Margheritta Spaghetti Squash

I'm back on Weight Watchers for probably the 20th time in my life. That's about every other year since I was thirty, I've tried Weight Watchers and failed. Is this the time that clicks for me? I just finished my second week, with disappointing results. I have only lost a total of 3.1 pounds in two weeks, which, when I write it down, doesn't really sound so bad, but the disappointing thing is that I used to drop at least three pounds the first week, then a steady two pounds the first month after that. I guess what people have been telling me forever has finally come true. It IS more difficult to lose as you age. I love the new program, as fruits and veggies are FREE. Yes, I can eat as much fruit as I want! I just bought some Japanese persimmons, which I love, and fresh pineapple, so sweet and satisfying, so I am a happy camper. I have gotten away from eating a lot of meat. I've never been much of a meat eater, so I'm just as happy going vegetarian a few days a week. I bought a spaghetti squash last week and made this delicious recipe for myself (no, Ron doesn't eat this). I used only 1/2 of the squash and got three meals from it. Cheap and so easy to make, and yes, delicious too. They serve this at True Food, a restaurant in Mission Valley that I love. I've reviewed it in the past. It's a chain. I've been to the one in Santa Monica, Newport Beach and Mission Valley. The food is organic and fresh, with some unusual options to choose from. If you're watching your weight or just looking for a vegetarian option for dinner on vegetarian Mondays, try this Margheritta Spaghetti Squash Casserole. I think you'll like it..

Margheritta Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Ingredients: 1 large spaghetti squash 2 tbsp. olive oil... 1 large Roma tomato, finely chopped 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1 tsp. each salt & pepper 1 tsp. garlic powder( if you love garlic, add some minced garlic to the squash)

Steps: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using a large knife or a cleaver, slice the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise down the middle. (if you can get the produce man at the supermarket to halve it, do so. This is a difficult squash to cut, and also dangerous) Use a spoon to remove the seeds and center strings. Drizzle the two halves with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place the squash, open side down on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, check to see if the squash is soft and easily comes up with a fork into a spaghetti like texture. If it’s too hard to remove, cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, scrape and fluff the stringy squash with a fork. Leave the squash in the skin. Turn the oven up to broil. Add the tomatoes and fresh basil into the squash, stir and top with the mozzarella cheese. Place in the broiler for 3-4 minutes, until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving the squash. Another way to prepare this dish is to take the stringy squash out and put in a bowl, add all other ingredients except cheese, and mix well. Then, turn the squash mixture into a casserole. Put mozzarella cheese slices on top, and bake for 30 minutes, or until casserole is bubbling.

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Saturday Night Farmers' Market: Zion Market Parking Lot

30 miles is quite a distance to travel to a farmers' market, but the once a month market in the parking lot of Zion Market on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. is worth the drive. Ron kept asking me why we were traveling all that distance to a farmers' market. His question was answered as soon as we arrived. A trip to the market on a Saturday night is a happening. We were there on opening night, along with maybe 5,000 other people. Music, dancing, food, and retail vendors filled the parking lot, along with row upon row of traditional market items, like fruits and vegetables.

We began the evening by parking two blocks away. The parking lot was completely filled, and we were lucky to find a space in a strip center two blocks away. Our first stop was a visit to Zion Market, the first major Korean market in San Diego. It is huge, and wonderful. Prices on fruits and vegetables and fish are particularly enticing. I bought a few Japanese persimmons last night, and a box of already prepared rice with curry sauce. There are many items I've never seen before, many fish in sauces that look so hot I'd never eat them, and kimchee. Kimchee is a staple of the Korean diet. It's a mixture of cabbage, spices and garlic, and it's HOT. Zion Market had huge vats of the stuff for sale, and the locals were buying them like hotcakes. Also inside the market are numerous small quick serve restaurants. Vietnamese, Fried Chicken, French Bakery and Korean BBQ are all there. Next time I go I'll stay for lunch at one of the restaurants.

