I LOVE to read. I read whatever I can get my hands on, from novels to fluff gossip magazines. Admittedly, I haven't read some of the classics, which I hope to change over the summer.

I'm not sure who compiled this list, but it names the following Ten Books To Read Before You Die:

1. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

2. Lord of the Rings (the series), by J.R.R. Tolkien

3. Harry Potter (the series), by J.K. Rowling

4. The Stand, by Stephen King

5. The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown

6. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

7. Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown

8. Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand

9. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

10. The Ultimate Hitchers Guid to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

Out of the 10 books listed, I've read...three, but have seen a few of the others in movie form. What about you? Have you read the books referenced in the list? Which was your favorite? And if you could amend the list, which would you add or take away?

Have you seen MSNBC's To Catch A Predator? In case you haven't, here is a synopsis of the show:

The premise of “To Catch a Predator” is that someone poses as an underage girl/or boy in an Internet chat room and then lures men who want to meet them to a house. Instead of finding the girl/boy, they are confronted by the TV show’s host and a camera crew.

I've watched a few episodes with my kids, and was pretty disgusted as fathers, teachers, judges, attorney's, and "men of God", would get busted over and over again.

One such man that was greeted by the show's host, instead of a minor was Louis W. Conradt, Jr., an assistant district attorney in Rockwall County, Texas. The local police decided to arrest him at his home after he failed to show up at the prearranged house...and it was all going to be filmed for an upcoming episode. Conradt took his own life as the police and camera crews entered his house.

Conradt’s sister sued NBC Universal, alleging it is responsible for her brother’s death and the harm to his reputation and name, according to court papers. NBC SETTLED!!

This just seems like a classic "killing the messenger". If anyone was responsible for harming this man's reputation and name, it was the man Louis W. Conradt, Jr., who not only sustained a suggestive "chat" with a minor, but pre-arranged to meet for a tryst...with a child.

What do you think? Should NBC Universal have settled the lawsuit? Or was this man the only one responsible for the harming of his reputation? Do you think television shows like "To Catch a Predator" are performing a needed service, or is it just entrapment?

It is now summer and if you live in the Los Angeles area, you know how hot it's been. It's almost as if summer wanted to make it's presence very clear.

The fact that its June means that we are half-way through 2008. Is this year going by super fast, or is it just me? Anyway, the time has come. It is time to reflect on where we are with respect to the New Year's resolutions we made for 2008.

For 2008, my resolutions were:

1.) I will surround myself with people that are genuine, that love and don't hurt; enrich my life and not strip away from it; and help me believe in love and humanity again.

2.) I will continue to make my children the focus of my life and strive to make them the best adults they can possibly be.

3.) I will cook more often and eat out less often.

4.) I will find time for "me" and find myself once again.

5.) I will be more active and exercise more.

For me, they are all still a work in progress, but I'm happy to report serious progress on all five resolutions. I no longer associate with toxic people, which was a huge priority for me. My children and I continue to bond over music, and even though they make fun of my 80's obsession, they had a BALL at the Save New Wave concert last night, which featured five tribute bands, to include Oingo Boingo, New Order, The Cure, The Smiths, and Depesche Mode.

We Mothertalkers all reflected on our New Year's resolutions back in March, and I think it's time to do it again.

How are you doing on your New Year's resolutions?

Hypermiling: A set of techniques and practices that seek to maximize a vehicle's fuel efficiency through careful and calculated driving.

I don't know about you, but getting behind the wheel of my car has become a panic inducing event. I check how much gas I have, how much the price of gas has increased since the last time I filled up, and finally try to determine whether or not I actually have to make the trip. It's awful...and it doesn't look like it's going to get better any time soon.

Eight years ago, when our current president took office, gas prices were approximately $1.47/gallon. With gas prices nearing $5.00/gallon, it's hard to remember those days.

According to this article, there are ways to maximize your car's efficiency with "hypermiling":

Keep a record of your gas millage. By using your odometer to track miles per tank, you can develop a sense of your car's consumption over time and adjust accordingly.

Take note of your own driving habits. The fundamental principle of hypermiling is to use all of your car's energy to generate forward momentum. By leaving ample space between yourself and the car in front of you, there is enough time to coast to a stop and avoid stepping on the brakes.

