It’s that time again. This year I’ve got a whole long list of resolutions. That’s right. New years is just two days away. I’ve got my list. Do you have yours? If you are like more than half of all American’s the answer is no.

Only 40-45% of all American’s make New Years Resolutions. I had some success last years so I’m willing to try this year. Besides, with such a long list I’ve got a good shot at keep some of them, right?

So what are my chances? Here are the statistics that I could find on how well people kept their resolutions:
- After the first week: 75%
- After 2 weeks: 71%
- Beyond one month: 64%
- Beyond 6 months: 46%

That’s not bad. But 80% or so say they will fail. We plan to fail. I’m one of them. I have already said it. Perhaps a self fulfilling prophecy? I wonder what the statistics are in relation to the number of resolutions one has. I have twelve. What are my chances of keeping my top four most important to me ones? Or the two I think are the easiest? Perhaps I can keep them all. I didn’t make them over the top impossible. No three hours a day in the gym with the membership I’m about to buy. I KNOW I won’t do that. Simple things that are absolutely doable such as take one walk a week. Simple things …
Continue Reading... New years ....... Traditional traditions

Eight years ago I moved to Salt Lake with very little. My son, my computer and my car. The rest of what I had fit in my car. Clothing. Nothing else. That was it. Six months later we still hadn’t accumulated much more. So it was a devastating loss when the car broke down that last time. With no money to fix it I had to let it go. My only option was public transportation.

1700 miles from family and friends, only six months in my new chosen home I had to learn the ropes of a new system in a new town all on my own. Eight years later I still have no car, but I am a pro at getting around town. And I’ve seen a lot.

The price had gone up as all things do. But surprise, surprise, it will be going down for a change. The ‘fuel surcharge’ will be revoked. Well, if, big IF, gas prices stay low through the month. Cross your fingers for us. We are at $2.25 a ride. I really didn’t think they’d lower the cost even though gas went down and technically they didn’t.  They are just dropping the ‘fuel surcharges’ and then in April will raise the fare to compensate for the 7% decrease in budget due to the economy. Still. We will come out a quarter lower than we are at now. And I still have better service here than I had in Des Moines or …
Continue Reading... Public Transportation: Learning to ride

You know you’re in trouble when you turn on the cold water faucet and what comes out is hot water for the first three or four minutes.  Its supposed to be 102F here today.  That’s pretty hot. And I have two cats. Complete with fur. How do they stay cool in the summer? We always hear how someone left a dog in a car and they had a heat stroke but what about our cats?

From what I can tell from my cats they do stay cool. Though it is a mystery to me how. I have yet to turn the ac on. I simply cannot afford to this early in the year. We are all set for a cool down starting tomorrow so I’m not too worried. And they seem to know what to do for themselves. They stay in the bathroom, laying on the tile, behind the toilet, up against the cool porcelain and in the bathtub.  When it starts to cool down, and it does get cool here at night, downright cold, they come out and stay on the balcony.

I’ve tried batting ice with them, they were unimpressed. I’ve tried frozen peas. I got a yawn.  I’ve watched them like a hawk on a few days while I was home and was a bit horrified when they didn’t drink any water during the day. So just exactly how are they keeping cool. I did the only thing I could do. I looked it up …
Continue Reading... Keeping Kats Kool

What do beans and left over salad have in common? Both can be tossed into a burrito for a cheap, filling meal.

Burritos are also kid friendly and easy to eat. In many cases, they freeze well and can be reheated fairly quickly with a microwave to save time.  Overall, a good choice for busy people.

So what is a burrito really? Nothing more than a tortilla warped around a filling.

The history of the burrito is quite a long one. Here’s a snippet: In the sixteenth century the Aztec people of Mexico used tortillas made of more than just corn, but also squash and amaranth to wrap around food such as mushrooms, avocados and tomatoes In the 1840s southwest America, northwest Mexico gold miners used tortillas to wrap spiced meats.

These days the burrito is pretty much the same thing. Tortilla wrapped around a filling. The only difference is we have more variety of tortillas and fillings to choose from, so what kind of tortilla and what kind of filling is entirely up to you. Meat is probably the most popular American filling. But let’s not stop there. There are many cheap, healthy fillings that you probably never would have thought of. You won’t like them all.  But maybe you will stumble onto a new favorite or an old classic combination that’s just taken on new life in burrito form.

Here are some filling ideas…. And remember, your burrito doesn’t have to be hot. You can heat …
Continue Reading... Burrito Madness!!!!!!!

Plasma donation. I does it.

That’s right, twice a week I donate my plasma. Not the most pleasant of ways to make $65 a week, but better than others.

  In 1914 the term ‘plasmaepheresis’ was coined by John Jacob Able. Greek for plasma meaning something molded and aphaeresis meaning taken away.

  In 1937 the first blood banks were established. In 1964 plasmaepheresis was introduced as a means of collecting plasma for fractionation, the separation process that allows you to isolate three or more components at a time.

  In 1966 the first European plasmaepheresis center opened.

  In 1972 aphaeresis was used to extract one cellular component and return the rest back to the donor.

  What can you expect should you venture into the world of plasma donation? First you must be cleared for donation. Identity and residence verification can be expected. Then you give an extensive medical history to the Medical Support staff. A short physical and pee in a cup and you are ready to go. This will also happen once a year, as time goes by.

  Once you are screened and cleared to donate you will be screened each time you come to the clinic. You will verify your name and donor number, be checked for cross donation at other centers and then screened for the day. That includes checking your hermitic rate (percentage of red blood cells), protein levels, blood pressure, temperature and then answer some standard questions about …
Continue Reading... Plasma Donation—- Liquid Gold?