Tag: life

*Hazmat Training Required*

   I bought shirts for my son this morning because he’ll be going to a high school where he is required to dress every day in dress shirt, dress pants and tie.  That means a lot of IRONING among other things, and since we all live in jeans and t-shirts around here, it’s a new thing on my list and I’m not feeling the love.

   Is it me, or is the packaging of those shirts UTTERLY AND COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS?!   I mean.. it’s starts out innocently enough…

   And then you get the thing home.
Right out of the gate you have to unbutton the ribbon-wrap-around.  Not sure what it’s purpose is other than to advertise the fact that it’s NON-IRON. 
You’ve got the price tag that needs to be cut off with a scissor. You can’t pull it off with your bare hands because the nylon that string is made out of will slice your finger deeper than the famous crevices of Venezuela if you’re not careful.     Don’t ask.
 
 Then there’s the plastic button protector on the top button…
yeah, THAT thing…
and the square tab at the back of the neck that announces the size…
(Umm.. the inside tag just inches away does the same thing….kinda redundant, just sayin)
Let us not forget to remove the cardboard collar AROUND the collar…
or those little tabs that keep the points pointy.. (are you kidding me?) …
There’s a cardboard “back” along with tissue paper for extra ..what?… protection? Cushion? For WHO? The SHIRT??  And that little recycle symbol should be a Hazmat sign…
…for the next obstacles you come across…
…are the @$#!%  PINS
Lots of them, and not always the same amount.
It changes from shirt to shirt!
So how do you KNOW if you GOT THEM ALL???
Here’s the carnage from just one shirt.
And the irony in all this packaging for protection
of the fine no-iron garment…
 Is that they still need ironing.
Now there’s irony for ya.
You know… my wedding dress didn’t get all the fanfare of this one $49. dress shirt. 
No… my wedding dress was handed to me on a hanger with a plastic drape over it,
 no dis-assembly required.
*sigh*
It’s a man’s world after all.

I was born in the sign of water

 ..and it’s there that I feel my best.  The albatross and the whale, they are my brothers..

  Actually that’s not much of a stretch and it’s one of my favorite songs.   If you were here right now you’de have the distinct torture of hearing me belt it out as I type this post. Anyone know the next line?  No googling, now….

 I have always loved the water, always lived NEAR the water ( ON it is way too expensive around here) and I can’t imagine not being able to GET to it fairly quickly.  Nothing better at the end of a hectic day than sitting by water’s edge and breathing the salt air in. I swear it heals the soul. 

  My dad used to dock his boat at this marina.  He was a live-aboard until he fell on the docks and broke his hip. Now he lives in a home a few miles from there, and his answering machine says “You’ve reached Louie’s Lighthouse”.
 
   We spent many childhood summer days either crawling around his sailboat while it sat in the yard for repair, or out in the harbor having a dinner cooked on the little hibachi attached to the side.  Sometimes we’de jump off the back and swim with the little green flourescent jellyfish (they don’t sting). Sometimes we went out for a ride, but I can’t say that my sister and I were always thrilled at the prospect.  On a sailboat there’s quite a bit of   R_o-L-L-i-N-g,  you see…. and on those days, dramamine was our dearest friend.

 One fine day the seas were a bit rough and the boat ran into a sandbar.  I thought we were stranded for good, marooned, destined to die on that sandbar…and I said so… over and over.  It meant nothing to me that we could have walked to the jetty… just waist high water from us to the rocks.  Yeah, I still hear about that one.

    We went back to the Harbor today where a friend now keeps his fishing boat.. just a few slips from my dads old “home”.  What used to be an old boat shed is now the “Yacht Club”.
… I love what they did with the place.

  

This is my dream boat…. great seating in the rear, a little table, dual engines, a small but sufficient cabin (bathroom!) …
And alittle bowspace to sit and catch the breeze while reading a good book…
A girl can always dream….

