Tonite at dinner:
Me: Oooh...I haven't told you about that thing that happened at the Prague airport last week.
Hubby: Why don't you save that story until bedtime? It will help me fall asleep.
Me: Sigh. Never mind.
Jan 28, 2009
Jan 26, 2009
Mini Book Review #2
On a recent trip (which I'll write about later) I read two books. They are both 'chick lit' and were lots of fun to read while sitting on airplanes.
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella is about a woman who loses her memory after an accident. In fact she's lost several years of her memory and awakens to a husband she doesn't know and a life she doesn't remember. Think Samantha Who? with a British twist. Kinsella is also the author of the Shopaholic books.
The other book I read was Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. I expected a breezy chick lit-style book but was pleasantly surprised at how well Giffin describes what it is like to fall in love. Giffin's abiltity to describe emotion and feeling made this book much deeper and relatable that I expected when I read the back cover. In fact I cried reading the last few pages. That's not to say this wasn't funny, witty and a great read.
Still mulling over my next book choice. Looking for ideas.
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella is about a woman who loses her memory after an accident. In fact she's lost several years of her memory and awakens to a husband she doesn't know and a life she doesn't remember. Think Samantha Who? with a British twist. Kinsella is also the author of the Shopaholic books.
The other book I read was Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. I expected a breezy chick lit-style book but was pleasantly surprised at how well Giffin describes what it is like to fall in love. Giffin's abiltity to describe emotion and feeling made this book much deeper and relatable that I expected when I read the back cover. In fact I cried reading the last few pages. That's not to say this wasn't funny, witty and a great read.
Still mulling over my next book choice. Looking for ideas.
Sick of Being Sick
Here I sit with my umpteenth sinus headache. I thought a cold was suppose to get better after a week. This has been getting worse each day.
Enough wining. What is the upside of a cold?
Enough wining. What is the upside of a cold?
- Nyquil! How can this stuff be available w/o a prescription? I sleep like an angel when I do Nyquil shots.
- Soup. I feel like I'm 8 years old when I'm home sick and make soup for lunch. Then I can nap while the soaps are on TV.
- Afrin. World's best nasal spray. If Afrin could clear my mind as well as my sinuses I would be a Zen master.
Uh, that's about all I can think of right now. I think I'll look up the recipe for a Hot Toddy...hope it has Nyquil in it.
Jan 23, 2009
Being Ordinary
This week we saw a new president sworn in. (Well sorta sworn in. Thanks, Mr. Chief Justice.) I had many thoughts going through my head about the history and significance. But I also had another thought that still hasn’t gone away:
Barack Obama is my age. He went to high school when I did. He even married the same year we did.
There’s something profound and yet sad about seeing your contemporaries rise to power and significance. It makes me wonder: how did I get to be a middle-America-cubicle-dwelling-Dancing-With-The-Stars-watching nobody? I had a good upbringing and education. I had the smarts and potential. And I chose to live an ordinary life.
So instead of bumming myself out with deep thoughts about my inadequacies (which is a little hobby I can pursue in my spare time), I’ve chosen to focus on what the new president and I have in common.
· We both listened to REO Speedwagon, Stevie Wonder and Journey in our youth.
· We know what show the phrase “Dy-no-mite!” came from.
· We made some bad fashion choices in the 70s.
· We wondered how it all went wrong for Michael Jackson.
· We still ponder why anyone thought the AMC Pacer was a good automotive choice.
So I take heart that the leader of the free world has the same frame of reference and maybe some of the same childhood experiences as I did.
Or I can put a headset on my cat and pretend he is my Secret Service detail.
Barack Obama is my age. He went to high school when I did. He even married the same year we did.
There’s something profound and yet sad about seeing your contemporaries rise to power and significance. It makes me wonder: how did I get to be a middle-America-cubicle-dwelling-Dancing-With-The-Stars-watching nobody? I had a good upbringing and education. I had the smarts and potential. And I chose to live an ordinary life.
So instead of bumming myself out with deep thoughts about my inadequacies (which is a little hobby I can pursue in my spare time), I’ve chosen to focus on what the new president and I have in common.
· We both listened to REO Speedwagon, Stevie Wonder and Journey in our youth.
· We know what show the phrase “Dy-no-mite!” came from.
· We made some bad fashion choices in the 70s.
· We wondered how it all went wrong for Michael Jackson.
· We still ponder why anyone thought the AMC Pacer was a good automotive choice.
