Mr. Besilly

My Great Chocolate Typo Disaster

How many websites does it take to spell the word chocolate wrong? The answer is 42,800 according to Google. If you search for dark chocloate you will find 12,000 websites that contain a typo of the word chocolate spelled incorrectly as chocloate. I am sheepishly willing to admit that you will find Mr. Besilly neatly nestled in at number (4) four in those Google search results for dark chocloate. Had I spelled the word correctly in my post back on March 26th, you would have never discovered my article buried somewhere around the eight thousand mark. My misspelling of the word chocolate quickly placed me at the front of the entire cyber classroom with chocloate egg on my face wearing that big pointed cap.

The Emperor's New Robe

I'm certainly not an Emperor, but I do feel like royalty in my new Hotel Living bath robe. I'm wearing it right now as I write this post. Frightened yet? Please indulge me for a brief moment as I pontificate. Twice in the past few months I have had the opportunity to enjoy a day spa experience, once on Valentine's Day which included a hot stone massage (my wife Terri's idea) and the other was on a recent trip to Las Vegas. In Vegas if you want to use the hotel gym expect to pay a premium to use the facility. At Treasure Island the facility is called WET which includes the workout gym along with a day spa, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, fancy showers, fresh smoothies, mini muffins, apples and the use of a plush white spa robe. All this for $22 dollars a visit plus free bottled water. The list actually goes on a bit longer, but why get caught up in the minor details? Here's the real story.

Support Your Local Lemonade Stand

On my way home today I passed my local lemonade stand operated by the neighbor girl at the end of my street. There she was with her best-est friend holding up their big signs, with big smiles and even bigger energy. I was witnessing the American dream in it's most simple form through the efforts of two eight year old girls. The lemonade stand is a classic wage earner for even the youngest entrepreneurs. Topping the list ahead of "raking leaves" and followed by the classic "mowing lawns" work release program. This is the time of year when a lemonade stand can really prosper. Do you support your local lemonade stand? George Clooney does.

A Blowing Bubbles Day

I was returning from an afternoon walk heading down an out of the way trail that passes by a small baseball diamond. I saw children in the distance and I could hear that distinct wall of noise that comes from a little league game. As I glanced over into the tall grass alongside the trail, I was taken by the shining face of a smiling little blonde haired boy that appeared from behind the grass. He could not have been more than two years old. He was wearing the most adorable smile that clearly outweighed his tiny little frame. He had perfect bangs covering his forhead helping to enhance his bright star filled eyes that by now were firmly fixed upon Domino my Jack Russel Terrier. The boy seemed to be moving in slow motion as we passed him by.

Sunshine in a Cup

It's barely detectable that Spring has arrived here in the Northwest if you watch our weather. So every afternoon between 2:30 and 5:30 you will find many Seattle locals headed for their ample dose of sunshine in a cup. It may be Starbucks, Tully's, Cafe Ladro, or Vivace Roasteria it matters not which brand you choose. It's simply the only warmth and comfort a person can find this time of year to replace the sunshine.

My wife has a friend that recently relocated to Seattle from California. It did not take her long to recognize this obvious Northwest phenomenon of sun replacement with a hot cup-a-joe in the late afternoon. I myself am as guilty as the milkman when it comes to grabbing my daily cup of sunshine. I'll have a grande, soy latte for here please.

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Jumping into a Low Stress Siesta

For the past four years the twelve foot trampoline in our yard has been my favorite location for a peaceful low stress siesta during the warm weather months. It's perfectly placed in a shaded area of our backyard paired with a slight breeze blowing through our willow tree around 4:00 in the afternoon. New research indicates that a short midday snooze is attributed to reducing the risk of fatal heart problems, especially among men. People who took a 30-minute siesta at least 3 times a week had a 37% lower risk of heart disease-related death. This news was particularly exciting for me since I'm a huge advocate for napping as a stress reducer. This new finding brought me almost as much delight as learning about the positive health benefits of red wine and dark chocolate. Especially so if you combine them together. Yes!

Free Advice: But Who's Asking?

If someone is not asking for my advice it usually means they don't want to hear it. Sounds obvious right? I am still amazed at how many times I have to wrestle this problem to the ground. I continually catch myself trying to offer free advice that was not solicited. Offering unsolicited advice can quickly transform you into a persona non grata without warning. The dilemma is that I'm a terminal problem solver and a recovering mister fix it.

Bumper Stickers: Creating Eye Pollution

I have never been a fan of bumper stickers. I think they make a car look dirty and create nothing but eye pollution on our highways. On my way to work last week I found myself behind a Toyota 4Runner loaded with bumper stickers. What's the use? How will this eye pollution possibly change my world view? Come on! From the moment they are pasted to the car they start to fade out in the elements. Eventually they become blank slates with no message at all.

Denial

"If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck."

Denial is a defense mechanism we use when the truth is too painful to face. Minimizing the truth is also a form of denial. This occurs when we are willing to admit the fact but deny it's seriousness. This has been my issue for the past year. My cardiologist insisted that I shed at least thirty five pounds to fight my high blood pressure and protect my heart. I exercise often but I have still not focused on shedding the excess weight. I tell myself I'll be fine, it's not like I'm morbidly obese.

I decided to check my denial against the body mass index calculator (BMI). Body mass between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. Above 29.9 (20% or more above your ideal weight) is considered obese. I clocked in at a whopping 33 BMI. For a male my height, weight and age I am considered obese. What? I am officially jumping off of the denial train at this juncture. I have serious work to do.

BMI Calculator for Men  BMI calculator for Women

Absinthe Minded

A good friend invited me to sample absinthe the Swiss distilled spirits that carries with it a long history of folklore. It's popularity grew in the late 19th and early 20th century France, particularly among parisian artists. The hysteria surrounding absinthe fueled the misconception that absinthe was a powerful intoxicant, caused hallucinations that drove men "mad", threw them into epileptic fits, and made Van Gogh slice off his ear.

Often referred to as 'The Green Fairy' because of its coloring, absinthe originated in Switzerland as an elixir. I found this elixir to be quite potent but warming as it went down. A strong anise taste penetrated each sip. I found the absinthe ritual of dripping water over a sugar cube with a special spoon to be exhilarating. The clear green absinthe turns into a cloudy yellow color after the water is added. One small glass was plenty being 68% alcohol by volume making it 136 proof. A memorable evening was had by all. The hand made apple tarts were exceptional. The absinthe experience... brilliant! My ears are still present and accounted for.

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