The Things I Saw on Mulberry Street

I keep seeing things while driving that make me do double takes (and nearly crash the car) in the past few weeks I have seen:

An egret (great?) on the side of the 101. It startled the heck out of me. For a minute I thought that it was a photo or and ad or something. It was hanging out by the Van Nuys, right by the exit sign. I think he may have been hitching a ride. And I say he because my dad always calls all egrets "Ronald" (R. egret).

A puppy in a pet store on Wilshire. That doesn't sound all that exciting but I don't think that the puppy was supposed to be running around the store because he appeared to be freaking out with joy and was DANCING in front of the window.

Speaking of windows, an MRI center on Wilshire has set up a skeleton as if it was opening the curtains to peer out. I was sitting in traffic and it happened to catch my eye. I cracked up.

Two cats sitting in a window watching traffic. Well, one cat sitting in a window and then the head of another cat as he popped up and then down as he fell off the couch.

Oh, and while sitting in the car with Sherri, before going to lunch, we saw a squirrel taunt a cat from on top a fence by...urinating on him. The squirrel missed but looked like he was gearing up for another shot. The cat didn't even notice. Imagine going to all the effort of peeing on your natural enemy from on high and then your enemy doesn't even deign to respond.

Of course, I saw all these things on my way home from work. On my way to work I see...nothing. Sometimes I don't even remember how I got there.

IT'S A SQUIRREL! NOT A TURKEY!

Ok, so Thanksgiving was nice. I did a fair amount of cooking but I didn’t make the turkey. Well, not until Sunday when I made a turkey. But I didn’t make the Thanksgiving turkey. What did I make (because I know you care)?

Pecan Pie (with fresh whipped cream)
Soft dinner rolls
Sweet potato casserole
Cucumber and sweet onion salad
Hot spinach and artichoke dip
Deviled eggs

And then on Sunday I made a turkey so we could have turkey sammiches. I also made stuffing and gravy and sweet potato muffins since I had some sweet potato left over and I needed to make breakfasts for week anyway. Sadly the sudden colony of ants decided that they really liked my muffins and ate half of them. But I am so smart S-M-R-T and I put half in the freezer so NYAH! I still have breakfasts for the week. Take that ants!

I guess it’s getting to be that time of the year. CHRISTMAS MUSIC TIME! I am working on yet another annoying mix for the kiddies. So far, all I know is that Fairytale of New York will be on there because I love it and Jodi doesn’t think she knows it (but I am pretty sure she does). At the moment, I am listening to Sufjan Steven’s Christmas stuff and although I like it, I am getting a little banjo overload here. Let me recommend that you take a listen instead to DJ Riko’s Christmas mixes, if you are, you know, feeling the holiday spirit at the moment (scroll way down).

Saturday Night

Had a nice enough Thanksgiving. Ate some turkey, drank some wine, DIDN'T DO THE DISHES (thank you Jon, you totally rock). AND...AND...for the first time in a long time, i got my pecan (pronounced like pee-can) pie. Everyone always wants the pumpkin (Hey Jules, look at all the pretty pumpykins!) and I make it. But this year, the lovely Janey made a pumpkin pie so i made pecan...and it was good. Let's see...what else did we have...all the usual suspects I guess. But the point is that the day was spent with nice people and for that I am thankful but next year, I am serious, it's martinis for dinner. Maybe i can find a way to make a whole alcoholic dinner. Like a turkey colada and a stuffing and tonic...nah. But oh hey, I actually am working on the cupcake dinner so...maybe next year it's CUPCAKES and martinis. We'll have to discuss this.

Oh, hey, I just watched Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and it was not at all bad. I liked it a heck of a lot more than I liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory...yeesh, I did not care for that one at all. But I will say that Bridget Jones provided a few chuckles, actually more than a few. It was worth my time just to see a realistic portrayal of a girl running in an evening dress, girdle and heels. And another realistic portrayal of boys fighting (yeah, you THINK you look tough but you are so very, very wrong). And it was better than the book. I don't often say that but in this case, I think it's pretty true.

