Memories

Un-Go-Fike-Tay, Bud?

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Because my uncle passed away, I’ve been reminiscing a lot about my dad and his brother, Bud.

Although my dad is very smart, Bud was always the cerebral brother.
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He was moved up two grades in school. And that made it hard for him to feel like he belonged with his peers. He was always the smallest of all the boys in his new grade levels.

My dad was, and continues to be, very active. He LOVES to exercise and has always enjoyed being in the outdoors.

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Dad was always in a hurry to do things as a kid growing up in Berkeley, California. And that speed even accompanied his speech.

He used to constantly ask Bud, “Un-go-fike-tay, Bud?”

That translated into, “Do you want to go on a hike today, Bud?”

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So as I was growing up, whenever one of us talked too fast, Dad’s comeback was often, “Un-go-fike-tay, Bud?”

Never ceased to make me giggle and to slow down and repeat what I had just said. 🙂

Cerebrations

Living to 100

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When I was younger, I wanted to live until I was 100.

lt1Now, I don’t. 🙂

But that’s not what this post is about.

My 98 year old paternal uncle died yesterday. Bud lived a long life and a great life. He’d been ready to go for a while, so while his death is sad our sadness is softened…

My dad is a remarkably healthy 95 year old and works very hard at staying healthy.  Bud lived 98 years and didn’t work very hard at staying healthy. Their sister, Lois, at 93, is most likely somewhere in between her brothers as far as focus on health is concerned.

Obviously, longevity lies in their genes.

And that got me wondering, what does it take to live to 100?

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Google, of course, provided an answer!

Take the Living To 100 Life Expectancy test and find out your chances.

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PS I took the test, and I’m supposed to live until I’m 92.  🙁

I’ve got to start eating more cheesecake!

cheesecake

Food, Laugh Out Loud, Things to Try

Singing Praise to Patti’s Pies

Singer Patti Labelle has teamed with Walmart to sell her Sweet Potato Pies.

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The pies are literally flying off the shelf, so CNN’s Jeanne Moos investigated…

Check out James Wright’s original tribute to the pie.

It’s gone viral and will bring a smile to your face…

PS I haven’t tried the pie and probably won’t. I just love James’ video. 🙂

Things to Try

Brilliant!

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I have a tendency to pick up phrases and mild accents from TV series I watch or books I read.

For example, I’ve read Lonesome Dove at least three times, and friends and family can always tell because that’s when I say, “Dern!” a lot.

Right now I’m watching Last Tango in Halifax while I’m sewing a bunch of product to fill an order. It’s a “brilliant” English series that I highly recommend.

Enjoy an uplifting comedy-drama about romance and second chances. Childhood sweethearts Alan  and Celia, both widowed and in their 70s, fall for each other all over again when they are reunited after nearly 60 years.

The celebratory tale of the power of love at any age is also a story about family — a family with baggage. Alan and Celia’s daughters, whose dysfunctional lives bring drama at every turn, would never dream of getting in the way of their parents’ happiness. But somehow they just can’t help themselves.

Since I starting binge watching it, I find myself saying all sorts of British things. Some of the verbs I’m using are out of syntax for American English, but work quite well for British English.

Ever notice how the English often leave off articles in sentences, especially ‘the’?

One of the characters was going “to hospital” not “to the hospital”.

And the use of verbs sounds weird. Alan, the main male character, often says, “He were….” instead of “He was…”

Anyway, I’m picking up “gobs” of English slang as I watch and listen to the show.

Next time I get drunk, I’ll be getting “pissed‘.

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And when someone cuts me off on the road, I’ll be calling him/her a “wanker“.

If I wasn’t phone phobic, I’d be telling others to “ring me“.

But since I am phone phobic and in need of some alone time, I’ll just say, “Bugger off!” 🙂

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Want to enjoy working on your British slang?

Watch Last Tango in Halifax.

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You’ll be glad you did.

It’s the “Bee’s Knees“.

bee

Food, Places

World’s Largest Yogurt Factory

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About two hours east of Boise is the world’s largest yogurt factory.

The Chobani Greek Yogurt factory is the city of Twin Falls, and it was the focus of tonight’s Idaho Life segment on KTVB news.

