if this is tuesday then it must be sesame chicken.....

ok, so i work til 6 on tuesday.....and have gotten into the habit of ordering chinese when i walk out of the building...so that i drop by on my way home to pick it up.......and be done with dinner by 7ish....in time to walk on the treadmill during my hollywood gossip shows.....today was oscar nomination day.....and our good ole ky boy george clooney was nominated in three categories, including best director for good luck and good night....ya gotta love an outspoken liberal democrat, especially one with enough nerve to take on bill o-reilly.....i have seen few of the films nominated......given that the films i saw twice were barely mentioned in the lists.......pride and prejudice picked up a few.......gosh, i just loved that film......the kind of films that get nominated don't get shown on screens within 40 miles of our home.......and unless we care to make an evening of it....we wait til they cone out on dvd.....the film that i really want to see now...tristam shandy....may turn up in lexington at the single art house theatre.....maybe......it sounds quite clever....a film about the making of a movie about a book that can't be filmed......and a period piece at that.....but i digress.....tuesday is also gilmore girl day........we have recently started to get the wb out of lousiville with our antenae......and i rode the exercycle for the full 60 minutes of a new episode.....after a 2 mile walk.......wow.....working on the calorie deficit......and now that i have my wi-fi palm...i can scan my usual sites......and play solitaire and ride....and watch tv at the same time........life is good...............speaking of good...i have purchased an extra cradle so that i can hook up the palm at work without having to disconnect all of the connectors at home......it is so nice to listen to music while i eat lunch at my desk and.........read updated news online........the program that i used to download the music has alphabetized the tunes.......and so the randomness is not so random so much as unexpected.....i like this woman imogen heap......so reverbs so sweetly.....and this group vasen that plays an instrumental called polska pa.......it sounds vaguely medieval and country fiddle all in one...........and my purely random mountain goats song pale green things reminds me of something raffi never got around to recording.......it is quite sweet and evocative.............happliy i am running short on tuesday things to do.....and could actually get to bed by 10:00 if i hurry this blog along...............

it's elemental......

ok, so 7th grade science has moved on, for the most part, from the research question to the periodic table of elements.......and so we had a rousing game of name that element from the abbreviation over dinner........and i was pleasantly surprised that my spouse and i made a decent showing......when one combines the elements with nutritive qualities with those made into jewelry and bike parts or womd..or inert gases..........the only ones we didn't know fell into the other category.....which we concluded were not worth knowing....i am joking of, course.......because they must be memorized....but to the 49/50ish crowd.....if they couldn't be recalled from college chem classes over a 25ish year span......then they must not have been all that important...........

arctic monkey.....

ok, so does my mp3 connection have an artic monkey selection to share?.......heavens.....i sound almost like a junkie..........

on reading one's own blog.....

ok, so i regularly read my own blog.....sometimes in the morning because my brain is too foggy to remember what and/or if i posted the evening before......but mostly random archival entries....that dwell on episodes that i can barely recall......which is the point to this madness......to chronicle what i will barely recall in the all-too-soon future.......my brother-in-law in upstate new york has disclosed to me the alzheimer's testing that he has begun.....benchmarking is how he described it to me.....but i know better....anybody who has experienced the intellectual decline of a loved one fears that the same will happen closer to home......and this fear is tangible.......which is why i try so hard NOT to read my blog in the morning.....for fear that i will have no recollection whatsoever......and what does one do with that fear......when my grandmother was senile she hid grapefruits......under the covers on her side of the bed....from my blind grandfather.......lord knows why.......since we rarely buy grapefruits i doubt that the grapefruit test for senility can be applied to me.......no......my version will appear in purely personal ways.......like in the blogs that i cannot remember posting....which i won't offer up as dinner conversation...in hopes that nobody else will know that i am going downhill........sounds like a plan to me.................

addendum.....my entire blog.....all the entries since april 2002...fit onto the memory of my new palm tx......not on the expansion card.....on the memory....wow.......

what i didn't get /started/done on sunday.....

ok, so yesterday i had every intention of starting on my major book shifting project.......culling through the shelves for books that are too young for the current crowd, or books that are no longer of interest/relevance.....to make room for the books that are stacked...seems a better plan than putting up more shelving.......given that we'd basically have to add on a room to put up more shelving.......but after i tidied up the guest room....the epicenter of this endeavor.....the room with the most stacks........i digressed into exercise.........how's that for classic avoidance behavior......even exercise is preferable to work.........and so i will reschedule......or maybe do a bit here and there.......it occurs to me that if i go through the shelves in the back room....there might be space for the reference stuff......which would then make room for literature in the guest room......., or at least some literature.....especially if i move my women's lit collection upstairs to our room, but that would mean that i would have to go through and trim down the mysteries.......ah well........you get my drift.....it is a domino thing......and it will take some time to get the domino effect in place...............

bootlegs.....

ok,so a couple of weeks ago marketplace, the npr radio show broadcast from china.......and one of the places featured was a bootleg dvd store in shanghai......a location certain to be selling the bootleg version of...the latest pride and prejudice.......i watched the a&e version this afternoon, while riding the exercycle (for 60 minutes) and then while simply sitting back and saying the lines under my breath in synch with the actors......the wait until the official dvd comes out is killing me...alas, i know of nobody going to the far east any time soon......

bbc world service....

ok, so i succumbed to one of life's most basic pleasures........snuggling down under the covers after the radio-alarm kicks on at 6:30 am....to listen to 30 minutes of the bbc......the sunday morning edition that includes a news roundup......an instant guide to the american central bank....and 15 minutes of cricket and soccer scores........none of which affects me directly.......but it is a pleasant backdrop to the snuggling down under the covers.....and it beats getting up to the chill of the morning before i am quite ready to do so.......one of these days i must look into cricket scoring.......which doesn't make any sense......as well as read up on european soccer cup play........is there one cup....or multiple cups.....that involve world teams rather than just european ones?........regardless......i am content to listen to the prattle about test matches and on to next rounds.....until 7:00 am when the devil's own radio show comes on ......calling all pets......oy.....produced in wisconsin, it would seem......and featuring an endless series of call-in questions about dog and cat care/feeding/training......i always leap out of bed when i hear the telltale theme music.........

palm tx

ok,so......i can post from the palm.......yesseree!........

a million little pieces.....

ok, so i have spent some time discussing with my eldest (the author) the ins and outs of the semi-autobiography a million little pieces...the book by the writer that oprah skewered of late.......and while i understand the ire of the writing crowd.......i do feel some sympathy for someone who portrays himself as something other than what he is.....i have neither endured 3 hours of jail...nor 3 days of imprisonment.....but i can understand the basic desire to embellish.......as much as i can understand the desire to conceal.......and that is where this guy loses me.........i simply omit those details i do not want known......rather than embellish.....and so i am at a loss to understand his perdicament.....in making his life seem worse than it was.............lord knows i have spent a lifetime keeping hidden those details that would prove my life worse than i choose to remember.......exactly when i will be totally honest is yet to be determined.......when i am 60? or 70? or 80?......certainly not in my 50's while i still have children at home.......my book club is reading lamb.....a tongue-in-cheek recollection of the life of christ as told by his childhood friend biff......and while i know this to be a made-up tale......it sounds no more made up than the four gospels.......when you get down to essentials......with angels, and wisemen, and miracles...and most stories differ from gospel to gospel as to who was there or what was said....so why is it that millions of folks are willing to swallow a virgin birth, but balk at the gap between a 3 hour detainment or 3 months in jail.......none of the above or all of the above can be believable....................

