Well, I just read a magazine article about ways to save in the current tight economy. While grocery store stamps weren’t on the list, there were lots of good ideas in the categories of home, health, shopping, travel, cars, insurance, taxes, and miscellaneous, some that I’d never even thought of before.

Saving on car gasoline was a big one. I’d always been taught that turning off your car was bad for the engine and you shouldn’t do it unless you planned to idle for a very long time. Now I learn that the trade-off is a mere ten seconds. That is, idling your car for 10 seconds uses as much gas as restarting your car. And two minutes of idling equals a mile of driving. The moral? I’m gonna start paying a lot more attention to what’s happening when I’m driving.

Some other interesting statistics are that fuel efficiency drops 5 miles per gallon for each 10-mile speed increase over 55 mph. And for every 100 extra pounds you lug around in your car, you can lose 1-2 percent in efficiency. I don’t know if I have the willpower to drive more slowly on the freeway, but I’m definitely cleaning out my car this weekend.

Dh and I do have some regular practices to help our piggy banks:
= Or local grocery store has daily specials and we can rack up nice little savings using our grocery store card.
= We wait to buy groceries until we’ve accumulated a large enough list to qualify for gasoline discounts – 10 or 15 cents off  per gallon really helps on the gas bill.
= We use the rewards program at several franchise store (office supplies, books, electronics).
= My fave clothing store gives discounts if you’re a club member. Of course, not buying new clothes at all would save even more.
= A local restaurant club gives a free entree during our birthday months.
= Our two major credit cards have rewards programs (one for airline miles, one for prizes or cash).
= We buy stuff in bulk at warehouse stores, and often buy cheaper gas there, too.
= We often buy meat/fish in bulk, then freeze in smaller airtight bags, so we only cook as much as we need for a meal or two.
=  A big discount story sells generic prescription drugs for vastly reduced costs over brand name drugs.
= We wait to make some on-line purchases until we can qualify for free shipping.
= We make good use of leftovers, mixing and matching them with one or two new dishes and a salad for later meals.

Do you remember ways your grandparents saved? Do you now have your own ways of being kind to your pocket book? And do you or do you not like leftovers?

The other day, I was telling Deb Marlowe how surprised I was by how much I’d grown to love my 3 mile-a-day  walk and my lap swimming (I’m up to 54 lengths in an hour–yes, I’m a slow swimmer, but I’m gaining speed every day). I couldn’t understand how I could have hated exercise for so many years, and then suddenly I was loving it.

Deb said she knew why I was loving it. Exercise gave me headspace. She’s right. And you know what? Apparently I need a lot more of it than I used to.

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about how multi-tasking isn’t actually that good. People who multi-task rather than focusing on one thing get less work accomplished and it hurts their brains (or something like that). I’m beginning to believe it. When I’m in the pool or walking outside, all I do is think. I think about my book. I think about my family. I think about my plans. Sometimes I think of nothing at all.

That’s why I love playing computer card games, too–all I think about is winning the card game. And for someone who thinks about everything ALL the time, it’s very SOOTHING.  I honestly think it’s an age thing. I just NEED the headspace. And I’ve found that my work is better, and certainly my mood is better with the focus on thinking.

So do you need headspace? What do you do to get it–have a soak in the tub, listen to music, garden, cook, play computer games? Do you find that it helps you in every aspect of life?

In the village where I live we have our 4th of July parade the weekend before the 4th, which is SO great, because that means I can go to a different parade on the actual 4th.  I don’t care if it’s 90 degrees (and yesterday it was!).  I’ll sit in the sun in my lawn chair and cheer.

I love the flags, the bands, the baton twirlers, the dancers, the cars, the Little League kids, the fire trucks, the horses.  Everything is just so fun.

Except for the clowns.  While I don’t have nightmares about clowns, nor do I run from them, I am not a fan.  I mean, really.  Clowns are weird.

When my boys were little they loved parades too, mostly because of the candy that was thrown out.  We used to bring a bag for each of them, and they hauled it in.  It was like Halloween, but the candy came to you.  I can still remember their faces the first time candy landed right at their feet.  That was priceless.

Do you love a parade?  What’s your favorite part?

I justify this self-gifting by telling myself that not only are they gifts, they are part of my collection. How can I sit by and watch pieces of my collection pass by without making a grab for them? That’s just wrong.

But my point is, it’s just barely July, and I’m thinking about Christmas. When I went to Target yesterday they had just put out all their back-to-school supplies, and this makes me shake my head. For crying out loud, school just ended like 10 days ago. How can a poor kid settle into summer when he goes to the store looking for flip-flops and sees his Fall supplies already waiting for him?

