http://francesellenspeaks.com A Senior Citizen’s Ideas, Thoughts, Memoirs, and News Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:48:52 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I attended my very first BlogHer Conference this past weekend with my daughter, Catherine. In addition to meeting so many kind and wonderful bloggers, who helped me immensely, particularly Victoria, and gathering more information about blogging than I ever knew existed, I found lots of fun in places I ... http://francesellenspeaks.com/2008/07/24/blogher-08/ These are things I have been doing to ease the pain of high gas prices, high food prices and the devaluation of the dollar. I'm cooking more and dining out less. When I do eat out, I go to a restaurant that has a coupon offer. I doggy bag what I can't ... http://francesellenspeaks.com/2008/07/20/10-ways-to-stretch-your-dollar/ I don't text message. What I mean is, I don't send them and I don't receive them because I don't use a cell phone. I don't own one,  I don't want one, and I hope I never have to rely on one. That said, I do understand why people feel ... http://francesellenspeaks.com/2008/07/13/text-messaging-is-bad-i-think-maybe/ I loved George Carlin. Even when I didn't agree with what he was saying, he could make me double over and laugh my head off. A lot of things he pointed out tickled my funny bone. Politics especially got his juices flowing. Some of his famous political one liners include: "In America, anyone ... http://francesellenspeaks.com/2008/07/06/remembering-george-carlin/ Since I wrote all about things that I love last week, it seems only fair that I write about a few things I hated in the 80's and still hate in 2008. As in my previous post, some of the things on my old list are outdated. For instance, back ... http://francesellenspeaks.com/2008/06/29/things-i-hate/ Years ago, and I'm talking back in the early 80's, I made two lists. One was titled "Things I Love" and the other was "Things I Hate." Why would I do that? I have no idea. Maybe just because I love to make lists. I'm a list-maker, okay? Anyway, I came ... http://francesellenspeaks.com/2008/06/22/things-i-love/ I have been a cooking fool today. You can always tell when I've been cooking up a storm--my kitchen is a mess. But the results are usually excellent. Here's what's been cookin'. Italian Sausage Casserole Brown in a large skillet: 1 med. onion, chopped 1 cup green pepper, chopped 1 1/2 lbs bulk Italian sausage, ... http://francesellenspeaks.com/2008/06/15/two-italian-casserole-recipes-one-sausage-one-beef/ Have you noticed whether your gas station is putting ethanol in their gas? Have you noticed that your gas mileage has decreased? I get my gas at a Shell station and right there on the front of the pump is a sticker that says, Contains 10% Ethanol. My gas consumption has ... http://francesellenspeaks.com/2008/06/08/10-ethanol-added-to-your-gas-lovely/ I've been recuperating from surgery and, believe me, it takes a lot of perseverance. I long to be 100% better, but recovery comes in small doses. It's so gradual I can hardly recognize any change from day to day. I wish I could manufacture a little more patience. I ... http://francesellenspeaks.com/2008/06/01/patience-and-perseverance/ When I was a young, precocious, probably not so well-behaved youngster, I often stayed with my grandmother while my mother and father worked. Every chance I got, when my grandmother wasn't looking, I'd pick up the telephone and listen for voices. Back in the 50's, most people had party lines, ... http://francesellenspeaks.com/2008/05/25/party-lines-the-good-old-days/