symphony 31 in d......

ok, so i like mozart......i really, really like mozart.......one of these days i will make a pilgrimage to vienna or salzburg or liepzig to hear mozart played in situ.........but until then i will be forced to listen to cd's.......on this his 250th........his mm must have been so very proud.......

have pity....

ok, so...have some pity on my eldest child.......who must endure complete and utter adoration when he chances to drop by home for the smallest reason.........we sit/stand at attention to his every word.......just like we did all those years ago when he was the first born baby......only now he is the closest to home....and when he does come home we are so very glad to see him......well.....it is somehwat embarassing to relate just how much we dote upon him when he visits.......did i mention just how proud we are of him?......................

speaking of hope......

ok, so.....i really need a haircut......but i have this crazy scheme to grow my hair another 5 inches and donate the lot to one of those children's cancer wigs organizations.......the only problem with this plan is that my hair has ceased to grow ever since i made this personal pledge.....my head has not sprouted any more white or greys.....so it is not as if it is focused on the aging of the scalp end......it basically just....sits there looking so antiquated for my age......

all or nothing......

ok, so hope springs eternal for the mm........i have downloaded numerous treasures to my new plam, including purchased spanish language flashcards.....while i completely understand that the good lord divied up the talent unevenly in our family....i still live in the expectation that i will eventually recall enough of a foreign language to say that i am multilingual.......30 years of trying to teach myself french has come to......well......i cannot call myself anything more than entry level......but i am comfortable with what little i do know......and so i have moved on to spanish......useful with clients.......and with my fantasy of walking to santiago de compestella......as a pilgrim......only i see myself as the kind of pilgrim that stays in hotels rather than in hostels....but i digress........i have downloaded both verbs and vocubulary.....as i said initially...hope springs eternal.......

the green rubberband.....

ok, so i will share the good with the bad......the good news about my palm........i finally figured out, with help from the palm help desk...that the tool bar disappeared because i used an incompatible program to download music to me storage card....go figure....and after i did a hard reboot.......and resynched......all is well.......for now.....the bad news.......the palm people included a cheesey flip cover rather than a real case....and the flip cover wouldn't stay on....so my $300 palm spent its first day with a green rubberband holding on the cheesey flip cover.....i was much too embarassed to show my new toy to anybody......given the rubberband.....i am certain that this flip-cover thing is designed to nudge buyers into investing in an expensive leather cover/case......i am tempted to resist this sort of hostage-purchase.........but the rubberband thing looks so......boondocks-tech.......and not the image i am going for.......ahh well.....i did get to listen to music over my lunch.......just love my new slow-core selections................especially the polish instrumental folks.......

future shock

ok, so when i was in high school....int he early 70's....we were coerced into reading a book called future shock.....which prophesized that technology would come at us so quickly we would all go crazy...or at least be numbed into submission......and this evening that book came very close to reality.....i picked up my new palm y=tx at 5:45....allowed it to charge a full 3 hours before messing with it......synched it with my outlook data.....and then spent the past 2 hours trying to download music.......if i had high blood pressure i would have stroked out by now.......how is it that the idiots who design these devil's devices make them so complicated.....and i say this as someone who is relatively savvy........as i speak, music is transferring onto my palm, not onto my purchased 512 meg expansion card....because at no point in the setup did it ask where to send the data.........oy!....not that it matters...this device did not come with headphones.....so umless i can dig some up i will have to rely on it's tiny speakers.........again....oy!

liz durrett

ok, so....many thanks to honestly old for her valuable links to free downloadable mp3's.........all if have to do is to sift through the chaff to find the golden grains........i have learned a new term, thanks to reese.......slowcore.....really describes the style of music i like better than most monickers........and i like liz durrett......who reminds me of beth orton, as promised in the blurb introducing her downloads.......so far the pieces that i have downloaded have been better than i expected.......again, many thanks to a blogger wise beyond her years.........

st. anthony......

ok, so i am not a catholic, but i will admit to lifting up prayers to the patron saint of lost things today......our cat phillida (esrkine-brown) failed to awake us this morning with her hunger pangs......failed to leap in the front door when we let out the dog.....failed to show up at all before we left for work...both ernst and cayle canvassed the yard and the surrounds in case her limp body was clinging to life just outside our view...........and so i fretted all day that something but....there she sat, regally indifferent on the back table......and somewhat startled when i scooped her up with a hearty amen, and thanks to st. anthony........only the good lord knows where she spent the evening/the day.....or how she happened to get into the house...........

broadening one's musical horizons.....

ok, so.......given that the christmas collection download season is over......i am forced to branch out and seek new (and free) musical relief for what ails me in the deep midwinter....happily, salon.com has anticipated my need for new music......and offers daily downloads in it's audiophile section....today i downloaded cat power, a piece called the greatest.......i had assumed that cat power was a band....not a throaty female going solo.......i like her immensely.....and then there is vasen with polska pa overvanigan...they're not from around here, as they say......but i found this tune melodic and something i could listen to at work...gotta do better than my workmate who listens to the same enya cd every day....not that i don't like enya, but everyday is a bit much...........i also downloaded a song from a band called ark from sweden......haven't listened to that yet.....as well as something from a band called i love you but i choose darkness.............i plan to drop by office depot tomorrow to buy my new palm tx......along with a 2-year replacement plan......well worth the bucks as i learned from the ill-fated ipaq........maybe a 1 meg memory card as well.......i was going to wait but i miss listening to music over lunch......and now i have a wider range of songs to listne to while i munhc on my lowfat, lowcalorie fare........

the c-dub

ok, so it was with great amusement that i read on-line about the merger between the wb network and cbs/upn......to be known later this year as....the cw network.......i wonder if they will sell tshirts and/or clever coasters........

pandemic.....

ok, so i want it noted on my permanent record that i made no preparations for y2k.........not one......mostly because i was busy, but also because i thought it was silly......but the possible flu pandemic.......i cannot but help but be sucked in with the possibilities......being in public health magnifies the potential drama...friday there was a state summit on the subject, calling for each county to hold planning forums.........but such drama only resonates upon family lore......i was weaned on the 1918 flu epidemic.....when my crown grandparent's 1st born son perished...donald was his name......it is hard to disavow threats of death when one's own family has experienced a similar loss......not a single of one of my relations died in wwI or II, korea, viet nam......the middle east.......war protests....hurricanes......just that one baby in the 1918 flu epidemic......and so....i now have lots of info on the steps that families, businesses, municipalities should take to prepare.....i have water and canned goods in my basement.....but as i have said before....the best way to stave off a disaster is to be prepared for one..........

a message from god.....

