like autumn leaves his sense fell from him
an empty glass of himself shattered somewhere within
his thoughts like a hundred moths
trapped in a lampshade
somewhere within
their wings banging and burning
on through endless night
forever awake he lies shaking and starving
praying for someone to turn off the light
"born of a broken man", ratm
omfg kids... the flying spaghetti monster has heard my prayers! brother de la rocha has come to his senses and has decided to join bros morello, commerford and tim2k and play at least one show! yes, you read right... rage against the machine is playin the coachella music and arts fest this april!
i am so fucking stoked... wen'l never got to see them, and when i told him there was a rumor afloat that they were going to play coachella, he said if i went w/o him he'd divorce my ass. umm... it's a long drive to indio, honey. i'd want company for the trip if nothing else! *snort*
all i can say is yay!!!!
22 January 2007
blog for choice, 2007 edition
click on that button for more info.
i have a story to tell.. one that doesn't affect me personally, i suppose, but here goes:
sometime between the birth of my father in 1940 and the birth of his brother in 1949, my grandmother got pregnant. her übercontrolling husband forced her to have an abortion, which was still 30 years or so from being legal. abortionists who performed their services on the working-class woman of the 40's were not as scrupulous about certain things (like sterile operating conditions and aftercare) as they should have been, and the result was my grandma getting socked with a wicked dose of septicæmia. it almost killed her.
had they still been living out in corona, she probably would have died. they lived in long beach, and close to what was at the time a state of the art hospital, and she didn't.
i guess the story is personal. i would never have known my grandma, the only grandparent i actually got to know. my father would have been motherless from a very young age, and probably a whole lot more fucked up than he ended up being with the one parent who gave a fuck about him.
no woman, or girl, should have to go through what she went through. they should not have to risk their lives having surgery in someone's garage on pacific ave.
i have never been pregnant. i have been as diligent about contraception as is humanely possible to avoid having to make the choice to abort a pregnancy. no one ever had to tell me that what goes on inside my body is MY choice (and mine alone). it's something i just knew, and no one ever dared tell me i was wrong.
the day cannot come where those in possession of two x chromosomes do not have the choice to end a pregnancy for whatever reason they choose in a way that jeopardizes their health, their lives. if roe v wade were ever to be overturned, we would go back to the way things used to be... where if you had enough money, you flew to some less fucked up country and got a safe abortion; if you didn't, you either gave birth to a baby you didn't want, couldn't keep, or subjected yourself to the indignities my grandma had foisted upon her... indignities that almost cost her her life.
the next time she found herself in that position, she told my grandfather she'd sooner kill him than another one of her babies. may we all have the balls she did, and let it be known that we're the deciders.
sorry for the rant... but i cannot imagine a life that didn't include her.
19 January 2007
so true!
| Your Inner European is Italian! |
 You show the world what culture really is. |
i found this quiz @ http://konagod.blogspot.com. go check it out already!
17 January 2007
auntie bubba's shrimp n grits!
2 c water
2 c whole milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1 & one-third c stone-ground grits (forgive me, but i used bob's red mill polenta)
3 T butter
2 c shredded xtra-sharp cheddar cheese
2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 t lemon juice
2 T chopped parsley
1 c thinly sliced scallions
1 large clove garlic, minced
bring water to a boil. add salt and pepper. slowly add grits while whisking furiously, lower heat to as low as you can and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.
rinse shrimp and pat dry. fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well. in grease, add shrimp. cook until shrimp turn pink. add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic. saute for 3 minutes.
spoon grits into a serving bowl. add shrimp mixture and mix well. serve immediately.
2 c whole milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1 & one-third c stone-ground grits (forgive me, but i used bob's red mill polenta)
3 T butter
2 c shredded xtra-sharp cheddar cheese
2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 t lemon juice
2 T chopped parsley
1 c thinly sliced scallions
1 large clove garlic, minced
bring water to a boil. add salt and pepper. slowly add grits while whisking furiously, lower heat to as low as you can and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.
rinse shrimp and pat dry. fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well. in grease, add shrimp. cook until shrimp turn pink. add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic. saute for 3 minutes.
spoon grits into a serving bowl. add shrimp mixture and mix well. serve immediately.
08 January 2007
here's a joke for you, rudy!
my aunt sent me this email. most forwards get round-filed asap, but the subject line of this one caught my eye... Clinton, Gore and Bush
Bill Clinton, Al Gore and George W. Bush went to a fitness spa for some fun. After a stimulating, healthy lunch, all three decided to visit the men's room and they found a strange-looking gent sitting at the
entrance. He said:
"Welcome to the gentlemen's room. Be sure to check out our newest feature - a mirror that, if you look into it and say something truthful, you will be rewarded with your wish. But be warned, if you say something false, you will be sucked into the mirror to live in a void of nothingness for all eternity!
The three men quickly entered and upon finding the mirror, Bill Clinton stepped up and said, "I think I'm the most intelligent of us three," and he suddenly found the keys to a brand new Bentley in his hands.
Al Gore stepped up and said, "I think I'm the most ambitious of us three," and in an instant, he was surrounded by a pile of money to fund his next Presidential Campaign.
