In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the Ideal Squat, an exercise that every individual should have in their repertoar.  The second exercise that gives you more bang for your body is a push up.  This is true for several very simple reason.  1. A push up activates a variety of different muscle groups.  2. No equipment necessary.  3. Using your own body weight as resistance has incredible carryover to daily life  4. The possibilities for modification are only limited by your imagination.

The Ideal Push Up

With a push up, core strength and proper alignment is everything.  It is also important to know your limitations.  You will get much more benefit from a “girl’ push up with good form as opposed to a “regular” push up with poor form.

1. Begin by placing your hands on either side of your chest at a bit more than shoulder width apart.

2. Check the alignment of your core.  The goal is to create a plank-like position where your ears, shoulder, hip bone, knee, and ankle line up in a perfect diagonal towards the floor.  If you find yourself sagging, contract your abdominals a bit more to elevate your core.  If you find your rear in the air, shift more body weight towards your arms and away from your feet.

3. Lower yourself towards the floor being mindful to keep your head and core in the diagonal.  Try not to let them sag towards the floor.  The goal of this step is to get the upper part of your arm as close to parallel to the floor as possible.

4. Push yourself back up to the starting position still being mindful to keep your alignment.

5. For increased activation of triceps, bring your hands in to shoulder width apart.  For increased activation of scapular and shoulder musculature, bring your hands further than shoulder width apart.

6. If you are getting wrist pain with this exercise, place a folded towel under each of your palms.  This will place your wrists in more of a neutral position.

For those of  you who are looking for an easier version, you have many options at your disposal.  One option is to lower your knees to the ground and follow the 4 steps in the same fashion.  Another option is to find a staircase, table, wall, or any sturdy surface that is higher than the floor.  Remember that the lower the surface, the harder the push up.  Place your hands on the edge of that surface and follow the 4 steps.  What using a higher surface does is make a greater angle between the start of your diagonal (your head) and the end of your diagonal (your ankles) which displaces some of your body weight.  Your third option is to do the “regular” push up for as many as you can until form breaks down, then lower your knees and finish out the set.

For those of you who are looking for a greater challenge, you too have many options.  One is to reverse the diagonal.  Place your feet on a raised surface such as a step, chair, etc.  This will add quite a bit of your body weight to the exercise.  Another option is to add a side plank in between ever push up.  In other words, do a push up as described, then rotate your hips to one side so they are stacked vertically, lift one hand off the floor, and stack your feet.  This position is known as the high plank position.  Rotate back so both hands are on the ground again, push up again, then rotate to the other side in the same fashion.  A third option for those of you looking for a challenge is to do the push up off of a stability ball.  Place the tops of your feet on the ball and do your push ups from that position.  This adds an element of instability which will activate additional muscle fibers as well as increase the challenge on the ones that are already activated.

In conclusion, the push up is an extremely effective upper body exercise and is very versatile in terms of modification and level of challenge.  For a visual of what I have described, be sure to check out the following links.  Enjoy your workout!

Push Up

Knee Push Up

Wall Push Up

Push Up With Stability Ball

Recycle

There are many things that we use every day that many of use just throw away, even though they can be recycled. The ironic part is that some products that we don’t recycle are ones that we are consuming to try and be healthy. I’m of course talking about water bottles. Bottled water has become huge in the past couple of years, and so has its impact on the environment. From the web site AllAboutWater.org:

According to a 2001 report of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), roughly 1.5 million tons of plastic are expended in the bottling of 89 billion liters of water each year.

That was in 2001, I can only imagine that the number has grown. Some companies are redesigning their bottles to use less plastic, but they are still using mind-blowing amounts of bottles. And what do I see all the time? People just throwing them in the garbage. At least soda bottles have the chance that someone is going to dig them out of the trash for the money, but not water bottles. Listen here people, drinking water is a great idea and is healthy, but let’s keep the planet healthy has well. At home, but your water bottles in the recycling bin, and at work, do the same thing. Encourage your friends and co-workers as well. And you can also try to stop buying bottled water. Go out and by a water bottle and a filter system. This saves production energy and waste material.

But wait, there are more than just plastic bottles to be recycled. In fact, every town that has a recycling program has a list of material that you can but in your plastic bin. Cans, bottles, newspapers, magazines, cardboard… well, these are the basics, but each town is different and they are always expanding, so be sure to check it out on a regular basis. I would recommend that once a year you should see what materials your town recycles. But wait, there is even more than what can go in that bin, and should definitely NOT go in the garbage. Things like batteries and electronics should not be thrown in your garbage. Instead, you can find places that will take these items. Many computer companies like Dell will actually take away your old computer for recycling when you buy a new one for a low fee. Some electronics and office stores will take your batteries, which if thrown in the landfill will leak their acid and then that will end up back in our drinking water. And if you are in a small office, there are companies that will come and pick up your electronic waste.

