Mmm Mmm Good

Last night I made my annual Family Dinner. 

I  look forward to this every year, and this has become one of my family's favorite holiday events, too.  It's a combination of my parents, my sister and her husband, my ex in-laws, (no, D.F. was not invited), along with my children and me.  I enjoy this day, because my Mom keeps the kids for the day, while I go to my ex in-laws house to spend the day cooking.  Everyone shows up in the evening for a big meal, and a small gift exchange. 

The traditional centerpiece for this meal is a stuffed Standing Crown Pork Roast. I generally have my butcher prepare a 10 pound roast, that requires about 5 hours of cooking time.  While that is in the oven, I have time to prepare all of the other dishes that are on the menu for the evening.  I'm not going to give recipes here, since I rarely use recipes.  For anyone wanting to know how I prepare something, I  will be happy to send you an informative email. 

Last night's menu~

Appetizer

Plate of assorted cheeses and fruit

Nuts

Baked bagel slices

Champagne

 

Main Course

Crown Roast of Pork, stuffed with apples, mushrooms, waterchestnuts, bacon, celery, onion, and bread cubes.

Mashed Potatoes~ my Mom's recipe. These are the world's best!

Cream Sauce/Gravy~ Made with the roast drippings and heavy cream

Artichokes~ steamed with lemon.  Served with lemon-pepper mayonnaise

Salad of Red and Green Lettuce, watercress, cucumber, celery, pears, toasted walnuts, and Dubliner cheese with a creamy lemon poppyseed dressing.

Fresh Baguette~ and butter

White and Red Wine

 

Dessert

Molten chocolate cakes with vanilla bean ice cream

Coffee

 

And the best part is that I've got 4 rib chops left over with some mashed potatoes and gravy~ I'll serve this to Lonny tomorrow for a New Year's Day feast!

AOL wants MY opinion!  Can you believe it?!  What an honor~ what a privilege!

Tell Us What You Think

Do you think I emailed them?  You bet your arse I did. 

I told them to call the folks over at Yahoo to see how they manage to filter out all spam from my Yahoo inbox,   because I am sick and tired of spam in my AOL inbox.  I mean, how much Xanax does one girl need?

Feel free to send AOL a little love of your own.

 

ETA~ AOL just sent me a thank you note for the email I sent them.  They must really care!  Yeah, about as much as I need  Viagra.

What is that smell?

Why do the best holidays occur in the coldest months?  I'm pretty sure that Christmas would be just fine without the snow.  One of my favorite Christmas memories is a year, (1973?), we spent in Florida at my Grandparent's cabin.  We had a pinata instead of a tree, and thought it was so cool that we were wearing shorts.  It  didn't matter too much that I caught strep throat and had to spend most of the time in bed.  My Mom doesn't have the fondest memories of this year.  She bought a gallon of fresh orange juice that had a leak in it, so that by the time we got home to Indianapolis, the gallon jug was empty, and the entire trunk was saturated.  It was her brand-new Chevy Malibu, and that car was never again the same.  Have you ever smelled spoiled orange juice?  We have.  For 8 years straight.  

My sister and I still laugh about that.  My Mom is still bitter.

Saturday Night Live

Hellooooo [echo]  [echo]   [echo]

Sure is quiet around  Blogville today.  

I hope everyone is having a safe and happy weekend. 

Another recipe, in honor of the upcoming New Year...

Eggnog French Toast

2 C. prepared eggnog

12 thick slices very dry firm white bread

8 Tbs. unsalted butter

Pour the eggnog into a shallow bowl and dip the bread slices into the eggnog, turning to coat both sides. 

Melt 2 Tbs. of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 or 3 slices of the bread and fry unil golden on both sides.  Repeat with the remaining bread and butter.  Serve with maple syrup, melted preserves, or honey.

Makes 6 servings.

Food Friday

Yummy New Year!

Yes, it's late in the day, but it is still Friday.

 

Here's my contribution to New Year's Eve...

