Happy Halloween!

Wow, it's hard to believe Breast Cancer Awareness month is over already.  There is so much more Pink to explore.  We're still in the BCA mood here at Team H.O.P.E. because our three day walk isn't until November 15th.

So don't worry about your daily dose of pink - we'll still be here.

I have something I was going to save for April 1st - but I figure today is good as well.  

If you are easily offended please do not scroll down any farther.

Of course, if you are easily offended I do have to ask if you're sure you are at the right blog?   

Before I get to the part that offend folks I want to tell you how I met some of the ladies.  Y'all know that I met Jeannie and Kristine through cub scouts.  Wendy is also a cub scout mom but I first met her through the PTO.  

I went up to the school one day and there were two women working at the edge of the playground.  The first woman was digging holes just as fast as can be.  She would dig a hole about three feet deep and three feet wide and the other lady would come behind her and fill the hole back up.  I naturally had to ask them what they were doing.  Wendy introduced herself and said she was working on a PTO project.  

I was curious and asked her to tell me more about it.  She said that she and Jeannie and Deanna were planting trees.  I asked her to explain why she was digging the holes and Deanna was filling them back up.  "Oh," she explained, "Jeannie usually works with us putting the trees in the holes but she is sick today."

Pretty bad I know.  But not nearly as bad as this:

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So have a happy and healthy Halloween!

And we sincerely hope y'all have had a happy Breast Cancer Awareness month!

30

H.O.P.E.

Good Morning!

We may wander into adult territory today so if you are reading this at work or with a baby on your lap you may want to wait.  But don't wait too long - there is scintillating stuff here!

I know I mentioned this before but it's been awhile.  Did you know that H.O.P.E.  is an acronym?  That would certainly explain the periods between each letter now wouldn't it?  H.O.P.E. stands for Honor Opportunity Purpose and an End to breast cancer.   I won't tell you how Jeannie reacted when she found out there other HOPE teams here in Arizona. . . . but it wasn't pretty!   

Speaking of acronyms, did you know that the world famous USA PATRIOT ACT is an acronym?  Yes indeedy.  Every time I mention this I have to look it up since it is sooooo long.  Here it is:

Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and ObstructTerrorism Act of 2001

Now you know we NEVER EVER engage in political discussion here.  Simply not the place.  Would it be too inappropriate though, to perhaps wish that they had spent as much time and effort getting the constitutionality part right as they did making the nifty acronym?

Speaking of acronyms. . . . .Acronyms are a fairly new language use.  They were not used in the 1600's.  

Which means if you have heard the story of people being put into the stocks and the official charge reading

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge

- that is simply not true.  Nor was there ever an acronym of:

Fornication Under Consent of the King

posted above the door of legal brothels.  I hope that clears things up. 

 If you wonder where that word came from there seems to be a consensus among serious linguists that it is derived from a middle English word that meant to strike, move quickly, or penetrate.  Or maybe  from the German word ficken ~  meaning approximately the same thing.  Or maybe even  the Middle Dutch fokken ~ to strike, copulate with.   I'm thinking the word linguist comes from the Italian word Linguine, meaning straight and narrow yet incredibly floppy.

Yeah, I got a 'D' in languages as well as womens's studies!  What's your point?

My point here for even bringing up that word is that, as you may or may not know, Team H.O.P.E. and Simply the Breast sell buttons at our fundraising events.  Many of these buttons have cute sayings related to Breast Cancer.  I like one that has the obligatory pink ribbon and the phrase "Yes Mam."   When my 10 year old saw that button he politely informed me that I had misspelled Ma'am.  So I had to explain the whole mammary, mammogram, mammal thing.  He knew what mammals were,  and he wasn't thrilled with the idea of always thinking about breasts when discussing wildlife.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that in a few years he'll be thinking about breasts all the time anyway.  

So as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by myself - we have a variety of buttons.  One of the more popular ones reads "If you are going to stare at my breasts, donate a dollar to save them"  Here is another popular design:

Now I hate that particular word with a passion.  I find it simultaneously crude and juvenile.  But I'm just the button maker - not the language use arbitrator that I would love to be.  If it were a perfect world this button would not have sold as well as it did:

Of course, if it were a perfect world women would not DIE from breast cancer.  And if it were a perfect world we would not be so obsessed with the aesthetics of  breasts that having a mastectomy is considered by some women a fate worse than death!  

