Don't ya just love Oscar Wilde!

"I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back in again." ~ Oscar Wilde (Irish Author/Playwright)

Exhausting Exhaust

Driving can be exhausting because of all the exhaust spewing from so many angry tailpipes. Where I live there are no controls on toxic auto emissions, pollutants, and nasty in-your-face gook. So in self-defence I've joined hands with my air circulation button. I'd rather breathe my own air anyway. It's odourless, colourless, and at least I know what's in it.  

Water

live with intention

walk to the edge

practise wellness              

play with abandon

laugh often

appreciate your friends

do what you love

but first...

DRINK WATER

The Japanese practise of starting the day with 40 oz. of good, clean drinking water is one of the most remarkable discoveries I stumbled upon. I've been doing this for more than a year and it has been life-changing. Literally! Your insides will thank you - all of those vital organs that gain new life and vitality by flushing. Your exterior will take on a new glow. It's a natural, inexpensive way to be your best you.

I actually have my drinking water tested for impurities and the lab results for Niagara purified bottled water were startlingly good. Or just filter your own water.

Happy chugging and here's to the good life!

Yard House

What an interesting name for an interesting restaurant-meets-high-end-sports bar. I had the pleasure of dining at the gorgeous Village at Gulfstream Park location in Hallandale, Florida during the Christmas holidays. Whoever is in the kitchen at the Yard House definitely knows what they're doing! Seasonings, textures, and a visual delight come together in a grand feast of taste, sight, and smell AND in generous, affordable portions. It was soooo good that I found myself back there the following night. And what about the laid-back atmosphere in which it's all done...If that's not enough, wander outside in cooler temps where north meets south on the porch, all nicely heated to  toasty temperatures, splashed against a picturesque waterfall backdrop. Indeed a sensory explosion for the wandering eye and selective palate. Yumm!

If I had to find something wrong (which I do) it would be the volume of the music which is much too loud for civilised conversation. Ear-busting decibels indoors. I'm not a shouter. So, unless you enjoy gut-busting chatter, you may want to go with someone you don't want to talk to. Or someone whose beauty you're happy to gaze upon in transfixed speechless wonder. Or go alone. If all else fails, you can just sit outdoors and bask in the beauty of the water show.

Thanks to tks tks tks

The thx thx thx blogger, Leah, gets a big Thank You from me for, hands down the greatest attitude of gratitude I've ever seen. Go to www.thxthxthx.com and see what I mean. There's nothing she hasn't thanked, and I mean NOTHING. Thx thx thx Leah for being so inspiring!

How to flush a toilet...

Did you know that if you flush a toilet with the lid up, that simple motion splashes bacteria and germs into the air in your bathroom, contaminating everything, your toothbrush, towels, soaps... everything...

Thought you might not know this so I'm throwing this out there for free. Before you flush PLEASE PLEASE close the lid, then flush to your heart's content. All of that gook, grime, and sludge nestled in your bowl is just sleeping. As soon as you lift the lever it will come alive, propelling itself upward like a startled Lochness Monster. The first law of physics teaches us that what goes up must come down, and this is no exception. Worse still, if you don't shield your stuff from this bad boy, it will surge upward and outward, just like a water fountain, except not as pretty.  So, use your lid for more than decoration. It's there for a reason. Let it do its job instead of smearing silent sludge on your teeth and gums when you next brush...ugh!!!

And don't forget to clean the lid!

The Surrey

The reviews did not lie. 

I was headed back to New York, the place of the too small cubicles from the land of Lilliput. I happen to be tall but have nothing against generous space so when I found myself perspiring at the thought of living out of a shoe box, even for a weekend, I knew it was time to upsize the room. But it was New York. Big bucks buy TINY, spaces. More perspiration. Beginning to flow in rivulets. Back to scouring the reviews of the 5 star hotels at Big Apple rates. 

The Surrey? What kind of name is that for a hotel? What I didn't want was a horsey, rough and tumble kinda place where I'd have to parade around in jodphurs to fit in, and pretend to be a pretentious or horsey person. I don't have the right laugh for that. 

Speaking of horsey, remind me to share my hotel experience at the Kentucky Derby.

But I digress...

So I trolled their website - every page and every word. I read enough reviews to know that this place was no cheap and nasty little hole in the wall! The price, while way up there, would be palatable if you got what they promoted. 

Plus it was my daughter's 21st birthday weekend. We needed a good hotel with a rooftop to party.

I decide to go for it. Then I decided that such a place deserved, no REQUIRED, one to make an entrance. So I booked a limo from the airport.

From the time that my limo doors whisked open on arrival, through my grande entrance into the well-appointed lobby, the fawning by well-trained staff, I knew I was home. So sure was I that I would not need to check the sheets for stains and tears that I decided to forego the usual pre-check-in room inspection that is a part of my arrival at any hotel. I just knew. But truth be known, the slow elevator ride to my room caused me momentary panic, throwing me back to the dark, narrow hallways that tended to greet slowwww elevators. When the doors opened the hallway was narrow...I tried to beat down my rising apprehension..until I saw the room. Sunshine! Exquisite. Spacious bed and bath, lovely appointments. My favourite was the lotion pots. Very handbag-friendly indeed. Luxurious linen, whiter than white, crisp, clean, clear. What more could a princess want? 

A comfortable mattress, fluffy bath robe, slippers, and peace and quiet. I got it all. (The slippers are the nicest-looking of my hotel encounters thus far. I'm still wearing them months later.)

Ahhhh, the sweet smell of uninterrupted sleep. In NYC!

A contented OCDebs indeed - um, is that an oxymoron?