An Ancient Symbol Reinvented - The #

There are many of us raised to believe that this innocuous symbol # is called a pound sign. I would say that most (not all) Baby Boomers still call it a pound sign as I've had this discussion with my folks on numerous occasions, all in good fun. Then you have my generation, Generation X / Gen Xers who got to witness FIRST HAND the transformation of the pound sign to the...drum roll please... hashtag #. An experience like this only comes around once in a few generations, such as Venus' transit across the sun. Before this there was the wheel, then sliced bread, and coffee makers that brew one cup at a time, all equally transformational. Yes, I know I'm leaving out the REALLY important changes like the end of slavery and the industrial revolution, but this article is really more tongue-in-cheek. 

Currently I have the incredible opportunity of working with a diverse group of people and as I get long in the tooth calling # a pound sign is becoming obsolete. Matter of fact if I mistakenly slip up and say "pound sign" most heads swivel around like Linda Blair's in The Exorcist, (cue creepy Exorcist music here) staring at me with blank, zombie-like stares, not able to comprehend what I just meant. Fellow Gen Xers in the room often jump in with, "Oh, you mean the hashtag" in an effort to help me not look like a BOF (Boring Old Fart). As soon as that's said there's a collective sign of relief, like what I had spoken was utter blasphemy. There are quick whispers that rise up like the swell of a wave, "Poor soul, she knows not what she speaks" and "Wow, I can't believe that came out of her mouth, where's the soap?" At this point my face is beet red and I try valiantly not to stutter trying to bring the meeting back to order. Eventually the commotion dies down, but for the remainder of the meeting I'm plagued with sympathetic faces or those who can't even look me in the eyes.

As I've just bared my embarrassing moments to you, allow me to get nerdy for just a second. Let's talk #History... Its origins are from libra pondo, ℔. If it's used before something (e.g. #2 pencil) it's read as "number two pencil." If it's after something (e.g. 5#) it's read as "five pounds" to indicate weight. Keep in mind it's not to be confused with the Chinese character 井, the musical sharp sign (♯), the techie viewdata square (⌗), the Latin numero sign (№), the scientific equal and parallel to symbol (⋕) or the game Tic-tac-toe's grid. The subtle difference is the #hashtag has 2 parallel, horizontal lines and 2 parallel, right-tilting, vertical lines, which I really wasn't aware of and have been writing a tic-tac-toe grid these past 40+ years (#HonestMistake). No wonder I had an onslaught of people who wanted to go tete-a-tete with me in this fast-paced, riveting game. I just thought they really, really liked tic-tac-toe (#WhoKnew).

Ok, coming back to the present, you may be wondering what's it's used for now? Why is it plastered all over my computer, Facebook, on billboards and on TV? And how can I talk about it without sounding like an old fart? Those of you in Generation Y, Millennials, or Generation Z I'm thinking you already understand what I'm about to write, but feel free to keep reading, I'll try and add some humor. So, the # is used to take advantage of metadata or in non-IT terms, it's data that provides information about other data. Why the heck would anyone want data about data? There is so much of everything imaginable out there, so much in fact our computers and especially our brains can't process it all. Yet we still need the ability to find what we need, easily & quickly. That's where metadata comes in. Companies want to sell products, advertisers want to pinpoint their targeted demographics, people like us just want to find funny memes or the dumb things politicians say to post on Facebook and Twitter. This is where the # makes it easy, grouping data about data together for us so all we have to do is click and voila, all the posts, memes, comments, pics we could ever want about the topic is at our fingertips. What I've found through my scientific research is the best place to use the # is Twitter, hands down. Followed by Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Many people specifically find popular # topics and add them to their post so it will be found more frequently, nothing like free advertising right? Others will #CreateTheirOwn in hopes it sparks a revolution in the #Twitterverse. For me, I'm still trying to figure out when to create my own versus piggy-backing on an already created, trending one. But that my friends is another topic for another day.

With all this being said, if you take one thing away from this scintillating #hashtag discussion it's this, unless you want to be looked at like you have two heads... DON'T say pound sign! And when you want to sound "normal" or easily understood by the masses it goes like this...

#NotAnOldFart is spoken "hashtag not an old fart." You're welcome.