OK, Oprah is telling me what her favorite things are (damn she has expensive tastes!) and there appears to be a glass a wine with my name on it. Jodi-odi-odi, stay warm, the pups are doing well and oh, yeah...I GOT A NEW CAMERA!

My long holiday is almost over, I gotta go milk it for all it's worth.

Hate-Givin' Wishes

Ugh, that picture ALMOST got me to finally go vegetarian last year...almost. That is the aftermath of Donovan's Mama's amazing turkey.

This, however, is amazing in a whole different way. A different, scary way. Thank you, my dear brother, for showing this to me, it will haunt my dreams forever.

He (my brother) suggested that i get that same mold for my tofurkey. Sadly, there will be no tofurkey this year, not for Thanksgiving anyway. sigh. I really wanted to but I just don't have the time...well either that or I am just too damn lazy. I think it's that one. The too damn lazy one. I do suspect that if i did make the tofurkey we could actually change the holiday name to HATE-GIVIN'.

And this one is just for the ladies...ok, well anyone can click but the girls will laugh, the boys, maybe not so much with the laughing...especially if they are actually british.

Have a happy whatever you may be celebrating. Me, I will go the traditional route and have Thanksgiving dinner with friends. For that I am thankful.

"Happy Christmas yer Arse..."

I like Christmas music. This may come as a shock to…nah, everyone knows that I like Christmas music. The music I tend to like the most though, not so merry and bright. One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Fairy Tale of New York” as sung by mybeloved Shane MacGowan (of the wonderful Pogues) and the lovely Kirsty MacColl (you may remember her as the “Electric Landlady”). Sadly, Kirsty died in a tragic incident a few years ago. The circumstances surrounding her death have raised many questions and her mother has campaigned tirelessly for inquiries into her daughter’s death. This year Shane MacGowan has re-recorded “Fairy Tale of New York” to raise money for “Justice for Kirsty.” When I read this article I thought I should have mixed feelings about such a thing. I actually don’t. I have no beef with Kate Moss and I like that this is being recorded to help a mother struggling to reveal the truth. I hope I can track it down before Christmas because, quite frankly I can not resist any Christmas song that rhymes maggot with faggot. And really how many Christmas songs begin with the phrase “It was Christmas Eve babe, In the drunk tank?”

Kate may get too much press. She may be really skinny. But it appears to me that she mostly just lives her life and it’s the press who makes a big deal about her. I don’t recall seeing photos of her swanning about, mostly she seems to be either posing (she is a model after all) or going about her business while the paparazzi go mad around her. Mind you, I don’t pay much attention to her but she doesn’t appear to me to be like some other “celebrities”, doing horrible things and blaming someone else. Please, correct me if I am wrong, I honestly don’t know and actually don’t care but it seems that she has done stuff like getting caught doing drugs and then she went into rehab, who amongst us hasn’t? Oh. Right. I haven’t but whatever. My point is, who the heck cares?

I love the song, I don’t know that we needed a new version of it but I think it will benefit a good cause. Give the original a listen this Christmas. I promise it will make you laugh and then be really horrified that you did. It’s a keeper, this one.

"Was ever a climax better compressed?"

She's not quite finished yet but she's getting there...

It is distrurbing how entertaining this is.
One more for the english major in me...2b?Ntb?=?.
And giraffes made of plywood.

Things that made my day a little better...

The Most Excellent :) and Lamentable :( Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Told Entirely in Emoticons

Eeeeeeeeeeeee!

Eleven Twelve might sound kind of familiar if you are about my age. The video might jog your memory if the song doesn't. This one holds other special memories for me. When my oldest nephew (who is now 13) was a baby, my brother claimed that he only knew a few songs to sing him. One of them was the "It's log!" song from Ren & Stimpy and the other was the pinball song from Sesame Street. I like them both.

