'Tis the Season for Giving

Yes it is the season for giving with Christmas just around the corner. Have you wondered why we restrict ourselves to giving just this time of year? Should we?

This blog is about giving. It just so happens this is the time of year for giving. It could be any time and it would would apply.

14 year old starts Library in his town: needs Books donated!

I was reading through the website of author Lois Lowry (a favorite author of mine) and discovered an opportunity to give. A Young boy, age 14, is starting a Library in his town of Rollinsford, New Hampshire. He had written Lois when he was 11 and mentioned his town did not have a Library. Reminescent of Cicero, Lois responded "I told him then that a town with no library was like a body with no heart." Being a lover of books, I agree. And this is my small part of helping.

If you would like to help 14 year old Robert (or R.J.) Bolian and his efforts to start a Library, one can make a donation to:

This is the address to which book donations should be sent:

Rollinsford Public Library
Cutter Family Properties
Suite 214
1 Front Street
Rollinsford, NH 03869

RJ Bolian, the 14 year old boy who spent three years getting this library up and running—because

his town had none—tells me that they are especially short of children's books.

You can read the original blog of Lois Lowry on this and other issues at http://loislowry.typepad.com/lowry_updates


Give the Gift of Life!

Another gift that is always timely is the gift of life. I have been a regular donator of blood to the American Red Cross since I was 18 and old enough to donate. About a month ago the Red Cross called me. That is a fairly regular occurrence. Every 54 days for years they have called to remind me I was once again eligible to give. This call was different. This time they called wanting me to donate platelets. It is a longer process, but they need platelets for Cancer victims among others.

It took about 80 minutes for me to donate the platelets. They had a portable DVD player so I was able to watch a movie while my platelets were collected. One is able to donate platelets every 2 weeks or so compared to 54 days between blood donations. My blood is CMV negative which is the only blood newborns or peopre who are receiving an organ transplant can use. Now I must chose as two branches of the Red Cross compete - blood or platelets.

If you are healthy and able to donate blood or platelets, please do. Blood is truly a gift worth giving. You can save a life!

I have been Negligent

Wow it has been so long since I last posted. I apologize to anyone who has visited and been disappointed.

I do have my share of excuses. I have been busy with fantasy sports - I now have NFL, NBA and NHL teams, teaching elementary students as a substitute teacher and taking a 2 week trip through the middle of the US. Along with the latter, I have been working on getting the photographs I took on the trip online (some are now on my picasa page) and working on my mother's new computer and our network. Doesn't sound like a lot but when you realize I knew nothing about Hockey until after I joined the fantasy hockey league on Yahoo Sports, and take into account that I wanted to know what I was doing, then it becomes more understandable. I was learning as much as I could about Hockey and watching NBA games while I could (Dish Network had a free preview period). And I have been blogging on ScreamingSports.com

If you are a fantasy sports fan you really should be participating on Screaming Sports. It is free.

Today I added a blog on just fantasy sports. It is Fantasy Sportsaholic
If you are into fantasy sports, be sure and visit my Sports Blog and book mark it.

I'll try to do a better job keeping my blogs all up to date. And check my website for a photo journal soon of our trip through Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan (including the Upper Peninsula), Indiana, and Ohio. Hopefully I will get it online this next week. It will be in the Photo section of the website.

Busy with Fantasy Football

I've been preoccupied with Fantasy Football so haven't posted anything here in awhile.

I never realized just how involved Fantasy Football could be. I say could because one doesn't have to do as much as I have been but I suspect the more you do the better prepared you will be.

If you want to know what I have been doing to prepare as a 1st year manager or any tidbits I may have learned, drop me an email. I'm not dumb enough to post it where my opponent managers can see it.

Fantasy Football! My team

This is my first experience with any Fantasy team. and considering that I have not really watched Professional football in the past few years, it has been a challenge already!

