Tonight we went to dinner and it was great to walk downtown, see all the restaurants and bars and the “downtown scene” but…what I liked most was not getting hot. It was so cool to feel the fresh cool air. Later this weekend it will get back up to the high 70’s but for now…I’m enjoying my son, his girlfriend and the cool-cool weather. Life is cool!
For most of the year, it’s the duty of the press to scour the known universe looking for ways to ruin our day. The more fear, guilt, or angst a news story induces, the better. But with August here, we’re all in the mood for a break, so I’ve found a list of 10 things not to worry about on your vacation.
Now, I can’t guarantee you that any of these worries are groundless, because I can’t guarantee you that anything is absolutely safe, including the act of reading a newspaper. With enough money, an enterprising researcher could surely identify a chemical in newsprint or keyboards that is dangerously carcinogenic for any rat that reads a trillion science columns every day.
What I can guarantee is that I wouldn’t spend a nanosecond of my vacation worrying about any of these 10 things:
1. Killer hot dogs: What is it about hot dogs? There was the nitrite scare. Then the grilling-creates-carcinogens alarm. And then, when those menaces faded, the weenie warriors fell back on that old reliable villain: saturated fat.
But now even saturated fat isn’t looking so bad, thanks to a rigorous experiment in Israel reported last month. The people on a low-carb, unrestricted-calorie diet consumed more saturated fat than another group forced to cut back on both fat and calories, but those fatophiles lost more weight and ended up with a better cholesterol profile. And this was just the latest in a series of studies contradicting the medical establishment’s predictions about saturated fat.
If we must worry, focus on the carbs in the bun. But when it comes to the fatty frank, or the fatty anything else on vacation, I’d relax.
2. Our car’s planet-destroying A/C: No matter how guilty we feel about our carbon footprint, we don’t have to swelter on the highway to the beach. After doing tests at 65 miles per hour, the the mileage experts at edmunds dot com report that the aerodynamic drag from opening the windows cancels out any fuel savings from turning off the air-conditioner.
3. Forbidden fruits from afar: Do we dare to eat a kiwi? Sure, because more “food miles” do not equal more greenhouse emissions. Food from other countries is often produced and shipped much more efficiently than domestic food, particularly if the local producers are hauling their wares around in small trucks. One study showed that apples shipped from New Zealand to Britain had a smaller carbon footprint than apples grown and sold in Britain.
4. Carcinogenic cellphones: Some prominent brain surgeons made news on Larry King’s show this year with their fears of cellphones, thereby establishing once and for all that epidemiology is not brain surgery, it’s more complicated.
There is no known biological mechanism for the phones’ non-ionizing radiation to cause cancer, and epidemiological studies have failed to find consistent links between cancer and cellphones.
It’s always possible today’s worried doctors will be vindicated, but I’d bet they’ll be remembered more like the promoters of the old cancer-from-power-lines menace, or like James Thurber’s grandmother, who covered up her wall outlets to stop electricity from leaking.
Driving while talking on a phone is a definite risk, but we’d be better off worrying about other cars rather than cancer.
5. Evil plastic bags: Take it from the Environmental Protection Agency: paper bags are not better for the environment than plastic bags. If anything, the evidence from life-cycle analyses favors plastic bags. They require much less energy, and greenhouse emissions, to manufacture, ship and recycle. They generate less air and water pollution. And they take up much less space in landfills.
6. Toxic plastic bottles: For years panels of experts repeatedly approved the use of bisphenol-a, or BPA, which is used in polycarbonate bottles and many other plastic products. Yes, it could be harmful if given in huge doses to rodents, but so can the natural chemicals in countless foods we eat every day. Dose makes the poison.
But this year, after a campaign by a few researchers and activists, one federal panel expressed some concern about BPA in baby bottles. Panic ensued. Even though there was zero evidence of harm to humans, Wal-Mart pulled BPA-containing products from its shelves, and politicians began talking about BPA bans. Some experts fear product recalls that could make this the most expensive health scare in history.
