "May the Force (Fourth) be with you". Great ways to Celebrate Star Wars Day: Watch any of the great Star Wars movies. Better still, have a Star Wars marathon, and watch two or three (or 4) of them. Get out your laser sword and practice for the next invasion from the Evil Empire. Some call this Day "Luke Skywalker Day".

5) National Hoagie Day

5) Oyster Day

6) Beverage Day

6) No Diet Day

7) National Tourism Day

8) Iris Day

8) No Socks Day

9) Lost Sock Memorial Day

When : Always May 9th

Lost Sock Memorial Day recognizes your drawer full of unmatched socks. Each unmatched sock represents a missing sock. We never throw away our unmatched socks. After all, it may show up someday. On Lost Sock Memorial Day, we suggest you spend a little time (as little as possible) searching for those missing socks. After a (very) brief search, and in good memorial spirit, spend a minute reflecting upon how warm and comforting the missing socks were on your stinky toes. Then, by all means, get on with your life. Use this special day, to toss out all of your unmatched socks. Let's face it, you're never going to find the missing one.

10) Clean up Your Room Day

10) National Train Day (date may vary)

11) Eat What You Want Day

11) Twilight Zone Day

12) Fatigue Syndrome Day

12) Limerick Day

13) Frog Jumping Day

14) Dance Like a Chicken Day

15) National Chocolate Chip Day

16) Love a Tree Day

16) National Sea Monkey Day

17) Pack Rat Day

When: Always on May 17th

Today is Pack Rat Day. If you are a Pack Rat, you're in good company. You might as well come out of hiding behind those piles of valuable stuff, and celebrate this fun day. Making the decision to discard something of even remotely questionable value, is difficult, if not impossible to do. In keeping with the intent of Pack Rat Day, here are some Do's and Don'ts: Don't clean your room, basement, garage or any other area today. Don't discard anything today...It may be valuable. Don't even empty the trash today. You might have accidentally thrown out something useful. Do keep an eye out for useful stuff being discarded by others. Do go to garage and rummage sales. They can be pack rat gold mines. Do look around your belongings and be thankful for what you have. Do spend time thinking of uses for your things.

18) International Museum Day

18) No Dirty Dishes Day

20) Be a Millionaire Day (now we all can go for that)

When: Always on May 20th

Everyone wants to enjoy today as a member of the millionaire club, even though a million dollars isn't what it used to be. And after reaching the Millionaire's Club you can work on your qualifications for the Billionaire's Club. If you are a millionaire, savor and enjoy the day. Remember, many Millionaires get there by a combination hard work, sound investment, and frugal spending.

20) Pick Strawberries Day

21) National Memo Day

22) Buy a Musical Instrument Day

23) Lucky Penny Day

24) International Jazz Day (Saturday of Memorial Day weekend)

24) National Escargot Day

25) Tap Dance Day

27) Sun Screen Day

29) Learn About Composting Day

When: Always May 29th

Composting Day is a great opportunity to "Go Green" and help the environment. Composting is easy. It makes you feel good, knowing you are doing your part to keep our environment a little bit cleaner. As you learn about composting, you will be surprised at all the things you can compost. It is common knowledge, that you can compost garden and yard vegetation, as well as kitchen (vegetable) scraps. But, you can also recycle many other things, including papers, untreated wood, and cardboard. Cardboard paper towel and toilet paper holders are great items to compost. You can use compost around your plants, to feed them, keep the weeds down, and to help retain soil moisture.

30) Water a Flower Day

31) National Macaroon Day

31) Worldwide No Tobacco Day

When: Always May 31st

Worldwide No Tobacco Day brings awareness of the health issues and dependency issues related to tobacco use. World No Tobacco Day stresses the importance of making people all over the world aware of the health dangers of using tobacco. In 1987, the World Health Organization Assembly passed Resolution WHA40.38, calling for 7 April 1988 to be a "a world no-smoking day." In 1988, Resolution WHA42.19 was passed, calling for the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, every year on 31 May.

America's Greatest Train Rides

It's been a long, cold, and snowy winter. And now that Spring is officially here, it's time to start thinking about summer vacations. This year you might want to consider a train trip.

Train travel in Europe is very commonplace. Whenever I travel to the UK, I always buy a Brit Rail pass before I go and use it for traveling all over Britain—day trips out of London to such places as Windsor, Oxford, Bath, Stratford-Upon-Anon and longer trips such as travel to Scotland.