Which brings us to another button.  I had several requests for a button featuring the word that is not an acronym for for unlawful carnal knowledge.  

Pause a moment while y'all figure out what I just said.  Yep - we had requests for buttons that used that word.  My initial inclination was to say no.  That's not a word I think should be let out to mingle with civilized people.  

Then I remembered something.  When the Susan G Komen campaign first started in the very early eighties there were newspapers that would not cover the subject because they would not use the word "breast" in their papers.  Yes, women were dying, but the word breast might offend someone so. . . . 

That angers me.  If I were not the lady I try to be, I might even say it p*sses me off.  It's a breast for goodness sake!  This wasn't an editorial decision made in the 50's when married couples on TV were always sleeping in separate twin beds - this was a decision made after the success of TV shows like Charlies Angels and Three's Company.  

And do you think the TV networks that made millions of dollars on these jiggly breast fests were allowing the word Breast Cancer to be used in PSA's?  No because it might have offended someone.  Well that offends me!

 I'm not saying I want that word to become as acceptable as the word breast has become.  Uh un, no way.  But I do get that there is anger and frustration related to this cause.  And I get that people express themselves differently.  So I made the objectionable buttons.  And most of them sold. 

I mentioned before that Team H.O.P.E. and Simply the Breast have one more fund raising event we will be attending.  We will be selling our famous Tie Dye t-shirts at the local elementary school Fall Festival.  Of course we will NOT be selling our buttons there.  Which means we have a few left over.  I'm including a picture here.  

If you would like to buy one or more of these buttons just click the pay pal donate button on the right side of the blog and donate.  We're asking 3.00 per button and an extra dollar for postage - the one dollar covering however many buttons you want.  After you donate just drop an email to threedaywalkaz @ yahoo . com and tell us which buttons you want.  And include your address!

Speaking of that word, I learned something interesting last week.  Apparently one of our Team H.O.P.E. members has never ever ever used that word out loud.  Ever.   I wish I could say that.  On one hand I was impressed - on the other hand I have this overwhelming urge to trick her into using it.  I won't of course, that would be rude and tacky.  And I never want to be rude.

And speaking of things our ladies have never done before - one of us has lived here in the southwest for almost 30 years and has never rolled a tortilla into a burrito.  She has eaten burritos and has made quesadillas; but has never rolled her own.    

And speaking of rolling your own. . . . 

Ooops!  Out of time for today.  We'll have to continue this later.

Have a civilized day!

30

Fire Truckin . . .

So we went to Scottsdale last night.  I behaved myself.  Wore shoes and everything.  Have I mentioned before how much I LOVE this truck?  

Even if the truck was not escorted by all the motorcycles it would still be a sight to behold.  The bikes are icing on the cake!  Barb, the editor of ThunderRoads Magazine, was invited to ride on the truck from the rally point to the Pink Light District.   I wish I had written down exactly what she said so I could quote her here instead of paraphrasing.  She was excited, naturally.  But she was also awestruck and humbled by the sheer enormity of what the truck represents.  There are over 20,000 signatures of Breast Cancer Survivors and dedications to Breast Cancer Survivors on the truck and trailer.  

I know we are all a bit pink-saturated this month and we become a little numb to the numbers and the stories; but what I would like to remind folks is that Breast Cancer Kills Women. Because of the work of so many people across the nation, each doing their own part and supporting the cause they believe is the most helpful, there are fewer and fewer women dying!  Lives are being saved.   

Dave Graybill, the heart of the Pink Ribbon Tour, spoke to the crowd a little bit about his cross country journey.   He said something that would cause my old Women's Studies and Sociology profs to turn green and squirm.  He was adressing the men in the crowd and said, "It is in our nature, it is instinct, to protect our women!"  My heart fluttered and warmed when he said that.  (of course it should be noted that I received a 'D' in Womens Studies!)  The firefighters and bikers in the audience all nodded when he said that.   Let's face it - firefighters are all about protecting and saving.  (Yes, I know there are women firefighters and that women are capable of taking care of ourselves and yada yada yada.  But I reckon if we are allowed to celebrate the special love, the nurturing and caring and empathy of our women friends then we should also be able to celebrate the dragon-slaying instincts of the men in our lives.)  

