College Safety: Along with Sheets and Bedding, Be Sure to Send-Off Your Kids With a Fire Extinguisher

For those who are sending their kids off to college ... I can't underline enough the importance of being sure they have a fire extinguisher in their rooms, whether in a dorm or off-campus housing.  

Please read and share this Huffington Post: "Fired up About Safety."

Click here.
Click here.

If you have already dropped off your son or daughter, click here to order a fire extinguisher on-line. 
It costs $18.98.

My Huffington Post About College-Bound Kids and their Dang Dishes in the Sink

My daughter lived at home all summer between her junior and senior year of college. It started off lovey-dovey, but by August the forever-sight of dishes in the sink began to get on my nerves.

Wanna come in and listen to the convo? Here's a snapshot of life in the Brodnick house.

Click here for my Huffington Post,

                "You Can't Leave For College Until You Empty the Kitchen Sink."

POUND RIDGE PAST / "Talk of the Town" / Read on ...

Many thanks to Ellen Siebert Best, "Talk of the Town" columnist, for her wonderful write-up on POUND RIDGE PAST: Remembrances of Our Townsfolk in The Record-Review (our favorite hometown newspaper).

How to Add Bling To Your Dance Costume (à la Liberace)

I'm not sure how this dance costume info landed in my email box, but I'm lovin' it. I mean ... who doesn't want to know how to add rhinestones to their dance costume?  Count me in!

Click here to learn how to create scattered, flower, geometric or fade patterns. And while you're at it with the glue gun, save a few rhinestones to do something crafty with your iPhone. (See below.)

This is called the Fade Pattern. It is so special that we are captializing the "F" and the "P."

Some people are forerunners in the art of rhinestone bling. And for that, we love them. Forever. Thank you, B Dancewear, for the great tips on how we can create the look of Liberace. (I mean it.)

Liberace: The King of Rhinestone Bling 

Dow Jones, Pass the Plunger

The Dow Jones industrial average plunged over 1,000 points immediately after opening bell this morning. It recovered most of those losses and then dropped nearly 600 points to close at 15,871.28. Although the sun was shining in New York on this 24th day of August, sans aucun doute, it was a Black Monday.

Mr. Rogers, Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Going through stuff as I pare down à la Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I came across this precious letter that Mr. Rogers wrote to my son David when he was 2-years old.

The world surely needs more gentle men like Fred Rogers. He epitomizes civility, respect and positivity. The button-down sweater aside, this man rocks it.

Don't Lock Me Out: HUFFINGTON POST, "Back to School Nightmares"

Are you beginning to have Back-to-School nightmares yet? Like ... you can't find your locker? Or ... you forgot your combination? Or ... everyone knows exactly where to go for their next class and you have no idea where you even are? Or as reader TA wrote in, "I still have fear of the alarm clock not going off, even tho those days are all but over."

In my Huffington Post, "Back to School Nightmares," I share the sweat and angst of bad dreams that always seem to rear their ugly face this time of August:

" ... So there I was. My hands were weighed down with books... and not the light, fluffy stuff I like to read at the beach. Rather, these were books about algebra, science, quantum mechanics and world history. I was trying to run down the hall to put my books away so that I could get to gym class on time, but I couldn't find my locker. I suddenly remembered that it was five flights up and down a long hallway. When I finally got to my locker, I blanked on the combination. Was it 24-left or right? Do I pass zero and then dial 15, or wait until I scroll in the third number?

"And why did my mother make me wear mittens to school?

"The books fell out of my hands and crashed to the floor, just missing my new penny loafers. I heard a bell ringing. I looked at my schedule and saw that I wasn't supposed to go to gym class, but to math class. Then I realized that I had last year's textbook, and I didn't have a clue where math class was because the classroom numbers on my schedule were completely smeared. I had no idea where I was going.

"The ringing got louder and louder. My head was swirling. I knew I was going to be late. I began to panic.

"Oh, and one more thing... I forgot to put my pants on before leaving the house."

Click here for more.

An Afternoon at The Beach

There is nothing more sublime than spending a summer afternoon at Rye Beach with a great friend. Give yourself a spray of #55, layout the blanket on the hot sand ... and enjoy the view/moment.

I Like Your Mondegreen

Dictionary.com gives the spotlight today on one of my favorite words:  MONDEGREEN

It is one of my all-time faves because mondegreens can be mindbenders. Astute individuals such as readers of Bonni's Blog have been found recoiled under elf bridges, too ashamed to show their faces as they ran from ridicule and misinterpretation after chanting completely wrong lyrics to songs everyone should know. (Shame, shame if you still don't know "Bye Bye, Miss American Pie.")

For more on mondegreen, click link below for my post:

A Mondegreen: You Make Me Feel Like a Manchurian Woman 

And always remember, "The Ants Are Your Friends, They're Blowing in the Wind."

My Daughter is My Guru

In straightening up my daughter's room post her departure to Grenada to start a post-bac pre-med program, I found this small canvas she painted. 

It is inspiration for us all.

Take a pause. Move your hands away from the keyboard and place them on your lap. Close your eyes. Count slowly to 5, breath deeply through your nose, then ponder . . .

 "Am I living my dream??????????????" 

Strike a Pose

Gorilla as seen by daughter at Bronx Zoo this afternoon. 

(Perhaps he is seeking an audition for the Madonna "Vogue" (Strike a Pose) reshoot.)

 According to Wikipedia, the DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 95–99% depending on what is counted, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the chimpanzees and bonobos.

In any event, this gorilla makes a very handsome male model.