Rock n’ Roll!

Today the official Rock and Roll Week has been declared by Ohio and Cleveland officials, a lot of formal proclamations (and Bootsy Collins in full Parliament Funkadelic regalia) to usher in a  celebration of the music that’s always been about stirring things up!

I kicked off my own celebration a little earlier this week with The Eagles concert at The Q.  Glenn, Don, Tim, Joe and an impressive assemblage of musicians had a packed to the rafters arena singing along to their hits and laughing (some of us a little nervously) at a joke about it being “The Assisted Living Tour.”   Rock and Roll has no age, and there was all the proof we needed on stage.  They exceeded expectations.  They were absolutely GREAT!

This was not the first time I’d seen The Eagles, but it has been a long road out of Cincinnati since the last concert – The Eagles opening for Yes at the Gardens in-I think- 1974.  I also saw them once at Dayton’s Hara Arena, opening for Ten Years After.  And a longtime friend recalled a record store in Cincinnati giving out free tickets to see The Eagles in 1971 before anyone knew who they were.

I don’t just “enjoy” music.  I LOVE music – I remember feeling early in my life that it somehow really mattered in my overall sense of well being.  Now decades past the days when concert going was a premier activity in my life, the same music I loved then still resonates.  New artists continue to join my CD collection (yes, I still buy CDs).  And spending a few hours taking in the live performance of one of rock’s greatest bands ever fills me with an indescribable joy – and makes me smile until my face hurts. 

Cleveland Rocks!  And it’s going to be a phenomenal week.  More surprises in store – stay tuned!

Alligators, Coyotes and Bears…Oh My!

This past weekend my golf buddy “Viv” and I had the great, good fortune to spend several days near Naples, Florida.    It was with major excitement and anticipation that I packed my clubs and took my first “golf trip.”  I laughed telling people I was taking the clubs (paying the extra baggage fee, hello!) to play in another climate, as this statement gave my golf game a much greater weight than it actually deserves.  It all became too clear when we stepped up to the first tee.

Now, I need to say that this course was extremely narrow and very tricky.  And surrounded by homes.  Then there were the reported sightings of BEARS.  And COYOTES.  And ALLIGATORS.  I am not kidding about this.  Add the multiple sandtraps, and abundant water hazards and this course should have had a big red warning sign on it.

The sight of a bear trundling across the fairway – well, who wouldn’t seize up at the sight of that, sending that ball waaaaaaaay to the right. Remember my thought that the sound of a golf ball hitting a tree is one of the funniest sounds ever?  This does not apply to the sound of MY golfball hitting a house. 

Perhaps the coyote sighting could be held partially responsible for my failure to get the ball in the air until the third tee.  And the putts that came “oh soooooo close” to the cup. 

Now, if I’d actually seen a bear or a coyote as warned, I could blame these errant shots on them.  I really did see an alligator.  He was floating peacefully in one of those previously mentioned water hazards, and didn’t seem very interested in us.  But he can have all eight golf balls I lost that round, because I sure wasn’t going to fish around in his territory to retrieve them.

I had a few good moments during our golf outing, and I’ll hang onto those for now.  Time for more practice.  A lot more!  Spring is only a month away!

Chocolate Milk = Sports Drink

Before Olympian Michael Phelps was photographed inhaling,  he famously used chocolate milk (actually, Carnation Instant Breakfast) to recharge after strenuous competition.  So why chocolate milk?  Aren’t drinks specifically made for athletes a better choice?  This came to my attention through one of the personal trainers at Peak Performance in Broadview Heights.  Apparently, chocolate milk really does a body good – especially after a strenuous, resistance-based workout.

Here’s why:  Chocolate milk contains an optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein (4:1) to help refuel tired muscles.  Research has proven this ratio to be most efficient at replenishing muscle glycogen stores.  Adding protein to the usual mixture of carbs, liquids and electrolytes hastens muscle recovery.    Studies in the last couple years have shown certain proteins and carbohydrates in milk mitigate exercise induced muscle damage.  EIMD occurs when protein structures in the muscle break down and reduce muscle performance.  When consumed immmediately after resistance-based muscle damaging exercise, milk actually helps preserve more muscle than sports drinks or water.  And the sugar molecules in milk seem to be fairly easily absorbed by the gut.