Excited over the possibility of having a wish come true, George W.Bush looked into the mirror and said, "I think...," and was promptly sucked into the mirror.
Bill Clinton, Al Gore and George W. Bush went to a fitness spa for some fun. After a stimulating, healthy lunch, all three decided to visit the men's room and they found a strange-looking gent sitting at the
entrance. He said:
"Welcome to the gentlemen's room. Be sure to check out our newest feature - a mirror that, if you look into it and say something truthful, you will be rewarded with your wish. But be warned, if you say something false, you will be sucked into the mirror to live in a void of nothingness for all eternity!
The three men quickly entered and upon finding the mirror, Bill Clinton stepped up and said, "I think I'm the most intelligent of us three," and he suddenly found the keys to a brand new Bentley in his hands.
Al Gore stepped up and said, "I think I'm the most ambitious of us three," and in an instant, he was surrounded by a pile of money to fund his next Presidential Campaign.
Excited over the possibility of having a wish come true, George W.Bush looked into the mirror and said, "I think...," and was promptly sucked into the mirror.
06 January 2007
i heart shopping
well, not always. but sometimes i really REALLY do.
wen'l and i had a spree today. we started out at surfas, a restaurant supply megastore over in culver city. we bought a bunch of breadmaking stuff for wen'l, and sushi rice and assorted consumables for me. plus, some handled individual gratin dishes for both of us. i think i'll make some chicken pot pies next week and break em in.
then we headed to REI over in manhattan beach. i definitely like the store in huntington beach better. wen'l needed a new bike computer. he got overcharged and got kinda bent. he fixed it all up though, and we were on our way... to a store that's mecca to me almost. that's right kids, sur la table. brand new store even. *swoon* we got some bad-ass old-fashioned glasses made by riedel, some blood orange bitters(!), a huge ice cream scoop to portion out cookie dough. and... some candy i'm almost ashamed i bought. 7 dark choklit covered gray salt caramels. that i paid $10.95 for. assorted utensils. a sushi cookbook, to go with the sushi rice i got back at surfas.
next came penzey's. i fuckin love penzey's. wen'l turned me on to em a loooooong time ago, and about 2 years ago, they finally opened a store in california. it's clear the fuck in torrance, though. so today was only the 2nd time i've been to the store. got some high-falutin salt, cocoa powder, red pepper, bay leaves, etc. right next door is a BevMo. so of course we had to hit it too. i'm glad we did. they had my absolute favorite tequila, gran centenario añejo, on sale for $42. it's normally $62. heh.
our last stop was whole foods market. what a fucking disappointment it was. there's not many of em down in my neck of the woods, so i'd never been in one. i think i'll stick with bristol farms. whole foods had new zealand green mussels. i was stoked till i noticed that most of them were open. *hurl* we didn't end up buying anything there.
now i have no idea what i'm going to do about dinner tomorrow. i'll have to watch the cookin shows tomorrow and get inspired.
part of me would kind of like to sit down with all my receipts and figure out how much we blew today. i'm not going to though, cuz i'd probably choke on my lovely hand-dipped choklit and caramel-dipped marshmallow.
wen'l and i had a spree today. we started out at surfas, a restaurant supply megastore over in culver city. we bought a bunch of breadmaking stuff for wen'l, and sushi rice and assorted consumables for me. plus, some handled individual gratin dishes for both of us. i think i'll make some chicken pot pies next week and break em in.
then we headed to REI over in manhattan beach. i definitely like the store in huntington beach better. wen'l needed a new bike computer. he got overcharged and got kinda bent. he fixed it all up though, and we were on our way... to a store that's mecca to me almost. that's right kids, sur la table. brand new store even. *swoon* we got some bad-ass old-fashioned glasses made by riedel, some blood orange bitters(!), a huge ice cream scoop to portion out cookie dough. and... some candy i'm almost ashamed i bought. 7 dark choklit covered gray salt caramels. that i paid $10.95 for. assorted utensils. a sushi cookbook, to go with the sushi rice i got back at surfas.
next came penzey's. i fuckin love penzey's. wen'l turned me on to em a loooooong time ago, and about 2 years ago, they finally opened a store in california. it's clear the fuck in torrance, though. so today was only the 2nd time i've been to the store. got some high-falutin salt, cocoa powder, red pepper, bay leaves, etc. right next door is a BevMo. so of course we had to hit it too. i'm glad we did. they had my absolute favorite tequila, gran centenario añejo, on sale for $42. it's normally $62. heh.
our last stop was whole foods market. what a fucking disappointment it was. there's not many of em down in my neck of the woods, so i'd never been in one. i think i'll stick with bristol farms. whole foods had new zealand green mussels. i was stoked till i noticed that most of them were open. *hurl* we didn't end up buying anything there.
now i have no idea what i'm going to do about dinner tomorrow. i'll have to watch the cookin shows tomorrow and get inspired.
part of me would kind of like to sit down with all my receipts and figure out how much we blew today. i'm not going to though, cuz i'd probably choke on my lovely hand-dipped choklit and caramel-dipped marshmallow.
