We are trained to think that if a product has a “green” label that it is better for us, whether it is healthier, more efficient or environmentally-friendly. Any of these mentions are great reasons to consider “going green.” However, when shopping with good intentions, the process can be very overwhelming, both what is relevant and which notables have the most value.
If you are shopping for a hot water heater, there are many things to consider, such as gas or electric, traditional or tankless, or how many gallons is sufficient for our use. These are all great and relevant considerations, however, the big question is, how do you interpret all of these answers?
Let’s break down how to interpret the deciphering information. A water heater’s overall efficiency is measured by comparing the amount of energy that is coming into the heater to the amount of energy that it is putting out. An EF rating generally ranges from low (i.e. 0.5) to high (ie. 2.0). The higher the number, the more efficient it is. Be sure that the gallon capacity is appropriate for the number of people that live in your home, which is normally clearly labeled. And finally, be sure to check your available space. Water heaters come in various sizes; lowboy, medium & tall are the most common. They may also slightly vary in width & height by manufacturer. You surely don’t want to purchase a unit that will not fit into your existing space, so take proper measurements & take in consideration some extra work space is needed to accommodate the heater & solder pipes effectively.
Hi-Tech Plumbing is considered the expert in water heater sales and service. They are a licensed and insured plumbing service that has been serving residential and commercial customers throughout Palm Beach County since 2000. They understand the needs of their customers and because of that, offer same day service, 24/7 emergency service with up front pricing and they guarantee your satisfaction
Hi-Tech Plumbing works hard to earn your business and goes the extra mile to keep it. They can be reached by phone at (561) 285-8744 or on the web at http://hitechplumbingservices.com/
Welcoming The Queen Mary, c. 1937, Cecil Crosby Bell Photo: Courtesy of The Norton Museum.
“The Hudson River School was America’s first true artistic fraternity. Its name was coined to identify a group of New York City-based landscape painters that emerged about 1850 under the influence of the English émigré Thomas Cole (1801–1848) and flourished until about the time of the Centennial.”
– Metropolitan Museum of Art, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
As a child I was fortunate to have taken field trips to museums all over New York City. In addition, my father loved the Metropolitan Museum of Art and he would bring me there on occasion. He was particularly enamored with the painting entitled The Storm by Pierre Auguste Cot and would make a point of visiting his favorite masterpiece every time we visited.
In my youth, I did not know much about the paintings or sculpture I was looking at, but the vastness of the large gallery space intrigued me. I knew nothing about their investment value either and questioned why it was so important to devote entire buildings to these works of art? As I grew, the answers came to me through continuous exposure. Also, I was very lucky to marry a man who, amongst his many talents, had an extensive knowledge of the visual arts.
In the art world, pieces are identified by their genre or era. Familiar terms like Renaissance, Impressionism, and Cubism are just a needle in the haystack of styles. Early on, one of the “styles” that I found difficult to comprehend was work done by the Hudson River School painters (circa 1820 – 1870’s). These pieces were often dark and dreary. The subject matter, mostly ships on the water, did not interest me at the time. Regardless, my father took my hand and I was impatiently dragged through the Hudson River School galleries.
When invited to attend a press conference for the Norton Museum’s new exhibit, Industrial Sublime:Modernism and the transformation of New York’s Rivers, 1900 – 1940, I thought I would give the Hudson River School “another shot” so to speak. Apparently, most of the work I had been exposed to was mid 19th century. I was curious to see the later work done by this fraternity of painters. I felt that if I learned about it I might gain an appreciation for it.
Needless to say, I was completely “blown away” by the knowledge I came home with. Apparently, the Hudson River School had a revival in the 20th Century and this gem of a retrospective displays the best of it. As a member of the press, I was privileged to be escorted through the exhibit by two of its expert curators, Bartholomew F. Bland and Ellen E. Roberts.
