“The Days of Abandonment”
Already at eighteen, I had considered myself a talented young woman, with high hopes. At twenty, I was working. At twenty-two I had Mario, and we had left Italy, living first in Canada, then in Spain and Greece. At twenty-eight, I had had Gianni, and during the months of my pregnancy I had written a long story set in Naples, and, the following year, had published it easily. At thirty-one I gave birth to Ilaria. Now at thirty-eight I was reduced to nothing.
Five More Fantastic Granolas
Choosing a granola is becoming a time-consuming project with the selections growing daily. Along with Early Bird Foods, Purely Elizabeth, Bola, Our Daily Eats, and Granola Lab, all of whom make fabulous granola, there are five more fantastic granolas worth trying. Each is made with an eye on nutrition, texture, and taste with no artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, or preservatives. What they all have in common is deliciousness. Oats, nuts, seeds, fruit…..the combinations are endless. Read more 
Who Are the Mass Shooters?
The FBI released a study on mass shootings this week that indicates mass shooters in our country are primarily male and young (no surprise there). The study looked at mass shootings between 2000 – 2013 and found there were 160 mass shootings where “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.” The study does not include gang or drug related violence or shootings where the shooter’s primary purpose was to commit suicide publicly. Read more
Five Fantastic Granolas
Do you remember the days when the granola selection was limited to Kellogg’s, General Foods, Bear Naked (the new kid on the block years ago), and the bulk containers in the health food aisle? Over the past five years, the granola market has literally exploded with dozens of companies making the “perfect” granola which is, of course, totally subjective.
There are purists who favor a granola with a base of oats, nuts, and honey and there are the adventurous ones who want dried fruits, seeds, and other tasty additions. And, there are those who favor a low sugar (as in less than 6 grams of sugar per serving), low-fat (nearly impossible if nuts are included), gluten-free, nut-free, high protein, high fiber, and more. The good news: there is a granola to suit nearly everyone’s tastes. Read more
“This Is Where I Leave You”
When someone says “literature makes my heart sing,” I sense a kindred soul. Readers fall in love with literature and the passion turns into an addiction that borders on compulsion but every once in a while a diversion beckons in the form of a hilariously funny book that makes me laugh so hard I’m afraid I might embarrass myself. That’s what This Is Where I Leave You did to me (after the first chapter I made sure I wasn’t drinking anything for fear it would come out my nose in a snort of laughter). In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever read a funnier book in my life. If a literary prize were to be given for comical fiction, this book would win hands down. I can’t even think of a runner-up…..well maybe Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple, which was notoriously entertaining but not belly laughing funny like This Is Where I Leave You. Read more
How NPR’s Science Friday Goofed
On NPR‘s Science Friday program (“your trusted source for news and entertaining stories about science”) yesterday, Ira Flatow, the show’s host, aired a segment entitled “The People’s March Against Climate Change.” The two guests on the show were Bill McKibben (author of Eaarth, co-founder of 350.org and distinguished scholar at Middlebury College) and Peter deMenocal (an environmental scientist and professor at Columbia University) who both spoke about the importance of the People’s Climate March to be held this Sunday in New York City to bring a public voice to the climate change discussion. McKibben is one of the organizers of the march and deMenocal was on the show to explain why he, as a scientist has decided to participate in the march. Read more
The Victorio Apple Peeler
Bushels of apples are being delivered to farmers markets and grocery stores across the country as we settle into Autumn so there is no better time to start planning what to do with all those apples. Enjoying them freshly picked is always a good option but if your Fall menu includes apple pie, apple dumplings, applesauce, dehydrated apple slices or an exquisite tarte tartin (for the super adventurous), peeling, coring and slicing apples will be on your to-do list. A paring knife or vegetable peeler does the job but a better tool is the Victorio Apple Peeler: a machine that peels, cores, and slices apples easier, quicker and with less waste. Read more
Salty Oats
There are few things better than a homemade cookie.
Salty Oats are handcrafted cookies with a subtly sweet and curiously salty taste. Weighing nearly 4 ounces each, Salty Oats are made by Kayak Cookies of Hyannis, Massachusetts. The Original Salty Oats – a hearty oat and raisin cookie – is sprinkled with salt and has just the right amount of sweetness. Made of organic oats, unbleached unbromated wheat flour, organic raisins, butter, cane sugar, organic eggs, vanilla, sea salt, baking powder and baking soda, the Original Salty Oat is everything an oatmeal cookie should be: slightly crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and completely delicious. Read more
“The Fun Parts”
You think you know yourself, the world. You believe you’ve got a bead on everybody else’s bullshit, but what about your own?
Sam Lipsyte is a novelist and short story writer who recently (2013) published his fifth book: The Fun Parts – a collection of 13 short stories that rail against the wealthy, the weak, and the stupid. Humorous and often dark, the short stories are filled with characters who seem familiar – Holocaust survivors, the overweight teenager, the high school coach obsessed with the star athlete of another generation, the self-centered opportunist, the successful businessman – but who also seem distant and unreachable. Everyone is damaged, deranged, in despair, dependent, selling out, or an outright lunatic in this contemporary collection of short stories. Read more
Bring Back Home Economics
Why is so much classroom time spent on Math, Science, English, and History and so little on Health and Nutrition?
Kids and teenagers are overwhelmed with homework, standardized tests, AP courses, sports, and extracurricular activities – all of which require the brain and the body to perform at an optimum level for success. Yet, time is rarely allocated to learning about what it takes to properly nourish the body because parents, schools, and outside sources (i.e. McDonald’s, Five Guys, Chick-fil-A, Dunkin Donuts, Chipotle) provide the finished product (food) to our kids. Read more
Paddock Post 