Stuffed Grape Leaves

 

8 Tbs. olive oil

1 small onion, finely copped

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. ground lamb

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

4 oz. chevre' (yay goat cheese)

3/4 C. cooked rice

1/2 C. chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/2 C. chopped walnuts

Jar 16 oz. jar of preserved grape leaves, or blanched, fresh leaves

1/4 C. lemon juice

1/2 C. water

Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute' for 5 minutes. Add the lamb and crumble with fork.  Cook until the lamb is no longer pink, about 15 minutes.  Season with cinnamon, oregano, nutmeg and salt and pepper.  Stir in the chevre and cook until the cheese melts.  Remove from heat and stir in the rice, parsley, and walnuts.

Carefully rinse the grape leaves under cold running water and pat dry.Place one leaf, vein side up, on a clean, flat surface.  Shape about 1 tsp. of the filling with your hands into a compact log, about 1 inch long, andcenter over the stem end of the leaf.  Roll up the leaf to enclose the filling, folding the sides into the center.  Repeat with the remaining grape leaves and filling. 

Line the botom of a medium-size saucepan with any torn grape leaves. Pack the stuffed grape leaves in the pan in concentric circles, making as many layers as necessary. 

Pour the remaining 6 Tbs. oil, the lemon juice, and water over the grape leaves.  Place a small heat-proof plate on top of the stuffed leaves and place a large, heavy can, such as of tomatoes, on top of the plate to weigh down the grape leave and to keep them from unrolling.  Simmer over LOW heat for about an hour.

Serve warm, garnished with lemon slices, or, with Hollandaise sauce, flavored with chopped, fresh mint.

Makes about 48 stuffed grape leaves.

 

MMM!  These are so. good.  I do hope you make or share this recipe with someone you love.

 

 

 

It's Food Friday~ Yummy New Year

It's official!  Fridays are all about food!

Post a food related entry into your own journal today, (and every Friday), leave a food-y comment here~   Recipes, Stories, Photos, Tips...

Since New Year's Eve is quickly approaching, today's theme is Yummy New Year.  Perhaps you'd like to share your favorite appetizer recipe that would be perfect for a New Year's Eve party, (or anything involving Champagne;). Or you could divulge your "good luck" dish for New Year's Day,  (My family's traditional meal is corned beef and cabbage!)  Whatever you do~ make it delicious!

I'll be posting my Yummy New Year entry later... right after breakfast*

 

Until we eat again,

Chef Grace

 

*Breakfast Cheesecake in a Bowl~Vanilla yogurt, sliced strawberries and graham cracker crumbs.   

Happy Birthday Jesus!

It's still Christmas Eve in the City

[Heavy Sigh]

Here's what happened....

I went to a party at Lonny's last night.  As everyone gathered in the kitchen, (as people always do~ why is that?) I gave Lonny the Christmas presents I'd brought.  One of the presents was a candle.  Lonny gave me a look, and commented to everyone that he doesn't burn candles because he's paranoid that one of his friends, (or his cat), will set the place on fire. I told Lonny that he wasn't hosting one of his "wild" parties, and that no one would get hurt if he lit it.  He gave in.   A few moments later, I was standing near the festive flame, and asked anyone who would listen if they liked my hair since Lonny cut it last week.  As I'm talking, I reach across the counter, (NOT over the candle, just kinda near), and flames raced up my sleeve and into my hair.  Lonny was the first to react, and started beating me with his palms.  I ran, (naturally), to the sink, where I doused myself with the faucet sprayer.  People were screaming and pointing at this point.  Quietly, I turned, took the scissors into the bathroom and proceeded to hack off the singed bits.  What was left was a damp, stinky mess.  I was not hurt, but Lonny is not pleased that I totally ruined the masterpiece haircut he gave me last week, and that I didn't listen to him about candles in the first place.  Though, he did have fun at my expense for the rest of the evening. 

