My Many Thanks

Funny how a year like 2011 can do so much to frame life in an appropriate & proper perspective.  Obviously, I bring this up because it is Thanksgiving Day today, and as I'm sure most of us do every year, I find myself reflecting on the things I am thankful for in my life. 

There's an adage out there that goes something like the tough times exist to make us appreciate the good times more.  Well 2011 was a year that heaped on both the good and tough times, and the wisdom of said adage was made abundantly clear to Laureen and I.  Let's just say that we are eagerly looking forward to 2012.  So in a nutshell, here are those things for which I am most grateful this year.

I am thankful for the birth of our son Johnny.  He is a joy and he has added a whole new welcome dimension to our family, even if parenting an infant is not as easy as it was six years ago with his sister.  With Johnny, we have been blessed with another exceptionally happy child who makes us all smile (probably more than any family deserves to smile).

I am thankful that Erin continues to grow in confidence and maturity right before our eyes.  I am also thankful that in many ways, I feel closer to my little girl now than I ever have.  She has a beautiful, innocent, gentle soul and I couldn't be more proud of her than I am.

I am thankful for the love and support of my beautiful wife and best friend Laureen.  In a year filled with adversity, I knew that Laureen would always be there for me... that we would be there for each other.  I say it every year, and I will stop saying it if it ever stops being true, but I feel closer to my wife now than ever before. 

As always, I am thankful for the love and support of my family.  It seems like we needed to lean on family for support more this year than ever before, and they have come through in ways it would never be fair for anyone to expect.  You guys are awesome!  You're beyond awesome!  I haven't adequate words to express my deep love, gratitude and appreciation for you all.  I don't know where we'd be without you.

I am thankful for those special moments shared with our friends this year.  As we all grow older, it has become such a thrill to watch our kids grow up together and build their own friendships.  My only regret is the distance between most of us and the fact that we don't get to see each other more often. 

I am thankful for the continued health of my Dad, my Grandmother, Laur's Mom, Karen's husband Mark, Mrs. DelaRosa, my friend Tracey, and all the other family & friends who are battling with their own health-related issues.  You are all in our prayers.

Finally, I am thankful to be living in the United States.  I am thankful for the freedoms that living here entail, and especially and eternally thankful to the men and women in our armed forces who have sacrificed to secure and preserve that freedom. It's easy to take our great good fortune for granted, having been born and raised here (and never knowing anything else).  But for all of America's faults, it is still the greatest, most benevolent nation in the history of the world. 

And so it goes (Billy Joel) - A capella multitrack

Another of my favorite Billy Joel songs... this time performed a capella barbershop quartet style by one guy singing all four parts (ahh... the wonders of modern technology). I love this one so much that I have regularly sung it as a lullaby to both Erin and now Johnny.

BILLY JOEL - VIENNA

One of my 10 favorite Billy Joel songs. It was on The Stranger, which in my opinion was one of the greatest albums ever released by anyone. It was popularized more recently when it was featured heavily in the hilarious movie Thirteen Going on Thirty.

This Is How I Disappear [Live In Mexico]

Some more My Chemical Romance for you- My favorite song off the Black Parade album- performed live in Mexico City here.

Garbage - Milk [Edited Version] (HD Official Video)

Keep your Janis Joplin, Debbie Harry, & Stevie Nicks... I'll take Shirley Manson's voice any day. My favorite female rock vocalist of all time... probably one of my 5 favorite overall rock vocalists ever (man or woman). Garbage's first album was anything but garbage. Amazing CD that everyone should listen to at least one time in their life.

Linkin Park - Bleed It Out

My favorite song from Linkin Park, another band on my list of bands I'd love to see/hear live.

My Chemical Romance - "Na Na Na" (Official Music Video)

Would love to see these guys play a live show.

Sweet & Nutty Stir-Fry

Another really good recipe from the American Heart Association website. Click on the recipe title to go to the AHA website and see the picture of the completed dish.

Sweet & Nutty Stir-Fry

Ingredients
Pasta- 4 ounces dried multigrain vermicelli or spaghetti, broken in half
2 teaspoons curry powder

Sauce- 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce (lowest sodium available)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange zest

Stir-Fry- 1 teaspoon canola or corn oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
2 cups bite-size broccoli florets (about 5 ounces)
1 cup thinly sliced (not shredded) red cabbage
1 cup matchstick-size carrot pieces
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, dry-roasted

Cooking Instructions
Prepare the pasta using the package directions, omitting the salt and oil and adding the curry powder. Drain well in a colander.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients except the orange zest, stirring until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the orange zest. Set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat, swirling to coat the bottom. Cook the onion for 1 minute. Stir in the broccoli, cabbage, and carrots. Cook for 4 minutes, or until just tender-crisp, stirring frequently.
Transfer the pasta to a serving platter. Top with the broccoli mixture. Pour the sauce over all. Sprinkle with the peanuts.
Cook's Tip
When you crave takeout but don’t want to load up on saturated fat and sodium, try this quick and crunchy meatless meal-in-one.
Adding curry powder to the pasta water not only imparts flavor but also provides a bright yellow color.

Vegetable Garden Brings Criminal Charges in Oak Park, Michigan - ABC News

I started writing this post back in late July after I read a news account of a woman in Michigan who is facing fines and up to 93 days in jail for having the unmitigated audacity to grow a vegetable garden in her front yard, but I never got back to it until today. Well, if you haven't already heard the story, a woman in Michigan elected to grow a front yard vegetable garden and is now in trouble with the local municipality.  The NERVE!! How dare she plant food to feed her family (& even supply her neighbors with the surplus) on her own property!! Imagine the gall of this woman, thinking that she has the right to grow vegetables without the permission of the local authorities.  I mean, didn't our founding fathers fight a revolution with the British Empire and found this nation to ensure that such atrocities could not occur?  She should be taken to the center of town and locked up in the stocks, or maybe burned as a witch.  She is clearly a truly hardened criminal.  If you're detecting my sarcasm, to paraphrase David Spade's character Richard from the classic comedy Tommy Boy, "I should hope so because I am laying it on pretty thick."


