Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween!

Image property of JMW A Place to Dwell blog

Frankenstorm

Sending thoughts and prayers to the folks in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Hurricane Sandy, also known as the "Frankenstorm," is wreaking havoc like nothing folks in that region have ever seen.

I've been tracking the beating Sandy is giving to my beloved Outer Banks, via the Town of Duck page on Facebook. Here are some photos of beachfront propery posted earlier today:

It makes me so sad to see this.

I heard on the news that the flooding in New York City has caused the rats in the subway stations to seek higher ground. Yeah, that's bad.

To my blogger friends who live in these areas, I'm thinking of you. Stay safe!

Images courtesy of the Town of Duck Facebook site

Chanel No. 5's New Ad Campaign

And the first male spokesperson for the Chanel brand is...

Brad Pitt. In one of the lamest commercials of the year.

As I watched it for the first time the other night, I thought it was a satire of other "sensual" ad campaigns, and would turn out to be an ad for Chevy trucks or Geico. I kept waiting for him to start laughing. But he didn't. The rest of us did.

I could think of so many other actors more suited for this role. My boyfriends favorites Jude Law or Henry Cavill would be perfect.

Bottles of Chanel No. 5 would be flying off the shelves if one of these two peddled the perfume. Alas, we get scruffy Mr. Pitt. (Sorry, I've always been a member of Team Aniston, so there you go.)

Of course, for a perfume that's been around for more than 90 years, they missed the boat in not signing a male spokesperson earlier...

What do you think of Chanel's new ad campaign?

Images from Chanel No. 5 and some selected from Pinterest - original sources unknown.

The Mayonnaise Jar and the Two Pints of Beer



When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two pints of beer.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly, and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed again that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the rest of the space. He asked once more if the jar was full, and his students responded with a unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two pint glasses of beer from under the table and poured the contents of both into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the grains of sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - your family, children, health, friends and your favourite passions; things that, if everything else was lost and only they remained, would still make your life full.”

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff.

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.”

“Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children, take time to get medical checkups, take your partner out to dinner and play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the leaky tap. Take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities, because the rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.

The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem to be, that there’s always room for a couple of beers with a friend.”

- Author Unknown

Story and image found via Shits & Giggles Facebook page


My VP Debate Connection

Tomorrow night is the vice presidential debate. There will be a hyper-focus on this event, perhaps more so than other VP debates, because of the two men participating: Biden and Ryan. And given that Obama was considered to have lost the first presidential debate,  Biden's task is to be the attack dog. So, many will be closely watching his performance against Ryan. Who, while young, is a very smart guy. Should be quite the show.

I have more than a casual interst in this debate because Hubby is doing some freelance marketing/PR work for it. A colleague who has his own marketing/ad firm was hired by Centre College, the school hosting the debate and Hubby's alma mater, to handle media relations for the event. So, he engaged Hubby to assist. He'll be in the "spin room" with the journalists directly after the debate. I bet that'll be the most frenetic place in the country at that moment.

Hubby sent me the above photo from campus. The MSNBC camp is raring to go.

Even Abe Lincoln has his credentials for the event. Although, I understand he won't be going anywhere near the theatre.

Will you be watching the VP debate on 9, 10, 11, 12? (9 p.m., Oct. 11, 2012)

Images property of JMW A Place to Dwell blog

To-Do List

My original to-do list included buying juice boxes and toilet paper. I like this one better. This will at least help me strive for a Zen-like experience at the Kroger.

What's on your to-do list?

Image via Title Nine's Facebook site

Run Like a Mother

I completed my first 5k run on Saturday!

As you may know, I trained for the last 10 weeks to build up to a walk/run in a 5k. In between, I had surgery which set me back a bit, but I rallied enough to race in the Highland Cup 5k. It was a smaller event compared to other races in the region, only 373 people, but it was a great starter race for those new to 5k running. The race course winds through one of the most beautiful areas of Louisville. At one point I looked down one of the hills at the steam rising off a creek below and just felt so alive and glad to be pumping my legs on an early Saturday morning. At that moment I thought of the question that runners often ask themselves and the answer they provide: "Why do I run? Because I can."

Sarah Bowen Shea (left) of Another Mother Runner and Christy Turlington Burns

Speaking of running, in past blog posts, I've mentioned the site, Another Mother Runner,  and the books "Run Like a Mother," and "Train Like a Mother." Be sure to check out their latest pod cast where Dimity and Sarah, the mother runners behind the site, interview Christy Turlington Burns, supermodel and founder of the non-profit, Every Mother Counts. She's training for her second consecutive New York City Marathon and encouraging people to run as part of the Every Mother Counts team to raise funds and awareness for maternal care. What is Every Mother Counts?

Every Mother Counts is an advocacy and mobilization campaign to increase education and support for maternal mortality reduction globally. Every Mother Counts seeks to engage new audiences to better understand the challenges and the solutions while encouraging them to take action to improve the lives of girls and women worldwide.

These runner gals competed in last year's NYC Marathon as part of Team Every Mother Counts

During the pod case, Turlington Burns discusses the difficult childbirth with her first child and how fortunate she was to have a top-notch medical team to handle her emergency situation. This led to the creation of Every Woman Counts. I can't imagine not having these medical resources, yet so many women around the world will never have access to this kind of medical care. In addition to marathons, Every Mother Counts places special importance on 5k races. In rural villages in third world countries, an expectant mother walks at least 3.1 miles to the clinic for medical care. Imagine doing that 9 months pregnant, to and from the clinic. I could barely walk across the room during my two pregnancies.

So, if you're planning to run a 5k or other race in the coming months, in additon to the cause for which you are likely racing (medical research, neighborhood ministries, etc.), consider running on behalf of Every Mother Counts. Every expectant mom deserves the best medical care possible and every new baby deserves a healthy birth.

Images from Another Mother Runner and everymothercounts.org and EMC Facebook site

Spiritual Thinking

I borrowed this from Marianne of Haven and Home. I thought it was so beautiful and wanted to share it.

Do you consider yourself a spirtual person? Do you talk to God or a higher power on a regular basis? Does it give you comfort? It does for me, although being the control freak that I am, I often wish I knew what His plan was for me at that very moment. "Live and let God" can be a tough thing to do. But, He has bigger shoulders than I do, so there are times I have to leave the heavy lifting to Him.

Image from spirituallythinking.blogspot.com