I’m all for a world that celebrates smart – smart women, smart girls, smart choices. Seriously, I have absolutely no use for the perpetuation of the idea of females as helpless or less intelligent. Smart girls rock!

More than ever, our young girls are faced with a host of pressures placed on them by our society. There is pressure to be thin, to always have a boyfriend, to dress the “right” way. The pressure is all but pounding their collective self esteem into the ground. Believe me; I see it all the time at the high school. All these girls want to reassured that who they already are is absolutely perfect.

Amy Poehler’s new web-show, Smart Girls at the Party, is a much-needed bright spot in a world where young girls struggle to find themselves amidst so much pressure. The show shines a spotlight on various young girls with cool talents, inspiring aspirations, and unique achievements. I’m loving Care Bears on Fire – a trio of rockin’ 12-year-olds. There’s no doubt that girls who understand the sheer genius of the Ramones are about as smart as smart can be.

I want to urge you to get the word out about Smart Girls at the Party. Share an episode with a girl in your own life. These are real girls doing cool things, just living life and loving who they are. There is such a feeling of power, esteem and positivity in each episode. Poehler conducts her interviews with the same wry wit we’re all used to seeing on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update – but this time she injects an appropriate level of seriousness and respect.

My five-year-old is sitting on my lap, right now, entranced. We have watched at least six episodes together already. It’s some pretty awesome together time.

You can even get your own widget to put on your own blog, or your Myspace and Facebook. The widget is pretty cool. You can play a pretty much continuous stream of episodes right in your own space. It doesn’t matter what platform you want to use – the widget probably has it all set up for you. Take a look!

p.s. Take a look at some of the Barbie commercials that run between episodes. I had that Barbie Dream House with three stories and the elevator! I don’t care what anyone says, Barbie is what you make her. My Barbies were always strong, confident, and breaking out of the traditional roles of women. My Barbies rocked!

When the Superbowl comes to Tampa, there are always a ton of exciting events going on all around the Bay area. It’s festive, invigorating even. The last time we hosted the Superbowl, I regretted not spending more time down in Ybor City and in around the hot parties and all of the hot spots where celebrities were spotted night after night.

However, that was a few years back. I’m past my partying days and more concerned with finding fun family activities to do with my daughter this weekend. I have had it in my head all week to go over to Apollo Beach tomorrow. Another cold snap hit town and that means another good time to go over to the Manatee Viewing Center.

I mentioned my plan to one of my friends last night and she asked to come along. The more, the merrier. I mentioned the plans to another friend this afternoon and she reminded me that the traffic in Tampa is horrific right now. This weekend is just going to be insane with the additional people in town for the game and the parties. An awful lot of out-of-towers are clogging up the roads in rental cars. It’s not pretty.

Unfortunately, the quickest route to Apollo Beach is across the causeway and through Tampa. Apollo Beach is just a little south of Tampa. And while it is just across the Bay from me as the “crow flies”, I’m no bird and need to use a bridge. Someone suggested heading south, taking the Skyway and coming back up the other side of the Bay. Yikes, I hate taking the Skyway – it sways!

So, right now I am in flux. I need to call the friend going with us and see if she has any input. The thing is, she rarely does.

It pains me to think of missing this opportunity. The next time I have my daughter for a weekend is two weeks away and I cannot know now if it will be chilly enough to attract the manatees.

*sigh*

I met my ex husband years and years ago on an online dating site. That was back when it was a little less accepted as a means to meet people, but I was brand new to Florida and not sure how to meet men outside of my office since I was adverse to going to bars to do so. It worked out fine, I met a lot of people, and I found that in general the quality of those men was astoundingly high.

Online dating is so commonplace now that I find most dating sites to be too widely focused. With so many people signed up at any given site, I am having trouble narrowing the field and have given up for now. Of course that actually has more to do with the fact that I’m not really interested in dating again right now

Anyway, my theory is that the dating sites that really work are those that focus in on one set of interests or attributes. Religious or regional focuses are good. Hobbies or professions are great as well. I was looking at EquestrianCupid.com as a great example. Quite specifically, it is a huge site dedicated to making romantic connections between horse lovers. You get absolutely FREE sign-up. You can go ahead and set a profile right now and if a Gold Member happens to like your profile, they will be able to contact you and you can begin communicating. I love this little detail. It reminds me of how dating sites operated back in the day, before financial profit was all the companies were interested in.