So I take heart that the leader of the free world has the same frame of reference and maybe some of the same childhood experiences as I did.
Or I can put a headset on my cat and pretend he is my Secret Service detail.
Jan 5, 2009
Mini Book Review #1 – Garlic and Sapphires
One of my lame New Years Resolutions is to do a quick write up of books I’ve completed in 2009. I say lame because it’s not going to make me healthier, thinner or richer. But it will give me a chance to keep track of what I read and, hopefully, give you some book ideas.
My first completion of 2009 is Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl. This book was given to me by a friend who is a major foodie. Ruth Reichl was the food critic of the NY Times in the 1990s and went on to be editor at Gourmet magazine. She wrote three books about her life in food; this chronologically being the third. I decided to start with this one because my friend told me Ruth dressed up in disguise to review restaurants…plus there are recipes!
The author does an amazing job describing food so that you can practically see and taste it. She also analyzes the ego that surrounds the NYC restaurant scene. What I liked the most, though, was how she chose her disguises and the personality she was attempting to channel.
Garlic and Sapphires is a quick read and great fun. I admire how foodies and food critics must be ‘adventure’ eaters since brains and organ meats make me queasy. (Adventure eating for me is seared tuna.)
I have Ruth Reichl’s two other books and look forward to digging in.
(BTW, my other lame New Years Resolution is to floss my teeth. Now don’t you feel better about yourself?)
My first completion of 2009 is Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl. This book was given to me by a friend who is a major foodie. Ruth Reichl was the food critic of the NY Times in the 1990s and went on to be editor at Gourmet magazine. She wrote three books about her life in food; this chronologically being the third. I decided to start with this one because my friend told me Ruth dressed up in disguise to review restaurants…plus there are recipes!
The author does an amazing job describing food so that you can practically see and taste it. She also analyzes the ego that surrounds the NYC restaurant scene. What I liked the most, though, was how she chose her disguises and the personality she was attempting to channel.
Garlic and Sapphires is a quick read and great fun. I admire how foodies and food critics must be ‘adventure’ eaters since brains and organ meats make me queasy. (Adventure eating for me is seared tuna.)
I have Ruth Reichl’s two other books and look forward to digging in.
(BTW, my other lame New Years Resolution is to floss my teeth. Now don’t you feel better about yourself?)
Jan 4, 2009
Touching Marital Moment, Take 1
Location: Our kitchen
Time: This morning over breakfast
Hubby: "Honey, you have something on your chin. "
Me: "It's a zit."
Pause
Me: "I'm going back to bed."
Time: This morning over breakfast
Hubby: "Honey, you have something on your chin. "
Me: "It's a zit."
Pause
Me: "I'm going back to bed."
Fab Five Forever!
Recently while channel surfing I came upon the Fine Living Network. Much to my surprise and delight FLN is rerunning Queer Eye For The Straight Guy. I forgot how happy this show made me.
I HEART Kyan, Ted, Carson, Jai and Thom! This show featuring the Fab Five ran from 2003-2007 and gave straight men “make-betters” to improve their grooming, food, fashion, home and cultural habits. Apparently I have seen just about every episode. Now that FLN is on my TV radar I try to tune in whenever Queer Eye is on. Even after multiple viewings I still enjoy the episodes (which is more than I can say about reruns – and original airings — of Private Practice).
So who is my favorite of the Fab Five? I can’t choose.
Kyan is hot(!) and was so cuddly during that episode with the toupee guy. (Kyan convinced him that the toupee wasn’t worth the bother.)
Ted is my hero of all things food and wine. I probably appreciate his advice more now than when the show originally aired. (I have become the proud owner of stemware and fine cutlery.)
Carson is the funniest of the group and encourages men to try fashion that is out of their comfort zone. (Dude, are you available to help Hubby move beyond black slacks and button downs?)
Jai is like the successful brother who knows all about theater, music and how to conduct yourself in public. I’d like to bring him to work for a day just to see how my department would manage a discussion about Broadway.
And Thom, my guru of interior design, you can makeover my house any day.
Will you kids ever do a reunion? Please?? I can offer up some males so you can do your magic. Just meet me at work in the cafeteria around noon. There’s a plethora of subjects for you to choose from. And if you can’t decide, I’ll bring forward a couple of the most needy who think khakis and golf shirts are da bomb in fashion.
