The One

Mark your calendars because this is probably never going to happen again. I am officially going on record as saying that Matthew McConaughey is legitimately HOT in that currently annoying Dolce and Gabbana commercial that runs about 50 times a day on television. Yes, he is HOTHOTHOT.

Now you must understand that I have always found him to be goofy, almost greasy looking and he previously repelled me pretty strongly. He always had an air of "dimwitted surfer dude" to him and he always looked filthy and really skanky to me. Ever since I heard that story about him being stoned out of his mind and found in his driveway completely nude and playing bongo drums years ago, well, that cancelled out any appealing qualities for me. Sure, I've noticed his amazing abs over the years but it never made him sexy to me at all. I've even heard stories about him being difficult to do love scenes with for his female co-stars because he eschews the use of deodorant and has deplorable personal grooming habits.

Having heard these tales about him, I found it pretty comical that he was doing Stetson cologne commercials a while back. Now, he is the face of Dolce and Gabbana's men's fragrance "The One". Ironic, isn't it?

So why am I suddenly finding him dreamy? You know, I really can't put my finger on it but every time I hear the slow sexy music on my TV, I immediately look up and see him strutting his stuff toward me in that confident "I am a supah-stah" way of his and I am captivated. When he lands on that luxe couch and his shirt opens gently, I half expect him to clumsily fall off the couch and onto the floor. The look of suprise on his face when the cameras start snapping at him says "shit! you're all here for lil' ole ME?" Part of me would not be surprised to see a half empty bottle of bud light on a table in the background. When I first saw this commercial I thought, wow. This is the guy that rented a camper and hung out with Penelope Cruz in the woods all summer a few years ago? How did he land this gig? His real life persona is the farthest thing from classy that I can imagine. He seems like the kind of guy who would say and do absolutely anything to get into your pants and then simply say "see ya darlin'" the next morning as he strolls out on his merry way, forgetting all he promised you in the heat of the moment.

Maybe I should just stop analyzing and enjoy it. This is just going to have to fall under the realm of unexplained phenomenon for me like why I like Ghost Whisperer, why I need my sheets tucked in around my feet, why beets taste like horrible dirt to me and why I always have a montage of baby pictures of myself on the wall of the bathroom of every place I've ever lived.

That's all for now! :)

First Snow

Yesterday, we got our first significant snow of the year. It was beautiful to look at, but a bear to get through especially when it became a sheet of ice later in the day. The picture featured here is at 122 street and Broadway in Manhattan. It was such a peaceful spot I couldn't resist capturing it. I don't know if I'm going to feel the same way about it if we get more of this on Monday as they are predicting. Observing from your window at home is completely different that trudging through it all day and trying to get a train home when none of them are working. For now, I'm just going to enjoy the quite beauty of it all!

Gotta be In It To Win It

Last week I was at an appointment and the person I had the appointment with was chatting with another employee. They were discussing something that sounded pretty juicy from the little bit that I heard. Naturally, being the nosey person that I am, I asked outright was was being discussed.

Apparently, a former friend of these two individuals had won the most recent lottery drawing. Yes, he won the grand prize which was $11 million dollars. Yes, 11 million. After taxes, this came down to about 3.8 million. Putting this in an ING direct account would pay out about $128,000 PER YEAR in interest alone. We all just sat there and shook our heads. It turns out, the winner is not the nicest guy and his employees are not at all fond of him. His owns a business and his employees actually read about his lottery winning in the local paper. The day after and everyday since he has come to work as usual and not said a word to anyone about it. Before winning he was incredibly wealthy to begin with, as was his wife. They already own a beautiful residence in Manhattan. This is a person who will never have any financial worries for the duration of his life. Just imagining this really boggles the mind, especially in today's state of economic Armageddon.

After taking it all in, we just sat there and wondered aloud as to how this would change our own lives. Travel, paying off debt, buying a beautiful home, etc. The usual things came to mind but then ....what? did you ever let your mind wander like this? It was kind of telling. We all realized that we would still have to have some sort of purpose in life, i.e. work. Of course not for someone else but something on our own. It's funny that it only took a short while for us to come to this conclusion. The temptation to not do anything and just travel, shop and be lazy was there but even with a large amount of money none of us could imagine being satisfied with not having a purpose to get up for in the morning.

My own wish would be to found an organization that would be sort of an "adopt a grandparent" type of program. Through my career experience the saddest thing I see on a daily basis is lonely elderly people. There is a huge need for some sort of social support network. This is evident in all the former patients of mine who still call me to chat long after I have discharged them from therapy. My own Aunt is a prime example of this. She is pretty much alone and wishes for someone to do things with. To fill this void she goes shopping on a weekly basis with her sister. That shopping is something that doesn't fulfill her and actually hurts her financially in the end. I am convinced that if she had a person who wanted to spend time with her the shopping would not be such a big part of her life. (I feel this way with shopping in general anyway, shop a lot=filling a void).

Anyway, after this mental exercise we all came to the conclusion that it shouldn't take winning the lottery to really live your life and be a better person. Real life makes a lot of things very hard and not as feasible as it would be if there were unlimited funds available but the principle should be the same. Why wait for good fortune to really live? Even coming up with one goal, a reachable one like losing weight and exercising regularly for better health, or calling someone you haven't spoken to in a long time just to say you are thinking about them. Those are achievable and have great value if done with sincerity and consistently.

That said, I'm still going to spend $1 a week and keep my fingers crossed!

That's all for now! :)

Nothing says Christmas like a......

.........well, you know. In the spirit of the holidays I wanted to post my favorite Christmas song for you. From the late 80's R&B "Color Me Badd" vibe to the step by step instructions for the fellas on how to create your own gift for your special lady. This is the song that made me love Justin Timberlake and see Andy Samberg in a totally different light. Crank this baby up and bake some cookies to get in the mood....

Sexy Salt

If salt could be sexy, this would be that salt. These Pics are taken from Marxfoods.com. Thanks to a comment from Emily on my last entry here, I mosied over to marxfoods.com and took a peek at these gorgeous accoutrement's. WOW. Did I say WOW? I had previously mentioned my love for truffle salt and now I am on a full blown salt exploratory mission. Thankfully I have low blood pressure and I do not have to limit myself from salt or this would be really killing me to look at from afar. The salts being offered here are from a company called Ritrovo and they are: truffle salt, a saffron salt, a fennel salt, a "sweet and salt" (a melange of diff flavors, fruit, spices, vanilla, chocolate), a fiore and salt (an aromatic blend, chamomile, poppy, mallow, marigold, lime, hawthorn, yarrow, wild orange peel, flower pollen, heather and lavender ), a sea and salt (citrus , tomato, cardamom), and a limited edition Italian salt. The thing about flavored salt is that you only need a tiny bit to make a difference in your food. I plan on investigating these in the near future. I entered the contest, but have just about as much of a chance of winning that as I do of winning the megamillions lottery drawing.

I never win anything. Oh, except the time I won an ashtray. Yeah, I know. I was 10 at the time. It was the biggest letdown of my life at that point. I was at a baby shower (WTF??) and there was a grab bag prize and my number was picked. I was so thrilled my little self was shaking with excitement. I reached into the bag in front of everyone and pulled out a box at random and opened it and there it was. An ashtray! It was the 70's and I guess smoking wasn't as shunned or gross as it is now. Even our incoming president has the good sense to hide his nasty habit from us, many people do not even know that he smokes he concealed it so well. Anyway, it was the era of Virginia Slims and the "you've come a long way baby" commercials in all the women's magazines. Remember those? It was always a glamorous woman in a gorgeous dress, fully done up and defiantly puffing on her ugly ciggie. No one offered to let me pick anything else so I gave it to my Mom who smoked L&M's at the time. I was pretty pissed for the rest of that stupid shower and acted bratty and asked to go home about 23 times until we finally did.