The site also offers chat, forums, and some very good safety features. Plus, who wouldn’t be inspired by reading some of the real life equestrian cupid success stories on the site?

All I hear on the local news is Super Bowl this and Super Bowl that. Tampa has been taken over by Super Bowl fever. The fans are swarming, both teams have been in town since yesterday, and you can almost feel the vibration of excitement in the air. I’m not so sure it’s actual football mania as much as having the spotlight on our region.

Anyway, the Superbowl means time to get out your best game day recipes. For me, it means Emerson Lanes Hot Dog Sauce. Emerson Lanes is a bowling alley where my dad bowled on a league for years and years. They have, hands down, the best hot dog sauce I have ever tasted. Thankfully, they are not secretive about the recipe and hand it out if you request it.

Emerson Lanes Hotdog Sauce
This recipe makes enough to feed an entire bowling team!

5 pounds ground beef
1 onion
5 teaspoons chili powder
5 teaspoons dry Italian seasoning
5 teaspoons salt
5 teaspoons red pepper
5 teaspoons garlic salt
2 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 can (#6) tomato paste
2 1/2 cans (46 ounces) tomato juice

Bring all ingredients to a boil. Lower heat and simmer two to three hours until thick.

Add 1/4 pound cooked pinto beans or kidney beans ground or mashed near the end of the cooking time.

NOTE: I add cumin to taste and think it turns out best this way.

Florida is an absolute wealth of things to do. Of course, if you are vacationing there you are probably thinking more along the lines of week-long excursions and major attractions. Living here, though, is all about the amazing day-trips we have at our fingertips all year ‘round.

The new exhibit at the Orlando Science Center is Grossology. It premiers January 31, 2009

Grossology is actually a phenomenon that started with the book by Sylvia Branzei called Grossology: The Science of Really Gross Things! We use it in the school, because the kids absolutely love it. It’s engaging, interesting, hilarious, and genuinely informative. That book led to several others in the Grossology series.

Now, you can experience Grossology hands-on with Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body at the Orlando Science Center. This is actually the second Grossology exhibit at the Center. Adults and children alike were delighted with Animal Grossology in 2006.Other area attractions might have spinning teacups and pirate rides, but where else can you go down a 30-foot long slide that travels through a 3-D model of the digestive system? How cool is that?

Grossology Exhibit – Orlando Science Center
The Center is open Sunday – Tuesday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and
Thursday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. You can order your tickets online, or call 888.OSC.4FUN for more information.

I am really beginning to adore when Publix Supermarkets does a sweeping buy-one-get-one (BOGO) sale. If you have the right coupons, you can really fill out your grocery budget.

Here is a sample of what I got this week in the way of super-deals, all at Publix:

1. Lysol All-Purpose Pourable, BOGO. I had a $1 coupon for each bottle, so in the end each bottle cost 59 cents.
2. Fantastic Cleaner, BOGO. I had a $1 coupon for each bottle, so in the end each bottle cost me 44 cents.
3. Halls cough drops, BOGO. I had a 50 cent coupon for each bag, so in the end each bag cost me 35 cents.
4. Rotel canned tomatoes, BOGO. Publix has a coupon for $1 off of 2 in their in-store ad, so in the end each can cost me a little under 10 cents.
5. I also got great deals on Juicy Juice, Dole Fruit Cups, and a couple of other items by combining sale prices with manufacturer’s coupons.

I had a couple of coupons for free items I had been sent by manufacturers (Downy, Dr. Pepper), so I paid $11.03 for a haul that would have cost me over $50 retail.

I’ve always understood that when it comes to fashion and looking great in your clothes, shoes make the outfit. You can look fantastic from head to ankle, but if your shoes look out of place with the rest of your outfit, it throws off the whole look.

