Survival!

Ah, the intersecting point between one’s journey and one’s destination.  And contrary to the reality depicted in this demotivator, it doesn’t always have to end badly.  In nature more often than not, it usually does . . . the whole “survival of the fittest” concept.  We all have our challenges in life, and on some days, to “survive” . . . get through the work day . . . get to the weekend . . . get to the next vacation . . . is good enough.  Keep the faith, and let’s try not to get eaten today!

Love and Marriage!

I am always on the lookout for unique books (or other sources) of humorous sayings or quotations.  Last week I acquired a couple of new books that fit the bill perfectly and will provide me with new content for my blog for years to come . . . and both address the topics of love and marriage.  And, while I have never been married myself, they seem to provide time-tested, sage advice from those in the trenches.

• You’re the Butter on My Biscuit: And Other Country Sayin’s ’bout Love, Marriage,and Heartache by Allan Zullo and Gene Cheek.
• How to Be Happy Though Married: Matrimonial Strife Through the Ages compiled by Emily Brand.

So, here’s the first snippet: A Question of Lust

After an all- nighter of passion, the young man whispers to his bride-to-be, “Sugar Lips, am I the first man to make love to you?”  “Of course you are, pumpkin,” she says.  Then she rolls her eyes and adds, “I don’t know why you men always ask me the same question.”

Source:  You’re the Butter on My Biscuit: And Other Country Sayin’s ’bout Love, Marriage,and Heartache by Allan Zullo and Gene Cheek.

How Do You Feel?!

The April issue of the AARP Bulletin examined the state-by-state rankings based upon the percentage of seniors (aged 65+) who “self-report” that their health is very good or excellent.

Who reports being healthy the most?
1. Colorado (52.3%)
2. New Hampshire (51.3%)
3.  Vermont (48.6%)
4. Minnesota (48.4%)
5. Idaho (48.3%)
6. Maine (48.0%)
7. Massachusetts (47.9%)
8. Montana (46.4%)
9. Utah (46.3%)
10. Arizona (45.6%)

Who reports being healthy the least?
1. Mississippi (29.0%)
2. Alabama (30.3%)
3. Oklahoma (32.3%) – yikes!
4. Louisiana (32.6%)
5. West Virginia (33.7%)
6. Kentucky (34.2%)
7. Arkansas (34.9%)
8. Tennessee (35.9%)
9. North Carolina (36.9%)
10. Texas (38.2%)
10. New York (38.2%)

Source: AARP Bulletin, April 2018, p. 40; CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; 2017 America’s Healthy Rankings Senior Report.

Fun Fact Friday, Number Seventy-Three!

The category for today’s trivial imponderable is “food.”  Do you know . . . what distinguishes a hot dog from a frankfurter?

Quite simply, a bun.  A “hot dog” normally has a bun whereas a frankfurter need not have a bun.

Source: Sorry, Wrong Answer: Trivia Questions That Even Know-It-Alls Get Wrong, by Dr. Rod L. Evans.

Eugene Delacroix!

Born on this date in 1798, Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix became the leader of the French Romantic School.  Delacroix was also a talented lithographer who had illustrated many of the works of William Shakespeare, Walter Scott, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Delacroix’s most famous painting, Liberty Leading the People, is based upon the 1830 revolution against Charles X.   Delacroix was influenced by Theodore Gericault, Francisco Goya, Michelangelo, Peter Paul Rubens, and Diego Velazquez, and maintained friendships with Theophile Gautier, Dante Alighieri, Lord Byron, William Shakespeare, and Adolphe Thiers.  Delacroix, in turn, had an influence on the following artists: Paul Cézanne, Gustav Courbet, Odilon Redon, Édouard Manet, and Pablo Picasso.  Some pretty fine company to associate with if you ask me.

Sticks and Stones . . . !