Aaaaaaanyhoo...back to the salt. I picked up some porcini salt last night in case on the very off chance that I won this contest I would have the others and I can say that it is extremely porcini-ish and really delicious. I plan on using it in something today. I had it on leftover pasta last night and it was a wonderful flavor booster. If I do win the salts I will happily review all here. If not I will probably try a few of the ones that I will use the most and discuss here over time.


As a "what will we be paying for the used to be free next" side note, can you believe we are buying things like salt and bottled water for the prices we are now being charged for them? There are even oxygen "bars" where you can pay for air too if you are so inclined. Of course, this salt is supersonic sexy out of this world salt so that kinda doesn't apply here but it tickles me to imagine that if you woke up my Grandma who died in 1936 and showed her bottled water and fancy salt with the price tags attached she would probably choke and die another death all over again from the shock of it all. Of course the smell of any one of these fabulous salts would have surely revived her again. That said, I am dying to try these goodies and eventually I will try some and report back here to you! I could smell the saffron and truffle ones through the jars last night at the store so I am sure these are definitely something special.

That's all for now!

Holiday Cheer

Isn't this lovely? It's the Xmas tree outside of Le Cirque restaurant here in Manhattan. I walk past it a few times a week and I always stop to look at it. It's a calming oasis in the midst of all the holiday craziness. Tourists cramming the streets, wild traffic, deafening noise....and there, right in between two buildings with nothing else around, is this sight. It's so placid and calm. There is never anyone taking it in, I am usually the only person standing there enjoying it whenever I pass. It's a nice little pick me up that I will miss when it disappears.

I also want to add that in the spirit of the holidays I unearthed my George Winston classic CD "December". If you want something really soothing and relaxing to listen to this would be it. I was listening to it with someone last week and he put his head on my shoulder and said...wow, this is the most relaxing thing I've ever heard. I think he was right. The icing on the cake was my annual purchasing of the pannetone. As usual, I picked up my favorite brand, Tre Marie. This is the brand that made me like pannetone. Before that I hated it. This is moist, fresh, flavorful and just perfect. I like the one with custard in it. It is amazing! Even the big palooka at my local Italian Import store said as I bought it, "that one is the top of the line!"

Oh and one more little factoid.....I realize that I am sounding like Oprah here preening on and on about my "favorite things" but I just tried another brand of truffle salt and it was totally inferior to the original one I raved about. Not only that but I just found out that it is available in two strengths, 5% and 10%. I have 5 and I am definitely going to try some 10 to see if it is even more fabulous. The brand I like the best so far is called "Selezione Tartufi". I tried another and it was too salty. I know that sounds crazy to say a salt is too salty but it was compared to the other. It wasn't as balanced and the truffle flavor was too weak. If I had tried the one I'm not nuts about first I never would have thought it was as great as I do. So lesson to be learned if you're thinking of trying that glorious stuff!

Elegance in a nutshell

Elegance, it's the only word that really pops into my head when I see Diane from my favorite perfume boutique, Caron in NYC. Look at her, isn't she just beckoning out to you to step in and take a load off? (See post below for details). Caron is a beautiful place that hearkens back to another place and time when people used words like "hearkens" and gingerly in sentences with a straight look on their faces. They would also say things like..."gee it was grand of you to come and see me!" Gay meant happy and ladies wore white gloves and hats and powdered their noses. Speaking of powder, Caron makes the finest face powder in the world. There is a heavier foundation powder and a lighter setting powder and shimmer powder with a beautiful glow and the finest texture I've ever experienced. The powders smell like roses and violets which really adds to the glam of it and the huge down powder puffs for sale at Caron really make a gal feel like Queen for a day or at least for as long as it takes to apply your face powder! I have been through so many containers of this powder over the years that I have lost track, and I rarely rebuy anything, it's THAT good! There is only one Caron boutique in this country and some of the fragrances are very,very old and beautiful. They are complex and rich and just breathtaking. I feel lucky to get to visit this place on a regular basis. Believe me, it looks intimidating and it may sound snooty to you, but it is a very warm welcoming place and if you are in NYC and in the market for perfume or face powder please stop by and say hello to Diane. She is perched above the Phyto universe on 58th Street and Lexington avenue and she would be more than happy to introduce you to these finer things in life!

The way every bad day should end

Look at this picture. It looks like pure fancy schmantzy indulgence doesn't it? It is. It is a stunningly huge Baccarat Urn full of pure french parfum being decanted into a smaller bottle for yours truly to take home in her hot little hands. If I didn't do this today I would have gone completely insane.

Last Saturday, I went on an all day excursion looking for new snow boots. My very good friends invited me to go to the outlets, which is something we do yearly during holiday sales. It always starts with a text message that says merely "You in"?. Then I know, we're on. This year, in my effort to simplify my life and stop shopping for things I do not need, I knew that I had a mission. It was to buy some sensible boots for rain/snow inclement weather. My previous boots were removed from my foot after breaking my ankle. Removing them involved cutting them which left me with no more waterproof boots. After many, many hours of searching, I was completely defeated and nearly gave up. I cannot believe how many snow boots are not waterproof! I even went to the Uggs outlet ,despite hating them, and I was shocked to find out that the entire store only had one pair of boots that was water RESISTANT. They weren't even waterproof. I do a lot of walking and trudging in bad weather, and there is nothing worse than wet feet. I was determined to find something, anything short of covering my feet in Ziploc baggies that would truly make my feet the dry little ovens that I need to be walking around with during cold, wet weather. FINALLY I hit pay dirt at the venerable Bass outlet. I am happy to say that they now have quite a few stylish pieces and they have moved away from the Grandma in New England look. You can still look like Grandma there but there are some pretty stylish items too that are a great mix of comfort and functionality that I am not totally embarrassed to be wearing. The sale was unbelievable, 70 percent off and another 10% off from a coupon I had. My boots were practically free! They are totally cute, completely waterproof and warm and I now feel ready to face the snow and slush.

I also hit the Lindt chocolate outlet (full report to follow) and the Victoria's Secret outlet to pick up a couple of gifts. I do not like Victoria's Secret at all, but they had a slew of high end makeup for 75% off and I managed to get some gifts out of the way pretty easily. I must say that the glitter mascara that was there for about $3 on clearance is EXACTLY like Guerlains fairy mascara from a few years ago if you like that sort of thing. The best part of the experience was the free Spice Girls CD that was the "gift of the day". I scoffed at first but after coming home and listening to it I have to admit, it was nowhere near as bad as I had imagined it would be. I would never ever spend money on it but for a freebie it was pretty hot and toe tapping.

Everything sounds good so far right? Guess again because it was at that peaceful happy moment that (to be said in foreboding Dateline announcer voice) SOMETHING WENT HORRIBLY WRONG.I showered and got into bed after that long tiring day of shopping. There I was, laying there in my warm comfy bed, completely surrendering to sleep when at 1 am it suddenly began to rain in my bedroom . Yes, rain. Pretty hard. On me. On my face, my bed, down the side of my wall. I jumped up, I screamed. I yelled. there was hooting, and there was hollering. This did no good. After about 4 minutes, it stopped. I managed to change my sheets and go back to sleep with one eye and ear open and I called my landlord in the AM. He came over and determined that it was the sink of the person above me. Then came the statement that has a place in my worst nightmare. "I'm sorry but we are going to have to open up your ceiling". I shrieked "WHAT?". He said it again. I shrieked again. And maybe again. And then I set to the horrendous task of cleaning UNDER THE BED. You see, under the bed needed to be totally cleaned out because that space was exactly where he needed to put his ladder to cut my roof open. That was how I spent Sunday. I also went to the dollar store and bought about 8 plastic shower curtain liners to cover everything else in my bedroom in preparation for the onslaught of drilling and whatever other god awful activities were about to occur in my gentle oasis from the world. My snow boot/Spice Girl high was long destroyed by this ugly turn of events. Hours later it was done, the area was completely vacant. My mattress was in my kitchen. I waited anxiously for him to come back and commence. It took him an extra day to get supplies and guess what? He managed to do it from above, ripping apart the floor of the poor soul above me and leaving my ceiling intact. All my the stress was for nothing! I now have a clean dry bedroom again and a lot less clutter so some good did come from it after all.

