ok, so mean mamma is going out tonight, wearing her new discount duds- quitea snazzy new outfit i must say....won't be dragging this blouse (white cotton) to spain as it will look like i slept in it after the first 5 minutes.....i have packed more than i should take- i will surely remove a few items before tomorrow at 10:00 (our leaving the house time...) i am taking hummus and an eggplant dip to the party we are attending...not quite spanish food, but in the neighborhood. new years day will NOT mark 1 year of blogging- we must wait til spring for that milestone.....i do resolve in 2003 to blog less and exercise more.......

ok, so i am down to the wire- just 24 hours til we have to leave the house, and so much to do.....i have made the appetizer i am taking to a nyeve party, so that is one thing down, i have also bought film, borrowed my mom's camera, taken clothes and stuff to the goodwill, and cleaned out the freezer. i have also figured out my 2nd choice security system for when it is too warm to wear my raincoat with the nifty inside zipper pocket.........

the c-w's had their champagne early- at supper last night- to celebrate the payoff of their mortgage- it will seems strange to no longer have a mortgage payment- but a welcome strangeness.....one of my lottery fantasies involved paying off the house, now i will have to adjust my fantasy somewhat- maybe pay off friend's mortgages as a surprise.....like a modernday robin hood.....ah well, we can do whatever we want in our fantasy lives......

ok, so i tried out some of my spanish at supper tonight, and my most ungrateful child rolled his eyes and moaned and felt compelled to lead me through the 'correct' way to say each of the 4 words i uttered.......can't you say it like they said on the tape? he asked.......no, i cannot say it like that....i have no ear for language, just the desire to speak it......i apologize up front to the loyal opposition for my dismal accent, and ask that she not also roll her eyes............

ok, so the low in spain appears to be about 45 and the high about 65 during most of our trip- i believe that i will leave my scarf and hat and long johns at home- i will bring the umbrella, of course because it just might rain.....

ok, so i think i have a cold, and i am already starting to worry that i will feel miserable on the plane and in barcelona.....however, i still have today and tomorrow to stock up on nyquil and tissues.....so many things i want to get done before we go...clean out the freezer, take old clothing to the goodwill, get tax stuff together, put photos in albums (i am 2 years behind, maybe 3) i will be happy if i get any of it done. acw has also asked that i put together another list of songs for a second burned cd mix- here it is so far- carole king tapestry & you got a friend, joni mitchell california and free man in paris, led zep kashmir and stairway to heaven, bob dylan forever young and like a rolling stone, david bowie changes, csn&y suite judy blue eyes & southern cross, dan fogelburg since you've asked & part of the plan, karla bonoff home, allison krouse when you say nothing at all.....not a one less than 5 years old- mostly 25+ but, then we don't get cable so i don't watch mtv or vh1, etc. and i only really listen to npr news and/or world cafe sometimes on the way home from catering a late party....ecw's siblings were all in amazement that we don't get cable- confounded that someone related to them could have little interest in watching enough television to make the price worthwhile...yes- i would like to see many things that a&e produce, but my mom tapes them for me......in our cable-free world, we have many evenings without the tv on at all and family members are forced to do something else, like read.....or blog.......

ok, so we went to cincinnati for lunch with ecw's brother jim and 2 of his sisters, and their families. after lunch conversation started to fade, i decided to lay down on the couch in the 'other' tv room, and watch what was on- mtv video countdown, then the top 20 most memorable moments on mtv for 2002. i actually enjoyed the top 20 moments, as i had never seen any of the real worlds, or the osbournes, or trl, or the mtv awards......nor any of the videos for that matter......such a shielded life i lead....anyway i did enjoy the scene with sharon osbourne throwing the ham over the fence at the neighbors, whilst in her pajamas.....i was also intrigued by this avril person- she sounded like an alanis morrisette clone...except that alanis' lyrics were not so precictable....nor so insipid...finallyscw came in and told me i was rude for not sitting with the other grownups talking about life and death issues...so i walked away from et on mtv.....