Initially, when entering Industrial Sublime, I set my eyes upon work that was colorful, industrial and moving. The historical path went from mountains to cranes. The hustle-bustle of a city and its rivers burgeoning upon the after-effects of the industrial revolution was a wake-up call to the importance of this art form. Subjects that are often overdone, like the use of the Brooklyn Bridge, were depicted in ways I had never seen before. Painting methods and brush strokes were so varied that I did not know what to expect each time I turned a corner.
At the end of the press conference, I realized that I experienced a metamorphosis. What I once thought to be unexciting came alive for me. Industrial Sublime:Modernism and the transformation of New York’s Rivers symbolizes a love of the city, depicting its history, its billowing smoke whilst airbrushing out the grime of the industrial revolution. How lucky I was to have had this opportunity… and to enjoy it along with the curators that assembled this refreshing retrospective. Most importantly, it reminded me to remain open-minded about the many art forms I don’t know much about.
In the midst of Industrial Sublime, a poem by Hart Crane is printed on the museum wall. It reads:
Hart Crane, excerpt from To Brooklyn Bridge, 1930. Photo: LH Baumel.
I urge our Around Wellington readership to experience Industrial Sublime:Modernism and the transformation of New York’s Rivers, 1900 – 1940 currently on display at the Norton Museum of Art.
Live… Go… Do!
Top 5 List for May 2014
1) Visit:
The Norton Museum Of Art
Industrial Sublime: Modernism and the Transformation of New York’s Rivers, 1900-1940
Featuring paintings by leading artists such as George Bellows, Robert Henri, John Marin, Reginald Marsh, Georgia O’Keeffe, and John Sloan, this exhibition examines the shift to urban views of New York’s waterways between 1900 and 1940 as Realists and Modernists conceived a new pictorial language to treat American industrialism. Having jettisoned the romantic ideals of forebears — such as the Hudson River School — who had ignored the industrialization of the region, these artists celebrated the changing way of life along the city’s waterfront. Instead of majestic mountains, they painted the modern waterways’ bridges, cranes, and ocean liners, using an increasingly sharp focus and borrowing ideals from the Machine Age. Twentieth-century artists took the elements of the Sublime, combined them with Modernism’s interest in structure and form, and applied them to humankind’s industry, thereby creating a new visual vocabulary for the modern era: the Industrial Sublime.
Organized by the Hudson River Museum. Local presentation of this exhibition is made possible in part through the generosity of Mrs. Anne Berkley Smith. With additional support provided by the Mr. and Mrs. Hamish Maxwell Exhibition Endowment and The Priscilla and John Richman Endowment for American Art. The exhibition and accompanying catalogue have been made possible by a generous grant from the Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, Inc. The exhibition catalogue is supported, in part, by Furthermore: a program of the J. M. Kaplan Fund. – Norton Museum website and press release
Presented by Ballet Palm Beach at the Eissey Theater – Palm Beach State College
Celebrate Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11, 2014, with Ballet Palm Beach’s final performance of the season. Tales My Mother Told Me is a mixed repertoire program with dances inspired by stories from our childhood. The ballet will be at 4:00pm on Mother’s Day – a perfect way to spend the time with Mom! Tickets start at $15. Phone:561-207-5900.
Presented by 350 young singers from Palm Beach and Martin Counties: SingsSpiration will be an evening of music and entertainment that will inspire, uplift, surprise and leave you with a joyful heart.
SunFest is Florida’s largest waterfront music and art festival held annually in downtown West Palm Beach. This year’s lineup includes an incredible variety of national acts: Kid Rock, Ellie Goulding, Robin Thicke, The Goo Goo Dolls, Dick Dale, Daughtry, Doobie Brothers, Cake, Justin Moore, Blues Traveler, The Wailers and many more. The five-day festival also includes a fine art & craft show featuring the work of more than 140 national artists, and ends with a fireworks show that is not to be missed!
For ticket prices and the complete list of performers visit
The Brazilian Court Hotel
301 Australian Avenue, Palm Beach
Hear Dane perform as he prepares for “The Walk to Fisterra” in May, 2014 when he will walk nearly 600 miles through Spain on the Camino de Santiago, carrying his cello and performing Bach’s Six Suites for Solo Cello in ancient churches along the way.