After visiting the market, we ventured into the parking lot, which was all abuzz. Live music, dancing and lots of food booths made it a very lively place. Families were enjoying shopping together, eating together and socializing with friends. Grilled octopus on a stick was a popular favorite, as was a deep fried cut apple with cinnamon and sugar. A boba tea shop was very popular, with patrons waiting up to 20 minutes for a cold tea drink with boba. (little tapioca beads). These shops have been so popular in LA for at least 10 years, and they're just coming to San Diego. The boba drinks are delicious, and you can find them in Korean and Vietnamese restaurants.

We ended up eating dinner at China Max, as our friends Paula and Michael love the Peking Duck there. We loved our dinner too. I had not had Peking Duck in years, but tried one on a pancake with hoisin sauce. Delicious. Although Ron and Michael really didn't understand why we liked this market so much, they went with a good spirit, and when all was said and done, really enjoyed the evening. It's great fun (for me anyway) to try new things, experience different cultures and eat new foods. I'll happily drive 30 miles for a great experience.

Fall Means Pumpkin Seeds

What was more fun as a child, carving the pumpkin for Halloween or cleaning out the seeds and roasting them? I liked the latter, not being much of an artist, and still do. I didn't buy a Halloween pumpkin this year, but my craving for the golden brown, salty seeds means I will be going soon to pick up a pumpkin and make some roasted pumpkin seeds. They're great as a snack, low in calories, high in fiber, and can be used in a number of other ways, including salads. They're easy to make, and so much better than the store bought variety. Try them this fall.

1 medium pumpkin 4 cups water 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil coarse ground kosher salt

Preheat oven to 250°F. Cut off top of pumpkin and scoop out seeds. Discard the stringy fiber and place seeds in a strainer. Look for broken seeds and remove them.

In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add seeds, reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes. Drain well and pat dry.

Transfer seeds to a medium bowl, toss with oil and salt and spread out in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast seeds, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until just crisp and golden brown, about 1 hour total. (They will become crispier as they cool.) Set aside to let cool completely then shell or eat whole. ¨(if you're watching your salt intake, bake them without salt)

For spicy pumpkin seeds, mix 1/2 teaspoon each garlic salt, cumin, coriander and cardamom with seeds and oil before roasting.¨For sweet pumpkin seeds, mix 1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, cloves and ginger and 1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar with seeds and oil before roasting.

Nutritional Info: Per Serving:Serving size: 2 Tablespoons, 130 calories (100 from fat), 12g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0mg sodium, 3g carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 0g sugar), 5g protein

I woke up this morning and decided that I should write a little something about November 22, 1963. Who cannot remember where they were when President Kennedy was shot? I was working at the VA building in West Los Angeles. I had a four hour a day job in the real estate department, doing something with loans. I can't remember what. Anyway, shortly before my morning was over a buzz came over the huge room. No official announcement was made, but word of the shooting traveled from section to section quickly. People were crying and in shock. No one could believe it. My mom picked me up at noon. She had the radio on in the car, and we listened for more information as we drove home. The community and the nation were in shock and disbelief. I don't ever remember another single event in my lifetime having this kind of effect on people, except for the death of Diana. Who knows what could have been, what would have been had he lived. It's a good day to take a moment and reflect on life, and how fleeting it can be.

Federal Government May Lower Poultry Inspection Stanadards

There are two sides to every coin. My friend Linda recently informed me that the government is trying to pass a law that will lower the inspection standards for poultry. I was not surprised, but was disappointed to discover that rather than protect the consumer, it's all about the bottom line. In an effort to save money and modernize poultry inspection, the FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) wants to make changes to the current inspection practices. They want to focus inspection resources on the areas of the poultry production system that pose the greatest risk to food safety. They estimate they will save the government $30 million per year by reducing the number of inspectors, and having them focus on one area, rather than inspect many areas. Much of the inspection under the proposed law will be done by employees of the chicken business. To me that sounds like having the fox guard the hen house. On the other side of the coin, watchdogs of consumer protection feel that privatizing food inspection will significantly reduce the quality of food. The proposed rule places emphasis on quantity and quickness over quality. The current process allows workers to look at 35 chickens per minute, while the new plan proposes looking at 175 chickens per minute, and also reduce the number of FSIS carcass inspectors to one per line. This will create less time for inspection as well as cut jobs among federal employees. The biggest problem for me is that privatization means that companies are inspecting their own products. They need impartial inspectors. Reports from many workers say that the speed of inspection now is quite fast, and with the repetitive motion of the inspection process, many workers have developed hand injuries. Increasing speed from 35 to 175 inspections per minute can only decrease quality. Yes, this law will save government and business money, but it will not improve the safety of our food. We should not decrease quality and safety just to improve our bottom line. My guess is that somewhere along the line, this bill will get attached to another bill (in other words, "buried.") The chicken farmers in Arkansas and elsewhere are behind this bill, so I would expect one of the states in which poultry farming is a big industry, will find a way to get it into law. I hope I'm wrong, but these tactics are becoming so predictable.