ok, so since mean mamma is 'off' til the restaurant reopens 1/20/03, she is deternined to complete some nesting chores that would otherwise not happen during the normal work year......a sofa and a loveseat have been sent out to be recovered, several drawers have been cleaned out, and a few wallpapering projects have been sketched out.....the first one- the kitchen happened because the fabric for the sofa in the back room clashed with the current paper. yes, these things are not in the same room, but theyare quite visible to the flow of things, and so mm pulled the old paper off the walls and put up a nice stripe- the job tool only 1 roll- which mm purchased for a whopping $5...............alas, everyproject has it's downside- when i pulled out the refrigerator to clean underneath and to strip the paper behind it, i musthave pulled loose the connection to the icemaker.......about the time ecw got home from work the kitchen was flooded in a lucy ricardo sort of way.........oh my.........having a handy husband is a good thing.......we had time to make chinese after cleaning up......yes make chinese....we made hot and sour soup, a shrimp and veggie lo mein and eggrolls using a chinese cookbook by a certain madame woo passed downfrom ecw's mother. nothing i made tasted quite like chinese takeout, but it was edible and hot and may be practice will make perfect. for starts, my eggrolls were the size of small burritos- i did enjoy the tofu- both in the soup andin the lo mein.....we don't cook tofu often enough.....

i am blogging rather than studying my sunday school lesson- this is a problem in that today is my turn to teach......ecw has decided to go to mass this morning....we will miss church to get to his brother's luncheon cincinnati on time.....he has not been to mass since his mother's funeral- in fact he has only gone to mass at funerals for at least 15 years- when we settled on a church......the reasons that i won't go to the catholic church will not be disclosed in this forum......and predate the current scandals.....

ok, so there is an internet cafe within a block of our hotel in barcelona....................according to the 2003 version of rick steve's book that i purchased because it appeared to be much better than the one i lost.......it includes bilbao, san sebastian, and hondarribia, and even recommends our parador.....it doesn't list the opera house in san sebastian, which scw says is suspicious........

ok, so after an entire day in lexington, mm came home with only the following: a mini-hairdryer ($9) a pair of drop earrings ($1), a pair of black brushed cotton pants ($17) a white cotton blouse meant to be worn out rather than tucked in ($16) replacement spanish phrase book (i never reveal what i spend at jbeth.......) and a flannel nightshirt ($16) i will be packing all of these items into my suitcase, of course. the flannel nightshirt may be overkill, but after last year's trip i would rather be too hot than too cold...

the conversation was, of course, the human cloned baby- by the group that believes that all humans are alien clones...i find this laughable- that short overweight aliens decided to make make identical reproductions of themselves in northern europe....to be slowly descended into my personal gene pool.....we did here this interesting songwriter/poet in worldcafe named lizzie west, who wrote a book of poetry(self-discovery style) then published 1000 copies with her own money, then took off with a filmmaker and her dog to sing in small clubs and promote it as well as make a cd and a documentary.......her words sounded better than her actual singing voice, in my humble opinion.....

speaking of dogs, i finished the lewis and clarke book for my bookclub's 1/14/03 meeting. i was shocked to discover that the expedition ate as many dogs, purchased from indians, as they did elk and buffalo.......they also had to contend with indian mothers selling their daughters to them for 'favors' as well as a ritualized buffalo hunt ceremony in which warriors offered up their naked wives to the tribe elders, as well as the white visitors under the impression that power and/or wisdom can be transferred by sex- through the female partner....i.e.....if the female partner has sex with the wise tribal elder, then with her warrior spouse, all of the elder's wisdom is transferred to the warrior.........one of l&c's group reportedly transferred power 4 times that evening.......of course, the tribe already had syphillis caught from french fur traders, so the expedition had to go on a remedy based on a mercuric compound.......oh my... i don't recall the time cover article detailing this particular episode.....also intriguing was the whiskey situation- the group took 100 barrels along, and still managed to run out before reaching the mouth of the columbia.....so much for 'we did it all without alcohol......'

ok,so mean mamma missed the whole feast of stephan thing.....we could have at least had cake.......

ok, so i cleaned out drawers today- and actually threw away beauty products that were older than my children. i did save a few things for cayle- in pale colors that would not resemble clown-face if overdone.....but mostly i shaved the drawer by half- this chore was actually part of my pre-packing ritual- i had to see just what i had that was small in size. turns out that we no longer have any sample-size shampoo, or deodorant, or toothpaste- BUT we have 4 bottles of sample size conditioner......i did find a pair of gold earings i bought in Williamsburg when i finished grad school- nice gold studs with my initials engraved- i thought i had lost them.....finding them again is like a present.....

ok, so i personally prefer the term left-liberal myself.......

ok, so it is back to reality. i finally located my book club book, and have resolved to finish it before i leave for spain, as it weighs several pounds and it is not vacation reading- undaunted courage is about the lewis and clark expedition, the material thus far has been interesting, but at the same time pages of chock-full of information tend to read like text books........i am on page 100 and they haven't reached st louis yet......i HAVE learned that lewis left several gaps in his writing- some lengthy- many weeks to many months....in a blogging sense, the service would cut off an inactive account with gaps like that......there are theories that there are, infact, missing journals that may yet come to light.....but lewis never mentioned in letters losing any such journals..writers block has also been mentioned as a possibility- thatand he was simply too depressed to write. according to the book, he returned with ample ink and paper......

