Molly's Blog

Really? At the gym?

2011-04-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was in spin class when I noticed that the girl in front of me sat up suddenly and slowed way down, I thought maybe she hurt herself. But….nope. She went back to spinning. This happened a few times throughout the 45 minute class. When class was over I noticed that she had balanced her cell phone on the element that’s used to add resistance. Really? You can’t go to a 45 minute spin class without your phone? A few days later I was in the cardio room on the elliptical when a girl running on a treadmill in front of me stopped so suddenly I thought she was going off the treadmill (my friend Shelly did that once at The Whit back in my UNH days…we laughed hysterically when she wasn’t hurt). Anyway, no, she wasn’t falling, she was sending a text. Then she went back to running. Stopped again to text; and repeated. I have to admit this really perplexes me. Unless these girls were as smart as Doogie Houser, there’s most likely no life threatening situation on the other side of the text. Is it just me, or do you find gym texting odd? Where’s the weirdest place you’ve seen someone send a text?

Wow...that sure beats a Volcano.

2011-04-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

So I was just perusing the internet and came across this article...I hope it all works out and he finds it!

"A Scottsdale, Arizona, 9-year-old said his school science project involves using a weather balloon to send a marshmallow Peep into the upper atmosphere. Tim Devereaux said his science project for his fourth-grade class at Laguna Elementary School will examine whether low atmosphere pressure will make the Peep expand. On April 16th, Devereaux will launch a Styrofoam cooler into the stratosphere attached to a helium-filled weather balloon. After reaching 90,000 feet, the balloon will burst, deploying a parachute where the craft will slowly come back down to earth. Inside the cooler is a GPS tracker, a GPS Smartphone for backup, a camera and a foil coffee can lid to act as a radar deflector. Tim’s project is also raising money for charity by selling “seats” in the cooler to people who want their photographs to go along for the ride. Five bucks gets a spot inside the cooler while $25 gets a “VIP” position pasted to the bottom of the cooler. The proceeds will go to the Ryan House charity for ill children and their families."

Tis the Season of Yankee Swaps & Secret Santa

2010-12-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

I think it's safe to say that at one time or another, even as an adult, we've all felt a little, shall I say disappointed, after a Yankee Swap or Secret Santa. To this day, I remember my first Secret Santa experience; yes you've guest it, it didn't go so well.

A little 9 year old Molly was excited about the secret gift giving and couldn't wait to receive the surprise gifts from hers. She took pride in wrapping the few small items and then the "big" one at the end - all items totaled $10. What did little Molly get? The bottom half of a broken pencil littered with teeth marks and a rock from the playground. That's it. And yes, she still remembers his first and last name but will refrain from naming him.

Things have gotten better over the years, however most of the time I find myself wanting the gift that I brought to the swap. And if I have the opportunity to "take it", I don't because I feel like it's kind of rude; like I'm saying, mines the best, give it back. And then there's the issue when the swap gift is clearly not at the set price point. You know what I'm talking about. When you buy the $20 item and end up with the $7.99 bottle of nail polish and a chocolate bar. Swap or not to swap - oh what a conundrum. Have you ever felt this way? I know I could sit out, but it's so much easier, and cheaper, to do a gift swap amongst friends and family.

I suddenly feel older...

2010-11-15T08:44:00.000-08:00

A few nights ago I went to my Alma Mater for a hockey game. Walking on the campus of UNH with one of my old roommates, Kim, felt very familiar and odd at the same time. We walked by and saw many a familiar sites mixed with those that are new, to us. There's the "new", since we've been there, dinning hall attached to the MUB, updated cross walks, the bus stops now have a place to get out of the weather ("when I was a kid" we had to stand in the rain), there's a Wild Cat statue by The Whit, the field hockey field is fenced in and Congreve was gutted and updated the year after we lived in it, so the room Kim lived is is no longer. But the biggest change for both of us - how YOUNG all the college kids looked!

We remembered thinking how much more adult people looked, especially the upper class men; how almost all the guys looked like men, not the boys they looked like to us now. We couldn't help but wonder - did we look that young? I know we must have, but if you had put some of the students I saw in a line up, I would have pegged them to be sophomores in high school. Maybe it's just because I don't have kids or I don't see that age group much, but the guy that walked by wearing a Class of 2013 shirt - which, by the way, is 10 years after I graduated - looked like he just got his drivers license.

Then there's the fact that when the game was over, I was yawning and really looking forward to going to bed - not getting dressed and heading to Libby's, then a post bar party at the Gables or Young Drive.

Maybe next time I'll get seats at mid ice instead of next to the student section.