ok,so during church....in the midst of the sermon.....my mind was wandering to......where my spouse and i should go to celebrate our 25th and my 50th birthday.......and in between thoughts of paris(my preference) and yosemite (his).....i had this vision.......that i should purchase a print of s. tapley's upon entering boyle county....and frame it and place it over my sofa.........this is not a new thought....i have been thinking about it since the boys were small and in montessori......mr tapley was so kind as to donate the proceeds from said print to the school...but i do not act quickly on some things....most of the art i own has been in the same place since....s long as i can remember.......and for all i know there are no more prints......but somehow this morning this notion came as if from the burning bush...........having nothing to do with either the sermon or the anniversary trip.......and seemingly random.....though i don't suppose that god does random......now does she?.......and this particular instance confirms my suspicion that god is a she, because a male deity would not be trying so hard to send me decorating tips.......should the mother of the l.o. read this entry today.....have you any idea if there remain prints at maple tree gallery.....if so......i have a divine quest to fulfill........

hitchhikers guide.......

ok, so last night the three of us watched a library copy of this film.......a recent dvd release, or at least recent in 2005......and i was quite confused.....having never read the book.....i had seen installments from the bbc series.....and was therefore disappointed that the restaurant scene i recalled wasn't in this screen version.......we do have the book...somewhere in this house....probably in a stack somewhere in this house......at least 4 rooms in this abode have more books than shelving can accomodate.....with the overflow books just stacked about......there are three options....give away the least desirable books to make room for the keepers........build more shelves......or do nothing......we are sticking with the third option......seems a reasonable thing to do until our flock gets settled in homes of their own and we can box up their personal libraries and transfer this dilemna on to the new households.......as it is.....i have nothing to read at this very moment......plenty i could read....but nothing that i couldn't put down......my personal definition of a good read.......ironically, i am not ready to part with my growing stack of books that i have put down from disinterest......just in case i change my mind........and while i wait patiently on my books to either re-engage my senses....or not......i am wokring tirelessly on an afghan.......now up to 7 panels......the end far from sight.......

k.u.i.

ok, so this afternoon i picked up the afghan i am knitting....with horror.......an incredibly obvious error at least 12 rows back...nothing to be done but to take the piece off the needles and backtrack.........and begin again at the point to which the mistake had been made...sometime during our family viewing of lara croft:cradle of life......during which i was k.u.i.......knitting whilst under the influence.......when handcrafts are involved it doesn't take much to disrupt the flow of reasonable thought from the brain to the hands......and as it as....i cannot do much more work without a word from the last recipient of an afghan....how many strips is enough?..........i asked this question in an unanswered email.......and i assume that the answer is....keep kniting.....

back to bed.....

ok, so i tried to go back to bed after everybody left out of here just before 10....my daughter would be at the humane society for at least 2 hours......and a 2 hour nap seemed like a good idea......at the time.....but a nap turns from a good idea to a lot of work over a sleepless span......it does take a bit of effort to keep one's eyes closed, to not look at the clock......to focus on whatr is right with the scenario (the chance to sleep, perchance to dream) rather than what is wrong (the headache, the chilly sheets, the wrong pillow on top.....) and sheer sloth kept me from making the effort to fix what was wrong.....and so...2 hours later....i am neither refreshed nor reborn.....i still have a sinus headache.....rather a faceache.....as the pain is in my cheeks and jawteeth......and yet i have not gotten around to finding a sinus remedy.......pitiable......the downstairs was in worse shape than when i left it.....we are watching my mother's dog for the weekend....and she has dragged things from the bathroom trashcans to chew.......a nasty sight......i left the bed unmade....in case i try again later to take a nap......maybe when the caffeine wears off, or exercise works up bonafide fatigue.......at least this entry counts as a pre-noon accomplishment.......

glass half full/half empty.......

ok, so this day started out to be abysmal...for reasons much too personal to go into in this forum.....i considered calling in sick, but nobody in public health ever believes anyone to be bonafide ill on fridays....so it is best to always drag in under any and all circumstances and hope that somebody notices your pittiable state and suggestes that you go on back home.....but that would have been a bad idea on this particular day......i would have missed a watershed phone call.....from a school-based nurse whose daughter was once an dietetics intern working with me for 6 weeks....she has high school students who want to work in the health care field....who need projects in specific nutrition and physical activity areas......and i happen to have nutrition and physical activity projects on my absolutely must get done by june 30 list.....and so.....my glass is now half-full with regards to the probability that i will meet all goals set for this fiscal year......life is good.......i have had some downer moments.....like the client with the dilated pupils who smelled faintly of cannibis.....at 8:30 am......whoa......a bit early for such things.......i have never been given training/directive on what, if anything i am to do in these instances.......i suppose if her kids were with her i might have taken bold steps.......as it was the clerk told me that the woman is already out on bond from getting arrested for possession.....so my nose wasn't wrong.......and then there is the vague fear that i have insulted/upset someone that i admire.....i always deduce that when people are upset if must be my fault......if it is me, than i am so very sorry.........but enough of all that....lets talk disaster.......i am preparing a lesson for a dabetes support group on disaster preparedness for people with diabetes.......and the on-line research led to the possibility that we all should be prepared for a flu epidemic in which we may be confined to our homes......and so i went out at lunch and bought bottled water and canned goods to store in the basement.....just in case......and while that may seem reactionary....i decided that i might as well....in case anybody in the diabetes group asks me if i am prepared in my own home.......best way i know of to stave off a disaster is to be prepared for one........and now......me and my half-full glass are going to enjoy a sunny rest-of-the-afternoon off............

a stage of hell overlooked by dante.....

ok, so........so i believe this with all my heart......in hell exists a stage in which those trapped there must spend hours with a nearly 13-year old working on a science project that she selected yet doesn't understand enough to put into words......imagine lined paper with pencil-smudged erasures.......and the backround noise of gritting teeth and mumbling of oaths.............

a 4 pack of melons......

ok, so.....I couldn't help but think of a certain blog this afternoon....when the mother of my client lugged her 23 pound 5 month-old baby(my client)into my little cubicle in it's too small carseat.......and i almost laughed out loud because the term '10 pounds of potatoes in a 5 pound sack' came to mind.....twice.....this mother was not only poured into her two-sizes-too-small lowcut top/foundation garment, but also poured into her ill-fitting lowriders.....to the point that she appeared to have visible melons fore and aft.......and while laughing aloud is not looked upon with favor by the state board of health.....surely there was something this woman could have been cited for, at the very least......i must also add that she was so absorbed in the conversation with someone on her cell phone that she nearly knocked over an elderly gentleman that had come by to get his blood pressure checked as she crossed the waiting room .......and she left without what she came for.......because i could not give her what she wanted without a doctor's order, and the doctor wouldn't do what she wanted without an office visit....when i talked to the office in question they mentioned something about the 4 appointments she had missed........

mamma jeans......

ok, so i want to go on record as saying that at this place in my life i am glad to be wearing jeans of any kind...mamma jeans....mean mamma jeans....whatever........

marketplace in china.....

ok, so all last week i listened to marketplace broadcasting from shanghai(sp?) on my way to work...because this spot comes on at 7:50 am.....i know that i have to be at a certain place on 127 north when i hear the music.....or i will certainly be late for work......this week they are broadcasting from further inland on the later 6:00 version...i only listen to it on tuesdays...but i digress.......one day last week they were focusing on pirated goods......and went into a dvd store that was selling 1st run films still showing on American screens.....the store owner described a recent visit by hollywood-studio types....who were there to assess the enemy....yet left with pirated copies of the same films they are anxious to legislate or sue away.......and i must say that i was, and am still...envious.....because had i been along i could now own pride and predjudice on dvd at this very moment.......rather than at some distant and yet to be named date........

saveur 100

ok, so i heard about this list on npr on my way home....i have no idea why i do not subscribe to this magazine....