28 December 2006
from korea, with (fill in the blank)
so today was secret santa day, at long last. my package was from Jelly. it came all the way from korea (!!!). click on the title of this post to go check out her blog dammit.
the package, before i broke the seal.
wot lovely handwriting! mine looks like a serial killer's anymore. i never actually write, see? i type about 65wpm tho.
how'd she know i dig purple toothbrushes?
mmm... choklit.
um, soft smoked squid legs? wot shall i do with these?
the chili oil will definitely get used, tho.thank you Jelly! hope you're having a great time in japan!
23 December 2006
a holiday meme... on festivus!
yet another ganked meme... this one's from the cranky prof. check out her site @ http://crankyprof.blogspot.com .
anyhoo.. here goes!
1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Why not both?
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? There is no Santa. I wrap my ass off most of the month of December. I'll post a pic.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Neither. Our electric bill is heinous enough as it is.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? My husband doesn't need shrubbery to kiss me. I'm lucky like that.
5. When do you put your decorations up? The Festivus pole doesn't go up till the 22nd of December.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I don't make the same thing every year.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? The frenzy of unwrapping my presents on XMAS Eve.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?I don't think I ever bought into the whole Santa thing actually.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I told my husband that this year, I'd wait till XMAS to open them. First time ever.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I actually like the XMAS tree. I did a tree last year. I tend to not overdecorate the tree. I don't have any filler ornaments though, so they're all cool. My favorite is a reindeer carved out of wood that I got at Eddie Bauer in Seattle.
11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I live in California. I think snow is pretty on Mt. Baldy, but other than that, I'll pass.
12. Can you ice skate? Umm.. no?
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I don't think I could ever pick a favorite.
14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? That it's a mad rush, and then I get to slow down and just hang out with the people I love.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Ice cream made out of the leftover scratch egg nog.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Something that'll never happen again. Mom's no longer with us.*sigh*
17. What tops your tree? I'm gonna have to find a new thingy to put up there next year.
18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Do I really have to choose?
19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Just about anything Nat King Cole ever did.
20. Candy canes: yuck or yum? Yuck, mos def.
21. Favorite Christmas movie? I cannot think of one. I know I suck.
22. What do you leave for Santa? If I believed in Santa, I'd probably leave him an espresso-spiked hot choklit and a spliff.
anyhoo.. here goes!
1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Why not both?
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? There is no Santa. I wrap my ass off most of the month of December. I'll post a pic.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Neither. Our electric bill is heinous enough as it is.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? My husband doesn't need shrubbery to kiss me. I'm lucky like that.
5. When do you put your decorations up? The Festivus pole doesn't go up till the 22nd of December.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I don't make the same thing every year.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? The frenzy of unwrapping my presents on XMAS Eve.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?I don't think I ever bought into the whole Santa thing actually.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I told my husband that this year, I'd wait till XMAS to open them. First time ever.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I actually like the XMAS tree. I did a tree last year. I tend to not overdecorate the tree. I don't have any filler ornaments though, so they're all cool. My favorite is a reindeer carved out of wood that I got at Eddie Bauer in Seattle.
11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I live in California. I think snow is pretty on Mt. Baldy, but other than that, I'll pass.
12. Can you ice skate? Umm.. no?
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I don't think I could ever pick a favorite.
14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? That it's a mad rush, and then I get to slow down and just hang out with the people I love.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Ice cream made out of the leftover scratch egg nog.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Something that'll never happen again. Mom's no longer with us.*sigh*
17. What tops your tree? I'm gonna have to find a new thingy to put up there next year.
18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Do I really have to choose?
19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Just about anything Nat King Cole ever did.
20. Candy canes: yuck or yum? Yuck, mos def.
21. Favorite Christmas movie? I cannot think of one. I know I suck.
22. What do you leave for Santa? If I believed in Santa, I'd probably leave him an espresso-spiked hot choklit and a spliff.
a festivus for the rest of us!
o yes, today's the day! gather 'round the festivus pole kids, it's time for the airing of grievances and feats of strength!
i swear, one of these years i'm going to have a festivus party, and someone's gonna have to pin me before it ends. maybe next year. i've seen stuff all over the internets the last couple days about a company (http://www.festivuspoles.com) in wisconsin that manufactures and sells a six foot tall festivus pole + attractive collapsing stand for $38. i think next year i'm going to have to get one.
soooo... i gotta go wrap some of the hub's swag. have a happy festivus everyone!
14 December 2006
if i had a dick...
blogger could suck it.
i just got invited to participate in a group blog, turdmania (click the title of this post), a wicked cool food-related blog. i'm using the beta version of blogger and it's taking a big dump all over my invite.
anyhoo, i'm baking cookies to take to wen'ls office tomorrow and i better get back to it.
pics later!
i just got invited to participate in a group blog, turdmania (click the title of this post), a wicked cool food-related blog. i'm using the beta version of blogger and it's taking a big dump all over my invite.
anyhoo, i'm baking cookies to take to wen'ls office tomorrow and i better get back to it.
pics later!