After some investigating we determined, by the singe pattern on my sweater,  that the flame ignited the perfume I stupidly put on my sweater instead of my skin before I left the house.  The 100% cotton sweater, (thankfully black), is fine.  The candle?  In the trash.

Looks like I'll be sporting a hat on Christmas Day. Or a wig.

Damn karma.

 

Christmas Eve in the City

Okay, real quick~

Went to a party at Lonny's.  Caught myself on fire.  I'm okay.   My hair?  Is NOT.

More details to come.

California Curse

Poor California.  Draught, fires, flooding, hail, snow, Schwarzenegger, and now an earthquake.  I wish my California friends, TVJunkie, Freeepeace, and Ophelia, a very un-eventful Christmas and New Year!

Rx

I went to the drugstore today, and after selecting my 3 items, I went to the cashier. I was feeling pretty lucky, since there was only one person in front of me.  Sadly, I was mistaken, as this woman had 5 loaves of bread, 4 gallons of milk, and an assortment of other foodstuffs that she was obsessing over.  She asked the cashier if it looked like she had more than $35.00 worth of stuff in her cart, and the cashier said, " I don't know, I'll have to ring it up in order to know for sure".  So, the lady begins to put her items on the counter, verrrry slowly, as the cashier scans each item.  At the end, the cashier told the lady her total, and she started complaining about the total cost.  (Um, perhaps it would be cheaper to buy your groceries at the grocery store.)  About this time, another employee realizes that a long line had formed, and that the Grocery Lady was going to be there a while.  So, the 2nd cashier said, "I can help the next person in line", and as I started to wheel my cart over, the lady behind me sprints over to the availible cashier, totally disregarding the Next Person In Line rule.  So, instead of gently pointing out to her that I was next in line, I said to her, from behind, "Excuse me, but I just noticed that your wig is crooked~ I didn't notice it until you cut in front of me.  Just thought you'd want to know."  She didn't say anything, but quickly exited the store.  The cashier was smiling, until I told her that I felt it was partially her fault, because she saw that I was the next person in line, and she should have insisted on helping me first.  As I paid for my purchase, I looked over at the first cashier, who exchanged eye-rolls with me, because the Grocery Lady was still there, asking where she could stash her bags, because she just realized that she missed some items on her list, and would need an empty cart.   I left the store, feeling frustrated by the entire situation, guilty for saying what I did, and relieved that I don't work in retail.

'Sup?

Since I have no life, (Really!  It's Friday night, for John's sake), I thought I'd treat you all to the antics and activities of my online buddies.

Freeepeace  is busy performing her beautiful music live tonight at Genghis Cohen in L.A.  I know she's going to knock the audience on their collective arse.  Wish I were there...

Green Tuna is busy performing opera live tonight at a venue somewhere in Michigan.  As soon as she hangs up her horned helmet, she has to pick her Christmas tree up off her living room floor.

Highwaygirl is busy taking pictures of her cute pets and getting over her flu shot.

Lifeonhold is busy creating a new home for her kitty, Honey, and making lots of hot tea.

Perpetual Blonde is busy beating her fiancee at Scrabble and being a cool mom.

Copssister is busy trying to figure out her new digital camera and avoiding blind dates.

Raptorgirl is busy preparing for her visit to the U.S. and making fun of shrubbery.

(continued below)

'Sup continued

Ophelia is busy spending time with Tuna's boyfriend, and avoiding her blog.

TVJunkie is busy getting over her stint in hell, and being ignored by her cat, Shiba.

Mheh is busy buying wine for everyone but himself, and trying to figure out why his banner is blank.

Alphawoman is busy getting ready for her cruise, and making stuff that requires bourbon. Lots of bourbon.

TanMarie is busy writing out 2,346 Christmas cards and sniffing Sharpie fumes.

Gforce is busy trying to explain that his last name isn't "Force", and running in and out of chat.

Kat Jam is busy sorting through boxes of unused Christmas cards and trying to find something decent in the vending machine at work.

Babyfishfel is busy updating "The List" and sending up bat signals.