Now, I have never been a shoe hound. I like shoes. In fact, I think I probably even love shoes. However, I don’t just buy them to buy them. I don’t collect them. I carefully choose each pair. I’m meticulous with my research and preparation. I like my shoes to be very well-made, to look amazing, and to work with my clothes. I’m more of a shoe connoisseur. Of course, that is just a hair’s breadth away from a shoe snob, but who’s measuring?

I enjoy window shopping for shoes. I like to take my time and see what other people are wearing. I spend some lazy evenings watching television shows I have recorded on my DVR and I have my laptop open, browsing online for shoes. I find it comforting.

For a look at what’s hot right now, daniblack shoes is a great site to browse. Take into consideration that the President of the daniblack shoe line is Danny Schwartz. He is also President of Schwartz & Benjamin, which produces shoes for Diane Von Furstenberg, Juicy Couture, kate spade, and 7 for all Mankind – as well as their own daniblack.

I especially enjoy the “Latest Trends” part of their website, since that’s the info I’m after when I’m shoe shopping online anyway. Amidst all of the new trends, it somehow feels comforting to see something like the Mimosa rose-adorned ballet flat. It’s a style that has come back full-circle more than once. I wore similar shoes in the 80s. The Mimosa has an updated edge, of course.

Or, what about these Ravens? They remind me of shoes I had in the mid to late 70s, but they also have such an air of today’s flirty styles. Again, there is that feeling of comfort and nostalgia about them that makes me keep coming back to look. In fact, I’ve got them on my To Do list for this week. I want to head over to Macy’s and try on a pair.

I’m happily astounded at how deeply they discount when they put a hoe on sale. Typically, you’re going to pay 50-60% less than the original price. Now, THAT’S a sale.

The last time the Superbowl was in town one of our local “rag” papers devoted an entire issue to Tampa’s sex industry. They had articles on where to do to find a hooker, how to avoid getting arrested while doing so, lists of all the strip bars, lingerie modeling shops, sleazy massage parlors, and the like.

Unfortunately, Tampa Bay’s adult industry thrives during mass events like the Superbowl. I say unfortunately for a couple of reasons.

First, it sickens me to think of the type of person who leaves their family to attend the Superbowl and then also partakes of hookers and lap dancers. It’s bad enough that men cheat on their wives and girlfriends, but to take the kind of risks using a se worker offers and to spend money on sex in a time when so many families are feeling a financial squeeze is just pathetic.

Also, it is just flat out sad that of all the things Tampa is “famous” for, one of them happens to be our sex industry. The city of Tampa alone has 30 licensed adult dance clubs, adult theaters, live model studios and adult bookstores. It’s pretty much the highest rate per capita nationwide. And, that’s just the city of Tampa.

I suppose one clue to the leniency of our laws might be that no matter where you go in the Tampa Bay area, you can find bars with nude dancers in strip malls right next to family restaurants. There are adult bookstores on the main highways, sitting next to car dealers and office supply stores. There is an all-nude “gentlemen’s club” with a parking lot that bumps right up next to the grocery store around the corner. The zoning here is insane.

Clubs like the Mons Venus are planning on getting as much out of the Superbowl as possible. The cover charge will possible go up to $60, from the typical $20. One dancer there said she made $6,000 in four days during Tampa’s 2001 Superbowl game.

In reality, lap dancing is now illegal in Tampa. This was a huge headline story a few years back. Nude dancers are supposed to remain at least 6 feet away from customers at all times. However, most dancers and most club owners laugh in the face of that law.

Escort services are gearing up for the Superbowl as well. One service is even offering a 10% discount to Super Bowl customers. At $250 an hour or $1,800 for an overnight – I suppose 10% helps. Of course, it could also save someone a lot of money if they would just learn some social skills and find a real girlfriend. You cave to really wonder about the mentality of the customer one escort service owner referenced who is coming into town and hiring an escort for a 7-day stint. Lonely much?

One shining light in the midst of all this filth? Undercover operations have been in full swing for a while now in preparation for the Superbowl. Informants are allegedly in place at pretty much every adult entertainment establishment in the area. So a note of caution to all of you people of questionable morality coming into town, leave enough cash for your bail.

