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Sophie got to be a "Circus Celebrity" and we got called into the ring to sit and watch the show from *inside* the ring! The show was fab! (And yes, that is a special "circus" hat!!)
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Circus!
Today we went to see the "Greatest Show on Earth"... Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey's latest show "Zing, Zang, Zoom!"
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Sophie got to be a "Circus Celebrity" and we got called into the ring to sit and watch the show from *inside* the ring! The show was fab! (And yes, that is a special "circus" hat!!)
Sophie got to be a "Circus Celebrity" and we got called into the ring to sit and watch the show from *inside* the ring! The show was fab! (And yes, that is a special "circus" hat!!)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
New Hat!
I made Miss B. a new hat for Easter! I used three balls of extra fine merino yarn that KK had given me, stranded together. The yarn color was white, lavender and a darker purple. I made two balls of yarn to start-- one that had one of each color and one ball that had two strands of lavender and one of white (I ran a bit short of the dark purple to do the whole hat in the one colorway). I knit the first two inches of the hat in the lighter color, the middle 5 inches in the darker color and then I alternated again towards the top. The Pattern came from Susan Anderson's "Itty Bitty Hats" book (which is a fabulous pattern book!) and the pattern calls for you to knit four rows with eyelets for the ribbons to be threaded through. To finish off the hat you tie additional ribbon cuttings on the top of the hat. It's fun for Spring and I think Miss B. is looking forward to trying it out!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Found It!
Glad to see that my AMEX card had only fallen between the driver's seat and the console in the Wagon. Alas, it wasn't in the lining of my coat (that's where my second lens cap was...) who says I'm not organized?
Chuck E. Cheese
Today's adventure was visiting Chuck E. Cheese with some of the folks from Gymboree. You'll be pleased to know that, at least while we were there, Crazy Mom was on her best behavior. There was no diaper changing on the tables, nor did she spout off what a crazy schedule she has. However, that being said, we weren't actually there for very long. Miss B. lost interest pretty quickly.
What can I say, I had never been to a Chuck E. Cheese before so I didn't realize that the "little kids" area was just comprised of a couple of those mechanical ride on cars like they have outside of supermarkets. In fact, I think there is a larger selection of mechanical cars in front of our local Old Navy at the Mall. There was no ball pit (which is I guess for the best since the Husband and I discussed, pre-Cheese visit how those things must be impossible to sanitize, unless they were to just douse the entire ball pit with purell from the ceiling a la the mist-devices in the produce section at your local grocery store...), there was one whack-a-mole, one basketball toss, a monster truck, a Barney "train" engine and a Bob the Builder backhoe. Also, I was apparently the only mom who purchased tokens so the machines actually worked... everybody else just seemed to let their kids climb on the rides but then have them not move or light up.
After about twenty minutes of "exploring" the toddler section, Miss B. decided she needed to attempt the Roger Bannister 3-minute mile to the other side of the restaurant. We made those laps a couple of times and then decided it was best if we headed home. After four dollars worth of tokens, our work was done.
What can I say, I had never been to a Chuck E. Cheese before so I didn't realize that the "little kids" area was just comprised of a couple of those mechanical ride on cars like they have outside of supermarkets. In fact, I think there is a larger selection of mechanical cars in front of our local Old Navy at the Mall. There was no ball pit (which is I guess for the best since the Husband and I discussed, pre-Cheese visit how those things must be impossible to sanitize, unless they were to just douse the entire ball pit with purell from the ceiling a la the mist-devices in the produce section at your local grocery store...), there was one whack-a-mole, one basketball toss, a monster truck, a Barney "train" engine and a Bob the Builder backhoe. Also, I was apparently the only mom who purchased tokens so the machines actually worked... everybody else just seemed to let their kids climb on the rides but then have them not move or light up.
After about twenty minutes of "exploring" the toddler section, Miss B. decided she needed to attempt the Roger Bannister 3-minute mile to the other side of the restaurant. We made those laps a couple of times and then decided it was best if we headed home. After four dollars worth of tokens, our work was done.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Score!
I spent $17 on old books today. $5 at the Princeton Theological Seminary Book Sale (it was Box day.... $5 per box, provided you have to be able to carry the box out of the place, otherwise they'll charge you for two boxes) and $12 at the Wellsley Book Sale (which boasts to be the largest used book sale on the East Coast... I don't know if that is true, but it is certainly large...)
I managed to get a First Edition Umberto Eco, a $25 copy of Hemingway's Old Man and The Sea from 1952, a Vonnegut, a copy of Franny and Zooey that appears on Abebooks for $59 and a really neat old copy of "The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table" by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Not to mention an Oxford edition of Jonathan Swift, for the Husband. Over all I got more than 30 books for $17 total!
I managed to get a First Edition Umberto Eco, a $25 copy of Hemingway's Old Man and The Sea from 1952, a Vonnegut, a copy of Franny and Zooey that appears on Abebooks for $59 and a really neat old copy of "The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table" by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Not to mention an Oxford edition of Jonathan Swift, for the Husband. Over all I got more than 30 books for $17 total!
Gymboree
So, today's Gymboree was relatively uneventful. Hippie Mom actualy admonished her child for having her finger up her nose to the second knuckle (win one for personal hygiene!) and Crazy Mom kept her daughter's pants on and everyone was dressed in outside clothes, rather than jammies.
That being said, there were at least two little girls with the equivalent of hacking smokers' coughs. Just a reminder to Moms out there... Gymboree does have a "generous" make-up policy, so please, if you or your tot is exhibiting some sort of typhoid, stay home! I found it a bit ironic that after class, one of the sick kids' nanny's kept covering the child's mouth when she would cough.... mind you, her mother (who accompanied the child in class while Nanny sat outside and waited) didn't bother to do that. Oh, well! And, I was a bit surprised to see this set up at all given that we're in the 'burbs... it seemed so "Manhattan" to have a Nanny waiting while the mom and tot attend class.... so much for Recession Chic.
Now, the big excitement comes tomorrow... we're having a Gymboree meet-up at a local children friendly restaurant. I'm sure there will be stories to tell, that is, if I can be pulled away from the Skee-Ball! :)
That being said, there were at least two little girls with the equivalent of hacking smokers' coughs. Just a reminder to Moms out there... Gymboree does have a "generous" make-up policy, so please, if you or your tot is exhibiting some sort of typhoid, stay home! I found it a bit ironic that after class, one of the sick kids' nanny's kept covering the child's mouth when she would cough.... mind you, her mother (who accompanied the child in class while Nanny sat outside and waited) didn't bother to do that. Oh, well! And, I was a bit surprised to see this set up at all given that we're in the 'burbs... it seemed so "Manhattan" to have a Nanny waiting while the mom and tot attend class.... so much for Recession Chic.
Now, the big excitement comes tomorrow... we're having a Gymboree meet-up at a local children friendly restaurant. I'm sure there will be stories to tell, that is, if I can be pulled away from the Skee-Ball! :)
How to Spend 24 Hours
A) Sleep as much as you can.
B) Once awoken, call office, speak to underlying. Make many more repeated phone calls and emails to Job colleagues re: closing.
C) Bathe. Dress. Bathe child. Dress child. You'd be surprised how many of our friends and neighbors think the "bathing" step is optional, both for themselves and their children. Apparently, Charles Schultz was on to something with "Pigpen". Of course, the other night when I made this observation to the Husband I mistakenly called the Peanuts creator George Schulz (aka the former Secretary of State) regardless, I'm sure he knew a lot about people who fail to take into account personal hygiene, too.
D) Get in Car to drive to City for Puppet Show and general fun-having.
E) Pick up Dunkin Donuts (toasted plain bagel, munchkins, Pepsi, cup of ice). It's Miss B's fave.
F) Proceed to have conference calls with opposing counsel re: last minute title issues, yada, yada, yada while navigating the New Jersey Turnpike. Thank goodness for that pesky hands-free device.
G) Call client while at lowest possible point in Lincoln Tunnel. Be shocked that AT&T service does not decide to "drop call" at crucial moment.
H) Spot NYC police officer directly outside of Lincoln Tunnel while on call with client. Be thankful for pesky hands-free device.
I) Travel up West Side Highway to parking garage destination at Museum of Natural History. Suit up Baby into stroller and attempt to locate "Swedish Cottage" in Central Park.
J) Locate Swedish Cottage, thanks to IKEA-esque Swedish Flag.
K) Attend Marionette Show with Thisbe and Wee Kraken. Reconsider appropriateness of themes in "Peter Pan". Wonder, why is Neverland a good place just because you don't have to take a bath? Question whether this is some sort of mass water-conserving conspiracy vis-a-vis lack of bathing. Hmpf.
L) Shake Shack. Chocolate Shake.
