Kids Today:What They'll Never Do

In this age of technology, there are many things children today will never learn how to do or never experience.  Here are just a few of them:

1.  Take a picture with a camera, and develop a roll of film.  With the exceptional quality of photos taken on the IPhone, there's really no need for cameras today, and of course, film is obsolete, except for professionals.

2.  Read a printed map.  GPS on our phones has pretty much made maps obsolete.  Remember the days of reading a map and planning your route?  Most kids will never learn to read maps.

3.  Tie shoes.  The necessity of tying one's shoes is pretty much dead.  Velcro has replaced shoe laces in many shoes.  However, kids should still learn this skill.  Typing bows is something everyone needs to do at some time or another.

4.  Remember a phone number.  Remembering numbers is great for your brain, but with speed dialing and IPhones, you don't need to know anyone's number anymore.

5.  Cursive handwriting.  I understand that cursive handwriting is not even taught in most schools anymore.  So much of a child's work is done on the computer.  I still think this is something kids should learn.  Writing in general is becoming a lost art, but I think it's still important.

A couple of other things that kids will no longer experience include dialing a rotary phone, making a collect call, renting a video, making or looking at a photo album, and using an encyclopedia for homework.   The times, they are a changing.    

The Many Uses Of Sponges

Sponges might be the best at cleaning spills and soaping up dishes, but if you confine them to your kitchen, you're missing out on their other hidden skills. These clever uses will have you stocking up next time you hit the cleaning aisle:

1. Remove pills from sweaters.
Textured scrub sponges (like these) make quick work of tidying up a worn sweater. Gently run it across the garment to banish fuzz.

2. Keep houseplants well-watered.
If you sneak a sponge into the bottom of a planter, it will soak up excess water when you give your plant a drink. This can prevent roots from rotting in too much moisture, and offers back-up sustenance if you forget to water your greenery.

3. Lift pet hair off carpeting.
A damp sponge is just the tool you need to pull pesky hair out of your carpet's fibers.

Josh Ross/Getty

4. Make a no-drip ice pack.
Carole at My Kitchen Escapades likes freezing saturated kitchen sponges in plastic zip-top bags. As the ice melts, the moisture stays sopped up the sponge, minimizing mess.

5. Cushion breakables.
If you're storing, say, a ceramic bowl or collection of figurines, strategically place sponge pieces near any fragile parts or sharp corners that could easily damage.

6. Sop up rain.
Place a sponge at the bottom of an umbrella stand to protect the bottom from getting moist and mildewy. It's much easier to toss and replace the sponge when necessary than to give the canister a regular deep cleaning.

Josh Ross/Getty

7. Make a nail-polish remover jar.
Jilllee at One Good Thing found a clever way to ditch the cotton-ball technique for removing nail polish. Instead, she made her own dip-and-twist jar by sticking a sponge soaked in remover inside a mason jar.

8. Protect surfaces from scratches.
Before you place a vase on your vintage coffee table, glue a few pieces of a sponge to the bottom to curtail any bumps and bruises.

9. Plug a drafty window.
If your window air-conditioning unit doesn't fit snuggly, press a sponge into any leaky holes to keep the chilly air inside.

Josh Ross/Getty

10. Entertain kids.
Surprisingly, when cut and tied into different shapes, sponges make for safe outdoor fun (like these water bombs) and extra-quiet games (like these building blocks that won't give you headache when they come crashing down).

11. Give yourself an at-home pedicure.
Place pieces of a cut-up sponge between your toes so you don't smudge your polish before it dries.

This information is from a Good Housekeeping article.  Rather than rewrite the article, I printed it in its entirety.  Great information.  I especially like number two and number seven.

When Do We Begin Lying?

It's a fact that we all lie.  Most of us tell "little white lies,"  but many children and adults alike tell major lies.  You may lie to someone on the phone and tell them your husband is not home when he actually is but doesn't want to talk, or you may tell a friend that you like her new hairdo, when you really don't.  These are harmless lies.  It was amazing to me to discover how early boys and girls learn to lie.

As early as 30 months, children lie.  There have been many studies done on children, and as early as 2 1/2 they will try to deceive.  For example, psychologists have done the following study:  Put a toy behind the therapists back and make a noise like "woof, woof," and have the child guess what animal is hidden.  They do this several times with different animals.  Then they say they are going to hide the animal in box and they tell the child they are going out of the room for a few minutes, and not to peek in the box.  80% of the children peek in the box, and 40% of the children lie about it when the therapist returns.

