Happy Howl-idays

Now that the weather is more seasonable you might finally be in the mood to get your Christmas tree. I went last weekend with my photographer Lori Golias. She needs one so we will have a background for some upcoming holiday "What's Bugging You" reports and whatever else comes up. We went to Jones Family Farms in Shelton to cut our own. No matter how large, the cost is 50 dollars if you cut your own. However, when we arrived last Friday, it was raining. So first we made a stop to see Jamie Jones in his wine tasting room. He studied at Cornell near the Finger Lakes wineries, and is now in his third year of wine production at his family's farm.

Before long the rain stopped, so we went to get our saw and find Lori's tree.  Here she is cutting down a beautiful nine-foot Fraser fir.

My apartment is much smaller than hers, so here I am with my tree of choice. However, I decided to leave it there for next year's harvest.

Despite the early rain, it seemed much too warm for early December. It was the first time I've ever worked up a sweat searching for a tree.

This next picture is a re-inactment of Lori's tree falling. Of course right as it fell, I pushed the wrong button on her camera and turned it off instead of getting the shot. Re-inactments are not condoned in the news business, however since we were just out having fun and I am disclosing the truth, aren't you glad for having the picture? We basically just picked the tree back up, set it up straight, yelled timber, and I snapped as the tree fell for a second time. Despite having a seemingly dull small handsaw, the tree came down very easily. Less than three minutes of cutting time.

Once we cut the tree, we had to carry it back to the main area of the farm. There, you can have it wrapped up for easier transport. (Make sure you bring someone who has a truck.) Here is Jay wrapping up our tree. I wanted to check for critters first, but oh well, it wasn't going to my house.

Wine tasting, tree hunting, cutting and wrapping really works up an appetite. So before heading home we stopped in Monroe at Senior Pancho's for some Mexican food. Here is Juan making our guacamole tableside. 

In other tree news, my dog Willamena and I visited the Rockefeller tree the day after it was lit. We had a stranger take our picture.

However, I think we are going to have to go back now that the weather finally makes it feel like the holiday season. Plus, Lori gave Mena one of her gifts early, a santa suit. I might have to re-inact the Rockefeller photo, but with the santa suit. What do you think?  The dog dressed as Prancer is Otis, Lori's dog. 

Happy Howl-idays.   

HO HO HOliday SHOping

I don't know why I went to Macy's on 34th street the day after Thanksgiving. I don't like to go there any other day of the year unless I know exactly what I want and go straight to it.

I guess I just wanted to see the crowd and test my patience. It proved good practice. I used yoga breathing exercises.

However, I must bring into question the report released by MasterCard Worldwide earlier this week. It revealed "Black Friday" didn't rank in the top five of busiest holiday shopping days of last year.

Hence we must define shopping. MasterCard is looking at money spent, not number of wailing women surging through turnstalls. Yet for most, shopping doesn't necessarily mean spending. Don't get me wrong, I like spending, just not shopping. So I can see why the majority of people aren't spending the most money the day after Thanksgiving. They are looking; searching for the deals the stores advertise and promise. I think shopping for some is escapism, with thoughts like: "Who would I be if I owned this pocketbook and jacket?" It's time away from responsibility and reality.

Maybe I should go shopping more?

I had a fun time "shopping" at Tiffany's in Westport with my photographer Lori Golias as we were preparing our "What's Bugging You" on holiday gift giving.

We also took our annual picture with Santa. Both of these are from the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford.

However after this year's shoot I was asked what I asked Santa for. That's when I realized I hadn't asked him for anything. So I started thinking about what I wanted.

2006 & 2005 at the Milford Mall.

Sure, for my Bugging piece I made a list of things ranging from a maid to a Lexus to a crumb scraper, but realistically, what did I want? I decided to make a of list of what I could do better in life, and then what actions I had to take to achieve those goals.

I figure while spending or receiving can cheer you up for the moment, living the best life you can is actual fulfillment. 

That's not to say that large, though empty, Tiffany's box (remnant from my Bugging piece) sitting on my desk at work isn't a thrill.  I smile every time someone freaks out over it and I get to undo the ribbon again and show them... its empty! Well, except for that wish list I made. And a picture of John Mayer. But that is a different story.

            

Rockefeller Tree Lighting

It is a special night for that 88-foot Norway Spruce chopped from a Ridgefield home two days after election day. The nine-ton tree will be lit tonight as the centerpiece at Rockefeller Center for all of the world to admire and capture in the four-inch screens of their new cameras.