Our Buzzing Little Friends

They're yellow & black...no not the Pittsburgh Steelers. They buzz around your head and sometimes, yes, they will sting you (those are the a$$holes of the group). But they also produce honey and pollinate our fruits and veggies so we have something to eat. You guessed it, they're bees. They come in all shapes and sizes and if you haven't heard they're dying at an alarming rate due to Colony Collapse Disorder.

I'm not going to go into detail about what that is (if you're reading this blog, then you can read). What I will ask is for you to think twice about swatting them, smushing them or using pesticides against them when you're out and about. If you have a hive in your house, well that's a whole other thing! I wanted to show you a few of my recent pictures of bees in hopes you'll think about these little creatures when you're out, when you're eating food or when you hear that buzzing in your ear. 

Not a bee, but a Hoverfly. Another effective pollinator.

Millcreek Youth Athletic Association (MYAA) - 63 Years & Going Strong

If you grew up in Erie and the surrounding areas, you've probably heard of the Millcreek Youth Athletic Association or MYAA for short. If you're a parent of a child who likes sports, more than likely they've played on an MYAA team. Did you know they've been around for 63 years? They started off with baseball and quickly added softball. Today they have many sports such as basketball...which my son eagerly waits for each year. He loves playing because the teams are formed with equal skills across all teams. There is rarely one team that dominates the season making the games fun and competitive without a lot of pressure and the coaches want to help and develop all kids, not just the "good ones." My son also had his first experience playing lacrosse through MYAA and has now fallen in love with the sport. This program not only provided equipment rental, which is a lifesaver if you've never played a sport before, but gave him the basic stick skills and understanding of the game for him to play successfully on other teams. What you may not know is all the other opportunities there are through MYAA:

• Baseball - From t'ball starting at 5 yrs old through junior ending at 15 yrs
• Riptide Travel Baseball
• Softball - From t'ball starting at 6 yrs old through 16U
• Little League Challenger Division - an adaptive baseball program for individuals with physical and developmental challenges
• Boys & Girls Basketball - for K through 9th grade
• Boys & Girls Lacrosse - K through 5th grade
• Boys & Girls Cross Country - K through 6th grade
• Flag & Tackle Football - Flag starting in K through 6th grade and Tackle starting in 3rd grade through 6th grad
• Millcreek Swim Team (MIST)

They also organize multiple golf outings through the year and sometimes even an adult kickball league...maybe we could even talk them into a dodgeball league, ok, maybe that's stretching things a bit too far.

Another thing you may not know about MYAA is that it's 100% self-funded. That means no outside funding from school districts, local or state governments. Everything they accomplish is through registration fees and sponsorships. That's pretty impressive if you ask me. So when it comes time for them to expand or take on a larger improvement project they look to the Erie community to find sponsors and partners. One of these opportunities is now. MYAA is looking to expand the Walnut Creek baseball complex. There is land that can be developed into three additional Little League sized fields when once completed will make it a seven field complex that could support 14 teams playing a night. The baseball and softball programs continue to grow with 1000 boys and girls & 90 teams wanting to play. That's a lot of kids who just want to play ball, to hang with their friends, to reach for their dreams. Can you or someone you know help?

If you know my son then you know he doesn't play baseball, so why am I even writing about this? Simple, we need organizations such as MYAA to exist in our community. We need them to thrive and provide a place for children to be children, for them to have a chance to play a sport they love, to try new ones and an opportunity to be part of something larger than just themselves, to be a part of a TEAM. With many schools losing funding for sports programs or for elementary & middle school levels to focus on winning rather than developing, we need organizations like this to thrive. When I was younger I didn't touch a soccer ball until the 5th grade and I made the high school team. If that would have been me today, I would never have made the 5th grade team. So, it doesn't matter that my son doesn't play baseball, MYAA has provided many opportunities for him to play sports in a fun, supportive, developmental environment and if this organization can bring that chance to more kids, then I'm all for it, simple as that.

With that said, if you know of a business or someone that can sponsor or partner with MYAA to make this happen, I would encourage you to share the information below. There are already many, many businesses that sponsor this organization, let's see who else we can send their way and keep making children's dreams come true.

Please contact Kregg Heenan at 814-450-6364 or myaasports@gmail.com.

Thank you.

