Archive for September, 2009

Mr. Owl

From a very young age, I’ve always been fascinated with the owl. It is a Bird of Prey but looks so approachable and regal. The dichotomy of a Bird of Prey being epitomized in many cartoons and children shows as a cuddly wise old buddy belies its steely hunting skills.

The owl’s wide round face is designed as a sort of satellite dish, allowing it to funnel in noises from great distances and tune its hearing onto possible prey. This same trait enables the owl to catch prey sitting several inches beneath packed snow. It is a creature simply designed to hunt and kill.

The video below encapsulates this fascinating bird in all its glory and at its most magnificent. We find it breathtakingly beautiful and we hope that you are equally impressed.

The Letter “F”

People assume correctly, that by cutting down on their paper usage, they are making huge strides towards saving the environment. If we need to send someone a message, we just flip on the computer and send an email. On birthdays and other celebratory events, there are websites, where you can send out electronic cards. Why waste money on a stamp and you’re doing your bit to save the trees in the meantime? It’s a win-win situation on all fronts.

I have found myself going down the same path and way of thinking. So much so, that when I actually had to write something down on a piece of paper, I struggled. My handwriting was atrocious. My partner, Mark had a similar experience when he had to put pen to paper. He had trouble remembering how to form the letter “f”!

When I was younger and still living in the U.K. I had a college friend who moved to Germany. We would write to each other every week and I looked forward to her letters. Even when I first moved to the U.S., family and friend correspondence by paper was a primary source of communication.

Don’t get me wrong, I do understand that saving trees by cutting down on paper usage is a necessity. But with the advent of computers, I fear that we are losing the art of cursive or script writing. I always remember when I was little, how much more I loved getting presents as opposed to a gift card or money. There is just something about tearing open that wrapping paper and being genuinely surprised by the gift concealed within. Even though I love getting emails from my friends, that occasional card still brings a smile to my face and makes me aware of the effort expended in its journey.

So this year, my plans are to send out recycled paper cards for Christmas and a few letters written on recycled paper – just as a “what’s up” to the past. Hopefully I’ll have no trouble forming the letter “f”!

Would You Complain?

We’ve all been there. In that uncomfortable predicament where we know something isn’t right and want to complain but aren’t quite sure how to go about doing it. I am the sort of person that hates to complain. I just want to see things done correctly and it irks me when people takes short cuts or are less than competent.

So this week at our local coffee shop, there was an unusual amount of flies. To be quite honest I had never even seen a fly in the place in the two years we have frequented the shop. At first I thought I was seeing things when my friend pointed out two flies, candidly sitting on pastries behind the glass and going about their business!

I was slightly dumb founded, so my friend piped up, “what’s with all the flies?” I almost dropped my coffee, as I did not expect the direct question. The server responded that they always come out when they are cleaning up at the end of the night. Obviously, I was not comforted by this response.

Anyway we left and convinced ourselves that it was a one-off, as it had never happened before. However a day later we returned to face the same situation. This time we were told that the owners were addressing the matter. The flies were still on the food and the back door, opening out to a dumpster was left wide open. We suspected that this is how all the flies were getting into the building. When we expressed the solution to just keep that door closed we were told that it was too hot with the door closed. When the entire building is clearly fully air-conditioned, this just did not make any sense.

So as resistant as I was to making a formal complaint with the franchise owners, we took steps to make them aware of the problem. We like the servers and the close proximity of the shop, but we’re not setting foot in that place until the situation is cleared up.

Have you found yourself in a similar circumstance? We’d love to get your feedback and read your own experiences.

Hershey-licious

Today’s star is the Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Bar. I think I see a theme developing in this section – food, glorious food!

I’ve never been a fan of American chocolate as it has this funny after taste that’s hard to define but sort of tastes a bit like plastic! And I’ve never been a fan of dark chocolate. I find it bitter and unpalatable. I must be getting old but recently my taste buds have been aroused by the silky flavors of the aforementioned delight, Another reason for my recent desire for this dark chocolate could be a greater acceptance of American culture and food.

I have an English friend, living in England, who adores Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate. So much so that she has commissioned me on a couple of occasions to send her a few bars. Last week I thought it would be a lovely surprise, if I just sent her a couple as a treat. Unfortunately for her and fortunately for me, the bars have all but disappeared from our fridge. I’ve posted a little picture below of the culprit devouring the evidence. And no, those aren’t my teeth, so you know who I’m putting the blame on.

In the meantime get your own bar and enjoy this sweet, decadent treat.

Anecdote

This week’s word is all about our site. We try to make the majority of our articles anecdotal in nature.

By definition, the word “anecdote” means a funny or intriguing personal piece of narration. But the meaning has broadened to include tales of others with biographical elements and original anecdotes modified into more fictional stories. Humorous anecdotes are not intended to be funny but rather reveal some sort of truth that unveils the very essence of a subject matter.

At etaBlog, we believe that anecdotes are one of the best ways to peak a reader’s interests and express our true beliefs. At the same time, this blog is all about disseminating information in a way that is easy to understand and enjoyable.

So this week’s word is the “very essence” of etaBlog and we hope that you will be entertained by our little anecdotes.

The Vick Connection

I’ve lived in the U.S. long enough to understand the basics of American Football (Footy, to us Brits). The controversial nonsense, surrounding some players can be annoying at best and a down right pain in the butt at worst.

Michael Vick’s woes are an interesting story because, in my opinion, he truly is an athlete worth his weight in gold. So what do you do with someone, who is so talented in the body but a little less than smart in the head. We have all made unwise decisions in life but Vick’s choice seems to have gone beyond that. Should the NFL have allowed him back in to play?

I have heard the “yesses” and reasons why and I have listened to the “nos” and the weighty facts that go along with that decision.

Several months ago, I watched an interview with a young man who was a gang-banger in California and ended up in jail for murder. Whilst in prison, one of his nephew’s was killed. He had brought this young boy into the gang life and as a result felt responsible. For the first time in his life he felt accountable for something he had done. This in turn led to him feeling actual remorse and deciding to turn his life around. Now you may think that this person is a waste of time and that all murderers should be left to rot in jail. You could be right, however in this case things turned out a little differently.

The young man became an older man and eventually got out of jail. He ended up working with other young gang members to turn their lives around before it was too late. You could still be skeptical of his motives and his actions and of course only time will tell. However, his intentions seemed genuine and his actions, those of a man healed and truly remorseful of his past actions.

So give Michael a chance to prove us wrong. After all, he is just a man and as fallible as the rest of us.