Snappie is busy playing The Sims and giving herself make-overs.

Overg is busy having blue eyes and playing Gitchu with his kitties.

Buffy and Nancy are busy coming up with reasons why they shouldn't have blogs, or trying to remember something interesting to put in one.

Blurry is busy being bitter.

 

Food Friday

Many of you participate, or are aware of, Photo Friday.  I always enjoy viewing the photos that people post, but personally, I have not participated in taking or posting pictures.  My newest endeavor is to post a recipe or food-related entry each Friday.  Food is one of my passions, and I hope you enjoy what I have to share. 

Today's recipe is Lemon Bread.  It is a quick bread recipe that many of my family and friends request that I make.  I love to make baked gifts around the holiday season, and this one is simple and delicious.  Make a loaf to give, and make a loaf to enjoy with some hot tea.

Lemon Bread- makes one loaf

1 1/2 C. flour   

1 C. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/2 C. milk

1/3 C. vegetable oil

rind of 1 lemon, grated

Lemon Glaze-( juice of 1 lemon, 1/3 C. sugar )

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stir dry ingredients together.  In separate bowl, blend wet ingredients and lemon rind.  Mix wet and dry mixtures together, just until blended.  Pour into greased loaf pan.  Bake 45 minutes, (test with a toothpick.)  Prepare Lemon Glaze by heating lemon juice and sugar in saucepan over medium heat until sugar is melted.   Poke holes all over bread with skewer, pour glaze over the loaf.  Cool for about 30 minutes, remove bread from pan, then allow to cool completely before wrapping.

Enjoy!

 

Edited to add~  You can add your own touch to the bread, as I many times do.  I've been known to throw in a handful of blueberries, poppyseeds, or whatever sounds good.  

                                                                    

Ordinary Boredinary

Ordinary Time is the time in the Christian religion which begins on Monday after the Sunday following January 6 through the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.  It begins on the Monday following Penetcost and continues until the First Sunday of Advent.  These weeks are considered Ordinary Time, because during these thirty-three to thirty-four weeks, there are no particular events which celebrate the life of Christ. 

 

Boredinary Time is that time in the Reality Television fanatic's life between the airing of Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Big Brother.  These weeks have no particular appeal, leaving the fanatic to become irritable and despondent, with nothing to do except find solace in the support of fellow fanatics.

Cheese Head

As a treat to mysef today, I went to the market to get some fresh spinach, tomatoes, and goat cheese to make one of my favorite pasta dishes.  After selecting the perfect ingredients, I took my items to the cashier.  The cashier, a boy in his teens, picked up my package of goat cheese and said, "Uh, Ma'am, is this cheese?".  I said, "yes, it's goat cheese."  He replied, "well, I don't think you want this one, it's all moldy."  I explained to him that the cheese was not covered in mold, it was actually a layer of ash.  The look on his face suggested that perhaps mold would have been the lesser of two evils.  I suggested he sample some goat cheese sometime in the future, to which he commented that the only kind of cheese he ever ate was American.

Now, I know that I will offend a few people with my belief that American cheese should not be allowed to even be called cheese.  I find the flavor more akin to Silly Putty.  I have an entire package of individually-wrapped singles that have been sitting in my refridgerator for over a year now, because even my kids won't touch the stuff. 

 I guess I know what a certain cashier will be getting for Christmas.

I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue

My son is on my last nerve.  He's darn lucky that he's so cute.

Survivor Summary

Another season of Survivor ends, leaving me with a mixed feeling of relief and emptiness.  Sandra won , who was my pick in the beginning, although my usually reliable spoiler source was wrong on this one, swaying me into believing that Darrah would win.  I'm glad that I was wrong~ I should have trusted my instincts.  Sandra deserved to win, if nothing else, just for the fact that her hair looked fabulous while on the island. 