M) Wish farewell to Thisbe and Wee Kraken, now realize we are in New York Metro Area at 3pm. Certainly far too early to return to the wilds of Central New Jersey.
N) Pack Baby in Car, Baby falls asleep in car after approximately 35 seconds. Traverse George Washington Bridge. Find one's self on Route 4 nearing Paramus. If you're in Northern New Jersey, you've got to be near a mall.
O) Visit Bergen Town Center. Home to Nordstrom Rack, Century 21, Saks Off Fifth, Filene's Basement, etc., etc. That's Right. We've found the center of the Northern Jersey Discount Black Hole. Find cute outfits for Baby at Nordstrom. Cheap Seven for All Mankind jeans at Saks and an amazingly large liquor department at Whole Foods. Apparently, Bergen County's laws are far different from Mercer and Middlesex. Of course, you can't buy anything in Bergen on a Sunday, but you can buy wine while shopping for organic produce Monday through Saturday. Who Knew?
P) Next stop? IKEA. The Swedish thing is a theme, apparently. Discover that you can't live without: i) a bulletin board, ii) one small 5 X 7 frame, iii) flexible cutting boards and, finally, iv) two extremely large terra cotta pots (which require you to use a flatbed cart, while negotiating the store with a stroller in tow).
Q) Repeat the phrase: "If I keep the wheels straight, it will go straight" all the way to the parking lot, while using the stroller as a rudimentary rudder to keep flatbed cart stable.
R) Drive home via Garden State Parkway, Turnpike and Routes 1 and 18, thus having successfully circumnavigated the State of New Jersey.
S) Feed Baby Dinner, get Baby ready for bedtime.
T) Hang out with Husband while having tuna on toast and watching the Real Housewives.
U) Take shower. I'm big on this cleanliness thing.
V) Write droll blog entry about day's adventures, since clearly, everyone's dying to know how we spend 24 hours.
W) Repeat Step A above.
B) Once awoken, call office, speak to underlying. Make many more repeated phone calls and emails to Job colleagues re: closing.
C) Bathe. Dress. Bathe child. Dress child. You'd be surprised how many of our friends and neighbors think the "bathing" step is optional, both for themselves and their children. Apparently, Charles Schultz was on to something with "Pigpen". Of course, the other night when I made this observation to the Husband I mistakenly called the Peanuts creator George Schulz (aka the former Secretary of State) regardless, I'm sure he knew a lot about people who fail to take into account personal hygiene, too.
D) Get in Car to drive to City for Puppet Show and general fun-having.
E) Pick up Dunkin Donuts (toasted plain bagel, munchkins, Pepsi, cup of ice). It's Miss B's fave.
F) Proceed to have conference calls with opposing counsel re: last minute title issues, yada, yada, yada while navigating the New Jersey Turnpike. Thank goodness for that pesky hands-free device.
G) Call client while at lowest possible point in Lincoln Tunnel. Be shocked that AT&T service does not decide to "drop call" at crucial moment.
H) Spot NYC police officer directly outside of Lincoln Tunnel while on call with client. Be thankful for pesky hands-free device.
I) Travel up West Side Highway to parking garage destination at Museum of Natural History. Suit up Baby into stroller and attempt to locate "Swedish Cottage" in Central Park.
J) Locate Swedish Cottage, thanks to IKEA-esque Swedish Flag.
K) Attend Marionette Show with Thisbe and Wee Kraken. Reconsider appropriateness of themes in "Peter Pan". Wonder, why is Neverland a good place just because you don't have to take a bath? Question whether this is some sort of mass water-conserving conspiracy vis-a-vis lack of bathing. Hmpf.
L) Shake Shack. Chocolate Shake.
M) Wish farewell to Thisbe and Wee Kraken, now realize we are in New York Metro Area at 3pm. Certainly far too early to return to the wilds of Central New Jersey.
N) Pack Baby in Car, Baby falls asleep in car after approximately 35 seconds. Traverse George Washington Bridge. Find one's self on Route 4 nearing Paramus. If you're in Northern New Jersey, you've got to be near a mall.
O) Visit Bergen Town Center. Home to Nordstrom Rack, Century 21, Saks Off Fifth, Filene's Basement, etc., etc. That's Right. We've found the center of the Northern Jersey Discount Black Hole. Find cute outfits for Baby at Nordstrom. Cheap Seven for All Mankind jeans at Saks and an amazingly large liquor department at Whole Foods. Apparently, Bergen County's laws are far different from Mercer and Middlesex. Of course, you can't buy anything in Bergen on a Sunday, but you can buy wine while shopping for organic produce Monday through Saturday. Who Knew?
P) Next stop? IKEA. The Swedish thing is a theme, apparently. Discover that you can't live without: i) a bulletin board, ii) one small 5 X 7 frame, iii) flexible cutting boards and, finally, iv) two extremely large terra cotta pots (which require you to use a flatbed cart, while negotiating the store with a stroller in tow).
Q) Repeat the phrase: "If I keep the wheels straight, it will go straight" all the way to the parking lot, while using the stroller as a rudimentary rudder to keep flatbed cart stable.
R) Drive home via Garden State Parkway, Turnpike and Routes 1 and 18, thus having successfully circumnavigated the State of New Jersey.
S) Feed Baby Dinner, get Baby ready for bedtime.
T) Hang out with Husband while having tuna on toast and watching the Real Housewives.
U) Take shower. I'm big on this cleanliness thing.
V) Write droll blog entry about day's adventures, since clearly, everyone's dying to know how we spend 24 hours.
W) Repeat Step A above.
Monday, March 23, 2009
It's the Last ER..... (dramatic pause....)
before the Finale!!! (What is that supposed to mean exactly?) NBC has really hit rock bottom with how they market their shows.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Update on the Crazy Mom
At this week's art class, as per the aforementioned e-mailed schedule from the Crazy Mom, Crazy Mom and two of her three tots (Bingo and Thing 1) joined in for a "make-up" class. In class we were making rocket ships and as Miss B. and I painted a recycled water bottle to make it look like a space shuttle I noticed that the younger of Crazy Mom's daughters, Bingo (who is 2), was wearing a seafoam green zip-up fleece footed pajama suit.
I thought to myself, "hmpf. that's odd. she's got on jammies..." but then I thought, "well, I remember someone saying they only dressed their child in old clothes for art class, so maybe she's using it as a smock??"
Then, a few minutes later another mom started doing the ye old sniff test because she could tell that someone had a diaper that needed changing. Turns out it was Bingo (the one in the PJs)... then I hear Crazy Mom say something to the effect of how the diaper is going to be a full one because it's the first diaper to be changed... and in hearing what she said, and noticing again the PJs, it made me think... wait a minute... have you not changed her diaper yet since she woke UP??
Then Crazy Mom proceeded to change her daughter on the floor in the art room in front of everybody (note, I wouldn't have thought this was a big issue if there a) hadn't been a changing facility at Gymboree 50 feet from where we were or b) if we were at someone's house and she asked if it was okay-- but honestly, I felt bad for the art teacher who appears to be a 17 year old girl who really seemed dismayed that there was a naked toddler butt on the floor in the middle of the room *during class*.) Then, once this is all done I notice that Bingo is now wearing a new outfit. That's right, she's not in jammies any more. And we're still painting, so there goes the theory that she had on the fleece pj suit as a smock.
Yes, as best I can tell Crazy Mom is so "busy" that she got Bingo up from sleep, kept her diaper unchanged and in PJs all the way from where they live three towns over just to get to art class on time. FYI: Sometimes it's okay to get to art class late.
I thought to myself, "hmpf. that's odd. she's got on jammies..." but then I thought, "well, I remember someone saying they only dressed their child in old clothes for art class, so maybe she's using it as a smock??"
Then, a few minutes later another mom started doing the ye old sniff test because she could tell that someone had a diaper that needed changing. Turns out it was Bingo (the one in the PJs)... then I hear Crazy Mom say something to the effect of how the diaper is going to be a full one because it's the first diaper to be changed... and in hearing what she said, and noticing again the PJs, it made me think... wait a minute... have you not changed her diaper yet since she woke UP??
Then Crazy Mom proceeded to change her daughter on the floor in the art room in front of everybody (note, I wouldn't have thought this was a big issue if there a) hadn't been a changing facility at Gymboree 50 feet from where we were or b) if we were at someone's house and she asked if it was okay-- but honestly, I felt bad for the art teacher who appears to be a 17 year old girl who really seemed dismayed that there was a naked toddler butt on the floor in the middle of the room *during class*.) Then, once this is all done I notice that Bingo is now wearing a new outfit. That's right, she's not in jammies any more. And we're still painting, so there goes the theory that she had on the fleece pj suit as a smock.