Dane Johansen J.S. Bach – Works for Solo Cello
Alaskan cellist, Dane Johansen appears frequently on the world’s leading stages including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, the Kennedy Center, BBC Proms in London, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. He has performed with leading artists including James Levine, Pinchas Zukerman, and Mitsuko Uchida. His critically acclaimed performances have been described as “Ravishing… Brave and virtuosic” and “played with staggering aplomb” by the New York Times and New York Magazine. Dane is on faculty at the Juilliard School and has taught at many of the world’s leading conservatories including the Royal Academy in Lon-don. He enjoyed the unique opportunity to apprentice with Bernard Greenhouse, the most distinguished pupil of the great Catalan cellist, Pau Casals, throughout the last five years of Greenhouse’s life. Read more at www.danejohansen.com.
“Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello represent the beginning and end of my relationship with music. They were among the first pieces I played as a child and the rest of my life will be spent working toward their mastery. Generations of cellists have considered mastery of the Suites as a pinnacle of artistic achievement and a rite of passage. A life spent in pursuit of such a singular goal is like a pilgrimage; it is endless and requires extreme effort, daily commitment, and absolute resolve. I have decided to combine my musical pilgrimage with a physical one. In 2014 I will walk nearly 600 miles on the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage route beginning in France and crossing Spain to the Atlantic Ocean. I will carry my cello, performing and recording Bach’s Suites in ancient churches along the way. Walking with me, a team of brilliant filmmakers and a three-time Grammy Award winning music producer will create a visually stunning documentary exploring pilgrimage and music as timeless connections to the past, present, and future; featuring the Camino de Santiago and my first recording of Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello.”
Lori Hope Baumel and her husband Eric live in Wellington and have three children.
Their eldest, Sam, 27, is a media producer and conceptual artist who currently resides in (extremely hipster) Brooklyn, NY. Her younger children, Evan and Rachel, wrote the Around Wellington “Teen Talk” column in previous years. Rachel, 24, lives and works in Boston, MA and Evan, 21, is a senior at American University in Washington DC. Eric has practiced radiology in Wellington since 1991. His many talents include artist, cook, photographer and, recently, medical app developer. You can learn more about Lori at www.loribaumel.com or read her blog:www.grownupcamp.tumblr.com
There’s a new frozen yogurt shop in Wellington, which offers 24 different combinations of flavors and over 50 toppings to choose from. Cups, in the Whole Foods plaza on 441, has a retro-beach atmosphere with pop/dance music and has been receiving “universally positive feedback.”
Ed and Dana Alvarez, owners of Cups frozen yogurt, located in the Whole Foods plaza in Wellington.
“We also offer free WiFi which complements our comfortable lounge-like atmosphere and encourages customers to stay awhile,” owners Ed and Dana Alvarez say. And for those looking for a healthy treat, all of the yogurt selections fit into No Sugar Added, Low Fat and Non-Fat varieties. Their frozen yogurt is also infused with pro-biotic Live Active Cultures which are proven to aid with digestion. One of the most popular flavors is cheesecake (No Sugar Added).
Cups is launching a line of fresh, healthy, berry-focused Twisters (like a smoothie) this spring. The Twisters are made in a 20 oz. plastic container with dome lid and will be sold for $6.00. They are available in six new blends, including strawberry, blueberry, blackberry and berries & cream. If you prefer, you can also make a personal Twister by choosing a sorbet or yogurt and then adding your favorite fruit or other toppings to blend in.
The streamlined design of Cups makes it very inviting to customers.
Owners Ed and Dana Alvarez enjoy giving back to the community. They have sponsored 20% give-back benefits with various local schools and organizations including the Wellington Ballet, Place of Hope and the Palm Beach Central High School drama department. They are always open to other benefit ideas too.
One of the fastest growing national yogurt franchises, New Jersey-based Cups has over twenty operational stores with more than twenty new locations on the drawing board. The Alvarez family will be opening a 2nd location at the Boca Town Center Mall.