ok, so mean mamma is blogging and listening to her cd-mix (along with ecw's mic) RATHER than watch stuart little 2 on dvd. she is also 1500+ in the hole on solitare, but that is only a problem if this were real money.... i marvel at the insight that went into these mixes- it is as if acw took mental note of every song i have ever said i loved....scw gave me lavender things, another favorite of mine....on the other hand, my own mother gave me a striped turtleneck eerily like one she gave me in 1973 that i also disliked intensely......scw tried to warn her that i wouldn't like it, he told me later, but she wouldn't have any of that.......how can someone i have known all of my life know me so little? that is a question that therapy wouldn't begin to touch, so i will leave it at that........my partner and my husband gave me a gifts almost identical- which means each pays attention...they are different enough to keep both, happily.......

at this point in the blog, mean mamma will disclose the things she bought for herself while buying for others.....a lovely set of french toile-print desk accessories in burgundy and cream (and the reverse)- a standup file, notecards, several picture albums and a journal. had my family seen them first, each would have exclaimed....oh my, mamma would just love these.......but alas, scw had his hands full during that visit to marshall's and no one else was there.. i was obliged to buy them from my loving family, in abstentia........now all i have to do is clean off my desk and they will look lovely.....

ok, so mean mamma is.......listening...to her new cd- aptly named m3 for meanmammamix a pleasant surprise from acw- now playing on track 4- ohio by csny, also on this mix- devil's haircut, pink moon, ramble on, blackbird, from the beginning, a flamenco song in spanish, blue danube, cowgirl in the sand, my back pages, harvest, aqualung, and many others, ramble on, by the way, is my p[ick for the ending credits of return of the king......

ok. so mm got up early on xmas morning to stuff the stockings (santa can't think if everything, you know.....) and now she is thinking about going back to bed fora bit.....sleep is a gift that we can give ourselves everynight- if only we would organize ourselves to take advantage. i resolve in 2003 to get more sleep..yea,yea,yea, its a bit early for resolutions, but sleep is on my mind now.....

i have just returned from letting the dogs back in- there is a dusting of snow, and i am happy that i do not have to go anywhere for the next few days unless i really wanna......i may be FORCED to go back to jbeth for a spanish phrase book, as mine has disappeared despite days of searching. therick steves spain book has also disappeared, i may just copy down a few things from the older version at the library. now that christmas is here i must really start getting ready for spain- digging out the suitcases, plotting a minimal wardrobe, printing out driving instructions, finishing the itinerary.......we received a new set of tickets in the mail yesterday-i have not yet compared them with the old for changes..i have read recently that the gugenheim closed its little las vegas 'hall' in order to financially retrench. i trust that they will not close the bilbao site, or at least not until we have toured it.....

last night at supper (peel&eatshrimp and crab legs) no one talked about dad, though i am sure that everyone was thinking about dad. mother always counted out his shrimp- she read a specific portion of shrimp on a low cholesterol diet once and stuck to it despite my protestations....the last time he was with it enough to be with us on christmas eve, she had to peel his shrimp for him, as he couldn't remember how to do it.....we did not go to church last night for christmas eve service- everybody was tired, and even that reminded us of dad- one year when stuart was home we had to go in 2 cars. after it was over, we all piled into different cars, and no one really counted heads in either car- we got home to discover that dad was in neither car.........luckily the pastor had gone up to his office to sit by the phone- assuming that someone would call and claim this semi-senile gentleman.........dad was with it enough to say-' no harm, no foul' when we apologized.......we still chuckle about the christmas when we forgot dad....

mean mamma would like to wish all of her gentle readers a very happy holiday season, especially sister sheila in colorado- i have written down your travel advice in my little notebook, and we will surely raise a toast in your honor while we are in barcelona. if sparkling wine comes up on this trip, we will also toast to mamma's friend jane, whose joie de vivre is always so much more so with a bit of bubbly.....

ok, so i have been wrapping books for the past hour-nothing but books, with a few cd's and dvd's mixed in- that is all my beloved family unit wanted, and that is what they are getting.....amazing how little wrapping paper is needed for books, cut it close and there is little leftover paper to fold into the last turn before taping.......i could ahve gotten a box for each person, and wrapped just one present per head, but that defies the age-old numbers game that children live for on holidays' 'she has more presents than me......i can hear it all now......