22 November 2006
A Meme... ganked from the Angry Black Bitch
click the title of this post and go check out her blog!
1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? Wen'l would soooo be doing me if he were here!
2. How much cash do you have on you? I spent my last $5 on breakfast.
3. What’s a word that rhymes with "DOOR?" Floor?
4. Favorite planet? The one I'm living on... hello!
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? I've only got 3 peeps on my missed call list right now.
6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? The only one I'm currently using sounds like music from a 70's porno.
7. What shirt are you wearing? A beat up blue t-shirt. I'm currently doing the dessert-making for dinner tomorrow.
8. Do you "label" yourself? Oh, all the time.
9. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently wearing? Teva.
10. Bright or Dark Room? Currently, bright.
11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you? I wanna be just like her when I grow up!
12. What does your watch look like? I do not own a watch.
13. What were you doing at midnight last night? Reading the cover story in the new Rolling Stone.
14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? That my bill had just been paid and my current balance was now $0.
15. Where is your nearest 7-11? Hell if I know... I buy all my booze at BevMo and Trader Joe's.
16. What's a word that you say a lot? I've been known to drop the frequent F-bomb.
17. Who told you he/she loved you last? My husband.
18. Last furry thing you touched? My husband's gang o'pubes. He has a bruise mere millimeters above his swipe and I had to kiss it better.
19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? Copious amounts of thc, 6 800mg vitamin i and 6 robaxin.
20. How many rolls of film do you need developed? None. We don't have one of those Flinstones cameras anymore.
21. Favorite age you have been so far? I'd say 37 except for the fact that my mom died this year. Other than that, it's been great.
22. Your worst enemy? The hills of San Francisco.
23. What is your current desktop picture? A stone wall covered in color-changing foliage at the Hess Vineyards.
24. What was the last thing you said to someone? Fuck that bruise looks gnarly honey!
25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be? Definitely the money.
26. Do you like someone? I like plenty of people.
27. The last song you listened to? "Who Cares" by Gnarls Barkley.
28. What time of day were you born? 11:50 am.
29. What’s your favorite number? 13
30. Where did you live in 1987? Cerritos, California.
31. Are you jealous of anyone? As if!
32. Is anyone jealous of you? I'm certain someone is... why, I have no idea.
33. Where were you when 9/11 happened? Asleep.
34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money? Break a toe kicking the &%$#@! thing.
35. Do you consider yourself kind? I'm afraid so.
36. If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be? Someplace right over a bone, so it'd hurt like a bitch. That way, I wouldn't be tempted to get a second.
37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be? Italian.
38. Would you move for the person you loved? Yep.
39. Are you touchy feely? Wen'l sez so.
40. What’s your life motto? To thine own self be true.
41. Name three things that you have on you at all times? Cell phone, a pack of butts and my wedding ring.
42. What’s your favourite town/city? Long Beach, California.
43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? A breakfast burrito from Harry's.
44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? Sometime in the week or so after my mom died.
45. Can you change the oil on a car? Yes.
46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? That he's still a shiftless prick and that he's currently living in Hawaii.
47. How far back do you know about your ancestry? Um, I know where my parents were born and that's about it.
48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy? It was all black, a sweater and skirt. Anniversary dinner in Napa.
49. Does anything hurt on your body right now? The sciatica is acting up bigly... been on my feet cooking for 2 days.
50. Have you been burned by love? So bad I'm surprised I didn't need skin grafts... but not by my hub. :)
1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? Wen'l would soooo be doing me if he were here!
2. How much cash do you have on you? I spent my last $5 on breakfast.
3. What’s a word that rhymes with "DOOR?" Floor?
4. Favorite planet? The one I'm living on... hello!
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? I've only got 3 peeps on my missed call list right now.
6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? The only one I'm currently using sounds like music from a 70's porno.
7. What shirt are you wearing? A beat up blue t-shirt. I'm currently doing the dessert-making for dinner tomorrow.
8. Do you "label" yourself? Oh, all the time.
9. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently wearing? Teva.
10. Bright or Dark Room? Currently, bright.
11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you? I wanna be just like her when I grow up!
12. What does your watch look like? I do not own a watch.
13. What were you doing at midnight last night? Reading the cover story in the new Rolling Stone.
14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? That my bill had just been paid and my current balance was now $0.
15. Where is your nearest 7-11? Hell if I know... I buy all my booze at BevMo and Trader Joe's.
16. What's a word that you say a lot? I've been known to drop the frequent F-bomb.
17. Who told you he/she loved you last? My husband.
18. Last furry thing you touched? My husband's gang o'pubes. He has a bruise mere millimeters above his swipe and I had to kiss it better.
19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? Copious amounts of thc, 6 800mg vitamin i and 6 robaxin.
20. How many rolls of film do you need developed? None. We don't have one of those Flinstones cameras anymore.
21. Favorite age you have been so far? I'd say 37 except for the fact that my mom died this year. Other than that, it's been great.
22. Your worst enemy? The hills of San Francisco.
23. What is your current desktop picture? A stone wall covered in color-changing foliage at the Hess Vineyards.
24. What was the last thing you said to someone? Fuck that bruise looks gnarly honey!
25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be? Definitely the money.