Nalgene has already announced that it will take BPA out of its wonderfully sturdy water bottles. Given the publicity, the company probably had no choice. But my old blue-capped Nalgene bottle, the one with BPA that survived glaciers, jungles and deserts, is still sitting right next to me, filled with drinking water. If they ever try recalling it, they’ll have to pry it from my cold dead fingers.
7. Deadly sharks: Throughout the world last year, there was a grand total of one fatal shark attack (in the South Pacific), according to the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida.
8. The Arctic’s missing ice: The meltdown in the Arctic last summer was bad enough, but this spring there was worse news. A majority of experts expected even more melting this year, and some scientists created a media sensation by predicting that even the North Pole would be ice-free by the end of summer.
So far, though, there’s more ice than at this time last summer, and most experts are no longer expecting a new record.. You can still fret about long-term trends in the Arctic, but you can set aside one worry: This summer it looks as if Santa can still have his drinks on the rocks.
9. The universe’s missing mass: Even if the fate of the universe, steady expansion or cataclysmic collapse, depends on the amount of dark matter that is out there somewhere, you can rest assured that no one blames you for losing it. And most experts doubt this collapse will occur during your vacation.
10. Unmarked wormholes: Could our vacation be interrupted by a sudden plunge into a wormhole? From my limited analysis of space-time theory and the movie “Jumper,” I would have to say that the possibility cannot be eliminated. I would also concede that if the wormhole led to an alternate universe, there’s a good chance our luggage would be lost in transit.
But I still wouldn’t worry about it, in an alternate universe, we might not have to spend the rest of the year fretting about either dark matter or sickly rodents. We might even be able to buy one of those Nalgene bottles.
Even though my hubby and I live in paradise, I pretty much stopped tanning a few years ago. Still, with living in the tropics I get a tan sitting in the shade ;-). Most of the reason that I stopped caring about a tan is because of the time, boredom, and sweat required to get a nice tan. The other reason is that, while I’ve never really looked my age, now that I’m older…I don’t mind my age but also don’t relish when I’ll eventually get lines, creases, and wrinkles. Some women in their late 30’s and 40’s have such leathery skin because of their sun exposure that is scares me to think this could happen to me ~ ever.
Even though we all know that to prevent a sunburn we need to use sunscreen and avoid sitting at the pool between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., many of us still end up burnt to a crisp. Then, there’s the added confusion in the recent controversial report by the Environmental Working Group, which tested 1,000 sunscreens and found that four out of five don’t adequately protect our skin and may pose health hazards. So what do we do?
Below is a list of myths that many of us believe to be true…but aren’t:
1. You cannot get a sunburn if it’s cloudy out.
Sunlight consists of two types of harmful ultraviolet radiation: UVB, which is the main cause of sunburn and skin cancer, and UVA, which penetrates deeper into the skin, is responsible for the sun’s aging effects, and may contribute to cancer. UVB is only partially blocked by clouds and fog, so you can still get burned on an overcast day. And, while the amount of UVB in sunlight can vary by season, location, and time of day, UVA is always present during daylight hours. So even if your face doesn’t end up looking like a lobster, you’re still getting sun rays and therefore, skin damage.
2. Using sunscreen is all the sun protection you need.
Though sunscreen should always be used when outdoors, it’s an imperfect substitute for avoiding the sun altogether. The current rating system we are all familiar with, Sun Protection Factor (SPF), measures a product’s ability to provide UVB protection, not UVA. It is therefore important to look for a “broad spectrum” sunscreen that protects against both. Even then, sunscreen will not completely protect you all day. For example, an SPF 15 is supposed to protect you fifteen times more than your natural protection. If you can stay in the sun ten minutes before you are burned, SPF 15 will protect you 150 minutes, or about two hours.
Besides reapplying often, a better way to avoid sun damage is to seek shade during those extremely hot and sunny parts of the day (10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the American Academy of Dermatologists) and wear protective clothing. Thickly woven materials are better than light, thin ones, and baseball hats, though a good choice, are not as good as wide brimmed hats, which protect the ears and eyes better. However, avoiding the sun during summertime and wearing thick clothes in hot humid weather isn’t always feasible, or comfortable… hence, sunscreen.