Avoid standing still with the engine running. Traffic lights are the biggest cause of this. If you see a red light in front of you, take your foot off the gas and let your car coast up to it. Sitting in traffic should also be avoided. Though a very advanced technique, hypermilers practice riding the "waves and jams" caused by congestion to minimize time accelerating, decelerating, and sitting stopped.

Accelerate gradually, over a greater distance. The longer your take to achieve a speed, the less fuel it will require to get there. In many cars, using cruise control to slowly approach the desired speed will help regulate accelerations.

This site, also offers 100 Driving and Car Tips to get the maximum mileage from your car. It's worth a read. For example, did you know that you could improve your mileage by 25% if you park so that you can pull forward rather than wasting gas backing up? Or that by following the speed limit and swearing off aggressive driving (rapid acceleration and deceleration), you could improve your mpg from 12% to 55%? Or that an additional 19% improvement can be achieved, it is claimed, by merely keeping a car properly maintained?

With my car averaging about 15/mpg, I find myself constantly at hypermiling sites, trying to find ways to improve my mpg. Are you a hypermiler? Do you have any tips to offer on ways to improve your current mpg? What are you doing to survive the outrageous gas prices?

The latest commercials for the Nintendo DS Lite, don't feature little boys and girls; instead, they feature America Ferrera, Carrie Underwood and Liv Tyler. The reason is that this portable video gaming system is being marketed to women. Aside from the fact that they're sleek, cute, and come in very trendy colors, I couldn't possibly see how a woman could use one...until I got one of my own.

The Nintendo DS Lite, comes with numerous features, including a double screen, Wi-Fi connection, a touch screen, a microphone port, and a wireless network. They also have hundreds of games. On those nights that I have difficulty sleeping, I pull out my little DS, and play the Crosswords game, until I get sleepy. The games the kids enjoy playing are Pet Pals, and Zoo Hospital. The game provides you with the symptoms, and you have to figure out what's wrong with your animal patient. When Cristian asked what a bowel obstruction was, I knew he was really enjoying the game!

I recently ordered a few games for myself, including Let's Yoga, which is described as follows:

Let’s Yoga is a full-scale instructional game for the Nintendo DS that helps you take advantage of yoga in your everyday routine. Learn how to perform poses and breathing techniques to improve your mood, deal with everyday stress, and enjoy your life more. With detailed and easy-to-understand instructions and videos for up to 80 poses, including many you can do at your desk, Let’s Yoga is truly a portable and effective fitness solution!

And Let's Pilates, which is described as follows:

Now you can learn how to do Pilates, a body conditioning routine that focuses on building flexibility, strength, endurance and coordination without adding muscle bulk. With Let's Pilates you can train anywhere, anytime without needing a class or a TV!

Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Needless to say, I'm getting a lot of use from my new little gadget!

Since I could remember, I've had trouble sleeping. It wasn't much of a problem when I was younger; I mean, I could function on three hours sleep! But now that I'm older, I'm beginning to feel it. My routine is always the same, I sit behind my television waiting to get sleepy. I'm normally there until way past midnight, at which point I get up and go to bed. I lay there with my eyes wide open, waiting to fall to sleep. I turn to look at the clock in my bed, and it's already close to 2am, then I drift off to sleep. Sometimes I wake up at around 4am in a panic, hoping I didn't over-sleep. When I realize I haven't over-slept, I sleep for a couple of hours (with one eye open), and finally get out of bed by 6am. It's exhausting.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, people slept an average of 10 hours a night before the light bulb was invented. Now, Americans average 6.9 hours a night.

The lack of sleep can result in several different problems, to include making bad decisions, and possibly falling asleep behind the wheel, to physical consequences, such as weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, depression and substance abuse.

My lack of sleep always results in my getting emotional. After a while, I just start begging God for a good night's sleep and start to make deals with whomever I can! It gets ugly.

Some people will resort to mild sedatives like Ambien and Lunesta. But, I have heard horror stories of people taking Ambien! In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked the makers of these sedatives to strengthen their warning labels. This action followed reports of dangerous allergic reactions, as well as a host of bizarre behavioral side effects that include sleep-driving, making phone calls, and preparing and eating food or having sex while asleep.

What about you? How many hours of sleep do you average? What do you do to prepare yourself for sleep?

