The Toyota recall and brand loyalty

You’ve likely seen the slew of headlines announcing the Toyota recalls, the halt in car production and the stoppage of sales at dealerships. Since every person in my family (muzzy, dad, brother bear) has a Toyota (or Lexus), I figured it was only a matter of time before one of them got recalled. Well, it [...]

What’s in a name?

Today something really crazy happened: I met another Elyse. And we don’t just have the same name … we also spell it the same, too! I’ve met other Elyse’s before, but very, very, very few that spell it with a y (most are Elise … I even know an Alyce that pronounces it Elyse). So [...]

A life re-examined

Several years ago, I read Rick Bragg’s first book, “All Over but the Shoutin,’” which muzzy and  I loved. Bragg’s twang showed through beautifully in his gritty story of growing up poor in the South. In “All Over but the Shoutin,’” Bragg put his mother on a pedestal and she became a hero, while he [...]

A surprise ending

What a weekend! I’m still so happy to be feeling better and I’m taking full advantage of my good health. This weekend was busy, but really fun and ended with a really nice surprise. Friday night was pretty low-key, dinner at home and then out for a few drinks with friends. Mike and I called [...]

Mid-week mash-up

Last night, I saw “Crazy Heart” starring Jeff Bridges as a drunk, washed-up musician named Bad Blake and Maggie Gyllenhaal as a young mother and journalist. Their unlikely paths bring them together when both are flailing through life, making one poor choice after another. But as their relationship unravels, it helps them wake up to [...]

More mountain misadventure

As you know, I love hiking–you get to be outside, get exercise and see beautiful places. Yesterday, I discussed my plans to hike Mount Washington, the highest point in the Northeast U.S., this year. Mount Washington’s summit stands 6,288 feet above sea level and it is famous for its erratic weather–holding the record for the [...]

Tales of mountain (mis)adventure

I finished reading an awesome book yesterday that I’ve been eyeing for years in various bookstores and finally bought with a Barnes & Noble giftcard that my dad gave me for Christmas. It’s called “Not Without Peril: 150 Years of Misadventure on the Presidential Range of New Hampshire” and it’s by Nicholas Howe, a veteran [...]

Skiing success

For the first time since early December, I was feeling really good during the weekend! Yes, it’s true, I am finally cured. Taking full advantage of my new found good health, Mike and I hit the road Friday after work and trekked to New Hampshire. We battled some traffic down south, but arrived in Meredith [...]

Three great albums for the new year

I’ve recently come into a whole pile of new music (well, new to me), which is rare because I have a tendency to listen to the same thing so many times that it drives everyone around me nuts and often causes me to start disliking it. Yeah, it’s a sickness. But as I recover from [...]

Poetic prose elevates story

While I was home during the New Year holiday, muzzy gave me a book by Pat Conroy called “South of Broad.” I’ve never read any of his other books before (although I want to now!) and was intrigued by the description on this one. The book spans 20 years, from 1969 to 1989, in Charleston, [...]

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