Lucky

Reading Vanessa's blog, I realize I am incredibly lucky. I admit, looking at Maria's mountainous view of Italy, I felt there were other places in the world I would rather live - but I can't imagine that now, living as close to the ocean in Southern California as I do. Some people wait their entire lives to taste, smell, hear and touch the ocean, for me it just means a 20 minute drive, extra towels and bathing suits to wash, and packing deviled eggs, chicken salad, and diet coke in a cooler.
I am lucky.
When there is so much trouble in the world that I can't stand to watch the news anymore (I have that option), and I can sit on a beach watching my children play apparently free of danger, I am lucky.
When I look inside my full pantry and my biggest decision is whether to use canned organic or fresh tomatoes for my pasta sauce, I am lucky.
When my husband kisses me good-bye and tells me he loves me before leaving to do his job complete with benefits, steady paycheck and flexible scheduling, I am lucky.
When I walk out my door in the morning and my biggest concern is surviving a cycling class, I am lucky.
I'm not being boastful, I'm blogging my daily prayer. Writing down what I say to myself in the quiet (few and far between) moments of the day.
And in those quiet times, sometimes I feel guilty more than lucky - but how does that help? Rather, as I've learned in my 30s to do, I pass on my good fortune - donations, of course, but a smile at a stranger, a kind word to someone who needs it (even when they don't deserve it).
I'm talking about being part of a conscious, higher, positive energy. I have to work for it sometimes. Given the horrors that exist in our world, it is difficult to imagine beauty that survives the ages and withstands the constant influx of chaos. Sometimes, it's tempting to imagine a world as small as myself. When those thoughts creep into my head, I know exactly what I need to do.
Pack up for the beach - that beautiful place that has existed since the beginning of time, and hasn't changed.
And when I get there, once again I realize, I am so lucky.

Bring on the Beach

A few months ago my sister, mom, and I sat down and planned a trip to the beach. For most people this wouldn't be over-the-top exciting news, however for the three of us it most definitely was. When I was younger the beach was a place we retreated to almost every summer with my grandparents. For some reason, the summer family tradition came to an end, leaving the beach behind for my mother. Unbeknowst to her, it would be years before she would ever smell the ocean water, feel the hot sand between her toes, and gorge on seafood buffet's. My father is not a big fan of the ocean. No wait, he hates the ocean and everything that comes with it. I think there are probably a hundred places he would rather travel to. So being the submissive person that she is, my mom never made a big fuss over their summer trips. Though I think she enjoys visiting Elks County and the Gettysburg battlefield, she would much rather soak up the sun along side of the crashing waves. So you can imagine how excited she was to take a road trip with her daughters to spend a few days on the beach. She was like a kid at Christmas time! From spray on tans, new bathing suits, and practically a new wardrobe, she was ready to take this vacation head on. In the past few years, I have been to the beach quite a few times. I knew these couple of days with my mother and sister would be a much needed break from my hectic work schedule. But I didn't quite realize how much joy it would bring me to see her so happy. Her face lit up as we approached the ocean front and she carried that glow with her throughout the entire week. I was seeking relaxation and hopefully a tan but what I came away with was much greater. I caught a glimpse of my mother relaxed and peaceful. It was as if she was thinking, it's good to be back.

Nine

There are nine muses in Greek mythology, daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne. Goddesses of memory, arts and sciences, they each have special domains.

I find them magical, alluring, as real as I want them to be, and evoke them often.

I'm a writer - somewhere, sometime, I was told this is what I was supposed to do.

But even before I began to write (early teens), I had seen a movie about nine beautiful women who go in between worlds (on rollerskates-which made perfect sense to me as a kid). It came out in 1980, and it had a very melodic soundtrack (think you know which movie? post a comment!).

And coincidentally I was given Bulfinch's Mythology for my fifth birthday. The 957 page book was already worn when I looked up the muses at age ten.

The muses, and their "domains" are...

Calliope/epic poetry

Clio/history

Erato/love poetry

Euterpe/lyric poetry

Melpomene/tragedy

Polymnia/sacred poetry

Terpsichore/choral dance

Thalia/comedy

Urania/astronomy

....When I lose something in my house, I say the prayer to St. Francis. When we travel, I have my St. Christopher pendant with me. When I need answers, I call on Athena, but as I write, which is everyday, I call on Calliope, Clio and Euterpe. Calliope helps me put things in perspective, and helps me wrap it all together in a universal, circular ending. Clio humbles me by letting me see the past, showing me how minuscule, yet significant, I am in the divine scheme. And Euterpe helps me write, think, and speak poetic ways, she's my voice. Thalia visits me sometimes when I write about my husband, he provides comical opportunities to good to pass up.