Of course, all the recycling in the world doesn’t mean anything if you don’t start supporting recycled products. Consider purchasing recycled paper for your printer and your kids school note books. In the home purchase paper goods made from recycled paper products. In our house we have started using toilet paper made from recycled material from Seventh Generation. Consider for a second that when you buy toilet paper, you are buying a product made from trees that were cut down with the sole purpose of wiping your but. Think about that for a minute… Now doesn’t it seem silly to have a product made from trees to just wipe your but and then go down the drain? Instead, but Seventh Generation toilet paper, and at least the toilet paper was a newspaper, or someone’s college essay before it wiped your but.

Even though it may have been a buzz word in school growing up, today it is becoming a serious business. Recycling isn’t just good for the environment, but it’s also good for the economy. An entire industry has been created around recycling and there are several others that now depend on recycled goods. Please don’t let recycling stop, but help to make it grow. The resources on this planet are limited and we need to take care of good old mother earth.

This process gained infamy during the contested Bush/Gore election, and to this day many cite Bush’s failure to win the popular vote as evidence he is not our legal president. Before we can take sides or make judgements on the validity of this statement, let’s take a look at the history and intention of this system.

It is important to remember that while most of us outside of Texas think of states as simply subdivisions and hold little allegiance to our territory beyond sports team loyalties, at the time the United States was born, each state was fully independent like a small nation. Imagine it like present-day Europe, without quite as much history. When these 13 (at the time) independent colonies decided to unite under the tenuous Continental Congress, it was an uneasy union at best, and each colony was wary of being exploited by the others. This distrust carried into the formation of the Constitution, which nine colonies would ratify to form the United States.

In that document, there is specific mention of “electors” as those that would choose the president, but it was agreed from the beginning that a system should be in place to protect the smaller, less populous states from the larger ones. The founding fathers feared that a direct popular vote would lead to all of the candidates coming from the most populous states and politicians pandering to those states. A system of government that unites smaller quasi-independent regions and maintains the power of each state is known as Federalism.

The first solution to this problem was known as the Virginia plan; it was initially decided that the Senators and Representatives would cast votes to finally elect the president. However, concerns about balances of power and collusion changed the plan, and it was finally determined that each state would choose electors in the same ratios that they have representation in Congress, and these electors would meet to determine the president. As a result, each state has two electors, plus an additional one for each representative. Washington, DC, which proudly advertises “taxation without representation” on their license plates, does receive two electors, which brings the total to 538.

There are few rules about who can and cannot be an elector, they can’t be a congressperson, they can’t be someone who has led a rebellion or insurrection against the US, and they can’t be a high-ranking government official. Other than that, it’s pretty much anyone’s game.

Now, it is intended that these Electors should vote in a way representative of the results of the popular vote in the territory they are from. However, there is no federal law requiring them to. A couple of states have laws that mandate this, and 99% of the time these electors vote consistent with that popular result, but it is interesting that it is not required.

To confuse things even more, states have different methods by which they dole out their electoral votes. In most states, the winner receives all of the votes, but in Maine and Nebraska, these votes are proportioned based on how the public voted.

It’s disheartening for some to realize how indirect their influence on the election of a president is. In the next installment, we’ll talk about how this system influences politics, and some of the suggested revisions, and the effects that they would have.

Green is the new black. Well, maybe not the new black, but it sure is the new word you hear everywhere. People are talking about going green, companies are trying to save the planet, and hippies telling everyone else “I’ve been recycling my toilet water for 30 years, where have the rest of you been?” But whether you have been living an eco-friendly life style since you realized using hemp was good for mother earth, or you are gleefully saying the heck with it and filling up the gas tank of your H2, I am going to share my helpful tips on how to Go Green. This is will be the first part in a several part series, and for now, we are going to keep it simple.

In the past couple of months going green has started to become an obsession for me. And it hasn’t helped that Discovery launched a new TV channel called Planet Green. I love to daydream about the things I would do with solar and wind power, geo-thermal heating, etc. if I had the money. Living in my apartment, there isn’t much I can do in a place I don’t own and on a budget. Wait one second, that is where most people go wrong. Most of us look at big solar arrays and expensive projects and then get depressed we can’t afford it; instead of taking small steps we just give up. But fear not my eco-conscious friend, there are a lot of things that you can do in your home that will cost you little or no money to do, and in fact you won’t just save the planet’s green, you will save some of your own over time.