Oh, speaking of women firefighters~ there was a representitive of the Phoenix fire department (or maybe scottsdale?) who was helping with the auction.  She wanted to increase the bids so she threw in a ride on a fire truck and a dinner of "the best green chile you've ever tasted."  That was even more tempting than the date with the cute firefighter they started to auction until he told them he was attached.    

I'll be discussing some of the other auction items in a later post.  I want to tell you about every one I met last night but I don't know where to start.  

I finally met some of the women from AIBH.  This is such an incredible organization that I am amazed more people aren't familiar with them.   I will quote their website because when I try to paraphrase I end up using more words than the original.  

. . . offers a woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer a second opinion, completely free of charge. The volunteer team of physicians and medical professionals are breast health experts whose specialties include breast radiology, breast surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, reconstructive surgery, and breast pathology. This team evaluates the best medical and surgical options for the preservation of a woman's life, body and emotional well-being, as well as the continued quality of her life. In a caring, expedient and objective manner, the team will provide a comprehensive evaluation and recommendations for treatment. 

The Patient Advocate at the Arizona Institute for Breast Health organizes the breast cancer cases for weekly discussion and supports each patient through the process.

These are the folks that are responsible for the 'Pink Light District' which is even prettier in person.  I never thought I would say this about the shopping mecca that is this part of Scottsdale - but you really should make the trip!   

Part of what made this evening so incredible was the music!  The DJ played the most appropriate selection of music.  It was fun and lively and woman-positive.  Being out on a warm fall evening listening to Mustang Sally and Pink Cadillac and Teenage Wedding and other classics, being surrounded by people who know how to combine a good time and a good cause, was  just wonderful.  The DJ, Dan Frost, volunteered his time and equipment and talent because a friend of a friend of one of the organizers asked him to.  That 'friend of a friend' phenomenom is one of my favorite parts of this whole fundraising / awareness trip that Team H.O.P.E.  and Simply the Breast are taking.  

Apparently Dan Frost can sing as good as he talks!!  He is part of a band called The New Westerns.    A description of the band from their myspace page.  

The band plays guitar driven original music described as "hard western" or "country with loud guitars". The songs range from 70's California power rock to country western murder ballads. 

Yes, for those of you who weren't aware, there is a murder ballad subset of country music!  As much as I dislike myspace this band is definitely worth taking a listen to!  One of their songs is about a girl named Theda Lee.  I actually know of a Theda Lee (a friend of a friend) in Texas.  I wonder. . . . 

I also met two women, Shala and Jillian,  who were applying very cute and sparkly pink ribbon temprary tattoos.  They were not charging anything, just asking folks to make a donation to the Gaurdians of the Pink Ribbon.  These ladies work at a place called Salon Surreal at 16th street and Glendale in Phoenix.  Shala is an Aesthetician. (okay I admit it - I had to look that word up!)  She has a flawless face so I assume she knows her business.  Jillian is a nail tech.  That I didn't have to look up, they're the ones with those scary little devices called cuticle scissors.  I've seen them in action and they scare me!   All my freinds enjoy manicures and pedicures so I'll try not to judge. . . . 

One of the benefits to working events like this is that you get to promote your business. Apparently someone forgot to tell Shala and Jillian this.  They were all about the Pink Ribbon Tour and I had to specifically ask them where they work. 

Because I was still behaving myself I didn't make any bad Salvador Dali jokes when I heard the name, Salon Surreal.   Even though I'm not the type to engage in all the services of an upscale salon and spa, I have to admit I genuinely liked these ladies.  I'm a bit baffled by people who devote their careers to the beauty arts and yet are not in the least superficial or shallow.  I really shouldn't be surprised - I myself am neither shallow nor superficial and I would love a career applying rhinestones to all flat surfaces in the world! 

