More Openings And Closings Around San Diego

There's lots of remodeling and new construction of restaurants around San Diego. That's a good sign for the economy. I have also noticed that many of the new restaurants are of a more upscale quality. Food is definitely improving in San Diego. In Del Mar Highlands Town Center, Snooze will soon be opening. They are taking over the space formeraly occupied by IHOP. Snooze, from Colorado, is one of my all time favorite breakfast spots, good for lunch too. I was first introduced to Snooze a few years ago in Boulder, having enjoyed the Hillcrest location, and am so happy that they're moving nearby. An opening date has not yet been announced. Also in Del Mar Highlands is a new Mexican restaurant from Diane Powers. She owns Casa Bandini in Carlsbad, and the new restaurant, close to completion, (they took over Red Robin and are improving it) should be another winner. Pizzeria Mozza (a Nancy Silverton and Mario Battali creation) should be open in six months. It will be in the old Police Building near Seaport Village. I LOVE Mozza, and can't wait until they open. Best pizza I have ever had. The crust is incredible. In fact, all their food is a notch above great. Appetizers, pizzas, salads, desserts. Moderate price (expensive for pizza) but worth it for a treat. If you can't wait until they open, go to Newport Beach and eat there. In Encinitas, Boston's closed quite a while ago, and will soon be replaced by Boudin Bakery. Construction is still underway, but they're getting close. Also in Encinitas, right next to Whole Foods, will be an upscale tavern. They will have 24 local beers on tap, plus many food items. Fish tacos and burgers for sure, and I don't know what else. I talked to the owner who was there watching the renovation, and he told me the food would be good. Finally, Sabor de Vida, a Brazilian grill opened a few months ago. It's the 99cent shopping center. We had dinner there last week and liked it very much. I'll review it another time. The newly remodeled Flower Hill Mall will soon have Burger Lounge. Grass fed beef and other organic and local produce make this one of my favorite burger spots. Also in Flower Hill Mall, but far from opening, is Cucina Enoteca, a sister restaurant to Cucina Urbana, a great Italian eatery on Laurel, near Balboa Park. They are taking over Chevy's, haven't started the new construction yet, so they're quite a ways from opening. The space previously occupied by Paradise Grill will soon house a new venture from Matt Gordon, owner of Solace in Encinitas and Urban Solace in North Park. What's closing? Well, IHOP is closed in Del Mar Highlands. Junior Seau's restaurant is also closed. In Encinitas, Boston's is gone, and so is Barracuda. In North Park, the Kensington Grill on Adams Avenue will serve it's last meal on March 30. One door closes, another opens. Hopefully these new restaurants will give San Diego more of what we love and have come to expect: good food and good service in a beautiful setting.

Happy 60th Anniversary, Peeps

I love marshmallow, so it should be no surprise to you that Peeps is one of my favorite candies. (the other favorite being scotch kisses from See's). My birthday is usually about a month before Easter, so those that know me well always include a package of Peeps as part of my birthday present. They don't last long once they get in my hands. I've tried to ration them, say one or two per day, but I just can't do it. Sometimes I'll put them in the freezer where they'll last a bit longer. Out of sight, out of mind. Just Born candy company was started by Russian immigrant Sam Born, out of a Brooklyn storefront, more than 90 years ago. The burgeoning business moved to Pennsylvania and acquired the Peeps brand in 1953 with it's purchase of Rodda Candy Co. (included in this purchase was Hot Tamales, my favorite candy to eat in the movies). Modernization occured, and a version of the extruding machine used to produce the chicks was invented by Bob Born, father of the CEO, and is still used today. Growth of the company was slow and steady, but several years ago a new management team was brought in, and the company spent heavily in marketing. The result is that their sales were off the charts in 2012. They did their first advertising in a decade, and posted double digit growth across all brands. Amazing. A company that hardly advertises their products can do such a business. Peeps are part of pop culture in a way unlike any other. You either love them or you hate them, but one thing is for sure, when you start to see them in the stores, you know Easter can't be far behind. A few years ago I was visiting friends in Arizona, we stopped in a market, and I saw sugar free Peeps. I had to try them. I'm sorry to say they were no good, I'd never buy them again. I've actually never seen them again. I know many Peeps lovers that stockpile Peeps for the rest of the year when they're not available. I don't do that. It's a treat to eat those sweet little chicks around Easter. It gives me something to look forward to when my birthday rolls around every year. So don't think they're just for kids. Adults like candy too, and Peeps are one of my favorites. Favorite color, the original yellow, of course.