They’ve found their customers to be very loyal, or maybe “addicted” is the right word. Customers provide their email addresses and get $5 back for every $50 they spend.
Parents have been bringing in kids for birthday parties and having frozen yogurt as an alternative to birthday cake. You can join their VIP Club and register for a free frozen yogurt on your birthday.
“We have a terrific staff,” says Ed. It’s really important for the staff to acknowledge everyone who comes in, engage them and remember to say goodbye. Their staff is made up of college and high school students, all with a good work ethic. “We are so impressed with the quality of these Wellington kids,” says Ed.
The shop is very clean and streamlined, with a neat hallway of yogurt choices. Another plus is that they are open from 11am to 10pm at night. Cups is a great dessert destination after going out for dinner.
They opened in September, 2013 after doing a little research on different franchises. “We liked the simple business model, the quality of the product and the vibrant setting,” Ed and Dana explain.
They are enjoying their “down to Earth” Wellington customers. Ed and Dana have an 18-year-old daughter Cristina and 15-year-old son Timmy. Timmy is a lacrosse player, and the whole family enjoys tennis and golf.
Check out their current flavors and toppings on the Cups website. Enjoy 15% OFF when you mention the Cups ad on our website, AroundWellington.com. One word of caution: Once you have your first cup of Cups frozen yogurt, you will be back. Often! Look for our special Cups event with our AroundWellington audience coming soon.
Recently I was taking a survey following a service performed by a local vendor. At about the same time I had a conversation with another mom. As I was listening to her tell about how she was having to do this and that for the kids, I thought to myself – I wonder how satisfied the kids are about the services they receive from the moms. We really do perform so many services; laundry, homework, meals, transportation, logistics, etc. Are they happy? Or, are they the customers who are never satisfied?
I found the online survey I had taken and applied it to my kids. It has 10 questions of generic orientation that I could ask my kids. Most of the questions they responded the same to the questions. Here’s an example of a question in which the responses differed:
How well did you feel our customer service representative understood what you were saying?
Extremely well
Quite well
Moderately well
Slightly well
Not at all well
Respondent 1 said Quite well. Respondent 2 said slightly well.
This tells me I need to put my “listening cap” on as well. The kids often seem to have “cobs in their ears” as they say, but I’ve been numbed to requests as well. My solution to the problem is the need to look at the person you’re asking. Often the requests are yelled from one end of the house-by both parties. Howard and his mother on The Big Bang Theory might be funny, but it’s not conducive to good communication – resulting in poor marks.
Another area resulting in poor marks was this question.
How eager to help you was the customer service representative at our company?
Extremely eager
Quite eager
Moderately eager
Slightly eager
Not at all eager
Moderately eager and Not at all eager were the responses. No, I’m not eager to fix your broken trinket, or make a snack. Because, I’m already multi-tasking on a few other items or you’re old enough to do it yourself. However, I could answer with a more friendly tone rather than annoyance. It’s always more pleasant if the customer service representative can perform service with a smile, right?
How knowledgeable did our customer service representative seem to you?
Extremely knowledgeable
Very knowledgeable
Moderately knowledgeable
Slightly knowledgeable
On the plus-side, I did receive high marks for being “Quite knowledgeable.” Just as long as I get a few minutes to Google the answer. Likewise, the “customer’s” responses were either; ‘Extremely well’ or ‘Quite well’. I wonder what the results of the survey would be on a larger scale? Do kids in general feel satisfied with the parents “job performance”. On another level, should parenting even be compared to a job? It’s something that we as humans are programmed to do since our offspring are unable to care for themselves. And we do the best that we can!
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Melanie Lewis is the mother of 2 active young boys. She is married and works part-time as a Silpada representative and a weight loss consultant. She enjoys book club, and playing with her Blue-mitted Ragdoll, Percy and Golden Retriever, Rosie. She can be reached at[email protected].
Boil the noodles in salted water for about 4 minutes. Strain noodles from water. In a large mixing bowl, combine noodles with remaining ingredients and pour into a greased, approximately 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Bake until custard is set and top is golden brown, about 30 to 45 minutes.