I HEART Kyan, Ted, Carson, Jai and Thom! This show featuring the Fab Five ran from 2003-2007 and gave straight men “make-betters” to improve their grooming, food, fashion, home and cultural habits. Apparently I have seen just about every episode. Now that FLN is on my TV radar I try to tune in whenever Queer Eye is on. Even after multiple viewings I still enjoy the episodes (which is more than I can say about reruns – and original airings — of Private Practice).
So who is my favorite of the Fab Five? I can’t choose.
Kyan is hot(!) and was so cuddly during that episode with the toupee guy. (Kyan convinced him that the toupee wasn’t worth the bother.)
Ted is my hero of all things food and wine. I probably appreciate his advice more now than when the show originally aired. (I have become the proud owner of stemware and fine cutlery.)
Carson is the funniest of the group and encourages men to try fashion that is out of their comfort zone. (Dude, are you available to help Hubby move beyond black slacks and button downs?)
Jai is like the successful brother who knows all about theater, music and how to conduct yourself in public. I’d like to bring him to work for a day just to see how my department would manage a discussion about Broadway.
And Thom, my guru of interior design, you can makeover my house any day.
Will you kids ever do a reunion? Please?? I can offer up some males so you can do your magic. Just meet me at work in the cafeteria around noon. There’s a plethora of subjects for you to choose from. And if you can’t decide, I’ll bring forward a couple of the most needy who think khakis and golf shirts are da bomb in fashion.
Jan 1, 2009
My Shiny New Year
2009 has arrived and I don’t feel much different than I did in 2008. Except for the staying up to midnight part, it is just Thursday today (with no work, yay!). And therein lies my problem. I’ve become less enamored to the charms of the holiday season….or as I like to call it the Holiday Vortex. HolVor is no doubt a special time of year when usual schedules and rules don’t apply.
For example, take this week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday followed by Saturday which is followed by a Monday and then another Saturday. No wonder I scratch my head each day and search out the newspaper to figure out what day it is. What I should do is pin a note to myself with the day written on it.
I’ve eaten my weight in holiday cookies. Plus I’ve had more meals after 8pm than the typical European. (How do they do that and then function like a normal person the next day? I feel like a more rotund, slightly crabby version of myself after those late meals.)
So, yes, the HolVor does affect me somewhat. But there are other aspects that don’t. I don’t travel to see family this time of year. Hubby and I have jobs that don’t make it easy to hop on a plane and fly hundreds of miles with other merry travelers. Years ago we accepted that what makes the holidays special is to be together, quietly in our home. It’s not what most people opt to do but it makes us happy. So while I’m sitting in my quiet house my friends are caught up in their own HolVors. In a day or two I’m going to issue missing persons reports. Where the heck has everyone been?! People I talk to and see on regular basis have been AWOL; victims of HolVor. I’m getting lonely, dammit!
My last official HolVor act was last night. Hubby and I went to a neighborhood party. We lasted until midnight. (How did we do this in college every weekend?) He fell into a deep sleep that led to an epic snoring binge. The cat and I fled Mr. Snory McLoud for the guest bedroom.
The HolVor will end abruptly on Monday. Then we can get back to our normal, less festive, holiday cookie-less lives. Not as interesting to be sure.
For example, take this week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday followed by Saturday which is followed by a Monday and then another Saturday. No wonder I scratch my head each day and search out the newspaper to figure out what day it is. What I should do is pin a note to myself with the day written on it.
I’ve eaten my weight in holiday cookies. Plus I’ve had more meals after 8pm than the typical European. (How do they do that and then function like a normal person the next day? I feel like a more rotund, slightly crabby version of myself after those late meals.)
So, yes, the HolVor does affect me somewhat. But there are other aspects that don’t. I don’t travel to see family this time of year. Hubby and I have jobs that don’t make it easy to hop on a plane and fly hundreds of miles with other merry travelers. Years ago we accepted that what makes the holidays special is to be together, quietly in our home. It’s not what most people opt to do but it makes us happy. So while I’m sitting in my quiet house my friends are caught up in their own HolVors. In a day or two I’m going to issue missing persons reports. Where the heck has everyone been?! People I talk to and see on regular basis have been AWOL; victims of HolVor. I’m getting lonely, dammit!
My last official HolVor act was last night. Hubby and I went to a neighborhood party. We lasted until midnight. (How did we do this in college every weekend?) He fell into a deep sleep that led to an epic snoring binge. The cat and I fled Mr. Snory McLoud for the guest bedroom.
The HolVor will end abruptly on Monday. Then we can get back to our normal, less festive, holiday cookie-less lives. Not as interesting to be sure.
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