While shopping for marinara sauce at my favorite Italian deli recently, I happened upon a little jar of Dalmatia Orange Fig Spread. I couldn’t help but smile, as I was filled with fond memories of my grandmother. My grandmother, Marie, who lived to be 93 years old, was originally from Dubrovnik, a city on the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia.

When you think about typical storybook grandmothers, that is the image that my grandmother held for me. She loved to cook, and fed us full of roasted chicken and homemade apple strudel when we came to visit. Her garden was the envy of the neighborhood. She tended to her flowers and vegetables with such love and care that they couldnt help but flourish. In the front yard she had a fig tree that bore bountiful fruit. She stayed home most of the time. She didnt travel except for one trip back to Yugoslavia when she was in her 60s. She never drove a car, choosing instead to walk to the market to buy groceries.

So most people would not have thought of my grandmother as a very daring, or risk-taking person. But I know better. Marie was one courageous lady.

At her cousins urging, Marie left her family and her native country at the tender age of 16, taking a ship across the Atlantic, landing at Ellis Island, and traveling by train all the way across the country to Eureka, California. It was quite an adventure, to say the least, for a girl who had never left home. She did not speak English, or understand the currency, so she survived on the bread that she brought with her from home. At one point a kind man gave my grandmother a banana, and he had to demonstrate how to eat it because she had never seen one before.

Eventually she got to the train station in Eureka. Waiting for her there was her cousin, Emil, and his friend Jack, whom Emil had declared to be the perfect match for Marie. Of course, Jack and Marie were married, and the rest is family history.

Love knows no time or space, no borders or oceans. My grandmother was following her instincts when she embarked on a journey across the world to marry a man she had never met. My grandparents were true pioneers, in life and in love. They forged the way to create a new family here in the United States.

As I enjoy my Dalmatia Orange Fig spread on sunflower toast I cant help but be grateful for my brave and beautiful grandmother. She took a chance to create a better life for herself and her children, and now were all living that life. And I know she knows. I know she has everything to do with my own adventurous spirit, with the blooming flowers in my garden, and with the fact that I can find such a thing as this delicious fig spread.

Best Animated Feature:
Frozen, Walt Disney Animation Studios

Annie Award for Best Animated Special Production:
Chipotle Scarecrow, Chipotle Creative Department, Moonbot Studios

Best Animated Short Subject:
Get A Horse!,Walt Disney Animation Studios

Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial:
Despicable Me 2, Cinemark
- Universal Pictures

Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children:
Disney Sofia the First
- Disney Television Animation

Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Children’s Audience:
Adventure Time, Cartoon Network Studios

Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production:
Futurama,20th Century Fox Television

Best Animated Video Game:
The Last of Us, Naughty Dog

Best Student Film
Wedding Cake, Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg, Viola Baier, Iris Frisch

Animated Effects in an Animated Production:
Jeff Budsberg, Andre Le Blanc, Louis Flores, Jason Mayer, The Croods, DreamWorks Animation

Animated Effects in a Live Action Production:
Michael Balog, Ryan Hopkins, Patrick Conran, Florian Witzel, Pacific Rim, Industrial Light & Magic

Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production:
Kureha Yokoo, Toy Story of Terror!,Pixar Animation Studios

Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production:
Jakob Jensen, The Croods, DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Live Action Production:
Jeff Capogreco, Jedrzej Wojtowicz, Kevin Estey, Alessandro Bonora, Gino Acevedo, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Gollum,Weta Digital

Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production:
Paul Rudish, Disney Mickey Mouse, Disney Television Animation

Character Design in an Animated Feature Production:
Carter Goodrich, Takao Noguchi, Shane Prigmore, The Croods, DreamWorks Animation

Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production:
Angus MacLane, Toy Story of Terror!, Pixar Animation Studios

Directing in an Animated Feature Production:
Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Frozen,Walt Disney Animation Studios

Music in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production:
Christopher Willis, Disney Mickey Mouse, Disney Television Animation

Music in an Animated Feature Production:
Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Christophe Beck, Frozen,Walt Disney Animation Studios

Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production:
Angela Sung, William Niu, Christine Bian, Emily Tetri, Frederic Stewart, The Legend of Korra, Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Production Design in an Animated Feature Production:
Michael Giaimo, Lisa Keene, David Womersley, Frozen,Walt Disney Animation Studios

Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production:
Daniel Chong, Toy Story of Terror!, Pixar Animation Studios

Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production:
Dean Kelly, Monsters University, Pixar Animation Studios

Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production:
Tom Kenny as the voice of Ice King, Adventure Time, Cartoon Network Studios

Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production:
Josh Gad as the voice of Olaf, Frozen, Walt Disney Animation Studios

Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production:
Lewis Morton, Futurama, 20th Century Fox Television

Writing in an Animated Feature Production:
Hayao Miyazaki, The Wind Rises,Studio Ghibli/Touchstone Pictures/The Walt Disney Studios

Editorial in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production:
Illya Owens, Disney Mickey Mouse, Disney Television Animation

Editorial in an Animated Feature Production:
Greg Snyder, Gregory Amundson, Steve Bloom, Monsters University, Pixar Animation Studios

Winsor McCay Award:
Katsuhiro Otomo, Steven Spielberg, Phil Tippett

June Foray Award:
Alice Davis

Ub Iwerks Award
Dragonframe

Special Achievement Award
Creative Talent Network (CTN) Animation eXpo

Certificate of Merit
I Know That Voice

Summer is that time of year when our focus turns to leisurely activities and relaxation. Yet as temperatures rise, and it stays lighter later, we might have trouble getting that sweet sleep that we need to function optimally throughout the day.  As the Spokesperson for the Better Sleep Council, I’ve got some tips to help you sleep soundly this summer.

–       Sleep Sanctuary.  Keep the bedroom a place for sleep and sex only.  This is not a place for any kind of technology, cell phones included!  You want to be sure to keep the room cool, dark, and quiet.  In the summer, this means using natural, breathable fabrics, like cotton, for your sheets and pajamas. Sleepwear should be comfortable and loose.  If your room doesn’t stay dark enough, use a sleep mask.  And if your window is open to let in cool night air, and the outside noises are disrupting your sleep, use soft foam earplugs.

–       Get plenty of exercise during the day, but make sure to give yourself enough time between exercise and sleep to let your body relax. About 3 hours between exercise and sleep is the minimum.

–       Enjoy the summer parties with friends, but also be mindful of how

night-time activities impact your sleep.  Alcohol late at night can affect your sleep cycle.  So, avoid alcohol 3 hours prior to bedtime.

–       Stay hydrated!  We sweat more in the summer heat, so we need more water to compensate for that.  Dehydration can cause headaches and body aches that can make getting to sleep difficult.

–       Keep cool in bed by sticking your feet out!  When your feet get hot then the whole body feels it and it’s harder to sleep.  You can also cool your feet and neck with a damp cloth just before bedtime.

–       Keep a sleep schedule.  Even though you have time off work for vacation, try to get to bed and wake up at the same time each day.  Keeping a consistent schedule helps your body to adjust and fall asleep more easily.

We’re on a campaign to Spread the Snooze!  Show that you’re serious about Summer Slumber by taking the Sleep Pledge.  And invite your friends to do the same. 

“I pledge to make sleep my priority this summer.”

Let us know what you are doing to make sure you get the sleep you need this season – we’d love to hear from you!

A Time for Reflection

The news spread quickly, almost immediately given our near constant connectivity to all things media.  Osama Bin Laden, easily the most hated man in the world, was dead.  After a brief pause for confirmation, and reassurance, the celebration began.  Hoots and hollers, chants of “U-S-A” and toasts of cheers filled the usually mundane Sunday night.  Radio hosts almost giddy proclaimed that we will always remember where we were when we heard the announcement. 

In what seemed like no time at all, there were graphic photographs posted on websites, videos shared on social media pages, news updates back-to-back.  The internet was bursting with a kind of excitement that fans exude when their team wins a championship.  But these images, bloody, gory, like something out of a slasher film, and which are still being dispersed, are nothing to cheer about.

