Salad Spinner, Mint vs. Ting, and a symphony question!
Should I get a salad spinner the next time I see one at the thrift store? I’m thinking from how often Kristen mentions using hers, it would be worth it. I don’t like soggy lettuce and it never seems to dry thoroughly when I drain them dry on paper towel.
-Val
As you all know, I am not a big fan of kitchen unitaskers. I like items that can do many jobs! But a salad spinner is one of my few exceptions (that and a waffle maker).
I grew up using a salad spinner, so that's maybe why my brain thinks it's an important kitchen tool. In fact, when I left my salad spinner behind at my old house, I ordered one for my rental house.
Salad spinners are really, really good at what they do; you will end up with dry lettuce in just a minute or two, no paper towels required.
Also, since the strainer bowl sits off the floor of the salad spinner, the spinner itself makes a good lettuce storage tool if you have enough room in your fridge. Since there are just two of us here, I usually have enough space to just throw the whole thing in the fridge!
I have this salad spinner, and since I owned the same model for a very long time at my old house, I can vouch for the longevity. But a thrift store salad spinner (or maybe off of a Buy Nothing group?) would be a cheaper option of course!
If you're short on space, the one I have does come in a smaller size. But it's only $5 cheaper (!!), so I'd suggest getting the larger one.
Way back when...You told us about TING. It has been perfect for my family until recently. We have been having problems lately with lack of signal where it used to be strong. Anyway...I was wondering if you are still using TING?? If not, who are you using, if you don't mind saying. I recently noticed our bills had gone way up and learned that our data usage had really jumped. Maybe it's time though, to change carriers.
-Alice
Oh my goodness yes! I switched from Ting a while back because their prices for data had gotten too high. I now use Mint Mobile, and I love it.
I pay $15 a month for unlimited texting and calling, plus 5GB of data. And even if I do use up the data, I still have data service, it's just a little slower.
And if you want truly unlimited fast data, you can pay $30 a month, which is still a screaming deal compared to regular cell phone carriers.
I can give you a $15 discount through Mint Mobile's referral program (like getting your first month free!) but they changed it so I can only refer four people per year. Zoe also has four $15 discounts she could share, so once she sends me hers, I can add it to this post.
I'm gonna put my link right here, first come, first served: Mint Mobile $15 discount link.
I have found their service to be very easy to use, and the customer service has been good as well. 10/10!
I went to the SF symphony recently to see Carmina Burana, and it was an amazing experience - the music was familiar and supertitles helped me follow what was going on. I definitely was moved and in tears by the end.But before intermission was a contemporary piece by John Adams that gave me much less to grab onto (okay, I was bored) and I was kind of wondering, since I know you are a symphony goer, HOW you enjoy the symphony? Do your thoughts wander? Do you recognize musical allusions that go over my head? Do contemporary pieces, which often seem dissonant to me, work for you? What do you watch and what do you think about?I hope my question makes some sort of sense, feel free to edit it down if you'd like to answer only a part of it. But I'm very curious how you experience the symphonies you attend!Love the blog,Monique
I love this question!
So, yes, just like you, I find the more familiar the piece, the more fun I have at the symphony. I have gotten to hear well-loved pieces like Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, Holst's "The Planets" (I wanted them to play Jupiter over and over!), Barber's Adagio for Strings, and even my very favorite Rachmaninoff piano concerto, which brought tears to my eyes.
All that said, yes, sometimes there's a piece or two in the lineup that is really not my jam, and like you said, it's usually the very contemporary ones. I recognize those pieces take skill to write and perform, but they do not land pleasantly in my ears. I just wait for those ones to be over, mostly. 😉
And if I look at a concert program and see that it's all pieces I know won't like, I just skip that one.
What I watch depends on what seats I happen to be able to snag; if I can, I love to pick a seat near the string basses. I also think it's fascinating to watch the percussionists, and sometimes I think about how much fun it would be to be the one playing the timpani.Sometimes I just close my eyes and let the music wash over me (that's what I did during Jupiter!). If it's a piece I really love, I often feel it in my body...like a sensation up my spine or in my chest.
I realized recently that even once I have my RN, I should still be able to ride the student discount train at the symphony because I am going to be starting my BSN program in the fall.
