Category Archives: Entertainment

Keltic Dreams, Corned Beef & Cabbage, And How To Catch A Leprechaun

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Every year, when St. Patrick’s Day approaches, I think about cooking up some corned beef and cabbage. Nine times out of ten, I pull out a big pot and spend the rest of the day smelling the aroma of Ireland. The dish is easy to make, but oh so time-consuming.

I think what really put me in the mood this year was an email I received this past week about the popularity of Irish Dance at a school in the Bronx. The New York Times wrote about the music teacher and posted one of the most heartwarming videos I’ve seen in a long, long time. I’m so used to seeing bad news that the sight of these inner city kids kicking up their heels gave me goose bumps, it really did. Go here to see the video — Keltic Dreams.

Did you know that New York City has been hosting a St. Patrick’s Day Parade since 1762? Is that unbelievable, or what?! Incidentally, Patrick didn’t chase all of the snakes out of Ireland, either. Another myth totally shattered according to the National Geographic News.

And I suppose it wouldn’t be a proper St. Patrick’s Day without the mention of Leprechauns. I had no idea that if you catch a Leprechaun, he’ll lead you to his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but according to Sherri Osburn, that’s the case. So, it might be a good idea to get crackin’ on making a Leprechaun Trap. (A really good project to do with the grandkids.) Take a look at some Leprechaun Trap Photos.

Now for an easy recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage, but be prepared to hang around the house for several hours.

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Photo from

Corned Beef
5 or 6 potatoes, quartered
head of cabbage, cut into 6 wedges
carrots, as many as you would like.

Wash corned beef under running water to remove surface brine. Put in pot and cover with water. (Most corned beef roasts bought from a supermarket come with all the seasonings enclosed. Add them to the water.) Keep lid on pot. Once water comes to a boil, cook for 3 1/2 hours on low/medium heat.

During the last 30/45 minutes, add cabbage wedges, potatoes and carrots. Add more water to cover. Keep lid on pot throughout.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Elvis

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If you’ve been following my blog, you know I swept in and out of Memphis, TN with two friends for a three day weekend last month. We packed in a lot of sightseeing and activities, but we didn’t have time to visit the King’s house–Elvis, that is.

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I happened to mention that fact to one of my younger co-workers shortly after I returned. And she said to me, “You call that guy who died on his toilet from a drug overdose a king?”

Not exactly what I wanted to hear after a truly great weekend adventure. I tried to explain to her what it had been like seeing Elvis for the very first time on the Ed Sullivan Show.

What I found out was, it is impossible to define the “Phenomenon of Elvis” to young people who cannot comprehend a time when there were NO Super Stars.

Then came Elvis.

So, here was my dilemma. How could I possibly explain about the young Elvis that the world fell in love with? How could I tell her what a fresh faced boy he was back then, when all she is familiar with is the unfortunate last act of his life. In a way, it broke my heart, because I grew up with Elvis and I know that, although it appeared he had “everything”– money, fame, adulation– he also had a really rough ride. He was literally trapped in his compound at Graceland. He agonized and begged to be able to make movies that would allow him to act, but the studios insisted he star in movies that they believed his public craved, and maybe we did. His music was the only freedom he was afforded.

Of all the movies he starred in, he liked only one–Jailhouse Rock

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To top that off, Elvis had no idea what it meant to be an internationally known Super Star. Why? Because he was the first. He was “it.” How does a kid who grew up in a small country town handle that? Who can instruct him? There were no footsteps to follow.

Superstar! We have plenty of them today, but none– repeat none–come even close to the King’s popularity. He was known throughout the world. Here is a statue of him in Jerusalem.

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January 8th was Elvis Presley’s birthday. People all over the world remembered him especially on this day. Following is a comment posted on a blog that originates in Ireland

Elvis Presley was remembered here in Ireland as our national radio service RTE1 played his beautiful music on his birthday.

Did ever a vocalist’s voice reach right around the globe like Elvis’s did? and light up millions of peoples, lives like no other, before or since.

They loved him in Germany then and now

In the quaint little town of Bad Nauheim, it was “big love big heartache” every day when young ladies back in the 50s wrote their phone numbers with lipstick on the typical German garden fence outside the king’s villa. Aging German locals report that every night the wooden fence would be cleaned to make room for more love notes.

“He still preoccupies us, he’s well-known across the generations, and he brought about a sexual, musical and social revolution,” said the head of a German museum that hosted a recent Elvis exhibition.

Unlike any other performer before him, he spawned an industry.

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Elvis Impersonators

He met Presidents and Heads of State. Crazed crowds of people clamored to see him at every airport.

And when he passed on to the stardom in the sky, many countries outside the U.S. built monuments for him like this one in Germany.

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So, “To answer your original question, dear, Elvis remains The King, in spite of his final curtain. I doubt there will ever be another like him.”