Our Team draft has happened. The team is hosted on ESPN and is under standard ESPN rules. You have a 16 player team and start 9 - 1 QB, 2 RB, 2WR, 1RB/WR, 1 TE, 1 K and 1 Defense/Special Team. We have a 10 team league and use Head to Head matchups each week. I drafted 4th. My 16 picks were (not in order drafted but by position):

My Draft Roster:

QB Kitna - Det - Plays @ Oakland week 1
QB Losman - Buf - Plays Denver week 1

RB Stephen Jackson (Stl) - Plays Carolina week 1
RB Willie Parker (Pit) - Plays @ Cleveland week 1
RB Rudi Johnson (Cin) - Plays Baltimore week 1
RB Brandon Jacobs (NYG) - Plays @ Dallas week 1

WR Terrell Owens (Dal) - Plays NYG week 1
WR Donald Driver (GB) - Plays Philedelphia week 1 (assuming he plays)
WR Deion Branch (Sea) - Plays Tampa Bay week 1
WR Calvin Johnson (Det) - Plays @ Oakland week 1
WR Dante Stallworth (NE) - Plays @ NYJ week 1


TE Ben Watson (NE) - Plays @ NYJ week 1
TE Owen Daniel (Hou) - Plays @Kansas City week 1

K J. Wilkins (Stl) - Plays Carolina Week 1

D/ST Chicago Bears - Plays @ San Diego week 1
D/ST Denver - Plays @ Buffalo week 1

Since the draft I waived Hou TE Owen Daniel since both he and Watson had the exact same Bye Week (I had written down Daniel's Bye Week wrong on my draft sheet). I can add a player Sunday to fill that vacant position.

So what do you think? On paper it looked good, and then I started looking at the first week games. Ouch. Rudi Johnson at home but against Baltimore! I have a great #1 Defense in Chicago but week 1 they play at San Diego!

and my first week opponent has players who look good in their first round match-ups

Opposing Team Roster and week 1 opponent:

StL QB Marc Bulger car
SF QB Alex Smith ari

SF RB Frank Gore ari
NE RB Laurence Maroney @NYJ
Phi RB Brian Westbrook @gb
ATL RB Jerious Norwood @min
CAR RB DeShaun Foster stl

Was WR Santana Moss mia
Ari WR Anquan Boldin @sf
NO WR Devery Henderson @ind
NYG WR Plaxico Burress @Dal

Pit TE Heath Miller @cle'
SF TE Vernon Davis ari

Dal D/ST Cowboys D/ST nyg
Jac D/ST Jaguars D/ST ten

any suggestions? Who should I sit? Start?

Leave your comments or email me

"Words in Color" Puzzle challenge

This is not original from me. My first disclaimer.

The Rules are simple. Look at the image below and say the color of the word - not the word. Understand? For example, when you see red you would say Blue since the color is blue even though the letters spell the word RED.

See how many colors you can say correctly before making a mistake. See how fast you can sat all the colors in sequence without saying the word written. Let the fun begin.



So how did you do?

And by the way, did you vote in the visitor poll? Please do.

Coffee! Benefits and risks

I love coffee! The image above says it all.

These are just a few of the news articles on coffeee - 2 of the 3 in just the last couple of days.

Girl overdoes on espresso coffee

Is Coffee bad for you?

Coffee 'protects female memory'


It seems like I have been drinking coffee all of my life. My mother claims I started drinking it when I was just a few months old when she gave it to me mixed with milk in my bottle because I wanted what she was drinking. Today I prefer it strong and pure or black as some say. No sugar, no cream or milk or substitutes. While in Brasil, I shocked some people by preferring their strong rich brew without the traditional sugar and cream added. "puro, por favor!" Obrigado! I love it espresso strength. Now that doesn't mean I don't drink it otherways. I drink lattes, mochas, fraps, cafe au lait, etc. What I do not particularly like is "american coffee". Folgers or Maxwell House or some similar brand brewed so that one can see partially through the liquid. That is just colored warm water. I prefer it dark and rich. When I brew coffee, one can not see through it even a little. And one doesn't need an espresso machine to brew dark, rich, strong coffee. I start with high quality coffee (it doesn't have to be expensive - I found one at Wal-Mart at about $3 a lb that is excellent), I fill my filter full and then add 12 cups of cold water and let it brew. That is using a Krups drip coffee machine. As long as you have good coffee, it is great! Try that with folgers or maxwell house and you will have 1 bitter brew!