In a word, yes.

In the past I have been very skeptical about the use of fat burners to aid in weight loss programs. I have to say that now I am a believer. I read a lot of studies prior to embarking on my current diet and weight loss plan. I looked at statistics that showed how adding things like calcium pyruvate and various amino acids could help increase how much weight a person can lose weekly, when combined with an appropriate diet and healthy exercise.

So, I have started using a combination of the calcium pyruvate and amino acids and found that my own weight loss has come easier than in the past when I just changed my diet and added additional exercise to my daily routine. I know my weight loss I not in the range of miraculous, but I have to think that most people would agree that the fact that I have lost 23 pounds in six weeks is pretty great. That is verging on about 4 pounds a week and I’m doing it without starving myself or over exerting physically. Yes, I made drastic changes in WHAT I eat and WHAT I do for my daily physical activity, but I’m absolutely not making changes that will risk my health. I have to believe that the fat burners have aided in that.

A lot of the conversations I have with the other teachers at the high school are about college plans for the kids. I suppose that coming from a home where it was always just assumed that I would go straight from high school to college; it feels odd to me how many kids I interact with now are not planning to go to college. In fact, when I think back to the people I went to high school with, most were college bound. Those who were not were almost always involved in a vocational program during high school.

Our kids here in the district do have access to various vo-tech programs. However, so many of them are just drudging through high school, doing just enough to pass from one grade to the next. If you have the pleasure of having the time to sit down with them and talk about the plans they have for after college, so very many of them have just not given it much thought. They are very focused on graduating their plan ends there. Well, ends might be the wrong word. What I mean is that the days after graduation are just a grey fog of generalization right now.

Yes, there are those who have already been accepted to colleges or are at least interested in thinking about their college plans. There are many who are looking at a career in the military. There are others who have vague plans about attending a vocational program after high school.

I personally do not think our kids have enough access to technical and vocational school programs during high school. Yes, the opportunities are absolutely there after high school, but so many of them could get a head start if they were involved in one of the programs within the district that they could be working on right now. And, since it would be part of the public school system, it would not cost them anything to get that head start.

I was looking over an online technical and vocational school guide and it gave me a lot of hope for so may of the kids I teach. Many of the careers I saw kids writing about for their senior research papers are careers they can have access to via technical programs, rather than a traditional 4-year college. And while I am a fan personally of a traditional college degree, I see so much merit in technical programs that move directly to prepare individuals to work in a specific career area. I’d like to see more of my students take advantage on the training and preparation they offer.

This is the time of year for manatee viewing in Florida. Of course, you can always go to places like Homosassa Spring Park to see manatees that have been injured in the wild and live there all year long, but for the most part the best time to see manatees is when the waters get cold and the gentle mammals move to find warmer water.

I was just talking the other day with one of the biology teachers about a fieldtrip she wants to take to Apollo Beach and today I saw an article in the paper about the same spot. With all of the cold weather we have been getting in Florida, the manatees are gathering more than ever in places like Tampa Electric Co.’s Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach.

There are reports of as many as 50 manatees gathering in the warmer waters of the Big Bend Power Station this week. The viewing center is located at the west end of Big Bend Road in Apollo Beach, which is on the east side of the Tampa Bay, south of Tampa and pretty much parallel with St. Petersburg.

We also generally have a family of manatees that come to the lagoon in Tarpon Springs each winter. I have not been up there yet this year to see if they have come to visit again. I’ve also spotted them while standing on the pier of the Safety Harbor Spa in Safety Harbor, FL. Those would be easier drives for me, but the situation in Apollo Breach has the benefit of pretty much ensuring that you will see of the many manatees that are there to enjoy the warm waters generated by the power plant.

My big plan this year is to buy my first house.

It seems so odd to say that, because I’ve actually owned several homes. In fact, I own one right now. The difference is that I owned those homes with my ex-husband. So, this goal I have of buying a house this year is a goal that involves me buying my first home all on my own.