This and That

One of my favorite places to visit is flipflopflyin. Craig’s art just makes me so happy. I don’t know how he can make such lovely things from just a few pixels but damn he does it good. One feature that he used to have (and sadly discontinued) was “der Ohrwurm” which chronicled the songs that were stuck in his head on any given day. I thought of “der Ohrwurm” this morning when I could not get a song out of my head. I generally use the Duran Duran trick that I think I may actually have learned from Craig (for some reason “Rio” trumps all other songs and blasts them right out of your head but DOES NOT STICK! Like Teflon it is!)…anyway…this song…ok, look, I know you will laugh but I grew up in New Jersey, it’s like a genetic thing but I had “I’ll Be There for You” by Bon Jovi running through my head. It was killing me.
Aside: I once saw Bon Jovi in concert but only because they opened for Ratt . Bon Jovi sucked so much that we left and came back to see Ratt. And laugh as much as you like but Robbin Crosby was one hot man before…you know…the whole aids thing. R.I.P. Robbin. I love you no matter what.
Anway,..where was I? Oh right. Stuck in my head. But then I came to work and I listened to this…so…now…*sigh*. It’s bad. But I am singing a happy anus song because I need the relief.

Had a nice weekend. Bought some stuff at the Camarillo Outlets and yes, they are worth a bit of a drive if you are feeling lucky. I got 2 shirts and a BRIGHT GREEN sweater at the Eddie Bauer outlet, a Bobbi Brown powder compact, and a pair of burgundy Bass clogs. Works for me. Then we drove down PCH, had a deeply fried lunch at Neptune’s Net, which is a great biker and surfer hang out and then drove along and tried to look into rich people’s homes.

I also did a little drive-by dogsitting for Jodi-odi-odi. I only had to feed the dogs for one night but it’s always nice to see them. Although I do swear that someday they will all work together to knock me over, take me down and eat me alive. It will happen.

Oh hey, as long as I am here…
Currently Reading: I finished the Jasper Ffffforde novel I was reading (Something Rotten) and have moved on to The Mammoth Cheese which references one of my favorite history trivia facts.

Comics: I read the most recent Love in a Foreign Language and quite enjoyed it. (Jodi, when I track down the first two I will loan them to you, I think you might like them). I also read Full Moon Fever. I have finally started reading Long Hot Summer and I am still toting around that Swamp Thing book.

Listening to: Not much of anything. I was listening to the opera Otello in the car the other day, and John Coltrane’s Lush Life this morning. I did get and I do enjoy the newest Nada Surf album. They are a little poppy and light but they make me happy. I was also given the Living Things album (one of the perks of working in a building that used to house a record company…we still get some samples (and I am not linking to their site because it’s really flash heavy and annoying, look them up if you are interested)). It’s ok. I really like the single “Bom Bom Bom” but the rest of the album kind of all sounds the same to me.

Watching: Just the usual stuff. We do have Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from Netflix. I am very curious about it as the source material is one of my favorite books. I have a soft spot for the Gene Wilder version of the movie because I do like him a lot but I know that it was not a hit with the Dahl family and a lot of the fans of the book. I just like it on it’s own merits (I am particularly fond of Veruca Salt’s song…”Geeses, Gooses. I want a goose that lays golden eggs for Easter!”).

Finally, I know my birthday is now past. If you were wondering what to get me for Christmas…(if you need to log in, I suggest using bugmenot.

Snacks and Wax on PCH

Spend the morning at the Camarillo Outlets and then drove down PCH to Neptunes Net for some lunch.

Badass

I'm not saying that it was a nice thing to do, but it is nice to see that there are still some badass authors in the world. I'm pretty sure Hemmingway never did anything like this.

The Art of Serving Food Attractively...

...printed in 1951 and written by Mary Albert Wenker...

Just two quick tips on appetizers:

Hollow out tiny cook beets to form cups and fill with chopped cooked clams.
or
Parboil onions and scoop out center to form onion cups. Refill with a colorful relish or tiny hot meatballs.

Say it with me...tiny, hot meatballs. It just rolls off the tongue.

Tomorrow I will turn older. I will take the day off, go shopping, maybe see a movie and I think I will insist upon linguini and meatballs for dinner. It should be a grand day!