Join the ever growing list of sponsors:

• Emerald Printing & Imaging
• Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services
• Dick's Sporting Goods
• Erie Sea Wolves
• Bayada Home Health Care
• Colonial Pharmacy
• TSS Photography
• Dobrich Electric & Services
• Father & Son Remodeling
• Bath Fitter of Erie
• Innovative Audio-Visual

Dear Kathy Griffin, You're a Grown-Up...I Think

Dear Kathy Griffin,

I'd like to start out by simply saying I'm not a Trump fan, nor am I a Hillary fan, this has nothing to do with politics, so get that out of your head right now. What I am is a single mother who works hard everyday to teach her child that their actions, their decisions have consequences, sometimes good and sometimes bad. I'm also trying to teach him to think before he acts, to determine what will happen if he makes a certain choice? See, I want my child to be prepared for life...and if he makes a bad decision (he's human), there will be consequences he won't like and he has no right to complain about. Why? Because he made the decision to do what he did, it was in his control, it was his choice, no one held a gun to his head. 

Maybe you missed this life-lesson when growing up, maybe you've lived in Hollywood too long, I don't know. What I do know is you made a conscious decision to pose for that photograph. I'm sure you thought ahead about what might happen and you still made the choice, no one held a gun to your head to participate in that photoshoot...now deal with the consequences of your choice. Anyone with half a brain could figure out what would happen next. Boo-freakin'-hoo that people are saying mean things about you, you made your choice. Who flippin' cares that Trump (and his family) are mad at you, if you posted a gross picture like that with one of my family members or of me so my child could see, I'd be livid with you too, but you made your choice, you can't cry about it. And you can't be upset that people are generally upset with you, you lost the empathy card as soon as the photo was released. Besides, don't Hollywood black holes such as yourself suck up all the attention they can get, positive or negative? No, I don't think all Hollywood folks are black holes, so don't try and turn that statement around. YOU CHOSE to help create a grotesque photo under the guise of art / political statement, now sleep in the bed YOU made (which probably looks like the horse head scene from The Godfather).

See Kathy, this isn't a political post, it's a post about grown-ups being grown-ups and taking responsibility for their choices, not pointing the finger at someone else. Last time I looked, you appear to be a grown-up so stop being a victim and own your choice. You obviously have reasons for choosing to do what you did as vile and distasteful as it was. If my 11 year old child understands this concept someone as old as you are should too. Stand-up, own your choice, grow a set (of ovaries) and deal with the ramifications of your actions. Honestly, count your blessings you aren't rotting in jail for threatening the President of the United States, many people have gone to jail for less. You should also thank your lucky stars that you live in a country that allows you to make bad decisions, such as this, with the only backlash being mean words people are saying about you. I'm hoping you learned your lesson on this one and you grow up.

Sincerely,

A Mother Who's Trying to Raise Her Son to Own His Choices

Review: Blue Apron

A couple of months ago I reviewed the Hello Fresh food subscription service and wasn't wowed by it. This time I'm reviewing Blue Apron's service after receiving a coupon in the mail for $30 off your first order. When I try these services I often think, "if this could reduce shopping at the grocery store while still providing delicious, easy to prepare food, I'm willing to give it a try." As a single mom it's a struggle to find tasty, quickly prepared meals that can be cooked up after a long day at work or kid's sporting practices. I know, I could prep food for the week on the weekend, but honestly I'm exhausted by then. I have just enough energy to quickly vacuum up the pet fuzz and run out the door to wherever we're going that day. When sleeping in until 8:00 AM makes me feel guilty because I could have been up at five and accomplished a ton already, ugh! Sorry, single-mom exhaustion got the best of me.

The Blue Apron site is easy to navigate, you don't have to guess where to go and they shepherd you through the sign-up process quickly and easily. They do have an add-on wine service where they'll send you bottles of wine to pair with each of your meals. I didn't opt for this since I'm not a wine drinker, so I can't speak to the quality or brands of wine they would ship. They have two plans, a two-person that ships three meals a week for $59.94 / week ($9.99 / meal) or a family (four-person) plan that ships two meals a week for $69.92 / week ($8.74 / meal). I selected the family plan so there would be left-overs that are easily reheatable for a quick meal later in the week.