ok, so i felt so blessed lucky today that i bought a powerball ticket on the way home from the 'office' christmas party- by office i mean my work mates at trc- and we ate......all the stuff from the refrigerator and freezers that might not make it till 1/20/03- we had baked brie, steamed shrimp, sliced tenderloin (mostly rare) barbequed meatballs, among other things. there was also a big bowl of leftover coleslaw- but we look at this everyday, and nobody was really gunning to take any of that home.....i am on my way to a long-winters ....nap.......then i will test the newly installed water heater with a shower.......

ok, so the c-w's are just plain lucky folks. this morning about 4:15 ecw awoke to smells of putrid smoke, and discovered the basement waterheater aflame........luckily nothing else was likewise burning, and he was able to contain the disaster. the plumbers seem perplexed on the duelelectrical wires coming out of the top- despite the sticker on the side that says that their company installed this unit.......we have been informed that they will return with a new unit, but that we may want to call an electrician to wire it in........maybe we will all be able to take a shower for christmas...we are only a fews hours into a 'day without a shower' but already i feel out of sorts and cranky.....

ok, so the mean mamma has a soft place in her heart for christmasletters- personal ones are better, but since i don't even do that other than a short note ont he bottom of a longer xeroxed copy- i will not complain in this forum........i received a BATCH of cards today from most of my favorite people- which reminds me that i have yet to send out the cards that i wasn't sure on newest address- i have also not sent the card to germany to edwin and anna- have also just located that address.......it hardly seems like a year since we landed in brussels and drove down to strasbourg....etc......i would like to go back to amsterdam some day.....we didn't have enough time there...

ok, so most of the family went to see two towers yesterday.......for starts, the sequel is thoroughly designed for people who have read the books AND seen the fellowship of the ring- i am not sure that the movie's plot line can be followed by anyone totally unfamiliar with the underlying story. alas, the story has been changed more in the second movie than the first. mean mamma spent time last night with the second book confirming her memory versus the movie. the rearrangement of the role of farramir made no sense and only seemed to prolong the already 'too-long' movie. i did enjoy the portrayal of the kingdom of rohan- very norse- many scenes from the second book must have been saved for the third movie- the arrival of aragorn at isengard, with pippin and merry guarding the gate- too funny for jackson to leave out all together- must be coming next christmas.....as well as the bit with the spider in the cave and sam remembering the light of eirendil.....most memorable in this installment are the battle scenes- which are faithful interpretations of medieval warfare, with the storming of the battlements, ramming of the gate, etc. there was also a tender moment between aragorn and his (new) horse that was unexpectingly sweet- of course, when meanmamma actually said this during the movie- she was immediately told to BE QUIET by her kin

ok, so i finally came up with the mean mamma chant-------it came to me in a flash driving home from church based on the oral discourse.....meanmammagetsherwaymeanmammagetsherwaymeanmammagetsherway.........i guess you had to be there.......of course,mean mamma got her way only on the smallest of issues, but it was her way, nonetheless.......

i oversaw (not overheard) a troubling interchange between a friend and her college-age daughter in an suv stopped at a traffic light- the mother was obviously screaming at the daughter, along with hand gesticulations, while the daughter simply hung her head......the interchange was a wake-up call for my future...there cannot be many instances so pressing that i must 'correct' a child in this sort of public display......certainly what has to be said can wait until you get home, and surely it can be said without theatrics.....

ok, so i work monday then i am off til january 20- well- kind of, because there will be lots to do the week before we reopen in order to actually open back up...so really i am only off til monday the 14th. i will be doing things like repainting shelves and the kitchen floor...the stuff that never gets done any other time except when we are closed. i have great hopes of re-wallpapering the upstairs bathroom and the kitchen- maybe in the same pattern, stripes on cream backround that goes with everything up and down.... its on the sale rack at jordan's and buying all they have at $5 a roll will kill '2 birds with one stone' as they say....i have also called an upolsterer about the front room loveseat and the backroom sofa- both will be recovered while i am off work- as both are in the worst shape......then if i still have strength and/or time i want to make window 'treatments' for above the mini-blinds in the back room- i just can't decide how to go about it as the french door to the deck opens up about 7 inches from the ceiling and snags anything that hangs down too far.....of course, if we are talking projects, i could organize the giant box of photos- about 3 years worth- and put them in albums...when i win the lottery, i will hire a personal assistent to do these things, of course.........

ok, so mean mamma cannot find her copy of rick steves spain- with the restaurant picks and museum opening times and her children will not help her find it.......scw says that he wouldn;t have even looked at rick steves book so it was;nt him, but he could at least help locate it.......