Chobani has been great for the community and is helping establish beneficial programs within the Twin Falls area.

Yogurt has been made the same way for more than a thousand years: milk is fermented, whey is filtered from the curds, and so on and so forth. At the Chobani Greek Yogurt facility in Twin Falls they don’t do it much differently; they just do it on a much larger scale.

In 2012, Chobani expanded its foothold on America’s yogurt industry when the company built the world’s largest yogurt plant on 200 acres in Twin Falls. It took 2,000 workers less than a year to build the massive facility, which, at one million square feet, is big enough to fill 20 football fields.

It also stands as an extension of its founder, Hamdi Ulukaya.

“Hamdi always says if we cannot do it great we don’t do it at all,” said Kai Sacher, vice president of research and development for Chobani. He says things have changed a lot since the company started in 2007. Like back then they had only 12 flavors. Now they have 60.

In the process, Chobani has cornered the market on Greek yogurt in the United States, securing nearly a billion dollars in sales annually.

Built in 2012, the Twin Falls Chobani plant is the When Chobani started in 2007, they had just 12 flavors. Built in 2012, the Twin Falls Chobani plant is the Built in 2012, the Twin Falls Chobani plant is the Each day, dozens of trucks roll in to the Chobani factory Each day, dozens of trucks roll in to the Chobani factory.

And to make Greek yogurt you need a lot of milk. In fact, the Greek variety requires three times more milk than regular yogurt. So each day, dozens of trucks roll in to the Chobani factory carrying 8,000 gallons of local, hormone-free milk.

That is a big reason for the sheer size of the Twin Falls factory. They use several giant storage tanks that have the approximate combined capacity of an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

In three years, Chobani’s Idaho operation has swollen to about 1,000 employees, making it the second largest employer in Twin Falls.

At some point during their shift, most of those workers will wind up in the 900-foot hallway that is the arterial axis of the superstructure. “It’s the main connection point from the offices, the [quality assurance] lab, the chemistry lab,” said Paul Casey, Chobani’s quality manager.

It takes three minutes to walk from one end to the other. Behind a door somewhere in the middle, you can find Ermin Masic, a supervisor in the sleeving department, and one of the plant’s original employees.

“We can sleeve 500 cups per minute on a single line,” said Masic.

So you see, it’s all super-sized here at Chobani. However, like yogurt itself, the company’s grand plan to change the eating habits of Americans seems philosophically simple.

“We are not a yogurt company,” said Sacher. “We are a food company making better food, all natural food. That is our company. And that’s where I think we are very different from the big guys.”

Believe it or not, the facility has the capability to double the amount of yogurt it produces.

As a way to say “thank you” to the entire Twin Falls community, Chobani is having a Greek Yogurt give-away. Anyone who stops by the College of Southern Idaho Fine Arts building on Saturday, December 5, from 9 – 11 a.m., will get a free case of yogurt.

Cerebrations

Pardon, My Ignorance is Showing

I am embarrassed…

Since the Paris terrorist attacks, I’ve been doing some research on ISIS and all their terrible deeds. Prior to that, I’d been on somewhat of a news fast for a very long time.

I feel terribly that I didn’t know about the ISIS bombings in Beirut on Thursday. Suicide bombings killed 43 people and injured over nearly 250. And last week’s casualties are just the tip of the iceberg.

While I still don’t understand the issues behind the turmoil in the Middle East, what I do know is the unrest is affecting all of us around the world to varying degrees as indicated by this chart from the New York Times showing ISIS attacks, inspirations, and arrested suspects by county in the last year.

IS-graphic

I’m scared. I’m praying. I’m learning.

And, most importantly, I will continue doing what I can to help make life better for all the people I come in contact with.

While they may not seem like much, a kind word, a helping hand, and a smile may help spread love and acceptance one by one by one…

Cerebrations

What?

3 Comments

Dear Gentle Blog Reader,

Like most of the rest of the world,  I’m in sad shock over the terrorists attacks in Paris.

I’m at a loss for words and while it would feel better to go into ostrich – mode,  that’s not helpful.

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But,  honestly,  other than prayer, what can I do?