And do I need to start thinking about Halloween in August? Or Valentine’s day on January 2nd? I’m still enjoying Christmas and New Year’s Day. Or I’d like to. I truly don’t like thinking about Christmas in July, either. I’d be perfectly happy if Hallmark didn’t release their Holiday Collections until, well, the holidays.

The worst is when I go into a clothing store in, oh, August, looking for summer clothes on sale (because it’s still 95 freakin’ degrees outside), and what’s on the racks? Turtlenecks. Winter coats. Suede. Sweaters. Just seeing them there is enough to give me heat stroke. It makes the weather seem even hotter and more miserable than it already is. Now in my family it’s a tradition to not begin playing holiday music until the day after Thanksgiving. August is a bit excessive.

Do you like plenty of advance warning before a holiday? Do you find that the pre-holiday push by stores, etc., diminishes both the holiday and the time before it, or does it help to heighten your anticipation? What should the decorating/sales cut-offs be for holidays?

Prince of Persia – As I think I’ve mentioned before, I love playing the video games. They have adventure and romance and some pretty snappy dialogue on occasion. The movie didn’t quite have the high-flying acrobatics of the game, but Jake Gyllenhaal did look very, very nice. I’d rate it a go-and-have-some-popcorn and have a good time movie.

Iron Man 2 – Again, if a movie makes me laugh or smile and forget that I have to go home and clean something, then it was worth the money. That said, while IM2 wasn’t quite as fresh as the first one, it was fun. I like a hero who’s aware of his flaws.

Robin Hood – I have kind of mixed feelings about this one. To me it was like they tried to cram a miniseries into one movie. There were way too many characters and subplots to give any one of them enough screen time. It did look pretty dirty and gritty.

The Karate Kid – I’ve been a “wax on, wax off” KK fan from way back, and I was ready to write this movie off as an excuse for Hollywood to once again not come up with something original. So imagine my surprise when I realized that I actually enjoyed it – probably just as much as the first one. Two big thumbs up.

The A-Team – In college I submitted a script for the original A-Team series, and it was under consideration at the time the show was canceled. I therefore consider myself a total A-Team geek authority. And I loved the movie. It had the chemistry and the humor and the bigger than life explosions and the witty one-liners, and it was just a good, exciting time. And stay through the end credits. Two more big thumbs up.

Toy Story 3 – I will never throw another toy away. I promise. They will all have good homes, and I’ll even make sure the ones in boxes can get out if they need to. I love this movie series, and it ends just so perfectly it made me cry. Three thumbs up.

What’ve you seen this summer? What are you waiting for, and which movies will you pass on?

We rarely vacation as a family in the summer since IV is in construction, the boys work for him, and summer is insane.  My only trip will be to Orlando for RWA, and I can’t wait.  As we’ve discussed before, I LOVE RWA.

For me, the summer will be spent getting youngest son ready for college.  I just spent the past week on graduation madness, but we made it!  He graduated!  (Not that there was any doubt, but it’s always good to have that diploma, with his name on it, in your hands.)

Can you believe he went from this:

to this:And at last, to this:

He finally decided on the college at the very last minute.  His decision was based on eliminating possibilities until there was only one left.  And the winner was . . .

The University of Wisconsin Eau Claire.  So there will be 2 trips north for us–one in a few weeks to register and orient, and another at the end of August to drop off.

Then there is the usual round of doctor’s visits, dentist, wisdom teeth out, shopping for a computer, dorm “stuff,” clothes.

In between there, I do need to start another book.

What are YOUR plans for the summer?

I want know about your favorite places to visit, things to do, advice on what to wear, eat, drink… and any other helpful hints for summer fun that you might have. I’ll start with some of mine:

My favorite place to visit in summer is any place with water, preferably an ocean. When I lived in Atlanta, it wasn’t summer if I didn’t visit the Atlantic or Gulf several times. Now that I’m out West, it’s easier to get to the Pacific. I don’t need to swim necessarily, but I love fresh salt breezes and digging my toes into the sand. And I especially love the moisture after the dry climate in Utah. I’m hoping to get to Vancouver, Canada this year – would love to return to Victoria to see the fab public gardens and enjoy the rare delight of high tea (scones and crumpets, anyone?)