I'm a writer, and I believe to write clearly and righteously I need to see clearly. But I'm human, I can't do this on my own. I need help...and I trust the ancients.

I trust in the Nine, no they didn't wear rollerskates, but they've inspired more than one poem, screenplay, song, dance, and book.

~Samantha Gianulis

5 Tips To Stop Overeating

When you were a baby you ate whenever you were hungry and stopped when you felt satisfied. However as you age, your mind and body become exposed to numerous fad diets, ads, the habit of rewarding yourself with food, and using food as an outlet. This causes you to unfortunately lose the satisfying feeling and overeat.

What’s very important to implement into your lifestyle is to eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re satisfied.

So how can you relearn how to eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full? Follow the 5 tips below and you’ll be enjoying your food a lot more with the added bonus of losing a few pounds in the process.

Slow Down

Honestly, this isn’t rocket science over here. Anybody can start eating a bit more slowly…even you. If you’ve been reading my newsletters for the past year you might remember some other eating tips I recommended such as “sip water between bites” or “chew your food before swallowing”.

These tips are all aimed to slowing you down when you eat. What’s interesting is that it takes 12 or more minutes for food satisfaction signals to reach the brain of a thin person, but 20 or more minutes for an obese person. By eating slowly, this ensures that these important messages have time to reach your brain so you feel satisfied and not stuffed like a turkey.

Awareness

Take your eating to a whole new level. Instead of just eating while you work or drive sit down and enjoy your meal with no distractions. When you do eat while you work, or drive this distracts you and most importantly your body will tend not to register the food (calories) and you’ll begin to over eat.

Try and find a quiet place with no distractions to enjoy your food. I enjoy eating my meals outside, it’s peaceful and there isn’t anything to distract me from my meal.

It’s all about the first bites

Believe it or not, food enjoyment comes from the first few bites. After the first few bites your taste buds start to lose their sensitivity to the chemicals in your meal that make it taste good. Nourishing your taste buds by really savoring those first few bites can help you stop eating.

Change it up

Instead of using those enormous plates and filling them up right to the edge. Switch to smaller plates. This will help you pay more attention to the presentation of the meal and increase your awareness of the food in front of you. The way it works is that your brain looks at the plate and analysis the portion to see if it’s enough. It takes some time, but in the end it’s a lot more beneficial to have a smaller plate.

Smaller plate = Smaller portion.

Go for the satisfying foods instead

You know the foods that are not so satisfying but still pack on the calories? You want to stay away from them. Keep in mind that the higher the fiber, protein, and/or water content of a food, the more likely it is to be satisfying in your stomach without going crazy on calories.

Here’s a quick list of some satisfying foods.

- Turkey Sandwich on whole wheat

- Oatmeal

- Bean Burrito

- Grilled cheese on whole wheat

- Veggie omelet

Finding Sea Glass

I went to "the Cove" the other day, a north-facing inlet on the Pacific with tidepools, rock formations, cliffs, caves and pebbley-sand. These nautical environs provide the perfect conditions for finding sea glass.

Sea glass is trash-become-treasure, most of the time. Beaches that used to be dump sites, are next to dump sites, and beaches that are populated with visitors who leave behind bottles or other glass discards will wash sea glass onto shore. Here's why - the glass is pulled into the ocean, then serves a term underwater exposed to the tide, the rocks, salt...eroding it's way to beauty. The glass, broken from the beginning or broken in the ocean, becomes smooth, the scratches on the glass lend a foggy, rustic appearance. The sea glass I have found is aesthetically pleasing enough to wear dangling from my ears or around my neck as jewelry. (I like sea glass more than pearls - really!)

I originally went to the cove with some girlfriends and our kids to take pictures. I'd like my kids to know that capturing their childhood was important, and I like to make it fun - so we have pictures of them holding hermit crabs, eyeing garibaldis (those are fish), giggling as the waves chase them, and picking up my habit of picking up sea glass.

My daughter Zoe discovered the first piece, lime green. Thereafter I found clear and brown, and I was hoping for blue, but no luck. Our normal hunting for sea shells and and dollars fell by the way side as we let the sand slip between our fingers looking for glass remnants like miners panning for gold.

Sometimes the pieces are small, sometimes they are a large as your hand, but it's always a thrill to find some. There are a few things you can do to increase your chances of finding sea glass...

Check the paper for high and low tides and plan your beach trip accordingly.

Beaches, as aforementioned, next to or that used to be dump sites are prime spots.

Beaches that have rocky terrain aide in breaking and "buffering" the sea glass.

Beaches with coarse grain sand, not the fine, sugary sand, usually have more sea glass.