I'll probably be telling y'all more about this event later.  Team H.O.P.E. and Simply the Breast only have one more event we've scheduled to attend before the walk and we have no more of our own events this year.  Sigh.  But don't think we are going to fade into obscurity - that ain't our style.

30

NOT a Pink Ribbon Product Review!

I first wrote about Carrageenan two years ago.  I was sitting on my back porch reading the newspaper and suddenly found myself reading about 'personal lubricants' in the business section. I was aghast.  And curious enough to keep reading.  Apparently a company here in Phoenix had just introduced the latest thing in personal lubricants.  Carrageenan.

As I read the article I was struck by the fact that personal lubricants were a $130 Million a year business.  (and this was two years ago)  The article said that personal lubrication is a subject many people feel uncomfortable discussing.  To which I wrote, "No kidding!"  (I was more concise back then)  The article was fascinating because I had never once in my life given any thought to the marketing or the ingredients of personal lubricants.  (No, I cannot bring myself to use the term 'lube') As to the ingredients I'll just quote the article (Thank you google cache!)

Carrageenan, which is named for its principal ingredient, a gel-like substance extracted from seaweed.

Carrageenan is used as a thickener in everything from ice cream to shampoo to shoe polish, but according to Kehoe its lubricating properties may be its biggest advantage. In addition to being naturally viscous and slippery, carrageenan is thixotropic. That means it thins under pressure and regains its viscosity when the pressure is released.

"It pumps easily and then stays where you put it," Kehoe said.

Interesting huh?  What struck me was that this substance sounded identical to a thickener one can use when making Tie Dye.  

And trust me - the Dharma Trading price is way cheaper than the Oceanus price!  

Not that I'm suggesting . . . .   I imagine there are differences. . . .  This was just an observation about ingredients and price. . . . .Um, we are not responsible for misuse of. . . . . You know - just forget that last part.  

So anyway - up until the very end of the article I was just reading along in bemusement.  Then the last sentence just smacked me right between the eyes:

He got the idea for it based on the experience of his wife, who after menopause found sex uncomfortable.

Let me tell you - If my husband ever shared a personal detail like that with anyone - much less a reporter I would have to cut his tongue out with a rusty steak knife!  

Why am I sharing all this with y'all two years after the initial article?  BTW the original article was headlined : New product is due to slide out of lab soon

Shudder.  Twitch.  Shudder.

Oh?  Yeah, that right - the point of all this.  And there is a point.

As I stated earlier, in my non-shudder inducing headline,  we are not doing a Pink Ribbon Product Review today!  But I did want to mention that During the month of October, 20% of the net online sales of Carrageenan will go to the Susan G. Komen folks.  

What I like about this promotion is that it is crystal clear how much they are giving, who is actually getting it, and what is required.   So even though we are NOT reviewing this product we did want to mention it! 

30

The soup chronicles continue. . . .

So! We were discussing Campbell's soup. We had determined that their actual contribution to Breast Cancer research was apparently not public information.

We mentioned their special Earth Day soup labels and were in the middle of defending them (poor beleaguered multi-national that they are) when we realized we were running a wee bit long and some of y'all had actually begun to doze at your keyboards. (And rumor has it that a certain fan in Washington was actually asleep AND drooling on her keyboard) Not wanting anyone electrocuted on our watch we took a short recess until today.

So we are going to leave the Breast Cancer arena for a moment while we ponder the Earth Day thing. But don't worry - it's all connected!

So Campbell's 'dresses up' their soup cans in alternate colors but the purchases of the soups does not trigger a donation to any particular cause. However, according to their website, buying the soup does help the environment.

How? Glad you asked:

By letting you add the water at home, we can make the cans smaller, which saves a lot of metal, and lighter, which saves fuel when bringing it to your local store shelf.

How much fuel and metal are we saving? Glad you Asked:

2.6 million gallons of fuel saved every year = Taking about 5,000 cars off the road every year

and

130 million pounds of steel saved every year = The amount of steel needed to build about 12 new Gateway Arches in St. Louis every year.

Does St Louis really need 12 new Gateway arches?



Actually that wouldn't be a bad idea.



Seriously.