As for me, I'm going to try, yet again, to get a good night's sleep tonight. Wish me luck.

Father's Day is fast approaching, and I don't know what to give my ex-husband. He's mostly a great father, and gets extra points for enthusiasm. He loves my son as if he were his father, and for that I will be forever grateful.

On the other hand, I have "lovingly" referred to my son's biological father as a "sperm donor", as he is not actively involved in the raising of my amazing child. Sure, I get that child support payment every month, AND Cristian is provided with insurance benefits...but that's only because the court MADE. HIM. DO. IT.

According to this article, fatherhood statistics are...well...lacking.

Worldwide, 10% to 40% of children grow up in households with no father at all.
In the U.S., more than half of divorced fathers lose contact with their kids within a few years. By the end of 10 years, as many as two-thirds of them have drifted out of their children's lives.
According to a 1994 study by the Children's Defense Fund, men are more likely to default on a child-support payment (49%) than a used-car payment (3%).
Even fathers in intact families spend a lot less time focused on their kids than they think: in the U.S. fathers average less than an hour a day (up from 20 minutes a few decades ago), usually squeezed in after the workday.

Sad, isn't it?

What about mom? Well, according to this article, stay-at-home mothers should be compensated $117,000.00/year, which is mostly for overtime work; with work weeks averaging about 94.4 hours. If you're a working mom, you should be compensated $68,405.00.

You can go HERE, and insert your personal information to see how much YOU'RE worth.

What do you think? Are the fathers in your life different from the statistics stated? What are you planning on giving them for father's day? And...what do you think YOU'RE worth?

Have you seen the latest Dunkin' Donuts television commercial featuring Rachel Ray? Well, you ain't gonna either. It's been pulled. According to Conservative Fox News journalist, Michelle Malkin, the scarf Rachel Ray was wearing on the television spot resembled a kiffiyeh, which is Middle Eastern garb that is "popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos."

Malkin also called the scarves "distinctive hate couture."

Dunkin' Donuts Senior Vice President for Communications Margie Myers went on the defensive and issued their "We're not terrorists!" statement saying the scarf "was selected by a stylist for the advertising shoot. Absolutely no symbolism was intended."

Then, they pulled the ad.

Hmmm...first it was Obama's flag pin (or lack thereof), then Hillary's statement using the assassination of Robert Kennedy to defend her decision to stay in the race against Barack Obama. Now this? When are the REAL issues going to be discussed? What do you think?

It has been four years since the HBO series Sex and the City has been off the air. This Friday is the premier of the Sex and the City movie, and I'm VERY excited.

"We can't remember the last time a movie has created so much anticipation among female moviegoers from their 20s through their 40s," said Harry Medved, a spokesman for Fandango, the online movie ticket site.

Medved said many women seem to be planning to go in groups. "We are getting a surprising number of requests for group ticket sales from women planning 'Sex and the City' get-togethers," he said.

The Arclight Cinema in Hollywood, a movie theater I frequent is promoting a 21+ screening of the movie, offering the following:

Party Package Includes: One regular admission 21+ ticket, a reservation in the ArcLight café/bar, two cocktails (featuring SKYY cosmopolitans & martinis), savory & sweet heavy appetizers*, a "Sex and the City" fedora and logo martini glass, all taxes and gratuity included.

Party tickets are available for the all inclusive price of $60 and may be purchased online by clicking here and selecting one of the 21+ Party Show dates and times listed above. Admission restricted to those age 21 and over; valid ID required.

*The menu will include mini NY style pizzas and hot dogs, Chinese noodles in mini-takeout boxes with chopsticks, grilled summer vegetables, babaganoush and hummus with pita chips, pastry bites and Susina cupcakes.

YUM!

I underestimated the calling of the show and found that opening weekend was SOLD OUT. I'm still going to see it...but without all the bells and whistles featured at the Arclight.

According to this article, 94 percent of ticket buyers for the movie were women.

"This movie really will be a paternity test for R-rated female-driven romantic comedies," said analyst Jeff Bock of box office tracker Reel Source. "There haven't been a lot of movies like this." Bock predicts the movie will have a strong opening weekend, then a big drop-off. "There's no getting around that this is a film oriented to women and gay men," he said. "It will be very hard to get past that, especially with a lot of testosterone-driven films out there this summer.