3. All sunscreens are created equal.
Part of the controversy over the Environmental Working Group’s findings had to do with chemical versus physical sunscreens. Chemical sunscreens contain compounds, like oxybenzone, which absorb the UV rays, while physical sunscreens have a physical barrier, like titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, which deflect the rays. Although the Food and Drug Administration and the American Skin Foundation think differently, the Environmental Working Group contends that the chemicals in sunscreens can break down within a few hours and may be absorbed by the skin, causing hormonal problems.
Whichever sunscreen you choose, it’s important to ensure it is broad spectrum. Since no one chemical blocks both UVA and UVB, sunscreens usually contain a mix of chemicals to provide protection against both. On the other hand, physical sunblocks (that is, those with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide) always provide broad spectrum.
4. Tanning beds are safer than the sun and a great way to get a base tan before going on vacation.
My hubby and I always used to do this. Many people like to head to a tanning bed before a big trip to the tropics, thinking that a “base” tan will prevent them from being burned on the islands. Though it seems as if being tan actually does prevent us from burning, tanning is not protective. The darkening of the skin that we call tan is actually the result of melanin production as a response to injury. Although a tan provides an SPF of two to four, the darkening of our skin is a result of DNA damage. While some think that because tanning beds use mostly UVA rays they are safer than the sun, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has linked sunbed tanning to melanoma among young people. Having dark skin does lower the risk of melanoma, but it is naturally dark skin that has this benefit, not the acquired kind. And people with dark skin can still get skin cancer.
5. If you are diagnosed with skin cancer, you have it.
Though skin cancer is reportedly on the rise, it may actually be due to a higher rate of biopsies, rather than higher incidence of cancer. A recent study by an epidemiologist at the Department of Veterans Affairs indicated that doctors are performing more biopsies than they did six years ago, resulting in an increase in the number of melanoma cases. However, there have not been a corresponding number of deaths from melanoma, leading the author to conclude that doctors may be erroneously diagnosing melanoma or diagnosing a cancer that would have never progressed to fatality. If you are diagnosed—especially with the more serious form of skin cancer, melanoma—it may be a good idea to get a second opinion.
6. Sweat-proof and waterproof sunscreen will stay on through sweat and water.
As I’ve learned, waterproof sunscreen does not work very well. Even the so-called water resistant sunscreens may lose their effectiveness after about eighty minutes in the water. If you’re perspiring heavily, you’re also liable to wipe some of the sunscreen off when you rub down your forehead with your hand or a towel. Since they will not last all day, a safe bet is to reapply sunscreen every two to three hours.
So if you enjoy the outdoors and don’t want to avoid being outside between the hours of ten and four, like your skin more and protect it. Not all of us need the Mac-Daddy protection…but we all need some. Use your common sense, along with a broad spectrum sunscreen. It may be the best protection.
You’ve all heard me talk about my friend, Sheri, and her hunny. Remember, they put in a cool pool this year and are making a lot of changes to their home. I wanted to show you a photo of their pool. It’s very cool and perfect for their backyard.
Now that they’ve completed this task they’re going to paint their house. Sheri wanted to paint it themselves and her hunny wants to hire it done. Not that I get a vote, but they’d never need to paint it again if they installed vinyl siding. And, just think how great it would look…every year!
Not only are they going to paint the exterior of the house (or put up the vinyl siding ;-) she’s considering replacing the outdoor carpet and redesigning their porch. Of course, she wants everything to coordinate which is very cool. I’ll have her send photos when she’s all done so everyone can see the finished project.
Sheri and her hunny are pretty lucky. They live in an area of Florida that gets a lot of sunshine so her pool and making the outdoor of their home is important to them. I’m pretty luck because Sheri is my friend and I might be up there for a visit…very soon ;-) And yes, in the photo I’ll post, I’ll be the one with the umbrella in my Pinà Colada in the pool. Sheri, of course, will have the Margarita, no salt.
~ Diana
Happy Anniversary to Us! It was just 13 years ago, almost to the day, that my hubby and I began our love affair with travel. Like all love affairs, it’s been a bitter-sweet journey that began with passion in San Antonio that continued through our elopement in Las Vegas. Just when we thought our love affair was about to end we were introduced to the Reno hotels that reignited what we thought we’d lost. Suddenly, we caught a rush mixed with a bit of nostalgia when we went to Angel’s Heaven on a little island south of Charleston in South Carolina.