Natural Food Show: Part 3

In this final blog on the recent Natural Food Show in Anaheim, I will tell you about some random products that I loved and hope you will try. All are not yet in the market, but most should be very soon. Whole Foods is the most likely place to find these items. Palm oil is very popular. It's supposed to be good for you. Use it for dipping or cooking. French's mustard has several new varieties. The one I liked the best was the mustard and horseradish combo. Just a bit of spice, but I'd love it on a sausage, bratwurst, hotdog, or corned beef sandwich. Ricks Picks is a pickle company. They have everything from mild to sweet to very spicy. I liked the mild ones. They were very dill, and had a good crunch. Pita Pal is a hummus company. You can find them at Costco. They make hummus, beets and jicama salad, Texas caviar, tabouli and 3 bean salad. All are excellent. Look for Dave's Bread. A variety of breads, all healthy, dark, and dense. I loved Mrs. Renfro's sauces. Nacho cheese sauce, habanero sauce, black bean sauce, and many others. I especially liked the nacho cheese sauce. Boulder Soup Works makes wonderful, homemade tasting soup. It's a young company with a very good product. The tomato basil soup was outstanding. Lotus Foods is a company that works with fair trade farmers. All their farms use a system of planting called SRI, which maximizes production and uses less water. They carry the most delicious rice I ever tasted. Forbidden rice, black rice, and red rice. (and many others) Very nutty and dry, you've got to try them. Bruce Cost makes ginger ale in 4 flavors, all with REAL ginger. You won't believe how different this tastes from what we're used to. Tang's is a frozen food company, selling frozen potstickers made from whole wheat. Very good. Nocciolata is a Nutella like product, great for spreading on bread. Excellent. Geraldines is a cookie company, making a variety of cookies, like Italian wedding cookies, key lime cookies, and cheese straws. They are sold in a small bag, and you will love them. Finally, Sticky Fingers Bakery makes delicious scone mixes, and they're gluten free. I was surprised at how moist they were, and will get a box to keep in my pantry. The Healing Tree is a company that sells theraputic wraps for arms and legs. The wraps are made from a bamboo charcoal. The owner explained the process to me. It has something to do with burning bamboo, turning it into charcoal (not quite sure how that works), and something about positive and negative ions is involved. Anyway, Debbie bought one, and swears her knee feels better. You can look them up online. I mentioned before that Honest Tea makes a 0 calorie sparkling drink. I haven't found it yet, but it was one of my favorite products from the show. I also plan to hunt down Yasso frozen yogurt bars, Good Karma (flax milk), Suzie's quinoa milk, and Lotus Foods rice. Gotta have these products. I hope you read this and try something new. Now, you'll have to wait until next year for more new products.

Men Are Affected by Hearing Loss More than Women

We went to dinner a few weeks ago with some friends, and Ron commented on how noisy the restaurant was. He said it was hard for him to keep track of our conversation with all the background noise. Sound familiar? Hearing loss is common in men and women over 60, but more common in men. I wondered if it was true, do men have hearing loss more often than women, or did women just not talk about it? I told Ron I had noticed that so many men wore hearing aids, but fewer women did. Maybe it's just that women can hide the hearing aid with their hair. I decided to do a little research. More that 28 million Americans have some type of hearing impairment and apprpoximately 60% of them are men. It is believed that environmental factors may be the major reason why, mostly due to noisy, male-dominated occupations such as construction and factory work. The articles I read did not talk about the use of earphones to listen to music or cell phones, or concerts, but I think these are huge contributors to hearing loss. Why do boys and young men play their car stereos so much louder than women? Another factor may be the use of aspirin, acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, accoring to a study by the American Journal of Medicine in 2010. It was found that regular use of these common pain relievers increased the risk of hearing loss in adult men younger than 60. How can men change these statistics? The solution lies in prevention, especially while on the job. Men must wear the protective gear that is required in the work environment. Men and women, should turn down the volume on the car radio, head sets and cell phones. Even when men and women do experience hearing loss at equal levels, typically after age 80, there are still differences. Women seem to lose hearing in the lower frequencies first; men lose hearing in the higher frequencies. This means that men have more problems understanding consonansts and women have more trouble understanding vowels. Untreated hearing loss can cause a multitude of emotional and psychological issues, including anxiety, depression, frustration, and isolation. Encourge your loved ones who have experienced hearing loss to get it checked out. It will improve their quality of life, and everyone else around them.

