If I had to pick five

Inspired by my friend Anna, here is one of my favorite five ingredient recipes.  I know the thought of soup this time of year can make you sick, but this one is served cold and is perfect on its own or with a salad for a light and cool dinner. 

2 cups water

1 1/2 lb peeled baby carrots

4 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4 tsp salt

1. Bring water to boil in medium saucepan.  Add carrots and ginger; cool, covered, over medium-low heat 25 minutes or until tender; chill in covered saucepan.

2. Puree carrots and liquid in food processor or blender until smooth.  Pour into bowl; stir in buttermilk and salt.  Swirl in a little extra to decorate.

Serves 4. 

NOTE: You can use an immersion blender here, but be careful; the carrots can stain anything white.  Enjoy!

In looking over my past blog postings, it occurred to me that aside from my friends and family (and the occasional rant) I have been strictly talking about myself. So, I decided to share a little bit about some people out there who are doing great things for others. While it would be nearly impossible for me to pick my five favorite organizations, here are the five that regularly get some of my money (in alphabetical order). Check them out if you are interested.

1) AIDS Care Ocean State- Until dedicated medical professionals find a cure for this devastating disease; AIDS Care Ocean State and other organizations like it are providing support and care for people affected by HIV/AIDS. In addition to counseling, case management and medical care, they provide the only assisted living facility for people living with HIV/AIDS

2) JNF- My support of JNF is not about politics or religion or statehood. It is about planting trees in the desert and providing clean drinking water to people the who need it. It is about reminding myself not to take the green parks in my neighborhood or the water that comes from my tap for granted.

3) The Honor Flight Network- I first came to find out about this organization as I was waiting for a flight that had been delayed two hours in Baltimore. The terminal was full of World War II era veterans in matching t-shirts, some with war medals proudly pinned to their chest. I discovered that the Honor Flight Network is an organization that takes WWII veterans FREE of charge to Washington DC to view the new WWII monument. In addition to getting my money, this organization is presently getting some of my time (often more valuable). If the thought of proud men sitting together sharing stories of life, loss and their role fighting for our country is not enough to make you melt, all the volunteers wear shirts that say this: “We can’t all be hero’s. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they go by.”

4) Sloan-Kettering- I have had the misfortune of spending time praying for two parents in the waiting room of Sloan-Kettering, and had the great fortune of having them both walk out. This is due in no small part to the phenomenal medical and support staff at this hospital which specializes in cancer care. From the moment you walk in, as a patient or a family member, you are greeted by warm and friendly faces and you know that they are doing everything they can for you and your family member.

5) Susan G. Komen - My first experience with the Susan G Komen foundation was four years ago, when I signed up and completed the 60 mile breast cancer walk. That was two blissful years before a dear friend of ours was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. I know that life is never fair, but in this case it seemed particularly unfair. Susan G Komen is just one of the many organizations trying to find a cure for this vicious and brutal disease. As long as women every where suffer through chemo and radiation and wake up every morning to keep fighting, I will happily keep sending them my contribution.

These are just five organizations that are important to me. What is important to you? Who (besides the federal government) gets a part of your money?

Bloggers Note- As many of you know I presently work for a non profit organization and sit on the board of directors for another. I truly respect and support both missions, but I felt it would be too self serving to mention them.

This weekend my three college girl friends and I got together for a little girls weekend. For various reasons, we are only able to all get together about three times a year. which makes it even more special. Here are my five favorite things about the weekend.

1) The laughter -the easy joking, banter and giggles that come from years of friendship.

2) The updates- filling everyone in on what has been going on in our lives in great detail. Asking, and actually caring, about each others spouses, partners, in-laws, out-laws, family and friends.

3) The tears- It has been a tough year for all of us. We have changed jobs, changed addresses, made difficult decisions, ended and begun relationships and dealt with family members in pain. When we look back on what we have been through, and speak about how we have been there for each other, the tears fall easily. Not the emotional outburst that comes from a break up or an argument, but the slow release of emotion that comes like a sigh of relief when you are with people you truly love and trust.

4) The routine- No matter how long we are apart, as soon as we get together, we fall into the same comfortable routine. The same jokes are funny, the same symptoms cause concern, the same wallets are lost, keys are forgotten and we are all running around trying on clothes and asking opinions before we rip off any tags. I don’t know how I buy anything with out these women telling me it looks ok.