After dealing with this turbulence in my placid little world, I tutted off to the plush but not overly ostentatious glory that is the Caron boutique on 58th and lex today after a Dr appt and finally, FINALLY got a giant bottle of delicious parfum to split with my very good friend! This purchase had been planned for about a year and a half and it was on sale this week for 20% off! GOOD TIMES! So the ladylike hand you see above was a sight for this girls sore eyes. Here's to being dry and smelling good!

That's all for now! :)

Newfangled Technology

For quite a while now I have been saying that I need a new TV. Now it's not something that I am saying because I WANT a new one, I truly need one. The TV that I have was my Mothers. I bought it for her when she moved into her last residence. It is at least 15 to 16 years old. I remember I was so proud of myself when I bought it. I had a really crappy job at the time and I saved for quite a while. It was/is a magnavox. Do they even still exist anymore? I don't think so. Anyway, it was newfangled at the time. It was a stereo TV. This was when they first became popular. I wanted the best for my Mama. When she died, I inherited it. At the time, it was still a great TV. Over the years it has remained a pretty nice TV. It had a great picture, nice sounds, it was perfectly fine for me. Even though it now makes an odd noise at times and the picture is a bit off once in a while, I never felt like I was missing out on anything. Until now.

My local TV channels are regularly having educational programs with dire warnings about the broadcast Armageddon that will happen on February 19th. Unless a TV is digital or connected to cable it will be obsolete without a converter box. God forbid anyone should be without a TV! Quelle Horreur! To be honest with you, I have not had cable for many years. I decided long ago that I was not going to be a person who lived my life around my favorite shows. I only have one now and I do not need cable to see it. I live in a city where they are many things to do and I don't really need TV to entertain me. That is why I moved to a big city, I get bored sitting in the house watching TV, I need real life action. All that aside, I suddenly felt like I had been asleep for 20 years a la Rip Van Winkle and all this technology was about to leave me behind in the dust. That is when I decided...I MUST GET AN HDTV AND BE DONE WITH IT.

I began my research, immediately going to Cnet which is where I always go when faced with electronic quandaries. I went straight to the TV buying guide and determined that I wanted an LCD TV, not plasma and I located the top models in the size range I was interested in. I began the torture of reading the most boring article on the diff between 720 and 1080 res among other things and I went searching equipped with enough knowledge to appear like I did a little homework while dealing with the dreaded electronic sales guy. You know the type, he rattles off every feature you never use, care about or have ever heard of no matter how much you read and you can only get that glazed over dear in the headlights look while listening to him. The whole experience really made me want to cry. I remembered that the last time I bought a TV, there was really nothing to consider. You went to the store, looked at the TV and price and that was it. Now it is like a second job figuring out what to buy. I ended up calling my electronic savvy friend Kevin about 6 times in one day. He was surely cringing inside when I asked the dumbest questions ever posed relating to the TV situation. But better Kevin than some guy who wants to make a nice commission off of me.

I vowed I was not going to go to any black Friday sales but I do live about a 10 minute walk from a major NYC electronics chain and after doing my online research I decided to go and have a look at the different picture resolutions, sizes etc. My trip was intended just for research purposes because I planned to buy online and have a set delivered. I blasted into that store with the determination of a woman who did not want to be treated like a dummy. Luckily, I met Jonathan, a friendlybutnotinacreepyway ponytailed sales guy . He was a pretty young, no nonsense guy who could tell I had had enough, and that this whole TV thing was just getting on my last nerve. I asked him to tell me the diff between two of the TVs that were drastically on sale. He did. I told him what my needs were and asked which one he recommended for me. Much to my surprise, he actually told me that the cheaper was was a better TV and would be perfect for what I wanted it for. Of course, it sold out at 9 am BUT....he would gladly sell me one today at that price and when the new shipment arrives from the warehouse on Dec 10th I can just drop by and pick it up. Having dealt with this store before and knowing that they are reputable and honest I waved my hand at him and firmly said..."lets do it" and off I tutted behind him to the register.

Thirty minutes in that store and a grand total of $529 later, the Fussbudget SCORED and is now the relieved owner of a Sony 32 inch HDTV! A few tears will more than likely be shed when old Bessie is laid to rest at curbside in two weeks but she had a wonderful life and was loved by two devoted owners who gave her a more than respectable run. RIP Bessie :(

That's all for now!

Gratitude

This week we will be celebrating Thanksgiving and that usually makes me take stock of the things I am grateful for. It's a shame that this holiday has basically become known as a national day of over eating because it was intended to be something so much more. This year has been one of the worst years of my entire life which makes the following exercise particularly therapeutic. Tonight, I am going to try and come up with a top 10 list of sorts. Gratitude is something that is often lacking in me when I become too caught up in the daily grind and the sometimes Herculean effort of just surviving in today's world. It is something that I am consciously making an effort to be more in touch with. I have found that the more in touch I am with what I am grateful for, the less I want or need and that is a beautiful thing! I highly recommend that everyone reading this take your own self survey and focus on the wonderful things in your own life as well.

1.) FRIENDS. My God am I blessed. I never realized how much till a crisis this year that really tested my metal. You know you are truly cared about when you get phone calls at all hours just checking up on you because you are too distraught to make calls or reach out yourself. I never really thought that anyone would care if I was seriously in trouble ,but I was wrong. From the healing gemstones I got in the mail to the cards and long conversations,to the dinners and thoughtful gifts I really don't know what to say so I'll leave it at that. I only hope that I am half as good to those who have been watching over me this year during my difficult times.

2.) My health. Even though I am facing a possible surgery, I am relatively healthy and strong and manage to go out into the world everyday and perform a physically demanding job. I look around on a daily basis at those less fortunate than me, and I am thankful for my physical well being.

3.) A job that I love and the opportunity to make very human connections with a diverse group of people on a daily basis. When I put my head on my pillow every night I rest knowing that I served a purpose and helped make another person's life more comfortable for this day.

4.)A place to live in a neighborhood/city that I love with affordable rent and a very nice landlord.

5.)An abundance of "things". All the perfume and makeup a woman could ever want. I have been concentrating on enjoying what I have and in that, I have stopped searching and buying. I realized that spending money on things I already have is counterproductive to the life I want to live and the goals I want to achieve. I'm still a girl who enjoys girly things but I am a more satisfied person lately

6.)Trader Joe's. You didn't think this was all going to be serious did you? Trader Joe's is heaven on earth! I wish there could be one in every town on earth. If it was down the block from me I would be in there on a daily basis.

7. Fashionable down coats. Gone are the days of those icky,manly Columbia down coats. Now, I have about 4 down coats that are totally high fashion, fitted, super stylish and really flattering. And they keep me really toasty while looking good.

8.)A BFF who works in a high end NYC Dept store who offered me his discount when shopping. This will come in handy with the colder weather coming and my lack of snow boots.

9.)A hairdresser who completely understands me and my mop and has made me look the best I ever have in my entire life with his magic hands. My recent haircut was the best ever, I pray that this man never ever retires or leaves me! I wish this for women everywhere on earth!

10.) The existence of BACON. Seriously. I know it sounds crazy but bacon makes me so deliriously happy that it's just unbelievable. It's like some strange sort of drug for me. I rarely eat meat ever but bacon, well, bacon is just MAGIC. Oh and since I'm thinking of foodstuffs.... Champagne and truffle salt. I am at # 10 so I can't make another number for these but I just had to add them. On Champagne, the bubbles, the scent, the tickling on the back of my throat and the sound of the cork popping. It's a sensory treat in every way! And truffle salt ,well, I realize that this makes me sound like a really out of touch elite snob but really, this stuff is just the most amazing thing I've tasted in a very long time. It is the salt God puts on his food, I am nearly sure of this. I tried it years ago and I guess I was not as open as I am now to different flavors. I was at Zabars a few weeks ago and was overcome with the urge to buy a small 3 ounce jar of it for the whopping sum of $19 (!!!!). FOR SALT. Yes, I questioned my sanity at the time but since cracking it open it has graced vegetables, meat, salad,pasta,risotto, popcorn, eggs....just about everything and it is the most fabulous rich delicious flavor on earth! Highly recommend and actually worth every penny as there is just nothing else like this flavor wise out there and it adds no fat to your food at all!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone reading this! :)

For Shame Ghost Whisperer, FOR SHAME!