Natural Food Show: Part 2

There are numerous new products this year, the most interesting being MILK. You've heard of soy, almond and rice milk, now you can try quinoa milk and flax milk. The flax milk I tried was made by Good Karma. It has 25-60 calories per serving, depending on whether you get original, vanilla or unsweetened. It has no cholesterol, no carbs and no fat. It's full of omega-3's. Especially for those that are lactose intolerant, this product is a winner. I do not have the fact sheet on the quinoa milk, but it too was delicious and made by Suzie's. Other drinks of note include Mamma Chia, Honest Tea, and bucha. Mamma Chia is a fruit juice drink filled with chia seeds. Remember the chia pet, where you wet the pet and spread chia seeds all over him and watched them sprout? Well these are chia seeds, unsprouted. They are high in omega 3's and are available in several fruit and vegetable flavors. Both Mayans and Aztecs held the ancient grain in high esteem for increasing vitality and strength. Honest Tea, which has been on the market for several years, has a new product called Honest Fizz. It is 0 calorie sodas in orange, cherry and lemon-lime. Absolutely delicious. I can't wait to go buy them. Bucha is another sparkling drink with kombucha in it, plus various fruit juices. If you've tried Kombucha and haven't liked it, like me, try Bucha. It is refreshing, and not too sweet. Chips and crackers made from various vegetables are too numerous to mention. Zucchini, lentil, bean, sweet potato, and kale are just some of the veggies used to make a variety of chips and crackers. Dehydrated veggies are also popular, especially kale. Brad's makes dehydrated onions and kale, but I'm not quite sure how you would use them. Dehydrated fruits are also something new to look for. They are sold in bulk and used in cooking. The flavor is very intense. Another chip that I loved is Tyrell's chips, plain old potato chips, in several flavors, including cheddar cheese and salt and vinegar. Greek yogurt is still the rage. Fage, Liberte, Stonyhill, and Chobani have all come out with new twists on greek yogurt. New flavors, some mixed in rather than fruit at the bottom, and some with other toppings, like graham cracker crumbs. I loved sampling all these yummy yogurts. Yasso now makes a frozen greek yogurt bar in several fruit flavors. They are very creamy, and only 80 calories per bar. They can be found at Whole Foods and other natural food stores. Well, that's it for now. I will write one more blog about the food show this year, and tell you about a few random items that I really loved. Until then, look for some of these new items in a store near you soon.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

I went to Costco today to pick up some blueberries, and I also bought a package of great looking asparagus. There are just two of us in the family, and everything at Costco is packaged for a family of eight, but I bought the asparagus anyway. For dinner I made roasted asparagus, drizzled some olive oil on them, added salt and pepper, then topped with Panko bread crumbs to which I had added olive oil. Excellent. Then, I decided to make a large pot of cream of asparagus soup. It is delicious, and I kept half out to eat tomorrow night and froze the rest. I think it will freeze ok, but I will let you know. (It froze very nicely). Here's my simple recipe for asparagus soup. Cream of Asparagus Soup 2 lbs asparagus, trimmed, then cut into 1 inch pieces. Cut off a few of the tips and set aside for decoration later. 5 cups chicken broth 2 tablespoons butter, + 2 more tablespoons for the very end 1 onion, diced 1/2 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream (I used Greek yogurt, as I had neither) salt and pepper to taste Melt 2T. butter in a large pot, add diced onion, cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the asparagus (not the tips that you set aside), cook about 5 more minutes. Then, add the chicken stock and simmer the vegetables for about 20-30 minutes, until asparagus are soft. Let the soup cool Add 1/2 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream. Then, puree in the blender in batches. Add back to the pot, heat, and 2 more tablespoons of butter. Squeeze a little lemon juice on it just before serving. The asparagus tips should be cooked, then set aside for decoration, a few spears on top of each bowl of soup. I did not add the final 2 tablespoons of butter, and I used greek yogurt in place of the heavy cream or creme fraiche. It was delicious. It's healthy and low in fat, and can be served either hot or cold. Enjoy.