Simple things to change around the house with electricity

Before we get into alternate forms of energy, let’s first change how we use the energy in our own home. The first place to start is the brightest thing in your home, your light bulbs. Anyone who has tried to change a light bulb right after it has burned out will tell you that it’s hot, and that’s because a lot of the energy that is used to heat the element inside and create the light is wasted as heat energy. All of that heat is just wasted electricity. The smart thing to do is to replace your old light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Lights, or CFLs. These use less electricity to produce the same about of light. Now I know what you are thinking, because I thought it too, you would love to change all of your lights but that would cost a lot of money to do in one shot. Well that’s true, it would cost a lot of money, and on top of that you would be throwing out light bulbs that still work. That isn’t very green. Instead have a plan like I use. Buy a 4 pack of CFLs, and as your lights burn out, replace them with the CFL. It may actually take a couple of years to replace all the bulbs in your house, but you will spread the cost of the CFLs over time, and you will start to see reduction in your energy bill.

Another waster of electricity is everything that we have plugged in. Today, many of us have a cell phone, a laptop, a desktop, couple TVs, cable boxes, video game systems… All of these suck power even when they aren’t turned on. Don’t believe me? Go and touch your cell phone charger while it’s plugged in and you’re not charging your phone. You might surprised to find that it’s warm. It’s warm because it is converting AC in DC even when you aren’t charging. Your TV and cable boxes are always on standby so that when you use the remote, it turns on right away. Ways to start saving electricity and money: invest in some power strips, and start plugging in all the things that don’t need to be on all the time into them. For instance, with your entertainment center. Plug in your TV, DVD/VCR, Game Console, and home stereo into the strip. When you aren’t using it, flick the strip off, and start saving that money. I didn’t say cable box because many of us now have DVRs, and you want those to record your shows when you aren’t there, so you need those to stay on. If you feel like getting fancy, companies are making power strips that have always on plugs, and switchable plugs, that way you can plug everything into it, and only shut off the items that you want to.

Today, I want to conclude with one more though about electricity. I started off by bringing up alternative energy sources, and then was depressed that I can’t afford them. Well, that isn’t 100% true. I can’t afford to buy them and put them on my house, but I can choose to get my power from them, and I bet you can too. Next time you get your electric bill, see if they have info in there about choosing your energy provider. In many states, it is the law that your electric company has to give you the choice of choosing where you get your electricity from. So even though I am an United Illuminating customer, and they will continue to be my point for problems with my electricity, I have made the choice to get my electricity from wind, solar, and hydro sources. It only cost on average $5 – $10 more a month, but will save the planet years of life.

Check back soon where I will be talking about recycling – how you can recycle, and how you can use the products made from your recycled materials.

Now, there are several reasons I should be writing an article about keeping one’s wallet (somewhat) filled and one’s sanity (mostly, at least when it comes to one’s wallet) intact. The first: I’ve recently graduated and moved into an apartment that I share with a college friend, and I am, for lack of a better term, totally poor, man. I’ll admit it freely: I’ve got no dough. (Ed. Note: Shibow’s AAVR earnings must be going up her nose) The second: frugality runs through my veins, along with equal parts blood and Johnnie Walker Black Label (It’s genetics. Science. It’s complicated.) And the third, and possibly most offensive: it is the way of my people. If you’ve never seen Indian-Canadian comedian Russell Peters’ routine on the extent of my people’s penchant for stinginess, please watch it below. I almost hate to say it, but he is absolutely and completely right.

I actually have been known to complain about the insane prices on some items of clothing, and have also been known to claim that I could make pieces identical to these items of clothing. This is not true, but it is what I tell myself in order to keep from buying the unnecessary. Consider that cheap trick numero uno.

I’m sure I’m not the only cheap-o out there, but perhaps I’m one of the only ones out there willing to admit to my thriftiness. If nothing else, I hope the following tips will encourage my fellow penny-scrapers to stand proud.

Buy a re-usable water bottle. Refill said water bottle. If you work in an office setting, you most certainly have a water cooler. Use it. Use it for something other than discussing last night’s Project Runway (Side bar: Are you as excited as I am for its return?). Plus, as water is nature’s cleanser, you’ll start to see physical benefits as well. A proven antioxidant, enough water can keep you hydrated and help keep your skin clear. Lastly, drinking H2O regularly can keep you from reaching for the Fritos in the vending machine when you think you’re hungry but really aren’t (trust me, it happens).