Cranberry Relish: What Kind Is Best?

If you're family is anything like mine, everyone has their personal preference for Thanksgiving side dishes, especially stuffing and cranberry sauce. Ron likes the canned jellied sauce with no berries, David likes the canned sauce with berries, and I like the cranberry relish from Trader Joe's. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it, and it keeps in the refrigerator for several weeks. I'm in charge of the cranberries for our dinner this year, so I will bring several different kinds. I've been experimenting at home, trying to produce a cranberry orange relish close to the Trader Joe's product. It's easy, so take a look at the following recipe. I am also trying to reduce the amount of sugar to make it both delicious and low calorie. I am cutting the sugar in half and using Splenda to cut the sugar calories in half. I'm not sure that using 100% artificial sweetener will taste right. I haven't tried it yet. Here's the main recipe. If you're counting calories as I am, try to reduce the sugar and add Splenda or Equal. Let me know how you like it. Cranberry Orange Relish FRESH CRANBERRY ORANGE RELISH 1 12 oz pkg fresh cranberries 1 orange Put washed, drained cranberries in a food processor with 1 orange which has been peeled and quartered with all seeds being removed. Pulse for a few seconds, just until coarsely chopped. If oranges aren't chopped evenly, finish chopping by hand. Add 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar and taste adjusting sweetness as desired. Stir well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Cranberry Orange Relish may be frozen for up to 2 months. Makes about 2 1/2 cups. I've been experimenting by reducing the sugar to 1/2 cup and adding Splenda. \

Happy Birthday, Stairmaster

Fitness equipment is a multi billion industry, and one of the reasons for this is that new equipment is constantly being developed that is supposed to be better. If you have an old model of something, the fitness gurus will tell you to get the new model. It's better! I don't know if that's really true, but the public seems to buy it. As I walk around my neighborhood I see lots of garages filled with fitness equipment that is not being used. Fitness equipment is similar to a gym membership, in that the majority of people buy it, use it for a few weeks, maybe even a few months, then let it just sit. I remember our treadmill. We bought it after we had finished the Pritikin Program in Santa Monica one year, in hopes of keeping up our walking routine. Pritikin would sell their old (maybe only a year old) treadmills from time to time to make room for the new ones. This treadmill was top of the line, with interval training programs, heart rate monitor and calorie indicator. I used it regularly for several months. After that it sat next to our bed as a clothes butler valet (clothes rack) for several years. When we moved from LA to Del Mar, we gave the treadmill to my parents. It has been used over the past 12 years by them pretty regularly. The treadmill is now at least 20 years old. It's in perfect condition. Sure, newer models have come along, but this top quality treadmill from the 1990's gets you the same results. The stairmaster, since it's release 30 years ago, has been a favorite of gym rats. I must be the only person that didn't like them. I remember back in the 1980's watching 100 pound women sweat off the pounds on the stairmaster. It was new and supposed to be THE gym favorite. Today, it is just one of many cardio training machines, including eleptical, recumbent bikes, Nordic Track, hi tech spin bikes and treadmills. They all get you to the same place (burn calories and raise your heart rate), it's just a matter of what activity you like. As I said before, the fitness industry has tried to tell the consumer that they need to upgrade their equipment regularly, which is just not true. The other piece of gym equipment that I bought after our journey through the Pritikin Program, was a bike. That bike is also at my mom's house, and she still uses it regularly. No, it's not high tech, but you can still get the same intense workout as you can on the Keiser bike that I spin on at the gym three times a week. QVC and other shopping networks are always selling some new fitness equipment. A few are unique and offer something new, but most are just a new spin on an old machine. Most of us have a house or garage filled with fitness equipment that is perfectly good, but no one is using. When it comes to fitness, for the most part, the old equipment will do it's job just fine. New machines you've got to have are mostly impulse buying. Many of us helped make Suzanne Sommers a multi millionaire buy buying her thigh machine. The stairmaster is a great machine, but let's face it, it's nothing more than walking hills. Take a walk in the hilly section of Encinitas (or anywhere there are hills), and you'll get the same results, yet you get to be outside and enjoy our beautiful weather. For me, simpler is better. If I wasn't so afraid of getting hit by a car, I would ride my bike outdoors. I feel safer inside so I stick to the spin classes, and probably work a little bit harder than I would outside. Most people that I see using the Stairmaster today, do so as part of a complete workout. The Stairmaster may be used for just 10 minutes, then other machines are used. It's still a great piece of equipment, but the days of women doing the Stairmaster for 45 minutes at a time are over. Most people recognize that climbing stairs is just one part of a complete workout. Fitness trends do change, but the Stairmaster, on it's 30th birthday, is still trending.

