Superbowl Weekend Kicks Off - Go Saints!!!

Made in the U.S.A

Over the past week, we have been bombarded by the media with news of various Toyota recalls.  At first it was the floor mats, then the accelerator on four of their most popular models, then there was news that  the Prius may also be experiencing some problems...and finally this morning, the Lexus Hybrid. Although this is bad news for Toyota owners, it seems that the media has been focusing almost all of it's attention on "poor old Toyota"...as if there was anything poor about them. Public Relations gurus have been interviewed ad nauseum as to the long-term effects of the "brand's image" and how Toyota can bounce back from all of this negative publicity, if at all.

Our economy is at the lowest point it has been since the Great Depression and unemployment rates were at 10% (apparently the new numbers came out today and they have gone down slightly).  For those reasons alone, it amazes me that almost every item we as American consumers can get our hands on these days is "Made in China", or some other country other than the good old USA. Instead of worrying about the future of Mr. Toyota, why aren't people considering the option that Toyota's public relations nightmare could maybe be the US auto makers' blessing in disguise? Why don't the Big 3 take advantage of this situation and try to gain back some of the market share lost to Toyota and Honda over the past who knows how many years (too many I might add)? Why don't we as Americans try to understand the simple concept that we should all strive to help our economy by keeping products from being manufactured overseas instead of here in the USA.

The other day I was at a store shopping for a few things.  As a consumer, I have never much cared about where things were made; that is, until this past year when I couldn't help but read and hear about the dog food recalls, children's jewelry and toy recalls, drywall recalls, etc. from products made in China.  Now I try to make it a point not to buy things that say "Made in China" if I can help it.  (As you know, that is almost impossible nowadays). In any event, I picked up a plate and read "Made in the USA" and it brought a smile to my face.  Something so simple and yet so rare in the world of fast growing Capitalism where making a buck seems to come at the cost and health of the consumer, not to mention much needed jobs.

I'm sorry for Toyota, I've never owned one of their cars myself, but I hope that someone out there in Detroit will see this as a golden opportunity and run with it.

Friendship

Friendship means so many things to so many different people. Some people see their friends as someone to hang out with during their spare time, others actually see friends for what they can do for them or give them - maybe they can get them into the right social circles, into the "in" clubs. Some of us, like me, see friendship as something to be treasured, cherished, nurtured and valued.

As far back as I can remember, I was never one to have a ton of friends or find it particularly important for those friends to be part of the "in" crowd. Having moved around so much when I was young would make a person think I'd be good at making friends. Not so. Never being in a place long enough to establish great friendships made it all the more difficult to start new ones and to let people in.

So here I am, almost middle aged - I should have a rolodex full of friends but I don't, and I don't mind either. I know that the friends I have, value and cherish my friendship as much as I value and cherish theirs. We've been through thick and thin together, the good, the bad and the ugly. We have laughed together and cried together. Most importantly, we understand the value that each one of us has in the other's life. We respect each other's space and sense when that space is in fact a cry for help. We understand that friendship is a living, breathing thing and cannot be taken for granted.

Yet I'm sad to say that this has not always been the case. I have been disappointed more than once. Maybe I'm too naive. For years I believed that men and women could be friends. I have come to the realization that this is almost impossible. I say "almost" because I'm sure there are the exceptions...but that is what they are...exceptions. I think that when a man and a woman say they are friends, it means that only one of the two consider themselves a true friend. The other is only there hoping things will change or settling for whatever they can get. Everything is done hoping to change the feelings of the other person. It has happened to me more times than I would care to remember. The problem with this kind of friendship is that in the end, both of you loose. The person that hopes to win the other's affection looses because they will never get what they hope for, and the other looses when one day their friend is gone and they don't have the faintest idea why.

It really is true what they say - you can count (or should be able to count) your real friends in one hand.

I'm freezing down here....