Steal stuff. Yeah, I went there. And no, this is not me encouraging you to break the law. But let’s examine a common practice amongst, well, all of us. We take too flipping much. We take too flipping much of things we sometimes never use. How often do you find yourself at a food court/restaurant of some sort, with a tray full of unused napkins, packets of ketchup and mustard, etc. that you end up trashing at lunch break’s end? No, children, no. If you’re OCD and able to measure out exactly how much of the aforementioned you need, kudos. The rest of us should just pocket what we don’t end up using. I’ve recently taken up the practice of throwing the extra packets of honey I don’t use from a local coffee shop (Honey! People throw away honey! That stuff is gold!) into my bag after my afternoon tea for my evening tea (Yes, I am an Indian who enjoys her tea. No subverting of stereotypes here.) Ain’t no shame in that. Fortunate, considering I myself have very little shame.

Pack your own lunch. You might get looks. I get looks. Then again, sometimes my idea of lunch is identical to that of an eight year-old who is convinced she can fend for herself. In any case, it keeps me full, prevents me from spending greenbacks on grub from the outside, and from my stinginess sending me in the direction of fast food and the subsequent heart failure that comes with it.

For Shibow’s sake, clip coupons. Until The Man decides to stop sending you a mailbox’s worth of circulars, it’s up to you to see that the coupons within them are put to good use. I’m currently on a cereal kick, which I blame on never having dormed as a college student. Late blooming and all that. Anyway, I’ve been clipping Honey Bunches of Oats coupons like mad as of late, and recently paid $1.99 for a box that normally costs around four bucks. I don’t think I can quite articulate my deep affection for said cereal, and even if I could, I’m sure I’ve sufficiently embarrassed myself in this tip already. Anyway, coupons, people!

Order wisely, grasshopper. Meaning order an appetizer if you know you’ve got a small stomach. Order one or two entrees that you and your dining companion(s) can share (and share the cost of). Or, if you’ve got a heaping plate all to yourself that you know you won’t finish, take it to go, and you’re set for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner.

Unplug that which has been plugged. I believe Justin mentioned this in his piece on going green. Yes, this is the environmentally sound thing to do. It is also the financially responsible thing to do. Unplug appliances around the house that you don’t use constantly, and you could see your electricity bills shrink by a third or more. Money in the bank, homeslice!

Now, I’d like to conclude this piece with a short, but important note. There is a method to my madness, at least when it comes to money. My other neuroses, for the most part, have yet to be fully explained. I do not believe in saving one’s money in order to use it to line one’s coffin at one’s passing. There really is no point in hoarding your dough and never spending it. Take a vacation. Buy an expensive item of clothing once in a while (Though always keep in mind the division rule: divide the cost of the item by the number of times you will wear it, in order to figure out what you’re really spending in the long run.). Treat yourself, and enjoy the benefits of being smart with your money.

For further reading, AAVR also recommends the excellent personal finance blog Get Rich Slowly

I’ve been working with a green builder based in North Carolina, and this process has piqued my interest in the idea of green buildings. While most of us tend to think about cars, heavy industry and livestock as the major polluters, the buildings that we live and work in do not get much credit for the damage that they exact. Buildings account for 12% of all freshwater use, 30% of all raw materials consumed, 48% of all greenhouse gas emissions, and 70% of all electricity use.

I recently finished “The Green Building Revolution” by Jerry Yudelson. The book goes into great depth about how each part of the process of building, from placement to materials to building processes and landscaping, contribute to how much environmental impact a development or building has. Withcareful planning and engineering, the inputs and outputs from commercial and residential dwellings can be significantly reduced.

Specifically, the development that my friend is working on is called Lennon Hills. The team that has conceived this development is working to bring intelligent building practices to a region, Brunswick County NC, that is undergoing a great deal of rapid development. By incorporating innovative building materials and the latest in construction techniques with ENERGY STAR appliances, recycled-content cabinetry, natural daylighting throughout the house, environmentally friendly hardwood flooring, in addition to highly efficient Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), these homes plan to use 60% less power, 40% less water, and 60% less heating and air conditioning than a ordinary home.

Sound like a commercial? I can’t help it, I did write the web site and most of the marketing materials (and borrowed liberally for this article). But the point is, speaking with my friend has gotten me very excited for the possibilities. Imagine the potential for energy savings in all of our homes with old windows, drafty doors, and poorly insulated walls? In fact, the other night, I went to see Former President William Jefferson Clinton speak at Radio City, and he was speaking about his excitement about the same concept. He is working closely with Mayor Bloomberg’s office here in New York, and they are going to refurbish the City’s public housing to make it more energy efficient. The result? While the current utility bill for public housing is about 500 Million dollars each year, it is projected to be only 350 million after the renovations. The money that is invested can be paid off with the energy savings alone.