I feel better about the protein packed instant breakfast my son favors most mornings.  And after my next workout, I think I’ll try it myself.

Meanwhile, a few golf games are in my near future.  Very near.  I’ll have more on that next week.

Valentine’s Day

How do you feel about Valentine’s Day?  A perfect occasion to demonstrate your affection for family and friends?  A made-up greeting card holiday?  Just more pressure?

It seems to me that – more than ever – a day that’s all about celebrating love is good for everyone.  It’s a great chance  in the doldrums of winter, to brighten the day for your spouse, partner, child, friends or maybe someone who is alone and lonely. 

As for how to express your love?  Any thoughtful gesture that says you really care – it doesn’t have to have $$$ attached to it.  This Friday in Five Things, I’m taking a closer look at what women ’really’ want for Valentine’s Day – with some expert advice to benefit men and women, attached or single. 

Meanwhile, for movie lovers – I’m interested in your pick for Best Movie Kiss!  Go to http://newsnet5.com/lees5things and nominate the kiss that is – for you – the most memorable, the one that makes  you melt, sigh, and want to watch again!   We were chatting about this in the newsroom today, and came up with a lot of great cinematic smooches – and it was kind of funny how the same actor/actress would come up again and again.  (Meg Ryan, for example.)

So here’s your cue to start thinking about the day reserved for love a week and a half early!

What A Week!

It always makes me a little misty-eyed to see the power and majesty of a Presidential inauguration, a hallmark of our freedom as Americans.  And of course the historic proportion of the 2009 Inaugural holds vivid images that will stick with me forever.

Today I’ve got another Five Things for you during Live On Five, a look at five of the most promising college majors in our shifting economy.  This is really a fun project for me because each week, the focus can be anything!  And I’m asking for your ideas to add into the mix.  Check NewsNet5.com and scroll down on our home page until you see the Lee’s Five Things icon.  Right below that you’ll see a list of ideas I’d like your thoughts on….the best advice you ever got, fave spot for a romantic dinner,  a particular item in your makeup bag that you don’t want to be caught without!  Thanks to all who’ve been offering up suggestions on the topics posted, I love reading them.  

Enjoy the weekend!

Five Things

Today during Live On Five – my first 5 Things!  One of the things I enjoy reading about is restaurants, new food trends and tastes.   So what’s coming for 2009?  You’ll get a fresh look at new flavors coming to a restaurant near you, and Cleveland’s Iron Chef Michael Symon gives us five hot new directions for your consideration.  (One of them you’re more used to experiencing in potpourri or sachets!)  I’ll look forward to hearing from you about each week’s 5 Things, comments and ideas welcome.  Please look at the topics we’re posting for your input.   Enjoy!

A Face to Face the World

You just take it for granted.  That face that looks back from you in the mirror every morning.  It sends messages to everyone who ever sees you – are you happy, sad, friendly, angry – and can reflect your every fleeting emotion.  You smile, you cry, you laugh - it is how you face the world, and take it in with your eyes, your nose, your mouth.   As the Cleveland Clinic’s Head of Microsurgery Training and Director of Plastic Surgery Research Dr. Maria Siemionow wrote so eloquently in her book “Transplanting A Face.  Notes On A Life In Medicine”:

“Our faces are more than visages to be adorned or veiled.  They are essential to our communication with the world.  No other aspect of our anatomy is capable of even a fraction of the complexity of motion and emotion allowed by the muscles and tissues of the face.”

Yet precisely because our faces are so individual to each of us, in a medical world that saves lives with organ donation,  donating the face of one to another takes us into an area that makes some feel squeamish, others troubled.  Hearts, livers and kidneys save lives.  A new face will surely change a life, but also deliver high risk – rejection, infections, a lifetime of drugs to suppress the immune system.

Think about a person who has experienced severe facial trauma, who is not able to speak, eat or breathe normally, who feels like they need to hide from view because their appearance is greeted by many with horror, fear and rejection.  How could anyone who looks in the mirror in the morning to see a whole, healthy face not have some  empathy for the suffering, the harm caused by a life dealt this blow?

Medical and ethical discussions will follow the Cleveland Clinic’s pioneering efforts in performing the first near total face transplant.   For Dr. Siemionow, this is the culmination of decades of research, and a passion to help give those with the worst kind of disfigurement, who’ve exhausted conventional surgical treatment, who are debilitated and suffering the chance to live a normal life. 