Thank you Neighbor

 It’s been a hectic two weeks with family visiting and camp schedules and alittle work and still unpacking?!  and  heat management, it’s been so gawd-awful HOT.    I have another room or two to reveal in the next post… but today I’de like to thank yet another wonderful neighbor, Mrs. N.,  for leaving these beautiful  blueberry and raisin bran muffins at my door. I’ve blogged about her before…   Her road is not an easy one, and yet she finds time to help many others…and oh boy, can she bake ðŸ™‚

 The heat has not been a friend to our fledgling garden this year.  It didn’t help that we threw in the plants hastily without proper fortification of the soil… but we are reaping a small harvest and that’s better than nothing.  This fall we will do what needs to be done to the soil so that next years crops will be a happier lot.

I think I might actually have an edible melon or two… will let you know…

Only in New York

This came across my laptop this morning and I was instantly hungry.

Article  by Megan Steintrager
New York City’s Serendipity 3 restaurant has a history of doing stunts to make the Guinness World Records. They’ve scored twice before — with the World’s Most Expensive Ice Cream Sundae and the World’s Largest Hot Chocolate — and on Friday, they did it again with the World’s Most Expensive Hot Dog, which will sell for $69.

So how do you get a hot dog to cost nearly 70 bucks? First, you start with a regular Serendipity 3 foot-long beef hot dog, which already sells for $8.50 — a little more than your average street dog in New York (and a lot tastier, I’ll admit). Then you use the tried and true pre-recession stunt of chefs around the world: Add foie gras, then add truffles, repeat as necessary until the price tag explodes. (The other surefire fancifier — caviar — would taste a little gross on a hot dog, though Serendipity 3 puts it on a burger)

To be more specific, this particular “Haute Dog” (as it’s being marketed) is grilled in white truffle oil and is served on a chewy pretzel-bread bun (sort of like a cross between a soft pretzel and a baguette) that’s toasted with white truffle butter. It’s topped with foie gras pâté with black truffles. Condiments (served on the side) include Dijon mustard with black truffles, caramelized Vidalia onions and ketchup made with heirloom tomatoes (more like a tart tomato relish).

I tasted the dog this morning (breakfast of champions), and I’ve gotta admit, it was darn tasty. My notes, after the jump.

The wiener itself was high quality and would have been great with just a little mustard. But the combo of flavors and textures — the smokey, firm yet juicy hot dog, the creamy, pungent foie gras, the earthy truffles, the chewy, salty bun, the sweet onions, the bite of mustard, and the bright, tart ketchup — played together remarkably well. My minor complaints: I found the bun a bit too salty and the occasional visible glob of truffle butter was over the top (or perhaps I should say “over the top of the top”).

The dog, which was created in honor of National Hot Dog Day (and, I presume, in order to garner just this sort of press attention), debuted for the press Friday and will be available to the general public as soon as new menus are drawn up, according to a spokesperson for the restaurant (note that the haute dog has to be ordered 24 hours in advance).

So is this stunt dog for you? Only if you love foie gras and truffles (their flavor, not just the “I’m a big roller” factor — though that’ll play a part in your decision too) and you’ve got an extra $70, plus tax and tip, burning a hole in your pocket (hey, we heard the recession was over…right?).

Would you pay $69 for this hot dog?  I’m a hotdog fan and  yes I know how bad they are for you…but this one sounds so good I’de almost be tempted. 

Happy Hour

 Last night the guy and I went to my favorite mexican restaurant to decompress.  I needed decompressing, you see… because this week has been less than joyful due to the still-unpacking nature of things at This Old House plus the financial stress of still owning two mortgages, my back went out,  the camp schedule for the manchild and  my back went out, my work schedule thankfully still part time, (my back!)  and the three times daily cleansing of the horses GAPING CHEST WOUND schedule.   