The tree, which stood near a home off Peaceable HIll road for nearly 90 years, has gone through quite a transformation to get ready for its three-month stint in New York City. Following a journey on I-95 on a 115-foot long trailer, the evergreen was decked with 25-thousand crystals and a 550-pound star. All you have to do is jump Metro North to check it out!

If you are heading to New York for the lighting or any other time to see the holiday sights, you might want to check out www.hopstop.com. HopStop is a MapQuest of sorts for the subway and walkers. Just enter your destinations, and hopstop will tell you which subways to take as well as how to get to the stations. It will even calculate an estimated taxi fare for that distance. Before you go you can calculate whether checking out the tree and all the holiday window displays is faster on foot, by subway or cab.

If you don't have time for any of it, or just can't get near it once you are there, I found a sneak peak of some New York City holiday windows. Here is this year's Macy's display.

Here is the window display at Saks.

Now Let's Burn

So knowing that it would take 19-miles to work off that Thanksgiving meal, you still overate. Counting leftovers, you probably need to walk 40 miles to burn the calories you consumed.

Even if you don't burn off the extra calories, its not too late to maintain your weight over the holiday season. Mary Ellen Conway, Outpatient Dietician at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, told me today that one mess up isn't license to over eat and over indulge the rest of the season.

She says to always have a plan when going to parties so that the event doesn't control you. First she says don't try to save up calories for the event. She advises her patients to eat three balanced meals a day. When at the party, fill half your plate with high-fiber, low calorie veggies. The other part include a protein and the one food you consider an indulgence.

She says make exercise a priority, but also try to work it into your everyday schedule, such as taking the stairs or doing an extra lap around the mall. Click here for a list of calorie burning activies including driving to the in-laws'.

Calculate how many calories your body burns in a day.

Calculate how many calories you burn during your workout, whether it's housework, cooking or yoga.

Here are some more ways to get fit without the gym.

This is an article on having a plan.

You can also figure out how many calories you'll likely consume during the upcoming holiday party. It's like the Thanksgiving one, however, instead of saying I'd have to walk 19 miles, seems I will need to figure out a way to burn the equivalent of walking 30 miles.

Conways also warns about holiday libations. She says wine can have 90 calories a glass, but a mixed drink 250. She says if you have two drinks at 250 calories each, but do that for seven nights, that is easily one holiday pound.

Tasty Thursday to Fasting Friday

Halloween always begins the indulging season for me as all the left over candy is brought into the news room. The sugar rush somehow speeds up the 24 days until the next big binge of the year, Thanksgiving. Doesn't it feel like Halloween was last weekend?

Every year I hear people say they are not going to overeat at Thanksgiving. But by the time they take just a little of Aunt Carolyn's stuffing, a spoonfull of Grandma's green beans, Sara's sweet-potatoes, and Fran's fruit cocktail, then add desert and all the drinks, there is no going back. Except for seconds and thirds.

However, here is a calculator that just might make you take smaller spoon-fulls. Using it, I found I'd have to walk 19-miles to burn off the calories of my projected meal. And I was underestimating what I'd eat. Bon-walk!

What's Cookin'

You didn't think I'd go to Texas for a week and not come back with a recipe? It seems what's hot on Thanksgiving in Texas isn't fried bird anymore, it is cranberry salsa. I'll share the recipe the way I'm going to make it at the end of this blog, as well as links to different ways to spice up the sauce.

First, the area of Dallas that I would show you is uptown and downtown. This area is home of some of the best upscale steak and mexican restaurants in the country. You can also find versions of some of New York City's finest restaurants, like  Bice. Who knew Dallas could also serve good Italian? Dallas was also where I ate my first sushi. I still haven't found a better "Devil roll."

You can also drive 20 miles to Plano, and experience that area's "restaurant row" which includes more than a hundred upscale and chain places to eat at, one after another.

And then you have your fast food. I wouldn't bring this up except being back in Dallas and watching the news you see commercials. The first one that made me scream with laughter, but also think, "Hmmm, a healthy version isn't a bad idea," was the Dairy Queen Jalitos Ranch Hungr Buster. It's a hamburger. But with pepper jack cheese, jalapeno ranch dressing and fried jalapeno strips. I thought it also had sliced jalapenos, that must have been a different burger commercial.

The next is an insane version of a Frito Pie. Several people in Connecticut and New York have told me they've never heard of this delicacy. But if you've ever been to a Texas high school football game, you go wanting one like you crave a dog at a stadium in New York.