26. Do you like someone? I like plenty of people.
27. The last song you listened to? "Who Cares" by Gnarls Barkley.
28. What time of day were you born? 11:50 am.
29. What’s your favorite number? 13
30. Where did you live in 1987? Cerritos, California.
31. Are you jealous of anyone? As if!
32. Is anyone jealous of you? I'm certain someone is... why, I have no idea.
33. Where were you when 9/11 happened? Asleep.
34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money? Break a toe kicking the &%$#@! thing.
35. Do you consider yourself kind? I'm afraid so.
36. If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be? Someplace right over a bone, so it'd hurt like a bitch. That way, I wouldn't be tempted to get a second.
37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be? Italian.
38. Would you move for the person you loved? Yep.
39. Are you touchy feely? Wen'l sez so.
40. What’s your life motto? To thine own self be true.
41. Name three things that you have on you at all times? Cell phone, a pack of butts and my wedding ring.
42. What’s your favourite town/city? Long Beach, California.
43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? A breakfast burrito from Harry's.
44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? Sometime in the week or so after my mom died.
45. Can you change the oil on a car? Yes.
46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? That he's still a shiftless prick and that he's currently living in Hawaii.
47. How far back do you know about your ancestry? Um, I know where my parents were born and that's about it.
48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy? It was all black, a sweater and skirt. Anniversary dinner in Napa.
49. Does anything hurt on your body right now? The sciatica is acting up bigly... been on my feet cooking for 2 days.
50. Have you been burned by love? So bad I'm surprised I didn't need skin grafts... but not by my hub. :)
20 November 2006
mi nombre es...
sienna. it's what color i am and i answered enthusiastically to it the first time my peeps called me that.
i'm taking a nap right now, right at jOoLz's feet. i'm a rambunctious little shit and i need to recharge my batteries quite often. i'm getting better at doing my bidness outside, and my peeps are giving me lots of praise when i do.
wen'l is also trying to teach me to sit, like i don't already know. what i don't know is how to do it when he wants me to, but i'm trying my best to learn.
i like mornings best so far. it's when they fill up the cool life is good bowl they put my food in. plus, after i'm done, someone always takes me for a walk. i'm really liking discovering my neighborhood. when we're done i always have a nice long nap. i think i heard jOoLz laughing at me during my sleep. i've been dreaming about chasing that icky feral cat out of MY backyard a lot lately.
anyhoo, it's time for me to wake up and start bouncing off the walls again. poor jOoLz... she's probably going to lose 5 lbs this week chasing after me.
*big slobbery kisses*
19 November 2006
the baker
my honey baked 2 loaves of bread for me today. one to mow on and one to make stuffing with thursday.
i know you're drooling just looking at it so i won't mention how delicious it was. :p
18 November 2006
our new puppy
yay!
ain't she a cutie? we got her from the OC pound. haven't thunk up a name for her yet though. naming a puppy is harder than i thought!
any suggestions?
10 November 2006
a (wonderful) change of plans
so... i'm a total pussy. san francisco is lovely, but until i can have a wee surgical procedure on my right knee, it's not my kinda town. it looks flat on a map, yo. i think the only part of town that actually IS flat is the waterfront. plus, there were an assload of USC alums in town. they don't call it the university of spoiled children for nothing, you know. the trojans were in town (well, actually down the road in palo alto) to play stanford. everywhere we turned there they were. i think the prospect of having to wait in line for 2 fucking hours to eat breakfast was what finally made me snap.
i enjoyed my wee stay in SF, had a great dinner with wen'l at a place called brick on friday night. everything is plated to share at brick, which made for a surprisingly romantic meal. i had a meltdown on sutter st., walking back to our hotel from jam-packed union square. we checked out when we got back. we weren't going to go home, but we were going to get outta dodge. we went to fisherman's wharf and had lunch on our way out of town. everything i've ever heard about the place was true... total tourist trap. BUT, everything i've ever heard about dungeness crab is also true. it is just better up there. we had crab cakes and a lovely chowdah for lunch, and watched the fog recede from the golden gate bridge. the crab house had a fantastic view of the bay, and i got chills just looking at alcatraz.
we drove over the golden gate, which was being re-enshrouded (is that a word?) by the fog by the time we got there. wen'l had never driven over the bridge, never been in marin county... we had a lovely drive up to the napa valley. neither one of us had ever been there, and we learned a few interesting things on the way up there. did you know the leaves on grapevines turn colors? i didn't. it's absolutely gorgeous.
we ended up staying at the first place we found, a place called the wine valley inn. my only requirement was that our night's lodging wouldn't break the bank like some places up that way can (ie, the auberge du soleil in rutherford). we relaxed, got settled and started thinking about where we'd eat dinner. it was our anniversary, after all, and dinner had to be somewhere worthy of the occasion. after much discussion, we came up with a place, got ready, and headed on down. we were told that w/o a reservation, we wouldn't be seated till 9:45. i wanted to be about half done with the bottle of 1999 veuve clicquot we'd brought along by that time, though, so we ended up going with what was my husband's first choice, a place called angèle, right on the banks of the napa river. click the title of this post to check out their website.
