Steamed

This is day 19 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join me as we share a month of reading, writing and discovery. Today's topic is Steamed.

Image Source: Bkt Tinggi BBQ

Steamed seafood is a favorite of mine.  There was a place on the beach in Florida that we used to go to for their steamed mussels. It was across the street from the Gulf, perched on the bank of the intracoastal. The view was fantastic and the mussels were equally as good.

We would sit by the window and order a bowl of mussels and a couple glasses of chardonnay.  This was accompanied by their delicious bread and butter. Yum! 

Sadly they closed, and even though they reopened a few years later in another location, it was not the same. I continue to order mussels but I haven't found any to compare to those.

On another note, I was a little steamed yesterday when a bottle of olive oil slipped through an opening in my cart and broke at my feet, dousing my shoes and jeans.  Ugh!

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Imagine That!

This is day 18 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join me as we share a month of reading, writing and discovery. Today's topic is Imagine that...

Originally published November 15, 2009, I tweaked it for today's challenge post.

Image Source: Pixabay

Imagine that we could vacation on the moon. I heard recently that there is water on the moon.  Now why it has taken NASA and a whole host of scientists 40 years to discover this, I'm not sure.  But what a breakthrough.  This could be the resort of the future, the Lunar Riveria.

Let's think about this.  We need transportation, shuttle pilots, flight attendants, gourmet food service and in-flight movies, which means more shuttles, larger accommodations, more pilots (read astronauts) and flight attendants. To build the resort, we need engineers, architects and plumbers trained in minimal gravity design...think toilets.   We don't want that stuff flowing upstream now do we?

As for electricity, how would we produce that in space.  Burn coal?  Can't.  Fire won't burn without oxygen.  Besides we've already polluted one planet.  Let's hope we've learned something.  As far as I know, there is no wind on the moon, so wind-generated power is not an option.  I know, how about giant solar panels so we can capture solar energy and store it.  If you can store solar-heated water, and power lights and radios, there should be a way to power other things.  This is not new technology.  The concept of solar energy has been around for many years.  As a child I had a solar powered radio - actually I still have it, and it still works.  However, the methods of collecting it, storing it and using it have surely improved over the years.

All of these measures are of little consequence, if we cannot breathe.  This brings us to greatest obstacle - how do we get oxygen in adequate supply for survival?  Possibly large tanks of oxygen and a distribution system?  Too bad we can't pipe it in like natural gas. Picture that pipeline!  To go outside one would need to don a space suit in order to survive the lack of air pressure.  Otherwise all the liquid in your body would boil, and what happens next would not be pretty.  There is an up side to this.  The fashion designers would all be competing to come up with the hottest new line of space apparel. Good-bye itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini.  I guess space age swim suits would kinda take the fun out of things - at least for the guys!  That's a argument for indoor swimming pools - heated with the solar panels, especially given that there is an approximate 500 degree swing in temperatures on the moon's surface.  Bottom line is step foot outside without protective gear and you're dead!

At this point I am thinking we need a much larger shuttle system involving cargo transports for the building materials, oxygen tanks, solar panels and storage units, contractors, etc. and that is just to provide life-sustaining structures.  

Speaking of life-sustaining measures, what about food? In such extreme conditions, crops can't be grown or or livestock raised, so all food would have to be transported from earth until we can figure out climate controlled farming.  This would definitely require more transports and create more jobs.

This is just the beginning... Financially speaking, your Lunar Riveria getaway will make a Hawaiian vacation seem like a trip to Walmart, and cause your credit cards to expire on the spot.  So, who's paying for this adventure?  There are many questions unanswered...after all we just discovered that there is water on the moon.

Also see A Lunar Vacation, Part 2.

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That's Awkward!

This is day 17 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join me as we share a month of reading, writing and discovery. Today's topic is That awkward dinner party.

We've all had that awkward moment..."uh, sorry,

am I interrupting something?"

Image Source: zhengman

Hmmm, it looks like things are about to get
awkward at the Queen's table!

Image Source: Yamino

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Quote of the Week

This is day 16 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join me as we share a month of reading, writing and discovery. Today's topic is 10 Years Ago, I was probably ___.

A friend may be waiting behind a stranger's face.
 ― Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter

The year was 2005, we had just gotten through 15 months of insanity where hubby traveled on business 2-3 weeks at a time.

I happened to read a small ad in the newspaper about a new wine shop that had opened up near us. We weren't all that much into wine at the time, due mostly to lack of knowledge and places that held tastings.

That was about to change...but that's not all that changed. We started going to the wine tastings on Saturday afternoons, and it was not only educational, it was a social thing. The owners formed a chapter of the American Wine Society which we joined.

There were wine dinners, live music and later Friday night get togethers at the wine shop. Unfortunately the local business was not enough to sustain them, and they had to close the shop. On the last of these gatherings we decided that we wanted to keep this going, so now we get together about once a month, bringing food and wine to share. We've been doing this for nearly 8 years. We have had dinners, taken trips, had parties, gone to weddings and rang in the New Year. 

A number of us even attend the same church now.  All because I saw this one little ad in the newspaper. Was it fate, karma? I don't know, but I don't think it was just chance. Whatever the reason, I'm grateful for and value all these friendships tremendously.
 
So what was I doing 10 years ago?  A lot less.  Cheers!


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Seven Shades of Frosty

This is day 15 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join me as we share a month of reading, writing and discovery. Today's topic is Frosty.

Image Source: rocor

Most words have more than one meaning or definition.  The record of 464 definitions is held by the little 3-letter word, set.  Usually when we see a word, one meaning comes to mind first. For example, when I first saw today's prompt, I thought of Frosty the Snowman.  Below are the ones that popped up most frequently, although the first three aren't technically definitions.

1. Frosty the Snowman, the song, written and recorded in 1950.
   
2. Frosty the Snowman, the TV show, first aired on December 7, 1969.
   
3. Wendy's Frosty was introduced in 1969 when the first Wendy's was opened.
   
4. Weather related.  Very cold with frost forming on surfaces.
   
5. Demeanor.  Cold, unfriendly manner; giving someone a frosty look.
   
6. Color.  Silvery-white, as in frosty hair.
   
7. Military term.  To be on edge or to be ready.
   

What do you think of when you see Frosty?

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