OK, I'll admit it, lame as it sounds I run home every Friday night to watch this show. It's a little bit of scary with some touching romance thrown in. I have even lied to my hairdresser and told him I had a date or an important meeting to get out of there in time so I could plant myself in front of my TV to watch this hour long escape from reality. I also have a source who Tivo's it for me just in case I am not home for it. I have taken a lot of mocking and been the butt of a lot of jokes for loving it so, but I stood firmly in my devotion to Melinda Gordon and her ghostly antics. Most people who know me do not understand what I see in this show and laugh at me for watching it. Everyone knows....do not call between 8 and 9 on Friday nights because I will not answer my phone and that is that. Last night may have changed my Friday nights forever. Let me explain.

In case you've been missing out on this show it is basically a fantasy and that is why I love it so. Jennifer Love Hewitt is Melinda Gordon, a young newlywed who has the ability to speak to and see the dead, or "earthbound spirits". The premise of the show is that she meets these spirits who are troubled by something that is preventing them from crossing over into the next life or existence. Along with the help of her wonderfully supportive, hunky husband Jim Clancy, she solves whatever mystery that is causing the spirit to be stuck in the "crossing over" part of dying and she helps them say goodbye to this world and the trappings of it and sends them off into the "light". I realize this sounds lame but you have to understand something. My daily life is so stressful and full of difficult situations and far from ideal. This damned show gave me an escape from all of that.

Jennifer Love Hewitt is gorgeous. I never liked her before this show. She actually irritated me and I never found her even remotely attractive but on this show she is is a very likable character and they really play up her beauty. For the men watching she flashes major cleavage in the bedtime scenes with her adoring hubby Jim. Her wardrobe and makeup is fun to look at for someone who is interested in fashion and beauty. Her husband is eye candy for me. He is featured in various states of undress on each show too. It's subtle, it's usually coming out of the shower or getting ready for bed, nothing purely gratuitous. He is really not my type per se, but he is pretty easy on the eyes.

So why am I so upset and where is this going? Well here it is. Last night, CBS messed up my perfect little Friday nites forever because..............................................THEY KILLED JIM CLANCY OFF THE SHOW!!!! Yes, that's right. JIM IS DEAD. Jim, the yang to Melinda's yin has been murdered by the idiot writers of this show. Now years ago, they murdered Melinda's best friend, killed her off the show too. Last year they killed her father and sent her cohort on a sabbatical. Now her husband. This show has officially jumped the shark for me.

The thing I loved about Jim was that he was always there for Melinda. He was the loving, adoring, perfect hubby that does not exist in real life. I loved the scenes when she would come home from a hard day of ghost whispering and he would be there waiting for her with a glass of wine, cooking her dinner. His character was pretty meh. He pretty much existed to support her. AND WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT?? Female characters have been doing this for YEARS!! It's about time a man existed for the purpose of supporting the female character! Not to mention that these two actors have amazing chemistry together. It's totally believable that they are madly in love with each other and that is quite wonderful to see. Please CBS....why can't you let me have my little fantasy that a man like this may actually exist out there? Why must everything be so dark and reality based? This show is a fantasy dammit!! To kill off a beloved main character is just complete insanity. When he told her he was dead and he went code blue in the hospital scene, I cried more than Jennifer Love Hewitt did! This season was supposed to be about them starting a family. Now why the hell could that not have been enough? Why is every show about broken relationships? Everyone is divorced, single, a widow or widower. Everyone is cheating and philandering. There is nothing on TV that represents a happy, stable relationship. This was it! And now they've ruined it! I am not a huge TV watcher to begin with. This was really the only show I watched on a regular basis.

HEAR ME NOW CBS: BRING BACK JIM OR I AM DONE WITH YOU! You did it with Bobby Ewing on Dallas back in the day and it was ridiculous, but it satisfied people who watched for his character and the relationship between him and Pam. If Melinda doesn't wake up and realize that this has been a horrible dream I am officially done with this show as are many others. And don't even think about bringing him back as a ghost and having her have some bizarre relationship with him as a dead guy!! I want a real flesh and blood Jim back or you have lost me!

CBS...YOU SUCKASS!

The Day After....

Seen in Harlem on 125th Street ,this hand painted mural drew a crowd of onlookers still in awe of history being made.

Happy Halloween/Election Day from Harlem!

Obama is so omnipresent here, he even made it into Halloween decorations. This was seen directly across the street from a polling place on election day!

Happy Halloween!

This almost, ALLLLMOST makes me want to have one!

Come and get it!

The dinner bell has rung, hope you're hungry!

Gettin' Cozy

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you for your viewing pleasure a very unique "cozy". You know what a cozy is don't you? When I was a child my mother used to have random cozy's around the house. She had them because she was a church going woman and participated in many church bazaars. Now at these types of functions there are all sorts of nick knacks and arts and crafts. Items made with Popsicle sticks , magnets and crocheted items seemed to be big. A cozy is something that is supposed to be used as a covering for an item. There are cozies for door handles, for Kleenex boxes, for rolls of toilet paper and for just about anything you can imagine. Here we have a very sassy cozy that was made for a gentleman. If you don't know what this is for, think really hard and it will come to you.

That's all for now! :)

Saying Goodbye

Last night, I went to a memorial service. I really did not want to go but I went because I realize the importance of these things and the need for support for the people who have been left behind. The person who died was a wonderful human being and the service was quite interesting. He was an engineer, athlete, inventor....the kind of person who makes you feel like you are not really reaching your potential as a human being. I say this not as a negative thing rather but as a point of interest and a testament to what a wonderful person this individual was.

The thing about this experience that makes it worthy of re-telling it to you though is that as I sat there quietly in my seat, listening to people give their speeches about the deceased and listening to live musical numbers performed by this mans extremely talented family....something rather strange began to happen. Two worlds collided. Let me explain this to you as delicately as I can.

The person who died was black, his wife is white. As a person who has attended traditional services for both white and black people I want to tell you that depending on the religion and customs of the person who is being celebrated these two groups do things quite differently. I have been to black funerals in the baptist church and they are truly something to talk about if you have never been to one. The service starts out with a preacher giving a sermon and people listening and commenting as it is being said. Anyone who feels something at the time it is being said will just express agreement or whatever they are feeling. It is not uncommon for people to be loudly exclaiming...."THAT'S RIGHT!" or "UH-HUH!", or "SWEET JESUS IN HEAVEN HERE US!". This is a normal thing in a black church setting. It is not a normal thing in most traditional white churches. It is not a horrible thing for a person to express themselves, but it is just not something most white congregants do. I actually like the idea and I think it's therapeutic and fitting.

Anyway, after the sermon this is when things are radically different. At a white service, it is just over. People may mingle afterward or those close to the person who died may say a few words but most of the time everyone will go somewhere to eat and continue the conversation in a fairly subdued manner. In a black church, this is when it is just beginning.

After the preacher steps down, usually a choir will sing and the music is quite powerful and rousing. People may dance, they will join in, it's truly a celebration of the person who is gone. Things settle in a bit and people will just get up one at a time and go up to the microphone at the podium and talk about the person who has died. They will even feel the moment and sing with everyone joining in. This will go on for many, many hours. The last service of this type that I attending was still going after 4 hours. I had to leave as people were still talking.