I’m picking up good libations, it’s giving me excitations. Yes, you read that right – I said libations. I’ve been humming those modified lyrics to the old Beach Boys tune since I returned from a recent visit to Kent County, Delaware. Perhaps I should explain?
The Fordham Brewery, Mispillion Brewery, Harvest Ridge Winery, Pizzadili Winery, and Painted Stave Distillery have joined forces with Kent County Tourism to create a Good Libations Tour. “The goal was to develop a unique new brand that promotes KentCounty as a great place for hand-crafted wine, beer and spirits,” says Cindy Small, Executive Director of Kent County Tourism.
Terri Marshall Posing with Pin-up GiGi!
Here’s how it works, grab yourself a Good Libations Tour passport by downloading it at , picking one up at one of 300 visitor information locations throughout the Delmarva, Baltimore and Washington areas, or by calling the Kent County Tourism office at 800-233-5368. With passport in hand, head out to visit the breweries, wineries and the distillery sipping spirits and stamping that passport along the way. After all five stamps are collected, the passport can be mailed in to win prizes.
Ready for a tasting at Pizzadili Vineyard & Winery
My Good Libations Tour group was comprised of a group of drinkers with a writing problem. We started at the newly-opened Harvest Ridge Winery in Marydel. Owner, Chuck Nunan, began making wine in his basement in 1995. In 2010, he was inspired to take his love of winemaking to the next level. Chuck and his wife, Chris, turned the land they had purchased for a family farm into the Harvest Ridge Winery.
The first vines were planted in 2011 – Chardonnay, Viognier, Malbec and Merlot. The winery opened to the public in November 2013. The property spans the border of Delaware and Maryland on the historic Mason-Dixon Line and has one of the Mason-Dixon’s original witness stone markers – number 47.
Canadian wine sommelier, Milan Mildga, joined the Nunan family team. With his assistance Harvest Ridge produced 14 varieties of wine its first year. Milan listens to classical music as he works with the wines declaring the atmosphere a “temple for the yeast.” He samples the fruits of the vine directly from the barrels with the use of a wine thief. A practice I whole-heartedly embraced.
Eric sharing his brewing bliss
The Painted Stave Distillery in Smyrna was the second stop on our Good Libations Tour. Opened in January 2014 in the 1940’s era Old Smyrna Theater, owners Mike Rasmussen and Ron Gomes are crafting premium spirits in small batches utilizing only the best ingredients sourced from regional farms. The Painted Stave is the first and only stand alone distillery in Delaware since Prohibition.
Ron is actually Ron Gomes, Ph.D. – a microbiologist turned mixologist – which means he is curing more than disease these days. Mike’s passion for spirits started in his youth. “I never had a cocktail before 7 a.m. on weekdays after a full moon,” says Mike. He has managed to accumulate a collection of hard-to-find spirits. His friends love it. His family fears it. His wife tolerates it.
The Painted Stave’s first three spirits are Silver Screen Vodka, Candy Manor Gin and Old Cooch’s Corn Whiskey – each with a story. Silver Screen honors the movies that came before the distillery in the converted 1940’s movie house. Candy Manor pays tribute to the town’s illicit past. According to Smyrna town lore, during prohibition the local candy store doubled as a brothel. You could go to Candy Manor, purchase a “Candy Special” and receive a box of chocolates with a key. The key unlocked the door to a woman holding a bottle of gin! Old Cooch’s Corn Whiskey is made in honor of all those who worked hard in the mills and the iron mines by day then enjoyed the whiskey from the stills by night. Where there’s a mill there’s a still.
Our second day on the Good Libations Tour started at Fordham & Old Dominion Brewing Company with Dunkin Donuts and “beer-mosas” made with grapefruit juice and Hop Mountain Pale Ale – the breakfast of champions!
