The ABC Life Blog

2 points – IRVING, Texas

IRVING is about 30 miles from where we live but neither of us had ever been there. Fortunately, the IRVING ARTS CENTER had a SOME ILLUSTRATOR! Exhibit that featured pictures by Melissa Sweet. It was an instant love connection for us. We both were captivated by her work and loved how the exhibit was put together, with her illustrations and each book so beautifully entwined – so much so that we plan to buy a book or two so we can continue to admire her work. As a bonus, we also walked through the Ed Wheeler: Santa Classics exhibit, where the artist creatively inserts Santa into famous masterpieces. It was a lot of fun to walk through this exhibit and we both felt energized by the humor and whimsy on display. Plus, a few of the paintings changed from the original “masterpiece” look to the Santa replacement depending on where you stood. We will definitely be back to visit this Gallery again!

 1 point: ICE CREAM Tastings

ICE CREAM is a true passion for these sisters so we needed no persuasion to sample several “new to us” ice cream shops. First up was Howdy Homemade Ice Cream, started by Tom Landis, who believes everyone has the right to realize their potential and thus mainly hires special needs young adults. Dr. Pepper Chocolate Chip ice cream was touted as the leading flavor so Laura gave it a try, while Barbara tasted the Ninja Turtle flavor, which is likened to Mint Chocolate Chip. Next up was Sprinkles Ice Cream, which encourages you to try their ice cream crowned with a cupcake top or sprinkled with cupcake crumbs. We did, but regretted it. The mixture of ice cream and cake was a definite turn off for both of us. Our third try was iCream Café, a liquid nitrogen shop, where you select the elements of your treat and, in essence, create your own flavors. These concoctions tasted great but we’re not totally sold on the health aspects of liquid nitrogen. Our best ice cream tasting turned out to be back in IRVING at the Big State Fountain Grill. Our chocolate shake and chocolate malt were delicious!

2 points – IDENTITY, INHERITANCE and Artificial INSEMINATION

We recently had lunch with a few friends and discussed the book Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity and Love by Dani Shapiro.  Having recently discovered that one of her parents wasn’t her biological parent, this 50+ year old author’s memoir raised a host of questions, among them: how much does what you “inherit” from your parents’ genes account for who you really are; is lying ever the better choice than the truth; does shared DNA guarantee connection; and what responsibility does a donor owe the person who was the recipient of their sperm? But to both of us, the most important takeaway was the whole issue of artificial insemination and how it has changed over the past decades and what it will mean in the future.

2 points – Movie Theme – INCARCERATION

Laura: I didn’t expect to like the film, Shot Caller. In fact, I was almost certain I would abort about 10 minutes in. But the acting and the intensity of the message kept my interest. It’s a film about a successful businessman who is sent to prison after causing a car accident that had dire consequences. What I found different about this film (whose story line was fairly typical: good guy goes to prison and turns into a bad guy, etc.) was the way it clearly and convincingly showed how – and why – a person in prison can change into someone else. It was fascinating to see the hierarchy of power behind bars played out. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, best known for his role as Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones, did a great job playing a man who must reinvent himself to survive.

2 points: Activity on IMPRESSIONISM

This month we tried out another activity group offered by Newcomer Friends of Greater Plano – Art Appreciation. Neither of us knows anything about art but we do know what we like and what we don’t and we are both interested in learning about some of the classical artists. Barbara sat through a semester of Art History in college but came out with very little knowledge (that cute guy she sat next to could have had something to do with this) and so getting together with a small group of women who had the same interest was appealing to both of us. At this first meeting we discussed an Impressionist, Vincent Van Gogh. Each of us brought our favorite picture of his and we watched an extremely clever animated film about his life called Loving Vincent, which is the world’s first fully oil painted feature film. Each of the film’s 65,000 frames is an oil painting on canvas in the style of Van Gogh.

Just incredible. We’ve got high hopes for this group and are looking forward to the next artist.

