Author: scottpetersen

Lawyer, guitar player (the Blues), magic man, chess player, father, grandfather, husband, linguist, etc.

Trouble Sleeping?

On By scottpetersenIn Insomnia, Oh Shenendoah, Trouble sleeping?Leave a comment

There appear to be three types of insomnia:  transient (occasional); acute (short duration); and chronic (long duration).  All result in sleep deprivation which can (after longer duration) have serious health consequences.   I fall asleep easily – and quickly – but there are times when I will wake up at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m.  thinking about this or that.  I’m familiar with the usual RX’s for getting to or back to sleep:  a cool room; no meal immediatly before bedtime; easy on the alcohol; no caffeine; no chocolate; a glass of warm milk; no afternoon naps; keep regular sleep hours; exercise but not before going to bed; read something boring – or soothing – before turning out the lights; and so on. 

However I have three further remedies that work for me that I’ve never read about.  They are:

1.  Clenching hands — When I wake up in the middle of the night, I sometimes find that my hands are clenched.  I simply unclench and lay them flat.  I suddenly feel relaxed;

2.  Deep breathing — I will breathe in through my nose, hold the breath and then exhale.  Slowly.  Deeply.   Through my mouth.  I get exhausted doing it.  After 7 or 8 times, it’s pretty much back to dreamland; and

3.  A pad of paper — I will often wake up thinking (you wonder – what could this man possibly be thinking?).  So I have a pad of paper by the bed.   And a flashlight.  I jot down whatever random drivle  comes into my small brain and I can then forget it.   zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. . . . .

And if these remedies don’t work, call me and I will start singing “Oh Shenedoah” (see post of August 14, 2011) .  That should do the trick. . . . .

Saturday Lunch

On By scottpetersenIn Caymus Vineyards, Frontera Grill, Hass Avocado, La Banderita tortillas, Saturday lunchLeave a comment

In my post of September 8, 2011, I commented that I usually feel like Diogenes searching for a decent lunch on Saturdays.  It’s often PB and J on pita or a tasteless frozen burrito (unless I dash out to Treasure Island to grab a few pieces of spanikopita).   However, on September 8th I shared a recipe for Saturday lunch that was cosmic.   It was a recipe that I stumbled on by pure accident due to a rare constellation of foods that happened to be in the frig, pantry and fruit bowl. 

Lately, I’ve been teeing up another easy Saturday lunch that is a “keeper.”  It is La Banderita tortillas with smoked salmon, Monterrey Jack cheese, fresh Hass avocado and Frontera Grill’s Salpica brand cilantro green olive salsa with roasted tomatillos.  Oh my. . . .

I toast the tortillas for a few minutes.  Remove, lay flat and layer some smoked salmon, a slice of Monterrey Jack cheese and fresh avocado.  Nuke it on “Reheat” for a bit, remove and slather with salsa.  I have died and gone to heaven.   For a dinner portion, you might use larger tortillas and add some grilled onions (see post of November 14, 2011) and fresh guacamole (avocados, squeezed limes, well-chopped cilantro). 

If you add a side of black beans and rice (brown rice is tastier) with a tad of salsa on top, and perhaps a glass or two of cabernet sauvignon (I am partial to Caymus), you will have an exquisite Sunday (or any day) dinner.  If you make it, invite me over. . . . . especially if you’re serving Caymus cab. . . . . 

 

Second City

On By scottpetersenIn Monterrey, Second CityLeave a comment

In 1938, my father and his friend Bill S. took a driving trip to Mexico.  This was an unheard of expedition at the time for two twenty-something guys from Chicago.   Despite numerous car troubles (a Model A Ford), they nearly made it to Mexico City.  At that point, running low on money – and enthusiasm for confronting a chronically ailing car – they chugged back north. 

I have a wonderful vintage film (now on DVD) my father made this trip.  The amazing thing — it is in color.   One of the classic images of my father is him standing next to the famed Obispado in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.   Built in the late 1780’s, this Church building has served as a barracks, retirement home, fortress and now – a museum.

In the late 1980’s I began traveling to Monterrey on business.  I have been there often – visiting two or in a few cases three times a year.   Monterrey has become almost a “second city” for me.  I pretty much know my way around (though it is challenging) and I enjoy the wonderful restaurants, sites and people.  When there, I normally stay at the Quinta Real, a beautiful hotel in the San Pedro Garza Garcia neighborhood.  I have visited the Obispado — and have a wonderful picture of myself standing in the exact spot where my father stood seventy years before.

I have made good friends in Monterrey – Antonio G. and his family being chief among them.   He and his family have been to my home (for Thanksgiving one year) and my wife and I have been to his.   And there are so many more good friends there.   These are times of great difficulty for Monterrey but the City is good and its people are strong.  They will endure and surpass. 

So this guy. . . . .

On By scottpetersenIn So this guy1 Comment

So this guy walks up to a house and rings the doorbell.  A woman answers the door.