Cell Phone Etiquette 101

2010-09-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

I've recently been the victim of a lack of cell phone etiquette 101. Cell phones are everywhere, I know, not a newsflash, but there seems to be three "headlines" that a lot of cell phone users have missed. What are these rules of cell phone etiquette according to Molly?

The first and very simple cell phone etiquette rule - turn off the ringer when you're in a restaurant. It's just plain rude!

The second; speakerphone. This may be a handy tool in your car or at home, but trust me when I say that all the other shoppers do not need to or want to hear the conversation between you and your spouse or friend. Little Johnny did what?!? You're having tacos for dinner...Julie said what to Jenny?!? OMG. Or even worse, I was enjoying dinner with Mom and Dad, when my amazing Thai calamari was rudely interrupted by not only a cell phone ring, but the person actually started talking to the caller on speakerphone in the restaurant. Really?!? You're going to chew the proverbial fat about your day on speakerphone while five other tables are trying to enjoy dinner and the company of their respective families? And when politely asked to take it outside, give my Dad attitude? I don't think so pal. You're the rude one.

And the third cell phone etiquette rule that gets constantly broken and bothers me? Believe it or not, you do NOT have to answer your phone when it rings. I know, amazing isn't it? When you hear it blowin' up you can just let it go to voicemail. No need to answer it while you're talking to a cashier or placing an order at the drive up. I find it incredibly rude that when talking to someone their cell phone trumps our face to face conversation; this is especially true in the work place. My time is valuable too and we're in a meeting. I understand that there are some calls you have to take - just tell me you need to take it and I'll come back when you're done. But please do not just answer your phone with no warning while we're talking. It'll make any employee feel a little crappy and you'll loose a little respect every time it happens.

I know there are a few people out there that agree with me. What bothers you about cell phones?

Why I LIKE Airports

2010-09-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I last let you into my head, I apologize, but....I'm back! On my last vacation I had the opportunity to travel to Ireland - it was an awesome trip but that's not what I want to talk about here. Instead, I have a few observations from my time spent in airports.

People watching in places like the airport is FAN-TASTIC! I can actually say that I don't mind a short layover. It gives me time to enjoy a sit outside of the flying tin can and take in all the crazy fun to be seen in any given terminal.

There's the guy sleeping in the corner with the drool running out of his mouth, the kid who won't stop picking his nose no matter how hard his mom tries, there's fanny pack counting (side note: A-they are not flattering and B-why is it so tight? It's not a belt.), there are kids riding suitcases like they're at the rodeo, people jumping and doing a combat roll out of the way of that giant golf cart carrying passengers in need of assistance to the next gate, and then there's my favorite and most perplexing phenomena...the outfits of some of my fellow female travelers.

You know what I'm talking about - the women that look like they just stepped out of a magazine or are dressed for a night out on the town. Really?...I don't get it. I'm all about looking nice, but sliding into a pair of 4 inch sling backs on a travel filled day does NOT sound like a good time to me. Maybe it's because I don't have a guy walking next to me dragging my suitcase or feel the need to strut my stuff through security, but I think I'll stick to comfy easy on and off shoes. All I have to say is there are some crazy outfits that keep me totally entertained.

You did WHAT in your spare time?

2010-06-23T11:59:00.001-07:00

So I was just surfing around on the good old Internet checking out this and that and I came across this headline "web developer builds nuclear reactor in Brooklyn warehouse". Huh?!? There's a headline I gotta check out. Apparently Mark Suppes, who works for Gucci (yeah, not just some rinky dink web designer), we're talking fashion powerhouse Gucci, likes to in his spare time build fusion nuclear reactors. And he's not the first to do so - there have been 37 other amateur scientists to do build such devises.

"What's that over there?" "Oh that? That's just my homemade nuclear reactor."

I guess I'm kind of boring...I like to read and take walks. Got any fun, interesting and not so scientific spare time activities you could suggest? What do you like to do? I wonder what Mark will build next - a spaceship?

Here's the full article.

Huh? That's Weird.

2010-06-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes you seen something that just strikes you as odd and you can't get it out of your head? Well, that happened to me this morning on my way into work. I was driving down Union Ave, listening to Pat & Kate in the Morning, thinking about the weekend (yay weekend!), enjoying an iced coffee and that's when I saw it; it actually made me stop mid sip. There sitting just off the side walk, all by itself, outside an apartment was a nice green, brown and cream accented stroller. In it, not a baby, or small child, but a new trash bin overflowing with various breads. Yup - bread. I did some rubber-necking to check it out, and it didn't appear to be just an easy way to move trash from one location to another. There were loaves, buns, rolls and I think I even saw wraps and muffins. Needless to say, it made me say, Huh? That's weird.

And it got me thinking about odd and funny things I've seen at random times and places in my life.

