Are you addicted to the Internet? Yeah, I know I am… I always have been, ever since we got our first computer, you know, dial up, back in the stone age, the 90’s. It was nuts. Us kids got maybe an hour on it a day, couldn’t use the phone when someone was on the Internet. Do you remember when you would be on the Internet and someone would pick up the phone and ruin your connection, which would case a fit because you just lost the 47 instant messages you had going on? I had many “virtual” pen pals from around the world. I even met my husband on a random Yahoo Boston chat room. (remember those??) Oh… I guess there was a reason my brother used to call me Miss Clickity Clack and her Imaginary Friends…

When I was a teen, I always had pen pals. Yes, we wrote old fashion snail mail letters, send packages, and every now and then would call each other. I adored all of my pen pals. Once the Internet came along, the anticipation of waiting for a snail mail letter, or receiving a package to come that you weren’t expecting, dwindled. Makes me a little sad. I have joined a few groups on Facebook (mainly Disney ones of course) and we have tried to bring new life to snail mail! We do monthly birthday cards, and also have a few gift exchanges throughout the year. And let me tell you, there is still NOTHING like getting a hand written card in the mail. Well, for me that is.

I try to catch myself though. I’ll say I’m going to bed to read. Next thing I know I’m on my iPad checking my Facebook messages, or on my phone checking in to some random app, saying Hey, I’m here! Or showing someone a quick video. I mean, here I am right now, blog!

My husband is a computer gamer, so sometimes I tell him I loose him to that, but there I am, sitting there chatting with someone on my iPad.

Where am I going with this blog? I’m not to sure. I don’t know that I really want the Facebooking, blog, pinning, tweeting, googleing to stop. I guess I’m just here to say, “Hi, my name is Miss Clickity Clack… and I’m an Internet addict.”

So I have lived in Peabody now for about 6 years and I drive past this lovely little place every day. Well I decided to finally stop in for dinner. I am so glad I did! It was great. I got the shrimp fra diavolo. The homemade fettuccine in this dish was scrumptious and perfectly cooked. I paired it with a glass of chianti that was qually delicious. If you are ever in Peabody, MA you need to stop in at this lovely little gem. You can visit their website at petrillosrestaurant.com

Camping is a great way to enjoy time outdoors with family and friends. It is an activity that my family and I really enjoy! If anyone is new to camping, there are many things that you may not think of pertaining to safety. This article will ensure you are well prepared for your trip as it offers many health and safety tips.
First and foremost, you want to be sure your vaccinations are up-to-date. Recommended vaccines are tetanus, pertussis, meningitis, and/or hepatitis A. The list is dependent on your medical history and destination.

Next, be sure to prepare and safely pack your food. Pack foods in tight, waterproof bags or containers and keep them in an insulated cooler. Wash hands and surfaces often and use hand sanitizer if water is not available. Separate raw foods from uncooked foods. Cook foods to proper temperature and chill foods promptly.

If you build a campfire, be sure to do so safely. Build or use a campfire pit away from overhanging tree branches. Keep a bucket of water and shovel nearby. Never leave a fire unattended and be sure it is completely extinguished before you leave.
Protect yourself against carbon monoxide poisoning. Never use fuel-burning equipment such as gas stoves, heaters, lanterns, and charcoal grills inside a tent, camper, or other enclosed shelter.

Avoid touching, feeding, or getting near wild animals as they can carry diseases. Keep foods stored in sealed containers and out of reach. Make sure the family pets are vaccinated and watch them closely to keep them away from wild animals. Also check your pets for ticks and be sure they have plenty of water, food, and shelter.

To help fight against bug bites, be sure to apply insect repellent containing DEET to clothes and exposed skin. Apply the insect repellent permethrin to clothes to help keep ticks from attaching to them. Check for ticks daily and remove them promptly. Wear long sleeves, pants and other light-colored clothing to help prevent and spot ticks more easily

Protect yourself from the sun by using a broad-spectrum sunscreen and lipscreen with at least SPF 15. Seek shade when the sun’s rays are strongest and cover up with clothing, a wide- brimmed hat, and sunglasses.
Avoid water-related illness and injury. Never swim alone. If you plan to ride in a boat, canoe, or other water vehicle, be sure to wear a life jacket . Avoid alcohol when taking part in water related activities.

Be prepared! Always expect the unexpected. Check the weather report, learn about the security of your camp location and tell family and friends of your plans. Be sure to bring along a supply kit that includes a first aid kit, compass or GPS, map, flashlight, blankets, batteries and medications.