I'm not going to expound on the obvious~  Lil's whining, Jon's general smarminess,  and Darrah's bitterness.  However, I do want to comment on the fact that during the "torch tribute", Osten's torch was absent, yet he was invited to be at the winner's celebration and reunion show.  Mark Burnett must have a tortured soul.

Also I would like to mention that I missed the old "burning of the camp" and the transporting of the votes, but the thing that really left me with giant empty hole was the fact that CBS delayed the  telecast by 40 minutes for some of the viewing area   because of a stupid football game, thus denying me, Copssister, and Green Tuna the opportunity to chat during the show with our fellow HT peeps.    

My fantasy league team did not fare well this season, because frankly, I just sucked at the bonus point section.  Congrats to Kat Jam who came out as the winner of our tribe.   

Finally, I cannot wait until All Star Survivor begins on Super Bowl Sunday.  Though I have an issue that some of these former survivors are considered "stars", (Kathy? Amber??  Shii-Ann???), I believe this season will be a blast.  If nothing else, I can count on having some fun chats, especially since football season will be over.

Yet another Tale of Three Davids

On Friday, December 12, 2003, a miracle happened in Indianapolis.  David G. actually came to pick up the kids for the weekend. AND gave me some money.  It's true, I swear on my navy Hilfiger pants. 

Recap- David G. picked up the kids.  I skipped back into the house and called Lonny to tell him of the miracle,  (He didn't believe it either.)  Since it was a last-minute miracle, I had no real plan for the weekend, so I asked Lonny if he wanted to do something.  He said that he had worked 12 hour shifts all week, and still had to work all weekend.  I whined.  He gave in and took a "personal day" off Saturday.  Now that, my friends, is a true friend.  Anyhoo~ After a quick jaunt to the liquor store, I went to his house.  First, we went out and did some Christmas shopping, then later ended up at a party, where, unfortunately, we were the only guests.  After staying as long as it took to not piss off the host, (approx 24 minutes), we bolted.  We went to a couple of bars downtown, then drove back to Lonny's where we drank and watched "Too Wong Foo", and "First Wives Club".  Perfect movies for a gal and her gay date.  We ended up pulling an all-nighter, and at some time around 8 in the morning, I remembered that I'd left my cell in the car, so I fetched it and  noticed that I'd missed two calls.  Both from David F.  Now to refresh your memory, David F. looks almost identical to Burton, though he's a bit taller. And you know how I feel about Burton.  He'd left the first message while Lonny and I were out shopping, the second message was sometime during "To Wong Foo".  He missed me.  He wanted to see me.  He neeeeded me, (well, that was the impression I got, anyhow.)  I knew I'd missed my chance to see him, and it pained me.  A lot.  Well, at least for a few seconds, until Lonny mentioned that the stores were now open, and that we could go shopping again.  We had a fun day together, and I finally returned home in the afternoon.  As I contemplated the upcoming evening's entertainment possibilites, the phone rang... 

(continued from above)

Yep, you guessed it~ it was David N! Fireman Dave.  He told me that he was on his way to the Firefighter! Christmas! Party!  and I teased that it was rude of him to tell me about it and not invite me.  HE said~"I called you last weekend and left a message for you to call me, but you didn't call me back, so I figured you were busy all week". To which I replied~ "David, We talked last weekend and you said you would call me sometime during the week". His reply~ "Um, sweetie, that was two weeks ago".  D'oh.  So, again, missing my opportunity to enjoy some quality Dave time.  [dramatic sigh]

So, do you know what exciting entertainment I chose?    Nothing.  Absolute nothingness.  Hey~ I'm sorry you're disappointed that there's nothing juicy or exciting for me to report.  I could have made something up.  I could have even gone out for your amusement.  Instead, I put on my FAP outfit and strolled on in to HT chat. And you know what??  I loved it.  I loved every minute of it.  We even talked about sex.  Well, more like the lack of it, but nonetheless, I managed to not think about David(s) for two whole hours. 

The moral of this story?  Sometimes it's better to have David(s) and lost than to have never had David(s) at all.