Like the black and white checked Hammer pants, red and black plaid shirt, hunter orange hat ensemble strolling down the street one morning with boots that looked like they were made from one of Chewbacca's albino relatives completing the look.

Or the time I saw someone walking down the street get drenched with water from a very large puddle...I'm sorry, I fully admit I laughed - hard - at that persons expense.

Ahhh....memories. What crazy, weird, odd, funny or strange thing(s) have you seen? I hope the memory of them brings a smile to your face and a good giggle for your Friday. Have a great weekend!

Adventures with Marvin

2010-06-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

I come from a household where "but I have a cat" is a valid reason for someone else to get up and retrieve whatever item for you. Cats seem to know that we'll work/serve them. My cats, Emma and Zaela, are no exception - they were born with the infinite feline wisdom that us humans are here to serve them. That's ok. I'll serve. I can handle that. Emma is an adventurous little lady that a few months ago while on an intense squirrel hunt ended up fracturing her mandible (she's fine - no surgery needed). Zaela stays within sight of the house and her hunting expeditions, though fruitful, are not as involved as Emma's and she can be clumsy...she's been the source of a few good giggles and chuckles with her antics. Together they have brought into the house and presented me with at least one of the following: mice, mole, vole, squirrel (red, grey and flying), bird, dragonfly (Zaela, seriously...?), frog, toad, chipmunk and even a snake (thanks Emma).

And then there's Marvin.

First some real quick background info. Not long ago I purchased a house with my brother, Caleb, that we are living in as we fix it up. Back to the story...Caleb and his girlfriend, Kimberly, adopted a two year old yellow lab/boxer mix named Marvin three days ago. Sadly, Marvin comes from an abusive home (jerks) and hasn't experienced much of what a dog should have in two years, so having some freedom is new to him. Already Marvin LOVES Caleb.

Yesterday when I got home from work I took Marvin for a walk (something I've done a few times now) and he's been great on a leash. Well, I decided to go a different way than I've gone and that route took us onto Main Street in Meredith. I stopped to say hi to someone, ask about their new baby and that's when it happened. Marvin got scared and managed to slip out of his collar - leaving me with nothing but an orange collar swaying from his nice new blue leash.

Thankfully Marvin ran up a side street where he was in absolute glee bounding from yard to yard, smelling this and that and doing a fantastic job of never coming within 4 inches of my fingertips. Awesome. Now I'm walking around the streets of Meredith yelling Marvin (which just sounded ridiculous because who names a dog Marvin? Honestly, it totally fits him). After 10 minutes, two fellow dog owners, Jocelyn and Chris, came to help baring dog treats. At one point I was ohhhh so close to getting him. But after that failed attempt, he wouldn't get near me. Fast forward another 10 minutes, Caleb gets back from work and arrives on the scene to help. He calls Marv, whose head pops up amongst the great greens of Jocelyn and Chris' yard with a huge grin radiating pure delight about his freedom and the fact that Caleb is there. 20 seconds is all it takes for Caleb to get Marv back on the leash and it's time to go home.

Apparently my brother is a dog whisperer. Note to self - get Jocelyn and Chris a six pack and purchase a harness.

An Ode to Slap Bracelets

2010-05-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

The other day I was in a store buying something I probably didn't really need when a bag of colorful rubber bands caught my eye. Upon further inspection (i.e. picking up the bag, putting it an inch away from my face and studying its contents) it turned out that they were rubberbandish in nature; kind of like the Live Strong bracelets...but these were thinner, some zigged, others zagged and I was confused. Then I realized they were in animal shapes. After looking at them for maybe a full 10 seconds I shrugged, probably let out an audible "huh", put them down and went along my merry way. I hadn't given them a second thought until I read a news story about them.

Apparently they are the "Slap Bracelets" of 2010. Oh how I loved my snap bracelets - they were sooo fun to play with and the designs on them were great! My friends/classmates liked them - teachers hated them. Even when I was 11 I could see - well actually hear - why. Plus, I was TOTALLY distracted by my snap bracelets. Not only playing with them, but if I remember correctly I actually had to play with it, to move it, so that my wrist wouldn't get super hot and uncomfortable.

Anyway, the item I had picked up was a thing called Silly Bandz - which I just had to call a friend to inquire about and she gave me the 411 on the craze. She went to college and just finished student teaching in South Carolina and said they are all the rage. Wicked cheap, but can be hard to find because they fly off the shelves. And it turns out that these prize silicone possessions can cause some strong emotions in the classroom due to the fact that they are traded and there is competition to have the most Silly's. Plus kids can get "traders remorse", they regret their trade. And by the way, these Silly Bandz are collected and sought after by both boys and girls.