READ THIS LINK!

Science is so freakin' cool!

SARDINES—IN A BOX

I'm not terribly inspired today so I thought I would share another gem from my disturbing cookbook collection...

From Chaper VIII of To the Queen’s Taste
WHAT HAVE YOU ANYWAY?

Nothing but a few limp, cold string beans that the children didn’t eat yesterday? And some tuna fish left from Friday’s lunch? A slightly gristly bit of tongue? Three beets? A half cupful of tomato soup?

Take the string beans. Anyway, they’re cold. There are very few of them, you were thanking your stars, but it takes so little to fill those dishes. Marinate them in some French dressing with a quarter of an onion chopped finely in it.

The beets you slice and arrange in a little overlapping row. You pour a little French dressing over them, and sprinkling with chives from the pot in the window. Or, if they’ve died, you sprinkle a little dill.

You separate the tuna fish into little hunks and pour the tomato soup over them. Strain the soup first.

Slice the tongue paper-thin and leave it alone. Or, if it is beyond that, chop it up and mix it with a little mustard sauce made of mayonnaise and prepared mustard, mixed. Four capers on the top would help, if you have them.

You now have—
STRING BEANS A L’ONION.
BEETS VINAIGRETTES AUX HERBES.
ITALIAN TUNA FISH.
TONGUE, MUSTARD SAUCE.

That’s enough if your hors d’oeuvre tray has only four divisions. If it has six, you may have to open a can of sardines and hard-boil an egg.

First off…ew.
Secondly, apparently anyone CAN cook. Really, all it takes is the kids leaving a few nasty ol’ sting beans on their plates, you know- the ones you were going to make them eat for breakfast until you remembered you had company coming tonight?
Thirdly…ew.
And what is up with all the French dressing? And we all know that French dressing is pretty much just ketchup, mayonnaise and relish anyway, so there’s no cooking there either.

Also, “I” do NOT separate the tuna fish into little hunks. I also do not strain the tomato soup and even if I did, I would not call it “ITALIAN TUNA FISH”. Really!

As for the tongue…well, I personally would have stopped at “Slice the tongue paper thin and leave it alone.” I probably wouldn’t even slice it. Actually, I am quite sure I wouldn’t have any tongue in my refrigerator. Not even my own.

Finally…FOUR CAPERS ON THE TOP DO NOT HELP! WHO ARE YOU FOOLING WITH THE CAPERS?!

That thing...you know..the one that does stuff?

Today has largely been...not...right. Not necessarily not good, just...look, first I drove off to work (quite merrily, I might add) and it wasn't until I was about a mile away from home that I thought "Gee, I want my sunglasses...which are in my purse...WHICH IS ON THE LIVING ROOM FLOOR!". I don't do that. Yeah, I forget your birthday, yeah, I forget MY birthday, haven't a clue how old I am, or how old you are. I don't remember 80% of my childhood and I barely know my phone number but I DO NOT FORGET TO TAKE MY PURSE WITH ME WHEN I LEAVE THE HOUSE! Except, um, this morning. So, I went back to get it.

Not a big deal really, but then later in the day I was keywording some images and I had to go ask Jason what that thing was, you know the one that you put things on and it like moves them to you, it's like a big circle, they have them in factories and you put stuff on them and then...it like conveys them, on a belt...Oh. Yeah. (It wasn't quite that bad but it was pretty brain-farty. I also stared at a picture of a well known cartoon character for about five minutes trying to recall his name. So yeah...brain not work right today. Not sure why but I do taste pennies and smell burnt toast. Maybe I should have that checked out by that guy, you know the one who looks at you and does stuff and then tells you that there's something wrong? That guy.

I am hoping to be more coherent tomorrow.
(spell check just suggested that I replace LIVINGROOM with LEBENSRAUM and "farty" with "farhad", I suspect it's not just me today).

Getting to know your friends.