5) The confession- For the first time, this weekend I told my friends about my blog. I was not intending to keep it from them, but I think I wanted to give myself time to figure out what I wanted to write about before I started sharing it with some of the most important people in my life. When I first came out and said it, my only hope was that they would not laugh at me. True to form, my girlfriends love and support blew me away. They laughed with me and cried with me as I read some of my favorite posts and when it was all over, they said the one thing I had never dared to hope for. They told me they were proud of me, and they loved hearing what I had to say.

Here are my top five pet peeves I encounter during a run.  

1 -Dogs who are not on leashes-  I know there are a lot of dog lovers out there, and I don’t mean to offend anyone but there is nothing worse than running around a corner to find yourself face to face with a  K9 and no owner in sight.  Inevitably, when I gasp and stop dead in my tracks someone will materialize and say, “oh, don’t worry.  He/She is VERY friendly.”  How am I supposed to know your animal you animal is friendly?  What if it suddenly becomes UN friendly?  What if it takes one look at me and realizes that the dry kibble it is getting for breakfast is not nearly as tasty as the fat content of my left thigh? I don’t go running around un-leashed through your dog park; please do not bring your dog un-leashed on my running trail.

2- Bikers who take over the entire road- To whom ever is in charge of the pack of road bikers wearing matching blue and yellow outfits.*  I am just as worthy of a piece of asphalt as you are.  Please do not think that just because there are more of you, I can be run off the road.  After two near death experiences, I jump into the nearest yard when I hear the wiz of the bikers approaching.  Getting hit by a car is one thing; getting run over by a bicycle is just embarrassing.

3- Nudie runners -  I live on the New England coastline and my morning runs occur sometime between 5:30 and 6:30 in the morning. That means, even on the hottest of days it is approximately 72 degrees, max.  I don’t care what distance you are running or how high the humidity is, 72 degrees is just not too hot to put a shirt on.  Buy one of those sweat-wicking shirts or a cool comfortable tank top.  Please do not run around the neighborhood with out any clothes on.  It’s gross. 

4- People who stop me to ask me for directions -  I am not sure what it is about me that gives the indication that I am a good source of information, but please do not try to ask me for directions while I am running.  I am sucking wind like an air tunnel, sweating like a pig and the only thing I can possibly think about is questioning WHY I took up this activity to begin with.  I do NOT want to think about where you can get a really great fried fish sandwich for lunch or if any of the boutiques have summer sales.  I just want to finish my run.   Please leave me alone. 

5- Runners who don’t say hello or good morning - I had thought that this rudeness was limited to perfectly tanned Ukrainian gymnasts but apparently the impolite epidemic is rampant.  We are all out here with the birds the waves and each other.  Please do not blatantly ignore me when I smile and say “good morning”.  If you are too tired to speak you can raise your hand or even nod.  In case you were absent that day of kindergarten, ignoring people is rude.    I hope you run into an unleashed dog around the next bend. 

*as a side note, when was it that every recreational biker decided to dress like Lance Armstrong?  Is this a fashion statement or are the truly concerned about aero-dynamics? I drive a car, that does not mean I need to dress like Jeff Gordon. 

It has been over a week since my bloggy friend La Petite Bella asked, so I thought I would tell you five things about my new job.

1) It is in a pretty active city. In my first week I have been able to locate a great taqueria, a Thai restaurant and a good, albeit greasy, Chinese restaurant. If I can just find sushi, Indian and some sort of buffet… I will be in lunch time heaven.

2) In addition to some really good food, the city houses one of the most beautiful post offices I have ever seen. I know this may seem mundane to most, but there is something about the crisp while marble, polished filigree brass and tall Grecian columns that fill old municipal buildings that I adore. I have visited the post office almost every day since I began, taking note to buy a stamp or two so they do not think I staking the place out for some sort of heist.

3) The building I am working in houses some pretty major and very valuable artifacts, so the security is quite serious. This means that in order for me to go from my office to the nearest restroom, I need to pass through not one, not two, but THREE, ID access security check points. If you do not swipe your magic badge the door does not stay locked (that would be WAY too easy). Rather, it opens and that starts an alarm that sounds like a cross between a fire engine and a dying hyena. I have set off at least one alarm almost every day since my arrival. Today, my VP kindly sat me down and said that while she understands there is a difficult learning curve, I am starting to upset the visitors.