ok, so the c-w's have done a very bad thing- they have opened grandma crown's present dvd of white christmas and watched it...it wasn't on purpose- scw tuned in a louisville station playing it but it would only show in b&w- mean mamma not paying for cable- you understand..........so mean mamma does one better- she opens grandma crown's christmas dvd of white christmas and we watch it.........so technicolor, so harmonious...so rosemary clooney and bing crosbey and danny kaye........NPR did a story on 'present at the creation' recently.....about the creation of cultural icons....and white christmas was one of the first stories......irving berlin knew when he wrote it it would become a big hit...but the radio bigwigs didn;'t quite see it his way...until pearl harbor....and all those g-i's who really wanted to be home for christmas.....it was huge hit in 1945......this movie wasn't made til 1954, and the song was used in another movie first (holiday inn) but this movie is a marvelous piece of americana...i cried at the end.......but then mean people tend to cry at the end-.......we think that the woman who played the housekeeper went on to play the wicked witch of the west.........

ok, so mean mamma has finally done the math on her trip- and she has just enough money-----just enough. clearly, mean mamma has spent most of her disposable income on presents for her darling children........ therefore mean mamma will not be buying any castinets or sombreros, or other outrageous souveniers. well, maybe a few small things.........

ok, so the news from new york state is bad- very bad- ecw's oldest sister has either an ovarian tumor that has spread to her colon or a colon tumor that has spread to her ovary- either way things don't look good. she has already survived breast cancer......this is not good news , with both his parents dying within the past 16 months and his oldest brother having an inoperable brain tumor........she is scheduled for surgury on 12/26/02-please keep her in your prayers......mean mamma did cave to curiosity, and called coach mac re: plan scores........of course she is not telling, but she is proud, so proud.......still on the barcelona countdown- my fellow traveler's and i will be on the lookout for the 'smuggler-type' profiled tonight on NPR- this guy was arrested at lax yesterday- with 4 birds of paradise in his suitcase- 52 plants, tubers abd seeds, and 2 mini-monkeys down his pants. I am amazed that anyone could travel any distance with 2 mini-monkeys down his pants. Think about it- even drugged, they would take up room, and they would itch..........with all the security precautions these days- who would try to smuggle mini-monkeys in one's pants?

ok, so i need to remind those idyllic students who will travel with me that they must remind their second semester teachers about their trip and their absense the first week of school in january........

ok, so i will be in spain 14 days from today. i can already envision our first lunch- in a little place near casa mila on our way to sagrida familia. i am already thinking about buying a sandwich/salad at the cortes ingles department store (around the corner from the hotel) for supper so we can go to bed early and get over our jet lag- this business of the spaniards eating late is fine- but not on the first day when i will be so exhausted. at least i will not be freezing cold- like brussels. i keep saying i, but i mean we- as 2 of my very favorite people will be accompanying me on this iberian adventure.......again, there are those in danville who think it strange that i would again take a trip without my spouse- like he is tied to me like a millstone and my direction must therefore be his......he has expressed interest in a trip to ireland (his mother's mother was irish) and we would also like to go to new zealand on a trekking vacation to see the lotr scenery. however, he had no interest in going to spain. so he is not going to spain. he understands my determination to travel as widely as possible while i am still able to do so. if i become prematurely senile- then i was justified in my yearly jaunts- if not, then my life was the richer for it.....i am trying to decide about the camera to take along- my dad's old minolta is bulky- but takes marvelous photographs. the smaller camera is marginal on quality......i would feel better with dad's camera-for obvious reasons- he was devoted to photography for as long as his senses allowed- i have 'borrowed' his photographs of the opera house in sydney and ayres rock- they now hang in andrew's new room- they are perfect renditions- and make me remember my dad...i would love to take such brilliant photographs in this trip.....

ok, so my oldest child has finally emailed his christmas book list- an interesting list it is.....including zen and the art of motorcycle maintainence,,,.........a translation of horace on literary criticism, and an old kurt vonnegut- not the ones i have- of course,but one that i don't have........the weight beneath the tree will be staggering, given the poundage of books being given this year in the c-w family.....oh yea-------2 weeks til spain.......

ok, so my brother is NOT coming home for christmas, and i have gone back and deleted everything i said about this disappointing development.

ok, so today at work i said that i can't wait until wednesday when the two towers comes out, and i was met with blank stares- in fact, 4 out of 4 had not even seen the first lotr installment......tragic.....

ok, so the low in barcelona this week is about 45 and the high is about 60- not bad, not bad at all.........