Our travels have always been once-in-a-lifetime events; however, not all our travels have been the best. I remember when we were on our way to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (by car). Driving down the Baja is an amazing journey full of beautiful deserts, mountains, winding roads and, of course, Federales (Mexican federal police). The only hitch to the journey is that it’s a two-day drive because driving is only ‘smart’ during daylight hours. The occasional cow and horse don’t just wander onto the dark roadway…they sleep on the dark roadway, right in the middle of it. We heard about a lot drivers, and even had friends, that took their lives into their own hands by driving at night, but we didn’t; which brought us front-and-center to the bitter part of our affair. Not ever traveling to Mexico before, let alone driving through the country, we didn’t know where to stop to spend the night and staying in the car was not an option. Today, I wish I’d taken a photograph of the hotel we ‘thought’ looked close to one we’d prefer. I have to tell you, it was scary, to say the least, safe – but scary. While we did sleep in the hotel room that night, it was on our sheets that, I think I later burned. But hey, it was a part of the journey and if we don’t experience new situations we never know when a great one will pass us by. Ok, the hotel in the little unknown Mexican town wasn’t a great experience but we’ve had lots of great experiences since that night in the hotel that it was very well worth the night of ick.
Since our drive down the Baja we’ve truly enjoyed our lives as we’ve continued our love affair with travel. We’ve been fortunate enough to go to South America, most of the Caribbean islands, all over the United States from California, the Reno hotels, back to San Antonio, St. Louis, Chicago and all up and down the east coast. Not all our adventures have been perfect but that’s what makes our great travels even greater.
~ Diana
A question that many friends have asked me about our moving from country to country is, “What do you do with all your stuff?” My answer, “We have lots of luggage.”
At first, we used the Samsonite luggage my parents gave me for Christmas when I was in junior high. Then, one time while we were in Las Vegas, we decided to start our collection of champagne goblets. My hubby and I both enjoy champagne so the collection wouldn’t go unused. Of course, at the time, we lived in St. Louis and travel was a vacation for us, not a lifestyle. Never in a million years did we think we’d soon be living for months or years in different countries. Maybe if we’d known we were going to be making travel our life we’d have reconsidered the collection of almost 100 champagne goblets we’ve acquired throughout the years. Maybe not. It’s just that when I look at each goblet we have I remember when and where it became a part of our collection.
My husband and I coordinated a wedding at a vineyard in Missouri where each guest received a monogrammed champagne goblet (and so did the coordinators ;-). Then, because Las Vegas was where we were married we have a champagne goblet from every casino, hotel and resort in Las Vegas. Yes, twice, we’ve had to purchase additional pieces of luggage while we were there just to bring them all home. Of course, most of what was packed was the wrapping but when it comes to our champagne goblets, almost nothing is more precious. When we went on a cruise in 1999 we ‘just had to have’ three sets of millennium champagne goblets, not to be outdone by the two we received that New Year’s Eve. They are each filled with memories. Still, just in case, I have photographs of them all.
Because of our lifestyle we’ve become more compact and what we have, like our champagne goblets, is very important to us. We now travel with eleven pieces of luggage. Yes, we pay the excess baggage fees but nothing can replace our memories. Just don’t tell my husband that on our next adventure, we’ll need a couple more pieces of luggage for the additional chachkies (as he calls them) I’ve picked up that I just cannot live without.
~ Diana
This is such a great find I have to share it with you! My friend, Sheri, and her guy just finished putting in a pool and spa at their home in Florida. You have to know Sheri to know that she’s not a happy person unless she’s in a swimming pool or at the beach, so the pool and spa weren’t afterthoughts when they bought their home last year. When they chose a house it had to have a pool in its future. Believe it or not the pool was dug and in the ground in just a little over two weeks.
She e-mailed me today to tell me she was stressed over her scuba test and trying to get it done before tomorrow. So, what does she do to relieve the stress? You guessed it; there’s raft in the pool with her name on it ;-).