Dear Burton,

I'm sorry that you were voted off the island.  I'm sorry that I wasn't there to comfort  you.  To tell you I care.  To put duct tape over your mouth. 

Now dear, don't be upset.  I still love you, but as I've mentioned before, you're so much more appealing when you're not talking.  Your job is to merely look good. And win challenges, of course, especially when a million dollars is riding on it. 

I'm sorry that you didn't have many fans this season.  Many people turned against you this season, but there were a small handful of us who never lost our faith, our hope, our lust in you. I'll never look at a stingray the same way again.

Fare thee well Burton Roberts, my favorite reality TV eye-candy ever.  The tribe has spoken.

Tojours,

Moi

The Indianapolis Star

Just a little newspaper article from my daily paper.

Hoe Hoe Hoe

Dagnabit! I handed out gifts yesterday, but it seems I've forgotten a few people.  You can pretty much guarantee that that's going to happen.

To everyone I've forgotten ~ I give you an autographed copy of "The Men of Hamster Time" calendar.  Enjoy!

*WARNING!! Survivor Spoiler-ish*

Tonight? My lover, Burton, drives off into the sunset in a new SUV.

However~ I am seriously hoping that my sources are wrong ~ 

I'd much rather be watching him for another week, instead of Dickhead.

So, perhaps I will be a bit tearful tonight as my lover goes to lie with losers.

BUT you can bet your ass that I'll be around for next week's eviction. I'll be the one wearing black with an icepick in my hand.

Have a happy Survivor night!  Check your fantasy teams! Come to chat! BYOM!

Edited to add more SPOILER info- LifeonHold just reminded me that the show finale is on Sunday. Now how could I have forgotten that?   Go Sandra!, (though she's not gonna win, it's going to be Duh~rrah.)

Ho Ho Ho

To my online friends, Happy Holidays!  I am handing out virtual gifts today, so get in line.   Though, if I win the lottery, I will replace them all with the real thing!

To everyone~  I give you each your very own laptop. 

To Freep- I give you a Morton Salt Girl poster and a trip to Jamaica.

To Tuna- I give you a maid, a cook, and a driver, so that you can write Tuna News full-time.

To HWG-I give you a lifetime supply of Fabulous Ass Pants. And sweet potatoes.

To Life- I give you cat food and litter, delivered weekly by a hot guy.

To Keli-I give you a honeymoon trip around the world.

To Cops- I give you Colin Firth.

To Rappy- I give you your own Wedding Planning Company.

To Ophelia- I give you a blank diary.  And more time to write in it.

To TVJ- I give you your own Casino, filled with Survivor Slots, and all the bartenders there look like Spike.

To Alpha- I give you a giant greenhouse with an indoor running track.

To Teem- I give you a shiny new muffin cart.

To Kat- I give you a plasma screen TV to put  next to your computer.

To Fel-I give you a personal assistant and a pony.

Nancy and Buffy ~ I give you each your own " .com"  and  a ghost writer.

Snappie- I give you extention packs for your "barbies" and the time to play with them.

Oooh- this would be a fun time to have a gift exchange, where someone takes your gift and gives you the crappy one that they got. 

 

 

what's hot, (Other than Overg),or not

Top AOL searches of the moment:

#1~cpr

#2~howard dean

#3~good morning america

#4~dieting

#5~fedex

 

Top AOL chats of the moment:

~Chat Grand Rapids

~Born Again Online

~50's Love Chat

~Military Lovers

~lasvegasm4m

 

AOL chat rooms that only have one person in them:

~people suck

~Need investor for XXXweb

~Star Trek Recruit

~Linkin Park

~wealthiness from home

~TGI Friday

~A Crowded Room

A New Me

I have a new look

and a new boyfriend

Following in the happily ever-after footsteps of my friends,

 Green Tuna, and her TrueLove...

As well as  LifeOnHold, and her Main Man...

I might as well make the official announcement.  It's been going on for a while. I spend all my free time with him... and he is a bit of a bad boy.   I find him very sexy... my own Metrosexual, if you will.  Just don't tell my parents!