You take an individual size bag of Frito corn chips, hold it lengthwise and cut off the top. Plop a scoop of meat-chili inside and sprinkle with shredded cheese; onion if you like. Hmm, did we add jalapenos? Probably.

So one of the new fast food creations is taking this Frito Pie creation and rolling it up in a wrap. Add tater tots and, well, you better not eat the rest of the day. It just so happened that after seeing the commercial I went for a walk outside the trendy Dallas confines to see where the artists are living as well as the up and coming "it" spots. Here I show proof of the Frito Pie Wrap.

No Frito Pies at the Stars game at the American Airlines Center. It was my first time at the 420-million-dollar arena that opened in 2001. It was also a first to cheer against the Stars at one of their games. I had to root for the Islanders. Several former Bridgeport Sound Tigers were on the ice. But back to food. Choices at the arena, at least on the first two floors, include bar-b-q sandwiches, quesadillas, some kind of pulled pork dish, and, of course, foot long dogs and fries. I went for the jalapeno coleslaw. It had little slivers of cheese in it.

So having to start a diet this Thanksgiving, I'm making cranberry salsa. Just take a bag of cranberries, a jalapeno or two, maybe a clove of garlic and a few slices of onion and chop in a processor or blender. Add a little lime and orange juice and some cilantro and process a few more seconds. Some recipes say you need honey or a little sugar. We'll see.

Here is a recipe similar to mine.

This one has you boil down the berries.

Ten Years

Ten years ago I graduated from college and began my paid journalistic career. Part-time as a writer for the noon and five newscasts at the NBC affiliate in Dallas/Fort Worth paid less than Taco Bell; at least according to the "$8.50 train to start" sign I had to pass everyday on I-30. 

The position soon became full-time then I was promoted to overnight assignment manager. Basically I listened to the scanners all night, helped producers plan the morning shows and dispatched reporters and photographers to breaking news locations. I even had a few of my own news pieces air. Since I only worked overnights Monday through Fridays, I filled my Saturday and Sunday overnights as a producer and morning anchor for USA Radio Network News. During the days I freelanced as a reporter for a local cable station.

Since then I've at worked at stations across New York State and the past four here in Connecticut. I hadn't been back to Dallas often over the past ten years, but I knew to expect growth and change upon arriving for my 10-year-reunion.

When I was at school at SMU, public transportation wasn't a convenient option. However, as I was leaving Dallas in 1998, the area's answer to a subway system was under construction. Now students can access the DART Light Rail (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) from across the street from school and take it into Downtown and surrounding areas. People in the suburbs can ride it to the American Airlines Center to catch a Stars or Mavericks game.

Dallas is still an area where people value their cars. My drive from downtown Dallas everyday (where I had my renovated loft apartment) to Fort Worth (where the main station is) was the same distance from New York City to Stamford. And there was no option of anything like Metro North. Still isn't. If you drive a Lexus, you get free valet parking at the Ballpark at Arlington where the Texas Rangers Play. Oh, correction. Two years ago the name changed to "Ameriquest Field."

Expecting change, I was still amazed at how much the campus at SMU had grown. A new stadium, at least three new academic buildings, a parking garage and new museum. Back in my college days, it seemed like there was no room for expansion being in the middle of a large city near an interstate. Plus the area between SMU and downtown is full of cranes spouting boutique hotels and condos.

Me at the new Hotel Palomar's pool.

At the reunion, people looked basically the same as they did back in college. Though I couldn't remember some names and a few I had to ask, "Where did I know you from?" Oh, that fraternity, or that class.

For the most part, I found my favorite hang-outs still there unchanged. I drank my share of salsa this past week at Sol's taco lounge. And I did the most reminiscing at the Cosmic Cafe. I used to run to this place for Chai and spiritual healing whenever "news" would get to me. Okay, every other day. It was on the patio surrounded by brightly painted everything that I sat one Christmas day after working overnight at the station. Every third scanner call had been "suicide" or "attempted suicide." I also earned a psychology degree and knew the holidays could be very disappointing to many. However as I sat in the 65-degree sunshine that day sipping Chai, I wondered how anyone could be so upset on a day like that.

After ten years I sat talking with a friend from Dallas I knew back when. I was spouting how I loved the new light rail and lofts in the area just East of SMU, but I wouldn't want to live there because people were paying New York City rates to be next to Starbucks, Ann Taylor, Victoria's Secret and all the other chains that surround the much less expensive suburbs. I was explaining my same situation in New York City. I'm now walking distance to all those chains yet have to take a subway to the unique mom and pop places that got pushed north. He looked at me and said, "You are the same girl you were 10-years ago."