Soooo, more symphonies are in my future. 🙂
I think even if you didn't get any discount on symphonie tickets you should keep going to the symphonies! They seem to give you so much pleasure. Maybe THAT would be your guideline for your budget for pocket money as discussed the other day? Maybe as base rate the dollars you would spend on your favourite seating maybe once a month?
@Lea, I was thinking this too. The symphony seems to bring K so much joy. This might be a good birthday or christmas gift idea from the family, too 🙂
Adagio for Strings and Danse Macabre are my two favourite (obviously very different) pieces of classical music. Danse Macabre and Bad Moon Rising both help my neurodivergent brain get stuff done so sometimes I put them on repeat to help me put clothes away or tidy the kitchen.
@Victoria, wait, "Bad Moon Rising"?? Isn't that a Credence Clearwater Revival song? (Serious ignorance on display here. . .)
@Victoria, my story about "Bad Moon Rising" is that my own oddball brain always heard the chorus "There's a bad moon on the rise" as "There's a bathroom on the right." And given that in my misspent youth at parties where this song was playing, I was usually looking for a bathroom, this wasn't completely illogical.
@Victoria, I'm more of a contemporary music fan, but Danse Macabre is my very favorite piece of classical music. For whatever reason, I always enjoy hearing it when I'm doing my winter holiday decorating.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, it is a CCR song and a good one. As are Fortunate Son, Looking out my back door, and Green River.
@Selena, don't forget Suzie-Q.
@Selena,
.....and Who'll Stop the Rain.
No advice on the other questions, but this is reminding me that I need to go back to some local symphonies which are free on certain days! Your and Monique's ambivalence about modern pieces reminds me of a West Wing storyline where the president grumbles about having to go to a symphony entirely consisting of modern pieces by an Icelandic orchestra, and then is amazed by them and rescinds his opinion!
I got a salad spinner four years ago and I use it constantly. I use it to wash grapes and strawberries and lettuce (of course). It's great for reviving soggy lettuce. I also use it to soak cut french fries to remove the starch and to keep them from turning brown.
@Julia, I use my salad spinner every week, but somehow I have never thought about using it for anything other than lettuce! Thanks for the ideas.
@Julia, we also use ours for berries and herbs. I spin the whole bunch of herbs, trim the ends and put in an inch or so of water in a mason jar and cover with a bag. Herbs will last a very long time stored this way.
@Jan in GA,
Do you then put the jar/bag covered herbs in the fridge, or leave them on a counter top? I know if I attempted to store my herbs that way in the fridge, it wouldn't be long before it fell on the floor. My family is both impatient and somewhat clumsy (myself included).
@Liz B., Oops! That's an important point! Yes, refrigerate after covering with the bag. I use a rubber band to secure the bag since it's a little protection from water leaking all over the fridge in case someone knocks it over. I just skimmed this article though, and they do not favor this method, so your mileage may vary.
https://www.thekitchn.com/we-tried-5-methods-for-storing-fresh-herbs-and-found-a-clear-winner-23031250
@Jan in GA,
Thank you!
Absolutely love the pic of Miss Sonia!
I’ve used both Mint and Ting which were wonderful but I wanted something with more data for cheaper. I’m currently using Visible which is a Verizon based budget carrier. They have 2 plans and the difference is basically the speeds and hotspot data speeds. I’ve been loving it and the hotspot speed is great and I have the basic plan. It’s $25 a month or $275 annually. It looks like right now you can sign up for 25 months and get it for $20.
@Agile, I was going to hop on to recommend Visible as well. For $25 you get unlimited data which was important to me bc I was constantly exceeding my data limit and I have not observed any difference in speed or quality compared to when I was on a 'real' Verizon plan.
@Agile, we haven't used Visible but another prepaid on the Verizon network and it was a great fit for us for a long time. The biggest issue we've had is services like Mint don't work well in our area, so I think it's important to check the coverage in your area. Our daughter currently uses Mint and there are multiple spots where she doesn't have service. Verizon network is more expensive but we decided it was worth it to have service for the areas where we frequently travel. It doesn't seem frugal to pay less for cell service if it doesn't work when I need it!
@Ally, Interesting. Never seen an add for Visible.
Is it a regional carrier?
@Irena, Apparently the U.S. with some roaming stuff. Here is a link to their coverage page.
https://www.visible.com/plans/coverage
My Mom taught me years ago to put a clean tea towel in a plastic bag, put the washed lettuce on top, set outside and swing your arm round and round rather quickly. Worked well if one did not have salad spinner!
@Henriette, typo there, should have said "step outside . . ."
@Henriette,
That's how I learned to do it too!
Salad spinner-- Until you find a spinner, you can do what I do. I put a large flour sack towel on the counter or dish drainer, put my rinsed lettuce (or greens) on the towel, bring the edge of the towel to make a handle of sorts, walk outside, and give it a good whirl. No soggy lettuce.
Jupiter--One of my favorite hymns is a Te Deum set to Jupiter. This isn't the best recording, but it's from a summer youth conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kax2bBIlCgA
@Jody S., this same part of "Jupiter" also serves as the music for the British hymn "I Vow to Thee, My Country," which was played at both Princess Diana's wedding and her funeral. Thanks for the link to the Te Deum; I didn't know it had been used for that as well.
I always hear those words when I hear the music because long ago I heard a Charlotte Church recording of that!
@A. Marie, and @Jody S., I walked down the aisle to that section of Jupiter when I got married. Love it so much!
Generally I avoid symphonies and orchestras. I struggle with them. I think it's in part because sometimes I get so emotionally affected by certain music and I have a hard time being that way in public.
@Jody S., wOW! I just listened to the link you gave us for Te Deum. It brought me to tears. So majestic and powerful. Thanks for sharing.
Also, when you mentioned flour sack towels, it made me think of the flour sacks and feed bags that one of our farming relatives often gave to my mother. She made all four of us girls “feed bag” dresses. We loved them and were so excited when a new batch of sacks arrived. Occasionally she would make each of my brothers a shirt from the sacks. They didn’t find as much joy in them as we girls did.
I just switched to Mint Mobile and I'm a fan!
The reason that I switched is that I had to pay for data on my old plan, and out of nowhere I was suddenly using tons of data which meant that I went from having a "budget" cell bill to a "normal" cell bill. I thought it was GPS from traveling and didn't really question it, until I realized that I've been traveling for a few years and had only had a problem for a few months. I checked my phone's settings to see exactly what was using so much data. It was Accuweather! It was always running in the background. Once I changed the setting to only run when I was using the app, my data usage went back to normal. And I have a cheaper phone bill now on top of that;-)
Nothing like discount tickets to something you absolutely love. I would close my eyes and get absorbed in the music too. Or fall asleep. LOL
We switched from AT&T to Mint on January 1. We paid for the whole year, so it was even cheaper. I estimate to save over $800. this year on cell service for the 2 of us. We had been wanting to switch and my husband finally did it. Since we prepaid for the whole year, we won't have a cell phone bill this year at all. It's wonderful and the service is great. The customer service is pretty cool too; we only had to call when we were setting up. The agent walked us thru step by step; it was very helpful. So far, no problems!
Salad spinner: Yes, definitely. In fact, I own two, since in the summer I'm often storing different types of greens.
Phone: One member of the senior-citizen dumb flip phone brigade reporting for duty!
Concerts: I'm not a fan of classical music, but I do attend occasional folk and Celtic concerts sponsored by the local folk music appreciation society. And in these cases, of course, I usually know the musicians' work pretty well.
Sonia has such an interesting style! I would love to see more outfits of hers (if she wants to share with your readers)
I know...I feel like she should start an Instagram account or something just for style sharing!
I found a like-new salad spinner at a thrift store and bought it for $4 or $5; before that, I'd been trying to shake-dry the greens, which didn't do all that well. I tried spinning in a towel, but I must not be coordinated enough. After flinging greens all over the yard a couple of times, I gave up on that idea. Plus, they weren't getting very dry even on the times I didn't lose the end of the towel. I do my herbs, garden greens and lettuces, and store-bought greens in my salad spinner. I've done grapes, too, but had been wary of putting fragile berries in them. Maybe I'll try that.
I don't go to concerts and symphonies much at all - I have to drive over an hour each way, then drive home late in the evening when it's done, and heaven knows, I drive enough right now just for work. I prefer classical, blue-grass and some folk-music. I can't stand dissonance in music. It goes all over me like fingernails on a chalkboard, so I try to make sure I won't run into that before I buy a ticket. If I do end up surprised with it, I turn my thoughts inward and wait it out.
I have zero input on cell phone services. My daughter provides me with a line on her plan at no cost to me. I've suggested a plan like Mint or Visible, but she hasn't tried them. She travels a lot, and is more concerned with being sure of her coverage than she is the cost.
@JD, Having to drive far and/or have issues with parking cost, availability and safety is why many of my friends around the US do not attend concerts.
It is not a substitute but today, many many different musical groups and organizations sponsor free or low fee online concerts.
It started with COVID and has continued because a lot of us can't always get out (weather, cost, etc.) and want to still enjoy music.
Your location doesn't matter so you could access online concerts produced anywhere.
The other plus with the online concerts? You can play them multiple times (often within a set period).
We enjoy BEM Boston Early Music festival concerts a lot during the year. There are similar offerings in all genres. Some googling will bring up material.
Some organizations were hesitant to offer online, thinking it would cut into on-site performance sales. Most have found that it actually upped their business as many folks who attended in person also listened online, too. (Some are smart enough to give you free unlimited access to online concert that you paid for a ticket to hear in person. VERY smart marketing.)
@Irena, you make a good point about the problems many of us have with driving to concerts. In my case, I usually don't drive after dark, since I still see halos around headlights (this was the one issue that my recent cataract surgeries didn't fix). But the local folk music organization I mention above uses my local Unitarian church (only 5 minutes down the hill from me) as the concert venue, so I don't have a problem with driving there.
@A. Marie, yellow lens glasses for the win!!! We have a pair in every vehicle and they really help cut down on the glare from oncoming lights.
That last question- so timely in that I just attended a jazz concert last night with my DH, and we both agreed on the walk to our car afterward that even after giving it many, many tries, we just simply don't care for jazz, primarily because it fails to move either of us emotionally. (Senior discount tickets of $10 each made it a financially feasible experiment 🙂 )
I want to be made to feel something, anything, when I listen to music, and the more I feel the higher my high, and thus my enjoyment.
I've recently discovered that if I sit directly in front of the orchestra, or the band, I can 'feel' the power of the performance in an almost physical way, which I love!
My favorite section to sit near, Kristen, is the violin section. Our concert master here, Dennis Kim, is not only a musical genius, he emotes beautifully, and also plays on a Stradivarius, the combination of which can move me to tears in a heartbeat.
Isn't there a nice sense of freedom in just deciding, "this thing is not for me."? Now you know!
Salad spinner: I have the Ikea one and it serves us well! I also use it to store cut greens and produce. As an example, yesterday I wanted to crisp up some limp broccoli to roast, so I set it to soak in the salad spinner for half an hour. After draining, my toddler enthusiastically spun the water out, I tossed it on the pan, and it was perfect. Other times, I'll cut a whole head of lettuce or kale, wash, spin, and then leave it in the fridge in the salad spinner to be used at various meals. In the summer, I usually have a jam jar of homemade vinaigrette in the fridge. Most other people I know have the OXO salad spinner, which is more ergonomic, but the Ikea one is fine for me.
I think considering unitasker vs. multitasker is worthwhile, but I'm not too rigid about it. If a unitasker is used frequently, it's more useful than a multi-tasker that's used infrequently. Our bread machine gets a workout 2-3 times a week while I only use the food processor once a month. (Not that I regret the food processor--it's very helpful when I do use it!)
In no particular order: There haven't been many symphony offerings in our college town of late and it could be that I am just out of the loop. My favorite thoughts of Lyceum Series Symphony was the day I went to eat lunch with my brother at the livestock auction (the cafe made one great hot roast beef plate!) and watched hogs sell, then went home, got cleaned up and went to the Symphony. I did not feel out of place at either one, but laughed inside at the irony.
As for phone service, US Cellular provides the best coverage in our area. Many years ago, a kind saleslady got me on a reasonable plan and every time I go to get a different phone (and believe me, my holdout is as long as possible) the current sales people keep me on the plan I have, telling me I can't do any better with more current ones.
I have a salad spinner. It gets more use in late spring with leaf lettuce. I'm not big on one use items, either, I don't have much real estate for such things. It was a reasonable purchase at Marshall's. In fact, I get a lot of the more uncommon (?) food prep items there. I have gotten a lot of my little "cooking for one or two" cake/sheet/springform specialty items there and not for a small fortune.
I loved the Mint prices but the service in our area was really poor! I kept getting lost as my Google maps cut out, LOL. Or I couldn’t look up prices in stores to price check. We switched to Google FI, it’s $45/line for unlimited with the two of us on a plan. So, $15 more than Mint’s unlimited per line. The $15 for better local service is worth it to me!
I concur with the other commenters, it sounds like symphonies should drive the fun budget! It might even be fun to get a yearly membership, to support the arts and maybe get other perks 🙂 if we ever live near a city with a good theatre, I’d love to get a touring Broadway package!
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, all too often one is at the "edge" of their coverage area. Neighbors in the neighborhood got burned by T-Mobile. After switching to T-Mobile then "upgrading" did they then hear the words "you're on the edge of our coverage area". I hate the term broadband, as it is too vague - could be cell tower, could actually be point-2-point. And be cognizant that most Hughes Net commercials show a house in the middle of nowhere without any trees. Forget Starlink (nazi musk or not) - it is expensive and little factual data on how well it works where you live. Frankly, Starlink could work great and be dirt arse cheap and I wouldn't give nazi musk my business.
You can also use a salad spinner to wash woolen delicates, like mittens and hats! I soak them in water with Woolite mixed in, then spin and rinse a few times. It helps get a lot of water out, and it’s not as harsh as putting things in the washing machine.
(No credit to me for this idea — I read this somewhere years ago!)
@Hilary, wow, thanks for the tip about washing delicates!
Thank you to Kristen and all the people who took time to give their input on the salad spinner "to buy or not to buy" question. I often think I don't like one use items but I do own a waffle maker (recently bought at Thrift store) and a little Dash appliance that makes one egg for a "homemade McMuffin" and we use that at least twice weekly. The input was so helpful. Leaning towards getting the spinner.
Ms. Style's coat/scarf/hair is all just perfection! She is adorable always.
I have a salad spinner, but half the time I find I just rinse lettuce and then throw it in a linen towel, roll it up and dry it that way. I don't like rinsing off/washing the salad spinner...for some reason it is a hassle to me.
I told my son about Mint. I think it would be a good fit for him. I've used straight talk FOREVER (like maybe 15+ years) and I don't think I can transfer my phone number. The service is good so I keep it cause I want to keep my number even though I could save a few bucks each month changing.
I have a salad spinner, too, and I use it often. As for the symphony - I took myself to a Candlelight Concert in November and it was music from two shows I have never seen and I enjoyed the entire outing just the same. I think its a great practice to take yourself out on solo dates (: Even without a student discount!
Yes to a salad spinner. I use mine, everyday in lettuce season, Spring and Fall. I grow my own lettuce.
I bought my first one at a yard sale and wore out. So I was looking for another one. While walking up a hill to a yard sale I spotted another one sitting on a table and I quickened my pace.
I asked the woman how much and she said $1. I told her it looked in excellent shape. She said I used it once, who uses these? I said ma'am I do fact it will be used this evening.
I have now wore this one out and am looking for a third.
Maybe I wear them out because I use them for so many different things. The latest when I googled how to clean Legos that I bought at a thrift shop for my grandson.
Yes, yes, and yes to the salad spinner, which I first became familiar with YEARS ago when I received it as a gift. I have been using the OXO brand for well over 10 years and it holds up extremely well (You don't want a junky one where the plastic interior basket breaks or the top knob becomes broken and inoperable.)
Ironically, we chose to go with Mint based on Kristen writing about it. We, too, have two phones at $15 month, plus tax (but we pay annually, once) and have been very pleased. It is far far less than any other plan.
Plus, I love that they have little perks every now and then. I forget whether it was Paramount+ or Peacock, but we got an email last year for six-month free access. WOW. That was worth something like $8 to $10 a month, so $48 to $60 worth of streaming for free, making it really like only paying $60 for a whole year of mint (plus tax).
As for concerts: We are extremely fortunate to live very close to Lincoln Center in NYC, which has various free or low cost concerts during the year plus, big bonus, many free concerts by members of Juilliard's Historical musical instrument group (students, with famous guest conductors of the early and Baroque music I love).
There are also free classical music concerts, plays and dance by the students. You basically get to see the stars of tomorrow before they become famous. These are top performances.
Additionally, we have a number of local classical and baroque groups that provide free concerts periodically during the year in various venues around the city. And also some low cost ones as well.
I've only been to concerts where I was, say, less intrigued by a piece but not bored.
It helps that the concerts we choose focus on the composers we are most interested in. We've been fortunate to hear a lot of lesser but very worthwhile works along the way. The programming is top-notch, as you'd expect in a major city (and as I suspect it is in other big cities across the US and some smaller ones as well.)
In NYC, you can find quite a bit of the arts that are free, albeit some lines and other things (having to get tickets in advance).
And we have an online lottery for our famous Shakespeare in the Park productions in Central Park in the summer. (You can also line up. At the least you meet some interesting folks and have some interesting conversations while in line.)
FYI: We do occasionally attend modern and contemporary music concerts, but very selectively (Looking at you Philip Glass). Again, we have a venue literally three blocks from the apartment that features all kinds of music from around the world for very modest pricing. Over the years, we've upped our awareness (and pleasure) with hearing very different groups. We basically like to try one to three different types of music over the year to expand our horizons. We may not have fallen in love with all that we sampled, but...we did come across new performers and new genres that we really enjoy.
Experiment when you can afford it. You never know what you'll hear that will set your ears and soul aflame.
For Alice that heard Carmina Burana at the symphony
My heart jumped when I read your question! We played many movements from Carmina for competition when I was in high school and it brings back such great memories. It was difficult!!! And our director actually had us learn some of the fast sections faster than we needed to so then when we slowed to the correct pace, it was easier.
This goes along with the idea that the familiar is going to be more enjoyable!
It is true that a familiar piece is often more enjoyable!
Schoenberg never grew on me, though, even when I had to listen to his stuff repeatedly for my music appreciation class. Just not my jam. Ha.
I had that salad spinner and it was great. I might still have it but we are NOT a salad family. (We like them but HATE making them.) I'm thinking I decluttered it or shoved it in the back corner cabinet.
I love my salad spinner. I got mine at Aldi. I really like the shape & style of yours more though, I never considered just putting it in the fridge either! I may watch for yours at thrift stores for an upgrade. But I use mine at least once a week, more in the summer.
My salad spinner is my best friend in the summer when I'm buying and washing lettuce from the farmers markets. It's a great tool! I got a deal on mine, too - bought a number of useful items at a high end cooking store when they were going out of business.
Full disclosure, I only have a salad spinner because I bought it to be able to demonstrate centrifugal force when I was teaching homeschool elementary grade science. And I've kept it mostly because it is a nice vessel for salad greens and for soaking greens in ice water to revive them. And I'm hoping to grow herbs this year, so I imagine it will come in handy for that.
It does take up a lot of kitchen real estate, though, so if you're short on storage that's something to think about.
Chiming in on the music--I have sung for many years in large choruses, and there are some modern composers who grow on you. But there are also some that seem to hate the audience--no melody, no beautiful passage, just noise. Maybe it is a 20th century conceit? But as an audience member, I choose the programs carefully and will occasionally sit through a modern pain on the way to something I like much better. You can also use the pieces you don't like to duck out to the snack bar. The music directors like to please as large an audience as possible, so another strategy is to write to your symphony, or send a polite email, and ask how they chose a particular piece or program. The symphony's newsletter often has this kind of information that will help you choose the programs you enjoy. I have also seen audiences change at intermission: if the modern pieces are in the second part of the concert, leave! That is a pretty clear message too. But there is no escaping the attitude of some modern composers, who chose to ignore what audiences want to hear.
Wanted to put out there that We have mint Mobile for our teens phones and it’s great! Thanks for the recommendation Kristen! We’ve had it for 4 years I think?
With mint you can pay just once a year. One and done. Get it and forget it. And Ryan Reynolds’s sent me a stand up paper doll of himself in a tuxedo.
@Tiana,
Ryan Reynolds as owner is definitely a plus in my book! Even if I didn't think he is funny, he does so much good and gives so much of his personal wealth to charity I am happy to support his philanthropy. We switched from Ting to Mint a few years ago. My husband and three teenagers all have annual plans and no issues. Location does matter as they run on T-Mobile's network. If T-Mobile is bad in your area Mint will be too.
Yes, to a salad spinner! And as an addedbonus I have a couple delicate laundry items I wash in the spinner, rinse, then "dry" and hang to finish drying. Granted, I wouldn't invest in the spinner for this - but, its easier than washing min the sink!
My mom and I are going to see Andrea Bocelli on 2/6. We are very excited.
Yes to a salad spinner! It takes up some space, but especially with sandy/earthy greens it`s such a timesaver. I let them soak, spin, change the water - easy.
To concerts where there are some "pauses": I let my thoughts wander and just enjoy the atmosphere, congratulate myself I made it there and now that I am here I have no chance but relax.
I love my salad spinner! I use it to wash alot of my veggies, and don't necessarily use the spinner part, but like that I can soak the veggies and then remove the spinning basket to drain them. I also use it to wash grapes and berries. Mine is from Ikea and was relatively inexpensive ($5??).
I just attended the Symphony last Friday as a chaperone for my son's orchestra class outing. I agree that attending the Symphony can a bit difficult, since I live in the suburbs and the Orchestra Hall is in midtown, so driving there is a pain and paying for parking. However, as a chaperone, we just have to attend to ensure there are enough adults to keep an eye on the high school kids. Basically we don't have to do much and can enjoy a night of music at a discounted rate plus we don't have to drive or pay for parking! Door to door service on the school bus!
When there is a new-to-me piece on a program (which admittedly doesn’t happen often after 30 years of playing orchestral music), I try to look up a recording ahead of time and spend some time with the piece ahead of the concert - I didn’t understand the attraction of atonal music until my university conductor had us spend a whole term playing Schoenberg and darned if it hadn’t grown on me after 12 weeks of rehearsal and practice. If I can’t get a recording ahead of time, I’ll often pick an instrument in the orchestra and try to pick out what they are playing out of the overall noise. Focusing on one or two parts helps me unpick what the composer was trying to achieve and find a sort of appreciation for the talents of a musician if not for the piece itself.
Re the question about the John Adams piece:
I have played numerous pieces by John Adams, and have even played in an orchestra with him conducting. I agree that if your ear is tuned to Brahms or Tchaikovsky, Bach or Mozart, John Adam’s music will seem dissonant and perhaps uninteresting on first hearing. But wait! Here’s how to make that part of a symphony program much more enjoyable:
If you know in advance that such a piece will be on the program, first look up program notes and read about the piece. Then find a performance on YouTube – all except the very newest music is probably there – and listen to it, preferably two or three times at least. Maybe a couple of different performances as well. The more you know about this kind of music, the more interesting it becomes.
I often find that at the first run through of a new piece, I don’t care for it much either, but by the time we have rehearsed it and are ready to perform it at the end of the week, I have a completely different attitude towards it. This has been especially true of the music of John Adams.
For what it’s worth, there are plenty of criticisms of Beethoven’s music to be found. https://www.wqxr.org/story/173158-critical-assaults-beethoven/
Full disclosure, I do not enjoy the music of Philip Glass no matter how many times I have performed it.
I have the same OXO salad spinner that Kristen does (actually the smaller size), and I got it at a thrift store in like new condition for about $5. I see them there all the time--this particular brand and other brands. I highly recommend checking at your local thrifts for a few weeks and holding out for an OXO, they are far better than others I've had in the past, if you have any decent thrifts in your area. I think it is indispensable if you like eating salads.
After years of being ripped off by AT&T, we switched to Cricket. It's not the cheapest, but it's been super reliable and totally effortless for 6 or 7 years now.
Regarding classical music, years ago in an effort to expose my\\our teenagers to more musical options, we dragged them to a free event sponsored by a small university in which the soloist sang in one key and the pianist accompanied in an entirely different key. To say it was dissonant is a kindness. It was so sparsely attended, that we had to shake the hands of the musicians to exit. As I shook the hands of the soloist, a huge lie fell out of my mouth, "That was beautiful, thank you." Ever since then, I have vowed to not be such a bold-faced coward when it comes to the truth.
I'm no longer a student nor a teacher, but I loved the discounts I got in those days. Now I am looking to leverage my senior discount. I'm 62, so I'm not eligible everywhere, but I definitely take advantage whenever possible. Rock on, symphony sister!
We used to have season tickets for the SF Symphony Chamber series. While it was always enjoyable to hear a classic I know, I especially loved the contemporary pieces! There was one once that was only percussion and a piano and it was amazing. Just thought it was funny that our tastes are opposite.
Well, if we attended the symphony together, we would be happy at exactly opposite times. lol
If Mint mobile doesn’t work for you, we have US mobile and have been pleased. You can choose to use Verizon or T mobile towers….verizon coverage for us is far better. I tried it for several months, then plunked down $220 for an annual plan which saved some $. That is unlimited talk and text and 10gb of fast data. After 10gb it slows down. If you don’t need that much data, you can get an even cheaper plan.