Summer Reading List: In Search of New Titles

The 2010 Summer Reading List
Nominations NOW OPEN

That’s right; it’s almost time for my ELEVENTH ANNUAL Summer Reading List (SRL).  Each year before I take my two-week vacation on the Atlantic shore I solicit ideas for great new reads that you’ve discovered over the past year.  I’m looking for titles on COACHING, HAPPINESS, and LEADERSHIP topics as well as great NOVELS and frothy little BEACH BOOKS.  I’m especially interested in new genres, etc, as my reading tastes are eclectic.** I will check them out, make my selections, and then share the compiled list with all of you, so you can make your own Summer Selections at the bookstore.

If you’d like to participate, please note the following four points:

1. While I welcome the new business titles, I do so much of that all year, so I am STARVING for some great new titles that will help me escape from reality.  Please share what you’ve discovered!
2. I need your ideas by Monday, June 1 — the Tuesday following Memorial Day – in order to give me time to research and get the list published along with the June 23 edition of my newsletter.
3. Please help me manage my Inbox!  Use this link to make your Subject Line, Summer Reading List 2010.
4. Include in the text three items: Full Book Title (including subtitle if you have it), Author, and a full paragraph explaining why you liked/recommend the book.

**If you are new to my SRL or want to get started early on your summer reading, you can find the past three years (’07, ’08, and my 10th annual, ‘09) on my Archives Page.

I can’t wait to hear your recommendations!  In anticipation, Jim

Coca Cola and the Happiness Machine

Yes, a high-fructose, corn syrup-based soft drink that is currently under attack for being a significant contributor to the obesity epidemic has gone on the Happiness offensive.  First, watch this delightful video, then keep reading.

Coke = Brand Mastery

I must admire Coke for their masterful work in Brand Management.  I mean, how can you hate a product that makes you smile like this?

What’s YOUR Brand?

I think there’s a lesson here — but it’s not about sugary soda. It’s about things YOU can do, every day, to enhance your “brand” in the world, and change the impact you have on other people:

Do the unexpected. Share joy. Do things that give people a reason to smile. Send flowers. Serve “community food” that brings people together (like pizza or a long sub). Be random. Create a positive environment. Give hugs. When people ask you for something, occasionally give them more than they asked for. Laugh. Share with friends.

Yes, I may be a Coca Cola Grouch when it comes to their product, but I LOVE their message. Share some Happiness today!

Before Happiness, There is Adversity

I have seen no green in my yard since the snows started in the third week of December.  As the ENORMOUS piles are now melting away, spring is popping up all over.  This little montage captures some of what is emerging in my yard — notice how in two of the shots you can see the retreating edge of the snow pile just inches behind the crocuses.

I am, as usual, in awe of how much has been going on BELOW the snow.  Life just can’t be suppressed.  On one side of my house the snow piles were over three feet high, and certainly very heavy.  Yet the daffodils emerging from the snow bank are over six inches high already.  Daffodils are so determined.

I actually feel badly for those who live in climates without a Spring season.  Spring is nature’s time to remind us that just because something LOOKS dead and frozen does not mean that it is over.  Trees bud.  Grass renews.

And spring bulbs are absolutely my favorite plant.  You see, they CANNOT flower without first experiencing the cold of winter.  It is the adversity that allows them to become who they are.  And so we cannot experience a glorious Spring without first passing through the brutal winter.

Human Beings are the same, you know.

Happiness does not, and cannot, exist in a space by itself.  Happiness cannot exist without Sadness.  Contentment has no value if there is not first Disappointment or Anxiety.  Hope takes its sweetness from the experience of Despair and Resignation.  If not for the dark times in our lives, we could not appreciate the good times as deeply as we do.

And that is also HOW we human beings are able to endure even the darkest times, like illness, job loss, accident, & death of a loved one — because we believe that someday we will once again be able to experience the positive side of life that comes after the “snow” retreats from our life or the “rains” stop falling.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Today, it is sunny outside, and I will enjoy it.  AND soon the rains will start.  And I will endure the grey because I know it will wash away all the dirt and grime of winter and Spring will emerge in a rainbow of colors and a hundred shades of GREEN.

I can’t wait!

Happiness is a Great Mac-N-Cheese!

Met a client for lunch today at a little gem of a restaurant in Tremont (a ‘comeback’ region of Cleveland) called Lucky’s Cafe.

I’ve had many meetings at this location over the past year, but they’ve always been “meet for coffee” events, so my experience of Lucky’s is as a coffee shop — with a great patio in the summer.

Today was my first lunch meeting at the place.  I knew as soon as I looked at the menu what I was going to order — the macaroni and cheese is legendary, plus I’ve got a warm spot for comfort food.

But I have to tell you, I was completely unprepared for how UTTERLY FANTASTIC a plain old dish like macaroni and cheese can become in the hands of a food artistan.

