How Twitter Saved Us Hours.

My sister called me last July and said "Lynne, you have to get on Twitter!" Because I dislike following any trends, I immediately said "no." (I'm waiting for the trend of wearing ponchos to run its course since I've been wearing ponchos for the last decade and I really miss wearing them!) So my sis called me the next day and then the next. So I caved and opened a twitter account strictly to follow her and her business (kidzaw.com).

I sent out about a dozen tweets with the '#' or the "@" in front of her name or keywords. But it did not matter because I had no followers, except for one. And that one follower was my sister! So she was getting all those "promotional" twitters about herself, sent to herself by her sister.

Then, February rolls around and I've been writing my blog for awhile and other blog writers are linking to my site, and two of them asked me to guest blog on theirs, and many asked why I was not on Twitter. So I asked Twitter to resend my password (because I could not sign on since I forgot the dang password because my memory is horrible) and logged back on. So I started following a couple people, who followed me back, and then I started sending out Tweets.

After a week of tweeting, or twittering or twiending (still don't know what you call it) I was hooked. And I was finding other fellow twitterers whom I knew! (and ones who knew me but I could not remember who they were - remember, my memory is horrible). So that was a kick. But during that second week of being on Twitter, we experienced a positive advantage of belonging to this social network.

We're traveling I81 on our way to the Georgia Basketry Convention. Eric sees a sign saying there is an accident 50 miles up. I jump on my Blackberry and log onto Twitter. I then search I81 and see lots of posts about the accident! Including this aerial shot showing both sides of the highway shut down.

So I tell Eric that people are twittering about both lanes, north and southbound being closed due to an accident involving 3 semi's with one carrying toxic materials, and it's backed up for 10 miles! So I grab the map and then we make the decision to get off the highway right before the 10-mile backup! We got off at Route 11 (I think) and it followed right beside the highway. And for 10 miles, we watched all the cars and trucks at a complete standstill while we were traveling on the side road at a comfortable 40 - 45 miles per hour!

So thanks to Twitter, we saved ourselves at least 1 - 1.5 hours, and made it to Atlanta at 8:00 pm. If we would've been stuck in that traffic, Eric would've been frustrated and we would've arrived well after 9:30 pm, and then the next morning he would've been cranky (can I say 'would've" one more time?). So Twitter saved us time and contributed to our happy marriage!

Also, it was good for my ego when the Discovery channel replied twice (yes, twice) to my tweet about how I believed their "thinkgolditsFriday" tagline for their show Gold Rush was a typo and should be "thankgolditsFriday" and the Food Network's very own Robert Irvine of Restaurant Impossible replied to my tweet wondering if he knew Lou Frerrigno with a response and a "LOL."

I'm loving twitter! (if you would like to follow me, visit @brushandbasket on twitter. I cannot guarantee that it will benefit your life in any way, but it will help a poor basketmaker's wife feel a little more popular!.)

Five Questions Friday: On the Road

We just returned from the Georgia Basketry Convention and I asked Eric random questions during the trip to use for Five Questions Friday. (Come on. You didn't think I got up at 5:00 am to ask Eric questions and then post them at 6:30 in the morning, did you? Of course I ask my questions before that!)

How far east can you go before you’re heading west?
Eric: What? I don’t like that question and I don’t get it.
If we travel west by car and we're in eastern Massachusetts on our way to Wisconsin, when are we officially in the west?
Eric: When we fly and land at an airport in Arizona. Then we are out west.

Do you think prison buses have emergency exits?
Eric: What? (said while laughing) Yes. Because the guard on the bus has a gun.
What if they all run out the emergency exit. How does he stop them all?
Eric: He's got one of those quick sharp-shooters.

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
Eric: (Laughing). I don’t think so. Especially since I always see a a guy on the road waving a sign.

Okay. There’s a speed of sound and a speed of light. Is there a speed of smell?
Eric: What? (laughing again. Guess he’s not annoyed at my questions this time). Uh... yeah. It speeds up after you don’t shower for a few days (I think he’s talking about me).

Outside of Georgia, what was the favorite place we ate at while on the road? (as I say to myself "Please do not say McDonald's.")
Eric: Peking Restaurant in Wytheville, Virginia.
Note: We usually would not eat chinese food while on the road but Eric read online that it was an area favorite. And it was fantastic. Very light and no MSG!