There are a lot of great deals on the market, but I have always wanted to have a home built brand new, according to my dreams and personal tastes. When we were planning our move back to the bay area from Gainesville, we were “this close” to having a house custom built. In the end, we just couldn’t find a lot we liked in the middle of the insane real-estate bubble that was happening here.

Now that it is just me and my daughter, that “perfect” house I have inside my head is a whole lot smaller. It’s also got a cozier floor plan. Without the ex in the picture there is less of a need for a “man retreat”. I’ve been having such a fantastic time looking over the plans that Schumacher Homes has on their website. If I could fall into a great deal on a lot, then the cost of building the actual home is really quite reasonable.

All in all, the more research I do, the more I see that staying within a modest budget does not rule out having a dream home built to your own standards.

So, we never did see snow in Florida the other night, but it was sure cold enough. Those of you up north probably think I’m grousing for nothing. I know you’ve seen colder weather by far, but when you get used to the weather in Florida, a morning when its 35 degrees will really throw you for a loop.

For one, most people in Florida don’t really own clothing appropriate for very cold weather. I saw kids at school yesterday who showed up in t-shirts and shorts, because they assumed the day would warm up into the 70, like it generally does this time of year. Those poor kids were miserable when we ended up sitting outside on the bleachers for over an hour while the police swept the school after the bomb threat that was made over the weekend. I think I felt the worst for the girl I saw who was wearing a skirt and sandals.

My wardrobe isn’t much better. I realized this morning I only have three pairs of long pants to wear to work. The rest of my pants are Capri length.

We’ve got a hard freeze warning over a good portion of the state for tonight. I live along the west coast, so my immediate area is a small region that will probably only see frost. Our strawberry farmers over near Dover are on full alert, though. A hard freeze is never good for our berry crop.

The tourists I saw over at the beach on Sunday were shocked at the weather. People come to Florida all year for vacations, but in the winter they are especially looking forward to a warm paradise that will allow them to escape the cold at home. We surely aren’t enjoying beach weather right now! If you’re going to enjoy water sports here this week, bring a wetsuit.

Could be.

Tomorrow we actually have a snow advisory or something along those lines. It could come as far south in Florida as Pinellas County. I know I have seen snow in Gainesville before, but never here near Tampa. I am a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico and if I see this happen I will have seen it all.

Of course, there is the little matter of a bomb threat for tomorrow at the high school, too. Yikes, huh?

In a world where all things are supposed to be equal, I still see how much harder women sometimes have to work to make a name in the professional world. I enjoy celebrating those women who have made it in the eyes of society. I think of the female news anchors I worked with back in the late 90s, or the women I worked with who made it to the top position in one of the marketing and public relations firms I worked with a few years later. I have worked at women-owned business and for women who have taken over businesses. Each time I look to see what qualities those women have that I might emulate.

Look at CBS news anchor Laura Diaz, for example. Right out of college, Diaz began conquering the Southern California news market, moving quickly into a full-time anchor position at a top network affiliate. By 1997, Laura Diaz made history when she was made lead female anchor for that station’s 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. If you know anything about television news, you will understand just what kind of coup anchoring those timeslots is. Additionally, her new position meant that she was the first Hispanic woman to anchor weekday newscasts at an English language television station in Los Angeles.

In September 2002 anchor Laura Diaz joined Los Angeles’ CBS 2 for their 5 and 11 p.m. newscasts. She represents both women and the Latino community, while still making a connection with the community as a whole. When you consider that Diaz came from a family that spoke little English, the importance of her accomplishment of disseminating the news to an English-speaking community is evident.

In addition to her anchoring and field reporting responsibilities, CBS’ Laura Diaz also finds the time to serve on the advisory board of trustees of “The Joyful Child Foundation.” The foundation works to organize neighborhood watches around the country and keep child predators off the streets.

When you hear “Laura Diaz, CBS Anchor” – it is generally a clear indication that you are talking about one of the leading Hispanic news anchors in the nation, not just in Los Angeles. Her career is a celebration of being a woman in the completive field of television news.

Learn more about Laura Diaz here.