4) Because of the change in size from my last museum (smaller) and the change in my title (bigger), in my new position I am spending a lot more time with upper management. I am starting to discover that perhaps, there was a reason why I did not have as much ‘face time’ with VP’s and presidents at my last museum as I, apparently, turn into a bumbling idiot. Yesterday, I heard myself joking with our CEO about the difference between the two paint colors peach melba and orange chiffon. If as you are reading this you are thinking ” wow, that’s not at all funny”. its because IT’S NOT FUNNY! I could not tell if he gave me a courtesy laugh or was choking on paint fumes.

5) Due to the necessary security measures, on most days the museum shuts its doors at 5:00. That means that all employees must be on the outside of the doors by exactly 5:00. Meaning, on these days I have to start shutting down my computer and packing my bag around 4:45. Coming from a cooperate culture where the majority works past five, some well passed seven and a crazy few come back after dinner to get work done, leaving the office BEFORE 5:00 feels like spring break! I just have to make sure I remember to use my magic security badge on the way out.

As part of our celebration to honor our nations independence from British rule, last night some friends and I had a rousing game of flip cup in the back yard. For anyone that has never played flip cup, the rules are fairly simple. Two teams line up facing each other with cups partially full of beer and set on a table. Going down the line in a relay format, you chug your beer and flip your cup so it lands perfectly upright. The next person in line can not start drinking until the previous person has drunk their beer and successfully flipped their cup. Like any team sport or drinking activity, its a lot more fun than it sounds. Anyway, here are five interesting things about our game of flip cup.

1) The girls romped the boys. Actually, the girls KILLED the boys. I am pretty sure we lost only one game.

2) Of the games we won, we only broke the rules once. We were forced to cheat because one of our teammates was going to choke and had to spit out her beer. Nothing ruins a perfectly good game of flip cup like a choking friend and a trip to the hospital.

3) The only thing better than each flip cup victory, was the victory dance performed at the completion of each round. For copy rights sake, I can not reveal too much, but I will tell you it involved a broom, a hooting sound and three complete laps around the yard.

4) The only thing better than the victory dance, was the fact that by good Karama or dumb luck, we managed to NOT get a citation for breaking the noise ordinances.

5) It is never too late to learn flip cup. In our group of 12, the average age hovered around 35 and we had four first timers. With hard work, dedication and enough cheap beer, anyone can become a pro.

I am a sucker for any movie with Hugh Grant, but one of my all time favorites is Love Actually. In addition to some pretty funny (some smart, and some not so smart) scenes, the premise of the movie is that love, is actually, all around us. Here are the five people who have reminded me that like love, kindness surrounds us every day.

1) The friends who called, text or e-mailed me this morning to let me know that they were thinking of me on my first day at a new job and were sending good vibes my way. I had forgotten how hard it is to be the new kid, and they reminded me that even though I am in a new space, I am not alone.

2) The friend who sent me flowers today to welcome to me to my new office and make me feel at home. If you have ever been called to the admin desk and arrived to see a bouquet of fresh smiling gerber daisy’s, delicate queen Anne’s lace, and sweet roses, you know the feeling can not be re-created. It literally brought tears to my eyes (and in fact, forced me to pretend to have to get something out of my car so I would not be busted crying on my first day).

3) The two men that took pity on me attempting to haul my over sized, over stuffed suitcase up and down the ferry steps on Sunday night. I am seldom impressed by the actions of strangers, but these two men were class acts. I felt compelled to hug them, but instead just thanked them profusely until they became embarrassed and ran away.

4) The friend who stayed at my house this weekend. In addition to a chilled bottle of champagne, she left a complete meal waiting in my refrigerator, so I would not have to cook after my first day at work. I don’t know if this is something she has done before, but it was by far one of the most perfect gifts she could have given me and I hope some day I am able to do it for someone else.

5) All of you. The friends, acquaintances and readers who have passed along their good wishes and their condolences through comments on my blog or via e-mail. Thank you for letting me vent over unwanted kids at a party or share my horror at the thought of my brother, as a pall bearer, carrying the weight of his friend and his own grief on his shoulders. You have helped me more than you know.

I have been tagged by my friend Elizabeth. The rules (according to her) are quite simple. Put your answer to each question in google images and pick a picture from the first page of the results. I have chosen my five favorite answers, but for the full, very cool, version, check this out.

1) A place you would like to visit: Thailand

2) Your favorite color: Cornflower Blue

3) Where you were born: Port Jefferson

4) College Major: History

5) Your screen name: If I had to pick five ( I LOVE this image)

Anyone can consider them self tagged (for either the full version or the If I had to Pick Five abbreviated one) but especially La Petite Belle and Hallie.