Double D’s ready to go at Fordham & Old Dominion Brewery
The Fordham & Dominion Brewing Co. history is the story of two Delmarva craft breweries deciding to buck tradition and defy the ordinary. In 2007, Fordham and Dominion combined forces in Dover, DE. Fordham has been brewing since 1995 and Dominion has been brewing since 1989. Together, they brew out of Dover, Delaware. Throughout its combined history, Fordham & Old Dominion have believed in two things “the beers we make and the people who drink them.” The commitment to this belief is evident in the brewery tours, brewery events and especially with their 22 ounce Pin-up Bomber Girl beers.
Originally introduced in 2012, the Bomber Girls were inspired by 1940’s pin-up girls. The three original pin-ups were GiGi’s, Double D and Walk of Shame. More recent additions are Morning Glory Express, Candy Belgian Tripel and Abbey Gelgian Style Ale – inspired by a nun. Stop in for a tour, tasting and to meet the girls.
Next up for our Good Vibrations Tour was a touch of Tuscany at Pizzadili Vineyard and Winery in Felton. Pete Pizzadili says he and his late brother, Tony, “grew up in a wine barrel!” Having worked in the family vineyard and winery in Tuscany since childhood, they knew all the ins and outs of winemaking. Together they created a splendid event space extremely popular for weddings, picnics and fundraising events.
Pete invites guests to come by for a wine tasting and choose from 22 wine varieties, stroll through the handsome grounds, have an intimate picnic and bring a little romance back into your life.
We earned our final Good Libations Tour passport stamp at Mispillion River Brewing. Located in a industrial park warehouse, I had no inkling as to the delightful brewery that awaited inside. Stepping inside the industrial warehouse vibe gives way to a cozy and lively brew pub brought to the Milford community by Eric Williams.
On his 40th birthday, Eric made the decision to abandon the corporate world and do something creative. He decided to open a brewery. His wife, Megan, jumped on board and together they wrote a business plan, sought out investors and hired an experienced award-winning brewer.
With a bit of serendipity and a lot of hard work, Mispillion River Brewing opened to the public in November 2013 when a crowd of 400 people showed up! The community has truly embraced Eric and Megan’s venture and many show up every Friday and Saturday night to sample the brews in the large tasting room and bar that fronts the brewery. The brewery started with eight craft beers on tap with plans to eventually offer 16 to 20. Cheers!
As you might expect, a Good Libations Tour requires a bit of food along the way to fortify the participants. One of the most fortifying meals I have had in my lifetime was delivered by The Odd Fellows Café in Smyrna. The Odd Fellows Hall had been a gathering place for the citizens of Smyrna for decades. With the renovation of the space and the introduction of a menu filled with mouthwatering entrees made from locally sourced meats and produce, owner Howard Johnson and Chef Brandon Lindell are turning the town upside down. I fortified myself with the “Piggy Piggy Moo Moo” burger. Made from fresh local beef topped with country ham, farm fresh crispy bacon and a thick slice of melted cheddar, it is every bit as indulgent as it sounds.
Beer, wine, spirits and a burger named Piggy Piggy Moo Moo…it’s no small wonder why I love Delaware. I’m picking up good libations, it’s giving me excitations!
For more information contact .
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Terri is a freelance writer with regular columns on travel, chocolate and bar reviews. She is busy each month visiting new places to bring unique travel destinations and events to you. Yes, it is a sacrifice – but she is willing to do that for her readers! You can see more of Terri’s writing at where she is the National Chocolate Examiner and at . Also, check out her blog atwww.trippingwithterri.com. You can contact Terri at .
And then there were none. Columns, that is. The one you’re reading will be my last, at least for the foreseeable future. I’ve been writing one every month for over a decade now and it’s time to stop, declare victory, and move on to other things.
While the decision to cease and desist feels right on many levels, I have to admit, I’ll miss this humor column gig. As an advertising copywriter for many years, I had hoped to find a socially acceptable outlet for the comic musings that occupied a large, messy corner of my brain. In 2003, Lighthouse Point Magazine founder Jon Frangipane asked me to write a monthly column and I was off and running. A few years later, Around Wellington’s Krista Martinelli gave me the chance to expand my audience. I’ll always be grateful to both of them for those opportunities, and I’m glad to call them friends.