This was not ‘just’ a variation on comfort food.  It was decadent.  It was the very definition of Creamy.  It was a macaroni and cheese Dessert.  It was a ‘dive in and swim around in it’ entree.  It was a little bit of bubbling cheese heaven on a plate.  It was a Stop-The-Conversation-So-I-Can-Experience-Sensory-Pleasure dish.

Did I mention it was really good?

And that the side of homemade applesauce was just the perfect thickness, with a hint of cinnamon?

Ironically, just before the entrees arrived, my client and I were discussing the distinction between pleasure (fleeting) and happiness (more enduring).  So the question becomes, can macaroni and cheese create true happiness?

Well, I’m willing to go back to Lucky’s Cafe to find out!

(from their menu)

Baked Mac-N-Cheese
Cheddar, Brie, Parmesan, And Mozzarella Cheeses, Baked With Pasta And Cream, Topped With Brioche Bread Crumbs.
Served With Housemade Apple Sauce.

Jim’s Dark Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

By popular demand:

Jim’s Dark Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

Making the Fudge

Put 4-5 candy canes into a plastic bag.  Bang with a hammer till in small pieces.  Set aside.

In non-stick saucepan, mix the following over low/med heat:

• 1 lb bag confectioner’s sugar
• ½ cup powdered cocoa – Hershey’s Special Dark is wonderful.  If you can’t get Hershey’s try to use dark chocolate, dutch process cocoa
• 6 Tablespoons butter (3./4 of a stick — margarine also works)
• 4 Tbl milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt

Heat over low/medium heat, stirring constantly until JUST starts to boil.  Mixture will be dark and silky.

Remove from heat.  Pour in crushed candy canes.  Fold into mixture, and immediately pour into a buttered 9×9 inch pan.  Let cool, then refrigerate a couple hours.  Once set, can remove from fridge.

Storing the Fudge

Remove and cut into 1 X 1” squares.  It’s very rich.  Keep in sealed container.  Hide from strangers.  Maybe even hide it from yourself, as you’ll find yourself eating a piece every time you walk thru the kitchen…..

Eating the Fudge

Oh, sure, you can just pop a square of fudge in your mouth, chew and swallow.  But where’s the joy in that?!  Here are my favorite ways to enjoy it:

1. Take a single square of the fudge, and bite it in half.  Let the fudge lay on your tongue.  As it melts, press it up against the roof of your mouth and let your tongue bathe in the sugary-grainy smooth chocolatey-ness of it.  Close your eyes and breathe in the wonderful, chocolately sensuality of the fudge.  Be one with the fudge.  Ommmmm.
2. Sit down with a steaming cup of hot coffee, freshly brewed (I make mine strong, with a french press).  Sip of coffee, pop fudge into warm mouth.  As the fudge melts, sip gently on the coffee and let the coffee/chocolate combo swirl smoothly down your throat.  Do not try to speak — it will ruin the moment.
3. Try it with a short mug of Trader Joe’s Dark Sipping Chocolate.  Follow same process as with coffee, but be warned — this option is not for the weak!  You must have a strong tolerance for dark chocolate-ness.  Have a glass of ice water nearby, in case someone needs to toss on you to bring you out of your ecstasy.

Enjoy the guilty pleasure!

Happiness is Chocolate + Mint

While in Costa Rica, I picked up a package of Chiclets Fusion gum — a luscious blend of chocolate and mint.  After consuming the last piece of my stash today, I turned to the web to find out where I might find more.  Alas, it appears this gum flavor is only sold in Latin America.  However, I did stumble across this commercial for Fusion, which perfectly captures the mint and chocolate experience (21 seconds).

Warning — sensuality and chocolate flow freely here!

Does the Spanish-speaking world know how to advertise gum, or what?!

I may just have to return to Costa Rica to pick up some more…. 

Happiness is Flying High!

Zip Lining over the Costa Rican Rain Forest

I had a lot of adventures on my recent vacation in Costa Rica — I explored coral reefs, climbed a mountain on horseback, and allowed myself to be strapped to a steel cable and pushed out of tree — upside down.  Yikes!

I took this video on one of my right side up trips.  Gives you a flavor of what Zip Lining over the rain forest canopy is like.  I’m WAY up there in this one, and take a look at the gorgeous sky!

Happiness is truly Flying High!

Happiness is Watching Your Child Succeed, Part 3

My eldest child, Kelly (a regular reader of this blog), has been bugging me since I started it, asking, “when are you gonna write a column about ME?”  For a long time I put her off by pointing out that this is my professional blog, not personal.  Well, since I recently wrote about BOTH of her brothers, I clearly can’t use that excuse any more.  So to keep peace in the family   I will write today’s post about her.