I understand what Bin Laden’s death signifies: an end to terrorism, and closure to one of the most horrific and tragic events our country has ever experienced.  I understand what Bin Laden represents: a threat to be feared, an evil force beyond our reach.  It’s been ten years of mourning, ten years of questioning, ten years of suffering.  So I do understand why there would be a sigh of relief, and prayers of gratitude that this threat has finally, after all this time, been set aside.  But it is difficult, and disturbing for me to think of celebrating the death of any human being.  Martin Luther King said: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

Has justice been served?  That certainly can be said to be true.  But when something like this happens, it is not a time to gloat, or to stir up feelings of revenge and animosity.  It is a time for sobriety.  It is a time when clear heads prevail, when we can reflect and learn and turn out attention to the peace that we so deeply crave.  Martin Luther King recognized this, and articulated it well.  Gandhi understood this.  Mother Teresa did as well.  We have both the option and the ability to handle ourselves in a spiritually mature manner.  These people have set the example for us, and laid the groundwork for a new paradigm.  It’s not just how we act that has an impact on the world.  It’s also how we react, and how we respond to the situations that arise all around us that can make all the difference in how we learn and grow.  We always have choices.  And we need to realize the effect that these choices have on our own lives, and the lives of all those around us.  The truth is that, as we have seen with the way the internet works and how quickly news travels, we are all connected.  Our actions can either hurt or help.  

Whatever our practice happens to be, however we acknowledge the change that has taken place, let us take some time to focus on peace, to take some of the love that is in our hearts and share it out in the world.  Love is the most powerful force there is, and we can never have too much of it.

Hi!

I’m doing a Satellite Media Tour for the Better Sleep Council.  I’ll be talking about Better Sleep Month, and how to get a good night’s sleep despite stress!

If you’re in any of these cities you can tune in LIVE:

KIMT, Rochester-Mason City 7:05-7:15 am ET

KHGI, Lincoln & Hastings – KRNY 7:15-7:25 am ET

KJTV, Lubbock 8:15-8:25 am ET

WHAM -CW, Rochester 8:40-8:50 am ET

KCWJ (radio), Kansas City 9:05-9:10 am ET

KCWE, Kansas City 9:15-9:20 am ET

Tell Rochelle (National Talk Radio, CBS) 10:05-10:10 am ET

KBFX, Bakersfield 10:40-10:50 am ET

Cable Radio Network, National 10:50-11:00 am ET

And we’re pre-taping shows in these cities so check your station listing for times and dates:

WICU, Erie

WCJB, Gainesville

WKMG, Orlando

KRIV, Houston

WDIS Radio, Boston

WYAM, Huntsville-Decatur

WYYZ Radio, Atlanta

WBFF, Baltimore

WWL, New Orleans

WWMT, Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo

WDAZ, Fargo-Valley City

You can find more sleep tips online at: BetterSleep.org

The news broke on Friday afternoon, the same day as the opening ceremony of the Olympics was to air in the United States.  Boy wonder Senator John Edwards lied.  He actually did have an affair while his wife Elizabeth battled cancer.  Now he had to come clean.  Rumors were rampant since this first happened back in 2006, but he adamantly denied them, and Elizabeth stood by his side.  After this admission, the pundits are saying that his political career is over.  No longer can he hope for the Vice-President seat, or the Attorney General position.  John Edwards has had the pedestal knocked out from under him.  Oh, wait… didn’t he do this to himself?

No one knows what goes on inside a marriage except for the two people involved.  Evidently Elizabeth already knew about the affair, and chose to stay in the marriage.  But the American people feel as if John Edwards has cheated on them.  He lied.  He covered up.  He painted a picture of a devoted husband and the reality turned out to be very different.

And yet, McCain committed the very same crime years ago in his first marriage.  He cheated on his wife, some say multiple times, before cheating with the much younger and wealthier Cindy, who is now his current wife.  And he’s running for President!  Does America have a short memory?

What happened with John and Elizabeth is between John and Elizabeth.  But people who are in the public eye are subject to the scrutiny of the public.  And knowing this, they must hold themselves to the standards that they extol.  While I certainly don’t approve of John Edwards’ behavior, I hate to think that we would lose a perfectly qualified Attorney General because of it.  Maybe what he has learned from this experience has made him even more right for the position.  Each of us has our demons, our shadow, our dark side.  But not everyone’s dark side is on display.  Whoever does get in will have their own share of demons, that’s just the way it is.

So hopefully this “news” story will teach us a little bit about our own relationships.  How our actions affect not just ourselves, and our spouse, but how they reflect on the whole, and have far reaching ramifications.