Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Unexpected Topics Meme - Three Items

There's been an "Unexpected Topics Meme" going around my various posting boards, and I asked someone who is NOT very familiar with me to assign three topics to me. Bleodswean complied, so here I go. 

BEARS



I really love my Spinoza Therapy Bear. It was originally developed
to help kids with asthma or who were undergoing medical
treatments handle pain and the trauma of not being able to breathe
with ease. The cassette player could play any cassette recording,
though, so Dad listened to opera on it. 



I'm actually fairly fond of bears, although I tend to like Polar bears a bit more than the more standard black or brown bears that live in my area. I fully admit to being an elder who still has stuffed bears that mean a great deal to me too - a stuffed Koala that I've had since the mid 1970's, and a larger Spinoza bear I purchased for my Dad when he was dying of cancer. The Spinoza bear had a cassette player inside. I bought it so that Dad could listen to Mozart operas while hugging the bear to help with his pain. I love that bear. 

YURTS



Apparently yurts have been upgraded and modified to become the
newest "thing". Who knew? I enjoy round houses, but they're
hell on mounting pictures or photos. Still, there's something
very relaxing about a circular living space. 



Aren't yurts rather like the tipis of the Asian steppes? Felted, portable (although felt is going to weigh a lot, especially under wet conditions), and able to hold a family plus firepit, I also think yurts are popular as a "new/old" camping option in some parts of the world. I think they're rather interesting, but I'll stick with a tipi. At least I know how to erect a tipi and have been in one many times over the years. I can't recall ever having actually been inside of a yurt. 

MEDITERRANEAN FOOD 



There are a LOT of nations that border parts of the
Mediterranean Sea, and their cooking styles are as
varied as their cultures. It seems that just grouping
them together under a single topic doesn't really
do justice to the variety of foods, spices and
cultures. 



Wow - the Mediterranean is a rather large body of water, and there are a lot of countries that open into it. The basic definition of "Mediterranean Food" is "rich in lean proteins, like chicken, fish and legumes; fresh fruits and vegetables; whole, unprocessed grains, seeds and nuts; healthy fats like olive oil; and a limited intake of dairy and red meats." I guess that's not really all that different than my standard diet, but it doesn't give much of a clue about taste, does it? It's the diet, not the food. So moving onward, I love Spanish, French and Italian food, have enjoyed Greek food when I've had it, don't know much about Turkish food, have enjoyed Lebanese and Israeli dishes, and don't have much experience with the various African foods from Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Got something to recommend I try eating? Bring it on! 



It's going to be fun to see "Secret Life of Pets 2" with Chickie
tonight. It doesn't have a great rating on Rotten Tomatoes,
but the audience response has been very high. It'll be a nice
way to end a long day. 



I realize this meme has been going around for a week or two, but if you've been wanting to play and haven't had topics assigned to you, feel free to ask me to throw three topics into the wind for you. I have a very busy day today, starting with my Doctor appointment this morning and ending with "The Secret Life of Pets 2" with Chickie tonight. I'll be back tomorrow, sleepy and hopefully with a plan of action for my arm pain. Have a wonderful Tuesday! 


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