ok, so i enjoyed the time article about google.com- which asserted that people who use it suscessfully for searches tend to come back and search 1) for their own name 2) for the names of old flames. i am guilty of both. the c-w's take up 6 pages of references. as for old flames, one is a president and ceo of a company in denver,one is a veternarian and teaches at msu, one works for the faa in washington d.c and another may be getting out of prison in w.v. soon- well- i am not sure that he is the same one i went out with in college, but it wouldn't surprise me.......on one of our last dates he shoplifted a pair of sunglasses from k-mart- anybody who would shoplift sunglasses as dating entertainment could easily end up in prison on w.v. 25 years later.......

ok, so i have got to say this- that l.o is so talented with layouts- the most recent is surely her best.

ok, so i ventured out to do a little shopping today before i went to work- in goodies, where i waited in line forever to buy a few pairs of socks and a turtleneck for cayle- i witnessed a completely insensitive salesperson berate an octogenarian........is this your current address on the check?....yes......is this your current telephone number?......yes.......what is your work number?...............I don't have a work number........I'll have to get a manager if you don't have a job.......... the lady was at least 80...she didn't have a job because she had probably been retired since before this chick salesgirl was born......what kind of idiot holds up a holiday checkout line over a work number for an 80 year old woman?

ok, so it is 10:15 saturday morning, and i am not only in my robe, i have no plans to get dressed anytime soon. this is the first saturday in forever that we didn't have 2 or more lunch time events. i don't have to go to work til at least 4:15 or so- to heat up supper for the 2 events tonight. thankfully, they both chose turkey and dressing, which i prepared yesterday and will heat up this afternoon. turkey is such a crap shoot when it comes to roasting time- i find it much easier to sweat the 'roasting til it gets to 180 degrees- the day before than right before an event. plus, turkey is easier to carve when it is cold...... ok, so i bought scw spanish video tapes so i could watch them. iam getting so nervous about spanish- i have got the 'smile and be pleasant' part of dealing with hotel, restaurant and shop people, but i have no actual words to say to them yet........there are only a limited amountof of instances when ...una cervasa, por favor.....is appropriate....

ok, so today at the restaurant i received a pointsettia (sp?) in a lovely plaid bit of sparkly paper- with a condolence card from 2 females who listed only their first names- alas- i know 2 sets of women with those names- and i am at a loss to decide which set sent the flowers- i am hoping that the truth will unfold at church- that the church set will ask me if i received them and i wil be able to send a thank you note..........i received a xmas letter from my grad school roommate- she is living in her 3rd house on the same street- her husband is a builder- she is a junior-league type- which i do not hold against her- i find it humourous to think that i lived with her for 2 years with no inkling that she had that in mind.......ah well....so many mysterious womenin my life........

ok, so I happen to like opening my blog the same way every time- the consistency of the opening helps me to think of what comes next- except for now, when i can think of nothing to say.

ok, so i have become so feeble at 46 going on 47 that i can no longer open a twist-off bottle of beer without an opener. My poor, arthritic hands cannot get a good enough grip to manage the job any longer. This particular milestone is not listed on any stress-assessment questionnaire-but it should be. when an otherwise healthy adult can no longer open her own beer without mechanical assitance- it is something like when i was first told i needed glasees- you ARE 40,and you should expect these things......glasses, maybe, grey hair, maybe, but the lack of twist-off capacity- now that is almost too frail for words.........maybe i will become like renoir- they will tape an opener in my hand- like he taped a brush in his arthritic hands.........as i blog- the simpsons are on- homer figured out long ago how to handle the twist-off thing- he only drinks draft beer at moes....homer is technically my age, by the way- he also graduated in 1974, though on one episode he may not have actaully graduated but that is the story of homer's life......anyway- i have discovered that i may not be able to serve draft beer in my own restaurant, even with a liquor license, until i find out if i will sell enough of any partiuclarkind to warrant buying a 1/2 keg that will stay fresh 35-45 days.....we have no idea how many beers we will sell- and i can't be drinking beer at work, or i will get no work done. life is sometimes unkind.......

ok, so we leave for spain in.......20 days- but who is counting down? i have so much to cook between now and then, i cannot imagine the plane ride over- just me and a book and a glass of wine.......(scw will sit with lo, of course) and i while i may complain about the airplane food, at least i won't have to cook it......

ok, so scw insists that people can generally be defined by a single sound.......for example.....who does tssss.......remind you of......? he says that whoo.......reminds him of me (this is really silly- he claims that i made this sound during the first harry potter movie....) the list goes on, but given the sensitive nature of this public forum, i will not disclose the other single sound bytes that define either loved ones or not-so-loved ones......

ok, so this van gogh robbery thing has me puzzled........ the following is from msnbc......