Look at this picture:

Isn't that pretty?


Why is the Arch pink? To celebrate Breast Cancer awareness month!

What prompted the National Park Service to jump on the pink band wagon?
They were forced to.

Seriously.

Apparently when reps from Estee Lauder and May department stores first approached the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Thats the given name of the arch) and asked to light it up pink, the officials said no.

Apparently they had concerns that if they allowed the pink,  they would be forced by fairness to allow other colors. They had been asked to light it in red for Gay Pride week and in rainbow colors for the National Heart Association. Or visa versa.

The point being that there are many good causes and the park service believed it couldn't or shouldn't say yes to all of them. One park service official was quoted as saying "If allowed to occur, the Arch in essence becomes a billboard to be used for purposes not consistent with the intent of the Memorial,"

So Estee Lauder called a senator and badda bang, badda boom - the arch was ordered lit. The legislation, Senate Bill 2895, passed the house and senate unanimously.

I don't know. Y'all know I am a loyal servant of the pink, but is this necessary or wise?  I mean the legislation - not the idea of making huge brightly lit spectacles - that's always a good idea! You have to admit, the arch in pink is breathtakingly beautiful.

It should be noted that once the bill passed, all the park service folks threw themselves into this enthusiastically. They were never in favor of breast cancer - they just had a different mission in their lives.

So what do you think? What if some less popular cause like Multiple Sclerosis requests that we light it up orange? (Aside of the fact that I would be on the first east-bound train to go see it!) 

And since Estee Lauder has lit up the Empire State Building and Niagra falls and LAX and some castle in Austria and the Leaning Tower of Pisa; what's to stop her from setting her sights on the White House?

Oh. Ok. That's mighty purty. Can't wait to see it orange during MS month. Oh wait - MS only gets a week in March.

Yes, Breast Cancer Awareness and research is vitally important. Vital as in life and death. And yes, I love huge shiny pink things. Yet I can't help but think that we should never ask for something for ourselves that we would not like to see other organizations ask for. There are enough privately owned buildings and public structures that aren't iconic that would be almost as impressive without opening floodgates.

I said almost as impressive. Take a gander at these:

So that's enough about soup for one day.

Don't forget that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  Think Pink!

30

A review, a recipe, a rhyme

All righty then.  We had the most fabulous time at our Sneakers Sports Grill Ladies Night.  As soon as I get the pics from our photog I will tell you more about it!  One of the ladies who attended was carrying the cutest Warhol handbag.  As in the picture immediately above this paragraph!

Normally when we use pictures to illustrate certain points or concepts here we like to place them with the relevant text.  Today you will notice all the pictures are up top.  Why?  I'm glad you asked.  

Because everything is connected.  Not just everything in this blog (and not just everything in my head)  but everything in the universe.  Which is why the WWW works so well.   And also why folks who are still into that whole linear thought process don't read our blog as often as the rest of you!

So if you were paying attention to the pictures (or if you have walked into a grocery store this month) you can't help but notice the pink label Campbell's tomato soup.  

Not going to review the soup because it supposedly is the same soup that is in the regular red labeled cans.  And I couldn't bring myself to actually purchase a can because just looking at it made me a bit queasy.  

Not because I am suddenly one of those pink-ribbon-backlash folks who go insane when I see a simple pink tic-tac.  No, the reason I can't stomach this soup is because of my mom. 

When my mom and her siblings were young and impressionable my grandmother would make them a special soup whenever they were feeling sick.  Being sensible Midwestern people they did not have a fancy name for this soup - they simply called it Pink Soup.  

Naturally when they became mothers they made it for their children.  Only we weren't so impressed.  My cousins and I agree that pink soup is what causes  tummy aches, not what cures them.  You don't even have to eat it to get a stomach ache - just watch it being made.  

But out of respect for my grandmother I will stop with the soup bashing.  My mom and aunt equate Pink Soup with love and nurturing - which we can all use more of.  Aside of the loving properties of this soup some folks may enjoy the pseudo bisque ness of it all.  And it's cheap and easy - you can't ask for much more than that!