what a fabulous meal! we picked the *palourdes au basilic*, a ragoût of littleneck clams, prosciutto, white wine and shallots as our appetizer. i'm definitely going to do that at home. wen'l had the *magret de canard*, a duck breast w/ roasted figs, baby turnips and duck jus. i had the *boeuf bourguignon*, something i've been known to do here at home. it was one of the specials that night, and wen'l said he knew when he heard they had it that i'd be ordering it. it was tres delish. they put haricots verts in their version, something i'll definitely be trying out. yum! we each had our own dessert. normally we split one, but i wanted this banana thing with caramel ice cream and an almond crust, and wen'l is not the biggest fan of hot bananas. he had the chocolate fondant. gawd, i'm being very clinical about it, aren't i? we didn't have our camera with us or i'd have taken some pics. angèle is in a restored old boathouse, and it's breathtaking. the ceiling in the main dining room especially. absolutely romantic, and the place left me aching for something like it in our neck of the woods. food like that (rustic french... yum!) and atmosphere like that are something sorely lacking in orange county.
so after dinner we made our way back to room #41 of the wine valley inn and uncorked our champagne. we had veuve clicquot (the nonvintage stuff, which is quite lovely actually) at our reception and we've made it a habit to drink it for all our special occasions since. this year called for something special though. firstly, we were going away for our anniversary. hell, we didn't even have a honeymoon! secondly, we're doing better financially now and spending more than about $40 wasn't going to put us in the poor house. the 1999 was a decent-sized bump up from what we're used to. i think next year we might go whole hog and get la grande dame. i'm mighty curious about it now. the next morning we had breakfast at a place in town and made our way out to the hess winery. we couldn't very well be in napa and not do a tour and tasting, right? even if it was before noon?
here it is:
i enjoyed my wee stay in SF, had a great dinner with wen'l at a place called brick on friday night. everything is plated to share at brick, which made for a surprisingly romantic meal. i had a meltdown on sutter st., walking back to our hotel from jam-packed union square. we checked out when we got back. we weren't going to go home, but we were going to get outta dodge. we went to fisherman's wharf and had lunch on our way out of town. everything i've ever heard about the place was true... total tourist trap. BUT, everything i've ever heard about dungeness crab is also true. it is just better up there. we had crab cakes and a lovely chowdah for lunch, and watched the fog recede from the golden gate bridge. the crab house had a fantastic view of the bay, and i got chills just looking at alcatraz.
we drove over the golden gate, which was being re-enshrouded (is that a word?) by the fog by the time we got there. wen'l had never driven over the bridge, never been in marin county... we had a lovely drive up to the napa valley. neither one of us had ever been there, and we learned a few interesting things on the way up there. did you know the leaves on grapevines turn colors? i didn't. it's absolutely gorgeous.
we ended up staying at the first place we found, a place called the wine valley inn. my only requirement was that our night's lodging wouldn't break the bank like some places up that way can (ie, the auberge du soleil in rutherford). we relaxed, got settled and started thinking about where we'd eat dinner. it was our anniversary, after all, and dinner had to be somewhere worthy of the occasion. after much discussion, we came up with a place, got ready, and headed on down. we were told that w/o a reservation, we wouldn't be seated till 9:45. i wanted to be about half done with the bottle of 1999 veuve clicquot we'd brought along by that time, though, so we ended up going with what was my husband's first choice, a place called angèle, right on the banks of the napa river. click the title of this post to check out their website.
what a fabulous meal! we picked the *palourdes au basilic*, a ragoût of littleneck clams, prosciutto, white wine and shallots as our appetizer. i'm definitely going to do that at home. wen'l had the *magret de canard*, a duck breast w/ roasted figs, baby turnips and duck jus. i had the *boeuf bourguignon*, something i've been known to do here at home. it was one of the specials that night, and wen'l said he knew when he heard they had it that i'd be ordering it. it was tres delish. they put haricots verts in their version, something i'll definitely be trying out. yum! we each had our own dessert. normally we split one, but i wanted this banana thing with caramel ice cream and an almond crust, and wen'l is not the biggest fan of hot bananas. he had the chocolate fondant. gawd, i'm being very clinical about it, aren't i? we didn't have our camera with us or i'd have taken some pics. angèle is in a restored old boathouse, and it's breathtaking. the ceiling in the main dining room especially. absolutely romantic, and the place left me aching for something like it in our neck of the woods. food like that (rustic french... yum!) and atmosphere like that are something sorely lacking in orange county.
so after dinner we made our way back to room #41 of the wine valley inn and uncorked our champagne. we had veuve clicquot (the nonvintage stuff, which is quite lovely actually) at our reception and we've made it a habit to drink it for all our special occasions since. this year called for something special though. firstly, we were going away for our anniversary. hell, we didn't even have a honeymoon! secondly, we're doing better financially now and spending more than about $40 wasn't going to put us in the poor house. the 1999 was a decent-sized bump up from what we're used to. i think next year we might go whole hog and get la grande dame. i'm mighty curious about it now. the next morning we had breakfast at a place in town and made our way out to the hess winery. we couldn't very well be in napa and not do a tour and tasting, right? even if it was before noon?