My charming little quarter horse thought he might try on a fence post as, oh.. I don’t know… a chest piercing maybe?…  and he learned it hurts alot and bleeds profusely too!!… plus there’s the gaping hole that remains, minor detail.  Kinda like those holes left by the (what do you call them) … pegs?  you see people wearing now and then in their ears.  I’ve always wondered what happens with those holes when they get tired of wearing the big round peg things.  Do they close back up or is surgery needed to repair the earlobe?  Anyone know? Just wondering.

  Anyway… I had my favorite things (cheese enchiladas with a big bowl of fresh quacamole and if you don’t recognize that drink, you’ve been missing out on something really good). …. in an atmosphere I just love.  The buzz was a necessary evil at the end of a hectic day…. it was truly a happy hour.

 
    

Marilyn’s House

   Marilyn Monroe died three years before I was born, but her story always intrigued me. I don’t think the true full story will ever be revealed. The mob, a famous baseball player, a movie mogul, the Kennedys!… whodunit is right.

  I feel sorry for the celebrities who get caught up and die in the wicked machinery that is Hollywood.  Anna Nicole Smith is another who wasn’t mentally strong enough to handle the crush.  Will somebody please save Lindsay Lohan, even if it’s from herself?!

  Marilyn’s house is on the market…12305 5Th Helena Drive Los Angeles,  – $3,595,000.
She lived there for  just the  last six months of her life and it’s her place of death as well. 

What a beautiful little oasis it apparently was not.

You’ve gotta be kidding me

Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston reveal exclusively in the new Us Weekly that they are getting married.

And, they tell Us Weekly, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been kept in the dark about their plans … until now.
“We got engaged two weeks ago,” Bristol, 19, tells Us Weekly. “It felt right, even though we don’t have the approval of our parents.”

I’m no fan of Sarah Palin, and I know that will offend some of you because she does have many faithful fans. But I do feel just alittle sorry for her at this moment.  Do any of you remember this lovely young man’s interviews after his breakup with Bristol?  The things he said about her family, her mother? …his apparently soon-to-be mother-in-law.  What is this young woman thinking?  I sure hope this is not the way SP found out, on the cover of a magazine.

This is why people should never be married before they are atleast 25.  ATLEAST.   Although, it’s also true that age does not guarantee the absence of stupidity.  

*sigh*

When Life Reminds You

I didn’t know this woman and yet she has unknowingly reminded me of the most important lesson.  Truly.. Live For Today… there is no guarantee of tomorrow.  Hold dear what is important and let go of all the petty things. Let go.

http://holdingcourtblog.blogspot.com/

 I have no appropriate words, just tremendous sorrow for the loss her family has suffered.

Live for today.

Normal

 Anyone who’s been through a difficult time (I think that covers just about all of us)  – whether the cause is illness, tragedy or just plain overwhelming life events – knows the value of an ordinary day.  Normal. 

Since the decision was made to jump into the resurrection of This Old House, our life has been on a treadmill with the packing up and preparing the old place for resale, the work of rebuilding the new homestead,  and all the other life shifting that goes with the territory.  It’s been wonderful and overwhelming at the same time and it all came on the heels of two tragic events in our life.

Today was the first normal day in a long time and it felt good. 
The boys won their first AllStar game in the blazing heat….

 We spectator moms sat in the shade talking Twilight.  This is Janice… she shares my love for the Twilight books and movies… yes I know, you’re rolling your eyes, aren’t you.  If you haven’t tried it, don’t knock it.

Mike got to spend quality time with his girlfriend….
He missed her, I can tell.

  Tell me what an ideal normal day is for you, I’de like to know.

George Washington slept here

  No he didn’t… but we did, finally!!!

 Sitting out on the back porch this morning on our folding chairs (no porch furniture yet)  with coffee in hand, gazing out over the fields,  dogs wandering their yard, birds chirping and the heat still at bay, it’s a beautiful thing. 

   Still trips to be made from old house to new old house, still many many boxes to unpack, pictures to hang, curtains to iron and hang (hate that job) and just general “stuff” to organize… but hey, look at how neat and organized my pots and refrigerator are.  How long they stay that way is another thing altogether..