Uncategorized – Page 42 – Dahlia DeWinters

Football Fridays – Frustrated Tom Brady and Week 2 Matchups

Well, Geno Smith and the Jets’ one game winning streak has been broken! Most of us were in suspense regarding the game: Who would win? Yeah, right. Despite the gutting of the Patriots’ offense by free agency, injuries and (alleged) murder, the Jets suffered from poor performance on both sides of the ball. I am not a Pats “fan” per se. I admire their work ethic and the coaching of Belichick, but I simply cannot abide a team that uses cheating tactics to win. Don’t they have enough film to study? On the other hand, I am not a Jets’ fan, nor am I a fan of Geno Smith. So when it comes to these two teams, I go with the more mature QB. That being said, the game was sloppy on both sides. Dropped passeds turnovers (not the tasty kind) and interceptions made the game a disappointment to watch.… Continued

Uncategorized

Save Everything, Everywhere

Ever get that feeling of cold fear in your heart when you’ve typed out the best chapter ever, putting the cap on 5k words, clicking save and having your computer crap out on you? Or worse, going to turn on the computer to start your morning work and seeing a black screen? As authors, we should do things to protect ourselves and our work. If we lose wordage, that sets us back, steals our time and our creativity. Yes, we can type it over, but we’ll never get those hours nor the the unique quality of our words again. That can drape a wet blanket over the next chapters that we try to write. I know we’ve seen the posts about the hard drive that failed, the thumb drive that failed, the CD that failed and I truly sympathize. It’s a terrible, terrible feeling. Never fear, there are cures for

Uncategorized

Become a Cookie (making) Monster

Yes, it’s 90 degrees outside, or at least it will be by the time noon rolls around. However, by the time you start thinking about making cookies, holiday time will be staring you right in the face, telling you that you’re a terrible cookie maker. Avoid the shame. Do what I do. Make the dough now, keep it in the freezer. Then, become a cookie maker extraordinaire! One year, I made cookies for all three of my children’s classes – that’s 65 cookies AND hand painted them red and green….with sparkles. I must have been out of my mind. Sugar Cookies 2 cups of pure, snow white sugah 1 ½ cups of butter (softened) 4 large eggs 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 tsp. lemon extract (optional) 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp salt Frosting: Blend confectioner’s sugar and milk until it reaches the consistency you

Uncategorized

Football Friday – The Season Begins

Broncos vs Ravens And football season is upon us with a vengeance. Super Bowl champs the Baltimore Ravens paid a visit to the Mile-High City for a rematch. If you remember last year, the Ravens bested the Broncos in overtime to move on to the Super Bowl. Mind you, the NFL Channel never let us forget it – I have seen enough replays of the end of that game to last me a lifetime. I would venture to say that Peyton Manning and the Broncos gave the Ravens a bit of “get-back” last night. Yes, the first half was slow. A thirty-minute rain delay coupled with the slow saunter of the Ravens onto the field didn’t bode well for the Broncos, especially when it started to rain. When the Ravens drew first blood with a touchdown, Broncos fans may have thought that the Super Bowl champs were back stronger than

Uncategorized

Train Your Brain

Train your brain and live longer.* “A body at rest tends to remain at rest”,the old saying goes. The same can be said for the brain. When you do the same thing over and over again, it affects you. Falling in to a disliked or boring routine can render you brain-dead, an automaton who lives for Fridays and hates Mondays. What kind of existence is that? I don’t buy into that psychology. Every day is a gift, to be heralded, valued and used. I keep my brain active by being on the lookout for learning something new. “Oh, Dahlia,” you might say, “as a woman of a certain age, with children and a husband, you’re much too old and busy to learn something new.” Oh, but dear reader, how I disagree. It’s a pleasure to wake up in the morning with a new skill under your belt. Knitting, crocheting, bracelet-making,

Uncategorized

Born Under a Bad Sign…With a Blue Moon in Your Eyes

In light of the death of James Gandolfini, I wanted to take this time to write how much I enjoyed HBO drama, The Sopranos. To begin, let me say that I am a huge fan of dramas. Back in the day, I wouldn’t miss an episode of Hill Street Blues or L.A. Law. Later on, it was Law and Order and E.R. Lately, I have drifted to the cable dramas, albeit rather late in the game. I watched The Sopranos when it first came on HBO, because I am a huge fan of Mafia-inspired dramas and movies, plus it took place in New Jersey, so what could be better. However, between getting married, having children and having a love/hate relationship with premium channels, The Sopranos and I parted ways. A couple of years ago, after the huge hoopla over the series finale was over and done with, I sat down