My First Flip Flops

David Palmer's $18,000
flip flops

This week I bought my very first flip flops.  I decided years ago I'd never wear them.  Much like I decided I'd never have a microwave.

Flip flops have been around for 4,000 or so years.  The Egyptians liked them and some of theirs were even bejeweled.  They became popular in this country after World War II.  Who would have thought that we'd copy the Japanese so soon after the war?

By the 1960s they were urber popular.  Remember those lady soccer players who got some bad press for visiting the president in their flip flops?

My $9.95 bejeweled
flip flops

The most expensive flip flops were designed by David Palmer and you may have a pair for $18,000.

I was motivated to buy mine because I was tired of ruining my sandals walking back and forth from the pool.  But, to my surprise, I love them. With cushioned soles, they're comfy.  And they're bejeweled.  And (the best part) I bought them for $9.95 at Walgreens.




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Beware of Facebook

Yesterday I visited my sons' office to pick up a package - something I rarely do.  I don't believe I belong at my children's workplaces.

Anyway, some time during the 20 minutes or so I was there our picture was taken.  Today I saw the photo on my Facebook page.  But my guess is that it was there within five minutes of my leaving the building.

The Facebook "likes" were in the hundreds.  Nice.  And there were several comments.  Mostly nice and sweet.  In fact that's what they called me.  "Nice" and "sweet."  One person said "Did she bring you milk and cookies like my mom does?"

I'm sure this made John laugh.  We don't have that kind of relationship.  I'm not a milk and cookies mom.

John's reply on FB was "She walked around like she owned the place."  You, my readers, know very well I didn't do that either.  I behaved myself.

John also e-mailed his brother, Scott, who is currently in Paris, and told him I tried to sit in his chair but John didn't allow it.

You know better!  That would be trespassing.


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Maya

Maya Angelou died yesterday.  Her writings affected the lives of millions of people, including me.

She lived a profound, inspiring life.  President Obama's daughter is named after her.

She sometimes wrote in short, pithy sentences.  She was criticized for writing for Hallmark but, in doing so, she reached masses of people who, otherwise, would not have been affected by her words.

Here are  a few of my favorites.

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. 

Just reading this line helped me to understand my own agony.  We all need to tell our stories to someone who will listen.  But I've found that not many people want to hear it.  Only my brother, Paul, truly knows my childhood story - because he lived it as well.

You can't forgive without loving and I don't mean sentimentality.  I don't mean mush.  I mean having enough courage to stand and say "I forgive.  I'm finished with it. " 

I've worked on forgiveness my whole life.  But after my husband, Ken, died I went on a journey, both literally and internally, to find and eradicate whatever was keeping me from forgiving any and everybody whom I though I needed to forgive.  I'm not altogether there but what a magnificent journey it's been.  Of course, there will always be people who get on my nerves.

If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?

This is a tough one.  But I think the people around me would tell you that, in the last decade, I've done pretty well about being good to myself.

While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation.

The realization of the truth of the above quote has enriched my life beyond measure.


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Howie Mandel is a Hero

Howie Mandel has:

• ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
• OCD - Obsessive/compulsive Disorder
• Mysophobia - Pathological fear of germs

Howie and John

But, as you well know, he's one of the most successful performers on the planet.  I'm sure it's despite of, and also because of, these disorders.  There is, generally, an uneasy relationship between mental illness and comedy.  

I haven't seen much that Howie's done since he starred in St. Elsewhere in the 1980s.  But he's done it all.  And in the doing, he's also educated himself and us about his difficulties.

And our difficulties.  Because we're all broken in some way or another.

So I was excited to learn that Howie Mandel would be the headliner for the International Council of Shopping Centers Foundation Gala Dinner last week in Las Vegas.  As part of ICSC, my son, John, has raised huge amounts of money for scholarships across the country.   The proceeds from Howie's performance went to the scholarship program.

I was also happy to see John standing a respectful distance from Howie in this photo.  We all know Howie doesn't like to be touched.  So I hope everybody at the ICSC behaved themselves.