From the moment I started this blog (a whopping 19 posts ago) I have struggled with the concept of how much I wanted to share about my personal life, what I wanted to say about my friends and my family. What stories were mine to tell and what stories belonged to someone else, to be told in their own way, with their own voice. Then this evening (while still on vacation) I received three phone calls in rapid succession from my family. Yesterday, my brothers college roommate and close friend, committed suicide. The details are horrific, and are not mine to share, but, I would like to share with all of you, the five things I hope to help my brother understand as he buries his friend.

1- Grief comes in waves. There are moments when the pain encapsulates your being with such force, you wonder if you will ever be able to exhale again. Then, there are moments when the hurt seems to subside. Moments when you believe you are moving through the dark could and then the pain rushes in and washes over you again. Don’t fight the grief any more than you would fight the tide, both are futile.

2- It is ok to be angry. it is ok to be frustrated or pissed. It is ok to yell and scream and go for a run because you can’t think of any other way to expel the emotion from your body. It is also ok to laugh, to think about the funny things he said or the way he always wore his hair to the right side.

3- It is not your fault, and there is nothing you could have done. I know people will be telling you this a lot over the next few days and I hope with all of my heart that you hear them. Please do not over think every conversation you had, every word you heard, every rise and fall to the tone of his voice.

4- It is going to get worse before it gets better. The days ahead of you will be long. The hugs will be endless and the tears will flow. We have already spoken about the role you want to take in his memorial and I applaud you for your strength, but it will not be easy. Know that it will be hard and know that I believe you can do it.

5- I love you brother. I love you more today than I did yesterday and I will love you more tomorrow than I did today. I love you unconditionally in a way only siblings can. When the grief swallows you like a tsunami wave, remember how many people love you and feel our arms supporting you under the deep and painful sea.

Presently, I am on a beach vacation on the eastern shore.  Never one to miss an opportunity for some people watching, here are the five folks who are giving me something to talk about

1) The Family Man - This is the man who arrived at the beach with his full family in tow. He looked around, noticed the entire eastern seaboard was completely empty, and chose to sit right next to me.  Then, to really make me feel welcome and a part of the family, he put one blanket beside me, his chairs in front of me and choose to yell from one to the other while I tired to close my eyes and pretend the whole thing was not happening.  I will let all of you guess how long it took me to pick up my chair and walk off in a huff*.

2) The Innocent Daughter -  The one who is quite obviously on a vacation with her family (I jumped to this conclusion after hearing her call another women ‘mom’) and decided that the most appropriate swim suit she owned was an itsy bitsy silver metallic bikini whose bottom most certainly had a former life as a hair elastic.  To make sure the top covered as little of her silicone filled ta-ta’s as possible, she scrunched the triangles to thin slivers of nothingness and proceeded to apply oil vigorously. With all that skin showing, you certainly need to focus on your tan.

3) The Born Athlete - The man who tried unsuccessfully 8 times to board his surf kayak in the surf and after being dumped, clobbered, crunched and near drowned by the ocean, climbed aboard the flotation device and had three of his friends PULL him from the sand to the sea.  I don’t know who looked worse, the guy, his friends or the poor kayak who quite frankly, deserved better than that.

4) Father Knows Best - This fine specimen of paternal wonder apparently thought that the best way to teach his child to ride waves, was to stand at the edge of the shore and yell “go farther!  No, that’s not far enough.  GO FARTHER.  Whats wrong with you? FARTHER!”  I know he was hesitant to actually get in the water to help his son, for fear that he may get salt water in his ice cold Bud Light (at 11 in the morning) but perhaps his child has gone far enough.  Perhaps the child does not want to get swept to sea with his $11.99  boogie board  and the lingering words of his fathers advice for comfort.

5) The Good Samaritan -  This woman took it upon herself to call 911 to report dolphins were swimming too close to the shore and then felt compelled to go from blanket to blanket to tell us what she had done.  Now, are they going to arrest these dolphins for unlawful entry to a swimming area?  Are the going to keep them in a holding cell for questioning?  Do you think they can call flipper to serve as a jury of their peers?  The only thing I want to know more than WHAT was going through this woman’s mind when she frantically dialed 911 to report the dolphins, was the look on the 911 operators face when he/she took the call.

*I would like to note here that it is extremely difficult to storm off in a huff on the sand.  There in not nearly enough loud stomping sounds to be made and if your storming involves exasperated marching, you might trip up on the sand and fall down.  I suggest that if you find yourself in this situation, you give as dirty of a look as possible with out getting into a fist fight and walk away elegantly.