“Tapped” (affiliate link) exposes several of the problems that the bottled water industry is implicated in from dissembling and pollution to overwhelming corporate influence over government and the carcinogenic agents found in the bottles and leached into the water they hold.
Continue readingMoving, Stress, and Obligations Take the Wind out of My Sails
Life has caught up with me too fast, and with a 318-day streak on the line, I’m not sure where my next article is going to come from. I could pull up all of the movie reviews I did in 2012 and recycle them for this website. That, however, is neither very appealing or satisfying for anyone. Still, writing something like this post for the foreseeable future also seems a little problematic.
Continue readingExperiences Make the Best Collections: Collectors’ Corner
According to the research Mary Holm presents in her book “Rich Enough?” (affiliate link) experiences contribute more to people’s happiness than things. While there is an initial spike in happiness with a new thing, it quickly wears off as the thing is incorporated into life and loses its luster. When a new edition of the thing comes out, people become dissatisfied and unhappy with the edition they have. (Think iPhones or shoes where new editions are released every year just to keep sales up for the companies behind those products.) Experiences, on the other hand, allow one to savor the moment while being in it and then to relive those moments for future happiness.
Continue readingFree Book from Best Selling Author Russell Nohelty – Just Pay for Shipping
Normally, I would be publishing a #WednesdayWisdom about this time. I’m not sure what this week’s would be about because I haven’t found the right subject. However, what I did find (in my email) was an amazing offer from Russell Nohelty – a free, hardback book! You just need to pay for shipping! (Offer good through Saturday, August 15, 2020.)
Continue readingBuy 5 Times the Number of Books You Plan to Read
In his book “Time Drive,” Gleb Arhangelsky recommends that you read at leas one serious book a week and that you buy five (5) times the number of books you plan to read. For those who plan to read a book a week and are buying for the month, that means buying 20 books. As an author, reader, and book hoard… er, collector, I am totally on board with this. However, beyond my monetary and intuitive biases, there are some good reasons to follow this tip from Arhangelsky.
Continue readingWhere Does Real Motivation Come from?
(This article contains affiliate links. Making a purchase from one of these links won’t cost you any more than normal, and it helps fund our blog. Thank you.) I was trying to come up with a post for Monday Motivation, and everything I thought of fell flat. I could write about a motivational song like, Smash Mouth’s “All Star” or Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down,” or I could choose a quote attributed to some famous person, like “if you can dream it, you can do it” – not said by Walt Disney. I could tell the story of a famous person who started of bankrupt and found his or her way to fortune – Walt Disney, again. None of those feel right.
Continue readingDisneyland TV Videos on YouTube for Sunday Funday
(These videos may not be available in your region.) In 1954, the Disneyland TV Show premiered on ABC television. The show started a year in advance of the opening of the park and was a way for Walt Disney to use the power of television to advertise and drum up anticipation for his new park. ABC agreed to be the guarantor on a loan for the park. In return, the last place channel got quality entertainment from the most popular entertainment company in America. The show would run on all three networks for 36 years, missing only the 1984and 1985 season. For 25 of those years, it would air on Sunday. It was the second longest running show on television. Since getting rid of Netflix, Jenya and I have been exploring the offerings on YouTube for the Disneyland TV series.
Continue readingNabisco’s Animal Crackers: How to Sell More Cookies
While the idea for animal crackers came from England, it was Stauffer’s that produced the first animal crackers in the United States in 1871. The factory was in York, PA. While Stauffer’s are the original in the U.S., Nabisco’s animal crackers may be the most famous. In 1902, Nabisco jumped into the animal cracker business. They used the Barnum name from the famous circus for their animal crackers. These snacks were put in boxes resembling train cars with animals caged in them. They featured a string across the top of the box.
Continue readingThe Wooden Pot Serves Goodness in Blackwood Forest, OR
I got a sneak peek at the menu for the Wooden Pot café in Blackwood Forest, OR, and I gotta tell, you the menu offerings look fantastic. The café itself is focused on a few sandwiches and coffee drinks. This allows it to make sure that what it serves will be amazing.
The Lunch Menu
While I can’t give everything away, I think the first thing I would get is the PB&J Extreme open-faced sandwich. I also find the Full-Moon Soup appealing. I guess I could get them both. Maybe my wife and I could share. The Juniper Blueberry Latte sounds just exotic enough to make it the best choice though I’ve heard the coffee here is fantastic on its own. The Wooden Pot offers daily specials, so depending on what they’ve got going on for the day, I might opt for something else.
The Wooden Pot Opening
The Wooden Pot can only be found in Blackwood Forest, and its opening date has yet to be revealed. If you want to visit the town and the café, you need to make a reservation with the only tour operator who can take you there: Author Drue M. Scott. Beware, while the Wooden Pot looks inviting, Blackwood Forest is a different animal entirely.
During the day, you get a quaint, small town in the Oregon forest with all of its beauty and failings. At night, things become darker, even, or more correctly said, especially when the full moon shines down on the trees, sidewalks, and streets. A quick day trip may be your best bet. Otherwise, be sure to get a room at the seedy hotel and wait for sunrise before going outside again. Watch Drue’s blog for tour availability this coming September or October. It will be an adventure with characters that you’ll want visit again.
‘Forks Over Knives’ Encourages Viewers to Eat a Plant-Based Diet
“Forks Over Knives” (affiliate link) presents the case for a whole food, plant-based diet in a convincing and clear manner. Not only does it exhaustively explore the health issues related to the Western diet that has a heavy meat component, but it also explores the relationship between government regulators and the industry they are supposed to regulate and between meat and the destruction of the environment.
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Penguinate! Positive Creativity 