Check Coastal Living magazine (spring and summer issues) or their website, more than once I have found a list of beaches reputable for sea glass put together by their editors.

The convention and visitors bureau in beach cities will sometimes mail out guides and brochures to prospective tourists detailing their recreational areas and activities. More often than not these brochures advertise what makes their beaches special - if sea glass is a local perk, they'll tell you. Or, ask someone who lives near the beach where to look for sea glass. You might even find "sea glass" in or near a river or lake. You never know, and that's what makes it so fun!

It's no fun, however, to step on a piece of "unfinished" (read: sharp) sea glass, so I wear my flip-flops. You should too.

Sea glass is a tangible memory, that's what I like best about it. The colors, the shapes, the opportunities, all unexpected and random. Hunting for it is a child-like hobby, finding it is exhilirating, but keeping it, displaying it, and looking at it makes sea glass a memory.

Can't have enough sea glass.

Harry Potter.. Not Just For School Kids Anymore

I am a shameless reader, to the point where I can’t sit down to a meal without having something to at least skim. Obituaries, comics, the phone book, anything in front of me. I’m not weird, just why not learn something if I’m sitting there eating my oatmeal? So when the seventh and final Harry Potter book came out, I was in line waiting for my reserved copy. It isn’t just about enticing, fatty British meals within castle walls and friendly elves any more, Harry Potter has evolved into a series full of dark magic, passionate romantic relationships and parallels to the Holocaust. The book hasn’t necessarily evolved in a negative way- on the contrary- it appeals to the older generations, and I myself welcome the intensity of the series as it escalates in the seventh book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. For those who think that the book remains for small children, they are mistaken. If I recommend anything this summer, it is casting aside any doubts about reading fantasy and welcoming the mania that has swept the entire world. After all, most of the planet can’t be wrong in their obsession, can they?

A Mutable Feast

Ideally, food in summertime is light. It is appropriate to dine on a salad and not cook food in a hot oven for hours.
Food in summertime is healthy. I can at least say for us Californians, we bare our midriffs in summer, we wear tank tops rather than long t-shirts under short sleeved shirts. This is an annual motivator to eat less.
Food in summertime is fresh. I think the culinary Gods declared summer an eternal holiday. With all of the fruits and vegetables in season, you can't help but get anti-oxidants, folate, vitamins, even if you are not trying. Salsa, ceviche, cioppino, watermelon chunks...see what I mean? This food is meant to be celebratory.
There are so many options for eating well in summer, it's the most mutable season. Outdoor activity beckons for grilling, classic recipes beg to be reinvented with artisanal oils and exotic touches - things only available June - September. You can do anything under the sun.
My favorite mutable feast, and idea of heaven, is this...
7:30 pm or so, on a cliff overlooking the Pacific, my beloved next to me, our kids cavorting (safely) nearby...
(2) non-breakable but stylish wine glasses, filled with a cherry-ish Pinot Noir or buttery Chardonnay for my husband and I.
Bottled waters for clean sustenance and rinsing sand off
Toasted slices of baguette slathered in a basil pesto
Caprese Salad
Capers
Smoked fish...albacore and salmon
Aged gouda cheese
Feta
Homegrown figs
Seedless purple grapes
Chilled chocolate custard of some sort wrapped carefully in plastic
...what more could anyone want?
World peace, maybe - what better place to start than with a meal?

~ Samantha

Starbucks and Prague

I found myself daydreaming in a corner of Starbucks today. As I entered the store and purchased my usual (coffee light frap), I spotted a corner to occupy. I often retreat to Starbucks with my laptop to wrap up any necessary paperwork. I nestled in my little corner and set up my work station only to discover I didn't feel like working at all. Though I rarely find myself looking forward to this tedious, redundant task, today I was especially antsy. Just as I was beginning to tackle my work load, a group of older men took seats near me. People holding conversations within ear shot of me is never good. It's hard enough for me to focus as it is, and another conversation (interesting or not) can easily distract me from my work. I didn't take me long to discover that these men were sharing their travel stories among one other! Oh no, now my work was definitely hitting the back burner. I began to open browsers like my hotmail account and eBay as I listened to their conversation. One man talked about Germany while another contributed with comments about Italy. As they talked about these wonderful places, my itch for traveling came on strong. I remembered a past co-worker who moved to Prague about eight months ago. Him and I used to discuss our undying love for New York City. Prague quickly replaced NYC as his number one shortly after he moved. He told me that anyone who loves NY will find themselves infatuated with Prague. I told him I would come out and visit him this fall. As I recalled this exciting commitment, I began to type an email to him. Oh how I hope his invitation is still open! After my email was typed and sent, I started to open sites for Prague. Wow, he really isn't kidding. This city looks amazing. I even found myself looking at their job market (ok, getting a little ahead of myself). I was getting so wrapped up with my search that I wasn't paying any attention to the time. My phone rang and snapped me out of my daydream. It was my assistant calling regarding a work issue. It was time for me to make my way into work. As I packed my computer and sipped what remained of my drink, I was surprisingly ok with the fact that I had completed no paperwork. This means that I will have to finish everything on my days off, but I was ok with that. I hurried off to work still in somewhat of a daydream. If nothing else, the thought of visiting Prague sure made the day go by alot faster!