Yes, there are many "testosterone-driven" films, such as Iron Man and Indiana Jones, so Sex and the City would be considered the ultimate "chick flick" movie.

"Sex and the City" could be "a different kind of date movie" -- a date among girlfriends: "This should be a major bonding ritual."

I plan to bond with my girlfriends (Erika!), while watching this movie! What about you? Is there any interest in watching the movie? Do you care where Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha are in their lives? And what about Mr. Big?

A few years ago when Sex and the City was still on, I watched an episode where Carrie had to write about the latest fad...trapeze school. Well, it took a few years, but Trapeze Fitness has found its way to Los Angeles.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly through the air on a trapeze? Well now you can take a swing at it, at the Santa Monica Pier at a new trapeze school. It's about more than just fun and fitness. It can also help you overcome certain fears.

Yes. According to this article (and television news story), you can actually get fit by "flying in the air with the greatest of ease..."

Trapeze fitness is touted as the a stellar workout for upper body, lower body and core strength. Nowhere did I read the part about plummeting to your imminent death...

Despite my fear of heights, I'm intrigued...but also a bit horrified.

What do you think about this latest fitness fad? Would you consider trying trapeze fitness? What are the craziest diet and fitness fads you've tried or heard of? What were the results?

I had the opportunity to review Maggie Again, written by John D. Husband.

Life is idyllic for four rural Indiana teenagers until one of them, Maggie, moves to New York City with her parents in this time-warp yarn set in 1926 and 1984. When Maggie's three friends hop a boxcar to visit her in New York, their journey takes a mystical turn, catapulting them to the year 1984 and, eventually, back again. On their return to 1926, they try to manipulate events in their favor, only to find that "time" is a fickle chronicler of events -- which wreaks havoc with their best intentions.

The book was very entertaining and easy to read; in other words, I LOVED IT!  In the story, Maggie leaves her rural country town of Cobblers Eddy in 1926, to move with her family to New York.  There, her father becomes a stock broker who makes a fortune selling and trading at Wall Street.  Then, the Great Depression comes, and they lose everything.  From 1926 through 1984, Maggie lives her life.  She gets married, then divorced, she has a child who dies in Korea, and she has a job that she eventually retires from.  Then, in 1984 she reunites with her three friends from 1926, and she has to catch them up on world events.  The Great Depression, music, television, war, the peace movement, assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr., cars, airplanes, and everything else.  Somehow, Maggie manages to return to 1926, when she was 16 (with 74 years of life experience).  

It was such a fun book to read and I will miss the characters.  After reading the book, I wondered how my 16 year old self would feel about my 38 year old life? Would I approve of the life I'm leading now? Is this what I imagined my life to be? What would my 38 year old self tell me at 16 to possibly change the course of my life? One thing I know for sure is "postpone working for a while and GO TO SCHOOL! You have the rest of your life to WORK!!"

What about you? What would your younger self feel about your current self? Would you approve of the life you're leading now? Is your current life what you imagined it would be? And if you had the chance, what message would you give your younger self?

Betty Crocker sponsors a yearly cookie recipe contest, called "Bake Life Sweeter".

Contestants were asked to use one of the nine Betty Crocker Cookie Mix flavors and to get creative using additional ingredients, decorations and serving ideas.  

I've included Lynette Spence's winning recipe for "Cinna-Spin" Cookies.

Cookies
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, mix cookie mix and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir in butter and egg until soft dough forms.

2. On piece of waxed paper, shape 1 tablespoon cinnamon into a line about 5 inches long. Using floured fingers, shape 1 tablespoon of dough into a rope 5 inches long. Press one side of dough rope into cinnamon.

3. On ungreased cookie sheet, coil dough rope tightly, cinnamon side facing center, into cinnamon-roll shape. Press end of rope into roll to seal. Repeat with remaining dough. Place cookies 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.

4. Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

5. In small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Decrease butter to 1/3 cup.
Prep time is 1 hr 10 min, and the recipe makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies!

The web site includes other fabulous recipes that received honorable mentions. I'm planning on making the winning cookies for Mother's Day.

Please, share YOUR recipes for baked goodness. Give this single mama options for baking! I just bought a new cookie sheet that I'm DYING to use!!