Doing A Mitzvah

More and more I have noticed that people I know are doing good deeds for people in their community. A mitzvah, in the Jewish tradition, is a good deed, and Jews are encouraged to do good deeds, like help neighbors, give to charity, help the poor, etc. The Golden Rule tells us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Doing good deeds is a universal sign of good character. Our population is aging, and seniors need more help in getting around, socializing, shopping. Everywhere I turn I find people helping people. It makes me feel that all is not lost in this crazy world. My neighbor Rose takes a senior neighbor out for lunch twice a month. There is another neighbor who helps this same senior by taking her shopping for food once a week. My friend Kathy takes her senior neighbor to the 99cent store every Sunday morning. It's her favorite place to shop, and she looks forward to it all week. My friend Audrey takes her neighbor shopping whenever she has time. Another friend of mine takes a senior who doesn't drive to the doctor when needed. My mom, although quite senior herself, takes friends who don't drive to appointments, out for lunch, or visits them in their homes. If we all did one small thing every month to help seniors, shut ins, or anyone in need, imagine what a difference it would make! The impact it makes on the senior receiving the help is priceless. My mom used to work with an organization that mentored seniors. She had two or three senior clients at a time (often she was older than them, but they needed her help) whom she helped organize finances, deal with personal problems, helped them find solutions to any problem they were having. They looked forward to her weekly visits, and so did she. It was a win/win situation. They were getting some help in solving problems they were unable to deal with, and she was getting to help someone that really needed her. We all need help some time in our lives, some of us more than others. Remember that next time you take your senior neighbor to the market, you've done a mitzvah, and if you don't do any good deeds, at least you now know what a mitzvah is! (I know that everyone reading this blog does mitzvah's everyday) I finished writing this blog at 10am and wondered to myself what good deed I could do for someone. I didn't have to wait long to find out. At 10:30AM I took Pepper for a short walk. I walked past the home of a neighbor who is a bridge playing friend of mine. His wife came out to tell me that Arthur has brain cancer, and has three months to live. I spoke with her for quite a while, and knew immediately what my mitzvah would be. I am going to help her through this and beyond. She is so frightened. Her children live far away, so I will hopefully be some comfort. Life is crazy.