here it is:
beautiful, no? and what a lovely day it was! just getting there was a treat. the mountain road leading up to the winery was amazing, and the air smelled alive in a way i don't think i can explain. we toured the grounds and the art gallery housed in the building above. i bought a book about wine, a nifty new corkscrew to replace the rickety one i've been using, and a bottle of their 2003 cabernet sauvignon that we ended up sampling during our tasting. i picked a winner! i'm going to serve it at wen'ls birthday dinner in december. i think it'll go great with the turner new zealand rack of lamb i'm going to do.
we headed back home after our time at hess, and decided the next time we head up to napa that we're going to do it right. start way up in the northern part of it and work our way south. do like 4 or 5 wineries a day. have a wonderful dinner in one of the local restaurants (and we'll remember to make reservations this time!). i'd even recommend a getaway to the napa valley to anyone, whether they were into wine or not, especially in the fall. it was just breathtakingly beautiful and there's plenty to do besides slowly get drunk.
it was a wonderful weekend after all.
02 November 2006
:)
we're gettin out of dodge at the ass crack of dawn tomorrow. saturday is our anniversary. numero dos.
i'll write a big, mushy post when we get back from san francisco.
rented a volvo S60 (kinda diggin it so far... it's a lot different than my usual hooptie tahoe!). stayin at a boutique hotel on nob hill. gonna do a bunch of walking, some shopping, and a whole lot of eating. AND, we're gonna take the scenic route home. wen'l has never seen the central coast.
have a good weekend kids!
i'll write a big, mushy post when we get back from san francisco.
rented a volvo S60 (kinda diggin it so far... it's a lot different than my usual hooptie tahoe!). stayin at a boutique hotel on nob hill. gonna do a bunch of walking, some shopping, and a whole lot of eating. AND, we're gonna take the scenic route home. wen'l has never seen the central coast.
have a good weekend kids!
22 October 2006
i snorted till i choked
President George W. Bush was scheduled to visit the Episcopal Church
outside Washington as part of his campaign to restore his poll
standings. Bush's campaign manager made a visit to the Bishop, and
said to him "We've been getting a lot of bad publicity because of the
president's position on stem cell research, the Iraq war, Katrina, and
the like. We'd gladly make a contribution to the church of $100,000 if
during your sermon you'd say the President is a saint." The Bishop
thought it over for a few moments and finally said, "The Church is in
desperate need of funds and I will agree to do it."
Bush showed up for the sermon and the Bishop began:
"I'd like to speak to you all this morning about our President. George
Bush is a liar, a cheat, and a low-intelligence weasel. He took the
tragedy of September 11 and used it to frighten and manipulate the
American people. He lied about weapons of mass destruction and invaded
Iraq for oil and money, causing the deaths of tens of thousands and
making the United States the most hated country on earth."
"He appointed cronies to positions of power and influence, leading to
widespread death and destruction during Hurricane Katrina. He awarded
contracts and tax cuts to his rich friends so that we now have more
poverty in this country, and a greater gap between rich and poor, than
we've had since the Depression. He instituted illegal wiretaps when
getting a warrant from a secret court would have been a mere
administrative detail, had his henchmen lie to Congress about it, then
claimed he is above the law."
"He has headed the most corrupt, bribe-inducing political party since
Teapot Dome. The national surplus has turned into a staggering
national debt of $7.6 trillion, gas prices are up 85%, and vital
research into global warming and stem cells is stopped cold because
he's afraid to lose votes from some religious kooks. He is the worst
example of a true Christian I've ever known."
"But, compared to Dick Cheney and Karl Rove, George Bush is a saint."
outside Washington as part of his campaign to restore his poll
standings. Bush's campaign manager made a visit to the Bishop, and
said to him "We've been getting a lot of bad publicity because of the
president's position on stem cell research, the Iraq war, Katrina, and
the like. We'd gladly make a contribution to the church of $100,000 if
during your sermon you'd say the President is a saint." The Bishop
thought it over for a few moments and finally said, "The Church is in
desperate need of funds and I will agree to do it."
Bush showed up for the sermon and the Bishop began:
"I'd like to speak to you all this morning about our President. George
Bush is a liar, a cheat, and a low-intelligence weasel. He took the
tragedy of September 11 and used it to frighten and manipulate the
American people. He lied about weapons of mass destruction and invaded
Iraq for oil and money, causing the deaths of tens of thousands and
making the United States the most hated country on earth."
"He appointed cronies to positions of power and influence, leading to
widespread death and destruction during Hurricane Katrina. He awarded
contracts and tax cuts to his rich friends so that we now have more
poverty in this country, and a greater gap between rich and poor, than
we've had since the Depression. He instituted illegal wiretaps when
getting a warrant from a secret court would have been a mere
administrative detail, had his henchmen lie to Congress about it, then
claimed he is above the law."