The Saveur 100

Saveur magazine's eighth annual list of favorite restaurants, food, drink, people, places and things:


1. La Chassagnette Restaurant – Arles, France
2. Trishna Restaurant – Bombay, India
3. Pohutukawa Honey – New Zealand
4. Anchovy-stuffed olives – Spain
5. Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks – New York City
6. Hendrick's Gin - Scotland
7. Hamburger America – Various states
8. Coffee Cup Coin Purse – New York City
9. Chef Chan's Restaurant - Singapore
10. Goan Avocado Salad – New York City
11. Water Buffalo Milk Yogurt – South Woodstock, Vt.
12. Sun Gold Tomatoes – Various states
13. Bramante Roof Terrace – Rome, Italy
14. CLA Grills and Service – Little Rock, Arkansas
15. Adam Perry Lang – New York City
16. El Cardenal Restaurant – Mexico City
17. Chocolate Sparkle Cookies – Toronto and Vancouver, Canada
18. Jim n Nick's Bar-b-Q – Birmingham, Alabama & various other states
19. IKEA Swedish Food Markets – Various states
20. Compass Box Crafted Whiskies – Scotland
21. Dan Bing – Taipei, Taiwan
22. Debauve & Gallais – Paris
23. Sushi Susaki – Tokyo
24. Pudding Basin – United Kingdom
25. Costco Birthday Cake – Various states
26. Ossera Serrat Gros – Spanish Pyrenees
27. Mason Jar
28. Chef Musa Dagdeviren – Istanbul, Turkey
29. Magnetic Poetry Kits
30. Robert Lawrence Balzer – California
31. Allagash Brewing Co. – Portland, Maine
32. Martin's Pretzels – Theresa, New York
33. Le Timbre – Paris
34. Daniel Boulud Brasserie, Las Vegas
35. Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, Las Vegas
36. Bouchon, Las Vegas
37. Joel Robuchon at the Mansion, Las Vegas
38. RM Seafood, Las Vegas
39. Alex, Las Vegas
40. Bradley Ogden, Las Vegas
41. Mix, Las Vegas
42. Hungry Planet: What the World Eats
43. Wild Smoked Salmon jerky – Washington
44. Chablis in Screw-cap bottles - France
45. Kakáwa Cocoa Beans – Austin, Texas
46. Linen Apron
47. Boqueria Restaurant – Cork, Ireland
48. Dry Austrian Golden Muscat – Austria
49. Hoedeopbap – Korea
50. Frescobaldi Wine Bar – Rome, Italy
51. California Dessert Wines – California
52. Fluffy – New Zealand
53. Fallen Fruit (Web site) – Los Angeles, Calif.
54. Duck Eggs
55. The Unprejudiced Palate – Seattle
56. Lee Stewart – Napa Valley, California
57. Palais Coburg's Wine List – Vienna, Austria
58. Camargue Caramels – Los Angeles
59. Cheese Popovers – New York City
60. Hunn's Private Stock Hot Bread & Butter Chips – Celina, Texas
61. Tillen Farms Pickled Crispy Snappers – Yakima Valley, Wash.
62. TalkO'Texas Okra Pickles – Texas
63. Rick's Picks GT 1000s – Brooklyn, N.Y.
64. Julio Ramirez – Monterey, Calif.
65. Aga Companion
66. Hermosillo Hot Dog – Sonora, Mexico
67. Cointreau
68. Philly Cheesesteak Spring Rolls – Philadelphia
69. Gripper Smartmat
70. Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven – New York City
71. Lobmeyr – Vienna, Austria
72. West Alabama Icehouse – Houston
73. Bar Code Beef Label at La Cabana Restaurant – Buenos Aires
74. Rich Man's Purses at Gundel Restaurant, Budapest
75. Marche Du Vieux-Port Quebec – Quebec City
76. Minervois La Liviniere – France
77. Spicy Thai Kettle Chips
78. El Bohio Restaurant – La Mancha, Spain
79. Fish Pate in Tubes – Sweden
80. Ballina (Australian Prawns), Ballina, Australia
81. Davidoff Entreacto Cigars
82. Acetoria Vinegars – Italy & Germany
83. Japanese Freshwater Crabs
84. Martin Ray – Santa Rosa, Calif.
85. Typhoon Cooking Tools – United Kingdom
86. Pizzeria Bianco – Phoenix
87. Royal Project Foundation - Thailand
88. Original Condiment Package Museum – Orange County, Calif.
89. Rafal Spice Company – Detroit, Michigan
90. Crispy Buffalo Wontons (Ruby Tuesdays) – Various states
91. Karen Hess – Nebraska
92. Fritada – Ecuador
93. Du-Par's – Los Angeles
94. Kaffir Lime Leaves
95. Fromagerie Pascal Trotte – Paris
96. Modern Spirits – Monrovia, California
97. Roast Chicken and Other Stories Cookbook – England
98. Silicone Spatulas
99. Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery – Oxford, England
100. New Orleans


i was especially amused to hear the editor of this magazine admire dry muscat wines.......i have a fondness for this varietal....we who traveled on the roots tour several januaries back might remember the muscat that we shared in brussels...at the restaurant where some of us had moules frites that came in metal cans......it was a marvelously dry and tasty wine.....and i have tried to find the same thing at liq. barn....to no avail.......sadly, from this list the only other items that i either have and use (mason jars....i have several in vintage blue in use as i speak) or love....as in okra pickles......i could eat a jar all to myself.......and now that they are in my mind i might just have to buy some really soon to test this theory.........

tossing and turning........

ok, so i did not sleep well last night.....possibly because i made coffee that was only partially decaf for my late-lunch guests.....and this old body o'mine is not accustomed to post 9 am caffeine........omg......i did stay up til 11 to wathc the golden globes.....way past my bedtime.....but i cannot turn off the television from such spectacles until after the final award has been given and i have seen the final gowns of the recipients......my personal picks fared adequately.......hugh laurie for house......he is so funny in that vehicle...so different than mr palmer in sense and sensibility......my other austin-related picks didn't fare so well.....keira knightly nor the movie pride and prejudice......rate.......i have yet to see brokeback mountain......it doesn't seem to be a date movie, nor a film i would go to see by myself......so i may have to wait for the dvd to come out......neither have i seen walk the line.....the bulk of my movie going this year revolved around films least likely to be nominated anyway......harry potter (twice).....pride and prejudice (twice)......chronicals of narnia.........surely i went to a film (any film?) prior to november of 2005......but i really cannot recall...... i kinda wanted to see match point, but it hasn't come to danville......waiting on the dvd isn't all that bad.....i have thoroughly enjoyed johnny depp in charlie and the chocolate factory since we got the dvd for xmas (4 times viewed?).....he was wonderful in that role......last night after dinner the three of us watched a library dvd of lara croft/tomb raider.......with angelina jolie.....cayle and i enjoyed it while the spouse was not impressed......ah well......next time i drop by the library i'll borrow the sequel.......it was entertaining....and reminded us (cayle and i) of alias.......and to some extent of the davinci code....a film due out this summer that i may camp out in front of the box office in order to get tickets.........i cannot wait to see what tom hanks does with that role......maybe not oscar caliber material, but he does fit the mental image i have of the male lead in the book.......maybe this evening i can get good and tired and fall asleep early...

ok, so this trio had a marvelous mlk day reunion..... 

from salon.com

ok, so this from salon.com......A kiss is not just a kiss at Covenant Christian Academy in Loganville, Ga., even if it takes places off campus.