2 points: New author: EOWYN IVEY

Barbara – I’ve come to realize that the enjoyment of a book sometimes has a lot to do with the mood you are in. If I were restless and just needed something to read that I didn’t have to think too much about, I would not have enjoyed my “I” book this month. But fortunately I was in just the right mood to appreciate “The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey. This is a lovely novel based upon a very old Russian fairy tale about a snow child that comes to life. It’s a book that somehow had a calming and peaceful effect on me and I definitely recommend it.

2 points: Movie theme: Immigrants

The whole topic of Illegal immigrants is so political right now that I don’t really want to get into it strongly. A Better Life was about a single father in America illegally with his teenage son. He has been struggling to make a better life for him and his son and finally started to do so by buying a gardeners truck and tools with money borrowed from his sister. It was nice to see the pride in his eyes when he got it, even though he knew if he got a ticket or was stopped for any reason it could mean trouble for him. I won’t give away the course of events. What I will say is it gave one a greater sensitivity to how illegal immigrants live, what prejudices they face, etc. and it did serve to reshape my opinion about things. Definitely worth watching

2 points: Activity

In keeping with the theme of immigrants, we went to another meeting of our Tales from abroad group to learn a little more about Poland from a woman who immigrated to the United States as an adult. We had actually learned quite a bit about Poland from our trip there in 2015 when we were on a quest to learn more about our father’s origins. We even had a private tour to his home city, Tarnow. At this week’s meeting our host Anna dressed in a traditional country outfit and cooked some dishes we hadn’t had before – beet soup and a type of cabbage stew. It was fun going back to our roots once again.

2 points – New food

“I” month was the perfect time to finally try an Indian restaurant. A friend recommended we try the lunch buffet at the Maharaja Restaurant so we could sample a variety of dishes. Everything we tasted had great flavor but overall the spice level was too high for us (we are lightweights after all). It would have been far more helpful had we invited our friend to join us and guide the way through the unfamiliar.

2 points – Activity

Crafts have never been our strong point. Ask us to discuss a book? We’re there. Come over for a game? Absolutely. See a movie? We’ll do a double feature. But suggest we do a craft? After we stop laughing and realize you’re serious, we’d break out in a cold sweat.

But in the spirit of H month we attended a group meeting of Handmade by Me through Newcomer Friends of Greater Plano. The project for the month was to craft an angel ornament out of a tie. There was sewing, cutting and gluing involved. But with a little help from the leader – ok, a lot of help – we managed to make a respectable tree ornament (2^nd and 3^rd angels from the right) and Barbara’s wound up on her son’s first Xmas tree of his own. Who knows – more crafts might be in our future!

2 points – New author: CATHERINE RYAN HYDE

Laura: Thank you ABC life! Because of “H” month, I’ve discovered the author Catherine Ryan HYDE when I read the heartwarming YA novel: Have You Seen Luis Velez. More good news…she has 36 books. Now, I’m not going to read all of them but I will try a few more, especially when I need a lift and a thought-provoking escape. Although this book is uplifting, it’s not a fluff piece. There are several serious issues presented within the context of a story about the relationship between a teenager who feels he doesn’t fit in anywhere and his 92-year old blind neighbor, Mildred Gutermann. I took several notes while reading this book because I didn’t want to forget the “lessons” and wisdom it shared.

1 point – Learning Center

Barbara – You don’t hear this one used much anymore but I had wondered about the expression “Hair of the Dog.” The full phrase is actually hair of the dog that bit you. The meaning is an alcoholic drink intended to cure a hangover, mistakenly because it was thought that a small bit of the same drink that made you drunk will sober you up.

The origin was from a crazy belief in the 16^th century that if a rabid dog bit you, a cure could be made by applying a hair from the same dog to your wound. How many people do you think got bitten a second time, trying to pull a hair off that rabid dog!

December is always a busy time of the year, so it’s a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle to just sit back and read or watch a movie.

2 points – New author: A.S.A. HARRISON

Barbara: One of my memories from when we were young was of our mom watching a TV show and yelling at a character if she was about to do something stupid. For example, Lost in Space had a female character and every time someone would specifically say, “don’t go into that room no matter what you do,” you just knew she was going to go in there. And that’s when we would hear our mother yelling at the TV.