“Bucket List” “Done That List” “No Guts List”

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photo from

Recently, I’ve seen coming attractions on TV about a new movie starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman called The Bucket List. From the few snipets I’ve caught, it appears their list contains things they’ve both dreamt about doing before they kick the bucket.

I have a list like that, too, although I never thought to name mine the bucket list. And happily, my list spawned a Done That List. Some things on my “done” list include:

See Paris (a lifelong dream)
Ride in a helicopter
Go parasailing
Snow Ski
Ride a motorcycle, not just any cycle, a “Harley”
Learn how to blog, even when I thought I was “too old” to learn

Then there’s my tattoo. I sport a tiny bluebird of happiness on the inside of one of my ankles. I love birds.

So, I’ve fulfilled some of my dreams, but there are still plenty of challenges left on my Bucket List. Here are a few:

Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
Find out if I really can’t sink in the Salt Lake
Publish a Book
See Redwood Trees-This item, at first glance, might seem somewhat plebian. The fact is, these trees are disappearing quickly, and some people are pretty passionate about keeping them around.


What’s Your Tree is a program inspired by the story and message of Julia Butterfly Hill.

Julia Butterfly Hill gained international notoriety when she climbed 200 feet up into an ancient redwood tree named Luna that was slated to be cut down by Pacific Lumber/Maxaam Corporation. She refused to come down until Luna was permanently protected. Withstanding death threats and gale force El Nino winds, Julia lived on a tiny platform in Luna’s branches for 738 days. Julia and her team had successfully negotiated to save Luna and a 3 acre buffer zone around the tree into perpetuity.
(see the rest of the story)

Learn to Paint (don’t have to be good, just have to try)
Hang Glide (parasailing was wonderful, so hang gliding must be spectacular)
See Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument

The No Guts List – I have one of them, too. These are things I know I could never muster up the courage to do:

Sky Diving
High Diving
Scuba Diving
Bungee Jumping

Bungee Jump in Normandy, France (Souleuvre Viaduct)

Bungee jumping in Normandy, France in Viaduc de la Souleuvre.

Can you even imagine doing this?

Memphis, Tennessee – The Birth of the Blues

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If you’re looking to hear the blues, Memphis is the town.

Looking to savor the sweet taste of BBQ? Memphis is a good choice.

I recently got it into my head that I’d like to do both. I emailed a co-worker to see if there was any mutual interest. This is how the emailed exchange went.

Do you want to go to Memphis? [Me]

Are you serious? [Co-worker]

Yes. [Me]

What brought this on? [Co-worker]

$100 roundtrip offer being made by Northwest Airlines. [Me]

Let’s do it. [Co-worker]

I guess it’s clear from the email exchange that I’m a bit of a free spirit and most of my friends tend to be cut from the same cloth. Therefore, this type of exchange happens more often than one would think, especially since I receive updates from various travel sites listing each week’s top ten best travel deals. (It was one of these offers that served as catalyst for my Carnival Cruise, which I wrote about back in October, ’07)

Anyway, we swooped into Memphis early Saturday morning, and we stayed at the Comfort Inn, a fortunate choice. Choosing accommodations in a city that you haven’t visited before is tricky, but sometimes luck is on your side. Our Comfort Inn was truly an inn. The price of the room included a continental breakfast that turned out to be much, much more then mere donuts and coffee. What a delight.

Speaking of delights, another one of our friends drove clear across Tennessee to meet us in Memphis. What began as a spur of the moment jaunt, became a glorious three-day reunion, jam packed with loads of fun, music, history and good eatin’.

Our first stop was to the famous Beale Street, where we swooned over the music at B.B. King’s and ate catfish, shrimp po’ boys and, what else? BBQ.

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More about the Memphis adventure next week.

Santa’s Secret Village

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With Christmas right around the corner, you’ll want to go to this site and share some quality time with your child or grandchild. It’s an amazing place to play. These are just some of the things you will find at Santa’s Secret Village.

  1. The kids can write a letter to Santa and he’ll write back.
  2. Create a personalized Christmas story.
  3. See Disco Dancing Santa.
  4. Read a book.
  5. Do some coloring.
  6. Connect-the dots
  7. There are loads of recipes that you can prepare with the kids.
  8. Rhyme words.
  9. Watch movies and videos.
  10. Build a snowman.

 The list goes on and on. There are activities galore.

For home schooling, there’s even an Elf Pal Academy with lesson plans that combine learning with fun.

If you can dream it up, they probably already have it at this site.

Go here  http://www.northpole.com/Village.html. You’re going to be glad you did.

WORD PLAY

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I’ve already mentioned the importance of taking the time to journal once in awhile so that a small part of your history will remain alive forever on a written page. It’s important, and I’ll keep saying it.

But sometimes, it’s important to have fun with words, too. With that in mind, I’d like to introduce you to a contest that the Washington Post conducts annually. It’s call the Annual Neologism Contest. Readers are encouraged to begin with a common word, but give it a new meaning. For example:

Coffee – The person upon whom one coughs.

