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........