When I discovered that lying was common in boys and girls at a young age and obviously carried over into adulthood, I wondered if this was an American trait, or a human trait.  It's a human trait.  As our children get older, they see their parents "lying" all the time, so even though we tell our kids that lying is wrong, they see us doing it all the time.  We are telling them to do as we say, not do as we do.

Here's a funny story that Ron has often told that goes under the heading of "Out of the mouths of babes."  Ron was about 5 years old.  His parents had a friend who was very overweight, and they had obviously discussed this fact in front of him.  When the friend came over one day, and Ron's mom introduced Ron to the overweight friend, Ron said, "Mom, she's not nearly as fat as you said she was!"  We all have to watch what we say in front our children.  They are listening.

There's A New Fish Market/Restaurant In Town

Around April 15, a new fish market and restaurant opened in Carlsbad.  It's called Top Choice Seafood Market and Restaurant.  We stopped by for dinner one night, and was very impressed.  The menu is extensive, the food is good, and the market is so clean.  The only problem is, there are only a few seats for dining.  I assume most of their business is local takeout and catering.  I think there are 5 tables for dining.  Not exactly a dining experience.  Other than that, Top Choice is great.

Everything on the menu is under $10.  This includes an 8 ounce piece of poached salmon ( I ordered this) with hollandaise sauce, salad and rice.  Ron had the Po'Boy Sandwich with delicious french fries.  Other options were several kinds of fish tacos, fish burgers, several types of herring appetizers ($3.98 each), clam chowder, boullaibaise and fish chowder, in small, medium or large sizes, fish and chips, and just about any type of fish you can think of, all fresh, either fried, grilled or sauteed.  They even have bagels, cream cheese and lox with all the fixin's.

If you live in the Carlsbad area near Tip Top Meat Market, it's a great place for takeout.  Remember the little fruit and vegetable market adjacent to Tip Top?  Well, they turned that into Top Choice Seafood.  It's very good, but not good if you're looking for an evening out.  It's similar to Pellys in Carlsbad, with a more extensive menu, but not as much seating.  We really liked the food, but in the future, will go there for take out only.

I was just informed by Carlsbad resident and friend Louise, that the food bought in the fish market can be taken into the regular TipTop restaurant for dining.  That way, if one person wants fish and the other wants meat, they can order in two different places, then eat together.  Great idea.

The Enormous Problem Of Fraudulent Goods

Over 7% of world trade involves counterfeit goods.  From medicine to food, to clothing and toys, electronics, car and airplane parts, records and fine wine, everything is being knocked off!  In fact, the sale of fraudulent goods has grown 10,000%  in the past two decades.  (that's a conservative estimate.  The consequences are both economic and humanitarian.  For example, Pfizer has more than 20 products that they know have been knocked off.  Viagra, Lipitor, Plavix and Tamiflu are just some of them.  Imagine what this does to the bottom line of this public company.  The other thing is that over 700,000 people die each year from knock off drugs, mostly in underdeveloped countries.

In the U.S in 2007,  the University of North Carolina found that 77% of the fish sold as red snapper was actually tilapia, a less expensive fish.  Olive oil is another product that is often counterfeit.  Either the olive oil sold is not extra virgin, or is mixed with a cheaper oil, like soybean oil.

Clothing by well know companies like Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, Guess, etc are sold all over the world.  Some knock offs are so good you can barely tell them from the real thing, others are not so good and will probably fall apart in weeks.  Who hasn't bought a Rolex watch from a street vendor, or a Louis Vuitton handbag?  This effects the bottom line of these companies.  It's a terrible thing, and it doesn't look like things will change any time soon,.

On my recent Crystal Cruise, we had a speaker talking about fraud.  He said you should never buy drugs on line, even from Canada.  You just don't know what you're getting.  The highest concentration of illegally produced goods come from China.  That's another reason not to buy goods produced in China.  You really don't know what you're getting.

Retail packaging is sometimes changed slightly, to make you think you are buying a name brand.  Go into Dollar Tree or a similar type store and see how things like Windex, Ajax, Clorox, and other products have packaging that looks similar to the real thing, but aren't.  You will know they're not the real deal as soon as you use the product.

Some fraudulent products are controlled by organized crime, others are just small time entrepreneurs with no scruples.  Just beware.  Anything you purchase is possibly not the real deal.  This includes expensive electronic products, including Apple.  You've got to be careful, and a little bit lucky.