I imagine that the public housing where these improvements are taking place will also become more pleasant as a result. Drafty windows and old leaky fixtures not only waste energy, they make life unpleasant. America needs to make more investments like this in upgrading our infrastructures and our buildings. These projects save energy, save money, and create jobs.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed in what could seem to be costly renovations to your house, but there are actually some small things that you can do today to “Green” your house a little bit. You’ve probably seen this stuff before, but it doesn’t hurt to add a couple reminders:

• Compost: I know, it sounds pretty hippie of me, but I’ve just started doing it, and it is embarrassingly easy. Actually, once you start, you’ll start to think that it’s absurd how much organic material gets thrown away, especially if you are like me and trying to grow things too. This guy has a great site that sells everything you need to get started. If you don’t want to go that far, community gardens are often happy to take your eggshells, coffee grounds, peelings and other degradable scraps.
• Make Smart Use of Daylight: In the summer, keep heat out with blackout or filtering shades and curtains. I just upgraded, and it makes a world of difference. In the winter, let sun in during the day, and close them at night to help insulate the windows.
• Opt for Paperless Billing: Some people like a paper trail. But most of us let our mail pile up as we pay our bills online. Most businesses offer an option to pay online, and if you take advantage of that, they usually offer an option to opt out of paper bills. In addition, ask to be removed from junk mail lists for catalogs and things you aren’t interested in. 44 percent of junk mail is never opened. Junk mail and unread bills not only waste paper, but also account for unneeded bulk in the mail system. That means more planes, more trucks and hence, more gas, used to bring you something you don’t want.
• Put Plastic On Your Windows: Sure it ranks up there in tackiness with putting plastic on your sofa, but if you live in an older house without double-pane glass, a layer of film behind curtains is hardly visible, and can make a major difference in draft and heat loss.
• Unplug Power Adapters: Notice those power bricks are always hot? That’s because they are busy stepping down voltage, and in the process turning expensive electricity into wasted heat energy. If something isn’t being used, it shouldn’t be plugged in, especially if you are on vacation. Power strips have a convenient little switch, and it’s good to get into the habit of turning it off when nothing is in standby mode.

There are tons more things you can do. For further reading, visit the Department of Energy, energysavers.gov, or the Us Green Building Council

Stay tuned- the next environment-related article will be about Geothermal heating. Oooooh.

The real secret to having a great wedding (or any great large party) is all in the planning. For over a year now, we have been planning this occasion. And when I say we, I don’t mean just Joy and myself. I’m talking about our families and friends as well. Let us now go into an almost step by step check list for planning a wedding.

Pick a Date

After you have decided that you are going to get married, it is time to pick a date for the wedding. First, give yourself enough time to plan. Putting the wedding at least a year off is a good idea. This gives you just enough time to plan out your wedding. Another thing to think about is which time of the year you like. Have you always wanted a summer wedding? Or maybe a fall wedding? Maybe you would like to get married on New Year’s Eve. Remember, if you chose a holiday wedding, prices will be higher for locations and vendors. Other things to keep in mind is calendar conflicts — are you are planning the wedding the same day your sister is graduating from college?

Pick a Location(s)

There are several locations you need to think about. If you are religious, which Church, temple, etc. will you be getting married in? If you are having a Justice of the Peace ceremony, is that going to be at the same place as the reception? Outdoors or indoors? If you are going to be using a house of worship, say your home parish, book that location first. Churches, temples and other religious gathering places have set schedules, and if you are getting married on a Saturday, they will want you out before the afternoon service starts rolling in. After you know what time and where you ceremony is going be, start looking for a place to have your reception. This is where things get tricky with the times the Church gives you versus the times the reception hall gives you. If you go to a banquet facility (or as they are called in the industry, wedding factories) they will be more strict as to your time slot. If someone is having a reception starting in Hall A at 6:00 PM, you can’t start yours till 6:30 PM. And when it’s over, it’s over, because if you have an early wedding, they have another one coming in right after you. Hotels, on the other hand, are more flexible. Events aren’t their primary revenue source, like they are for reception halls, so they can afford to just have your wedding booked for the day and nothing else. This allows for more flexible hours in your start and stop time. And if you are the only event that day, the staff won’t be tired from working a wedding earlier. The other advantage to the hotel is many of them include a hotel room for the couple to stay in that night, as well as special rates for your guests so you don’t have to worry about friends and family driving home after drinking. When you are picking your halls, take your time. Don’t let the first place you see talk you into booking (even if that is the one you go with). You want to go, see the facility, and imagine how many people you are going to have in there. A good question to ask is the if hall will comfortably fit the targeted number of guests. Then taste the food at every location. In the end you want to pick a place that looks good, has good food, offers a lot at a price that fits your budget.