Sheri and her guy are in there spa every night with a glass of wine, a couple of candles, the night air, and a little Jimmy Buffet (they’re both huge Parrot Head’s). She only has one complaint…the ugly spa cover. Well, it wasn’t so much as ugly as it was boring. As a rule, hot tub covers are there to protect, not look beautiful, right? But, get a look at this! This is the spascene that Sheri selected:
Just two weeks ago they made their evening get-a-way a little more romantic with a Caribbean spascene at sunset…as you can see from the above photo. She said it was really easy to install, they didn’t need any special tools (or experience), and, best of all, it took them less than an hour to turn their ugly gray panel into a beautiful addition to their landscaping. When it was all done, she sat the candles on each side of the scene and viola…instant ambiance!
Sheri and her guy both agree that the impact the background has on the entire hot tub experience is amazing. While Sheri’s guy likes the affordability of the spascene when he considered the overall hot tub, pool and landscaping expenses, Sheri sees the spascene as totally transforming their backyard into paradise on earth.
At our home in Cabo San Lucas we had beautiful view of Land’s End. Unfortunately, from the spa our view was of a wood privacy fence and the boring cover. It was great to have the privacy, but to live in paradise and not have a paradise view was almost sinful. A spascene would have been perfect for us, with our own private view of paradise instead of a yucky wooden privacy fence and hot tub cover. I mean, how romantic are wood and canvas?
When my hubby and I lived in the Caribbean there were some amazing scenes that I will always remember. I photographed as many as I could in case my memory ever fails me during one of my ‘senior moments’. After looking at what Sheri had to choose from and hearing how easy and affordable it is I now want to create our own spascene. My hubby is big on landscaping and always comments on the ugly brown hot tub covers. We’ve even looked at the home shows that come to town every year for something to cover it up so this will be an easy sale to my hubby.
There’s one photograph that we both really like that I saw in a similar spascene. Hmmmm. Great thought! Look at these two photos. One is mine and the other is a spascene that has the high durability, waterproofing, and has a high chemical resistance that I can put up myself. They could have both been taken on the same beach! This way, when my hubby and I are relaxing in our spa it will feel like we’re back on the beaches of the Caribbean.
My brain is in overdrive now with questions and ideas. Because of the dance of the candle flame Sheri can see the ripples in the water as they appear wander off into the sunset, but what about during the day? I’m wondering how difficult it would be to add some 3d to the spascenes so they have more of an appearance of depth and movement. Cool? I have some really cool evening photos I created below. What do you think? Should I see if I could have them custom made into spascenes? They’re so easily interchangeable it would be great to pick a scene for the mood or time of day. I’m taking a poll so please let me know.
If my hubby and I can’t transport our spa to our vacations we can transport our vacations to our spa. Is this not great or what!?!
~ Diana
Whether Richard Roth is the first or just the first person I know to sue a major airline, like Delta, for delays, inconvenience, rude behavior, and rebuffing employees…I hope he’s not the last. With what airlines charge (high fuel prices or not) someone needs to get upset. No longer are the skies ‘friendly’. Sure the flight attendants are fairly courteous, depending on their mood.
Sure the pilots are friendly, they’re the ones whose hands our lives are in…but the ground personnel…please.
Over the past 5 years alone, I’ve flown every major carrier that flies through or from the United States. One thing I can always count on is that the service gets worse with each trip.
Baggage handling personnel are the worst. My bags have been lost several times. It doesn’t matter if its in the United States or not. When I try to get information on my bags the people I speak with are rude and unconcerned. Yes, I know they have millions of bags they lose everyday but I don’t care about millions. I care only about mine…and since the baggage handler wouldn’t have a job if we all stopped flying…they should at least have an ounce of concern in their voice. That would at least make me feel a little better, like I counted.
(Story continued below)
I was in the insurance business for more than 20 years. Daily, no, hourly, someone would call and complain about their premium going up $1 or $2. It wasn’t millions, no, but it was complaints and they were all the same. Still, it was my job to be kind, courteous and understanding. I spoke to them with the authority that I would do everything in my power to find out why there premium went up and take the time to find a less expensive rate. Sure, I knew the rate went up because of inflation and I knew I couldn’t find a less expensive rate but…I spoke to my client for those few minutes like he was the only client I had. I was on the telephone with the client anyway…why not speak kindly rather than abrasive and uncaring?