So, Donovan's Mom sent me one of those "get to know your friends" type of e-mails (which I honestly do like to fill out and read) and I filled it out and sent it back. But then Lovely Cheryl sent one to me too. I looked for my original answers but couldn't find them anywhere so I decided to go ahead and answer them there, just to have the documentation of it. And also because I don't have anything else to say right now because I am a very dull person. Look, I told you that in the beginning. I have very little to say! Anyway, here are my answers...

1. What time did you get up this morning?
Um…I think it was around 7:30. But it might have been 8:00. But tomorrow I will get up at 6:00 so it all evens out in the end. (Besides, I have flexible hours! I can sleep later if I want too! SHUT UP!)

2. Diamond or pearls?
Pearls. And you know, I do have a birthday coming up soon… hint, hint.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Wallace and Grommit: Curse of the Wererabbit

4. What is your favorite TV show?
Currently obsessed with the British show Green Wing.

5. What did you have for breakfast?
Homemade sour cherry scone. Sour cherries have good pain relieving properties. They aren’t really working today though…

6. What is your middle name?
Lucrece…SHUT UP!

7. What is your favorite food?
I always answer this one different but today I am going to say fried oysters. (I also love sushi, pizza and fried chicken).

8. What food do you dislike?
I despise green peppers. Please don’t bring them near me. Can’t even stand the smell.

9. What is your favorite chip flavor?
Plain potato, preferably Herr’s.

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment?
I’ve been listening to this jazz mix that BeaucoupKevin made over and over again. I especially like the Chet Baker song. Sigh, he’s dreamy.

11. Favorite sandwich?
Probably the classic PBJ. I generally eat all hippie healthy foods when I can but the PBJ is a classic and you don’t mess with the classic. Gotta be white bread, gotta be grape jelly, and for me, a little more jelly than peanut butter.

12. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Today I am saying Edinburgh, Scotland. Tomorrow, who knows?

13. What color is your bathroom?
Yukky, dirty yellowish (and those purple stains on the wall are not from me dying my hair, as far as you know).

14. Favorite brand of clothing?
Hunh, I don’t know. I buy a lot of Old Navy stuff.

15. Where would you retire?
Somewhere beachy and southern-ish…or Santa Fe, New Mexico.

16. Favorite time of the day?
Middle of the night when it’s QUIET!

17. What was your most memorable birthday?
I’m gonna have to go with 16th. I know that I was running late with the cleaning and baking of the cake so I was still in the shower when people started showing up. It was supposed to be a movie party but the VCR broke (my mom ran out and rented a new one). I think there were people who showed up that were not invited and I do remember that one girl gave me a boy for my birthday. Jodi-odi-odi conjectured that he was gay but he was actually a drug dealer. Don’t look at me that way, I didn’t know that until much later.

18. Where were you born?
Camden, N.J.

19. Favorite sport to watch?
Eh, I’ll watch football, basketball and surfing but I don’t really care about any of them. I do love boxing but I don’t follow it.

20. Who do you least expect to send this back to you?
Oh, when I sent it I don’t even remember who I sent it to. Rats.

21. Person to send it back first?
Um…since I can’t remember who I sent it to, let’s just assume no one sent it back.

22. What fabric detergent do you use?
What ever is free of perfume and dye…I am a very sensitive girl.

23. Coke or Pepsi?
I’m trying not to drink any of it and stick to tea. But every once in a while I CRAVE a Diet Coke.

24. Are you a morning person or night owl?
Night owl. But maybe not as much as Jodi-odi-odi .

25. What is your shoe size?
Usually an 8.

26. Do you have any pets?
I have a lovely cat named Audrey.

27. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with family and friends?
Um…no, Actually, I got nothin’.

28. What did you want to be when you were little?
A ballerina. But the weak ankles proved to be a problem. So then I decided on vet but the chemistry scared me. Then I thought I could be a teacher but that didn’t work out either. Hmmm…someday I will decide what I want to be.

29. Who sent you this quiz and what item on it didn't know before?
This time it was from Cheryl. She said that her favorite food was my cupcakes! *Blush.* Thanks!