The private school is now defending its decision to expel a female student for kissing another girl at a slumber party last April, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported Friday: "In court documents filed Jan. 4, attorneys for Covenant Christian Academy in Loganville say the school has a constitutional right to expel students for 'sexual immorality.'" Jessica Bradley, a ninth-grader with a 3.5 grade-point average before she was expelled, and her father are seeking $1 million in damages from the school for invasion of privacy and breach of contract.

Broadsheet hopes that Bradley has heard of 17-year-old Charlene Nguon in Orange County, Calif., so she'll know she's not alone. Nguon's suing her school district and her principal for outing her as a lesbian to her mom. .....

i especially find this humerous, because i can remember slumber parties in middle and high school where my decidedly heterosexual friends practiced kissing techniques with each other.......i never questioned their motives at the time...we all thought it was funny.....or at least more fun than trying to french kiss the back of your hand...........

mamma's friend jane.....

ok,so ....i have spent a marvelous afternoon having good food and great conversation with jane, her sister maris and jane's helperfortheday gwen.......we managed to get jane's 'manual' wheelchair in through my front door.......decided that the electric chair might just be too much to maneuver.......jane is....well......jane......a woman who transcends physical restrictions......i say this after the second bottle of champagne.....split 4 ways that is still only 1/2 bottle apiece.......the most compelling portion of conversation was maris's description of her solo 50th birthday journey to paris...this past july.....which has me thinking that i might just be the best person to go to paris with.......i have never been to paris in a scenario that did not involve somebody else's agenda to some extent........

ok, so kevin millar, late of the boston redsox has jumped ship....the 1st baseman has signed a one-year 2 million dollar deal with baltimore...with the promise of performance bonuses worth more.......at first glance it would seem that the guy our family fondly called 'the amishman' during the sox world-series run would leave for so small a reward.......at least so little a payout upfront....... 

ok, so one ralph reed, former head of the christian coalition and presidential wannabe by way of georgia politics may be losing backing from former supporters now that the jack abramoff scandal has revealed emails from reed to abramoff that show decidedly un-christian values........of those pesky seven-deadly sins......greed is the one that is easiest to trap those whose faith appears to be only pretty-boy skin deep.........too bad this guy reed didn't take a good look at a fellow georgian, mr jimmy carter, who lives his faith quietly, rather than clanging the cymbals of 'lookatme' faith .......... 

mlk day

ok, so i have the day off......and have thus far resisted that notion of accomplishing much beyond fixing lunch for my friend jane and her sister, who are driving down from cincinnati.......i could figure out how to use the photo printer we received for christmas.......and actually produce prints of family photos from the holidays.....i could finish the boxing up of the conundrum ipaq for mailing back to the extended warranty people.....and i could make room in the guest bedroom for all of the books that andrew has brought home for safekeeping......these books stacked on the floor are ever so much more interesting than the ones on the shelves......and i really could use a 30 minute walk now rather than later just to get it out of the way........but there is something essentially pleasing about lounging about in one's pajamas and sipping hazelnut coffee.......and catching up on one's favorite blogs.........and while this activity has nothing to do with mlk or his legacy.........it does give me the illusion of being freeatlastfreeatlastfreeatlast................

deleted blogs.....

ok, so yesterday i deleted an overly sentimental blog......only those who happened upon it within minutes its ascent into cyberspace had the chance to get all teary eyed along with me.......i had immediate second thoughts and relegated it to my private archives.......and this morning...oy!...the blog i tried to post explaining the deleted blog was lost....unrecoverable due to some unfortunate interference by the macafee security system that we have cancelled.......we are not without protection, just not paying macafees outrageous fees for protection......but i digress.....over-sentimentality must be one of the side-effects of menopause....the uber-emotional patches that can take over one's day......but that was saturday and today is a new day.....i really must decide upon the menu for lunch tomorrow with my friend jane and her sister ann maris.......i bought salmon.....but i have not yet settled on the prep-part.....baked?...panfried?...marinade?....sauce?....sides?......dessert?...i do have the champagne.....but i don't think i can get by just sipping the bubbly with these fine folks for 2 hours.......and i must also create the perfect placesetting from the china cupboard......maybe the yellow depression glass plates........they go with the tablecloth that matches the drapes..........too many choices for the m(enopausal) mamma

scrabble and sickness....

ok, so last night we played scrabble again....what with the eldest home to accept delivery of his new laptop......while it charged, he agreed to a round of scrabble.......and before the tiles were gone i started to feel a might queezy and andrew was concerned that the new hp was frozen up on the windows screen and wanted to call the help line....and the youngest had already marched away in a huff because we wouldn't let her take back a word....and my spouse was tired.......but back to the queezy part......i was winning, and yet willing to quit because i didn't feel so hot.......oy!.....i really hope it wasn't something i ate earlier, when i enjoyed the company of the mother of the l.o. for wine and good conversation........one doesn't want to poison one's friends........

ok, so this bush photo-op from new orleans pretty much says it all....... 

cold feet.....

ok, so i slept poorly last night because my feet were cold.......completely neglected to fish a pair of clean socks out of the drawer after i got out of the bathtub.....figured what with the unseasonably warm weather i would be fine with just the down comforter......i woke up at several intervals atune to the problem....i didn't bother to get up in search of socks....just wished the situation would improve without effort on my part.....wonder where the term 'cold feet' used to described the state of indecision comes from.......the way we use this phrase doesn't really describe the reality......that is totally about feet and comfort and not about anything else.......the first thing i did when i got out of bed was to find socks to wear out to the road to fetch the paper........no indecision when i am lucid and in my right mind...........

t. carney

ok, so........we spent the better part of an evening trying to convince child #2 that minimal effort on her science project will not raise her current grade out of the basement......and that children who appear to be teacher's pets may look to be so because they put in maximum effort......typing minimum effort into google reaped a scholarly research article done in cleveland, ohio....with blacks in shaker heights, an east-side neighborhood in an area that used to be ultra-affluent....and is now middle class.......much was said about why white acheivement ranked higher than black in the same district to the same income level parents.......and i mention this only because there were theories proffered about effort that rang true, even in our little home situation that shouldn't involve race.......and i promise that when i feel comfortable verbalizing my take on these theories in a public forum i will do so......if one takes out race from each sentence and exchanges class status.......if only life were simpler............

ok, so thanks to the l.o. for the heads up....the tour de france will have a stage depart from strasbourg this july......in 170 days, it would appear.......and while i am certain that the countdown sign really says tour de fr........i kind of like ur de fr, as it looks to say from this angle........ 