For more helpful information, go to www.cdc.gov/family/camping

Here’s an idea for a quick and easy summer dinner or a dish to bring to a cook-out this Memorial Day weekend….Caprese Salad!! Can you say, YUM??? So light, so easy and so refreshing! This won’t fill you up or make you feel heavy, just satisfied in a healthy, delicious way.

This dish can be used as a main dish with fresh bread, a side dish with beef, or as an appetizer, any way you serve it, it is delicious.

What’s better is you can grow half of the ingredients right in your own back yard this summer or pick up the tomatoes and basil at your local farmer’s market. The key to this dish is fresh, fresh, fresh and in season. Fresh red & juicy local tomatoes (not too soft), fragrant green basil, moist fresh mozzarella cheese, and extra virgin olive oil. That simple.

Layer alternating slices of the tomatoes and mozzarella on a platter, placing a basil leaf between each layer or cut up the basil and sprinkle over the top. Drizzle olive oil on top of the salad. You can use salt and pepper to taste, if you would like, but you may find you don’t need it at all.

It’s so fresh, so simple, and so flavorful. Enjoy!!

Summer is here, and we are all preparing for the gorgeous beach weather that is right around the corner! As usual, everyone is looking for the best diet plan to join, exercise routines, and the hottest trends to get that “bod” everyone hopes for. Getting fit, feeling good, and enjoying the sun is always on our summer agenda, but do we ever consider the possible damage we are doing to our bodies exposing our skin to such strong UVA and UVB rays? So what is the best way to get that great summer glow before the season arrives, while protecting it in the summer light? Here are some easy to do tips on ways to assure your skin to reflect the best you while assuring it is protected!
-Choosing Sunscreen: Always be sure to use 15 SPF(Sun Protection Factor). Waterproof is always recommended. Sunscreen does not only protect you from a sun burn, but slows the aging process down of your skin, and prevents other skin damages such as skin cancer from growing.
-Application Tips: Apply a generous amount of sunscreen to any exposed skin a half hour prior to sun exposure. To assure maximum protection, be sure to be generous in your application! Re-apply every 2 hours; more frequently if exposed to water.
-Lip Balm: Many forget about their lips and the potential for them to also suffer from the sun exposure. Be sure to apply lip balm with at least an SPF of 15 or higher. This will also prevent burning and chapping.
-Seek Cover: It is also a good idea to have protective clothing with you as well, and to seek shade as much as possible. The less exposure, the better!
-Environmental Factors: Mid day hours,typically 12-3, are considered to be the most dangerous times for sun exposure! Higher and lower altitudes could also effect the amount of damage one may experience with out the proper protection.

Did You Know!?- Sunscreen VS. Sunblock: Biggest difference? Sunscreen absorbs UV rays before they damage your skin, where as Sunblock physically blocks UV rays from ever reaching your skin!

As a younger employee for Princeton Properties I may have grown up in a different generation than my co-workers. A major difference that I have noticed is the amount of technology I was exposed to at a young age. In elementary school I had computer lessons, middle school was full of late night AIM chat conversations and Myspace was all the rage in high school. Then there was college, where Facebook and Twitter became popular and I actually took a Social Networking class.

Being in the Rental Industry social networking is a great source of communication and outreach in order to bring awareness to our communities. This week Facebook went through a big change when it became an IPO, initial public stock offering, early this morning. Yesterday Facebook priced its stock at $38/share, a large offering which makes sense considering the internet phenomenon company held off from going public in 2009 for a much lower price.

Too bad we all didn’t know Mark Zuckerberg during his time spent at Harvard Univeristy where he created the dynamic website and we could have invested money into Facebook like venture capitalist Peter Thiel. “Thiel, who sits on Facebook’s board of directors, invested $500,000 in the company in 2004. He’s selling nearly 17 million of his shares in the IPO, which means he’ll get some $640 million. He will hold on to about 28 million shares, worth $1.06 billion.” (Ortutay)….our investments on a lower scale of course.

Check out the Nasdaq Stock Market if you’re interested in investing in the online social networking company that our industry so heavily relies on, ticker symbol FB!

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jbVKr7ByZMMdfGGNn_VVhNrZ1LXg?docId=a8e59de6ce6e4810b2646adec1083c2b

So everyone has probably gathered that since my blogs are mostly about different restaurants that I like to go out to eat!
Well I went to the Lobster Shanty yesterday and got the Lobster Mac & Cheese…OMG it was so amazing. They use big spiral macaroni and HUGE pieces of fresh lobster meat. Now I should have paired it with their Lobstertini which is Absolut vodka mixed with lobster essence served with a twist & garnished with a chilled lobster claw the Shantastic version of a dirty martini but I decided to save that for another day!
Visit their website at www.lobstershantysalem.com

It seems like spring took forever to reach us here in Maine. Now that is has, everything is growing and blooming at a terrific pace. One of the great things here in Portland that also reappears in the spring is our Farmers Market. As people become more aware of what they are eating in order to be healthier and greener, they become more interested in knowing where their food comes from and how it got there. The Farmers Market is the essential place to get the freshest, locally produced, natural, organic produce and meat, and also place to get to know the farmer’s that bring their goods to market. Farmers are an unending source for knowledge about the food that you eat, from what’s ripe and ready, to how best to use the item you are interested in, and when other thing that are growing right now will be ready and available for you.

