Give It a Try: POPchips

There is a new chip in town and I love it! Healthier than the traditional fried chip and with more taste than a baked chip, POPchips are my new favorite snack.

POPchips are just that - popped. Add a little heat and pressure and apparently sliced potatoes pop into a chip. And with the same amount calories and just a gram or two more fat, POPchips make a tasty snack you don't feel bad about eating.

I have only ever had the barbeque flavor, but they have a lot of variety to choose from. My local Publix sells POPchips, but it is around $3 for a small bag. The POPchip website also says you can find them at Ingles and Fresh Market. Costco is currently selling large bags of the chips for around $5 at both the Greenville and Spartanburg stores, although their flavor selection is limited. 

The Annual Read

This year's beach read

I just picked out my yearly novel... it must be time for the beach!

I don't know how else to put it other than I just really don't enjoy reading. Each year I mange to get through one book while I'm enjoying some sand, sun and surf. I am a slow reader, and probably won't finish my random Costco pickup while we are at the beach. But because I like to finish what I start, I'll continue to diligently read a chapter a night until I finally finish the book once we get home.

I think I used to enjoy reading. I can remember reading lots of books in elementary school, but maybe I just felt like I had to in order to advance through the Accelerated Reader Program. I think I really started feeling like reading was a chore in high school when I was forced to read books I just did not enjoy. Because I read slowly, I always felt like it took forever to get through the assigned portion of the book each night. And because I was a stickler for doing everything by the rules, it never occurred to me to skip a few words. 

I don't like to read series because I don't want the commitment of having to read multiple books that build on each other. I prefer novels with short chapters and will actually checkout chapter lengths before buying a book. Kevin really likes to read and tries to get me to read from time to time. I have actually found a couple of reads to be pleasurable over the past few years. I read 'The Help' because of its tie to the Junior League but ended up liking it (even though it did have some lengthy chapters). I seem to enjoy books written by people that I can hear their voice while reading, almost as if they are telling my their story directly. Michael J. Fox has written two books about his struggle with Parkinson's and I loved them both. I also really liked Mike Greenberg's (from Mike and Mike in the Morning) 'Why My Wife Thinks I'm An Idiot'.

I really don't think I'll ever learn to love to read. So the next time you start talking about this awesome book you are reading or say that you stayed up until 3am to finish some wonderful novel don't been offended if I respond with a blank stare... I just don't get it. 

The Bad Neighbor

I think that I am a bad neighbor. I don't actually know any of the residents of the 5 other houses on my street. Ok, that's not entirely true. I sorta know the Asian family that lives across the street... they own/operate Uncle Poons! We smile and wave at each other a lot. The grandfather rides his bike around and grows veggies in his backyard.

It is not entirely my fault that I don't know any of my neighbors! We were only the 3rd family to move on the street and two of the houses didn't even exist when we moved in. As new people have moved in I haven't figured out how to best approach them for the first time. Of course my dad thinks it is just terrible that I am not on first-name basis with everyone. Mama has stalked all of the neighbors through county tax records (which are freely available online) and found all their names... and how much they paid for their house.

I do have nicknames and assumed life stories for most of the neighbors though. There is the drunk old man with his sugar mama who may or may not be dealing drugs across the street. Converse and her husband were the young newlywed couple who got divorced like a year after moving in. He apparently left her because the only time we ever talked to her was when she asked if we had seen anyone at her house with a moving truck earlier that day... awkward! There is a family living next door with two kids - Co-ed and Larry Bird. I don't have a good feel for the 5th house, they just moved in earlier this year. Although they have those family stickers on one of their cars with two adults and two dogs.

So now that we have lived here for 3 years, I don't know how to go about meeting my neighbors. None of them really spend any time outside and I don't really want to just ring the doorbell and say "Hi!". Maybe I can just send everyone a Christmas card this year...

I Married My Father...

After 5 years of marriage, I have confirmed that I married a younger version of my father... and didn't even mean to.

I have had my suspicions for a while now. It is not uncommon for the two to sit around our kitchen table and share a beer while listening to/chatting about what they consider to be "good music." (Bob Dylan just can't sing, I'm sorry!) They are also both full of useless history-based information that would only be helpful to know if you found yourself competing on Jeopardy.  

Kevin confirmed my suspicions last night with a YouTube video. After watching Tiger's performance at the Memorial Tournament yesterday afternoon, Kevin was very excited to find and watch the Dorf on Golf video from the 80s online. He described it as a hilarious comedy about the frustrations of golf and felt it was a must that we watch it. While Kevin was literally laughing out loud throughout the entire clip, I sat there trying to figure out what part was supposed to be funny.

Then it happened, Kevin looked at me and said "You just don't have a sense of humor." I couldn't believe he said that... my Daddy has told me the exact same thing for years now! Apparently, Kevin and Daddy find humor in places I just don't and obviously that means I don't have a sense of humor at all.