Get the Door! It's Domino's

I want to go to the UK right now.

I want to sit in my hotel room in the UK and order Domino's Pizza.  But I can't decide which one.  And those desserts! Oh my.

 

Edited to add~ TVJ, one of my favorite pizzas from Bazbeaux, has tuna on it.  The Viareggio. Yum!

P-You

 I decided that egg salad sounded like a Good Thing for dinner.  I boiled eggs.  Just as that certain odor was wafting it's way through the house, I realized that there was a very stinky boy who needed a diaper change.  Finishing the task, I go to wash my hands only to discover that Sally had just funked up the litter box.  It was at that moment that the doorbell rang.  My only course of action before I answered the door was to grab the Glade and spray like mad.  It kinda reminded me of that old commercial where the person said,  "Now it smells like fish and roses".

This would be a good place for a stick-up.

Woot!

Freeepeace got a new website!   Visit and get inspired!

Congrats Freeep!  The new site rocks!

Some Christmas Cheer

Hot Toddy

 

In a big mug Mix:

2-3 tsp. sugar

1 stick cinnamon

giant shot of brandy.

Fill mug with Very Hot Water

Float a lemon slice studded with a few cloves on top. 

 

The Greasy Spork

Alex just found the individually-wrapped utensil that came with my lunch today. (No, I didn't use it, I like getting taco sauce under my nails, thankyouverymuch.)  She looked at it quizzically and asked what it was.  I told her it was a spork, and she cracked up.  Sporks am funny. 

After she stopped laughing, she noted the merits of the spork. "You can stab your food, or you can scoop it, then you don't have to wash the spork, you just throw it away."  Pretty astute for a 4 year-old, no?!

Oh~ speaking of Taco Bell, (still and again), you can now opt to order your food "el fresco" style which they tout as being lower in fat than the traditional way.  "el fresco" means that they'll leave the cheese off, and top your taco with salsa instead.  I contemplated this as I licked the bright orange grease that was trickling down my hand from the ground beef, and thought how considerate it was of them to be so concerned about my fat intake. 

Taco Smell

Today is my lucky day!  I was excited that a new Taco Bell opened near my house, so went there to grab some lunch.  When I pulled up to the drive-thru window to pay, they told me that their computer needed to be re-booted, so my lunch was free.  Yay!  In addition to that, when I got home  I realized that there were extra tacos in the bag.  Woo Hoo! 

Books of the Month

As promised, (as if anyone really cares), here is my recent "been there, read that" list:

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve

Castles by Julie Garwood

Pot of Gold by Judith Michael

Winter Harvest by Norah Lofts

Wheelers Choice by Jerry Buck

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

 

I was just at Target and was browsing the toy aisles, when I noticed that one of the shelves was empty, so out of curiosity, I looked to see what they'd sold out of... alas, it was Pregnant Midge Barbie Doll. Ack!  Husband Alan's shelf was still full, as was OB/GYN, (I'm not kidding you), Barbie.  I shreiked and ran like hell.

Access Denied

Occasionally when I'm online, I'll get an Instant Message from someone I don't know.  From past experience, I've learned that these messages are from men, (frequently married ones), who are looking for  flirty or sexual chat.  Thankfully, AOL 9.0 comes with "IM catcher" which filters out IMs from people who aren't on my buddy list, which allows me to either accept the message or ignore it.  Today I received one from a user who's name I didn't recognize, so to make sure it wasn't someone I knew, I looked up his profile, and listed under Hobbies and Interests, this guy had typed "old things".  I assure you, I did not answer this IM, and I want to tell  this person that  he needs to get a life and leave us old things alone.