What is going on here?!?! Growing vegetables is a misdemeanor offense punishable by jailtime?!?!? Land of the free my buttocks! It sounds like the municipality received a complaint from a neighbor who didn't like having to look at a yard with vegetable instead of a manicured lawn. A single complaint! Now admittedly, I don't have all the facts, but on the surface, this sure looks like a clear case of government overreach. The photos of her garden that accompany the story show a very neat, well-kept garden. But this fact is really besides the point anyway. It's her property! If this single bitchy neighbor has a problem with her garden, then he/she should put up a stockade fence, or simply avert his eyes in a different direction. It's not like she has a rusty, hulking, truck chasis up on blocks... it's vegetables for God's sake!! I hope she doesn't back down... and she sure sounds like she is determined to fight this all the way.  This is the kind of insanity that makes my hair turn white and raises my blood pressure when I read about it.   Check out the story here:


Vegetable Garden Brings Criminal Charges in Oak Park, Michigan - ABC News

I am looking for an update to the story.  I'll post it if I come across anything.

Johnny right around his 5-month birthday

Johnny chowing down on his foot

My Letter to Johnny

Dear Johnny,

I want you to approach life with the same sense of awe and wonder at the age of 15, or 30 or 40 or 50, or even 100, as in these first few, formative years. Study the world with an open mind and an observant eye, for every day is a new day full of wonderful & exciting experiences.

I want you to learn at least one new thing everyday.  You may find this to be a cliche, but I believe that an inquisitive mind keeps you on your toes and will bring both joy & knowledge into your life.  It will also make you a more interesting person.

I want you to be tough... to be "macho"... to grow into a man. But always remember that part of being tough is having the courage to let your true emotions show. There is no shame in shedding some tears, don't ever let anyone tell you differently.

I want you to live your life without regrets. But not like one of these self-centered, mindless, MTV- generation narcisists who parrots, "I have no regrets", even after they've committed some shameful, reprehensible, debasing act of debauchery that they absolutely should regret. No, I want you to live life without regrets because you do not make regrettable decisions and you understand that all choices have consequences. 

I want you to understand the distinction between right and easy. You will be faced with decisions repeatedly throughout your life where one choice is the right thing to do, while the other choice is the easy thing to do. I want you to have the confidence & strength of will to choose well, for it is these choices that define who we are.  Please know that you can always come to me for guidance as you struggle with these decisions.

I want you to be happy in life.  I want you to have success in the things that bring you happiness.  And I want you to recognize that true happiness is born of meaningful things.  Things like faith, family, friends, security, love.

I want you to know that I am your father and you are my son... nothing can or will ever change that fact. There may be times in your life when we do not "like" each other very much, but please know that I will always "love" you and I will always be here for you.

I want you to know that you are my pride, you are my joy.  My son.

Love Always,

Your Father

Get Healthy With The American Heart Association

Check out this great website full of info and tools for healthy eating and healthy living, created by the American Heart Association.  It is chock full of tips, information and healthy recipes to help you lead a healthier life.  Be sure to take the Life Check Assessment for a quantifiable metric of where your personal heart health stands.  Just make sure you answer the questions honestly or it will have little or no value to you. 

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/GettingHealthy_UCM_001078_SubHomePage.jsp

Delicious & Healthy Recipe

Here's a good one, especially if you love asparagus like I do.  I forget where I originally got it... might have come from Rachel Ray or recipe.com.  All I know is that it tastes great:


Fusilli w/Roasted Tomatoes, Asparagus, & Shrimp
Serves 4
Preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit

Ingedients-
12 Plum Tomatoes
4 TSP Olive Oil
Black Pepper & Salt to taste
1 Head of Garlic
1Pound Asparagus, cut to 2" lengths
1 Pound Large Shrimp, peeled & deveined
3/4 Pound Corkscrew Pasta (Fusiili or Rotini)
2 TSP Fresh Lemon Juice
1 TSP Dried Oregano or 1 TBSP Fresh Oregano
1 TSP Dried Thyme or 1 TBSP Fresh Thyme

1. Move oven rack to lower third of oven.

2. In a roasting pan, toss Tomatoes with 2 TSP Olive Oil and a generous amount of Black Pepper.

3. Slice the top 1/2 inch off the head of garlic and discard. Remove all loose papery skin. Wrap in aluminum foil and add to the roasting pan (with the tomatoes and oil). Put in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven.

4. Scatter Asparagus and Shrimp around the pan and reutrn to oven for approximately 10 minutes more (the shrimp should be curled and firm and the sparagus tender). Remove from oven.

5. Remove the garlic from the pan, unwrap the foil, and let it cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cover the roasting pan with foil to keep it warm.

6.  Boil the Pasta (should take about 8 minutes when introduced to a pot ofalready boiling water).

7. Squeeze into a bowl the soft pulp from each garlic clove in the head of garlic. Mash the pulp into a paste.

8. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the remaining Olive Oil, the newly mashed Garlic, the Lemon Juice, Oregano, Thyme, and Salt & Pepper. Toss all of the ingredients to blend together nicely.

9. Tranfer the Pasta to the roasting pan, and gently toss all ingredients together. Serve immediately and ENJOY.   :-)