Sunscreen

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97... wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.

The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

~ Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen by Baz Luhrman

Peppermint brownies and Virginia's chocolate chip cookies

Here's what I made recently for the bake sale we had at work to raise money for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). We raised $60 selling our baked goods for one weekend, so I have many more ideas for next year. If you want to donate to my team or join my team go to this website www.nami.org/namiwalks10/STL/Casey .
First up is peppermint brownies:
Put down one layer of brownie mix, then add some peppermint patties.

Add another layer of brownie mix and make a peppermint extract drizzle for the top. Here's a cross section of a brownie.

Next are Virginia's (secret recipe) chocolate chip cookies (with baking soda this time).

Final result: and everyone at work is always asking for more.

Quotes Vol. 20

"I want what everybody wants, I want to be important to somebody, maybe you want that too, but, if you do, to be honest, I can't really see it, because all I see when I look at you is somebody who's going through the emotions of being in a relationship because he thinks it's the right thing to do. I don't know, I just know that that isn't enough for me, so goodbye." ~ Dawson's Creek

"See, there's this guy...and when I met him, it was like...like a shade going up in a dark room and light suddenly pouring in. He understood me in a way that no one ever did or could. And then, just as suddenly, the room got dark again." ~ Dawson's Creek

"The heart is a fragile thing. Break it too badly, and it might never recover." ~ Dawson's Creek

"No one will ever love me or care about me the way you did and I think that's what scares me the most, that for so long, you were mine, my life, my everything, so now when I have to say goodbye, how do I not cry, hurt, and want you back?" ~ Dawson's Creek

"Happiness isn't happiness without a violin playing goat." ~ Notting Hill

"We've all done something in our lives we're ashamed of. Some of us have fallen for the wrong man. Some have let go of the right woman. There are those who have humiliated their parents...and those who have failed their children. Yes, we've all made mistakes that diminish us and those we love. But there is redemption if we try to learn from those mistakes and grow." ~ Desperate Housewives

"My life began when I met you, and you never gave up on me, so I'm not going to give up on you. So please, for the love of God, come out here and choose me...please." ~ Dawson's Creek

"You're not here and I know that I said that it's okay that you didn't come this weekend but you know what? It's not okay because I miss you. And there was this guy tonight and he was hitting on me or at least I think he was hitting on me. And he was perfectly nice and I blew him off and I'm not even sure why. But I'm pretty sure it was because of you. And...I've spent these past couple months acting like you were just going to show up outside my door one day, but you're not." ~ Dawson's Creek

"Someone out there is meant to be the love of your life, your best friend, your soulmate, the one you can tell your dreams to. He'll smile at you when you tell him, but he'll never laugh at your heart. He'll brush the hair out of your eyes and send you flowers when you least expect it. He'll call you to tell you goodnight before you get into bed or just because he is thinking about you. He'll be bursting to talk to you each morning just to hear the sound of your voice. He'll look into your eyes and tell you that you are the most beautiful girl he has ever seen and for the first time in your life...you'll believe it." ~ Dawson's Creek

"There's not a single dramatic storyline in existence that Shakespeare didn't conquer first. Family revenge, political intrigue, the great gender battle. The guy mapped it all out for us, and what was his parting lesson? What genre of all genres did he finally arrive at after years of toil and sacrifice? Tragedy." ~ Dawson's Creek

"I honestly don't know if I"m hungry or horny." ~ Friends

"This must be so hard. Oh, no. Two women love me. They're both gorgeous and sexy. My wallet's too small for my fifties and my diamond shoes are too tight." ~ Friends

"There is a prayer intended to give strength to people faced with circumstances they don't want to accept. The power of the prayer comes from its insight into the human nature. Because so many of us rage against the hand that life has dealt us. Because so many of us are cowardly. And afraid to stand up for what is right. Because so many of us give in to despair...when faced with an impossible choice. The good news for those who utter these words is that God will hear you and answer your prayer. The bad news is that sometimes...the answer is no." ~ Desperate Housewives

"It's a shocking moment for each of us. That moment we realize we are all alone in this world. The family we take for granted could one day abandon us. The husband we trust so implicitly might betray us. The daughter we love so deeply perhaps won't return to us. And then we could end up all by ourselves." ~ Desperate Housewives

"From where I stand now, I see enough of the road to understand how it must be traveled. The trick is to keep moving forward, to let go of the fear and the regret that slow us down and keep us from enjoying a journey that will be over too soon. Yes, there will be unexpected bends in the road, shocking surprises we didn't see coming, but that's really the point. Don't you think?" ~ Desperate Housewives

"I just feel bad about all that sleep you're gonna miss wishing you were with me!" ~ Friends

"Unisex! Maybe you need sex. I had sex a couple days ago." ~ Friends

"See when you flirt with a guy you think, 'I'm jut flirting, no big deal.' But the guy is thinking, 'Finally! Somebody who wants to sleep with me.'" ~ Friends

"The only thing that matters is that you, you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. And if you'll let me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way." ~ Friends

Forest Park and fish

One day while visiting Mike at the Rehab, I walked over to Forest Park to find a few geocaches. It was only 70 degrees but I ended up sweating my butt off. The first one is under this bridge somewhere... I looked like a crazy person hanging around waiting for people to leave, then ducking under the bridge. All I saw was a big cardboard box which I was afraid to touch because there could have been a snake in there for all I know. If anyone wants to go back and find this geocache with me, let me know.
The next one was easier. It was in the roots of this tree by a lake. It had a few little army guys in it. After this I was exhausted and decided to come back next time with a witness to the insanity.

So I went home and made some awesome tilapia. I'm keeping my freezer stocked with it, because it was so easy and sooo good.