"He has headed the most corrupt, bribe-inducing political party since
Teapot Dome. The national surplus has turned into a staggering
national debt of $7.6 trillion, gas prices are up 85%, and vital
research into global warming and stem cells is stopped cold because
he's afraid to lose votes from some religious kooks. He is the worst
example of a true Christian I've ever known."
"But, compared to Dick Cheney and Karl Rove, George Bush is a saint."
19 October 2006
14 October 2006
welcome back bob?
so... my dad took off on a trip about 3 weeks after mom's funeral, to parts east. he was supposed to be back the 27th of last month. he's getting home today, probably around 3 this afternoon.
he spent over $10k on this little adventure, and only paid to put a roof over his head about 5 nights total. i have no idea how he spent so much.
you may be asking how i know how much he's blown. the dork put me in charge of paying his bills in his absence, that's how. in fact, i'll probably keep doing it once he's returned. he's not the most responsible motherfucker in the world, and i don't want to listen to him whine about being foreclosed upon because he forgot to pay his mortgage.
my mom left him in pretty good shape financially. a nicely loaded 401(k), other retirement savings, a portfolio too dependent upon mutual funds (and i have advised him to get out of those at his earliest convenience... i have problems with investment options which reserve the bulk of their earnings for the fund and for the financial *advisor*). life insurance. hell, even his social security benefits will increase.
he's been extremely foolish in re his spending since her death. a new pick'm up truck that he had to put new wheels and tires on and have lowered. he already had 2 cars, and still does actually. a harley-davidson... he had a motorcycle about 15 yrs ago... that he totaled in about 2 weeks. probably looking at some broad's ass and not paying attention to traffic. i would think his reflexes and shit have only diminished in the ensuing years. he has absolutely no business having a motorcycle now, at any rate. southern california traffic is far worse than it was then, and if he thinks he's going to be riding the damn contraption around here... i'm gonna have to put a good hurt on him.
anyhoo, i'm not going to itemize his spending. i haven't even gotten to the truly frightening stuff. suffice it to say, he's quite compulsive. my problem is this: how do i get him to understand that he needs to be thinking how to reduce his expenses, not add to them? i mean, the insurance alone on that stupid motorcycle is almost $1500 a year.
he's 65 years old. his health isn't the greatest, but he's not going to drop dead in a week, or a month, or even a year. he's gonna be destitute, and living under a bridge eating generic dog food if he's not careful though. he was never responsible for the financial shit (that was my mom), and he has absolutely no idea how much it costs to live here, even frugally.
i have no idea how to broach the subject with him. his tendency in matters such as this is to become defensive and accusatory, ie "you're trying to run my life!"
how is it that i tell him i'm worried about him, and his spending habits and make it perfectly clear that "running his life" is a responsibility i neither want nor need? how i'd rather not spend the rest of his life making sure he's not penniless and homeless? how i'd like it very much if he'd grow the fuck up already?
he spent over $10k on this little adventure, and only paid to put a roof over his head about 5 nights total. i have no idea how he spent so much.
you may be asking how i know how much he's blown. the dork put me in charge of paying his bills in his absence, that's how. in fact, i'll probably keep doing it once he's returned. he's not the most responsible motherfucker in the world, and i don't want to listen to him whine about being foreclosed upon because he forgot to pay his mortgage.
my mom left him in pretty good shape financially. a nicely loaded 401(k), other retirement savings, a portfolio too dependent upon mutual funds (and i have advised him to get out of those at his earliest convenience... i have problems with investment options which reserve the bulk of their earnings for the fund and for the financial *advisor*). life insurance. hell, even his social security benefits will increase.
he's been extremely foolish in re his spending since her death. a new pick'm up truck that he had to put new wheels and tires on and have lowered. he already had 2 cars, and still does actually. a harley-davidson... he had a motorcycle about 15 yrs ago... that he totaled in about 2 weeks. probably looking at some broad's ass and not paying attention to traffic. i would think his reflexes and shit have only diminished in the ensuing years. he has absolutely no business having a motorcycle now, at any rate. southern california traffic is far worse than it was then, and if he thinks he's going to be riding the damn contraption around here... i'm gonna have to put a good hurt on him.
anyhoo, i'm not going to itemize his spending. i haven't even gotten to the truly frightening stuff. suffice it to say, he's quite compulsive. my problem is this: how do i get him to understand that he needs to be thinking how to reduce his expenses, not add to them? i mean, the insurance alone on that stupid motorcycle is almost $1500 a year.
he's 65 years old. his health isn't the greatest, but he's not going to drop dead in a week, or a month, or even a year. he's gonna be destitute, and living under a bridge eating generic dog food if he's not careful though. he was never responsible for the financial shit (that was my mom), and he has absolutely no idea how much it costs to live here, even frugally.
i have no idea how to broach the subject with him. his tendency in matters such as this is to become defensive and accusatory, ie "you're trying to run my life!"
how is it that i tell him i'm worried about him, and his spending habits and make it perfectly clear that "running his life" is a responsibility i neither want nor need? how i'd rather not spend the rest of his life making sure he's not penniless and homeless? how i'd like it very much if he'd grow the fuck up already?
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