The first article linked above however highlights one of the risks of coffee. Maybe the only risk. Some people can not handle the caffeine. If 7 double espressos were too much for her system, she doesn't want to have mine. I drink my coffee by the "mug", at least 12 oz at a time and I can drink coffee anytime, 24/7. Caffeine has never adversely affected me. In fact I tried to use coffee from Puerto Rico (excellent coffee!) while in college to stay awake and study. It never worked. I could fall right to sleep studying Organic Chemistry with or without the coffee.

The other 2 articles highlights some of the benefits of coffee. I actually use to have a collection of articles similar to these (and probably still have the bookmarks) that show the benefits of drinking coffee. Warding off dementia is just one of them. I have a father with Alzheimer's and will probably post this same post on my Living with alzheimer's blog.

Just so you don't think I am prejudice against other hot drinks, I also love hot tea and Hot Chocolate. Unlike some other Coffee lovers, I do not despise tea. In fact, I love hot and cold tea especially hot green tea, herbal teas and oolong tea. I don't like English breakfast tea as well. And tea has been shown to be very good for you also with hot green tea probably drawing the most accolates as to health benefits. I am also a chocoholic and love hot cocoa as well. Chocolate (not the supper sugared versions but real dark chocolate) has also been shown to benefit ones' health.

But coffee is coffee. It has a special place. In November of 2000 I was fortunate to visit a friend in Slovakia. Before returning to the US, I stayed a couple of nights in Vienna, Austria. Coffee and chocolate on every corner! I highly recommend it to the coffee and chocolate lovers. If you don't like chocolate (how can you not?), you may want to consider a trip to Costa Rica. It isn't known for its chocolate but it has some of the best coffee grown anywhere. I can also recommend coffess from Brasil (there are a couple I really like) and elsewhere. Just avoid the coffees that are designed to be brewed weak if you want the real experience of rich, flavorful coffee.


PS: I just added the link to oolong tea, and I haven't even read it all myself. Discovered it as I searched "oolong" to make sure I spelled it correctly.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

I just finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. This is his second novel. His debut novel was The Kite Runner which I have not yet read. However it spent something like 2 years on the NY Times best seller list.

I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, but the setting of the book is Afghanistan and spans about 50 years. You primarily view the history of Afghanistan during this time through the eyes of 2 women. It is a poignant and moving story and is not recommended for those who are looking for a light amusing book.

For fans of UK author, Joanne Harris ( Chocolat, Blackberry Wine: A Novel, Coastliners: A Novel, Five Quarters of the Orange), you should really like this book. And vice versa. If you like A Thousand Splendid Suns, you should also enjoy Joanne Harris' books. She is one of my favorite modern authors. You should also consider Purple Hibiscus by Adichie. Another book you may want to read if you like books on life in Afghanistan during the Taliban era is Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. And yes I have read every one of these recommended books and would not recommend a book I did not think was very good. If you have school children anywhere from 4th grade and up, this last book is one they can read and enjoy.

IF you enjoy books and reading, I am adding pages to a section on my website devoted to books - one of my passions. I just finished adding Modern Library's 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century to the site. This is actually 2 lists (100 by the Board and 100 by the readers). How many of the best books of the 20th century have you read? Take a visit http://timnew.com/books/ and see. It is interesting to see how divergent the 2 lists are.

I have also listed some of my favorite UK authors and favorite US authors in addition to a list of authors and books fans of JK Rowling and the Harry Potter series may enjoy reading since the end of that series. My plans are to continue adding material so visit often to see what is new. If you have book suggestions, comments or questions about books I have recommended on this blog or my site, please leave a comment or email me. I love feedback and prefer dialogue over monologue any day.