I Love Le Pain Quotidian

Several years ago I went to Le Pain Quotidian for the first time. It's a chain of French inspired cafes, with many locations in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Orange County. The Westwood location is just minutes from my mom's house in LA, and we used to go there for lunch, sometimes for breakfast when I visited. It's everything I like in a restaurant. Small, casual, moderately price, good fresh organic food, and a menu that changes seasonally. Their signature lunch item is tartine sandwiches. Tartine sandwiches are open faced, made on wonderful freshly baked thin sliced bread, and topped with ingredients like lox and capers, ham and Gruyere cheese, baked mushrooms and cheese and curry chicken salad. In addition, their salads, like cobb, warm goat cheese and beet, and salmon salad are delicious. Plates such as their Mediterranean plate, which includes hummus, babaganoosh, and tabouli served with quarters of bread are among my favorites. Breakfast is equally delicious, with scrambles, quiche, freshly made croissants and other yummy pastries, and wonderful coffee and tea drinks. Desserts, too, are worth the calories. Fruit tarts with cream filling, carrot cake, apple turnovers, and passion fruit pudding were just some of the wonderful desserts offered on my recent visit. Six of us went to the Fashion Island location in late October, and had a great meal. We sat at a community table, all the rage now. Le Pain Quotidian has two long community tables in the center of the restaurant, for singles or big groups. It's great for people eating alone. They will have new friends by the end of their meal. We all ordered something different, then divided everything up so that we could taste everything. Salads and tartine sandwiches were all superb, and beautifully presented. We had a few desserts, including a lemon tart, carrot cake, fruit tart and chocolate tart. All were polished off in no time flat. Not only did we all enjoy the food, many of us bought merchandise that was for sale. Speculous and a hazelnut spread are to die for, and my friends were generous enough to buy me a bottle of the hazelnut spread. Debbie bought salt and pepper shakers to give as a gift (yea, right) and Jean and Marie bought a few of the white ceramic boards on which they serve the sandwiches. We must have been their best customers of the day. Be sure to try Le Pain Quotidian for breakfast or lunch if you find yourself near one. It's a winner. The only bad part of the day was the ride home. A rig turned over on the 5 in San Clemente and it took us 2 1/2 hours to get home. It really wasn't all that bad, as it gave Regina and me a great chance to talk. I think we solved almost all of the world's problems.

More Openings In San Diego

The new Headquarters at Seaport District shopping center is due to open within the next few weeks. The grand opening is scheduled for November 18, with a gala event the night before, attended by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, schedules permitting. I'm excited. The center is right next to Seaport Village, but should be anything but a tourist destination. San Diegans can't wait until this place opens. Here's some of the wonderful offerings the center will include: Pizzeria Mozza, Puesto, Seasons 52, Eddie V's. These high end eateries, in one location, will make The Headquarters at Seaport District a destination. Other retailers that have signed leases include Venissimo Cheese Shop, Dallman Fire Chocolates, and Bruxie, a waffle sandwich shop. I'm planning on going to lunch at Pizzeria Mozza later this month, so I'll let you know more about the center after my visit. This beautiful new center will bring San Diegans more of what they want, great food in a beautiful setting.

Libraries Are Changing

Some of my happiest memories of childhood are trips to the library. Every week my mom would take my sister and me to the library to check out books and to be read to by the librarian. Every child I know looked forward to being read to, then going and selecting 10 books to take home. This weekly ritual instilled in me a lifelong love of reading and learning. I still use the library weekly. I do not have a Kindle or an I Pad, and I no longer buy books. If you read a lot, buying books gets extremely expensive, so I use the Dove Library in Carlsbad almost exclusively. I put my books on hold each month, and read them as they become available. It works well for me, and I can't imagine a world without libraries. But wait! A new kind of library is here, and it may just be the library of the future. An all-digital public library opened in Bexar County Texas in mid September. Imagine, a bookless library!. The facility offers about 10,000 free e-books for the 1.7 million residents of the county, which includes San Antonio. Patrons can access free ebooks and audio books either by going to the library or using an app and downloading books from home. To read an ebook on their own device, users must have either a 3M Cloud Library app, which they can link to their library card. The idea of the bookless library is not new, but perhaps 2002 was too early for the idea to catch on. (That's when Arizona tried it). It is thought that 10-20% of the libraries could go bookless in the next decade. My library already has a huge digital presence. You can download e-books to your IPod or home computer and use them for three weeks just like a regular library book. I read that it only costs about $2.5million to open a bookless library, significantly less than a traditional library. What will this do to the book industry? It will hurt it significantly, but all technological advances have some negative unintended consequences. I love the library. I love opening a book, thumbing through the pages, touching it. It's hard to imagine a world without books, but it does seem that is the direction we're going. Some high schools are now bookless, using IPads and digital books instead. This is the future, and I'm ready, although I'm not sure it's best for society. It's definitely the most economical, and will make books available to almost everyone, even shut ins.