(I had to ask him one more question)
When can we start talking about the Patriots again?
Eric: Uh... not yet.

The image I used above is of a tin road sign reproduction sold on Amazon. If you want it, click here or the image below.

Travel Tip #3: For a Great View

When the hotel advertises they have the ‘best views’ and the scenery outside your window matters to you, I recommend asking the front desk clerk to see the room first before you pay.

This is the view we got and you can see they clearly advertise ‘great views.’ This was at a Microtel in Virginia. 

Overall, we love most Microtels (I say ‘most’ because we have stayed at a couple that were not too nice) and this particular one we really like. It is very clean and of course, I love hotels that do not have those nasty bed covers! (Microtels feature white triple-sheets with a blanket in between.) And since we're frugal when traveling for business, their prices work in our budget. So we were fine with our view because we got such a great laugh from it! So it did not matter to us. But clean hotel room or not, we never forget to cover up the remote! (see earlier Travel Tip #1 post here.)

Funny Things Happen When We're on the Road.

Eric and I know that we are lucky that we like each other (well... majority of the time). And we look forward to road trips together. Can we still call it road trips even though we're driving for work?

Doesn't matter. We still have fun and come across numerous interesting and funny things while on the road. For our next trip to Atlanta, I will be posting on Twitter some of the amusing details that we come across and maybe a few of the quirky 'isms' Eric comes up with. He often has these one-liners that make my stomach hurt. We also cross paths with the occasional oddity - so I'll be sure to have my camera ready. You can find me on Twitter at #BrushAndBasket.

While we are gone, Chance will be spending the week with his girlfriend Jo-Jo Bean. So he will not miss us one bit. And our house is nice and secure with an alarm wired to a 24-hr watch service. We also have our neighbor next door and another one across the street who both work from home. So there's plenty of eyes on our house while we're gone. It's great to have neighbors looking out for you!

Healthy Travel Tip #2: Disinfect On-the-Go!

I enjoy traveling with Eric around the country for his teaching engagements. What I probably dislike the most is the many germs you meet while on the road. It's hard to avoid coming in contact with them. Especially in hotel rooms. We were watching a show once and happened to see a woman who carried a travel size Lysol disinfectant spray can in her purse and was spraying all the door handles, toilet flush handle, all the light switches, etc. We both said to each other "We need to get that!" I immediately jumped on my laptop and headed to my favorite online store where I found it in bulk with free 'super saver shipping' (if you have enough in your shopping cart). In case you're like us and a little bit on the germ-a-phobe side, and cannot find it in your local store, click here for a link to a 12-Pack of Lysol To-Go Travel Size cans on Amazon (or hit on the box below). The bulk offers each can at $1.99. We will be leaving soon for Eric's next convention and and it dawned on me that I needed to order these now! So I thought I would share this tidbit for other like-minded travelers as one of my Healthy Travel Tips. If you do not like buying in bulk, there were others that were available as singles or smaller packs (if you cannot find it in your store of course). Eric will tell you that I'm a little crazy and could go through one can in a single trip. So the bulk size will not last us long! But we do save a little by not having to use it on the remote control (see Healthy Travel Tip #1) which is the most germ-infested item in a hotel room.

Super Healthy (and Yummy) Cereal Mix.