Leighton said the missing paintings were painted early in van Gogh's career. They ''have no market value since they were not for sale, but comparable paintings sold for several million dollars,'' he said.
''View of the Sea at Scheveningen,'' a small picture measuring about 13 inches high by about 20 inches wide, of a boat setting off into a stormy sea was painted in two days in 1882. The thickly applied paint contains grains of sand blown onto the canvas from the beach where van Gogh worked. It is one of his first major pieces.
''Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen,'' painted in 1884-85, shows the village church where van Gogh's father served as pastor. That painting measures about 16 inches high by about 13 inches wide.

ok, so why would someone go to the trouble of stealing 2 paintings from this fine musuem- and take those two particular canvases? why not one of the more famous sunflowers or irises? we visited this museum nearly a year ago- i am trying to envision the location of these pictures- van gogh canvases are so distinctive, and news of the theft so universal, the buyer must be someone who has no need to display them to anybody but himself.....like thomas crown, of course.....

ok, so christmas shopping this year has been made simple by those who present their lists in a timely manner- and said lists contain books available on-line......i really like shopping in my bathrobe, with a cup of coffee......of course- only 1 of 3 children have produced a list,. so the other 2 made have to take what mean mamma clicked into her cart at bn, or half, or alibris or amazon........for the record, the mean mamma wants a subscription to new yorker, and some of that really nice elizabeth arden bath stuff (in green tea scent)- available at peebles right here in danville......

ok, so my catering job gave me new perspective on just how tidywe keep our operation and just how disgusting other kitchens can get. we did a xmas party- dinner for 120- at a 'golf resort' in a neighboring county. the kitchen was huge- but incredibly gross- there was a turkey breast- whole, wrapped in original wrap- just sitting on the counter- by the uncleaned slicer- leftoverfrom some lunch event- now this was 4:30 and the prep for lunch would have been over by 12- you do the math- i put the turkey in the closest working fridge- and went on with unloading my van. the stove, convectionoven, broiler, and line of 4 fryers did not look like they had been cleaned, emptied of sludge or otherwise serviced since installation. the stench of grease was overwhelming-someone has attempted to skim some of the grease sludge off the top of one fryer, and the bucket of greasey slime mixed with french fry crumbs was still sitting on the floor- you get the picture........the party crowd was no better- they all seemed to be smokers- and the party hall had only a limited # of ashtrays- so this high-class group used their uneaten salads as ashtrays. this is the first time i have ever seen one of my salads come back with a cigarette out out in the little dressing cup...........the banquet hall was a smoky cave- with that clinging, nicotine yellow film that settles on everything and permeates the clothing and the hair...........it will take us all several days to get 'over' this event.......

ok, so this weekend, i am going to get out all of my hotel reservations and add up the estimated expenses- food, lodging, museums, car rental, etc......if i am lucky, i will only have to fill up once.........

ok so i had this really weird dream- we were catering a democratic party fundraiser in someone's home- seemed to be cleveland, actually, with its million dollar houses. anyway, the wife had had built a special closet in her kitchen for her wedding dress- presumably so she could look at it when ever the fancy struck her. it was in a clear plastic display - must have been a designer number.....there were numerous magazine racks, with issues organized by the celebrity cover- all the j;lo covers were together, and so forth.........at one pointecw was there, and someone we know in danville who used to live in cleveland, sho is a republican and would never have attended this event- asked us if we had sent scw to preschool with her son, and ecw said- no. in fact, the child inquestion attended montessori for one full day before his parents pulled him out, stating that the lack of structure would never work with their child.......the memorable part of the event was that i lost my shoes, and spent most of the time looking for them.......gentle readers, recognize any freudian elements that i have missed? i have no idea what it all means...........

ok, so i worked late last night- we hosted a discussion/study group- all men- who have existed as such since the 1850's. the group, anaconda, is not as mysterious as a fraternity or lodge, but they appear to have quirks, nevertheless. we knew that they would not cancel- despite the weather, as this group didn't cancel for the civil war.....the other group that didn't cancel was a carryout for 32- an office party AT the office in question- the food was to be there by 6 and by 7 they called and said that they were done- come get your stuff......some officeparty- 60 minutes of pure bliss.............they were surely worried about the weather. the 3rd group did cancel out- 48 driving from berea and parts beyond- i knew the moment the snow started falling that that party was off indefinitely. ah well.......5 more parties before i rest sleep all afternoon sunday...wait- the cross country banquet is sunday- no rest for the mean mamma.......

ok, so I am going in late to work- or later than usual. The snow is so beautiful- and my coffee with real half%half is so tasty, and everything right at this moment is idyllic, except for the fact that there is no newspaper- a newspaper would make everything perfect. Somehow, the computer, and coffee, and an extra half hour or so isn't quite what curling up on the couch with the newspaper can provide in terms of snug coziness.......