The third and forth location you need are your photo locations. If you are a year away from your wedding take time to go to different parks and see what the flowers look like during that time of year. Also, take a camera with you, this way you can take photos at the various locations and compare them later. Forth, you’ll need a back-up photo location in case, you guessed it, it rains (or sleets, or hails, or meteor showers). I know no one wants it to rain on their wedding day, but it’s going to happen. And best be ready for it. Whether you plan on staying and doing photos in the Church, or the reception hall has a nice place to take them, you need this plan. Even check some newer office buildings in the area. We have our rain location in an office building that has a waterfall inside. If you don’t know where to look, start asking your vendors. We were tipped off by the girl we booked the hotel with.

Two more pieces of advice about locations. In regards to rain or inclement weather, you need to think long and hard about that outdoor wedding. I know they look beautiful on TV, but depending on which part of the country you live in, there is always a good chance of rain. Remember, you just spent $3,000 on a wedding dress, do you really want mud all over it?

Lastly, please try not make your ceremony and your reception more than 30 minutes away from each other. Your guests are already spending a lot of money to go to your wedding. Some have already traveled to get there, and they are bringing you gifts. The one thing guests at weddings don’t like are traveling far between locations, and waiting a long time between the end of the ceremony and the beginning of the cocktail hour. People are dressed up and ready to party, don’t stop them.

Vendors – Photos/Video

Once you have the locations figured out, it’s time to start picking out vendors. Again, like with the reception hall, take your time. Most photographers and videographers have samples of their work online. Right away you can start wedding people out based on their style. Then make arrangements to meet with them to see their work, and just as important to see them. Remember that for 8 – 10 hours, these people are going to be video taping and taking photos of you. This will be the most attention you have ever received your whole life (unless you are a celebrity, in which case, stop reading this and hire someone to do all this). What you need to do is make sure that you like the person that will be taking photos. They need to be someone that you will feel very at ease with all day long. And again, make sure they are taking the photos you want in the style you want. Not every photographer is the same, and it will show in the end. And as far as video goes, don’t overspend. I may be biased on this because it’s what I do, but you have to ask yourself, if you want to spend $5,000 – $10,000 Hollywood movie about your wedding that only lasts 30 minutes, or do you want to spend $1,500 – $3,000 on a documentary about your wedding that shows things as they happened and the DVD is 2 hours long? This is a personal choice about style, but it’s an important to think about.

Also take into consideration if you are highering a large company that does 5 weddings a day with different teams, or are you talking to the actual person at your wedding because they are a two person company and the only wedding they worry about that day is your wedding?

Limos

I don’t have much advice about limos. For the most part, they get you from point A to point B. The important things to think about are who will be in the limo(s), and what can you afford. Most packages start at 3 hours, we have added onto that for our wedding just to make sure they don’t have to get up and go. I have heard and seen some rude limo drivers. The best thing to do is ask other people who they used and if they were nice or not. We are renting two vehicles for our wedding. One is a 8 Passenger limo for the parents, and the other is a limo bus so that the whole wedding party can be together. Again, this all comes down to what you want and what you can afford. However, don’t wait to the last minute. If you are having a wedding in June, so are a 100 other people that day and they all need limos. As soon as you know your locations and your times, book your limo.

Flowers

Now I am not a florist, and nor could I tell you what colors certain flowers are, all I can tell you is that you need flowers. You need to make an appointment for this, so call ahead. Flowers need to match your color scheme and your wallet. Get what you can afford and don’t over spend. At then end of the day, no one will be talking about how lovely the flowers were, or at least they shouldn’t. And if you are looking to save on your flowers go to Stop & Shop or any supermarket that has a florist. It’s a florist, they do weddings, and they cost less.

Cake

This another don’t over spend moment. The keys are that it taste great, looks good, doesn’t fall over, and you can cut it and throw it in each others faces. My best friend tricked everyone with his cake. The cake that everyone saw them cut wasn’t even the actual cake. It was all cardboard except for the part that they cut. Afterwords, they wheeled the cake in the back and there they had a regular sheet cake that they cut up and served. I had that idea for 2 years.

The Little Stuff

This is the point where I realize why there are books about this stuff, not just small little Internet articles. But I have to tell you that the amount of little things that need to happen are never ending. You will be doing check lists up until the night of the wedding. What is a good idea is to actually write down a check list with your future spouse everyday, divide the tasks and finish them. You will feel less stressed and you will get a lot done.