My point in telling you all of this is because of something that happened at the service I attended last night. It was straight out of a Seinfeld episode which was fitting because the service was held on the upper west side of Manhattan where Seinfeld was actually set. I am still laughing when I think of it. Towards the end of the service, an African man was asked by the deceased mans family to speak about him. This man had a very thick accent and was hard to understand and he was not properly holding the microphone up to his mouth as he spoke. This made for an awkward moment. No one could understand him and he did ramble quite a bit. It was at the end of 2 hours of listening to people speak and I think people were ready to get up and go to the buffet table and eat at this point. An elderly black woman sitting next to me started talking very loudly as if no one could hear her. At first she declared "Oh come on! No one can understand this guy!". Now everyone was sitting in very close proximity to everyone else and it was pretty easy for the entire room to hear her. Then she stated "Oh he is just going on and on!! No one wants to hear this! Stop talking!". At this point I think I slid down in my seat a few inches when people began to turn their heads and look back at her. She proceeded to have a severe coughing fit and dig through her gigantic suitcase sized purse for a cough drop. As she did this she said out loud, as if she was the only person in the room, "Oh I just can't find it, where is it? I need it now!" She was talking about her cough drops I'm sure, but it was just so bizarre. As the mumbling African man went on she spouted off "Well I'm hungry and I've had enough of this, come on and finish...enough is enough!". As the man went on she exclaimed "Oh now this is just ridiculous! He keeps going on and on! Make him stop!" Eventually he did stop, on his own but just before he did she got up and lumbered over to the buffet table before anyone else had. The son of the deceased man gave some final words before the closing and he said..."I know a lot of people want to talk but we have run out of time and we can all continue to share our stories over dinner together".....as he said this she bellowed loudly from the buffet table in the adjoining room" Yeah! we're out of time because he hogged it all! Now none of the rest of us can say anything!". I could imagine Elaine and George in this room taking it all in as it happened. It was just hilarious, but maybe you had to be there.

The icing on the cake occurred as I mulled around and chatted with people at the buffet table. An elderly woman began to talk to me about how she knew the deceased. I told her how I knew him and the minute she heard that I was in healthcare she told me (over my salad and sandwich) that she was incontinent and had big problems with this. She also happily told me about her physical therapist who taught her how to do kegel exercises and that after doing these for a week her incontinence was seriously improved. Then she said to me "I just thought that would interest you considering what you do for a living".

With that, I promptly finished my sandwich and left.

That's all for now :)

My Husband Miguel

Let me tell you about the unexpected joys of spending 5 days a week with my work husband Miguel. I work in health care and my job requires traveling all day long and interacting with many people who speak a different language than I do. This is where Miguel comes in. His purpose is as an interpreter between myself and my patients but here is where the beauty part is. Miguel drives, which means I basically have a chauffeur all day long. Of course, my bosses know nothing of Miguel and his car which is intentional. I am already traveling so much I know they would completely take advantage of me more they they already do so Miguel and I keep this part of our relationship on the down low.

The funny part about this whole situation is that the dynamic between us is probably the best relationship I have ever had with any man ever period. I find it really fascinating that Miguel treats me like a queen and knows my quirks, habits, likes, dislikes. Every morning when I wake up, I text Miguel and tell him where to meet me. He will reply nothing more than ..."OK". From the minute I step foot in his car, my 28 ounce Poland Spring sport water bottle and my 25c bag of crunchy cheese doodles (snack of choice) are right there in my seat along with the daily paper. We greet each other, I get my daily "whassup girl?" and we are off.

Miguel is the calmest person I have ever known. He can drive through a massive traffic jam without blinking, take me past a crime scene(which he has in the dicey neighborhood where I work) simply mumbling "oh Lorrrrd, someone's been murdered again" .....he surprises me with a Cuban (sandwich) at least once a week and he consistently tells me to calm down (I freak out daily about anything and everything) and he compliments me on recent weight loss. We talk about relationships, family, work...etc. We are the two most unlikely people to be hanging out together on earth. He is probably about 15 years younger than me but he is under the impression that we are not that far apart in age because I look far younger than I am. Our backgrounds are as far apart as they could be too.

The thing that tickles me is that he treats me better than he probably would if we were actually in a real relationship. This had made me realize that sex is probably the thing that RUINS everything. Yes I know, that is a very warped point of view and kind of extreme of me to say, but I think it makes people comfortable enough after it happens to not have to worry or try as much anymore in CERTAIN (not all of course) instances. One day, we were talking and I was bitching at him for forgetting names, he never remembers anyone's name, even people we see three times a week for months at a time. I said to him, Miguel, you remember my name, why can't you remember our patients who we see regularly? He said without missing a beat, 'You're my wife! Of course I remember your name!" That pretty much sums it up.

I sometimes wonder what is going through that mans head of his and I have caught him on occasion sneaking a peek at my assets, but it is an unspoken fact between us that we are a team and will never go there, if you know what I mean. So for now, I am going to enjoy my "husband" and all the wonderful things he does for me everyday. I am aspiring to carry this over into my "real" life one day too.

At Last

Well sweet fancy moses, what have we here?? I have never heard of a situation that fits the description "poetic justice": better than this one. Thirteen years to the day, yes TO THE DAY that this arrogant bastard was cleared of murdering his ex-wife and her friend, O.J. Simpson was finally convicted of something and will be serving well deserved jail time. It was also a 13 day trial, the jury deliberated for 13 hours and after the verdict was read the lights went off in the court room. Coincidence?? I think not. This time Mr Simpson robbed two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room. Once again, he was a self centered psychopathic bully who thought he was above it all and could get away with doing whatever he damned well pleased and not have to answer to the law. Difference this time is, he could not afford a high priced law firm and could not weasel out of this one. I cannot stand this man so I'm not overly concerned with the fairness of this recent trial but I cannot imagine that the jury was completely unbiased toward him after his sensational murder trial years ago. You would have had to recruit 10 year olds not to know about this or to have heard of this man. Frankly, I am nearly sure that this man is a sociopath who honestly believes that he is a victim who has never done anything wrong and does not deserve the fate he has been handed ,but that is neither here nor there. Somewhere, there must be a real life ghost whisperer who has finally helped Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman cross over to another existence and some peace after all these years. Rest in peace.

Lost and Found

Have you lost your rooster? I think I found him at the corner of 126th Street and Morningside Avenue in Harlem in case you are worried about him. He seems to be pecking around in the yard of St Josephs church right across the street from the soul food restaurant. He looks a little bewildered and suspicious of anyone trying to help him. Please pick him up as soon as you get the chance.

Who Will Save Your Soul?

The Soul Saving Station, that's who! Seen on 124th Street and St Nicholas Ave in Harlem, for your convenience. Easily accesible by the A,C,B and DE trains or the #1 or #2 or #3 trains if you are into a 10 minute walk. Just passing along the info in case you are in need of a little help.