ok, so after supper, we all filed up the hill, in the dark and crunchy snow, to see scw's 'installation'- he created a space/sci-fi snow mountain lit up with numerous candles that glowed against the gray to black horizon. ecw thinks he is touched, i think he is brilliant- only time will tell..............

ok, so i am reminded of the midwinter trip that scw and i took to wisconsin and chicago a few yearsback to see frank lloyd wright sites- the weather was somewhat icy and a few things were not open, but i remember the trip fondly because scw is such a fabulous traveler. he and i have also been on solo trips to denver and to san franscisco as well as the infamous trip to nyc.

ok, so i love this weather so much i went out and walked a mile just to be out in it......snow reminds me of my ohio roots. not much in ohio is ever called off for weather- i don't believe that osu ever closed during my 4 years there, nor u.c. in grad school. in my first job i commuted to lawrenceburg, indiana from cincy- through northern ky by the airport on 275- there were times when i made it to work despite snow and people who lived locally didn't show up because of 'bad weather'. in the morning i will still go to work even if danville has no school because we have a carryout lunch scheduled and 3 suppers (2 onsight and 1 carryout) i am curious if any or all will cancel- but we will still be open- unless the governor closes the roads or something of that magnitude........i AM dreaming of a white christmas......as well as a much warmer barcelona........muchas i like a bit of snow- last january's trip to northern europe was a bit on the nippy side,.......

ok, so when i tried to blog this morning- publishing was inexplicably unavailable- luckily i discovered this before i wrote one single word......i am reading a wonderful book that i bought off a sales table last weekend. i bought it solely based on the name----hotel du lac-----and the cover art. turns out that it won the booker prize in the early 80's so it has a pedigree of sorts. i understand that picking books based on cover art and title is akin to picking race horse bets based on jockey and the color of the racing silks.....sometimes you get lucky.......this book is about a popular british novelist who has to 'rest on the continent' for awhile after her affair with a married man is discovered......though the checks in under her real name, rather than her pen name, people will certainly figure out who she is, even in this proper swiss hotel on the lake. while my description is rather plain, her prose is compelling. this has become a wonderful 'bathtub' book, and goes well with a glass of australian white..........

ok, so the meanmamma has metsomeone truly mean.........today a woman about my age with her daughter(early 20's) and granddaughter (maybe 7-8 months) ate in the restaurant. between the 3 of them they ate a sandwich plate, a cup of soup, and a serving of mashed potatoes. when they got ready to go, the baby was screaming bloody murder, and the mother said...i think the baby is still hungry...the grandmother said....no. i think she is just tired.....the grandmother then started putting an empty spoon in the child's mouth ....over and over,,,,, the baby kept smacking its lips, like....where is the food? ,,,but the spoon was empty every time...the baby started screaming again, so the grandmother put an empty sipper cup (with a nipple on it) in the baby's mouth...the baby kept sucking at that empty cup as they walked out.......now that is meanness or stupidity or both- we could hear that poor baby screaming as she was loaded into the car..............

ok, so the mean mamma has asked her children to submit short lists of precious gift wishes, with no immediate response. therefore, mean mamma may be forced to choose from her own list of holiday gift ideas.........cacti, capri pants, talking toilet paper (osu fight song), volleyball net, quart jar of capers, footed pajamas, free willy on video, the new crocodile hunter movie on dvd, a subscription to golf digest, knee socks, spiderman action figures, precious moment figurines, a goldfish bowl, you get the picture.......

ok, so i catered a wedding in lexington tonight for 325- at christ the king cathedral. you may recognize the name from the controversy- this is the church that allowed the baptism of the gay couple's quadruplets. i may have declined the fine offer to become a catholic when i married ecw- but i have to give kudos to a congregation this open-minded. i also have to hand it to the catholics- they are not hypocrits when it comes to alcohol- the reception was in the fellowship hall- open bar and dancing and all- these people have no problem at all with how the bible stands on weddings- they are for a good time, just like the wedding at cana. i have to pray for forgiveness on my own part in this matter- i gave up on trying to recycle the wine bottles, and the cardboard boxes and the whole mass of waste matter- the custodian came by and asked if he could take this mound of stuff out of my way and i said yes.....it was after 11:00 pm and my brain must not be able to deal with ethical issues this late. i recycle every bottle, can, box and #1 & 2 plastics that come our way at the restaurant- but i just knew that we wouldn't have room to schlep it all back to danville. gentle readers, forgive this transgression........