This is Kelly Smith Gibson.  After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, she attended med school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.  She married a wonderful young man from Seattle in December 2007 in a ceremony that took place in the Basilica at the Notre Dame campus, which is where they met.

Today, she and Paul live nearby and Kelly is a first-year resident in an OB/Gyn program that is run jointly by Metro General Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic.  She delivers babies.  Lots of babies.  A lot of the babies she delivers are born to moms in high-risk pregnancy situations, like those who are very young, very old, and those who have diabetes or other complicating health conditions.  Metro boasts one of the finest high-risk pregnancy units in the country, and I know that Kelly is very proud to be a part of the team there.

Not all is a bed of roses for Kelly.  Students who graduate from Med School in the United States carry a huge debt load.  I get nosebleeds just thinking about how much money she owes in student loans.  Residents work 80-90 hours a week – including a LOT of nights and 24-hour weekend shifts — for not a lot of money.  And she has to study constantly – huge big textbooks and journals and new research into exciting topics like female cancers and rates of morbidity for high-risk pregnancies, and so on.  And hubby Paul just got laid off from his job last week as an Actuarial Analyst for a consulting firm.  And the liability insurance premiums for Obstetricians is a scary number – OB’s have to deliver a ton of babies each year just to pay for their insurance.

AND she and Paul are a very happy and engaging couple whom my wife and feel blessed to count as our friends.

So, Kelly, this is your blog post.  Now the whole world (of my subscribers, anyway) know what a great person you are and how proud I am of you and your accomplishments.

Can we be done, now?

And NO, I’m not writing a post about your dog.

Happiness is Good Airplane Food – and Chocolate Dessert!

In two days I’ve spent a total of 23.75 hours on a plane, most of that on two Japan Airlines (JAL) flights from Chicago O’Hare to Narita International in Tokyo and then from Tokyo to Singapore.  I’ve been unconditionally delighted with the meals four meals I’ve had thus far.

I’m a vegetarian, and so am careful to make note of that when I make air reservations, lest I be forced to eat crispy chicken tenders (ick).  Unfortunately, many airlines (and restaurants, for that matter) still think that sliced tomatoes and iceberg lettuce on (soggy) whole wheat bread constitutes appropriate vegetarian fare.  It’s always a gamble.

I’m so happy that the gamble this time paid off handsomely.  JAL has produced several four-course meals that I would gladly accept at an on-ground restaurant.

Entrees have included mini-spiral pasta with toothpick vegetables in a light alfredo; ricotta and parsley-filled ravioli with a roasted-tomato sauce; and spinach fettucini (pictured) with brocolli, mushrooms and diced peppers with a dollop each of marinara and cream sauce.  All were served hot and fresh.

I’m so amused by the ingenuity of airplane food chefs, who must figure out how to design food that can be compacted into tiny containers, stay fresh for hours, and look fabulous when served.  In my past 48 hours I’ve enjoyed:

• a salad of slivered romaine mixed with slivered radish, red & yellow peppers, and cucumbers;
• a mixed salad with fresh baby greens, grape tomato and thinly-sliced radish; a fruit salad comprised of thinly sliced honeydew, strawberry, and kiwi, with an orange section and two blueberries; and
• a delightful veggie ‘tray’ with crisp slices of red & gold peppers, grape tomato with a basil pesto, asparagus tips, a slice of fresh mango, a dollop of cottage cheese.

Each of these culinary delights was artfully crammed into a delicate ¾ cup oval serving container.

A note on eating from tiny dishes – chopsticks are a must.

By far my favorite, however, was the adorable chocolate dessert I had on Tuesday afternoon’s flight.  This Dark Chocolate temptation consisted of two layers of flourless chocolate cake, filled and topped with a chocolate ganache, and then dusted with cocoa, served in an elegant little dish.

Happiness is receiving unexpected dark chocolate!

Happiness is a Warm Toilet Seat

One consequence of aging is that one gets up in the middle of the night more often.  I hate it when my butt hits that cold seat in the night.  So it’s 3AM in the middle of my first nite in Tokyo, and I gotta go.  I stumble into the hotel bathroom and… OH.  MY.  GOD!  This toilet seat is warm!  Like…body temperature warm!

I have seen the high-tech Japanese toilets on television, but seeing is not the same as experiencing.  This is incredible.

The next morning, I examine the toilet with a bit more interest.  Not only is the seat heated, but it senses when an occupant sits down, and an internal fan immediately comes on to suck offending odors out of the air.  Hmm.

Next, I examine the control panel.  More accurately, I play with the 4” x 9” portable remote-control wireless console.  With it I can adjust the temperature of the seat; the temperature, strength, and direction of the water spray; and turn the dryer on and off.

Yes, it washes and dries the derriere.  There’s also a bidet, but I choose not to go there.

I want to take this toilet home with me.  My butt would be so very happy!

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