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If you know,  please let me know…

 

Things to Try

I’ve Been Uberized

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My car was repaired from my recent accident much faster than anticipated. And because Rich still can’t drive from his recent knee break and surgery, I needed a ride to get my car back from the car surgeon*.

I tried to call one of our new neighbors to ask for a favor, but they weren’t home. I asked Melissa if she’d take me, and she said, “Sure!” But I hated to have her to drive me in Boise’s rush hour traffic after a long day of teaching.

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Rich suggested that I just call a taxi cab, and I thought about that. But I’m weirded out by the taxis here in Boise because they are all independents.

When I grew up in Reno, all the taxi cabs were part of a company. And they all advertised the world famous Mustang Ranch (a local brothel) as they drove around town.

reno-cab

And I’ve never been in a taxi that didn’t smell awful…

So on a whim, I decided to try Uber. My hope was that the Uber driver’s car didn’t smell.  🙂

Uber Technologies Inc. signage stands inside the company's office prior to Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, speaking in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, March 24, 2014. Rubio addressed the need to adapt antiquated government regulations to increase economic opportunities for the 21st century and outdated regulations limit consumer choice. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Uber Technologies Inc. (stylized as U B E R) is an American international transportation network company headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company develops, markets and operates the Uber mobile app, which allows consumers with smartphones to submit a trip request which is then routed to Uber drivers who use their own cars.  (From Wikipedia)

I downloaded the Uber app onto my smart phone because that’s the only way to use Uber. The app is very intuitive.

Within a minute of starting the app, my phone told Uber where I was and I entered in where I wanted to go.

I chose Keith as my Uber driver. The app showed me his picture, his rating (4.9 out of 5), his car make and model (Toyota Prius), and his license plate number.

Once I said “AOK” to Keith, a map showed up on my screen with a little car showing me exactly where Keith was. It also showed me the other Uber drivers in the area. I followed Keith’s progress towards our house on the map and stepped outside about a minute before he pulled into my driveway.

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I opened the car front door and told Keith, “I’m an Uber virgin, so I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. Do I sit in front or in back?”

Keith smiled and said, “You can sit wherever you’re comfortable, but I talk a lot so I would prefer if you sit in front. ”

As we drove to the auto body shop, Keith explained to me how Uber works.  He said that I already acted like I was NOT an Uber virgin because I texted him to say I was waiting for him and I had already put in where I wanted to go. Many people don’t put in their destination.

He then said that all the money transactions are completed via the Uber app. Tipping is not required. Some people do tip,  but most people do not. That reduced the anxiety of my having to decide to tip or not,  let alone how much to tip…

tipping

He continued to say that I had to give him a rating before I could book another Uber ride, and that all Uber drivers are required to rate their customers as well.

This is to protect the drivers from obnoxious and/or dangerous riders.

I said that I had seen that he had a 4.9 rating. “But,” I continued, “I’m going to have to give you a lower rating.”

Keith looked surprised and asked why.

“You’re not wearing your seat belt, and that’s freaking me out!”

seat-belt

He apologized and said that he would be in Uber trouble if I wrote that because that’s a violation of Uber policy. He then proceeded to put his seat belt on.

I then asked Keith to share some Uber stories because he’s been doing it for a couple of years.

He’s driven people from nearly 30 foreign countries while they visited the Boise area.

victorHis most famous passenger was Victor Ortiz, a former WBC welterweight boxing champion and Dancing with the Stars contestant. (I don’t know which Ortiz is more famous for because I don’t follow either boxing or DWTS. 🙂  )

And Thursdays are the busiest days for all local Uber drivers.

Keith and I talked about all sorts of things on our journey. In fact, we were talking so much that we nearly missed the turn into the auto shop.

At the end of the journey, Keith showed me the final total of my fare which didn’t include any credits  for coupons I had entered into my Uber account.

While the fare was about $20, I had entered a coupon into the app for first time customers that completely covered my fare up to $22.

So my ride was free!

Will I use Uber again? Most likely no. It’s rare that I need a ride. But if I do, I’d use Uber again.uber-1*If you live in the Treasure Valley and you are unfortunate enough to get into a wreck, consider using Mike Minegar’s Auto Body Shop. They did a GREAT job in RECORD time. 🙂