The Portland Farmers Market takes place on Saturdays between 7 a.m. and 12 noon at Deering Oaks Park and on Wednesdays between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Monument Square in Downtown Portland. Cash is always accepted at the market, but there is also a “Market Money” system for folks who only brought a debit or credit card or for those who have a SNAP card (food stamps). At the “Market Money” kiosk you simply purchase as many small wooden coins with either a $1 or $5 denominations as you need with your debit/credit card or SNAP card. You then take the coins to any participating vendor (about 90% of growers participate) and purchase your produce with the coins. Just bring any left over coins with you to make purchases next time.

Portland’s Farmers Market was recently recognized by Travel and Leisure Magazine as being one of the Top Ten Farmers Market’s in the country (check the article out at the link below). With over 35 growers gathering twice a week, Portlander’s get to experience the best seasonal items that the area has to offer. At the moment my favorite items they have, which you need to get there early to procure before they run out, are ramps (garlic scape) and fiddleheads. These great vegetables can only be found by foraging in areas that meet the particular needs of the plants. Ramps have a great fresh smell, a bright, but not overwhelming, garlic flavor and have a broad leaf that is delicious when lightly sauteed. Fiddleheads are the young heads of a specific fern that are crunchy with a taste somewhat like a slightly bitter asparagus. Ramps and fiddleheads are here now, but will be completely unavailable within a month, so we try to get all we can while they are available. Another item I can’t get enough of are the hot and sour garlic pickles that are sold at Uncle’s Farm Stand. These are the most flavorful pickle I’ve ever run across, with a great garlic bite and a moderate spiciness that is brilliantly offset by the tartness of the vinegar they use to pickle these sweet like cucumbers. Jena, my wife, usually ends up buying several jars to store (which they do very well) over the winter so I can get my hot and sour garlic fix even in the darkest of months.

Whether you come to Portland to experience our Farmers Market or you find one near you, everyone should take it upon themselves to get out and get to know your local farmers and the amazing products they have to offer.

http://www.portlandmainefarmersmarket.org/
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-farmers-markets/1

For those of us that simply can’t wait for the release of the iphone 5 the rumors are abound. Here are a few of the latest iphone 5 rumors.

According to Macworld, The iphone 5 could be release as early as September. We can expect to see a larger screen and several sources are reporting that the dock connector will be different. Hopefully the come out with an adapter too!
http://www.macworld.com.au/features/iphone-5-rounding-up-the-latest-rumours-53512/

There’s another informative rumor round up from Cnet that does corroborate most of the chatter surrounding the iphone 5.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-20073431-233/iphone-5-rumor-roundup/?tag=rb_content;contentBody

And if you still want to know more check out the posts at http://www.iphone5release.net/. There is a ton of interesting details here and mentions of a new liquid metal body which is really cool.

The take away from all of this is that whatever Apple decides to do with the iphone 5, it will be amazing.

I’m someone who really loves sweets….brownies, cookies, cake…you name it! Unfortunately my fiancé is not a sweet-eater and believe it or not, he HATES chocolate. Sometimes I wonder why a woman couldn’t have been born with his taste buds! Since it seems wasteful to bake goodies just for myself, I came up with the perfect solution (thanks to Pinterest of course)….the 1-2-3 Mug Cake! It is quick to make, low in fat and calories and best of all, can be made in 1 serving!

<strong>What You’ll Need:</strong>
1 box Angel Food Cake mix
1 box Devil’s Food mix
unsweetened apple sauce
A few chocolate chips
Take the two cakes mixes & combine them in a large container. Make sure it has an airtight lid! Now you’re ready to make the cake!

<strong>The measurements:</strong>
3 Tablespoons of the Angel Food/Devil’s Food mixture
1 Tablespoon of Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Tablespoon of water
A few chocolate chips

<strong>The assembly:</strong>
Mix everything together except the chocolate chips.
After you mix, place the chocolate chips on top so they will slowly sink into the cake as it cooks.
Put it in the microwave for 45-60 seconds
Let cool for a couple of minutes and top with a little whipped cream.

Enjoy!