Helpful Links

WeddingReports.com – A CT and NY area vendor list for vendors

The Knot – Country Wide vendor listings

Keith Michael Productions, LLC – My business web site for video services

I feel that a man’s (or a woman’s) order at the bar dictates a lot about their character, background, and personality. Think about the air of class that surrounds someone who can confidently approach a barkeep and order their drink properly. I tend to oscillate a bit between enjoying a Manhattan — that delicious mixture of whiskey, cherry juice and sweet vermouth — and the martini — that stately and potent favorite of Mr. Bond’s.

While at one point in the United States whiskey cocktails, like the aforementioned Manhattan, were the most popular choice, whiskey cocktails have somewhat fallen out of fashion, and martinis have become the more popular choice. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to assume that both gin- and vodka-based martinis deserve the name “Martini” though some would argue that the latter should carry its own classification.

The History
The history of the martini is subject to debate: an oft-referred to story suggests that it was invented for a passing miner in the town of Martinez, California. The bartender mixed up some mysterious potion, dropped in an olive, and named it after the man’s town. Later books would include recipes for this “martinez” featuring bitters, cherry juice, sweet vermouth and gin — a far cry from the simple elegance of the modern martini. I decided to only feature this account for the sake of simplicity, but there are plenty of others available to inquiring minds on the internet.

The Ingredients
The standard martini consists of a mixture gin or vodka and dry vermouth. These ingredients are chilled with ice and poured into a cocktail glass, and finished with a garnish. But there is more to each of these ingredients, and differing preferences among them makes for some of the complication in ordering a martini.

Liquor
The traditional martini, as I mentioned, is made with gin. But modern experimentation has resulted in a decline in the use of gin in these drinks, and its subsequent replacement with vodka. Either can be used in the modern martini, complicating the order by requiring the gin or vodka modifier. You might also hear a vodka martini called a Kangaroo

Vodka is at once the simplest and most refined of spirits. Made from grains, potatoes, and sometimes even molasses, it is distilled, diluted with water, and filtered to create a liquid that is nearly devoid of outside flavor influences. Flavored vodka is available, but these flavorings are added after the distillation process, and after the flavor has been established. Vodka quality is typically associated with purity, and most vodka manufacturers will tout the number of times that their vodka is filtered. There has been a new cold war of sorts with these super- and super-duper- premium vodkas, claiming to achieve new levels of purity. Personally, if you are enjoying a vodka martini, I recommend not to go with an inexpensive brand to save a few dollars, certainly nothing that falls on the shelf below Absolut or Stolichnaya . Experiment with a friendly bartender and find a brand that suits you in cost and smoothness — while some super duper premium brands sustain their position with little more than marketing fluff, there is a definite and discernible difference between well vodkas and more premium varieties.

Gin is a distilled beverage that is made from grain. Gin starts its life as grain alcohol, like the Everclear that ambitious college students use to strengthen sweet punches for social gatherings. From this inglorious origin, the brew is then steamed through a mixture of what are called botanicals. Botanicals are akin to the Colonel’s blend of herbs and spices, delightful dried ingredients like juniper berries and lemon peels that infuse the gin with a range of flavors. Gin was created as a patent medicine, but soon spread in popularity, becoming at one point the most consumed spirit in England. At the peak of gin’s popularity, there were a variety of gins available, including a number of sweet gins, but those are more difficult to find now, and the gin used in martinis is London Dry Gin. Gin is my own preference in martinis, the orchestra of flavors I find to be so much more inviting and enjoyable than the plain-faced cousin vodka. I am often asked “what is the best kind of gin?” since I enjoy it so much. This may come as a shock, but I am actually less picky in my gin preferences than my vodka preferences, since each well-made gin offers a unique flavor experience. That said, when given my choice, I prefer the Plymouth Gin, a gin that stands alone in its unique flavor profile. A slightly less expensive option for any of my budget minded friends is Bombay Sapphire, which also has some remarkable depth in flavor.

Vermouth
Vermouth is a fortified wine, or a wine that has had liquor added to it to increase the proof or improve the flavor. Like gin, vermouth is made whole with a mixture of botanicals and flavors. Also similar to its partner, it started life as a tonic for health. Sweet vermouth, used in cocktails such as the Manhattan are made from red wines and originated in Italy. Dry vermouth, a French creation, is less sweet. Martinis almost exclusively feature dry vermouth, though there are some rebels who prefer the sweet variety in their martinis. Vermouth has been de-emphasized as an ingredient, and many ask for a martini without any at all. More on this later.

Garnish
The traditional garnish for a martini is the olive, usually of the green sort, though a lemon peel is also common with a vodka martini. The lemon peel is twisted above the glass to allow the oils to gently spray the surface of the beverage, imparting a subtle flavor. Also popular are cocktail onions, limes, capers and olives stuffed with cheese, pepper or anchovy. The latter is typically a special of a particular establishment, and not something you should intend to order at any run-of-the-mill gin mill. Personally, that is as far as I am willing to go, I find that garnishes beyond these change the drink into something different, and go outside of the spirit of the classic martini.