Simpler Times

Lately, I've been doing some thinking with all the speculation of what we are going through economically in this country and why this has happened. I am not a political person and I don't really get into the machinations of wall street either but it makes me think of the time some people seem to be comparing it to, the Great Depression. (To get you in the mood for reading the rest of this here is a link to some appropriate music for you). I went snooping through a big old box of things my Mom had saved from her mothers time and I found a letter to my Grandmother who was 23 or 24 years old at the time from her friend, Alta. Both young women were teachers who were looking for schools to teach in. At that time in the rural area where they both lived, schools were one room operations. The teacher was responsible for teaching all the children in the immediate area from all grades. My own mother actually went to a school like that for her lower grades in the 1920's. She was born in 1924. She had me later in life and I always felt blessed to have a mother with such an interesting life and such a connection to the past that my friends mothers didn't seem to have. Anyway, the letter I found is such a touching peek into the past I have to share it with you. Can you imagine having to wait to get a letter from someone to talk because you didn't have a phone? To them it was normal. To us it would be nearly unbearable. Immediate gratification is the name of the game for us now. Just reading how people spoke at the time is an eye opener. It was so genteel (do we even have an occasion to use that word anymore?) and ladylike. Rural women of this generation would have never talked about their sex lives or cursed. They never would have thought of wearing pants or buying their biscuits at the store. Of course there is good and bad in all of that, they didn't have the rights we do now or the conveniences but they seemed to have an inner contentment and simplicity that we struggle to achieve now and never truly seem to reach. It comes across in this letter as follows, typed exactly as it was written (oh and the postage was 2 cents!):



Rock City Falls, N.Y
April 8, 1923

My Dear Lalah,
We had neither Sunday School or Church Service to-day as the minister is attending the annual conference. So I am endeavoring to dispose of some of mother's tablet. I discovered that my box of writing material had run ashore.
I am anxious to know what you did about the school that was offered you. I like my school better all the time. I expect three new pupils to-morrow morning, Platt Smiths children. I have nine weeks more.
We have fifty of our maples trees tapped. Yesterday was the busiest day the folks have had. I took a big milk pail and started out to gather some. But I had a pail full before I had emptied out the second bucket.
Four of the bosses of the Adirondack Light and Power Line are boarding here.They have been here three weeks, expect to remain about three months. So you can judge from this that mother is feeling better.
You had better be careful what you say about my not wishing to come and see you or you may find my hanging around more than you desire this summer.
Automobiles are quite plentiful through here again.It certainly seemed good to see them on the move once more.
I don't know whether the "Hooker Minister" will be sent back here again or not. I rather hope not. His baby yelled at the top of her voice through the greater part of the service last Sunday. Finally Mrs. Crewe carried her into the S.S. room. It was just before he announced the last hymn and I guess someone must have smiled as she passed out for he jumped to his feet and exploded "She's my baby! She cries like all babies and I don't know that you have any reason to laugh at her!" Everyone slipped down in their seats six inches they were so astonished. It was a grand Easter service. I don't believe he knows the story of the Resurrection yet.
Must help mother with the supper.

Lovingly, Alta


OK, after thinking about all of this my thoughts are as follows....maybe people need to just stop the insanity and live simpler lives. The more we have the more unhappy we become. I'm not talking about giving up our phones and our computers and T.V's but do we really need everything ever created in our closets and home entertainment systems?

My own mother had very little as a child. She was born about a year and 1/2 after that letter was written. When she talked of those times it was never about not having things, it was about her mother and father and what wonderful people they were. It was about going for picnics, ice skating,going on walks, taking care of the animals they had. It wasn't all fabulous, times were tough but the values they had then were different. At the time that letter was written it was the 20's. There was change occurring then just as their always has been in every decade. I'm sure some people at that time may have wondered what was coming with women cutting their hair short and showing their legs. At that time it was probably a big deal to them. Things became pretty crazy leading up to the 30's and the depression. Then WWII. People really went through some heavy stuff back then. It shaped who they became. My own Mother was the thriftiest person I've ever known. She never wasted anything because she always had that "do not waste" mentality.

I have to admit, I myself became a shopping maniac as a younger woman and even till recently but lately that has changed. now when I go to a store I go to buy something I need and that is that. No more shopping just to shop. It does nothing for me anymore. I realized that I did that because it was a temporary distraction to whatever was going on in my life. No more. What's the point? It doesn't help in the long run and it's boring after a while. Have I completely stopped buying anything extra and not needed? No not completely as evidenced by my previous perfume review, but the difference between what I buy and the amount I buy now ,and what I bought in the past is pretty significant. Now,I watch and listen to people who must have the latest this and that, who buy everything that's not nailed down and it explains a lot of how we got into this mess we're in.

The thing about the way people lived back then is that they seemed to have more satisfying connections to each other. I don't mean to idealize things ,but now we do not seem to do the things people did back then socially. All the pictures I came across in my Mom's collection were of get togethers, people enjoying the social interaction of being together. I think this is something that is really lacking in a lot of people's lives now. Of course it's a different world now but I think we could take something from the way people connected back then.

Maybe some of what's happening is a kick in the pants from the universe. Sort of pushing things back in a different direction from where we had been heading before all of this happened. Of course I am not wishing hardship on anyone and I hope I don't sound like I am. Maybe we just need to stop and think about why we are buying that bag of makeup, new necklace, bottle of perfume etc. on a deeper level and what we hope to gain from owning it. All I am thinking here is that maybe we all need to slow down and really look at what is truly important in our lives.

That's all for now! :)

Separated at Birth?

I realize this is completely random and that it is probably a scary sign that I am getting really old, but am I the only person who sees an eerie similarity between Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Actor Thomas Mitchell? I mean the resemblance is REALLY uncanny in my opinion. Thomas Mitchell was the actor who played Uncle Billy Bailey in the classic feelgood Christmas movie "It's a Wonderful Life". Remember him? He was the dotty uncle who left all the deposit money for Bailey building and loan on the bank counter which mean old Mr Potter stole and used to try and ruin George Bailey, who was played by the wonderful Jimmy Stewart. I swear, these two ARE the same person!

The Me Show

Look at the lovely lady to the right. Ms.Rita Hayworth. They don't make them like that anymore, or do they? I always thought of her as a classic diva. After listening to bad news every day lately regarding the sorry state of affairs in this country I have to say that reading the Dirty Papers this week was sorely needed. Taking in total nonsense about celebrity habits and scandal took the focus off of my constant worrying and fretting about the state of my own life as well. This week, I am not going to give a review of the top stories but I wanted to mention one in particular that made me simultaneously disgusted and jealous as hell. The story I am speaking of is one that details the demands of performers when they are making an appearance. I am disgusted with this because these people are being paid outrageously to begin with. I am jealous because, well, I want to demand my favorite bacon, fancy pastries, Trader Joe's Jo Jo cookies and dark chocolate with roasted almonds, Slatkin candles, classic jazz CD's, an on call masseuse, makeup artist and personal chef at my disposal at all times. I cannot even begin to imagine what this kind of life would be like, but I damned well deserve it after everything I do all week at work and after my life experiences in general. I remember many years ago hearing that Van Halen always asked for M&M's with a certain color picked out of the bag. Now that is just plain controlling and ridiculous yet I long to be able to ask for something this random and actually be able to get it. .



The first performer discussed is Celine Dion. She appears to have a 67 page contract that demands Bavarian figs, French cherries, 20 to 24 members of the best local children's choir, and at least 11 onstage bodyguards, 8 of whom must be on chairs that can swivel 30 degrees. She also travels with a personal dentist and has an on call throat specialist. I want to know why 30 degrees is specified here? What does this mean? What would happen if it was 35 degrees and what is so great about Bavarian figs? I am officially vowing to experience Bavarian figs before I die. Can someone trell me what the deal is with them? They are now added to my list.



Christina Aguilera requests a police escort to her performances. She specifies that "under no circumstances are the vehicles to be allowed to encounter any delays due to traffic". Now this is something I would really do if I was completely self centered and filthy rich. I would use it to go to the grocery store, to Marshall's, just everywhere. I would even use it to get to my mailbox, yes I would. And yes, I would still go to those places if I was loaded. She also demands 10 bottles of room temperature water as long as it's not Evian brand. I agree with her on that. I recently had Evian and it was really horrible tasting. It's funny that it started the bottled water craze because it really is the worst out there. She also asks for "real" plates and utensils, nothing plastic, organic only fruit and veggie platters, carnation instant breakfast original malt flavor and Flintstones vitamins. What's with the Flintstones x-tina? And the carnation mix doesn't seem to go with organic veggies. I guess this is just a case of "What a Girl Wants". (You had to know that was coming didn't you?)


Beyonce requests chicken smothered in fresh garlic, season salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper heavily seasoned. Does this make anyone else really hungry just thinking about it? She also wants her room to be maintained at 78 degrees and a private bathroom cleaned with disinfectant. Shouldn't every bathroom be cleaned like this anyway? I really want some spicy chicken right now after reading this.