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The Mall at Millenia

In the 90s, when the "high end" mall concept  was explained to me by my son, Scott, I didn't get it.  We already had malls.  He said more people from around the world would visit Orlando if we had more high end shopping.  I still didn't get it.

In 2002 the Mall at Millenia opened.  It featured world class shopping at 150 plus high end shops and department stores, not to mention restaurants and bars.  The Mall at Millenia also offered amenities such as a full service concierge and a foreign currency exchange.

I thought there was no way in the world this mall would succeed.  Of course, I was wrong.

Because we knew the temperature was going to top out at close to 100 today, Dave and I wanted to have some fun indoors.  So we headed for one of our favorite spots, The Mall at Millenia.  It's a total treat for the eyes, nose, skin and taste buds.  We had a yummy but sensible lunch at California Kitchen.  We walked the entire perimeter of the mall and marveled at the beautiful merchandise and the people buying it.

But what I like most about this mall is that you don't have to buy anything to have a great time.  One afternoon a few years ago, I took my friend, a former model who was in a fairly deep depression, to The Mall of Millenia.  For a couple of hours she forgot about her troubles and just enjoyed the beauty around her.  I did have to talk her down when she wanted to buy a $75 tube of lipstick  but we got through the crisis and moved on to Brookstone where we enjoyed the massage chairs (for free.)

My very favorite place in the mall is Neiman Marcus.  As you enter the store and travel up the escalator you are inundated with thousands of white, glittering, hand crafted butterflies hanging from the ceiling.

Dave and I had the butterfly experience today.  Wow!

I'm happy we have the mall.  I'm happy when I'm in the mall.  I'm happy that visitors for all over the world come to enjoy themselves shopping in these exquisite stores.  I have actually purchased an item from time to time.  But anybody can come to the mall.  You don't have to shop to enjoy yourself.


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"Frozen" is the new Kardasians

Here I Stand
And here I'll stay
Let the storm rage on

    Lyrics from Let it Go by Idina Menzel from the movie Frozen



Frozen is close to being the most watched movie and the highest grossing movie of all time.  I'm sure that four of my granddaughters know all of the lyrics to Let it Go.  I know one of them does because she sang it to me on Sunday.

As you know, I don't care for animation so it's not likely I'll see Frozen.  But when I've mentioned this to friends even my age (who have grandchildren) they look at me like I'm crazy.

It's not like I don't know much about the movie.  I do.  Just like I know lots about the Kardasians even though I've never seen one on the TV.

But now I have a soul mate in the concept of sometimes not caring for the current world's most popular thing.

One of my favorite writers, Joel Stein, in his weekly Time Magazine column, talks about how his 5 year old son, Laszlo, seriously does not like Frozen.  Joel says a few weeks ago, when Laszlo was picked up from preschool crying and holding his ears, the problem turned out to be that the girls in his class were all singing Let it Go.

Later on when Joel asked Laszlo why he hated Frozen so much (despite not having seen it) he said, It's got like, dresses in it.  I don't like dresses.  And there's, like, princesses, and I don't like princesses.  I like car-and-trucks things. 

I'm with you Laszlo.

In the meantime, Kim and Kanye are getting married!  Oh the horror.


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A Taste of Thai

Dave loves Thai food.  Today we had a yummy Thai dish.  And it was so easy that it could have been in my favorite cook book, "The I Hate to Cook Book."  But it wasn't, because this Thai Sauce Mix hadn't been invented when this book came out.

So here's how you put it together.  Allow yourself about 15 minutes.  But you do have to start a few days or weeks ahead by buying a rotisserie chicken.  Eat what you want of it, then, while somebody else does the dishes, pick all of the rest of the chicken from the bone and store in the freezer.

The morning you want to make the Thai dish, take it out of the freezer.

Pour a can of lite coconut milk into a sauce pan.  Add the chicken.  Bring to a slow boil.  Add the contents of the Thai Peanut Mix.  Stir.  Add veggies if you like.  I added frozen peas.  Serve over rice or noodles.  Top with roasted, salted peanuts.

Enjoy.


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