Got Love? Part 1

Last week sucked for me.  Thanksgiving and the following day were especially tough..  I did spend a few hours at my folks house, eating the traditional meal, which was great, but once I returned home, I fell into a deep funk.  Most of that had to do with the fact that Dumb Fuck was supposed to pick the kids up Thanksgiving afternoon, but failed to call or to show up.  This is not unusual for him, but when it happens on a holiday, it's especially difficult to handle.  This was my first real holiday as a single parent, and it really got to me. In addition to this, Lonny was supposed to come over Thanksgiving evening, and after a half dozen phone calls to tell me that he'd be here soon, he finally confessed that he wasn't going to make it.  Also~ Dumb-Fuck's mom, (who I have a very close relationship with), never called to wish me or her grandchildren a happy Thanksgiving, although I called her 3 times that day to no avail.   On top of that, I was very sad that my friend Carol is out in Phoenix by herself for the first time, and I was originally supposed to spend the week with her. (Thanks to D.F. though, I couldn't go).  There were a few other issues bothering me, so that by Thanksgiving night, I was in tears, and it didn't get any better until Saturday, when I finally stopped feeling sorry for myself.  What snapped me out of it?  Well, I received two letters in the mail.  One was from my brother, Keith, who had hand-written me a nice, long letter telling me that he was proud of me for keeping myself together through my divorce, and that I was a strong and worthy person whom  he admired.  It made me cry, (good tears this time).  The other was a card from a dear friend of my Mom's who goes go our church. She wrote a few words about her own divorce years ago, and how she was able to pull through it, and had some very nice things to say about me.  (More tears). 

(continued below)

Got Love? Part 2

And finally, to put the crowning touch on all of this, Lonny stopped by and gave me a letter he wrote to me.  In it, he told me that I brought him a lot of happiness, and that no one in the world cares for him or has ever shown it the way that I do.  In with the letter was a dainty silver ring that he wanted me to have as a token of his love and appreciation. This is the first time in seven years that he has expressed himself in that manner to me, and it made me feel so special, (and of course, cry again.)

I have always been the kind of person who lets people know what they mean to me.  I let them know I care and that I love them.  I compliment them, and try to do nice things.  I think it's so important to tell the people you love or admire how you feel about them.  Sometimes they  need to hear those things more than you know. I urge each of you to reach out to someone who makes a difference in your life. 

 Thank you to those people who lifted my spirits this  past week by taking the time to show you care when I needed it the most.

Ode to Overg

In your eyes,  I see cloudy skies.

And in your words, I hear dismal chords.

But, it's what is in your heart that's tearing me apart.

Though, if it's me,

If I just can't read

The signs that tell

You love me still,

Please let me know

Before I go,

'Cause I can't stay

If you've gone astray.

 

 

 

gg '99

Christmas De-list.

Something that my daughter will not be getting for Christmas: Happy Family Midge Doll.  Perhaps there is nothing wrong with a pregnant Barbie doll, but this bugs the piss out of me for several reasons...

~Midge hasn't gained an ounce of weight other than her tummy.

~Midge is vamping around in high heels.

~Midge's pregnant belly is magnetic.  You just pull it off, and out pops the baby. No pain, no screaming, no afterbirth.

Is this the kind of message that we want to send young girls?  That pregnancy is glamourous?  That it's easy and fun?  That you don't get swollen ankles? 

Does this mean that people would now be required to buy a baby seat for the Barbie Jeep? 

If anyone buys this for my daughter I WILL take it back to the store and exchange it for a Swan Lake Barbie.  If she's going to live in a fantasy world, I want it to be a realistic one, dammit.

 

 

World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day.  I have lost several friends to AIDS, all gay men, all in the prime of their life.  I've watched many suffer for months, slowly losing their health, their life-force, their minds.  Others have passed quickly, without much warning, without months of suffering.  I still know several people with AIDS.  One is my sister-in-law who was  infected years ago by her ex-husband, and the other is her 6 year-old son who contracted the virus in utero.  They have good days and they have bad days.  Both are on medication which sometimes causes side effects that seem worse than the virus itself.  A cure for AIDS cannot come soon enough.

I am remembering these people today in my thoughts and prayers.