Pink Soup 

Margaret Johnson Sundin

1 Can Diced tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Milk

Heat can of tomatoes until piping hot

Add baking soda and stir till the fizzing has stopped

Quickly add cup or so of milk, stirring rapidly

Bring back to piping hotness

Add dash of pepper and a pat of butter

Serve in large mug

Now some of y'all are thinking that sounds good and that you may make a bowl of it for your own grandma; but  you still have a pink labeled can of Campbell's tomato soup that you don't know what to do with.  Here is my favorite thing to do with tomato soup:

Tomato Soup Cake

 

·                         ³/₄ cup shortening

·                         1¹/₂ cups white sugar

·                         1 (10.75 ounce) can tomato soup

·                         ³/₄  cup water

·                         1 teaspoon baking soda

·                         3 cups all-purpose flour

·                         ¹/₄ teaspoon salt

·                         3 teaspoons baking powder

·                         1¹/₂ teaspoons ground cinnamon

·                         1 teaspoon ground cloves

·                         1¹/₂ teaspoons ground nutmeg

·                         1 to 1¹/₂ cups raisins optional

·                         1 to 1¹/₂ cups chopped walnuts

 

Ø      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Ø      Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt or tube pan

Ø      In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.

Ø      In a separate bowl sift together dry ingredients. Set aside.

Ø      In a separate bowl, combine tomato soup, water and baking soda.

 

DISCLAIMER: I’VE BEEN KNOWN TO CREAM THE SHORTENING AND SUGAR AND THEN JUST START DUMPING THE OTHER INGREDIENTS IN AT RANDOM.  NOT AS PERFECT A TEXTURE BUT LESS DISHWASHING AND FUTZING ABOUT!

 

Ø      Add creamed mixture alternately with the flour mixture to the soup mixture.

Ø      Stir in the raisins and nuts.

Ø      Pour batter into pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 - 60 minutes and do the toothpick thing.

Ø      Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack

Ø      Frost with cream cheese frosting or just sprinkle with powdered sugar.

 

Mmmmm, mmmm good!

Okay - now we can get down to the charitable aspect of this all.  

Much like the Speciak K search, this information was not easy to come by.   Part of the problem, initially, is that my shiny Chrome browser (which if you remember correctly is NOT chome or shiny) displays the Campbells site poorly.  The links all overlap and it's impossible to read the left part of the page or search the site.  So I tried to acess it using good old Internet Explorer.  Well apparently Chrome and IE do not play well together and they had a little skirmish inside my CPU and eventually I gave up.  But not before finding these two quotes on the Campbells site:

Each October, we support breast cancer awareness by dressing some of our most popular brands in pink packaging, including Campbell's condensed soups and Pepperidge Farm cookies in the U.S., and Tim Tam biscuits in Australia.

 Our icon brands don pink labels to raise breast cancer awareness. We also donate funds to support the cause.

Wow.  I don't know about you but this vague 'support' is starting to get old.  I'm glad that they donate funds; would it kill them to tell us how much?  I read this on another site, not the official Campbell’s site:

 

The company's donation is not linked to purchase price, soup unit sales, or retailer order and display levels.

So I guess if you like Campbell’s soup you should buy it.  If not there is no particular reason to.   If you do buy Campbell’s soup please save the labels and donate them to your local elementary school!  Thanks!

 

Now please do not think I'm bashing Campbell’s here.  I appreciate people and corporations doing what they can to help.  They are in the soup business - not the curing cancer business.  Besides - there is another group of folks doing enough Campbell’s bashing for all of us.  

Apparently Campbell’s came out with special green label soup to celebrate/promote Earth Day.   This apparently offends some of the more strident of the self proclaimed protectors of the planet. Especially the chicken (gasp!  non-vegan!)  noodle version, which not only has meat but isn't even organic!  I wouldn't worry about it too much - have you ever seen how much chicken is in the regular chicken noodle soup?  In fact I'm not even convinced it is chicken.   

Meanwhile the VP of  cause marketing over at Campbell’s is thinking, "Please stop defending us!"      

 

Ha!  I've only yet begun to defend!  I just realized this post is turning into a tome.  I think we will have to continue tomorrow. . . . . . 

30