Yes, as best I can tell Crazy Mom is so "busy" that she got Bingo up from sleep, kept her diaper unchanged and in PJs all the way from where they live three towns over just to get to art class on time. FYI: Sometimes it's okay to get to art class late.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Confessions of a Pilgrim Shopaholic
This short story by Paul Rudnick was in last week's New Yorker. It's too funny.
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AIG?
Okay, so I'm not any kind of a financial wizard or anything, and I'm sure other people have already thought of this, yada, yada, yada, but as a lawyer, I would ask... why is the government surprised that AIG is paying out those bonuses? I mean, if you were handing over that much of a dole to someone wouldn't you have conditioned delivery of the funds on a few things, such as that the money is not to be used to pay out bonuses, regardless of AIG's "contractual obligations" to do so?
It's the Federal Government. Essentially, they can do just about whatever they want to. They could have structured the bailout money as a loan and then as one of the loan conditions limited the ability of AIG to make distributions or otherwise make payments to employees outside of standard payroll operating expenses (with reasonable limitations thereon). It seems to me that there was no good reason why the bail out money couldn't have come with limitations. It seems like a bit of a "too little, too late" now trying to get the money back! Oooh, let's try and shame the executives into returning it. Sure, that'll work!
It's the Federal Government. Essentially, they can do just about whatever they want to. They could have structured the bailout money as a loan and then as one of the loan conditions limited the ability of AIG to make distributions or otherwise make payments to employees outside of standard payroll operating expenses (with reasonable limitations thereon). It seems to me that there was no good reason why the bail out money couldn't have come with limitations. It seems like a bit of a "too little, too late" now trying to get the money back! Oooh, let's try and shame the executives into returning it. Sure, that'll work!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Hackensack!
How often do you find yourself in Hackensack!?!
Well, today, Miss B. and I went up to Morristown with the Husband who was attenting a lecture put on by the University of Chicago. While the Husband was in the lecture, we hit up the Morristown Century 21. Then, afterwards, the whole fam headed over to Houston's at the Shops at Riverside in Hackensack! Spinach dip, Chicken Fingers (and a lovely pork chop for the Husband) and we stuffed ourselves silly!
Then, once we came home, we started watching the Celebrity Apprentice and where were the gang? They were in front of St. Bart's! (Where the Husband and I got married...) Even Donald Trump said it's known for weddings!
Well, today, Miss B. and I went up to Morristown with the Husband who was attenting a lecture put on by the University of Chicago. While the Husband was in the lecture, we hit up the Morristown Century 21. Then, afterwards, the whole fam headed over to Houston's at the Shops at Riverside in Hackensack! Spinach dip, Chicken Fingers (and a lovely pork chop for the Husband) and we stuffed ourselves silly!
Then, once we came home, we started watching the Celebrity Apprentice and where were the gang? They were in front of St. Bart's! (Where the Husband and I got married...) Even Donald Trump said it's known for weddings!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
You Know You're a Mom When...
You wake up and put in "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" for your child and end up paying more attention to it than they do. Then you find yourself doing vacuum cleaner repair, followed in short order by crayon stain removal from home furnishings. All before lunch.
Friday, March 13, 2009
The Overscheduling of the American Childhood
Earlier this week one of the Gymboree Moms circulated an email asking the Gymboree gang if we wanted to get together at a local Chuck E. Cheese for a playdate.
I've never been to the Cheese, but I thought it was a nice idea so I emailed back saying we were pretty much free any day but Thursday.
Today, we all got a message from one of the other moms. It seems, her schedule is a bit more complicated than the rest of ours.
In the interest of privacy, all of the names have been changed. Crazy Mom's youngest shall be known as "Bingo" and her two older children shall be known, in honor of Dr. Seuss, as "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" After having come to our house for a play date, it's appropriate, trust me.
To: Gymboree Moms
From: Crazy Mom
Re: Get Together
Hi all,
We would love to get together. The schedule is complex . . . apologies before I
start:
Monday- this monday, and subsequent alternating mondays are not good. On the other weeks, I drop Thing 1 for playdate after gymnastics at 12:30 and pick up between 2:30-3, so Bingo & I are free 1-2:30.
Tuesday- 9-10:30 is free. 11am we have library class. Thing 1 at school 12:25-2:50, Bingo & I are free for playdate
Weds- Bingo & I go to 10:20 gymboree, free for lunch, playground, Chuck E Cheese or other until 2:50 Thing 1 pick up.
Thurs- 9-10:30 is free. Thing 1, Bingo & I go to 11:15 - 12 gymboree, then free until 3:35 Thing 2 pick-up
Fri- 9-12 is free. Drop Thing 1 at school 12:25. Bingo & I free until pick up Thing 1at 2:50. (FYI: Next week we're coming to Gymboree art to make up a missed sibling gym class, so we'll see you then.)
When you have to tell people that "subsequent alternating Monday's" aren't good you may be taking this a bit too seriously. I mean, come on. I'm currently negotiating documentation for a transaction valued at $200,000,000 and I can narrow things down to "Thursday's bad", do we really all need to see just how "booked-up" you are with five kinds of Gymboree, tumbling and "pre-school"? It's just Chuck E. Fricking Cheese, pick a time!
I've never been to the Cheese, but I thought it was a nice idea so I emailed back saying we were pretty much free any day but Thursday.
Today, we all got a message from one of the other moms. It seems, her schedule is a bit more complicated than the rest of ours.
In the interest of privacy, all of the names have been changed. Crazy Mom's youngest shall be known as "Bingo" and her two older children shall be known, in honor of Dr. Seuss, as "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" After having come to our house for a play date, it's appropriate, trust me.
To: Gymboree Moms
From: Crazy Mom
Re: Get Together
Hi all,
We would love to get together. The schedule is complex . . . apologies before I
start:
Monday- this monday, and subsequent alternating mondays are not good. On the other weeks, I drop Thing 1 for playdate after gymnastics at 12:30 and pick up between 2:30-3, so Bingo & I are free 1-2:30.
Tuesday- 9-10:30 is free. 11am we have library class. Thing 1 at school 12:25-2:50, Bingo & I are free for playdate
Weds- Bingo & I go to 10:20 gymboree, free for lunch, playground, Chuck E Cheese or other until 2:50 Thing 1 pick up.
Thurs- 9-10:30 is free. Thing 1, Bingo & I go to 11:15 - 12 gymboree, then free until 3:35 Thing 2 pick-up
Fri- 9-12 is free. Drop Thing 1 at school 12:25. Bingo & I free until pick up Thing 1at 2:50. (FYI: Next week we're coming to Gymboree art to make up a missed sibling gym class, so we'll see you then.)
When you have to tell people that "subsequent alternating Monday's" aren't good you may be taking this a bit too seriously. I mean, come on. I'm currently negotiating documentation for a transaction valued at $200,000,000 and I can narrow things down to "Thursday's bad", do we really all need to see just how "booked-up" you are with five kinds of Gymboree, tumbling and "pre-school"? It's just Chuck E. Fricking Cheese, pick a time!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Stressball...
As of this Fall, it's going to be nine years that I've been doing the Job and I still get super stressed out before any big conference call. Even one's I'm not leading! Oy!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
I've Loved You So Long
So, I finally got around to watching this movie this evening (and then promptly spent hours and hours amassing an email with 26 attachments to circulate for the Job... but that's another story entirely)... it was very good. I can see why it was recommended by the NYTimes Arts pages when it was in theaters. Kristin Scott Thomas did a great job (and the poor thing looked like a whipped dog throughout, so as with Melissa Leo, kudos for the lack of make-up!) and Elsa Zylberstein was also very good. It was a somber movie but the character's story unfolds throughout and keeps you watching. If you like French flicks I would recommend it.
Next on the French film list? Tell No One, then "Man on Wire" (that's technically a documentary and not really a French film, just about a frenchman)... of course, who knows when these will be available either via Redbox or On Demand. So, in the meantime I've reserved Transporter 3 from the Box. So what if Jason Statham isn't highbrow.
Next on the French film list? Tell No One, then "Man on Wire" (that's technically a documentary and not really a French film, just about a frenchman)... of course, who knows when these will be available either via Redbox or On Demand. So, in the meantime I've reserved Transporter 3 from the Box. So what if Jason Statham isn't highbrow.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Venting....
Co-Worker sends the following email, copies Boss-Guy:
Email to: Weef!
CC: Boss-Guy
Re: Missing X Documents
"I don't see a record of "X Document" ever being delivered in connection with "Transaction" (not so-subtle subtext being: Transaction is a transaction YOU were responsible for and it appears that YOU forgot to have this "Very Important X document" filed/delivered/whatever and I wanted to TELL EVERYONE!!!)