Balderdash – A rapidly receding hairline.

Flabbergasted – Appalled over how much weight you have gained.

 Another portion of the contest, and my favorite, invites readers to again start with a common word, but this time add one letter, or take away one letter, or change one letter. Then supply a new definition. Some examples:

Giraffiti – Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

Karmageddon – It’s like when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.

Decafalon – The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

If you’d like to see the entire list, go to Washington Post Annual Neologism Contest Winners. Enjoy.

And don’t forget, think seriously about writing something down, any little thing will do just fine. It doesn’t have to be clever, it just has to be about YOU.

Carnival Cruise Excursions

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Let me tell you about the excursions I took while on my cruise. They didn’t disappoint.

Truth be told, I usually look forward to doing a lot of reading and relaxing on a cruise, but on this particular trip, I traveled with my friend, Robin, who had never been on a cruise before. “I want to experience everything,” she said, so we planned to do an excursion at every port.

Even though I’m young at heart (we danced every night while onboard until the wee hours), the thought of also taking part in super-adventurous explorations at every port was daunting and, yes, would have been impossible. But all major cruise lines offer a vast and varied list of shore excursions and, luckily, there are any number of things one can do without nursing a cartload of aches and pains the next day. The excursions we chose were a perfect fit for both of us.

  • First stop–Cozumel, Mexico for our adventure on the Atlantis Submarine. The dive went down to a depth of 125 feet. The water was crystal clear, and our pilot pointed out the different coral formations and fish we encounterd. A most excellent voyage.
  • Our next port was Belize, where we toured a Mayan Ruin known as Altun Ha. We had a knowledgeable guide who explained how the site was discovered, where certain bodies were unearthed, and what the archeologists surmised each time something new was uncovered. Robin climbed to the top of the tallest temple. I was happy to be the person on the ground acting as the photographer.
  • Our last and most physically challenging excursion was a Catamaran & Snorkling Adventure off the coast of Roatan, Honduras. The underwater beauty of the reef with its inhabitants was astounding.

Of course, a cruise wouldn’t be a cruise without a little shopping. We bought the obligatory t-shirts and a few souvenirs.

Possibly the best part of any cruise, which I touched on briefly in my last post, is the people that you meet onboard the ship. Robin and I shared dinner with a lovely group of people each night and one evening after dinner, at Robin’s suggestion, we all shuffled up to Deck 5 to have our picture taken in Western costumes. The perfect memento for a perfect cruise.

Cruise Travel

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As I mentioned in my last post, I have been cruising. Some of the things I like best about this type of vacation are:

1)  The ship is your hotel,  2)  You don’t need a rental car to get around,  3)  The food is abundant and there’s no decision-making regarding which unfamiliar restaurant to eat at,  4)  There’s loads of activites on and off the ship,  5)  There’s plenty of time to relax, if that’s your preference, and  6)  You always meet new and interesting people.

The Carnival Cruise Line, which I sailed on this time, still advertises itself as The Fun Ships, but the age of its passengers has changed over the past 10 or 15 years. It’s not exclusively for the young, single crowd. All ages sail on Carnival now. There’s something for everyone and, you can feel perfectly comfortable bringing the grandkids along. They have excellent programs for both youngsters and teens.

An article from USA Today reports:

“… Carnival and Disney Cruise Line stand out for their exceptionally comprehensive children’s and teens’ programs.

Disney Cruise Line is no surprise winner in this category, for obvious reasons. The Disney Magic and Disney Wonder have entire decks dedicated to kid-friendly activities and separate family and adults-only pools. Cabins are designed to accommodate families with extra beds and split bathrooms, and Disney characters make appearances throughout the sailing.

Camp Carnival offers age-specific, supervised activities for kids ages two to five, six to eight, nine to 11, 12 to 14, and 15 to 17. Its ships offer extensive children’s play areas, as well as the Club O2 teen lounge. Children do not need to be toilet-trained to take part in Camp Carnival activities.”

While the kids are being entertained, you are free to, pehaps, enjoy a massage in the Spa, or take in an exercise class, or shop on board. Carnival gets high marks for their Fun Shops, which are varied and fit every individual’s pocketbook.

Although I cruised with Carnival this time, I often cruise with Royal Caribbean, which I have enjoyed many times in the past, also.

Lest this sound too much like an advertisement, I will mention that trying to move 3,000 or more people off any ship at the end of a cruise is a long, tedious process, and not all of my cruising experiences have been wonderful. I went on a Norwegian cruise a few years back that was an absolute horror, although since then, I have met other people who enjoyed their Norwegian cruise.

Overall, cruising is one of my favorite ways to vacation, and if you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend you give it a try.

Next week, I’ll tell you about the many excursions I took during this trip.