From the beginning, my vision for the column was simple: To give voice to the human dilemmas of everyday life in all its live-and-learn, give-and-take, yin-and-yang splendor. Seeing that there was no shortage of political and current-events-oriented humor, I decided to shun the complex issues and thorny global conundrums of the day.
Backed by reliable input from leading social scientists, psychotherapists, and the guy who trims my mango tree, I launched my “As I Was Saying” column as a chronicle of the intensely personal quirks, snags and convoluted capers that are grounded in our real-life experiences. With a focus on mining humor out of the everyday flaws and follies that unite us all in our humanity, I set out to offer readers soothing relief from the 24-hour news cycle and its often cynical commentaries. Through the years, my reports and reflections on life’s little comedies covered many under-the-radar topics, including:
Surviving as a non-dancer thrust into active dance floor duty
Battling ants that view your home as a giant picnic basket worth dying for
Coping with physical pain so numbing it makes you forget who played Bob Newhart on the Bob Newhart show
The dangers of converting male names into female names (Sorry Henrietta and Edwina. You deserved better.)
Hunting for high-voltage Las Vegas-style thrills on a BeaverFalls budget
The life-changing power of the Barbecue Meatloaf and Bavarian Cream Puff Diet
Learning to walk for health and fitness without becoming a hood ornament
Overcoming a dependency on ear plugs after you’ve tasted the addictive power of squelching all sound within a 30-yard radius
Looking back, I like to think that my audience came from all walks of life and from every niche in the social and cultural spectrum. Younger and older, male and female, they were drawn by one common denominator: A Need to laugh at themselves and their fellow man (namely me) in ways that were energizing and without malice. My column was shamelessly observational. No message. No politics. Just a quick hit of warped wisdom and off you go.
And so, off I go, too. But not before thanking all of you who read and enjoyed some of my work through the years. It’s been my true pleasure and privilege to write for you. If you felt compelled to laugh or smile here and there, I’m happy to take credit.
I’d also like to thank my family and friends whose accidentally amusing words and ways were not so accidentally replicated in my stories. You were good sports, even when my appetite for exaggeration turned you into semi-cartoonish characters.
Lastly and mostly, I’d like to thank my beautiful wife Sherry for her love and support, and for being such an avid audience of one as I tested and honed each and every column. She was the voice of reason in so many stories, playing the role of my unflappable co-pilot in one misadventure or another. Definitely a case of art imitating life.
After all the writing and all the living, I’ve learned one thing on this journey, dear readers, that I’d like to leave you with.
Love and laughter are the two most positive forces in the universe. If you make them a part of your life, you will find a way to make the world a better place.
United for Care Applauds Florida Senate’s Passing of Charlotte’s Web Medical Marijuana Bill
United for Care, the main organization advocating for the approval of Florida Amendment 2 allowing for the medical use of marijuana in the state, expressed its approval of the Florida Senate’s passing of SB1030, a bill that would legalize a non-euphoric strain of marijuana that has proven effective at reducing convulsions in patients suffering from intractable epilepsy. The strain, commonly known as Charlotte’s Web, is high in a non-euphoric compound called Cannabidiol, or CBD, and is low in THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana.
“We applaud the passing of SB1030 and hope that the House will do the same later this week,” said Ben Pollara, Campaign Manager of United for Care. “While this is an important step we continue to advocate for the approval of Amendment 2. That is the only way we can assure doctors and patients that Tallahassee won’t come between them and their medicine. Elected officials shouldn’t be standing between doctors and patients.”
Powered by over 10,000 volunteers, United for Care is the largest organization in Florida urging voters to vote “yes” on Amendment 2. United for care is a non-partisan campaign with an on-the-ground presence in 18 communities across the state including campaign offices in Miami, Tampa and Orlando.
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For more information or to schedule an interview with Ben Pollara, please call Maurizio Passariello at 786.285.6398 or email him at [email protected]