Unlike Hello Fresh which shipped out almost immediately, Blue Apron took a couple weeks to ship the first box. That's fine, I waited. The day arrived when I got home from work and saw the box by the front door. Picked it up and brought it inside. The box was in good condition, nothing was leaking and there were no foul smells emanating from it. Off to a good start. Opened it up and right on top were the recipe cards and extra cards on spices as well as an ad for their wine service. Everything was securely packed with the produce on top and the meats with ice packs on the bottom separated by a cardboard divider. I was impressed with the egg holder and the eggs were intact when opened. The produce looked fresh and both produce and meats were sustainable, non-GMO and organic. The one complaint I have with these services is what do you do with all the ice packs? I've saved a couple, so now I have a variety of sizes, great for the myriad of bumps and bruises that occur with the kiddo. But what do you do with the rest? Mine just went out with the trash. Put everything in the fridge and disassembled the box.

I tried the Pesto Shrimp & Gnocchi with roasted broccoli first. My son helped cooked which is rare. He made me promise not to burn the broccoli and add more garlic. What can I say, he's a kid after my own heart in regards to using garlic when cooking (proud mom, lol). We got everything chopped up and ready to go. The directions we not as clear as some recipes, I had to re-read everything multiple times to ensure I completed all the steps. This really slowed down the process, especially when putting on / taking off my "cheaters" to read. Ah the woes of getting old... Finally got everything cooked up and plated. It looked nice, smelled good while cooking but the flavor fell flat. It was ok. My son and I ate it, but wouldn't cook this recipe again on our own. One of the steps I didn't do was add salt at every step, literally. Add a veggie, put in salt. Add the next ingredient, put in salt, add a spoonful of this, put in salt. It appeared to be an excessive amount of salt, but this could, in part, have added to the bland flavor.

Next up was Pimento Cheeseburgers roasted Carrots & Parsnips. I was excited for this recipe, 1. who doesn't love a good burger, 2. who doesn't love pimento cheese spread and 3. who doesn't love roasted parsnips? Ok well, I know a lot of you may be going "ooh gross" to a couple of these items, I'm sorry, that you don't like these things. Just kidding, burgers aren't for everyone 😉. This recipe was clearer than the other, but again, I've read easier-to-follow recipe cards. The pimento spread was easy to make and it was tasty. The burgers are cooked in a frying pan, if the weather had cooperated I would have grilled them instead. The recipe for the burgers was pretty bland (in my opinion), beef, salt & pepper. I did use more salt than the last recipe and felt like I was using way too much. Anyway, the pimento spread on the burger was a great addition, I will definitely be trying this one again on my own.

Here is the list of recipes that I tried over the next few weeks:

• Cod & Tomato Stew - not looking forward to this one
• Moroccan Spiced Lamb & Beef Tagine - delicious if you like this flavor palate are aren't afraid of carbs (has both brown rice and potatoes)
• Chicken & Rice Casserole - boring, boring, boring, no matter how much salt I added
• Catfish Katsu & Yakiniku Sauce - the radishes marinated in the sauce & sauteed cabbage make this dish
• Roasted Pork with Apple Walnut Farro Salad - liked the Farro salad, the rest was bland
• Pimento Cheeseburgers - good combination, boring burger
• Pesto Shrimp & Gnocchi - an ok recipe, again not for the carb-adverse
• And one recipe I totally forgot, obviously not that memorable.

Pros & Cons: Overall the service was good I didn't have to call Customer Service, the shipment always arrived on-time and without damage to the box or contents with the exception of the arugula in the Tagine. The price is a bit more than Hello Fresh, but not by much. The recipes could be easier to read and follow and have more flavor with less salt. The "knick-knack" bags that held the smaller liquids, spice packets, butter, etc were a neat touch and it also included nutritional information, great for those who are watching / recording what they eat. I would recommend this service as long as you're not sensitive to salt and aren't looking for super spicy or flavorful dishes. Some of the prep work does take longer than indicated on the card, especially if you're not a professional.

If you've had experience with this service or any others, please feel free to leave your recommendations and feedback, we'd love to hear it.

Review: Drinking Tree Juice?