What Makes Grandparents Special

My children were lucky to have their grandparents nearby when they were growing up. I'm realizing that more and more lately, as my grandchildren are miles away from me, and I will only see them occasionally. I will never have the relationship with my grandchildren that my mother had, and still has, with my children. I was at the Y this morning and Laurie and I were having a conversation about the important role of grandparents. I've said it before, that I learn so many interesting things at the Y. What would I write about if I didn't go to the Y? I was telling Laurie that we had just returned from visiting our twin grandchildren, age 2 1/2, and yet I didn't feel like we spent much time with them. We enjoyed watching them play at the park, but there was not much time to talk to them and interact with them one on one. We decided that next time we will visit them at their home in LA. We can read to them, do puzzles, play ball, draw, and talk. We will get to spend more time getting to know them. My children were lucky that their grandparents lived just a mile away from us, and that they loved being involved with their grandchildren. My parents took care of my kids once a week, and boy, did my kids look forward to their time together. What did my parents do that made the grandparent/grandchild relationship so great? Nothing exotic, but the kids sure loved it. They might spend the morning playing "fireman" in the car. Or, they might mix up some homemade playdough. They could spend hours with playdough. Or, when the kids were young, a favorite pasttime was taking the pots and pans out of the kitchen shelves, then putting them back. Other things they might do is play hide and seek, play restaurant, or maybe take a deck of cards and build a city with cards. None of the things they did involved any special equipment, any extra expense, any driving. One of their favorite times was bed time, because that meant a made up story from grandpa. My dad was a wonderful storyteller, and bedtime was never a problem, because they would get 15 minutes of a continuing story. It might be a war story, a sea story or a jungle story, but my kids couldn't wait to get in bed and hear the next part of the story, and I know my dad couldn't wait to tell it to them. Most of the time spent with grandparents was spent at home, with nothing but their imagination and grandparents willing to play along with these childhood games. Do my kids remember trips to Disneyland, ski trips, even trips to Europe? Absolutely, but what they remember most fondly is the time spent with their grandparents, doing whatever came to mind. Today the task of grandparents is to keep these kind of experiences alive. It's easy to take kids to the mall, to the park, to a movie. It's much harder to stay home with them, encourage them to use their imaginations, be creative, enjoy a day without TV, IPads or phones. Laurie was telling me about her memory of going to her grandparents house in Canada and spending time with them in the summer, swimmming and fishing in the nearby lake. These are some of her fondest childhood memories. One of my fondest memories of my grandparents was a trip I took to New York, all alone, at age 10, to visit for 10 days. My grandfather took me to museums and taught me to play gin rummy while my grandmother took me shopping and out to lunch. In between I sang and danced for them, and made up skits with my cousin. Such a wonderful memory. Grandparents are special because they have 60+ years of experience to impart to their grandchildren, and because they have the TIME to listen. Parents are busy, busy, busy, always on the run, and don't always have time to sit down and just talk to their kids. As grandparents, we have the luxury of time, and as my grandkids get older, I can't wait to spend as much time as possible getting to know these wonderful little people.

Natural Food Show: Part 1

One of my favorite events of the year is the natural food show in Anaheim every March. This year I brought foodie friend Debbie along to help collect samples, taste, and evaluate new products. There were plenty of products to taste, and I couldn't have gotten through the show without her. In fact, I really didn't get through the whole show. We walked every aisle of Hall C, D, and E, but by that time we were stuffed from samples, tired from standing and walking, and achey from all the bags and food we were carrying. It was time to call it a day, drag ourselves back to the car, and head on home. Debbie did the driving (such a good driver as long as there's no paralell parking involved), I paid for parking, and Debbie said she'd treat me to lunch. LOL. Who could eat anything after sampling food for three hours? There is so much to taste, and being a veteran of five previous food shows I know to only eat things that are really appealing. Debbie followed my advice, but there is so much good stuff that you can't help but overeat. My overall reaction to the show is that the natural food business is alive and doing very well. Good companies that have been around for awhile are expanding into new products. Alexia, one of my favorites, now carries frozen corn, hash browns and other veggies. Pacifica, which began as a soup company (in the cardboard cartons), now carries beans and mac and cheese. Evol, which began as a burrito company, now carries flatbreads, ziti bolognese, and mac and cheese. Amy's is constantly expanding, and carries dozens of different frozen food entrees. Many new companies were present this year, and time will tell if they'll be able to make it. Each year brings a new "In" product, and this year it is chia. Chia was everywhere. Kale, another hot item, was found in many forms. Tea of every variety, Greek yogurt, vegetable chips and crackers, milk made from things like flax and quinoa, and palm oil were very popular. I will write two more blogs about the show, talk about the various products, what Debbie and I liked and what I recommend trying. All in all, an exhausting day of overeating, highlighted by the short time spent with my son Phil, who was one of the exhibitors at the show.