Ice
Part of the charm of a martini is the intense iciness of the beverage, but this can also be a point of contention. A traditional martini is stirred with ice, strained into a cocktail glass and garnished, but it can also be shaken. Some people will tell you that a shaken martini “bruises” the vodka, but most of those same people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in a blind taste test. There is a difference though. A shaken martini typically contains more water, and has a more balanced taste throughout.

Recently, a friend has pointed me in the direction of a silly study that claims that shaken drinks are higher in antioxidants, that there are additional health benefits to this preparation. Personally, I like to keep health out of my cocktail glass, to try and discern help benefits from my drinks would make me no better than a patent medicine consumer. Martinis can also be served with ice in a standard glass. This is known as “on the rocks” while strained is also known as “up”.

Time to Make Your Order
So, here we are. You know the difference between gin and vodka, sweet and dry vermouth, and “up” and “on the rocks”.

So, now it is time to order your first martini. The first part of your order is your vermouth preference. If you do not specify, the bartender will add what they think to be an appropriate amount of vermouth, (likely about a 1/2 oz for every 2 1/2 oz of liquor). If you say a dry, the bartender will add less, usually depending on how creative you are in your description.

Many modern martini drinkers like less vermouth than the classic recipe, and think of creative and literary ways to banish the vermouth for a more straight-up flavor, such as “kick the vermouth in the side with a pair of steel-toed boots” or “wave the bottle of vermouth over the cocktail” or “glance in the direction of France” or “write the word vermouth in an email and BCC the martini.”

This is also a good time to mention if you want your martini “dirty”. This involves actually putting olive juice into the mixture, good if you don’t mind a somewhat briny flavor.

Next, specify your liquor preference. You can do this by brand name or by spirit. So you could say “Vodka Martini”, “Gin Martini”, “Ketel One Martini”, “Plymouth Gin Martini”, or whichever your spirit of choice is.

Finally, tell the bartender your ice and garnish preferences. If your martini isn’t on the rocks, it is called “up”

So, your order would start out I’d like a (dirty/dry/etc) (brand) (vodka/gin) martini. Next, specify how you would like it chilled (on the rocks/up/shaken/stirred). Finally, your garnish (olive/twist/onion)

Or as I would say, I’d like a Dirty Plymouth Gin Martini, up with olives. Cheers!

–Lestud

Since we’re so influenced by the immigrants that make up this country, its awfully hard to really credit much of anything to our continent exclusively. When searching for “American cuisine” the best thing to do is to look at the native foods that the earliest inhabitants of this landmass survived on.

One such food native to the Americas is the squash family. Known as marrow in some other cultures, squashes belong to the genus Cucurbita, under which four species, maxima, mixta, pepo, and moschata comprise the squashes, pumpkins and gourds that you are used to seeing in your supermarket. Squashes are actually a special sort of berry, one that forms an outer rind.

Squashes were first domesticated in South and Central America, and made their way northward, eventually gaining a spot in the Native American’s coveted “Three Sisters” group with beans and corn, replacing the sassy, hard to work with diva, waxed beans (okay, I made that wax bean thing up). The Three Sisters were actually the three major crops of the Native Americans, each complimenting the other by providing shade, nutrients, or a place to climb. This is called companion planting, and is still practiced as a in organic gardening.

Squash can be divided into two major groups (some say three, but let’s not get too complicated). The classification is essentially dependent on when they are harvested, and subsequently what level of maturity they are consumed at. Those groups are the tender summer squashes, and the hearty winter squashes.

Next: Summer Squash.

This morning, on my way to the subway (Grattan Street for you locals, near the Morgan L), I was greeted by a new portrait: one of the presidential hopeful and current Junior Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama. I prefer my posts to steer clear of politics, largely because I’m such a politician myself that I don’t like to show my cards and reveal what I feel to be personal preferences or opinions. But I am not ashamed to say that I love the excitement that Barack Obama has been able to generate across racial and demographic lines.

Perhaps the reason that many of these murals were painted some time ago is, while there have been candidates for the presidency that have created excitement and broad-based support,  it has been some time since there was a candidate that so many individuals were willing to invest their aspirations in. Since this was an non-commissioned piece of guerilla artwork, we’ll see if the owners of the building decide to let the tribute stand. If he doesn’t clinch the nomination, it will certainly come to stand as a curiosity.

Some photos for your enjoyment, courtesy of Heather Waelchli: