Diary of a KAD

Normally, I don’t take to rhyming because I think it’s gimmicky and campy.  Another thing that’s gimmicky is a lot of (awful) wine labels.  Novices are drawn to catchy names or fun looking bottles if they don’t know what to buy. So, here’s a little guide if you are just getting started, or fancy yourself an expert who enjoys an "every day" cost for an every day bottle.  Tip:  do not buy wine called “Bitch, Fat Bastard, Flirt, Goats do Roam” or anything else that sounds like it should not be wine.  Most wines you would want to drink sound pretty boring – the label should list the name of the wine (if there is one), the type of grape (sometimes referred to as the varietal), the vintage (if there is one) and the region from which the grapes are grown – that’s it.  Ya, it’s pretty boring, but when you open the bottle, the fun begins. Of course prices may vary, but I live in Arlington, VA where the cost of life has a 20% uplift – so these wines may c...

Years ago, I saw a movie called “Pay it Forward” that was terrible.  But, I love the concept because not enough people do good deeds (in my humble opinion).  You can’t really blame them because there is that saying about getting punished for good deeds; such as performing CPR on a choking man, only to have him sue you for ruining his Armani tuxedo jacket. I like stories about families reuniting.  Maybe because I was adopted or maybe because my estranged biological sister will likely stay that way forever.  Everyone knows the story of the Kansas City homeless man (Billy Ray Harris) who returned a woman’s engagement ring after she accidentally dropped it in his cup, while making a donation.  You may have even heard that the owner of the diamond ring started a fundraising page for Harris, raising almost $183,000.   But the real story is that Harris is back in touch with his family, from whom he was estranged for the last 16 years.  While t...

I’m relieved and grateful that Congress is seriously talking about immigration reform, but it really burns me when they focus the discussions solely on Mexican immigrants.  Because the national political stage has this tunnel-vision view of immigration, otherwise intelligent people (sometimes friends) tell me I don’t count… that I’m not really an immigrant.  I was born in Korea & am now a resident and citizen of the USA.  Yes, I am an immigrant, as defined by Webster (immigration, noun, the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country).  Still, I do think this is good news, in the sense that our government is talking about the possibility of maybe trying for a solution. Photo credit:  Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press This topic is extremely sensitive for me, and I get passionate when people talk about it, but have no idea how little they know – the unconsciously incompetent.  When people assume immigrants want to live & wor...

Lately, I’ve been reading that sitting all day is so bad for us, that it is decreasing our life expectancy.  The research is overwhelming and studies show that if you walk 10 minutes of every hour, you’ll lose weight.  I’ve also noticed that men are tappers – tapping their feet and hands throughout the day; whereas most women are not.  Turns out, this is all related.  Men have quicker metabolisms, and when they are forced to sit for long periods of time, their inner fidget manifests itself with outward annoyance.  But while women are glaring at them in meetings, they are burning calories. I’ve been thinking about what I can do to boost my metabolism, now that it is slowing down at a particularly fast pace.  So, all of this is coming together in my head as a lifestyle change that is ascertainable.  The Good News Network is committed to bringing you good news!  You already know you can boost your metabolism by building muscle and doing vigorou...