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. HARRISON reminds me of that. I find myself yelling at one of the characters “are you stupid or what?” and other more stringent comments. The book is a fast read and engaging. Nothing heavy but it keeps one wondering about the resolution. And it definitely reconfirmed for me that I really enjoy a book that swings back and forth between character viewpoints/chapters.

2 points – Movie Theme – HOMELESSNESS

Laura: I enjoyed watching Same Kind of Different as Me, while at the same time recognizing that it relied too heavily on stereotyping and tear-jerking moments. It’s based on the story of a wealthy, white art dealer, Ron Hall, and his wife Deborah, who are seeking to save their marriage by saving the homeless. Their efforts are focused on Denver, a black man who changes from a violent thug into a loving, forgiving, wise man who teaches others we’re all the same under the skin. I had hoped to learn more about specific issues and challenges the homeless face, but this movie had a more narrow focus. The Halls had lofty goals and are to be greatly admired but I felt the way their story was presented was too sugar-coated to swallow whole.

HOT Dogs and HOLIDAY Drinks

2 points – New Restaurant: Dog HAUS

If you’ve had a love affair with hot dogs since childhood (oh those dogs at the Dodger games), it’s very tempting to read about a place that offers “gourmet hot dogs.” In fact, their motto over the name on the door is “The Absolute Wurst.” So off we went to sample a few things at the Dog HAUS in Richardson. We tried the Scott Baioli, which had caramelized onions, cheese sauce and garlic aoli and the Cowboy, a combination of cheese sauce, bbq sauce, bacon and crispy onions. The dogs were great and the sweet potatoes even better.

1 point – HOLIDAY Drinks

And what is this season’s food without a HOLIDAY drink or two? We each tried one that was new to us. Earlier this month we had attended our monthly Tales From Abroad event and were treated to the interesting and often hilarious stories of one of the club’s members who, with her husband, spent months on a season’s reality show in Sweden. Of course, the Swedish mulled wine drink Glogg was served – new to Laura. Then, at one of our book club’s (Bookies) holiday lunch and book exchange, Barbara tried a new drink – Poinsettia, which is champagne and cranberry juice. The Glogg and Poinsettia were very different from each other, but both were delicious in their own way.  Cheers!

Although the ABC Life is all about trying new things, there’s something to be said for old traditions. Thanksgiving is one of our very favorite holidays for that reason. The “kids” come in and traditions abound:

1. Feast at Barbara’s house
2. After we’re too stuffed to move, we play poker to determine the Friday movie
3. Leftovers plus Honey Baked Ham at Laura’s
4. Friday evening game or mystery night
5. Saturday brunch with close family friends.

Here are some memories of Murder Mystery Night.

Gobble gobble everyone!

To restart our G pursuits, we headed off to visit a new area and a new restaurant.

2 points: GRANITE PARK and GOOD UNION BBQ

Granite Park is a not so new but new to us section of our city. Designed to resemble a waterfront oasis, it has shops, restaurants, a Hilton Hotel and businesses but its main draw is The Boardwalk. Complete with wooden planks and beach chairs and tables assembled by the edge of the pond, it creates a genuine feeling of a boardwalk.

In keeping with G month, we chose to eat at the Good Union BBQ, which touts locally sourced food and craft drinks and has ample outdoor seating to enjoy the Boardwalk vibe.  Our brisket sandwich was tasty and we were introduced to Maine Root beverages, which are organic sodas that use 100% organic sugar cane from Brazil as the sweetener. We tried the Mandarin Orange – light and delicious.

2 points: New author

Sometimes you can surprise yourself by liking something unexpectedly. We found the book “All the Ugly and Wonderful Things” by Bryn Greenwood to be fascinating and captivating. It was a provocative story about the relationship between the daughter of meth dealing parents and one of the father’s cohorts. As one of the reviews says, “The whole premise should be off-limits, but strangely, it’s not.”  We’re trying to give nothing away so it’s hard to say much here. The book was definitely influenced by the life experiences of the author whose father was a meth dealer. The author believes that “Not everybody has a nice, neat suburban childhood, but they deserve to see their experiences mirrored in fiction as much as anybody.” This story reinforced our belief that so much more can be learned by listening to and seeing the world from another person’s perspective. Understanding is not the same thing as accepting but it definitely stretches your range of emotions.