Pickled Asian Pears

I love fresh Asian pears. They're different from other pears, shaped and taste more like an apple. They're nice and crispy. So why would I want to take this perfectly delicious fruit and cook it, can it and pickle it? Because even though it loses is crispy apple like crunch, you've got something new. After pickling, you've good a tart, soft, yet sweet taste, which is delicious with all sorts of things. It's good on a charcuterie plate, or as a side dish with a sandwich, or it's great in a salad. Try it with bibb lettuce and blue cheese. Delicious. These pickled pears are ready to eat in just a few days, and will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks, although the color might turn. Ingredients 2 pounds Asian pears, or any other sweet, firm pear (3-4 pears) 4 (2-inch) pieces of lemon zest Juice of 1 lemon 4 slices pickled ginger (or several slices of fresh ginger if you don't have pickled) 11⁄2 cups sugar 11⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 cup white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons mirin Instructions 1.Select pears that are firm and on the small side. Peel, core and quarter. 2.Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, ginger, sugar, salt, vinegar, and mirin in a medium saucepan off-heat. 3.Add the cut pears to the pan to coat them in the acidic brine. 4.Meanwhile, fill a second medium saucepan with water and bring it to a simmer. 5.Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears to the simmering water, leaving behind as much of the brine as possible. 6.Simmer the pears until they turn white and are just cooked through but still quite firm, about 6 minutes. 7.Be sure not to covercook the pears. You don't want them mushy. 8.Drain the pears and transfer them to 2 clean pint jars (I used a single quart jar), packing them tightly and tucking them under the curved “shoulders” of the jar. 9.Bring the brine pot to a boil, uncovered, stirring to dissolve the sugar, about 2 minutes. 10.Once it’s boiling, turn off the heat. Divide the ginger and lemon zest between the two jars. 11.Pour the brine over the pears in the jars to cover completely (reserve the leftover brine). 12.Tighten the lids on the jars immediately and let them rest on the countertop for 1 day before moving them to the refrigerator. 13.The pears are ready to eat in 3 days, but taste even better after 5. 14.They will keep their flavor for about a month in the refrigerator, but the color will begin to change after 2 weeks.

To Go Organic Or Not

There are many reasons to eat organic fruits and vegetables, most importantly the lack of pesticide residue on or in your food. But organic is more expensive, although costs have dropped significantly in the past 10 years. The farming methods are different for organic crops, and the use of other plants or insects to keep plants healthy is just more expensive. If the cost were the same, I believe everyone would buy organic, but since it's not, here are some ideas. Buy organic foods from the Dirty Dozen list below. These are the fruits and veggies that take in the most pesticide residue from big corporate farms that spray everything. If you're going to buy organic, these are the things you should buy: The Dirty Dozen apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines, grapes, bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries, lettuce, kale and collard greens. Get the picture? Anything with a thin skin or no skin at all is going to absorb the toxic spray. Strawberries are one of the worst, because their texture allows for a high absorbtion of spray. The difference in organic and non organic can be seen in appearance also. Because they are not filled with toxins which prevent insects from eating them, most organics are smaller, not as perfectly shaped, but just as flavorful. Keep the above list in mind next time you consider what to buy. The clean 15, on the other hand, do not need to be organic. They have thick skins, and even if they are sprayed with pesticides, the skin protects them, thus protecting you. There is very little reason to buy organic produce from the following list: The Clean 15 onions, sweet corn, pineapple, avocado, asparagus, sweet peas, mangoes, eggplant, cantaloupe, kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, mushrooms. A few curious items on each list, which I will research at another time. Why are regular potatoes on the "no no" list, and sweet potatoes aren't? Why are asparagus on the ok list? They don't have much of a skin. Mushrooms are grown indoors under conditions that don't make pesticides necessary. If cost is an issue for you as it is for me and most everyone today, pick and choose what you buy organic. You certainly don't need to buy organic watermelon or bananas, but spinach and apples, maybe so.

Supermarkets Have Changed

You only have to go visit the new Whole Foods Market in Del Mar to see how supermarkets have changed. We used to think that when a supermarket included a wonderful prepared food section, or fresh hot soups, or hand carved sandwiches, that we had a SUPER market. Whole Foods has really raised the bar. To me, going to Whole Foods is like a kid in a candy store. Today I was not shopping, just looking, yet I still came home with a bag of groceries. Not just one kind of trail mix, but bins with at least 6 different varieties. Granola, same thing. An olive bar, a section of prepared fish spreads (delicious), and a produce section with much of the items coming from local farms. Cone shaped cabbage, every variety of the new superfood, kale, and many different varieties of swiss chard. Beautiful plastic cups filled with fruit, including one with fresh coconut. Their desserts and bread are baked in house. They are beautiful and delicious. They have a pizza oven, fresh made sandwiches, salad bar, hot foods to take home, and a huge selection of prepared foods. They also have a coffee bar, a gelato bar (12 different flavors) and a wine and beer bar. The latter really surprised me. The beer bar offers appetizers like sushi to go with your adult drink. I think they're trying to get a happy hour crowd. They also have lots of seating for in store eating. Leather booths inside, big patio outside. Do your shopping in the morning, stay for lunch. If the prices weren't so high I would shop at Whole Foods all the time. It's a feel good store, but you don't feel good when you get the bill at the end of your shopping trip. I shop there for specialty items, sale items, and things I can't get anywhere else. It's a great experience.

My Personal Journey

Another month has rolled by, a really great month at that, which leaves 20 more months until Ron's supervised release is over. February was a month full of lots of celebrations, a little sadness and lots of work. The celebrations included my neice Alison's birthday and my birthday. My celebration began on February 20 with a trip to Pizzeria Mozza in Newport Beach and ended with another trip to Newport Beach at the end of the month to meet my mom for lunch. In between there were 2 lunches with friends, and a lovely afternoon and evening with David and Tracy. Of course there was shopping for my birthday present from Ron at Lululemon. What a perfect gift for me. The sadness I refer to was February 2, which would have been my parents 69th anniversary. I guess we always remember those dates. Ron is working hard. It's tax season, so he has some accounting work to do. He loves to be busy. His job at Costco still exists, although for the life of me I can't figure out who buys air conditioning in the dead of winter. Soon he will be able to go back to umpiring. He continues to recover from the November 27 removal of what turned out to be a non malignant mole. After two weeks, when the wound started to get bright red and tender, Ron went to a wound doctor. He has been seeing this man ever since, and the wound is almost closed. In mid February he had a piece of pig intestine implanted into the wound. It was put there to replace the skin that has not yet filled in, and speed healing. We're almost there. One thing that I never focused on was something Ron and I talked about yesterday. Everyday Ron gets up and realizes he is accountable to someone else. If he wants to go to LA he must ask, if he wants to go to Balboa or Newport Beach he must ask, and he needs to have a good reason for going. We take our freedom of choice for granted, but when you're on supervised release, not only the way you spend your money, but where and how you spend your time, is the government's business. In other words, you've always got someone looking over your shoulder. For someone who has spent their professional life helping others to manage their money, it's hard to have this restriction. Ron takes it all in stride, and he has a very respectful relationship with his PO. He trusts that she knows he is doing all he can, and she knows that he's doing his best. We can't ask for more than that. It's hard to imagine a time when we'll be living without supervision.(I say WE because the PO looks at what I'm doing, earning, spending, too). It's been such a long time since Ron has lived without the fear of lawyers, prosecutors or creditors trying to get a piece of him. He feels happy now that all the legal stuff is behind him, and knows that it's just a matter of months before he will be free of any restriction. I never hope for time to pass quickly, because life is too short as it is, but I can't help hoping that the next 20 months pass uneventfully.

Famous Aphorisms

Ron was flicking through the channels a few weeks ago, when he came across the show "Pawn Stars." He loves that show for its interesting items, the history of said items, and the humor, and aphorisms of the old man. The father sits at his desk in the pawn shop, and comments on life. Some of his aphorisms are pretty good. Here are a few aphorisms by some more famous people that I particularly like. In case you don't know what an aphorism is, it's "a pithy observation that contains a general truth." "If you don't control your mind, someone else will." John Allston "I hear and I forget. I see and I believe. I do and I understand." Confcius "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow." James Dean "Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us." Justice William O. Douglas "Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die." "The important thing is to not stop questioning." Albert Einstein "Any fool can criticise, condemn, and complain, and most fools do." Ben Franklin "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." Martin Luther King Jr. "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Voltaire "It's better to be looked over than to be overlooked." Mae West "No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem." Booker T. Washington Hope these aphorisms give you something to think about today. You probably have your own favorites, maybe even some of your own. Do you have a favorite?