And just to show how responsible and conscientious I AM I will also add that:
"I have not found a copy on the closing disk and I do not see a Word version in our document system"
Which basically implies that X document never existed and wasn't even CONTEMPLATED!! HA-HA!
Finally, again, just to show how smart I AM...
"I'll reach out to "Colleague in local office" to see if we need "X document" filed in connection with "Transaction B" as well, given that we'll have a second mortgage on B Transaction."
This lovely missive allowed me to respond in kind:
E-Mail to: Colleague
CC: Boss-Guy
Subject: Copies of Filed X Documents
"Colleague:
Thanks for your message. Attached are copies of:
1) Filed X Document in connection with Transaction. This copy was located on the systems you searched.
2) Filed X Document in connection with Transaction B which may not need to be refiled as "X Document" is filed in connection with Loan Agreements, not Mortgages.
Please do contact colleague in local office to confirm what is required at this time. Thanks!"
Subtle subtext being: Why don't we all try and work together and actually complete the documents we need to do rather than sit around "looking" for things that "weren't done" because guess what, I'm older than you and more experienced and I did this correctly the first time around you just look like an idiot because you couldn't find the copies. Thanks!!
Email to: Weef!
CC: Boss-Guy
Re: Missing X Documents
"I don't see a record of "X Document" ever being delivered in connection with "Transaction" (not so-subtle subtext being: Transaction is a transaction YOU were responsible for and it appears that YOU forgot to have this "Very Important X document" filed/delivered/whatever and I wanted to TELL EVERYONE!!!)
And just to show how responsible and conscientious I AM I will also add that:
"I have not found a copy on the closing disk and I do not see a Word version in our document system"
Which basically implies that X document never existed and wasn't even CONTEMPLATED!! HA-HA!
Finally, again, just to show how smart I AM...
"I'll reach out to "Colleague in local office" to see if we need "X document" filed in connection with "Transaction B" as well, given that we'll have a second mortgage on B Transaction."
This lovely missive allowed me to respond in kind:
E-Mail to: Colleague
CC: Boss-Guy
Subject: Copies of Filed X Documents
"Colleague:
Thanks for your message. Attached are copies of:
1) Filed X Document in connection with Transaction. This copy was located on the systems you searched.
2) Filed X Document in connection with Transaction B which may not need to be refiled as "X Document" is filed in connection with Loan Agreements, not Mortgages.
Please do contact colleague in local office to confirm what is required at this time. Thanks!"
Subtle subtext being: Why don't we all try and work together and actually complete the documents we need to do rather than sit around "looking" for things that "weren't done" because guess what, I'm older than you and more experienced and I did this correctly the first time around you just look like an idiot because you couldn't find the copies. Thanks!!
Saturday, March 07, 2009
This Place Must be a Geographical Oddity
Two Weeks from Everywhere!
A quote from "O, Brother, Where Art Thou", inspired by our recent string of Geographically inspired movie viewings.
First: In Bruges. Okay, the Dad didn't like "In Bruges", but the Dad did like Bangkok Dangerous, so I think we'll just have to leave this as a difference of opinion. I had been waiting for this to come to the Redbox but it never did, instead it finally showed up on HBO on Demand. We watched it the other night and I have to say-- I liked it! I even laughed out loud on more than one occasion. How often is it that you hear the phrase "racist dwarf"? I actually enjoyed Colin Farrell's performance. And, it's got Ralph Fiennes in it, so it can't be all bad, right? (Okay, to be honest, Ralph Fiennes films can be bad, very bad, it would appear from a quick scan of his imdb CV that I'd say one in every five is a good movie, but you get my point).
Second: Australia. Oh, geesh. What has Baz Lurhmann gotten himself into this time?!? The Mom had said "it was like a cartoon movie" and she was right, at first. I'd say easily through the first half hour it was cartoonish. Kind of in the same way that Moulin Rouge could be cartoonish. So, I was going with the flow and figuring it was just Baz being Baz. But, after about the hour mark it suddenly started to try and take itself seriously. Unfortunately, the sets still looked cartoonish, but now the actors were trying to act normal. As the Husband pointed out there was zero chemistry between Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman and the last section of the movie seemed to be Pearl Harbor in Australia minus Ben Affleck. All in all? It was awful! We'll never get those three hours back! Save yourselves, run! And, let's hope that Peter Jackson's next film isn't "New Zealand!"
A quote from "O, Brother, Where Art Thou", inspired by our recent string of Geographically inspired movie viewings.
First: In Bruges. Okay, the Dad didn't like "In Bruges", but the Dad did like Bangkok Dangerous, so I think we'll just have to leave this as a difference of opinion. I had been waiting for this to come to the Redbox but it never did, instead it finally showed up on HBO on Demand. We watched it the other night and I have to say-- I liked it! I even laughed out loud on more than one occasion. How often is it that you hear the phrase "racist dwarf"? I actually enjoyed Colin Farrell's performance. And, it's got Ralph Fiennes in it, so it can't be all bad, right? (Okay, to be honest, Ralph Fiennes films can be bad, very bad, it would appear from a quick scan of his imdb CV that I'd say one in every five is a good movie, but you get my point).
Second: Australia. Oh, geesh. What has Baz Lurhmann gotten himself into this time?!? The Mom had said "it was like a cartoon movie" and she was right, at first. I'd say easily through the first half hour it was cartoonish. Kind of in the same way that Moulin Rouge could be cartoonish. So, I was going with the flow and figuring it was just Baz being Baz. But, after about the hour mark it suddenly started to try and take itself seriously. Unfortunately, the sets still looked cartoonish, but now the actors were trying to act normal. As the Husband pointed out there was zero chemistry between Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman and the last section of the movie seemed to be Pearl Harbor in Australia minus Ben Affleck. All in all? It was awful! We'll never get those three hours back! Save yourselves, run! And, let's hope that Peter Jackson's next film isn't "New Zealand!"
Wowzers!
Today was the annual Spring Time Toddler Wipe-Out aka Day Light Saving Time Eve where our main goal is to tire out Miss B. and push through naptime so that we can readjust her bedtime schedule to "springing ahead".
How do we accomplish this? By heading to downtown Princeton to wander around and shop and have a nice lunch at Panera. Then we check out the Princeton University Store (children's book department) and Jazam's toy store. Then we headed back to the West Windsor Library Book Sale. Then we went to get ice cream at the local Dairy Cream in East Windsor and then we hit up the park in Cranbury (otherwise known as circumnavigating central New Jersey). Finally we returned "Australia" to the Redbox at the Stop N' Shop (or it could be a Shop Rite, I'm not quite sure which) on 522 and headed home for pizza bagels.
Did it work? It seems to have. Miss B. was pretty worn out after all of that activity. Now we're pretty worn out too.
In other news. The book sale. What can I say, I had to go back. Today was half-price day. That means all the hardbacks were $.50 (yes, that's right, Fifty Cents). What did I get? Well, I paid $8.50 for 17 books. Out of those 17 books I got the following:
1) The Reivers by William Faulkner, First Edition, 1962. Alibris shows this book's value range being between $200-$1,000 in the condition of our copy. (Makes that $8.50 tab look not too bad, huh?)
2) A Burnt-Out Case by Graham Greene, First Edition, 1961 with original store receipt from April 1961 in Dublin (in Gaelic!), this book's value range is between $45-$150 in its current condition. The other neat thing about this book is that the original store receipt (in Gaelic on one side) has an ad for "Knitters!" on the other and indicates that cash will be paid for handknit items... strange, but I liked it since I'm a knitter!)
3) A Treasury of Gilbert and Sullivan, 1941, First Edition: $140
4) The Oxford Pocket Dictionary, an edition from the 1920s about $50
5) Harvard University Class of 1916 25th Anniversary , 1941, about $30-$35
6) Seven volumes of The Yale Shakespeare, 1957 editions, Yale University Press each between $5-$10
I also got a first edition Pearl S. Buck and an anthology of New Yorker Short Stories from 1950-1960 (which includes Nabokov, among other authors) First Edition-- worth about $20.
All in all, not a bad haul. I love book sales (especially when the books are Fifty Cents!!!)
I have to say though, I kind of felt bad because the woman who rang up my sale was really excited about the books that I found. I almost thought she wasn't going to let go of the Gilbert & Sullivan treasury. I still am amazed at the Faulkner. It wasn't even in the old/rare book section, it was just sitting out on top of a pile of Fiction books, next to the Pearl Buck, just sitting there as if to say: "Buy me! Take me home!"
How do we accomplish this? By heading to downtown Princeton to wander around and shop and have a nice lunch at Panera. Then we check out the Princeton University Store (children's book department) and Jazam's toy store. Then we headed back to the West Windsor Library Book Sale. Then we went to get ice cream at the local Dairy Cream in East Windsor and then we hit up the park in Cranbury (otherwise known as circumnavigating central New Jersey). Finally we returned "Australia" to the Redbox at the Stop N' Shop (or it could be a Shop Rite, I'm not quite sure which) on 522 and headed home for pizza bagels.