book club

ok, so book club commences with supper at 6:00, with a discussion of the book the four spirits while we dine on barbeque and slaw.....then on to centre the author's readings from said book, and others, one would presume.......i have already noted that i found the book tiresome, a sentiment that i am loathe to being up this evening.....as my bookclubers have slogged through my past picks (woolf and colette< to name a few).......which they found tiresome.......i will say, however, that the name of the character darl reminded me so of as i lay dying that i couldn't get that plot out of my head.....and i will have to admit that the story-told-by-many-observers was better told in that classic novel than in this club pick.......ah well.....maybe i won't say anything...just listen....didn't i promise to do that more in the new year?.........

what i am reading these days...

ok, so the nytimes is doing a weeklong series on the epidemic of diabetes in the city....1 out of every 8 new yorkers now has diabetes....the coverage has sparked quite a debate on the diabetes educator listserv i follow......especially with regards to ny plans to control the blood sugar levels of its residents.....

le chien qui fume

ok, so my big yellow dog has an aversion to nicotine or extra helpings...that is the only possible explanation as to why he spends so much time at his second home next door.....this evening he met me at our front door....as i was unlocking with arms full of mail, papers, and chinese take-out.....he so smelled of cigarette smoke as he jockeyed for position to get into the house before i did.....woooooooooo.....how can he stand himself?........he wasn't hungry...he just flopped onto the floor and went to sleep....i can hear him snoring 2 rooms over.......maybe he just needed a breather..................

judge alito....

ok, so this letter was printed in its entirety in the princeton newspaper.......
December 22, 2005

The Honorable Arlen Specter
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510


Dear Mr. Chairman:

As you know, when Judge Samuel Alito applied for his job in the Office of Legal Counsel in the Meese Justice Department in November 1985, he submitted a list of his memberships and other activities to impress Attorney General Meese and Assistant Attorney General Charles Cooper with his enthusiastic "philosophical commitment" to their particular constitutional, legal, and political point of view.

Among the organizations he listed was "Concerned Alumni of Princeton" (CAP), an organization created in 1972, the year Judge Alito graduated. The organization was described in the press at the time and in its own literature as opposed to the increasing number of women, African Americans and Hispanics at the university. The organization also published articles critical of the rights of the disabled.

Our former Senate colleague Bill Bradley, a graduate of the university in1965, initially joined the advisory board for the group's magazine, "Prospect," but publicly separated himself from the group in 1973, because he felt it promoted a "right wing view" rather than the "balanced view" he had been led to believe it would present. In 1975 an official report by a committee of Princeton alumni that included William Frist, now Senator Frist, concluded that CAP's "distorted, narrow and hostile view of the University" had "misinformed and even alarmed many alumni" and "undoubtedly generated adverse national publicity."

The heated debate in the University community and in the press continued throughout the life of the organization from 1972 through 1986. For example, Senator Bradley's resignation letter was published in "Prospect" in September 1973, a New Yorker article covered the controversy in 1977, and the Princeton Alumni Weekly carried articles on the group as late as April and June of 1986. "Prospect" was originally mailed to CAP members and contributors, and beginning in 1974 to all graduates listed in the Alumni Directory. The Alumni Weekly was mailed to all living Princeton graduates.

It appears from recent press interviews that Judge Alito became involved with CAP through one of CAP's founders early in CAP's history. In spite of the prominence he gave to CAP in his 1985 application to the Justice Department and its well-known and controversial activities, Judge Alito's participation in CAP was not disclosed in the public documents relating to his 1987 nomination as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey or his 1990 nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The subject was not discussed at his 1990 hearing. In fact, Senator Bradley, based on a recommendation Judge Alito had obtained from the judge for whom he had served as a law clerk, introduced and endorsed Judge Alito "one hundred percent" for the Third Circuit.

In view of CAP's troubling opposition to equal educational opportunity for women, minorities, and the disabled, it is important for the Committee to learn more about Judge Alito's involvement in this organization. However, even after his recollection was refreshed by a "document I recently reviewed" (presumably his 1985 job application to the Justice Department), Judge Alito's response to our recent questionnaire states that he cannot remember anything about his membership in CAP beyond what is stated in that document. Unless a further reading of the many documents relating to this issue restores his memory of the matter, we are unlikely to obtain any further information from him on this potentially important subject.

Clearly, to understand fully the importance of the partial facts known from secondary sources, and to avoid the prospect of a delay in our schedule to obtain the full story, we need answers to a number of questions before our hearings:

— Was Judge Alito a member of or contributor to CAP, a participant in any of its meetings or on its mailing list, (1) in 1973, when Senator Bradley's resignation letter was published in Prospect; (2) in 1974, when the controversy was first aired in the New York Times; (3) in 1977, when a lengthy article on CAP appeared in the New Yorker; or (4) in 1986 when the debate over CAP continued in the pages of the Alumni Weekly?

— What was the exact nature of Judge Alito's participation in CAP and his contacts or correspondence with its officers and staff during the years 1972-87?

— Judge Alito lists other Princeton alumni activities in his 1990 and 2005 Committee forms, indicating that he has remained an active and interested alumnus throughout the relevant period. Did he ever personally express a view either publicly or privately on the CAP controversy or the positions advocated by CAP, as many alumni did?

— Was anyone connected with CAP contacted regarding Judge Alito's involvement with CAP, either in connection with his New Jersey Bar application (1975), or in connection with his federal job applications and security clearances (1977, 1981, and 1985), his U.S. Attorney and Judicial nominations (1987, 1990), or his possible selection for the Supreme Court (2001, 2005)?

— At any time before Senator Bradley appeared before our Committee in 1990 to introduce then-U.S. Attorney Alito to the Committee and to endorse his Third Circuit nomination, did Judge Alito write, say or do anything documenting his general attention to CAP news or his specific awareness that Senator Bradley had been a public critic of CAP?

— Did Judge Alito inform Senator Bradley that he had been a participant in CAP before requesting or allowing Senator Bradley to recommend his confirmation as a judge on the Third Circuit?

— During his 1987 or 1990 confirmation processes, did Judge Alito, the Justice Department (including the FBI), or the ABA provide the Committee with any information relating to Judge Alito's membership in CAP?

— Would Senator Bradley's unqualified endorsement of Judge Alito for the Third Circuit have been affected if he had known of Judge Alito's involvement in CAP and his voluntary listing of his CAP membership in support of his selection as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General, the position which put him on track toward his later judicial appointment?

Answers to a large number of these questions are likely to be found in files in the possession of the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress as part of the "Papers of William A Rusher 1940-1989." Mr. Rusher was Publisher of the National Review and an active founder and leader of CAP. According to the Library's Register of that collection, at least four of its boxes (142, 143, 144, 145) contain the files of "Concerned Alumni of Princeton," including clipping files, background information, correspondence and memoranda, financial records, fund-raising material, lists of supporters, minutes of meetings, issues and other items relating to "Prospect." Box 46 also contains materials relating to T. Harding Jones, a founder of CAP and editor of "Prospect," and a person who reportedly involved Judge Alito in CAP. There may also be other files with records of CAP leaders who were familiar with the nominee's role.

The Congressional Research Service has attempted to gain access to these files, following its usual policy of not disclosing its requestor, but Mr. Rusher has refused to permit access unless he is told which member(s) or committee(s) are seeking it, and unless he can control the use of the materials released.