My fave attire? I’ve fallen in love with Skechers, which are sort of a cross between a sneaker and an aerobic shoe – great support and comfort rolled into one. I’ve also fallen in love with the new fabrics for tops and shorts/pants that wick away moisture. It makes hiking and riding sooo much more pleasant.

My most useful tip for the summer? I’ve found a great sun-screen that isn’t greasy and leaves my skin soft and moisturized. Imagine that! After many years of enduring painful sunburn and frying my skin with oil, I can actually help it. (And if you want to know the brand name, I’ll post it in a comment below so it doesn’t look like I’m hawking certain products on Mt. Oly. *Grin*

My stay cool drink? Lo-cal fruit daiquiri. Mix Lemon Crystal light, fruit, rum, and ice in a blender. My fave flavor is peach/banana, but you can go wild with your own favorite fruits.

So fellow goddesses, what’s your favorite summer:
1) place to visit (state/country/big city/area)?
2) fun thing to do?
3) any useful tips for staying cool and maximizing enjoyment (summer drinks, clothing, etc.)?

I remember being in junior high and high school and on the days the biology teacher was out sick, we’d watch films. I used to look forward to those days – not that I wished anyone ill or even that I didn’t enjoy biology, but I LOVED watching the Jacques Cousteau films. And I never missed an episode of The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau on television. I still do a pretty good imitation of him, too, if I say so myself. Ahem.

When I was about 14 during a visit to my grandfather’s house in Pacific Grove, California, one of his fishing buddies came to see him. This guy (I can’t remember his name) arrived wearing a red beanie. Yes, he had actually sailed on the Calypso with Jacques Cousteau. And he told me the beanie story: Once while on shore one of Cousteau’s men ordered a very expensive and delicate piece of equipment. They needed to truck it down some rough roads to the dock and get it safely aboard the Calypso, and the only thing they could find in this town to cushion the instrument was at a tourist shop – a big box of red beanie hats.

Though I’m not trying to give a history lesson, did you know that Jacques invented the aqualung? And he was the first to bring the underwater world into our living rooms. (Coincidentally, for my nephew’s Hero report last month, he was assigned Jacques Cousteau, so all this stuff is pretty fresh in my mind. *g*)

Anyway, I’ve always admired Cousteau. He had a kind of tumultuous private life, but I love what he did for conservation and awareness of the oceans.

Do you have a hero? Is there a figure, famous or not so famous, whose life and/or work you admire?

I forgot I was dealing with Diesel, Wonder Dog of the Galaxy.

This is what happened: I bought a new pillow for him, covered in purple fuzzy fleece, and handed it to him as I walked in the front door. He sniffed it, grinned up at me (really), and carried it back to his little nest in the family room, tail swinging happily the whole way. He nestled down on his fluffy pile of blankets and buried his face in his new pillow, ignoring me completely as I picked up his old pillow and threw it in the trash.

That’s when I realized that he’d been waiting for me to buy him a new pillow for weeks, and I’d been dithering, afraid he’d reject a new pillow. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

Bad Mommy. Bad. Bad. Bad.

What kind of pillow do you like? Standard or king sized? Down or fiberfill? Soft or firm? Do you travel with your own pillow? Do you sleep on your back, side, stomach? Nestled into a mound, curled around a loved one, or straight and untouchable? Do you snore? Talk in your sleep?  Do you dream?

The book is finished. The bathrooms are finished–as of four days ago. To say I have nothing but time on my hands is an understatement.

What have I done with this between project time? I’ve scrubbed out the refrigerator and freezer, throwing out old food and reorganizing the shelves. I always clean the fridge between books. How many times do I look into the fridge every day? About fifty, at a guess. That’s a lot of minutes of ick assaulting my eyes during the course of a book. Lost in the wilderness of a book, I’ll avert my eyes and mumble, “I’ll clean it when I finish.” It’s what I look forward to doing when the book is finally off my back and out of my brain.

Yes, I actually look forward to cleaning out the fridge. That’s how taxing writing a book is; it makes scrubbing the inside of a refrigerator look good. Not that I’m complaining, because writing a book is easy peasy compared to building a bathroom.

Besides cleaning out the fridge, I’ve mailed graduation cards, paid the bills (oops), put the houseplants out for the summer, cleaned off the kitchen island (AKA the dumping ground of the universe). You know, necessary stuff, those lesser jobs that must be done, but which I ignore in the midst of the big project. Big D always works on the car as his downtime small job. There’s just always something to be done on the car. According to him, anyway. Does the oil really need to be changed that often?

What little jobs do you look forward to doing when the big job is finished?