Did it work? It seems to have. Miss B. was pretty worn out after all of that activity. Now we're pretty worn out too.
In other news. The book sale. What can I say, I had to go back. Today was half-price day. That means all the hardbacks were $.50 (yes, that's right, Fifty Cents). What did I get? Well, I paid $8.50 for 17 books. Out of those 17 books I got the following:
1) The Reivers by William Faulkner, First Edition, 1962. Alibris shows this book's value range being between $200-$1,000 in the condition of our copy. (Makes that $8.50 tab look not too bad, huh?)
2) A Burnt-Out Case by Graham Greene, First Edition, 1961 with original store receipt from April 1961 in Dublin (in Gaelic!), this book's value range is between $45-$150 in its current condition. The other neat thing about this book is that the original store receipt (in Gaelic on one side) has an ad for "Knitters!" on the other and indicates that cash will be paid for handknit items... strange, but I liked it since I'm a knitter!)
3) A Treasury of Gilbert and Sullivan, 1941, First Edition: $140
4) The Oxford Pocket Dictionary, an edition from the 1920s about $50
5) Harvard University Class of 1916 25th Anniversary , 1941, about $30-$35
6) Seven volumes of The Yale Shakespeare, 1957 editions, Yale University Press each between $5-$10
I also got a first edition Pearl S. Buck and an anthology of New Yorker Short Stories from 1950-1960 (which includes Nabokov, among other authors) First Edition-- worth about $20.
All in all, not a bad haul. I love book sales (especially when the books are Fifty Cents!!!)
I have to say though, I kind of felt bad because the woman who rang up my sale was really excited about the books that I found. I almost thought she wasn't going to let go of the Gilbert & Sullivan treasury. I still am amazed at the Faulkner. It wasn't even in the old/rare book section, it was just sitting out on top of a pile of Fiction books, next to the Pearl Buck, just sitting there as if to say: "Buy me! Take me home!"
Thursday, March 05, 2009
West Windsor Book Sale!
Yay!! We love a good book sale! Today we hit up the annual West Windsor Library Book Sale...
We got some good stuff including the Comander's Palace cookbook for the Mom, some Thomas the Tank Engine DVDs for Miss B., first editions of "Thurber's Dogs" by James Thurber and The Sand Pebbles.
I also got Henry Fool on VHS (I've never seen it, but apparently its some sort of cult movie that's got Parker Posey in it so I thought I would give it a try) and I also got a cool travel guide to Italy from 1950.
Let's not forget, too, a jigsaw puzzle that's a road map of New Jersey. I'm sure a good portion of the 500 pieces will be missing, and really, what is sadder than putting together a used jigsaw puzzle, but hey what do you want for $1??
The sale runs through Sunday. I might just have to go back!!
We got some good stuff including the Comander's Palace cookbook for the Mom, some Thomas the Tank Engine DVDs for Miss B., first editions of "Thurber's Dogs" by James Thurber and The Sand Pebbles.
I also got Henry Fool on VHS (I've never seen it, but apparently its some sort of cult movie that's got Parker Posey in it so I thought I would give it a try) and I also got a cool travel guide to Italy from 1950.
Let's not forget, too, a jigsaw puzzle that's a road map of New Jersey. I'm sure a good portion of the 500 pieces will be missing, and really, what is sadder than putting together a used jigsaw puzzle, but hey what do you want for $1??
The sale runs through Sunday. I might just have to go back!!
Opting Out.
Ana has a great link on her site today for a Conference at Yale Law School "Opt Out" or Pushed Out: Are Women Choosing to Leave the Legal Profession? Just thought I'd pass it on!
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Martha!
Not too long ago I found a link on the web that offered a free subscription to Martha Stewart Living magazine if I filled out a survey. I fully expected that this was just a ploy to get my address, but alas, my magazine arrived yesterday! (Of course, I got both the February and March issues at the same time... as magazines love to do, but I called up and let them know that I had already bought the February issue and they offered to extend my subscription by two months)
I have to just say, Martha. Oh, Martha. I love Martha and respect her (even with that whole insider trading thing) but I just can't get my head around what living her life must be like. In the February 2008 issue she has a whole article on packing tips. These are great tips. But if you aren't Martha I just don't see how you can implement these and do all of the other things that Martha must do during one day and not have your brain melt.
Martha advises that you should pack your clothes (separated into outfits) on hangers and wrapped in plastic bags (no need for pressing once you get to your destination! let's not discuss how you fit a hanger into your carry-on...) Then your shoes are in shoe bags, your belts are in belt bags, tights and socks are in their own bags as are all of your undergarments. Each electrical appliance (iPod, blackberry, etc.) is in its own labeled plastic bag with a separate plastic bag for its charger. Laptop? In a resealable plastic bag. Kindle? Plastic bag. Don't forget to bring extra plastic bags and god forbid never leave your luggage with a bellman or permit a driver or any other person to separate you from your luggage because they might damage it. Since the TSA has a pesky habit of breaking open luggage locks, used waxed twine to tie together the zippers of your luggage. That way you can see if anyone has opened your bag.
Don't get me wrong. All of these things are great ideas and I have to say that I, like Martha, have some sort of unhealthy attachment to plastic ziploc bags (not to mention that I have also actually tied luggage zippers together), but even I have to say: Who has the time for all of this?? You'll spend more time packing than you'll actually spend on your trip! I love the idea of living a regimented and organized life (and I also won't let anyone put my luggage on the ground) but wow! Somebody needs a Valium.
I have to just say, Martha. Oh, Martha. I love Martha and respect her (even with that whole insider trading thing) but I just can't get my head around what living her life must be like. In the February 2008 issue she has a whole article on packing tips. These are great tips. But if you aren't Martha I just don't see how you can implement these and do all of the other things that Martha must do during one day and not have your brain melt.
Martha advises that you should pack your clothes (separated into outfits) on hangers and wrapped in plastic bags (no need for pressing once you get to your destination! let's not discuss how you fit a hanger into your carry-on...) Then your shoes are in shoe bags, your belts are in belt bags, tights and socks are in their own bags as are all of your undergarments. Each electrical appliance (iPod, blackberry, etc.) is in its own labeled plastic bag with a separate plastic bag for its charger. Laptop? In a resealable plastic bag. Kindle? Plastic bag. Don't forget to bring extra plastic bags and god forbid never leave your luggage with a bellman or permit a driver or any other person to separate you from your luggage because they might damage it. Since the TSA has a pesky habit of breaking open luggage locks, used waxed twine to tie together the zippers of your luggage. That way you can see if anyone has opened your bag.
Don't get me wrong. All of these things are great ideas and I have to say that I, like Martha, have some sort of unhealthy attachment to plastic ziploc bags (not to mention that I have also actually tied luggage zippers together), but even I have to say: Who has the time for all of this?? You'll spend more time packing than you'll actually spend on your trip! I love the idea of living a regimented and organized life (and I also won't let anyone put my luggage on the ground) but wow! Somebody needs a Valium.
My Day with Miss Baby...
(kind of like "My Dinner with Andre", except with a toddler)...
Today started with a visit to Gymboree. For some reason Miss B. was wildly popular with the menfolk in her class today. First there was Devin. Devin is a cute little boy with dark hair who is accompanied in class by his Grandma. Once Devin saw Sophie he just kept coming up to her and trying to give her a hug, hold her hand and touch the bird that was on her blouse. I think a big part of the sudden interest in Miss B. had to do with her lovely velour pant set-- much as we have learned in nature, the male of the species is traditionally attracted to bright colors. Miss B.'s top was a lovely shade of orange sherbet velour (with yellow bird detail) and her pants were bright pink. Between this highly colorful garb and Miss B.'s curly hair she just proved to be far too interesting for Devin. Throughout the rest of the class he just kept coming up to her-- so often that Devin's Grandma had to keep interceding and apologizing and saying things like "I've never seen him like this before!"
Half way through class, during parachute time (lead again by Miss Sherri) Miss B. was in the middle of the parachute and Devin didn't see her, but instead honed in on me and stared at me as if to say: "Why are you here? Where's the little girl?? Where did *SHE* go???"
Then there was Andrew. Andrew came up to Miss B. while she was about to negotiate some of the play structure and he just started shouting at her. Well, needless to say she wanted none of that so she started yelling back in some sort of proto-Klingon toddler speak (clearly we've been watching one too many episodes of Star Trek: Next Generation). Next thing you know, both kids are going through the tunnel structures and when they come out the other end, Andrew says: "HI!!!!!" Again, Sophie: Not impressed.