It is likely that a formal request for access directly from you on behalf of the Committee would be received with more cooperation than the CRS has received so far, and we urge you to make such a request as soon as possible. In view of the importance of the material and its intended use as part of an official Senate inquiry, the request should be for access to the documents without any restrictions on the Committee's use of the information, unless he is aware of specific documents in those files that merit confidential treatment for a stated reason. The request should include the specified boxes and any other boxes containing materials relating to CAP, its activities, or personnel, including "Prospect."

Judge Alito's assertion that he cannot recall anything about his controversial involvement in CAP, requires us to find other ways of fulfilling our constitutional responsibility to get at the facts. The Rusher papers provide a readily available means of doing so. Certainly we do not want to leave the Committee, the Senate, and the nation open to an unwelcome surprise when the papers eventually become public after Mr. Rusher's death.

As always, we thank you for your cooperation and leadership, and your commitment to making the confirmation process as thorough as possible.

Sincerely,

Edward M. Kennedy

january 9

ok, so.....i have to work 5 days in a row this week......a feat i have not been required to accomplish in weeks.....what with the numerous holidays and bonus days.......thankfully......i have monday off for mlk day....and my friend jane is coming for lunch....no idea who is bringing her.....sister maris or one of her helpers....either way....i have the champagne chilling and a decent idea of a menu......i also have my ladies who drink wine (lwdw) coming on friday afternoon........no idea what i will serve at that event for munchies.....but then i have 4 days to decide.......today was blemished by 1) the continuing pain in my left foot when i walk.......the knowledge that eventually i will have to have someone look at it......to disclose fully the details: i am related to numerous hypochondriacs.....and therefore i shun medical treatment.......to balance out the universe as well as to avoid the slippery slope of diagnosis/treatment/followup for every ache and pain.......i have managed to walk on the treadmill 30 minutes a day for the past 9 days....so it is not broken.....maybe my bones are just old....and the left foot is somehow more sinestre than the right...........sinester is a word i went to great lengths to teach to my daughter....who is also left handed.............not necessarily a useful term to know....but one with a storied past that includes our kind ( the 10% of the world's population that is left-handed)......i had a client make a remark about my left-handedness this afternoon......like it was unusual.....go figure./........this evening i watched back to back episodes of house.....i love that show.......mostly because hugh laurie also played a minor character in sense and sensibility.....you go to love people who do austin......it shows great depth of character.......but this guy house......i just love the irreverence....and the basic meanness.....when asked in the second episode if he did, in fact, like the intern in question, he told her 'no' to her face and walked away.......wow.......he is so at peace with himself he no longer needs to lie............what a gift................which brings me to sunday school teachers remorse........yesterday in my lesson i basically lowrated those who claim to hold the bible in front of themselves like a sword.......because one can justify anystance through non-contextual scripture......and even people who have no love in their hearts claim to use the bible as their guide...at least it seems so these days......ah well......enough of january 9...lets move forward to the 10th and be done with it.............

mad girls

ok, so i spent the afternoon rereading sylvia plath's the bell jar rather than reading the book club book....four spirits by sena jeter nusland, who will give a reading at centre on wednesday...our bookclub is attending, after a shared dinner and discussion......and yet this outing was not enough to induce me to pick the book back up and finish.......i found the prose tiresome rather than evocative......on the other hand......i am always drawn into plath's descent into madness.....no matter how many times i choose it over other, never-read options......the following is a villanelle (sp) from the postscript of this book.......it was worth the reread to find this poem.......


Mad Girl's Love Song


I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan's men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you'd return the way you said,
But I grow old and I forget your name.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

more on the monk marathon

ok, so........we watched all 7 episodes of monk that were included on the videotape that appeared in my mailbox on friday.......taped from usa's monk marathon on new years day.......such a pleasure and such a mystery.......a random act of kindness?........and not necessarily for me.....as the tape label simply said it was monk marathon for c-w's......all of us.....hmmm......regardless, it was a nice activity for cayle and me, as the rest of our close kin have driven the middle child back to school.....and 7 hours of monk seems a cake walk as compared to 12 hours of driving to new jersey............thanks again to the anonymous taper........

monk marathon mystery

ok, so a videotape turned up in our mailbox yesterday.....labeled monk marathon......for c-w's.....no note...just the tape.......i happen to adore monk......but do not watch it often, given that we do not get cable......and i cannot find where i have blogged about monk in the past year, at least.......so i have no idea who was so kind as to tape several episodes.....thank you, mysterious benefactor of fine television programming....who(m) ever you are.......

book of daniel

ok, so i stayed up til 11:00 watching this contraversial program.....way past my bedtime......and i was certainly not offended......in fact, i watched with my nearly thirteen year old daughter, and had numerous opportunities to comment on what sort of behavior to avoid in future.......there was plenty packed into the 2-hours.....adultery, drugs, premarital sex, alcohol abuse, homosexuality (both male and female), theft, greed, covetiveness.......all your basic sins and then some.......presented in a desparate housewives sort of manner rather than in condemnation court manner.......not the best show i have ever seen, but i will tune in next friday just because it is my right to do so.....those who are afraid of viewing blasphemy can get out their sacred texts of choice and read during that time slot......i did take the time to email my local nbc affiliate to praise their corage in airing the show at all.....not all areas of the country were so lucky....i especially enjoyed the parts where jesus talks to aiden quinn.....who is to say that he doesn't?......a word to any episcopal folks who may read this blog......it is reassuring to know that your church is accepting and tolerant....and seeming to understand that if one threw out all of the sinners from the congregation, there would be a basically empty building left behind.......i seem to recall a poignant verse in the bible that applies right now.....'he who is without sin may cast the first stone.....'too bad those who raised a fuss in the first place forgot wwjd.....or rather wdjas (what did jesus already say)

short latte, please.......

ok, so i don't get out much anymore......or at least not in any leisure-oriented manner......and certainly not for coffee....and so it was with intense amusement/envy that i read this piece from slate.dom about the cheapest way to enjoy the best coffee at starbucks......for the record, the only coffeeoutlet on my way to work is mcdonald's, which is off of my list bywayof newyear's resolution to not buy high calorie fastfood ...i couldn't go to the trouble of waiting in the line of cars without ordering an eggmcmuffin and hashbrown to go with my coffee....and since i never leave home without my own hot coffee....there would be no point......danville does have a lovely coffeehouse....the hub.....which could serve up a scrumptous latte, short or tall......but it is incredibly inconvenient for those traveling in the other direction, or taking children to school......and by the time i reverse the process in the afternoon, coffee is not on my radar, not even decaf.......and so......back to the amusement/envy part.......i do envy those who hang out at the hub.......using the free wi-fi....and sipping the luscious latte.......and chatting with those aquaintences who rush in or out......the hub is probably the closest that danville has to an epicenter........if and when i ever win the lottery i will schedule hub-time.....to drink my latte with the other regulars before setting out to do less public things.......and to those blessed with the free time to hang out at the hub......please keep those interesting downloads coming.......think of me when you come across damien rice or sufjan stevens or jeff buckley......and mountain goats......

mac and cheese......

