Author Archives: beth

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About beth

Ann Arbor-ite writes about enjoying life with all of its ironies and surprises.
Mar15

bridge mix.

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when we were growing up

our mom would buy bridge mix

for when she had company coming over

 my sibs and i

would quietly sift through and pick out all of our favorite pieces

leaving the rest

we each chose our favorites

until there were not many left at all

i think we left my mother

the giant nuts covered in chocolate and perhaps a cream or two

probably no one’s favorites

 we just couldn’t help ourselves

reasoning out if we each only took a few

no one would notice

but the math was not on our side

nor was our mother, in this case.

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bridge mix info: (you never know when you will need this info):

bridge mix:  consisting of nuts, fruits, and cremes, covered in milk and dark chocolate.

Brach’s is the major US producer of Bridge Mix. Hershey Canada sells it under the name “Bridge Mixture.”

Bridge Mix was formed mainly when the former employee of Hershey Foods dropped the candies from six conveyor belts on a foot bridge. The bridge was used in the plant to repair equipments and was made to tilt to remove the fallen candies. The candies were then placed in big containers around the facility and the staff was allowed to have candies from the “Bridge Mix”. The Bridge mixture was then given a formal name of “Bridge Mix” by the new management. It has also been found that the name “Bridge Mix” comes from the game of cards, “Bridge” since Bridge matches have been considered notorious for getting snacks and candies on the tournament tables.

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“one of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.”

-iris murdoch

 

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source credits: brach’s candy company, hershey’s canada, ifood.tv

Mar14

destination: fun.

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when you have a barbie head on your dash

and a beachball in the back seat

it’s clear you are headed

for destination: fun.

 

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“you must not ever stop being whimsical.

and you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life.”

-mary oliver, wild geese

Mar13

blockbuster or bust.

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it was ladies’ night at my friend’s house

we had a bit of wine and chat and lots of laughter

the hostess suggested that we should get a movie

and try as she might

she could not remember its name

but it was ‘really good’

couldn’t remember the main stars

‘but we would recognize them immediately’

she put in a call to blockbuster

where they had every current movie

 the kind person/movie nerd at the store

answered the phone

the experts were standing by

 to help her figure out the title

when we heard her explain

that it was really good

had 2 popular stars

and a 3-word title

beginning with the word ‘the’

we absolutely lost it

the poor person on the phone

worked for 20 minutes

trying to jog her memory for more details

finally giving up and apologizing

now, that’s customer service

i really miss blockbuster

something about the excitement

going to pick out a movie

families, couples, friends, singles

taking turns and negotiating

hoping the one you really wanted was still there

so much comedy and drama all in one place.

“vague questions deserve vague answers”

-ristretto

Mar12

time flies.

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and yet again

we find ourselves caught up

in the dance

of ‘daylight savings time’

as we

readjust once more

are we early

are we late

are we on time

whose time are we on

no one is quite sure.

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“the trouble is, you think you have time.”

-buddha

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image credit: ‘silhouettes’ by harry finder

Mar11

sweet dreams.

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sweet dreams, by szuba 

chase your dreams on national dream day, celebrated annually on march 11.

the holiday was created to make everyone, both old and young,

realize that they can build and go after their dreams.

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what dream of yours has come true?

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“if the dream is a translation of waking life, waking life is also a translation of the dream.”

-rene magritte

Mar10

off the beaten path.

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Traveling is important, because when we do, we’re able to de-stress, discover new things, meet people and gain stories worth telling. One man who visited West Iceland was so grateful to his hosts that he decided to send them a letter when he reached Reykjavik, the country’s capital. But there was a problem: he didn’t know his hosts’ address. However, he did remember where they lived. So instead of never sending the letter, the tourist instead draws a map on the envelope. He wrote:

“Country: Iceland.
City: Búðardalur.
Name: A horse farm with an Icelandic/Danish couple and three kids and a lot of sheep!”