While we're there one of the Gymboree Moms invites herself over for a playdate.
Which is basically a veiled way of saying:
"We don't have plans tomorrow and we haven't gone grocery shopping this week so we're coming over to your house to "play". Make sure you stock up on juice boxes, cookies, oh, and by the way, I like 18 year old scotch or if that's not available I'll take a '56 Bordeaux and some of your finest caviar, after all I could use a break."
This is the same mom who while attempting to put her daughter's hair in pigtails without the aid of a hairbrush said: "She really doesn't have a part in her hair". Yes, that's true, if you don't use a brush! This same child was wearing a maroon tutu and a mismatched character t-shirt. Alas, this must be how hippies are born. This is all very foreign to me. I spent way too many hours as a child having my hair brushed, blowdried and elaborately braided for any of this to make sense to me.
Finally. In the scarred for life department... we have a stink bug problem. Apparently, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug has infiltrated our area, or as the Penn State website says: "has apparently been accidentally introduced into eastern Pennsylvania" with the logical conclusion being that it has since migrated into Western and Central New Jersey. These little buggers manage to get in to your home through any crack or crevice that they can find, including your windows, etc. Well. Every time we see one we get a piece of toilet paper and gingerly pick it up and flush it away. Unfortunately, Miss B. now associates all Bugs with this ritual, including ladybugs. Anytime Miss B. sees a ladybug (whether it be embroidered on the rug in her room, or in a picture book) she gestures for us to throw it in the toilet. Today, there was a stink bug in the nursery but it was up too high for me to reach. Miss B., ever helpful, went into her bathroom and the next thing I know she has come out with a trail of toilet paper all the way from the toilet paper holder to where she is standing, handing me the paper so I can dispose of the "BHU-G!"
I find this disturbing as I had been trying very hard to eradicate all bugs from my life. This is a natural reaction to having lived in Florida where bugs are so prevalent they practically can register to vote. Now, my poor child thinks even ladybugs get flushed down the toilet!
Today started with a visit to Gymboree. For some reason Miss B. was wildly popular with the menfolk in her class today. First there was Devin. Devin is a cute little boy with dark hair who is accompanied in class by his Grandma. Once Devin saw Sophie he just kept coming up to her and trying to give her a hug, hold her hand and touch the bird that was on her blouse. I think a big part of the sudden interest in Miss B. had to do with her lovely velour pant set-- much as we have learned in nature, the male of the species is traditionally attracted to bright colors. Miss B.'s top was a lovely shade of orange sherbet velour (with yellow bird detail) and her pants were bright pink. Between this highly colorful garb and Miss B.'s curly hair she just proved to be far too interesting for Devin. Throughout the rest of the class he just kept coming up to her-- so often that Devin's Grandma had to keep interceding and apologizing and saying things like "I've never seen him like this before!"
Half way through class, during parachute time (lead again by Miss Sherri) Miss B. was in the middle of the parachute and Devin didn't see her, but instead honed in on me and stared at me as if to say: "Why are you here? Where's the little girl?? Where did *SHE* go???"
Then there was Andrew. Andrew came up to Miss B. while she was about to negotiate some of the play structure and he just started shouting at her. Well, needless to say she wanted none of that so she started yelling back in some sort of proto-Klingon toddler speak (clearly we've been watching one too many episodes of Star Trek: Next Generation). Next thing you know, both kids are going through the tunnel structures and when they come out the other end, Andrew says: "HI!!!!!" Again, Sophie: Not impressed.
While we're there one of the Gymboree Moms invites herself over for a playdate.
Which is basically a veiled way of saying:
"We don't have plans tomorrow and we haven't gone grocery shopping this week so we're coming over to your house to "play". Make sure you stock up on juice boxes, cookies, oh, and by the way, I like 18 year old scotch or if that's not available I'll take a '56 Bordeaux and some of your finest caviar, after all I could use a break."
This is the same mom who while attempting to put her daughter's hair in pigtails without the aid of a hairbrush said: "She really doesn't have a part in her hair". Yes, that's true, if you don't use a brush! This same child was wearing a maroon tutu and a mismatched character t-shirt. Alas, this must be how hippies are born. This is all very foreign to me. I spent way too many hours as a child having my hair brushed, blowdried and elaborately braided for any of this to make sense to me.
Finally. In the scarred for life department... we have a stink bug problem. Apparently, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug has infiltrated our area, or as the Penn State website says: "has apparently been accidentally introduced into eastern Pennsylvania" with the logical conclusion being that it has since migrated into Western and Central New Jersey. These little buggers manage to get in to your home through any crack or crevice that they can find, including your windows, etc. Well. Every time we see one we get a piece of toilet paper and gingerly pick it up and flush it away. Unfortunately, Miss B. now associates all Bugs with this ritual, including ladybugs. Anytime Miss B. sees a ladybug (whether it be embroidered on the rug in her room, or in a picture book) she gestures for us to throw it in the toilet. Today, there was a stink bug in the nursery but it was up too high for me to reach. Miss B., ever helpful, went into her bathroom and the next thing I know she has come out with a trail of toilet paper all the way from the toilet paper holder to where she is standing, handing me the paper so I can dispose of the "BHU-G!"
I find this disturbing as I had been trying very hard to eradicate all bugs from my life. This is a natural reaction to having lived in Florida where bugs are so prevalent they practically can register to vote. Now, my poor child thinks even ladybugs get flushed down the toilet!
More Redbox!
Last week I rented The Changeling, What Just Happened and Religilous (sp??) I've still got Religilous and if I don't watch it tomorrow I'm just taking it back! As the Husband noted, the Changeling was shot like a Lifetime movie. It even had a Lifetime movie score (thanks, Clint). Well told, but really depressing (and even made more so since it was a true story)... as for What Just Happened... damn fine question! My answer? I just turned off the DVD player half way through. Boring, unfunny, yada, yada, yada.
But, this shall not deter us! This morning I logged on to Redbox.com right after my conference call with the Job and reserved both "Australia" and "I've Loved You So Long". Woo-hoo! Here's to Hugh Jackman shirtless and Kristen Scott Thomas speaking French. Let's hope these are better than our last picks!
But, of course, nothing can go too smoothly. When I headed over to McCaffrey's to pick up the reserved flicks I was stuck behind a lady who had clearly never used the box before. In fact, she may have never even used a credit card swiper device before. Or possibly never been out of the house, I'm not sure. The Husband and Miss B. were waiting for me in the parking lot and here's the lady in front of me slowly scrolling through *all* 16 pages of movie titles. Then she goes back and picks out "W.", then she tries to check out. She managed to swipe her credit card in every conceivable direction *but* the one that would have had the strip in the right place. Then the box times out her transaction and goes back to the "View Cart" screen. At this point I step in and intercede. I actually had to take her credit card out of her hand and orient it properly in front of the machine to show her how to use it. In order to keep my calm I then started telling her all about how you can reserve your movies on-line and just pick them up at the Box, and better yet, you can *search* for movies on-line and it will tell you which box has the movie you're looking for! Then she tells me how she's looking for "The Changeling" and she thanked me for showing her how to use the machine.... glad to be of service, now, please, if you don't mind I'm going to pick up my movies before my head explodes!
But, this shall not deter us! This morning I logged on to Redbox.com right after my conference call with the Job and reserved both "Australia" and "I've Loved You So Long". Woo-hoo! Here's to Hugh Jackman shirtless and Kristen Scott Thomas speaking French. Let's hope these are better than our last picks!
But, of course, nothing can go too smoothly. When I headed over to McCaffrey's to pick up the reserved flicks I was stuck behind a lady who had clearly never used the box before. In fact, she may have never even used a credit card swiper device before. Or possibly never been out of the house, I'm not sure. The Husband and Miss B. were waiting for me in the parking lot and here's the lady in front of me slowly scrolling through *all* 16 pages of movie titles. Then she goes back and picks out "W.", then she tries to check out. She managed to swipe her credit card in every conceivable direction *but* the one that would have had the strip in the right place. Then the box times out her transaction and goes back to the "View Cart" screen. At this point I step in and intercede. I actually had to take her credit card out of her hand and orient it properly in front of the machine to show her how to use it. In order to keep my calm I then started telling her all about how you can reserve your movies on-line and just pick them up at the Box, and better yet, you can *search* for movies on-line and it will tell you which box has the movie you're looking for! Then she tells me how she's looking for "The Changeling" and she thanked me for showing her how to use the machine.... glad to be of service, now, please, if you don't mind I'm going to pick up my movies before my head explodes!
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Snow, Snow, Go Away!
You can come back some other day!!
Yesterday was our big "snow" day! It wasn't really that big of a deal for us... we've seen much larger snow falls (especially in Ithaca) and sadly, the Husband only had a partial snow day, having to head in to the office after dutifully shoveling the drive and steps. But we did get some fun pictures!