Apparently they come in all kinds of shapes; cat, dog, fish, phoenix, horse, gecko, unicorn, mermaid, alphabet, ostrich, sports, some sparkle and Oh! some glow in the dark! It turns out that with free time or in dark corners of the playground (ok maybe it happens on the swings) they are traded - I'll give you this glow in the dark shark and gorilla for a sparkly mermaid. They are either worn as bracelets or anklets, attached to shoes, or attached to a belt loop via a carabineer...and you can buy a special Silly-Biner that is, of course, in some sort of a shape - I'd pick star - just sayin'.

I'm told that Silly-Bandz aren't as popular up here as they are in the South - yet. So parents and teachers, consider yourself warned...or maybe I'm just waaayy behind the craze because I don't I have a child asking for them. I wish I thought about making/selling these things! Just like the drink umbrella. Somewhere, someone is making BANK on something that cost only pennies to make....dang it!

I think I'll go see if I can find any of my slap bracelets.

My New Obsession!

2010-05-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to get too hooked on any one thing...well maybe that's a lie when it comes to food. I have my favorites at Patrick's CJ's, The Downtown Deli, Gourmet Food Barn, Giuseppe's and other local haunts that I have a hard time NOT ordering when I'm there. I'll go to a location because I'm in the mood for something specific. Anyway, now that you know that fun tid bit about me, on to my new obsession!

With the kick off to Summer coming up (Memorial Day Weekend) I wanted to share this scrumptious story. The other day when it was about 75, sunny and feeling like summer, my brother's girlfriend (Kimberly) was enjoying the sunshine in an Adirondack chair, sipping an adult beverage, chatting with her Mom and cruising through a magazine when she came across a recipe for a salad that looked good - a nice cool, fresh, summery salad concoction with tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese and....watermelon. Yup, that's right, watermelon. At first you might think....eehhhh that sounds kind of weird. Watermelon and red onion fraternizing in a salad - with a lemon juice dressing. But O-M-G, it was aahhhmazing! (My mouth is now watering thinking about it). It was so good, that the following day I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from work to pick up the needed items to make it again!

Since Watermelon, Heirloom and Feta Cheese Salad doesn't really roll off the tongue so well, we've dubbed it "Summer Salad". Long story short, this fruit and veggie lover says; make it, your taste buds will thank me. (I don't have access to Heirloom Tomatoes yet, so we made due with cherry, and used only red watermelon, but it was good all the same). Here's the recipe from Coastal Living:

You can use any combo of fresh herbs in this salad; like mint, basil, parsley, and chives.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 heirloom tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 cup (1 inch) cubed red seedless watermelon
1 cup (1 inch) cubed yellow watermelon
1/4 cup red onion
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation
Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add tomato, watermelon and onion. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese; toss gently.

Sweats and PJ's - I don't get it.

2010-05-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

All right, here it is! The beginning of something great, no grand...better yet...wonderful! Molly's Blog. A fantastic way to find out what Molly is thinking (and yes, I might decide it's fun to speak in the third person). Just what will be posted here, well, you may get a rant about this or that, a deep thought or two, maybe an entertaining tale about an event or situation, who knows!

So what's on Molly's mind for the first ever Molly's Blog? Sweatpants and/or PJ pants in public. How did this fad get passed the campus life of hung-over college students and into the bar/grocery store/high school/mall/work place arena?

I fully admit I've worn my sweats in public, but i was either A) coming or going from a sporing event in which I participated or B) I was going to/from the gym. Not running errands, going out to eat or out on the town trying to pick anyone up at the bar (thank you for the drink, but you're in sweats...at a bar...on Saturday night. Call me shallow, but I think I'm gonna go talk to the guy in the corner that decided the night was worthy of denim and a button down). Newsflash, sweatpants are NOT flattering on most people...I'm sure a Prince of Persia Jake Gyllenhaal looks good in sweats, but you're not him. And I bet he wears jeans or slacks.

Then there's the PJ pants phenomenon. I think just about every morning or afternoon on my way to/from work I pass someone strolling down the street in their PJ pants. Are you really going to wear those to bed after they've been dragged on the ground, sidewalk, floor and even a public restroom?!? Gross. And I know that if I even attempted to where my PJ pants to school, my mom and dad wouldn't have let me leave the house. I would have been told to get dressed. Is it really that hard to put jeans on? Or should I ask, are sweatpants and PJ's really THAT cool?

I get it, they're comfy. I know, I have a few pairs. And I also understand that it can be hard to find pants that fit - I'm not a twig and have an AWFUL time finding pants (that's a blog for another day), but sweatpants and PJ pants are not the answer - they have been given their respective names for a reason. It all boils down to dressing appropriately for the occasion. Goin' to bed/hanging around the house? Great! Hittin' the gym? Awesome. A day full of public activities and ventures? No so much.