I accompany Eric on the road for most of his teaching workshops. Lucky for him that I love road trips! And, I am a freelance art director so I am able to work in the back seat of the odyssey (a.k.a. the basket buggy). We call it my 'mobile office' and my clients never know that I'm not sitting at my desk (while I’m talking to them and working on their projects in the back seat of an automobile). I enjoy these trips because I get to meet so many people from different parts of the country. On a trip to New Jersey, our host, Connie, invited us to stay at her home. Every morning, she would put out several boxes of cereal on the table with fresh fruit. She showed us her and her husband's favorite mix of cereals and informed us on why her doctor recommended the mix for them (I'll save you the details). For the record, Eric has been mixing different brands of cereal for some time now in the hopes of getting me off my beloved Lucky Charms. You see, I am a cereal nut. Not just a cereal nut but a crazed, sugary cereal nut. Eric can tell you that I had to have my bowl of Lucky Charms in the morning and many times at night as a before-bed-snack. I knew all this sugar was bad, but I was addicted. I occasionally would switch it up with another sugary cereal, but it was still the same bad sugary habit. He eventually got me to switch it up occasionally, and eat Cheerios - BLEHH... (are we still talking about an Adult here???). But it did not satisfy me. Until, we met Connie and her super healthy cereal mix that is yummy! I was hesitant at first when I initially sat down at Connie's table (especially since a gastrointestinal specialist suggested these... I thought "great... we're about to eat cardboard"), but now, I eat this stuff every day. And I always add blackberries. I looooove blackberries. So I told my over-achiever husband to take a picture of all the cereals involved for this post. I say 'over achiever' because, as a lazy, procrastinating artist like moi, I requested a photo that is not professionally styled! (I mean... I don't want to look bad when you start comparing my photo skills against his!) He came back a little later and handed me the camera. He said, "I took two photos: one with the flash on, one without." I downloaded the only two images. (I usually have to take at least 15 pics to get one good one!) I asked for a casual grouping of boxes with a bowl. However, that is not the photo I got! He made it too perfect! At least he let some of the boxes stay open. But I should be grateful. If I took the shot, there would probably be several dirty dishes in the background and lots of crumbs in the forefront. So it’s good that we’re not embarrassing ourselves with a closeup of our dirty kitchen counters!

Our Heathy Mix:
1 box Uncle Sam Original with Whole Wheat Berry Flakes and Flaxseed
1 box Kashi Go Lean Crunch
1 box Kelloggs All-Bran Original
Then we add Almond Breeze instead of milk and fresh Fruit (I'm partial to blackberries but any fruit will do!)

The Uncle Sam's can be hard to find since not all grocery chains carry it. We did find it at one of our stores but it was almost $5 for the box, and the boxes, unfortunately are on the small side (they are tiny)!  But we found it on Amazon in bulk (6 boxes) which came out much cheaper (about $3.29/box) than buying it at the local store and it ships right to your door. And if you save up items in your Amazon cart to a total of $25, items can qualify for FREE super saving shipping! I love when that happens. I supplied a link below to the one we purchase (or click here).



If you do find Uncle Sam's at your local grocery store, here is a link to receive a coupon!  CLICK HERE for Uncle Sam's Cereal Coupon  Fill in your email address and they will send you a printable coupon for $1.00 Off!

An Anxious Flyer.

So we returned from Florida today via our favorite airline, Southwest. I have extreme anxiety when flying. It's so extreme that I can relate to, and have compassion for, the people you hear about on the news that 'flipped out' on board and had to be detained. I've been working on deep breathing and remaining calm during takeoff, which is very hard. Especially when my heart has been racing about this flight for several days in advance! I hardly sleep and my dreams are bizarre. It just adds to all the stress and anxiety surrounding flying. Anyways, I survived this flight and have to give most of the credit to my cousin Joe. He was so nice. He even took out the emergency booklet so we could all feel a little safer. I sat in the middle between Eric and Joe which was very comforting (especially the hand-holding). And Joe had me laughing most of the flight with all his funny antics. So I send a big Thank You to cousin Joe!!

Their Message: Not Enough Cardboard!

We stopped off in Seattle, on our way to Eric's Tidal Twinings' workshop in Oregon. There, we came across some 'Occupy Protestors.' Of course, like most everyone else, we saw the protests occurring across the country, on the news. And how nobody precisely knew what they were protesting. Since we were at a protest in person, we decided to read all the signs for ourselves, and figure out what their whole movement message was. I came across this lovely gentleman whose sign, I feel, probably sums it up perfectly!

(Sorry for the quality. It was taken with my cell phone. If you cannot read his sign, it says: "I'm Pissed At Everything... Not Enough Cardboard!)

Healthy Travel Tip #1

While traveling, you will encounter many health hazards. One of them, we take care of immediately after entering a hotel room. It involves that nasty, germ-infested tv remote. So for today's travel tip,  I am sharing with you all, how to make your own tv remote condom (which was invented by my husband after I refused to change the channel because I did not want to come in contact with the remote):

Where's our Suitcase? Where's the floor?

We enjoy the little adventures we get to go on. But one thing we have not mastered: Staying organized while on the road! Whenever we arrive at a place, we tell ourselves "Let's keep everything neat this time." As you can see, the floor is barely visible.  Last year, we stayed in someone's home and we had clothes scattered everywhere in the guest room. Our host decided to come in and collect our bath towels to wash them. We were mortified. We have not been invited back since! We'll try harder next time.