Yesterday was our big "snow" day! It wasn't really that big of a deal for us... we've seen much larger snow falls (especially in Ithaca) and sadly, the Husband only had a partial snow day, having to head in to the office after dutifully shoveling the drive and steps. But we did get some fun pictures!
Monday, March 02, 2009
I Don't Mean to be a Hater.... but....
Okay, through a Facebook post I was lead to a certain food blog. And stumbled upon a page full of "dip" recipes. Now I love comfort food, don't get me wrong. But I guess some where along the line I've become a bit of a food snob because the concept of using canned chicken to make "buffalo chicken wing dip" just grosses me out. Also, using canned jalepenos because real jalepenos can be hard to work with? You want to try hard to work with? Try a habanero. That's something that can burn your skin/eyes/melt your brain. A jalepeno is like a bell pepper compared to one of those babies! Well, I can say that after seeing some of these recipes (including the jalepeno "popper" dip-- because frying can be "messy") all it did was remind me of when my Wisconsin sister-in-law made barbeque meatballs using grape jelly. Yowzers.
This Week's GOOP Newsletter Dans Paris!
Check out this week's Goop Newsletter it's all about Gwyneth's favorite places to eat and stay in Paris, with a lovely little story about her first visit there with her Dad. All I can say is everyone loves Paris! (Or at least, everyone should love Paris. What's not to love?)
Laundry Room!
Kudos to the Husband for remodeling our laundry room/utility room. Sadly, I can't find my true "before" picture. You know, the one that shows the scary-nasty linoleum floor, the event scarier giant sized freezer that lived in the corner of the room and the "home-made" shelving and storage units that had been anchored to the concrete walls! Instead, I just have some photos mid-process (where you can see the framing that Husband installed in order to drywall).
Now we've got a lovely tile floor, *real* walls (primed and painted!), a nice shelving system from IKEA and a work table. We're going to be putting in the Husband's wine rack next and then I get to fill up the shelves with goodies such as my Gourmet and Bon Appetite Magazine archive and finally, a permanent place for our microwave! Woo-hoo!!!
Now we've got a lovely tile floor, *real* walls (primed and painted!), a nice shelving system from IKEA and a work table. We're going to be putting in the Husband's wine rack next and then I get to fill up the shelves with goodies such as my Gourmet and Bon Appetite Magazine archive and finally, a permanent place for our microwave! Woo-hoo!!!
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air
So, I've had some inquiries into our wedding gift from Tom Snyder and exactly how that came about... so here's the story.
Years ago, when I was in high school I watched Tom Snyder's show on CNBC nightly (which later was followed by The Late, Late Show with Tom Snyder on CBS). What can I say, I was a geek. This truth is supported by the fact that one of my big nights out senior year was going over to one of my classmate's houses to play Axis and Allies with two of our other classmates. Needless to say I was the only girl. But I digress. Tom's show was a great format and the Mom & Dad had remembered Tom from all of his prior incantations on TV and so I was a loyal watcher too. When I went away to college, suddenly I was living in a dorm and was, for the first time since 1979, without access to cable television. Thus, no CNBC, and there was no such thing as YouTube or simulcast on the computer... (who would think that 1994 was the stone ages, but alas, it was). Being without tv, the Mom would send me up VHS tapes of various shows, including Tom's.
Now sometime during high school I had watched an episode of Saturday Night Live which included a skit about how everyone could do an Ethel Merman impression. This made me decide that if everyone can do Ethel, than I could too. So, I began developing my own Ethel impersonation, specifically being able to belt out "There's No Business Like Show Business" (with occasional forays into "Everything's Coming Up Roses!!!!!!"
Leave it to my Mom to find a way for my Tom Snyder watching and my Ethel impersonating to find a way to converge. Tom was a member of the Train Collector's Association, and my Dad's been a member of the TCA since it began and every year the TCA prints out a directory. Tom's contact info was in it, and apparently my Mom sent Tom a note letting him know that I was a loyal viewer but that I wasn't able to watch his show now that I was away at school... and that I had this talent, albeit not necessarily so unique...
Then, one night during my first semester the phone rings. My roommate, Cynthia Lanier from Maine answers the phone. It's Tom Snyder. Calling. Live. His guest that night was the woman who voices Bart Simpson and he had taken time out of his show to give me a call (the ultimate Shout out, you could say) and Tom asked me to do my Ethel impersonation. How could I say no?
So there I was, on a cold, dark, winter night in Ithaca being simulcast across the country bellowing "There's No Business Like Show Business."
Afterwards, I sent Tom a Cornell Tie (as he was fond of wearing college ties on air) and from then on there would be the occasional correspondence... when the Husband and I were sending out our wedding invitations we sent one Tom's way, just in case he happened to be in NYC the weekend we were getting married (which just happened to be the same day that Conan O'Brien and his wife were married... it's a good weekend!) Alas, he couldn't make it, but in his stead he sent us a lovely Krups Ice Cream maker from our Williams Sonoma registry.
The ice cream maker made it from our apartment on 50th Street to our new old house when we moved in 2004, but alas, when I finally went to use it we just couldn't figure it out and the box was long since gone. Thanks to the Daring Baker's challenge I've moved on to a new cuisinart, but I'll never forget Tom, his colortinis and our ice cream maker.
Years ago, when I was in high school I watched Tom Snyder's show on CNBC nightly (which later was followed by The Late, Late Show with Tom Snyder on CBS). What can I say, I was a geek. This truth is supported by the fact that one of my big nights out senior year was going over to one of my classmate's houses to play Axis and Allies with two of our other classmates. Needless to say I was the only girl. But I digress. Tom's show was a great format and the Mom & Dad had remembered Tom from all of his prior incantations on TV and so I was a loyal watcher too. When I went away to college, suddenly I was living in a dorm and was, for the first time since 1979, without access to cable television. Thus, no CNBC, and there was no such thing as YouTube or simulcast on the computer... (who would think that 1994 was the stone ages, but alas, it was). Being without tv, the Mom would send me up VHS tapes of various shows, including Tom's.
Now sometime during high school I had watched an episode of Saturday Night Live which included a skit about how everyone could do an Ethel Merman impression. This made me decide that if everyone can do Ethel, than I could too. So, I began developing my own Ethel impersonation, specifically being able to belt out "There's No Business Like Show Business" (with occasional forays into "Everything's Coming Up Roses!!!!!!"
Leave it to my Mom to find a way for my Tom Snyder watching and my Ethel impersonating to find a way to converge. Tom was a member of the Train Collector's Association, and my Dad's been a member of the TCA since it began and every year the TCA prints out a directory. Tom's contact info was in it, and apparently my Mom sent Tom a note letting him know that I was a loyal viewer but that I wasn't able to watch his show now that I was away at school... and that I had this talent, albeit not necessarily so unique...
Then, one night during my first semester the phone rings. My roommate, Cynthia Lanier from Maine answers the phone. It's Tom Snyder. Calling. Live. His guest that night was the woman who voices Bart Simpson and he had taken time out of his show to give me a call (the ultimate Shout out, you could say) and Tom asked me to do my Ethel impersonation. How could I say no?
So there I was, on a cold, dark, winter night in Ithaca being simulcast across the country bellowing "There's No Business Like Show Business."
Afterwards, I sent Tom a Cornell Tie (as he was fond of wearing college ties on air) and from then on there would be the occasional correspondence... when the Husband and I were sending out our wedding invitations we sent one Tom's way, just in case he happened to be in NYC the weekend we were getting married (which just happened to be the same day that Conan O'Brien and his wife were married... it's a good weekend!) Alas, he couldn't make it, but in his stead he sent us a lovely Krups Ice Cream maker from our Williams Sonoma registry.
The ice cream maker made it from our apartment on 50th Street to our new old house when we moved in 2004, but alas, when I finally went to use it we just couldn't figure it out and the box was long since gone. Thanks to the Daring Baker's challenge I've moved on to a new cuisinart, but I'll never forget Tom, his colortinis and our ice cream maker.
Boneless
Mo Willems coined the phrase "and then she went Boneless" in his classic children's picture book "Knuffle Bunny".
Today, at Wollman Rink, Miss B. "went boneless".
Needless to say, ice skating really wasn't in the cards for us today. We're thinking we'll try again. Perhaps when she is four, or thereabouts.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
The Daring Bakers! February Challenge!
So, at the suggestion of The Mom, I decided to join up with The Daring Bakers. Now, that being said, I'm not much of a baker, I'm much more of a cooker. But, we gave it a try.
The folks who submitted the challenge asked that all of the bakers include the following message: "The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge."