Mariah Carey requests albacore tuna packed in water, homemade desserts, tea made with Poland spring water, Cristal champagne, diet coke, snapple and bendy straws to drink with. Oh and her deli turkey must be sliced wafer thin and her towels must be large and fluffy. Champagne and fluffy towels are officially added to my list.


Singer Amy Winehouse asks for two bottles of red wine, a case of lager, large bottles of vodka, champagne and courvoisier. She also wants mineral water, organic yogurt, fruit smoothies and contact info for the closest gym. The alcohol part I get but the organic yogurt and gym info baffles me. She looks within an inch of death. Does she really care about working out when she is probably under 100 lbs and ready to fall over at any minute?


Paula Abdul demands a breakfast of toast, bagels, English muffins, fresh fruit, coffee, 4 gallons of milk, 2 gallons of orange juice. Lunch is a hot soup, deli platter, potato chips and cookies. Dinner is salad, two entrees and a vegetarian meal, fruit salad and dessert. Paula, I want to travel with you. For someone so tiny she really focuses on her food and I like that. How crazy can she be when cookies and chips are in her life?



Finally, I saved the best for last, Ms J. Lo. She specifies that her furniture ,drapes and candles must all be white and diptyque brand only. Her trailer must be 40 feet long. Her Evian water kept at room temp and she only wants apricot, mango and peach juices...apple and grape are forbidden. She also has a huge sweet tooth and request brownies, apple pie a la mode and chocolate chip cookies. OK J. Lo, the desserts make me almost like you and think there is a part of you that is still normal.


So there you have it. I am going to ask my boss if she can have champagne and a masseuse available for me during our next staff meeting. It's the very least she could do after everything I endure while working during the week. Maybe I can even finagle some apple pie out of it too??

That's all for now! :)

Featured Fragrance Review: Prada Infusion D'Iris

Perfume will always be a love of mine. It is a catalyst for lifting my mood or comforting me or transporting me to another place or memory. I recently discovered this fragrance after being given a small amount by a friend and being able to test it properly. I am happy to say that it is truly wonderful and not at all expensive to boot! I have a habit of falling in love with things that are really exclusive and excruciatingly expensive and this is refreshingly affordable and pretty easy to find. I ended up buying my bottle of ebay for a very reasonable price.

On the box the notes listed are as follows: Italian mandarin, Tunisian neroli, Orange flower, Pallida Iris, Cedarwood, Vetiver, Galbanum, Somali incense and Laos benzoin. This is one of those fragrances that you would never be able to connect to those notes. I do get an initial blast of cedar and orange blossom but after about 10 minutes this dries down a lovely clean powdery soft scent. I would definitely call this a skinscent. It doesn't smell like you are wearing perfume at all, it's airy but it stays close to your skin and smells clean and warm and "come closer"-ish. I really like that it manages to be clean and powdery without being soapy or nauseating as clean scents and powdery scents can be if overdone. It has a greenness to is yet it manages to be soft at the same time. I would call this an elegant scent that could be worn in just about any situation. This is one I would grab when I am unsure as to what to wear. It is an EDP and it lasts for about 4 hours on my skin. It is sparkly yet soft just as the new version of Chanel No 5 Eau premiere is. It is less floral than the Chanel and more modern smelling, but I would put it in the same category as an easy to wear, fresh, clean, yet soft and gentle scent. If you're looking for something new to try and you like soft skinscents give this one a go.

That's all for now! :)

Lets Dance

In honor of my favorite show starting a new season tonite, I would like to post a video of a song that says it all. I have been watching Dancing With The Stars for a few years now and it always sucks me in. This season I have a more personal investment in it due to a really klassy man on the subway today loudly telling me in front of a very crowded car of people that I have a "bangin'ass like Kim Kardashian" just as the train pulled into the 59th street station. For the uninformed reading this, Kim Kardashian is appearing in this seasons show as a celeb dancer. Oh and P.S, my derriere is hugely FAT in case you were wondering.

Long before this show I have always wanted to take dance lessons and learn enough to be able to stop embarrassing myself out on the dance floor. I am what you would call a "free form" dancer. Did you ever see Elaine on Seinfeld dance? Well, I'm not THAT bad but I would like to be able to confidently go out there and shake my money maker with no fear of making people laugh or run away. I am planning to take dance lessons this winter and I am really hoping to be able to learn some exciting Latin dances while doing it.

I thought of this song because well, it talks about dancing and it is a song that really takes me back. It was hugely popular when I was in high school. I even went to see the legendary Mr Bowie in concert and yes, he was God-like. It is 26 years later (OMG, WHEN DID I GET SO OLD???????) and I still remember every single word to this one. I love the beat, I love the old dude in the bar doing the funky chicken, I love the girl in the red shoes out in the dirt dancing and David Bowie is just about the coolest man alive next to Jackie Chan. Not to mention the fact that Bowie does not even pretend to be playing the guitar he is holding. What else could you want from a song or video? Of course there is a social statement made here about materialism and the red shoes are symbolic of the start of it all for the couple shown, but I'd rather just focus on the music and the man singing it. This was made at a time when videos were not as high falutin'. MTV was fairly new and this was one of the more interesting offerings at the time. It really does make me want to put on some red shoes and dance my blues ,and who else could get away with saying the words "because my love for you, would break my heart in two.... if you should fall into my arms and tremble like a floooooooooower" besides Bowie? I'm sure I'm getting old and losing touch here, but to me this song is still just as good today as it was then. It doesn't sound dated to me at all and it has a good beat and some interesting lyrics. And the phrase "serious moonlight" alone makes it something that people should hear. I present for your listening pleasure Mr David Bowie crooning "Lets Dance"......

Wintery Thoughts......

Winter is coming. I can feel it. It's still warm out here but there is something in the air ,especially at night, that made me go to my old haunt Marshalls and buy a new winter coat yesterday. I am also thinking of getting an air conditioner cover since taking it out of my window is not feasible and it becomes drafty in cold weather. I dread the sun setting at 4 pm, the trees being bare, the generally bleak feeling that comes with shorter days and colder temperatures. I used to love it when I was younger, I loved winter sports and I loved the cold. Lately, I am not feeling as fond of this season as I used to. This inevitable change in seasons has lead me to food-ish thoughts lately. In the summer, I really do not cook much. It's hot, I don't feel like eating much and I do not want to heat up my small space by turning on an oven. The winter however is a different story. I work so I do not cook nightly but I tend to make one or two things that I can live off of for a week, usually on Saturdays or Sundays. Today, I want to give you a few recipes for winter foods that I make regularly. These are dishes I turn to time and time again and really love. The man loved my cooking, these are some of his favorite winter dishes too.



First up is a soup. I never would have thought I could love lentils so much, but this soup is just delicious and there is nothing more soothing and satisfying on a freezing cold day than sitting down to a bowl of this and some garlic bread or cornbread. It tastes better as it sits in the fridge for a few days too. Do not let the "exotic" ingredients scare you, it has a really wonderful flavor!



Tomato-Coconut Lentil soup



1 onion diced

3-4 cloves garlic chopped ( the more the better!)

2 tbl olive oil

2 to 3 tsp cumin

1 tsp tumeric

2 tsp gr coriander

2 tablespoons fresh (or three tbl dried) mint.

1 tsp white pepper

1 cup red lentils. (must be red, they will dissolve and thicken the soup)

1 cup green lentils

1 (28 oz) can tomato puree or stewed tomatoes (puree gives better texture)

1 (15 0z) can coconut milk (I use the low fat one)

salt to taste



Saute the onions and garlic, add the spices and cook a bit till the rawness is diminished and they are slightly toasted. (If you are using fresh mint add it just before serving so the flavor is brighter, dried mint can be added to the onions in the beginning). Add 4 cups water, add the green lentils and cook till they are almost done...( I cooked them for about 45 min to an hour) now add the red ones and you will need to add more water...add just enough for them to cook. If you want to you can add a boullion cube or two to the water for additional flavor ( I like ham flavored), you will have to add less salt later on if you do this. This will be very thick but you will be adding other liquid in a bit so do not worry, you can always adjust liquid later. Now, cook the red lentils for about 20 minutes, they will dissolve and thicken the soup even more....add a bit more liquid if needed and now add tomatoes and the coconut milk and salt to taste, cook for about 10-15 more minutes till everything is combined. This is fabulous and tastes even better a few days later.