For police officers, the rules are a bit different.  As a public servant, they often times must endure every form of abuse from the public they serve (from verbal to physical) all while remaining calm, polite, and in control of the situation.  The police officer’s “peace” cannot be disturbed, they cannot be “offended” by anything said to, or about them, and they must remain professional at all times . . . even as the public they serve scream imprecations at the officers who are just attempting to do their jobs.

imprecation

\ im-pri-key-shuh n \, noun;

1.  the act of imprecating; cursing.

2.  a curse; malediction.

Source: The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate by Eugene Ehrlich.

King of the Oxymoron!

The world of literature has long been a breeding ground of the oxymoron (defined as a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction).  One oxymoron in particular is, in my opinion, a veritable masterpiece: the opening of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities . . .

It was the best of time, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,
we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.

Source: oxymonoica by Dr. Martha Grode

“Born on a Monday . . . !”

Happy Monday!  I rewatched the movie The Accountant the other day and was reminded of the poem “Solomon Grundy.”  Until this movie, I had never heard of this poem, but Ben Affleck’s autistic character was taught to use this poem as a calming mechanism (repeatedly reciting the poem to himself when he is in stressful situations).   He recites the shorter version, but I discovered that there was a longer version as well.  And, if you have not seen the movie The Accountant, I give it two thumbs up.  It is a very entertaining, star-studded (Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jean Smart, and John Lithgow) crime thriller.  Enjoy!  

Short version
Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Grew worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,

Buried on Sunday,
That was the end,
Of Solomon Grundy.

Long version
Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday,
Christened on a stark and stormy Tuesday,
Married on a grey and grisly Wednesday,
Took ill on a mild and mellow Thursday,
Grew worse on a bright and breezy Friday,
Died on a gray and glorious Saturday,
Buried on a baking, blistering Sunday.
That was the end of Solomon Grundy.

Happy Earth Day 2018!

And what better way to celebrate than with this wonderful poem by the late Robert Frost entitled “Putting in the Seed.”

You come to fetch me from my work to-night
When supper’s on the table, and we’ll see
If I can leave off burying the white
Soft petals fallen from the apple tree.
(Soft petals, yes, but not so barren quite,
Mingled with these, smooth bean and wrinkled pea;)
And go along with you ere you lose sight
Of what you came for and become like me,
Slave to a springtime passion for the earth.
How Love burns through the Putting in the Seed
On through the watching for that early birth
When, just as the soil tarnishes with weed,
The sturdy seedling with arched body comes
Shouldering its way and shedding the earth crumbs.

Source: http://www.poets.org.  This work is in the public domain.

This Stuffed Chicken Will “Pop!”

I tend to enjoy “hot” and “spicy” foods.  So when I found this recipe, I was anxious to give it a try . . . I was not disappointed.  It is a bit labor intensive (and certainly will not make your heart doctor’s list of recommended foods), but well worth the effort.

Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Fried Chicken

Ingredients
3 chicken breasts
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
1 cup of cheddar cheese
1 cup of cream cheese
1/2 cup of crispy bacon
1/2 cup of jalapeños, diced
black pepper
2 cups of buttermilk
1-1/2 cups of flour
1 Tablespoon of paprika
1 Tablespoon of cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon of garlic powder
1 Tablespoon of salt
1 Tablespoon of black pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.  In a bowl, combine your cream cheese, mozzarella, cheddar cheese, bacon, jalapeños, and black pepper.  Spoon onto a sheet of cling wrap adn roll into the shape of a sausage and put it in the freezer to set.

2.  In the meantime, bash out your chicken breasts between two sheets of cling wrap.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Cut a piece of the “popper” mix amd place on your chicken breasts.  Roll the breasts up like a burrito and secure with a toothpick.

3.  Dunk each chicken roll into the buttermilk.  Season your flour with the spices, salt, and pepper.  Dredge your buttermilked chicken roll into the seasoned flour to coat evenly.

4.  Fry the chicken rolls in hot oil for 3 minutes (or so).  Transfer to a tray with a rack and put in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!