He also thoughtfully added that “the Danish woman works in a supermarket in Búðardalur”. Judging by the amount of details the tourist wrote on the envelope, they really wanted the farm owners to get the letter. And to everyone’s surprise, the letter did make it, despite its lack of traditional postal information. This proves that even though things have definitely become more modern, Iceland’s local postal service still know their territory by heart.

Rebecca Cathrine Kaadu Ostenfeld was stunned when the postman handed it to her. It goes without saying that receiving a letter from someone is a touching experience. Their home was indicated on the map with a glaring red dot, after all. But it seems that the letter’s successful delivery was brought about because of the farm’s fame.

The humble “horse farm” that the tourist had described on the envelope, was in fact somewhat of a tourist attraction in Hvammsveit, West Iceland. It’s quite famous for its ‘mini zoo’ where guests can pet their resident horses, goats, sheep, pigs and other animals. And it seems that this particular guest had such a great time that he couldn’t help but show his appreciation long after he’d left! The Hólar family’s farm does have an address listed online (But if you click on it, the link will redirect you to the middle of a lake! So maybe that’s why their tourist had trouble writing down a proper postal address and his map was more accurate than Google.)

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“people tend to want to follow the beaten path.

the difficulty is that the beaten path doesn’t seem to be leading anywhere.”

-charles mathias

 

 

 

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credits: awesome inventions

 

Mar9

great expectations.

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(united airlines 1st class – 747 flight in the 70s)

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after booking an upcoming flight

i may have a few misplaced hopes and expectations

that this will be my experience in the air

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“let your dreams outgrow the shoes of your expectations.”

-ryunosuke satoro

Mar8

follow your eyes.

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we went to see the dinos

and along the way

we peeked inside of a magical drawer

filled with beautiful eggs and nests

what wonderful surprise

there’s always something

you don’t expect to discover

when you go to a museum.

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“don’t go to a museum with a destination. museums are wormholes to other worlds. they are ecstasy machines. follow your eyes to wherever they lead you…and the world should begin to change for you.”
– jerry saltz

Mar7

a rude awakening.

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what a wonderful way to relax

ending a long day with a beautiful book

all about finding your comfort

settling in at last

not a care in the world

tucked into my warm cocoon

until

the book’s spell

works a little too well on me

and i am very suddenly and very rudely awakened

right out of my comfort zone

after falling asleep and dropping the book on my face

hard.

it should come with a warning.

 

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“littera scripta manet – ‘the written word will remain’. that’s true, but it won’t be that much comfort to me.’

-christopher hitchens

Mar6

lost and found and lost and found again.

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Update on my recent post – great news:
After enlisting the public’s help to find Elvis Francois, a sailor who survived weeks lost at sea off of ketchup and seasonings, ketchup giant Heinz has finally tracked him down – and plans to gift him a new boat.

On February 14, the company published a call for help on social media, saying they were struggling to get in touch with Francois. The Dominica-born sailor made headlines after he spent 24 days adrift in the Caribbean Sea in January. After being rescued by the Colombian navy, Francois, 47, told officials that he had survived off of a bottle of ketchup, garlic powder, and Maggi stock cubes, which he mixed with water. Ketchup helped him survive weeks lost at sea.

Heinz told CNN on Monday that they found Francois with the help of local reporters in Dominica working for the publication EmoNews. The company had previously said that they hoped to gift him “a new, state-of-the-art boat” to celebrate his safe return. “We were able to connect with him and discuss the best way help support him and his family,” a Heinz representative told CNN. “We (Heinz) and Elvis are currently working out the logistical details of gifting him his new boat.”

The company emphasized the central role social media played in helping locate the sailor. “Anyone who shared, liked or commented on the brand’s post helped broaden the reach and played an important part in finding Elvis,” said Heinz.

Francois was repairing his boat off the island of Saint Martin in December when his boat was pulled out to sea. He told Colombian authorities that he lacked the navigational knowledge to return to shore and spent 24 days lost at sea. He was rescued after a plane spotted his sailboat with “help” engraved into the hull, according to Colombian authorities.

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“sometimes,” she whispered, “you need to be lost in order to be found.”
 -danika stone

 

 

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credits: zoe sottile, cnn, emonews, columbian navy press office