ok, so i made a big batch of macaroni and cheese for last night's dinner....using a recipe featured in a nytimes article about the perfect mac and cheese......and i am not so sure that the quintessential formula had been found....the recipe was billed as the creamy version, as opposed to the crunchy version.....the base was cottage cheese blended with milk...and then tossed with uncooked macaroni and grated cheeses, etc.....for most of the bake time it seemed much too soupy......only to skip perfect and transition immediately to dried out......yeah, well....i suppose perfect was there somewhere......i just missed it while waiting for my farflung family to gather at the table......who knew that all cheese dishes could be as difficult as say...a souffle?......taste-wise...the sue of sharp cheddar was an inspired decision......next time i'll just camp out in front of the stove so as to not miss the creamy stage.....

football.....

ok, so the mm watched the rosebowl last night......with full knowledge that ohio state was not playing.......out of pure curiosity.......i had my fill of football with the fiesta bowl....watching osu beat notre dame....soundly.......so why the texas/usc matchup?.........no idea other than to see what all the fuss was about.......which leads into my tv watching lineup for this evening.....i may just watch the book of daniel starring aiden quinn.....because there has been a fuss and i want in on it.......the show was thw talk of the lcountyhealthdept today.......that church groups have been emailing the network to drop the satanic show.......satanic?.....it is about an episcopal priest who has a dysfunctional family and struggles with his faith.......just how is that satanic?......i am certain that most men/women of the cloth struggle with their collective faith from time to time......so why don't they merit a primetime tv drama to play it our for the viewing public?......had i not heard of the contraversy....i'd never considered watching........one of these days the ridiculous right will figure out the foolishness of the uproar ploy............

bon voyage

ok, so the m.m. wishes the l.o. a bon voyage on her latest sojourn....this time for a winter term home stay in eastern france......she will have an exceptional opportunity to expand her already impressive grasp of the french language......and be able to eat marvelous cheeses and local wines every day....and take weekend jaunts.....i am so envious.....by the way, it was wonderful to see you twice over the holidays....one always wants the best for people who have meant so much to ones children, and it is heartwarming to see just how happy your centre experience has made you.......likewise, it was a pleasure to see reese and david and tosca, talented folks all........the collective potential of those at our supper table over the break was staggering

remarkable mark-up.....

ok, so this evening i made a round of indian dishes using spice packets from wild oats.......and i am impressed by the ingenuity that went into the packaging and marketing of these spice packets for rajmah (kidney beans), gobi aloo (potatoes and cauliflower), and dal (lentil stew) .....which cost maybe $10 altogether for maybe 50 cents worth of spice.......yeah, i needed the ingredient lists and the directions.....but still.......i also made my version of cucumber/yogurt relish......and a pinenut couscous with peas.......a lovely meal that was not too spicey......we did try to make contact with the only other person we knew who likes indian food.....rather the only person we had ever shared indian food with who was not packing to go to europe tomorrow......but sadly she was in richmond and unavailable for a truly vegan meal...

memorable phone calls.......

ok, so the day was wrought with phone calls......from folks wanting to come to classes in time slots that didn't match up with my work hours......to phone calls overheard...to calls that i spent the day getting myself prepared to make......lets start with the overheard call.....a classic that will go down in my little black book of eavesdropped banter........a new mom came by with her new baby and her mother on their way home from the hospital...to pick up governmental vouchers for formula....both mamma and grandmamma were in pajama bottoms, slippers and hoodies....not exactly matching mother-daughter ensembles.......but the gist was the same.......and the mamma was carrying the baby....and the grandma was lugging everything else.....the carseat, the diaper bag....etc.......and the grandma pushed aside my guest 'stool'....and plopped herself down on the floor.....and took out her cell phone and proceeded to dial up some critical listener.....'didya hear what happened to me last night?.......the pajama grandma querried.......'she was asleep in her room.....yeah she just got out today........and i wanted some taco bell.....so i drove over to the plaza.....you know...about 11....and the next thing i know.....i am waking up in my car with the motor running and the tacos on my lap........and i am still in the taco bell parking lot at 4:30 in the morning........i really must have been tired to just crash like that.......'......gentle readers.....there are not words to describe the personal restraint required to make not one visual facial reaction to such a conversation....in my office from a pajama-clad grandma sprawled out on my floor into a cell phone....about something so foolhardy as to fall asleep in a running car in a public parking lot........and then there were my calls....to the extended warranty people regarding my hp-pda that has become nonfuctional.....i opted to contact the office depot people who sold me the extended warranty BEFORE i threw the conumdrum pda at the wall.......but i digress......these calls are answered by folks who did not grow up speaking english.....and the protocol they follow is no doubt designed to terrify those who have not spent the day gearing up to deal with every possible scenario........and even after i was switched to an actual hp technician.....who told me what i already knew...that the confounded machine is beyond the company warranty....and i had to redial the foreign help-desk.......and now that i have what i want......i am back to square one.....i will send back the pda in return for a store merchandise card in the exact amount of the purchase price.......only now i have to choose all over again.....palm os versus windows for pc........palm versus hp.......i am already having decision anxiety.......quite similar to that i experienced when i bought the thing last year just after my birthday....so many questions....do i upgrade...spend a bit more money for a lot bigger hard-drive........i am emamored of the wi-fi thing.......i really like to slip my pda out of my purse and get connected in free wi-fi zones......but i digress.....yet again.........

sylvia plath

ok, so yesterday afternoon i snuggled down for a bit of afternoon reading with a book i found at the goodwill...sylvia plath's johnny panic and the bible of dreams....a collection of short stories, prose and diary excerpts edited by her spouse....or ex-spouse.....i found ted hughes introduction quite amusing.....he who was serially unfaithful and yet survived her long enough to manipulate her legacy through carefully selected pieces......maybe not carefully selected enough......for the diary entries did somewhat prophesize a romantic attachment to a woman who bought some sort of script from hughes.......and the journal basically color this man as emotionally unavailable and of no practical use in any family sense......i was reminded of virginia woolf's brilliant essay about the need for women writers to have a room of their own.......ted had a room for himself....several floors above the apartment, so the babies wouldn't disturb his concentration.....sylvia must make do with wherever she can find an empty surface to lay pen to paper...between feedings and nappy-changes and teething cries.......the short stories, which hughes panned in his introduction as unworthy of plath somehow......were enlightening......given the timing.....either just before or just after she wrote the bell jar.......a semi-autobiographical retelling of her descent into a nervous breakdown during her college years at smith.......one can hear the same voice in the stories and the journal entries.......recognize her as the source of each......she tells the truth, always the truth of the matter......with no hint of taking sides or pretending that she behaved better than she did....i wonder how modern medications for depression might have changed her course.....if having an au pair might have freed her up to be more of what she felt she lacked at the time of her suicide.....i have also found the dates of these pieces to be telling.....she would be about the age of my mom......and her children would be about the age of my brother and myself.............hard to imagine anything near to the plath-hughes marriage playing itself out in my family.......but i digress.....i still have a chance for a late-afternoon nap in the sunshine that falls at this hour on my loveseat upstairs.......and maybe a bit of time to read more of this book......

mea culpa

ok, so the mm isn't going to dish out a laundry list of regrettable things said and done during the past year......there are too many to note and most may have slipped the notice of those who read this blog......so why bring attention long after the fact........but for those who do take the time to share my many random thoughts flung into cyberspace......please forgive me when i have been rude, insensitive, and otherwise myself during the past 12 months.......i have resolved to say less and listen more during this year......