I like to try new things and am always browsing the "different" drink section seeing what is on the market. On my last trip to the store ran across Drink Maple, a natural electrolyte beverage. So I picked it up and read the ingredients, there was one: Organic Maple Water. It wasn't filled with sugar, it has no artificial colors or chemicals and who doesn't like maple flavor? This was great news since I'm always looking for a Gatorade replacement for my son. Plopped it in my cart and was on my way.

Later that night my son and I decided to crack it open. He was skeptical asked what maple water was and took a big swig. I was hoping he would think it tastes like pancakes, at least that'd the preconceived notion I had. Unfortunately, he was not impressed. He took another sip but it didn't get any better for him. My turn. Definitely had the consistency of water. Was not too sweet and had the distinct taste of maple, but wasn't overwhelming. I liked it, but probably wouldn't buy it again. That's just our preference. If you love all things maple, you NEED to try this.

In reading more about the company it was founded by two triathletes, Kate Weiler & Jeff Rose looking for a better product to use. In addition, http://www.drinkmaple.com/givingback/ each bottle sold will supply 200 gallons of clean water to individuals in developing nations wrought with drought and disease. Very cool of the company to do this.

Bottomline, as long as you like or love maple and are looking for an alternative beverage that isn't filled with crap ingredients, I'd give this one a try. What are some of your electrolyte replacement favorites?

However You Say It...Happy New Year!

2016...what can I say about it? This year has flown by with 50 hour work weeks, the never-ending tide of football, soccer, lacrosse & basketball while trying to squeeze in a work-out and grocery shopping...let's just say it's been batshit crazy this year. I know I'm not alone with those sentiments, time has flown by with gale force winds pushing us through time with no control. Now I find myself waiting to bring in the New Year and hoping the next one is better. So I got to thinking, why do we even celebrate New Year's? What is so darn special about the passing of time other than it inches us closer to meeting our maker? Well, we get to hang a new calendar, we get to "forget" the last year, we get a fresh slate to start anew...well, I don't hang calendars, I can't forget the last year and I have too many more gray hairs and wrinkles to start fresh. Nope, I'm a realist, nothing magical is going to happen on the first, so why do we even bother? Well it seems humans have been celebrating the New Year before Jesus was born, 2000 B.C. to be correct, but then the Mesopotamian "new year" was in what we call March and was aligned with the vernal equinox where many farmers would begin their planting. It wasn't until the Romans in 153 B.C. moved it to January 1st coinciding with elected officials starting their terms. Also, keep in mind those Romans increased the year from 355 days to 445 days just to mess with people's heads (I'm sure there was some logic to it). It wasn't until 1582 when we finally got to our current 365 days in a year with the adoption of the Gregorian calendar and through the centuries New Year's Day moved in relation to what those in power thought best. And new to me, New Year's Day is also a day of celebrating the circumcision of Jesus. He was Jewish after all and on the 8th day of life is traditionally when Jewish boys are circumcised...eight days after Christmas...think about it, "Happy New Year! SNIP-SNIP"

While we're singing "Auld Lang Syne" not everyone around the world is celebrating with us. For many people the New Year falls at a different time and has different meanings & traditions associated with it. Here are some examples:

• Ethiopian New Year called Enkutatash. It is celebrated on September 11 (September 12 in leap years). The new year is the end of the summer rainy season.
• Chinese New Year is the first day of the lunar calendar and is corrected for the solar every three years. The holiday normally falls between January 20 and February 20. The holiday is celebrated with food, families, lucky money (usually in a red envelope), and many other red things for good luck.
• Thai New Year is celebrated on April 13 or April 14 and is called Songkran. People usually come out to splash water on one another. The throwing of water originated as a blessing. By capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddhas for cleansing and then using this "blessed" water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder.
• Hijri New Year in the Islamic culture is also known as Islamic new year is the day that marks the beginning of a new Islamic calendar year. New Year moves from year to year because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar. The first day of the year is observed on the first day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar.
• Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is celebrated by Jews throughout the world. The date is not set according to the Gregorian calendar, but it always falls during September or October. The holiday is celebrated by religious services and special meals.

Whether you're celebrating on the 1st of January or another time, whether it's to flush the past or welcome the future we all can find at least one thing (maybe more) to embrace and be thankful for. Here's to another year ahead, more "natural" highlights and a few more smile lines.

2017 Here We Come!