“I have a history of making decisions very quickly about men. I have always fallen in love fast and without measuring risks. I have a tendency not only to see the best in everyone, but to assume that everyone is emotionally capable of reaching his highest potential. I have fallen in love more times than I care to count with the highest potential of a man, rather than with the man himself, and I have hung on to the relationship for a long time (sometimes far too long) waiting for the man to ascend to his own greatness. Many times in romance I have been a victim of my own optimism.”
— Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)
I was in the middle of writing a blog post about Eat Pray Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert, when my friend sent me this (see below.) Great timing. I’ll be posting more on this book (because it’s one of my favorite books of all time!) I’m so excited to see Julia Roberts as Liz in this movie.
Posted 1 day, 7 hours ago at 10:19 am. Add a comment
The average American consumes five times more energy than the average global citizen or 10 times more than the typical Chinese.
If the typical Chinese consumer used as much oil as the average American uses, China would require 90 million barrels per day—11 million more than the entire world produced each day in 2001.
Source: Worldwatch Institute
Posted 2 days, 8 hours ago at 10:15 am. Add a comment
When I’m asked if I’m having as much fun as it looks like I’m having at the Smart Talk events in Cincinnati…the answer is an astounding, yes! Last night Smart Talk brought the brilliant and hilarious Patricia Heaton to Cincinnati for their Smart Talk Connected Conversations series.
Patricia was bubbly and so interesting. She’s definitely a girl’s girl. She feels like one of your girlfriends. Best of all, she’s from Ohio! (No wonder she’s so sweet!)
She’s not a fussy diva actress. In fact, she was forthright about the “work” she’s had done to her body, some of which are, collagen fillers, Botox, veneers on her teeth, tummy tuck, breast lift, fake nails, fake eyelashes, amongst many other treatments. Hey, she is in Hollywood after all. Of course she feels the pressure to be beautiful. She even jokingly talks of the new hairs that are growing on her face now that she’s hit menopause. …see, I told you she was open to sharing everything!
She’s been married …to the same man, gasp…for almost 20 years! She has four sons that seem to make her world go around. After an incredible successful run as the wife/mother on Everybody Loves Raymond, she’s now on The Middle, which is also enjoying it’s share of newfound success.
She shared with us the trials and tribulations of Hollywood and Motherhood. For instance, at a casting call, a director pulled her aside and said, “look, honey, I want to be honest with you, we are looking for an extremely attractive actress.” Ouch! It takes some thick skin to endure that type of torture. She also speaks about Hollywood’s beautiful people “starving themselves.” She said when she was broke and had no money, her refrigerator only had yogurt and Grape Nuts. Now that she’s a successful actress…her refrigerator only has yogurt and Grape Nuts. Actresses have to starve themselves to remain viable in Hollywood. Hunger would definitely be a downside of fame.
One of the most endearing things I love about Patricia was that she’s deeply spiritual. She “gets” the mind/body/soul connection. She attends church regularly. She has gone on missions to help those less fortunate.
Cathy Erway’s new book, The Art Of Eating, depicts her two year journey of swearing off restaurant fare.
Cathy’s blog, Not Eating Out In New York, was the inspiration for her book. Not only did Cathy lose 10 pounds within a few months of eating in, but she cherished the act of making delicious dishes. She says it slowed her down and lowered her stress.
Turns out, eating in is ultra-frugal as well. Cathy says she ended up saving about $75 a week by eating in. Not only did she learn confidence in the kitchen, but she learned she had a great deal of discipline to say no to the restaurant scene for two years.
This book is such a fun, informative read. Highly recommended! Think you could swear off restaurants for two years?
Posted 6 days, 7 hours ago at 11:08 am. Add a comment
Way to impress the pants right off of us, Los Angeles!
Los Angeles is going to start a new pilot program with RecycleBank that will compensate households for recycling! The hope is that the city’s recycling rate will go up from 65% to over 70%.
15,000 homes will be eligible for the program and the contents of their tagged bins will be weighed and recorded each week. Depending on the weight, residents earn points that they can redeem at businesses like CVS, Bed Bath & Beyond, and El Pollo Loco. The total tally can reach the equivalent of $400 a year per household!
Smart Talk does it again! They always manage to bring the biggest and brightest personalities to their Connected Conversations series. Next week Cincinnati welcomes Patricia Heaton to the Aronoff on March 15, 2010. Patricia will be speaking on Motherhood and Hollywood …and I’m sure she’ll share a little background dirt on her wildly successful run as the wife/mother on Everybody Loves Raymond.
The Smart Talk Connected Conversations series is an incredible experience. The energy is alive. The conversation is brilliant. The company is phenomenal! Tickets are still available …click herefor more information.
What Gossip Girl’s Kelly Rutherford is buzzing about now: Brantley Active Enzymes Plus ($30 from BrantleyCure.com). “I take these every day to nix bloating.”