The second recipe I want to give you today is for a really wonderful tomato sauce that I have had many times at a favorite restaurant in Manchester Vermont. I love Manchester. My Mom and I used to go there a lot, it was very close to where I grew up. She had family nearby and we also loved to go shopping in town when there were a lot of outlets. I have gone back in recent years with the man and we loved eating at " The Perfect Wife". We even had a brush with fame there once. Tim Daly the actor of Wings/Private Practice TV show fame was there with his wife eating and we were perched high above him in the tavern eating while acting like we were not watching him. By the way, he hates tomatoes as evidenced by him picking them all out of his dish.

Being the weirdo that I am, I even have a picture of this restaurants devastatingly beautiful coconut cream pie set to the main display on my cell phone. It is so heavenly that just looking at it daily serves as an anchor for me in my stressful life.

Chef Amy Chamberlain is tremendously talented and one of the nicest people you could ever meet. There is a fabulous appetizer she serves that involves a bed of super tasty curry tomato sauce in a casserole dish. On top of the sauce there are big, warm,creamy blobs of baked goat cheese. This is served with eggplant "fries" or sticks of fried eggplant for dipping. Is your mouth watering yet? Chef Amy also uses it in a dish with rice pilaf, roasted sweet potato hash and a sun dried cherry chutney. I wrote to her and she graciously sent me her wonderful recipe after scaling it down to household proportions since she makes gallons of it at a time for her restaurant.

This has become a staple for me. There is so much I do with it. I have used it over chicken breasts, over fish, dolloped it into raw egg whites or whole eggs and scrambled for a delicious breakfast. I've also dropped raw whole eggs into it while it gently simmers to poach them that way and served over basmati rice for a different dinner or lunch. I've simmered shrimp in it (deeeelicious!), dolloped it over a baked sweet potato and a real favorite is dumping a few cans of chickpeas and maybe a cut up potato into it and creating a wonderful stew to serve over steamed basmati rice. Just delicious! The recipe makes about 2 quarts and freezes well. I try to always have some on hand in my freezer so I can throw together something good in a few minutes that tastes like I spent hours fussing. Even if you do not like curry I think you might like this one. It's pretty mild. If you are ever in Manchester please pay Amy a visit, you will not be disappointed!



Yellow Curry Satay:



1 lg. onion, diced

4 T. chopped garlic

2T. good curry powder (Look for Madras brand in a gold tin)

1 T. ground cumin

2 t. dried basil2 t. dried oregano

1/2 cup mango chutney ( I use Major greys found at the grocery store)

1 can coconut milk ( I use low fat again, still tastes great)

5 c. canned diced tomatoes

1 c. canned tomato puree



Sweat the onions and garlic til soft. Add spices and toast them a little. Add chutney and coconut milk. Simmer till combined nicely. Add tomato product. Simmer for one hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.



The last three recipes are nothing exotic or thrilling but they are always loved and appreciated. They are both totally American Mom/apple pie type of recipes. First we have good ole chocolate chip cookies. I must tell you that nothing disappoints me more than a crunchy chocolate chip cookie. Most recipes make a nice cookie that you must eat the day they are baked or they taste stale and hard the very next day. Not so with these. This recipe comes from Cooks Illustrated magazine. These cookies taste fresh for days afterward if they make it that long. They are chewy and delicious and so easy to make. I like to mix up the dough and use a cookie scoop to portion the dough out into cookie sized dough balls. Then I freeze the raw dough in a ziplock baggie. I bake on demand as needed, but you could easily bake up a full batch and they will still taste fresh days later. I just do not want a batch of baked cookies laying around to binge on so I only make as many as I want to eat at the moment.


Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies


2 cups plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter (12 tbsp), melted and cooled until just warm
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together butter and sugars. Beat in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, followed by chocolate chips.Drop by (scant) 1/4 cups onto the baking sheet and pat lightly so the cookie is an even thickness, not a ball shape. Cookies will spread as they bake and this ensures a more even spread.Bake at 325F for 15-17 minutes, until just turning light brown all over. The edges should only be very slightly more brown, if at all, from the rest of the cookie. Allow cookies to cool before removing them from the baking sheet.Makes 18-24 large cookies. (I make smaller cookies, not 1/4 cup of dough, more like half of that)

These are wonderful and just the best. They stay fresh tasting for days.

Another favorite cookie also comes from Cooks Illustrated. These are positively addictive. They are called Brown Sugar Cookies but they taste so rich and buttery, like caramel. They are so flavorful and I cannot stop at one. They have a wonderful chewiness to them and that combined with the browned butter flavor makes them irresistable. Here is the recipe taken directly from the Cooks Illustrated website. These take minutes to mix up despite the long directions, do not be put off by that. They are very easy and quick!

Brown Sugar Cookies

Published: March 1, 2007
Makes 2 Dozen Cookies



The most efficient way to bake these cookies is to portion and bake half of the dough. While the first batch is in the oven, the remaining dough can be prepared for baking. Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter. The dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is sufficiently browned. Use fresh brown sugar, as older (read: harder and drier) brown sugar will make the cookies too dry.

INGREDIENTS

14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (about 1 3/4 ounces)
2 cups packed dark brown sugar (14 ounces)
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter to melt; set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. In shallow baking dish or pie plate, mix granulated sugar and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, rubbing between fingers, until well combined; set aside. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl; set aside.

3. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

4. Divide dough into 24 portions, each about 2 tablespoons, rolling between hands into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, toss balls in reserved sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, 12 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but it will take 3 batches.) Note:I personally skip the rolling in extra sugar step. They are sweet enough for me without it.

5. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone; see photo below), 12 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake.

6. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Tip on checking for doneness from Cooks Illustrated:

Achieving the proper texture—crisp at the edges and chewy in the middle—is critical to this recipe. Because the cookies are so dark, it's hard to judge doneness by color. Instead, gently press halfway between the edge and center of the cookie. When it's done, it will form an indent with slight resistance. Check early and err on the side of underdone.

Finally, something I am not proud of but it has been so popular with the man over the years that I have to tell you about it. It is called "Meatloaf Muffins". I know it does sound trashy, but I will confess that I am a meatloaf lover. My Mom used to make the best meatloaf on earth, but I began to make one from a Weight Watchers recipe and the man loved it so much that it became a winter thing here. I have used turkey instead of ground beef to lighten it up and it tastes fine. I realize that it is "processed" with the stuffing mix but what can I say? It seems to go over big. It was always good for me with my dieting because of the portion control and people love getting their own individual loafs. The recipe makes 12 "muffins".
If you are a Weight Watcher one muffin is 4 points.

Meatloaf Muffins

2 lbs lean ground beef or turkey
about 1/2 cup ketchup (I just squeeze randomly from the container into the mix)
1 7 ounce box of stovetop stuffing
1 1/2 cups water
1 to 2 eggs
salt and pepper

Mix this all together. Just use the stuffing dry out of the box, smash everything together with your hands. Now divide it into 12 Pam sprayed muffin tins. I actually use an ice cream scooper for this. Bake the "muffins" at 350 for about 35 minutes. If you like your meatloaf crusty, turn out the muffins onto a Pam sprayed foil lined baking sheet to bake for an additional 15 minutes till they are browned and done. If you do not like a crusty loaf just finish baking in the tins. The man used to love taking this in a sandwich for his lunch.

I will be posting more recipes in the near future but these are the ones that came to mind recently with thoughts of winter. I hope you try one or two and enjoy as much as I do!

That's all for now! :)