We started our G month with enthusiasm but our choices greeted us with disappointment.

2 points – Activity: GALLERY reGRETS

We went to see Speechless: different by design at the Dallas Museum of Art. This new exhibit aims to bring together various ways we connect with the world through multisensory and interactive experiences. Its goal is to provide new perspectives on how we can communicate. While we both enjoy abstract art, this exhibit did not capture our hearts or heads for that matter. There needed to be more explanation for the visitor and although there was a room that attempted to do this each of the six artists’ thoughts, it was disjointed and hard to piece together. It would have been more meaningful and instructive to have each design’s story and intent in the room where it was showcased. If the goal of “speechless” was to let each person come to his or her own conclusion, it still left a lot to be desired.  But that is only our opinion. The beautiful thing about art is that everyone’s interpretation is unique and personal.

1 point – GOURMET GRAZING

One of the local supermarkets advertised a free entertaining expo with samples of extraordinary holiday finds. We were intrigued and headed out but were sadly turned off. There were just a few samples and they were nothing out of the ordinary. Plus, this market always has samples so it was no different than normal and their advertising made it seem as if it would be.

1 point – GAME STORE

We learned that there was a gaming group meetup at Doc’s Comics and Games and thought we’d get a peek into the world of video gamers. It turned out to be board games which we would have enjoyed even more as we have always loved playing them. However all the board games were like a video game on a board – all fantasy and role playing. I guess the game world has passed us by. But we’re glad that the younger generation is actually meeting their “playmates” in person rather than in cyberspace.

2 points – Books

All Barbara’s F books were  Failures but Laura made up for it with two good ones:

I Liked My Life by Abby FABIASCHI

This may be my favorite book read so far this year. The writing is smart, witty at times and full of “truisms” – those nuggets that stop you and make you think. It’s about motherhood, marriage and relationships – and it’s also about suicide, grief and loss. It’s hard to believe this is her debut novel but I certainly hope it won’t be long until I can read another Fabiaschi book. Discovering new authors is another great reason to pursue The ABC Life and, in this case, the author not only writes beautifully but is a human rights advocate and has co-founded Empower Her Network, an organization that helps survivors of human trafficking.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. FINN

This well-written suspense thriller is about a New York child psychologist who suffers from agoraphobia. Anna hasn’t left her house in months and spends most of her time watching old movies and spying on her neighbors. One day she witnesses a terrible crime in the house across the park (shades of Hitchcock’s Rear Window) and things spiral out of control. In the age of the #MeToo movement, there’s a recognizable thread that no one believes Anna. Another debut novel, but this time the author is less than broadly admired by his peers. His real name is Dan Mallory and his story is even more bizarre than most fiction, with lies and embellishments part of his daily persona. He has generated quite the scandal within the publishing world.

1 point – Learning Center

Laura: FOLD and Shake

Well, actually it’s Shake and FOLD – a movement that the GREENWorks organization says will save 286 tons of trash or 571,230,000 paper towels every year. I’m up for that so I learned the Shake and Fold method to do my part. It’s all about paper towels and using only one paper towel to dry your hand in public restrooms, rather than using several as most of use usually do. You shake the water from your hands 12 times and then take one paper towel, fold it once and then dry your hands. I’ve tried it several times and it works!

Barbara: FESTIVUS For the Rest of Us

Laura and I are major Seinfeld fans and in keeping with one of their episodes about an alternative holiday to the commercialism of Christmas, we went several years ago to a Festivus celebration at a winery. So I thought I’d see if there was anything behind this holiday and there was. Festivus was conceived by author Daniel O’Keefe and was celebrated by his family as early as 1966, resulting in his son writing the Seinfeld episode.  Festivus includes the “Airing of Grievances” during the main meal, where you can tell each person all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year. This is followed by  the “Feats of Strength” involving wrestling the host to the floor. A tall Festivus pole replaces the traditional Christmas tree. So if you’re looking to make a change this holiday season and you don’t mind arguments and body contact, Festivus might be for you.

Time to move Forward. Farewell to F and soon-to-be Greetings to G!