A Visit To Lotusland

Several years ago a group of friends spent a weekend in Carpenteria.  We wanted to tour Lotusland in Montecito, voted one of the 10 most beautiful gardens in the country, but were there during the off season and they were not conducting tours.  Lotusland is a private garden, 37 acres of succulents and many plant species native to California.  Fortunately, my mom and I were able to visit Lotusland on our recent Crystal Cruise.  Ron stayed aboard while we toured some really beautiful gardens.

What made it especially wonderful was our guide.  (sorry but I can't remember her first name.  Her last name was Green).  She was super knowledgeable on all the plants and the history of the gardens.  She told us stories about Madame Ganna Walska, the Polish opera singer, who bought the property in 1941 and oversaw much of the renovation herself.  The gardens have gone through extensive renovations over the years, surviving soil and beetle infestations.  The gardens contain many species of native plants, including large numbers of succulents.  It's a fascinating 90 minute tour that I recommend to anyone who loves plants and gardening, visiting the Santa Barbara area.  Reservations must be made in advance.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the tour, was learning about the life of Madame Ganna Walska.  She was a Polish opera singer of moderate talent.  She did, however, have a talent for marrying wealthy men who made Lotusland hers.  Among her husbands were Count d'Eingorn, Theos Bernard, Harry Gindell Mattheus and Harold McCormick (International Harvester).  There were affairs, divorces and lots of intrigue.  Her history is long and complicated and too much to explain here.  I can just say this is beautiful garden, and anyone with an interest in horticulture will not want to miss.  

Domestic Abuse Is All About Control

I just finished reading a most compelling book called "I Let You Go."  It was about a young woman dealing with domestic abuse.  I couldn't put the book down, and felt the author so clearly let the reader know what the abuser was going through.

Often alcohol and drugs are a factor in domestic violence, but not always.  Characteristics of an abuser include controlling, manipulative, and seeing themselves as the victim.  What happens is always someone else's fault.  (usually the abused).  Violence is a tool to keep the mate from leaving the relationship.  Total control and power is what the abuser wants.

The abuse cycle has several stages, which the couple go through.  After completing the stages, the cycle usually starts again, unless the abused seeks help.  The build up phase, is when tension begins to build.  The stand-over phase, is when verbal attacks increase.  The explosion phase is when violent outbursts take place, then comes remorse.  In this phase the abuser blames the victim for his or her violent behavior and says it will never happen again.  Then comes the honeymoon phase, when everything is wonderful again, but only for a short time before the cycle begins again.  Abuse can be physical, sexual, verbal, psychological or emotional.  Whatever it is, no one deserves this kind of treatment, and should seek professional help.  Fortunately there are safe houses for women who feel they and their children are in physical danger from their abuser.

I highly recommend "I Let You Go."  I thought I knew alot about what an abused woman goes through, but this fiction book made it so much clearer.  Read it if you get a chance.

New Pizzaria In Encinitas

Encinitas is becoming the "go to" place for dining out.  Whether you're looking for upscale dining at places like Moonlight Solice or I Trulli, or casual dining like Taco Stand The Tavern, there are many great restaurants to choose from.  Add another to the list.  Na Pizza has just opened their fourth location in San Diego.  They're right next to the defunct Whole Foods in Encinitas.  Great food, people and location.

Fran and I took our Saturday walk and ended hungry and ready for something new.  We've tried almost every restaurant in the area.  We walked in to Na Pizza, and immediately we'd like it.  First, the help is outstanding.  They are friendly and willing to explain the food and menu to their customers.  The pizza recipes come from Rome.  They have about 10 different varieties, cut into individual squares and placed on large baking sheets.  They are 80% cooked, and they finish the cooking when you order.  Fran tried the pepperoni pizza, I had the mushroom truffle oil pizza.  Salads are fresh and delicious.  We had spinach, bacon, walnuts, and apples, in a honey nut dressing, with a side of cooked pizza bread.  Everything was delicious.

One of the best things about Na Pizza is that they deliver.  That means they deliver to Moonlight Beach.  Go to the beach with family or friends, call Na Pizza when you get hungry, and in about 30 minutes your meal will be delivered right to your beach blanket or picnic table.  Fran and I plan to do just that.  A morning of boogie boarding with our Newcomers group, then lunch with the group at the beach.  Can't wait for the water and air to warm up just a little bit.  Na Pizza also has locations in Little Italy, Hillcrest and  San Diego.

Information From The Mayo Clinic

I'm going to send you all the information I received from my friend Judy regarding water, aspirin and heart attacks.  The information is too important to try to paraphrase.  So much of this information I never knew  Pass this on to others.  It may save a life.

MAYO CLINIC - DRINKING WATER, very interesting!!!  

Water and Aspirin...

A cardiologist determined that heart attacks can be triggered by dehydration.

Good Thing To Know. From The Mayo Clinic. How many folks do you know who say they don't want to drink anything before going to bed because they'll have to get up during the night? 

Heart Attack and Water - Drinking one glass of water before going to bed avoids stroke or heart attack. Interesting.......

Something else I didn't know ... I asked my Doctor why people need to urinate so much at night time.

Answer from my Cardiac Doctor:  Gravity holds water in the lower part of your body when you are upright (legs swell). When you lie down and the lower body (legs and etc.) seeks level with the kidneys, it is then that the kidneys remove the water because it is easier. I knew you need your minimum water to help flush the toxins out of your body, but this was news to me.

Correct time to drink water... Very Important. From A Cardiac Specialist!

Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body:

2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs

1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion

1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure

1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack

I can also add to this... My Physician told me that water at bed time will also help prevent night time leg cramps. Your leg muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp and wake you up with a Charlie Horse.

Mayo Clinic on Aspirin -Dr. Virend Somers is a Cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic who is the lead author of the report in the July 29, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Most heart attacks occur in the day, generally between 6 A.M. and noon. Having one during the night, When the heart should be most at rest, means that something unusual happened. Somers and his colleagues have been working for a decade to show that sleep apnea is to blame.

1. If you take an aspirin or a baby aspirin once a day, take it at night.

The Reason:  Aspirin has a 24-hour "half-life"; therefore, if most heart attacks happen in the wee hours of the morning, the Aspirin would be strongest in your system.

2. Aspirin lasts a really long time in your medicine chest; for years. (when it gets old, it smells like vinegar).

Please read on.

Something that we can do to help ourselves - nice to know.  Bayer is making crystal aspirin to dissolve instantly on the tongue. They work much faster than the tablets.

Why keep Aspirin by your bedside?

It's about Heart Attacks -There are other symptoms of a heart attack, besides the pain on the left arm. One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating; however, these symptoms may also occur less frequently.

Note: There may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack.

The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep. If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water.

Afterwards: - Call 911. - Phone a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by. Say "heart attack!" - Say that you have taken 2 Aspirins. - Take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for their arrival and ........DO NOT LIE DOWN!

A Cardiologist has stated that if each person after receiving this e-mail, sends it to 10 people, probably one life could be saved! I have already shared this information. What about you? Do forward this message. It may save lives! 

"Life is a one-time gift" (Let's forward and hope this will help save some!!!)

Celebrating At Sherman Gardens

About 50 miles north of Carlsbad, lies the small town of Corona del Mar.  Founded in 1966 by Arnold D. Haskell, it is a beautiful and tranquil cultural center.  A few of us took our friend Jan there for her big birthday.  (I won't say which one).  I'd been there before, but this time we were lucky enough to be there during a glass sculpture.  Chihuli like glass forms were displayed throughout the gardens.  It was just beautiful, and Jan took lots of pictures.

After a delicious lunch, we headed back to Carlsbad, for massages at Happy Head, a massage studio across from the Carlsbad Outlet Mall.  For $39 plus tip, we had a one hour massage (with clothes on) that can't be beat.  I left feeling so relaxed I could hardly drive home.

A little bit more about Sherman Gardens that I didn't know until today.  Arnold Haskell, the founder of the gardens was a successful businessman, who moved from Los Angeles to Corona del Mar and purchased the land and a home.  Originally he only owned a portion of what is now Sherman Gardens, but over time, he owned the entire block.  He named the gardens after his mentor, Moses Hazeltine Sherman.  Moses Sherman was a businessman who was involved in the development of the southern half of the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood.  Actually, Sherman Oaks was named after him.  Both Haskell and Hazeltine are streets familiar to all who know the Sherman Oaks and Encino area of Los Angeles.  Hazeltine was Moses Sherman's middle name, and Haskell was named after Arnold D. Haskell, founder of Sherman Gardens.  Just a little trivia for those that grew up in the LA area.

Jan's big birthday was a such fun.  I hope she enjoyed it as much as we did.  Deb, get ready, your big day will come soon.  Where do you want to go?  Does ziplining over the Eifel Tower sound like fun?

Recent Restaurant Openings in San Diego

Asian food is definitely trending.  Most specifically, look for poke and ramen restaurants all over the place.  I love poke.  I've tried at least 5 different places in the San Diego area so far.  A new one, Good Time Poke, has recently opened on Grand Ave in San Diego.  I haven't yet tried it, but next time I'm in the area I will stop by.  Ramen, too is popping up everywhere.  I went to RakiRaki a few months ago (on Convoy), and I may be spoiled for all other restaurants.  It was that good.  But we now have Menya Ultra Ramen on Clairemont Mesa, too.  The reviews are good, but again, I have not yet tried it.

Little Italy is so hot.  Born and Raised is a new steakhouse, taking over the old Nelson Photo building.  $2.5 million is the cost of getting this restaurant ready for business. It should really be something special.   In UTC's newly remodled Westfield Shopping Center, you can find Mendocino Farms.  It's another farm to table concept, with the freshest ingredients.  The restaurant first opened in Los Angeles, and will be a good addition to UTC.

Coming soon, sometime this year is Shake Shack.  It's another burger place, originally from New York.  I ate there in Chicago, and when it opens in UTC, lines will be long.  Burgers, fries and shakes.  It's a bit on the pricey side, but good.

Well, that's all for now.  I guess I should mention that the Cheesecake Factory is scheduled to open in Westfield Mall, Carlsbad.  Everyone is anxiously awaiting this opening.  I don't know when this will happen, but a lot of Oceanside and Carlsbad residents will be happy.

Ever Try Korean Barbeque?

My Convoy lunch brigade tried Korean Barbeque in April.  None of us had tried it before.  We thought it was too spicy, and didn't know if we'd like all the unusual foods.  Well, there were only two side dishes that were spicy.  One was sliced zucchini with spicy sauce, the other was kim chee (pickled cabbage) with spices.  Everything else was comfortable for even the blandest pallet.  Other appetizers included sliced fish cake which was delicious, mixed green salad with a wonderful dressing, pickled radish and bean sprouts.

We ate at Manna Korean Barbeque in Mira Mesa.  Actually, we originally planned to go to their Convoy Street location, but the reviews on Yelp were higher for the Mira Mesa location, and the parking was easier.  We're glad we went to Mira Mesa.  We had a friendly, helpful waitress, who explained everything to us, and since we still didn't know what most of the food was, she just selected foods for beginners, and brought, and brought and brought.   Manna is an all you can eat barbeque.  There is no a la carte ordering.  We ordered the $22.95 meal.  There is also a  $27.95 meal, the difference being more expensive meats in the more expensive option.  Cooking of the main course meats and vegetables takes place at your table.  We all agreed we liked the boneless short ribs the best.  They were meaty and well seasoned.  We also had bulgogi, a marinated beef, and beef brisket, also marinated.  Eggs with spices were served in a little black crock and were very tasty.  Glass noodles in a wonderful sauce were also a favorite.  Veggies were grilled and so, so good.  Corn on the cob, mushrooms, zucchini and onions were grilled to perfection by us.

Manna Korean Barbeque has many more exotic proteins, like octopus, intestines and squid.  We had none of these, but I might be willing to try them in the future.  It was a great, social lunch, and everyone tried something they'd never had before.  It's for adventurous eaters, but it's definitely not spicy.  Manna in Mira Mesa takes reservations for parties of 8 or more.  It's lots of fun.  Kind of like Bennihana, but you do the cooking.  Give it a try.

Fresh Vietnamese Food In San Marcos

Recently the UT ran an article about a little restaurant, Cay Bistro, that opened in San Marcos.  Owned by a young couple, Tan and Marya Chuong, the restaurant sounded like something I would like, so Regina and I went to try it out.  We were not disappointed.

Their concept was to introduce customers to Vietnamese food, prepared simply, with a modern take on traditional food.  The result is Cay Bistro, a clean little restaurant with about 15 tables, in a shopping center in San Marcos.

The food is simple:  rice plate, sandwich, rice noodle bowl, pho soup and egg rolls.  That's about it.  You choose your entree, select your protein, and add on fried egg, avocado or egg rolls.  The food was delicious.  We split a ban mi sandwich with chargrilled steak.  The bread was warm and toasty, the meat was flavorful, and the condiments (carrots, pickled daikon strips, cilantro and jalapenos) made it a wonderful sandwich.  We also tried the rice noodle bowl, which consisted of lettuce, cold rice vermicelli, pickled vegetables and crushed peanuts, served with Viet vinatrette.  Altogether, these ingredients made a wonderful salad.  Next time I will try the pho and the egg roll.

We met the owner Tan, and wished him well.  He has a clean, efficient and delicious restaurant, and I wish them success.  It's a bit of a drive for me, but if you're ever in the area of the 78 freeway and Nordahl, stop by Cay Bistro for lunch.