Woke up today to a breezy, grey unusually cold winter's morning - not a typical Sunday morning in Miami by any means. I've lived in my house for nine years now and I've never had to turn on the heat - that is until this morning when I looked at the thermostat and realized it was 53 degrees inside!!! We're just not equipped to deal with this kind of weather. My beautiful flowers in the garden are in shock, frozen iguanas are dropping from the trees all over town and my poor babies don't know what to make of it all. Cody was shivering so I decided to wrap him up in his "binky". He wasn't so sure about the idea at first, but when he realized how cozy it felt, he decided to just go with it - doesn't he look adorable!!!

He wasn't the only one in shock with this morning's temperature. I walked out onto the patio and found a poor little salamander frozen on the ground. Grey and stiff as an icicle. I picked it up to throw it out and realized it wasn't dead when one of it's little feet moved. I felt so bad for it that I brought it inside. I know, I know, I'm nuts...but the older I get, the more difficult it is for me to think of myself as not being part of a "whole". Every little creature plays a small part in the big scheme of things. At least I think so. I find I can no longer just think of me as the center of it all, as though all the things that surround me don't matter somehow - because I think they do. Maybe my Buddhism studies helped change my perspective. Of course that doesn't apply to roaches...I haven't gone completely insane. Anyways, I'm very proud to say my new little friend is doing great. He's back to his beautiful green color and seems to be enjoying the cozy indoors.

Just as soon as things begin to warm up a bit in a day or two I'll say goodbye, with a warm fuzzy feeling that I did something really, really good today.

New Year's on Tybee Island

I began the New Year and the new decade on the beautiful island of Tybee. I had the incredible luck of coming across the most charming and quirky of cottages, Fish Camp, and on December 30th, 2009 I embarked on the long road trip from Miami with my boyfriend and 3 dogs in tow...yes, you read correctly...3 dogs (and we're not talking Taco Bell...more like Marley) towards the beautiful island of Tybee on the Georgia coast.

Fortunately, the road trip up was fairly uneventful - stopped for gas, the occasional bathroom breaks and some food. Listening to NPR, we were grateful we'd decided to drive instead of fly, especially given the nightmare at airports nationwide due to the latest Christmas Day terrorist attack.

I'm usually meticulous about researching my vacation destinations, but due to various un-forseen occurrences, I never got an opportunity to do so for this trip. We really had no idea what to expect when we got to Tybee, and boy, were we pleasantly surprised. Tybee reminded me of what Key Biscayne used to be 30 years ago before the cement towers and million dollar mansions took it over - a casual, down-to-earth, beach town where "everybody knows your name".

I can't say enough wonderful things about this quirky little cottage...it's blue facade and brightly painted shutters; the colorful sunroom overlooking the garden as well as the very cute flip flop room. I can only imagine it in its full splendor during the summer months; windows open, a soft ocean breeze, the smell of BBQ in the air, the sound of children's laughter as they ride past on their bikes, the faintest hint of salt in the air from the marshes nearby, not to mention the beautiful shade of gold that washes over everything at sunset.

Having visited in the winter, activities are somewhat limited on Tybee. Too cold to go to the beach, at least for this Miami girl - but not for the majority of the crazy locals, which I experienced first hand on New Year's Day. A hundred or so of what I can only categorized as "out of their mind" locals gathered at the beach on a grey, freezing, rainy morning on Tybee to partake in an annual tradition - The Polar Bear Plunge. These insane people, some dressed as Santa, Smurfs, brides, crabs and everything in between, decided there was nothing better to do than to jump into the freezing cold water while other smart people like me, all bundled up in our winter's best outfits (and were still freezing), watched them. I do hope that it was for charity and not just for a silly t-shirt.

Memories I will take away from my few days on Tybee are many. But if one stands out more than any other, it's the reminder of old days gone by; when everyone had time to say hello, go the extra mile to help and just be kind. It's amazing how accustomed we've gotten living here in Miami to rudeness. Being kind should be the norm but has unfortunately become the exception. Thank you Tybee and it's locals for an unforgettable New Year's. Oh...and did I forget to mention...how about them Fried Green Tomatoes....I finally got to try them...and OMG...to die for.