To make things worse, he threw in "I bet your dad would find this funny." Sigh, I am sure he is right... 

Everything Happens for a Reason

I guess what they say is true... everything happens for a reason! This fall I will be teaching 8th grade math at Gable Middle School. It just so happens that I will be teaching in the same classroom I completed my student teaching in two years ago.

Student Letters from Student Teaching Year at Gable

I feel sure I wouldn't be stepping into a classroom this August had I not lost my job at the newspaper in February. While I didn't want to put all my eggs in one basket, and looked for/applied to mainly marketing related jobs, I knew deep down this was my opportunity to finally get into education. I also realized that if I did not find a teaching position this time around it would be unlikely that I would ever teach.

It is as if all the stars have finally aligned and I am finally getting the opportunity to do what I set out to do when I went back to school in January 2009. I can't say that I am happy that I was laid off, but I am definitely happy with the final outcome of the situation.

Hesitation to be a Good Samaritan

While sitting at a red light the other day, I watched a man with a walking boot on hobble down the sidewalk carrying a bag of grocery items. It was pretty warm and he looked to be pretty warn out. I felt sorry for him.

The 'nice person' side of me wanted to ask him if I could give him a ride somewhere. The 'stay safe' side of me said to keep my windows closed and let him keep walking. The later side won.

It is sad that we live in a world where people have reason to be afraid to lend a helping hand. Odds are, the man I saw was perfectly nice and would have truly appreciated a ride to his destination. But what if he was not a nice man? I couldn't help but think of all the stories about bad people scheming ways to tug at the heartstrings of a Good Samaritan to take advantage of him/her. Unfortunately, I'd rather play it safe and not find myself robbed, kidnapped or worse.

 

May is an Egg-cellent Month!

Breakout the party trays - May is National Egg Month! We all know that the egg is "incredible" and a breakfast staple at any 24-hour diner, but did you know that they US produces around 75 millions eggs a year? That's nothing to cluck at.

Apparently May has been deemed as National Egg Month to remind consumers that eggs are still available, and edible, after Easter. I enjoy a good egg from time to time. Bacon, egg and cheese biscuits are always a good way to start off a morning. Of course bacon and cheese omelets are pretty yummy too. Deviled eggs are by far my favorite and have become a holiday meal must-have on my side of the family. I learned a few years ago that not all deviled eggs are created equally! Midwestern-style deviled eggs taste quite different and contain vinegar and sugar. My taste buds were definitely confused the first time I bit into one of those.

Hard-boiled eggs can be tricky to master. If you boil your eggs too long you'll get that greenish-gray ring around your yolks. After some research, I have honed my egg-cooking skills and now produce perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs. Here is how:

1. Don't preheat your water. Place your eggs in your pan - single layer - and add water so that the eggs are covered by about 1" of water.
2. I add salt to the water to help seal any eggs that happen to crack.
3. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil.
4. Leave the pot on the eye but turn the heat OFF!
5. Set a timer for 14-16 minutes.
6. Ding - your eggs are ready! Pour off the hot water, let your eggs cool and peel.

Love is on the Web

It seems there is a specialized dating site for every demographic these days. Looking for love over the age of 50? OurTime.com is the site for you. Hoping to find God's match for you? Check out ChristianMingle.com. Happen to be a farmer or country dweller in need of a date? Head on over to FarmersOnly.com... no seriously! I think online sites for meeting new people is a pretty good idea, but what if their lists of questions weed out the person meant for you?

I feel lucky to have found my significant other in college. I am not sure how I would navigate the dating scene out in the real world and can imagine meeting someone worth giving a second thought can be quite the challenge in your late twenties. The husband and I technically met online back in 2002. While chatting with a fellow Intro to Business classmate on AIM, Kevin wandered over into his room and somehow took over the keyboard. The conversation continued via AIM when Kevin returned to his room, leading to us eventually meeting for lunch at the Winthop food court.

An Early Photo of Me & Kevin at Winthrop

I have often wondered if Kevin and I would be deemed "compatible" or matched together on online dating sites. We kind of listen to the same music, we sometimes eat the same food, but how do you define compatibility? We work well together as a couple now, but I would not have predicted we were meant to be when we first met. We probably weren't all that compatible at the  beginning and didn't actually start dating seriously until nearly two years after we met. We knew we cared about each other, though, and knew we had to at least give a relationship a try. Almost 10 years later, we are getting ready to celebrate our 5th wedding Anniversary. Maybe AIM should use us in a testimonial commercial for successfully matching us together!

The method of matching complete strangers together based on how they answer certain questions intrigues me. I think it would be interesting for Kevin and I to each create a profile on a dating website to see if our paths would cross and who they say we are compatible with. On second thought, I would hate for Kevin to find a new lady who will cook for him!