My Personal Journal

I'm finding it more and more difficult to write my once a month personal journal. Time has definitely lessened the hurt of Ron's incarceration for him and for me. Most of the men he befriended at Taft have gone home and moved on with their lives. All the talk in prison about getting together later on rarely materializes. When Ron first came home he wrote, through me, to friends that were still there, but over time, he stopped. Last week Corey was released after serving 9 years of a 12 1/2 year sentence for a non violent (first offence)marijuana conviction. He is now 37 years old and trying to pick up the pieces of his life. I became very friendly with his parents, Linda and Rod, whom I have written about before. I spent a memorable Christmas with them in Bakersfield, and although they have moved back to Spokane, I still feel very close to them. When I told Ron about Corey's release he was very happy, but quickly moved on to another subject. Hearing about prison is just not something he's interested in. On the other hand, Michael Santos, who was released in August of 2012 after serving 26 years of 40+sentence, also for drugs, has made it his life's work to reform the prison system and keep at risk youth from going down the wrong path. I became very close with Michael's wife Carole the first summer Ron was at Taft. We drove to Taft from LA every Friday for several months, and learned a lot about each other during our drives. Michael is now a teacher at San Francisco State University in the criminology department, among other things. He's a writer, motivational speaker and all around great guy who truly turned his life around. You can check his website for more information on his amazing story. Most men, Ron included, want to move as far away from the prison system as possible. Michael chose a different path, and it has led him to fulfilling career. Last night we had dinner with Laura and Richard. Richard is a forensic psychiatrist, who has worked with prisoners over the course of his career. We always hear the negatives about the prison system, but he told us about a program that sounds very productive. Apparently prisoners who are deemed incapable of standing trial because of mental incompetence, linger in jail, rather than a mental hospital for years sometimes. They get limited psychological services and little chance of becoming competent. However, there is a program in Riverside and San Bernardino, where prisoners who are incompetent, are given a chance to get the psych services they need and a chance to get better. He is going to check out this program soon, and I will tell you more when I hear from him. Well, that's all I have for now. Life moves on, we are healthy, we are busy, and we are happy. We talk often about the future and the possibility of travel. Ron has not been out of Southern California in six years, except for the wedding of Phil and Deborah in Colorado. He's ready to go somewhere, anywhere. It will all happen soon.

Beauty Tips Through The Ages

I've always believed that true beauty is inner beauty, but in our society it's difficult to ignore what people look like. Most of us try hard to look youthful and as beautiful as possible. I've talked to several older people (80+) who I consider beautiful, and have gotten a variety of beauty tips from them. Certain tips keep getting repeated, so here they are, in no particular order. 1. Keep it simple with makeup. Less is more 2. Moisturize hands and feet. Use Vaseline and socks. 3. Take care of your neck. 4. Don't over tweeze. 5. Everyone needs blush. 6. Take one night a week to pamper yourself. 7. Moisturize right after shower. 8. Keep your hands off your face. Your hands have been everywhere and are full of germs. 9. STAY OUT OF THE SUN. In my mind, the most attractive beauties have always been the clean, wholesome looking women, with just a touch of makeup. That goes for any age. Well moisturized skin will keep it looking young and fresh, up to a point. Then there's not too much you can do about it. Genetics play a big part in youthful looking skin. I look at my own skin, especially on my forearms and hands, and realize that I could moisture forever and my skin would still be thin, splotched and bruise easily. I've got the same skin my Dad had, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. Staying out of the sun is by far the most important beauty tip around. If you must be in the sun, wear sunscreen and a hat. Since my MOHS surgery last year I have slathered myself with sunscreen before walking, boogie boarding or golf. It helps a lot. Although I only have boys, I still tried to teach them to look for the inner beauty in everyone. The beautiful cheerleader may not possess the qualities and characteristics you're looking for. The handsome football player may be a real jerk. I tried to teach my children to get to know the person before judging him. Yes, first impressions are important, but since most of us are not great beauties, that first impression is based on things other than looks. Once you get to know someone and like them, their looks are irrelevant. You like them for who they are and how you feel when you're around them. The phrase "Beauty is only skin deep" is true. Beauty will fade, but people with qualities that are important to you, will show you those qualities, regardless of what the outside package looks like. It's important to keep yourself looking good at any age, and following some of these beauty tips should help, but I try to never lose sight of the fact that it's what inside that really counts.