And in the U.S., with more and more restrictions and inconveniences put on airplane passengers and airlines constantly adding fees and surcharges on top of the ticket price, train travel has had quite a resurgence. Warren Buffett recently made a $44 billion investment in a railroad company. And with gasoline prices on the rise again (just in time for summer vacation), not surprisingly the last two years have been the best in Amtrak's history. With the suggested arrival time at the airport now being two hours prior to your flight departure, the reduced number of flights which creates longer wait time when you need to change planes for a connection, even a short flight now takes a lot more of your time than it used to.

The Travel Channel on cable television has a couple of shows about scenic train travel in America.

One of the nation's best rides is Amtrak's Southwest Chief that goes from Chicago to Los Angeles and gives the traveler a way to relive America's expansion west from the 1800s. The train trip lasts a little over forty hours, traveling through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and the famous wild west town of Dodge City, setting for the long-running television series Gunsmoke. From there it continues into Colorado and New Mexico. Then across northern Arizona with the availability of a side trip to the Grand Canyon on a historic old steam train.  And finally into Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.

With only a few exceptions, this ride is on the same tracks that were once the Santa Fe Railway which was built along the old Santa Fe wagon train trail, a route that also inspired the highway of the days before Interstates criss-crossed the country—the famous Route 66.

Here are five more great long-rail journeys to consider.

The West Coast's Coast Starlight is considered by most travelers to be Amtrak's most scenic route.  It runs along the Pacific Ocean between Los Angeles, California, and Seattle, Washington, traveling through some truly spectacular scenery.

From California, the classic route east is the California Zephyr, following the path of the first transcontinental railway between San Francisco and Chicago. It visits such places as Sacramento, Reno, Salt Lake City, across the Rockies to Denver, through Nebraska and Iowa to Chicago.

By taking the Southwest Chief in one direction and returning on the California Zephyr, you are traveling what the Gilded Age tourists in the 1880s and 1890s called the Grand Tour of America.

If you want a ride that goes through the heart of the country, try the Texas Eagle starting in Chicago. It crosses the Mississippi River at St. Louis, travels down through the Ozarks, across Arkansas into eastern Texas, and continues through Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and on to San Antonio where it connects with the Sunset Limited to Los Angeles.

The East Coast relies much more on rail service than the rest of the country, especially the heavily used tracks in the high traffic corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C.

One of the country's first scenic rail routes is the Empire Service from New York City up through the Hudson River Valley where Washington Irving's Ichabod Crane encountered the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hallow.

And if you're on the East Coast and are heading to Florida, you can take the Auto Train where your car travels with you. Passengers board just south of Washington, D.C., and their vehicles are loaded on the train. The trip terminates just outside Orlando, Florida.

Maybe you're not planning a vacation by train, but would like the train experience. There are lots of day trips in various parts of the country, including vintage steam and narrow gauge railroads.  My personal favorite is the Napa Valley Wine Train in California, which includes winery stops. Alaska Railway's White Pass & Yukon Route offers a three hour tour through some truly dramatic scenery.

Have any of you taken a train vacation? A day trip train tour?

The Clown Shortage

America is suffering from a clown shortage!  No, I'm not talking about politics.  I'm talking about those men and women with the painted faces and funny clothes who entertain and make us laugh.

According to the World Clown Association, the country's largest organization of its kind, there has been a drastic decline in membership over the last ten years.  The reason is a sad one…the professional clown population is dying off.  As the older clowns die, there aren't enough younger aspiring clowns enrolling in clown school to take their place.  It seems that today, those seriously interested in being clowns when they are younger, abandon the desire after graduating from high school and college because clowning is 'no longer cool'.  So, they set aside what had once been a keen interest.  (Hmmm…is it appropriate to use the words seriously and clown in the same sentence?)

Another possible reason for the decline in the professional clown population is more rigorous hiring practices by organizations such as Ringling Bros.  Their tryouts have become more challenging resulting in fewer applicants. Audience expectations has also played a part in this decline.  Ringling Bros. director of talent said, "No longer is it good enough to just drop your pants and focus on boxer shorts.  Our audience expects to be wowed."

In addition to the places like the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and other circus and carnival venues, that could also put a real crimp in something as simple as hiring that clown for your child's birthday party.