“Ma’am, I’m a painter.  I will paint anything.”

The woman thinks. . . “Why don’t you paint my porch.   Paint it dark brown.” 

So the guy goes to work an a few hours later, he rings the doorbell. 

“Ma’am, I’m all done.  By the way, it wasn’t a Porsche – it was a Mercedes Benz. . . .”

Drill or not drill. . . . .

On By scottpetersenIn Drill or not drillLeave a comment

I see six competing dynamics on the question of drill or not drill: 

1. 　Environmentalists — They oppose every effort to drill, create nuclear power plants or improve on carbon emission power sources.  This insures America’s dependence on foreign oil. 

2. 　Congress — Members of Congress tend to be doctrinairre, have little business experience and beholden to pressure groups.   Decisions are often made in an ideological (and informational) vaccuum. 

3. 　Alternative Energy Sources — It’s well established that wind, geothermal and solar will never amount to more than 5% of America´s total energy requirement.       　

4. 　Dependency — America is in trouble.   We are heavily dependent on foreign oil. 　We are paying more and more for gas and heating oil.   And the prospects for an interruption of our carbon fix is a daily worry. 　

5. 　American capability — The U.S. could be free of its dependency if it shifted to natural gas – a relatively clean (or at least cleanER) energy source.  America has a 150 years worth of natural gas reserves lying near the surface.  As to oil – we have substantial reserves which go untapped. 　

6. 　The Future — We need to examine alternative energy sources and employ them when and where feasible.  But wind and solar are not the answer (at least not in current configuration). 　Nuclear is a viable option so long as safety is assured.  But for now, America is desperate.   Most Americans believe in water and energy conservation, recycling, reducing (eliminating) pollution, reutilization of goods, and so on.  With this positive base of consensus, it would seem logical to have constructive dialogue on the issues and consider compromise on moving forward. 　

But it’s a hot button topic where I see intractable behavior on the part of environmentalists who refuse under any circumstances to consider or even discuss the most logical, economic and least harmful options.   And to me, this is where the problem comes in. 　

Lutefisk and Pickled Herring

On By scottpetersenIn Lutefisk, Pickled herring3 Comments

A man had a problem with a family of skunks that lived under his porch.   He tried everything to get rid of them but nothing worked.   He went to the local hardware store and asked if they had any ideas. 

“Put lutefisk and pickled herring under your porch,” the clerk said.  “That should clear up the problem.” 

So the guy went to the market, bought a few pounds of lutefisk and pickled herring and put it all under the porch.  The next morning, the guy ran downstairs and looked under the porch.  The skunks were gone.  But a family of Swedes had moved in. . . . .

Favorite Websites

On By scottpetersenIn Favorite websitesLeave a comment

You ought to see the list of “Favorites” on my office computer.  I have an abbondanza of favorite websites.  Literally hundreds of them.  To keep them all straight, I have individual “files” in which I pigeonhole them:  Humor (a biggee), Law, Language (and Translation), Magic, Music, Publications, Religion, Cooking (apparent from prior posts), Family, Autographs, Telephone, Calendar/Clock and Travel.   Within each of these files, I may have dozens of sub-files.  Then I have a host of miscellaneous files on restaurants, movies, chess, genealogy, motivational quotations (I’m partial to John Wooden), knots (yes “knots” – remember I was an Eagle Scout), financial information, maps, art, Sudoku. . . . and I’m just touching the surface.   I find that by creating folders and then “organizing favorites,” I become more organized and favorites are easier to locate. 

I organize emails the same way.  For emails (and I am not exaggerrating) I have literally thousands of folders.  Why?  Because as a lawyer, for each client I work with, I have a file.  Then for each matter I have a separate folder.   Sometimes subfolders will have dozens of sub subfolders.  And so . . . . Ta dahhhhh!  Thousands of folders.   When I get a call from a client about a matter from 2002, I can find it in seconds.  Big advantage. . . . .  I also have the obligatory email folders for Humor and Great Fun (for the really good stuff), Family, Autographs, Religion, Art, Politics, Art, Food and on and on and on. . . . .  Perfectly organized. . . .

My desk?  That’s another matter. . . .

Decline and Fall . . . .

On By scottpetersenIn Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward GibbonLeave a comment

Between 1776 and 1788, English historian (and Member of Parliament) Edward Gibbon published his classic 6 volume work The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.   It is interesting to examine the causes of the decline – and fall – of the grand Roman Empire which expired in about 476 A.D. — not with a bang but a whimper. . . .

Ongoing wars and heavy military spending

Failing economy and high inflation — and high unemployment among the working classes

Declining morals, ethics and values

Demand for blood and violence in entertainment (Gladitorial “games”)

Antagonism between the Emperor and the Senate

Political corruption

Hero worship of athletes and actors

Dilution of the Roman language

George Santayana’s comment “Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it”  in The Life of Reason comes to mind. . . . .