It seems to me that the heart of medical ethics is about ending human suffering.  Through the big heart and courage of the recipient, the brave generosity of the donor’s family, and the dedication and passion of a team of doctors and nurses at the Cleveland Clinic, the door to a stunning new opportunity to end unimaginable suffering has been thrown open – shining the light on a a new face to face the world.

Deck the Halls

It’s both a joy and -sometimes- a chore to get all of the Christmas decorations unpacked, trees (yes, two) decorated, complete with working lights (always requiring at least one trip to the store) and other treasures put in their places.   But just as the family traditions shared each year connect us with Christmases past, so do the collected ornaments, many of them attached to particular people, places or events.  Here, the small plastic stable sheltering Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus given to me by my piano teacher when I was five years old.  The glitter on the roof is mostly gone, but the meaning of it is always new.  Other spots on the tree are reserved for the toilet paper roll angel, a gluey, glittery angel, a “snow” ball and the rest of the handcrafted gifts made in those early school years by my son – more precious than any Swarovski, Waterford or Radko bauble on the tree.  

Some ornaments mark a new home, a vacation, a life change.  All look like old friends when they emerge from their ten month hibernation in the basement.  And all bring layers of joy, memories, the special loves and friendships in my life.  For me, celebrating these cherished memories together with loved ones is the heart of the holiday season.

My dear grandmother, Henrietta Kucera, has been gone for many years now.  But every year, I make one of her holiday cookie recipes  to a very enthusiastic reception from my own son and the rest of my family.  I have prepared this for viewers before, but thought I’d share Henrietta’s Cinnamon Sticks one more time:

1/2 cup butter; 1/2 cup Crisco (I know, I know.); 2 scant cups flour; 5 Tablespoons sugar; 1 teasp. vanilla; cinnamon/sugar mixture for finish

Cream together butter, Crisco, sugar and vanilla; Add flour in batches; Roll a handful of dough at a time into a longer length (like you would play dough); flatten slightly with your hand, then cut into 2″ lengths.  The cookies should be about 1″ X 2″.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 15 to 17 minutes.  When cooled enough to handle, roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture and place on rack to finish cooling.  Makes about 2 and a half dozen, and they disappear fast.  Fantastic with your morning coffee!

Enjoy all the sweetness, the memories, the music, the traditions of your own, and the true meaning of the season.

Thankful for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is now one of my favorite days of the year.  Preceding what can feel like the onslaught of December, it’s a day to focus on our gratitude, on those we love, on precious time spent in the company of family and friends. 

As a child growing up in Minnesota, the meaning and value of the day paled next to any other holiday involving presents, candy, costumes, the jolly old elf and “that dumb bunny” as my little brother once called him.  There was the mystery of the big turkey roaster in the basement, its glowing red light and hours of preparation.  And I always liked watching the Macy’s Parade – ushering in…Santa!!  But beyond that, ho-hum to a kid counting the days until Christmas.

This is a difficult year for so many families.  It may be more challenging to find gratitude in the day, where abundance has been replaced by lack.  But it’s my sincere wish that, however humble, a sense of fulfillment from friends, family, faith and hope for better days ahead will sustain you and provide a foundation for gratitude on Thanksgiving Day.

I feel thankful for so much in my life, but most of all for a beautiful, healthy 14 year old son who reminds me every day that life holds so many surprises, and opportunities for laughter, learning and love, if my eyes are just open to seeing them all. 

Thanksgiving Blessings to you and yours.

Snow!

And plenty of it, at least for those of us living “where squalls persist.”  This morning marked the beginning of a winter morning ritual for me.  My little dog  Cody- a 12 pound Silky Terrier- can’t successfully move through much snow at all because his legs are so short.  SO, in bathrobe, Uggs, my son’s knit cap and mismatched mittens, I tackled shoveling a path through the eight or so inches of snow outside the back door so Cody could take care of business.  A path, and then a little “area” for his needs.  Dogs can be so funny to watch in the snow, some love to play in it  - not Cody! He moves with alacrity, as though being chased by howling coyotes, his speed a need to get back into the cozy kitchen and his spot on top of the sofa cushions where he’ll watch the snow through the window.  Right next to me.

Have a great weekend – in or out of the snow!