Every single passenger understands that there is a chance their luggage will be lost. It’s the law of average. It happens. But when you are given a phone number to call for the airline baggage people and they never answer their phone except between a specific 15 minute interval, what kind of message does this give a traveler?
My son’s and my bags were lost, all of them, going on a non-stop flight to Mexico. It took them 5 days to get our bags and phone call after phone call after phone call. And, hotels charge for phone calls to parties outside the hotel! Add it up! Yes, I was reimbursed, I think a total of $120 for the delay of getting my bags but that $120 does nothing to make up for all the time I had to spend driving over 30 minutes to the airport and back from the airport four times because they didn’t answer their phones, were rude and totally ruined the 5 days I had to spend looking on my own for the baggage (yes, you can do this). Was I able to go to the beach? How could I? I had to call the airlines. Was I able to go to breakfast, lunch or dinner? How could I? I was traveling to and from the airport.
I’m not surprised in the least that this man is suing. ? To me, $1million is cheap for Delta to get by paying. Maybe this will knock the airline industry back to the era of the ‘friendly skies’. Maybe not.
~ Diana
Remember the friends you had in high school you’d promise to always remember? Remember, the boyfriend that broke your heart and you swore you’d never get over; or the girlfriend you knew you would someday marry?
High school was both fun and tumultuous for me. But, from watching my son in his teen years and other young people, it’s fun and tumultuous for everyone. We all have great memories and hopefully, any bad ones are faded away by now.
A few years ago I started to reconnect with some of my old classmates and old friends that I’d thought about every once in a while. I figured that if they wanted to become friends again, cool. You can never have too many friends and these people were a huge part of my life for many years. As it turns out, I’ve reconnected with many classmates and we’ve become great friends. Some of us live in different countries, have really different lives than we’d planned and some of us still live in Alton, Illinois, my hometown.
My old photography friend, and mentor, is my new photography friend and mentor. He’s sent me photos he’s taken in North Carolina and the Outer Banks that are absolutely stunning. I can only dream to be even half as good as he is. Then, he and I have another classmate just outside Charlotte, North Carolina that is also a photography buff and he goes to the Outer Banks every year for vacation. It is such a small world! And, as you well know, who else lives in Charlotte? My son ;-) Well, guess what? When I visit my son in a few months…guess where we’re going? Too meet up with my two old classmates (young at heart) and take some awesome photos together! It will be a blast!
If you’ve put off reconnecting with former classmates, going to your class reunion or just making that call to an old friend…don’t. None of us lives forever and some don’t live long enough for us to reconnect.
~ Diana
This is just disgusting. I was watching, I think, Dateline Sunday night about the buying (taking for free from the side of the road) and selling used mattresses. I was shocked to find out that companies in the US buy these used mattresses for $5. Then, all they do, usually, is take the old cover off, spray a few spritzes of insecticide and then recover it for new (used new) and sell them for $40-$50. Many still have bedbugs or the blood secretions of bedbugs, fecal matter, urine residue and other disgusting leftovers in them.
This is a disgusting post but I have to tell you about it so you know, if you didn’t already. Do you know who buys these mattresses? You’ll never guess. HOTELS!!!!! So, not only do hotels not wash their bedspreads between guests and leave them with semen stains for the next visitors…they also let us sleep on beds with other, even more disgusting growths…including harmful mold and bacteria!
I ask you, do we not pay enough for a hotel room for them to buy a brand new (even a cheap brand new) mattress and pillows and bedspreads that have been properly laundered between guests? We’re not talking about Third World countries here…we’re talking the United States of America that has laws for laws for laws!!! What is going on America?
If you own a hotel, manage a hotel or work in a hotel and what I’m saying or what many of us saw Sunday night is wrong…please, comment here so we can all see which hotel we can stay at safely…or, you can shoot me an e-mail to: from_diana@yahoo.com.
Didn’t mean to disgust anyone but sometimes…its the only way to get the message across.
D