Palm Trees, Pina Coladas and Black Jack

Unwrap the rubber bands from my hands, throw me in boiling water and call me a lobster. It took me about a good ten minutes to sit down at my computer and write. It’s not because I don’t want to, or am too tired, it’s just that I spent the past week roasting in Puerto Rico and am feeling the consequences of a serious burn. Even though I’m gingerly walking around these days, the trip was completely worth it. I went with my family and stayed at the Gran Melia, an open resort with marble floors, beautiful fountains, and iguanas roaming around as if they were squirrels on my lawn. It was definitely a honey-mooners resort; couples were holding hands, wearing shirts that read “newly-weds” and sporting the most enamored looks upon their faces, despite the 60 dollar per person menu offered. The food itself was buffet style, and it boasted a salad bar that was actually worth its 10 dollar cost (on top of the main meal). Trips were offered to the coral reefs ( worth it- they were gorgeous), to the nearby rain forest, and even horse back riding along the beach was an option. The pool was humongous, and there was a private beach that almost nobody hung out around. I found myself a coconut tree, a chair and parked in front of the clear blue water throughout the day.
The bartenders, who normally served people who swam up to them at the pool, would deliver beverages right to your tree. The first night, my brother and I went to the “fun pub,”(more like the deserted pub) as everybody hung out at the casino next door. Men and women of all ages were on romantic getaways, and apparently gambling is a romantic sport. My eighteen year old brother, who had never played black jack in his life, won four thousand dollars in the time it took me to blink an eye. Half of his winnings would have covered our food bill for a 4-day trip. My brother returned home with money, and I returned home draped in Aloe Vera cream. Hopefully his winnings last longer than my sunburn.

GET YOUR LITTLE HANDS OFF MY SHARPIES!

Some things a mom just needs for herself.

Come to think of it, everyone needs certain things for themselves that no one else touches, no else sees, no one else can access.

For me, it's my fine-point and chunky Sharpie markers.

I keep the fine-point Sharpies in a plastic cup on the highest shelf in a kitchen cabinet, right above the ice cream bowls, next to the dusty Margarita glasses. The chunky Sharpies hide in a Spongebob tumbler that has lost it's top.

Why are these markers so important to me? First of all, they're permanent (if it's not going to last, I'm not interested). Can you imagine what an almost two-year-old running around the house could do to leather couches or white walls with a teal Sharpie? I can, and it scares me. But I will not relinquish a favored posession because I am afraid of what could happen. That's silly living.

More importantly, my Sharpies represent the efficient me; filling my date book and checking things off as I go along, using the blue Sharpie. Writing on brown paper lunch sacks with the turquoise Sharpie in handwriting my kids recognize. Signing well thought out, professional letters and SASE's with style using the black Sharpie. Sending a 'just because' card to my husband's office with the crimson Sharpie, so he knows making him feel just as loved as the kids is a prioroty to me.

It's not surprising when I realize the colors of the Sharpie rainbow represent my moods as well. And they are tools for what I consider to be higher purposes in my domesticated/work-at-home lifestyle. These tools keep me proactive, progressing, pro-forward motion. They're small, they're inexpensive, not a bad habit at all, a minor indulgence for mom and only mom.

I don't sign interoffice memos anymore, it's been many years since I played with a Sharpie cap during business meetings. I don't keep regular business hours or necessitate a Staples online account for office supplies. My desk is my kitchen table most days and it takes a pounding underneath my laptop and smudged by various Gerber Graduates toddler meals.

But my fine-point and chunky Sharpies have followed me from doodling on my Chuckie Taylors in high school, to labeling term papers in college, to my brief professional career in event planning and catering all the way into stay at home/work at home motherhood which keeps me very busy, thank you very much.

Whatever it is I choose to do, wherever it is time takes me, I'm on a mission, armed with Sharpies so I can make my point, and leave my mark, colorfully.

Samantha Gianulis is an author, columnist and editor living in Southern California. To read more of Sam, log onto her website at www.samanthagianulis.com, or her blog, http://samanthagianulis.blog.com.