The recipe indicated that the Valentino cake would taste mostly like the chocolate you picked out. While I like Chocolate, I didn't do much research, I just picked up what they had at Williams Sonoma...
The recipe has you melting together one pound of the chocolate of your choice with one stick of butter....
Making the cake batter was really easy. While the chocolate and butter mixture is cooling, you are to whip five egg whites into stiff peaks. Then, beat the five yolks (with the same beater/whisk used to whip up the whites) and add the yolks to the chocolate and butter.
Then you fold in the whites with the chocolate, butter and eggs. Then you bake the batter at 375 for 25 minutes or so, or until an instant read thermometer shows 140 and the center is set.
Then it was on to the ice cream!
I didn't have an ice cream maker. (Long story-- we had gotten one as a wedding present from Tom Snyder years ago, but we tried it once and it didn't work...) so it was off to the WS and using a credit from The Mom, I got this great Cuisinart ice cream/sorbet maker. It came with an extra freezer bowl and it is *really* great!! I used David Lebovitz' recipe for vanilla ice cream (as it was similar to the recipe I used at Cornell when I made ice cream in cooking class-- that being the last time I had ever made ice cream). The recipe essentially calls for a custard base. This was really easy (though between this and the cake, can I just say that I actually used *ten* eggs?? WoW!)
In the end, the ice cream was fab and I'm really looking forward to using the machine to try and recreate some of our favorites from the Bent Spoon like blood orange sorbet! The cake? I wasn't crazy about the cake. It was mostly a brownie like consistency, and unfortunately the chocolate I choose just wasn't sweet enough. But all, in all, a fun challenge!
The folks who submitted the challenge asked that all of the bakers include the following message: "The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge."
The recipe indicated that the Valentino cake would taste mostly like the chocolate you picked out. While I like Chocolate, I didn't do much research, I just picked up what they had at Williams Sonoma...
The recipe has you melting together one pound of the chocolate of your choice with one stick of butter....
Making the cake batter was really easy. While the chocolate and butter mixture is cooling, you are to whip five egg whites into stiff peaks. Then, beat the five yolks (with the same beater/whisk used to whip up the whites) and add the yolks to the chocolate and butter.
Then you fold in the whites with the chocolate, butter and eggs. Then you bake the batter at 375 for 25 minutes or so, or until an instant read thermometer shows 140 and the center is set.
Then it was on to the ice cream!
I didn't have an ice cream maker. (Long story-- we had gotten one as a wedding present from Tom Snyder years ago, but we tried it once and it didn't work...) so it was off to the WS and using a credit from The Mom, I got this great Cuisinart ice cream/sorbet maker. It came with an extra freezer bowl and it is *really* great!! I used David Lebovitz' recipe for vanilla ice cream (as it was similar to the recipe I used at Cornell when I made ice cream in cooking class-- that being the last time I had ever made ice cream). The recipe essentially calls for a custard base. This was really easy (though between this and the cake, can I just say that I actually used *ten* eggs?? WoW!) 
In the end, the ice cream was fab and I'm really looking forward to using the machine to try and recreate some of our favorites from the Bent Spoon like blood orange sorbet! The cake? I wasn't crazy about the cake. It was mostly a brownie like consistency, and unfortunately the chocolate I choose just wasn't sweet enough. But all, in all, a fun challenge!
Real Time Blogging!
I'm at Fekkai waiting for my haircut! I've been shampooed and am now being plied with champagne (quite a complement to the Dunkin Donuts bagel I had for breakfast!) Later on the Husband and I will be taking Miss B ice skating at Wollman rink! And even later on, I'll be posting the results of my Daring Baker's challenge.
Shout out to Miss Alitheia and to Bernard! Congrats on the arrival of Alexander!!
Face it, we are all doing our part to repopulate the world with future Cornellians!
On a side note, here's to hoping I don't run into any work folk here at FF, because let's face it, on a Saturday *before* the hair cut/color/style no one is looking their best!!!
Shout out to Miss Alitheia and to Bernard! Congrats on the arrival of Alexander!!
Face it, we are all doing our part to repopulate the world with future Cornellians!
On a side note, here's to hoping I don't run into any work folk here at FF, because let's face it, on a Saturday *before* the hair cut/color/style no one is looking their best!!!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
I Wonder What Freddie Mercury Would Think...
Today on the way to Gymboree Miss B. and I were listening to "One Vision" thanks to the iPod. This is one of my favorite "Queen" songs. In the words of the great Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda, "there are no accidents", nor, I assume are there coincidences either, just twists of fate. What was today's twist of fate? That while we were at Gymboree Miss Adrienne lead the class in our "tap tap song". I had never heard the "tap tap song" so this was new to me. She had us start by tapping on the mat and then clapping our hands, rather rhythmically. Dum-dum, clap, dum-dum, clap... after a few moments Miss Adrienne begins to sing the Gymboree rendition of "We Will Rock You" where the words have been changed to "Gym-bo, Gym-Bo, Gym-Bo" together with something to the effect of: "Gymbo is a red clown, blue clown, yellow clown. Gymbo is gonna come play to-day" You see, for those of you not familiar with Gymboree, Gymbo is the clown mascot. Now I'm sure that the remaining members of "Queen" have sold the rights to their song so that it can be used in such a manner. But alas, when it was originally written, I doubt they could forsee its being sung in quite this way. Oddly, I felt like the only person who thought the new rendition of this classic rock anthem was a travesty.
Next, Miss Sherri (who is in training and, while very nice, seems a bit out of place as she was all made up and kind of looked like she moonlights as a stripper in Bangkok) lead "parachute" time. Miss Sherri was a bit nervous today and her performance was not unlike one of Jessica Simpson's opening numbers for Rascal Flatts. She kept trying to start "Jack and Jill" or something about some blackbirds, (I'm not really sure which) and the poor thing just kept saying that she was sorry and that she was nervous and forgot the words and that she needed to start over.
One of the moms tried to chime in, but that didn't ring any bells for Miss Sherri and then she started singing instead some song about three little ducklings that wandered out of their nest and never came home. (!) Why she thought this theme was appropriate for toddlers I'm not sure. Thankfully, we moved on to "bubble time" quickly before Miss Sherri could come up with any other songs, perhaps one about goldfish being flushed down the toilet or birds being eaten by cats.
Also in class today were a pair of Indian twin boys that remind me of The Shining every time I see them. I know, in the Shining the twins were girls, but these kids have the same glazed over look in their eyes that the movie twins had and with their bowl hair cuts they kind of look like Danny, the little boy from The Shining so it all just merges in my head and I'm generally freaked out. In truth these kids are very nice and well behaved and I'm just being an immature film freak, but what can I say. If you were there you'd totally see the resemblance.
After Gymboree, Miss B. and I went to lunch with the gang at our usual food court hangout. Today the food court was empty except for our gaggle of toddlers and a whole table full of New Jersey State Police. (The barracks are across the parking lot). I kept thinking to myself-- do State Police have anything they could give to us (besides a ticket) if we brought the kids over? You know, like how Nuns are supposed to give you medals and stewardesses can give you wings? We decided not to try our luck.
But, I digress. During lunch, one of the kids in our party kept running free which wouldn't have been an issue except for the fact that her hands and face were covered in an assortment of food which included pizza, pizza sauce, egg roll, beef and broccoli, fruit punch and chocolate chip cookie. Can I just say, wipes were invented for a reason? And, not only that, but there is such a thing as a napkin and customarily they are given away free when you purchase food, so it would be nice if we could all start using them! I had to sit at lunch with all of my belongings on my lap for fear that "food-hands" would be all over my stuff. My coat is machine washable, but my purse isn't. Really, saying "she won't let me wipe her mouth" is just an excuse for laziness. Admit it, you've just given up. Or, alternatively, if your child really has some sort of pathological fear of having their face wiped, why not police what they're having for lunch a little bit better so that there isn't as much of a mess going on? Oy!
Next, Miss Sherri (who is in training and, while very nice, seems a bit out of place as she was all made up and kind of looked like she moonlights as a stripper in Bangkok) lead "parachute" time. Miss Sherri was a bit nervous today and her performance was not unlike one of Jessica Simpson's opening numbers for Rascal Flatts. She kept trying to start "Jack and Jill" or something about some blackbirds, (I'm not really sure which) and the poor thing just kept saying that she was sorry and that she was nervous and forgot the words and that she needed to start over.
One of the moms tried to chime in, but that didn't ring any bells for Miss Sherri and then she started singing instead some song about three little ducklings that wandered out of their nest and never came home. (!) Why she thought this theme was appropriate for toddlers I'm not sure. Thankfully, we moved on to "bubble time" quickly before Miss Sherri could come up with any other songs, perhaps one about goldfish being flushed down the toilet or birds being eaten by cats.
Also in class today were a pair of Indian twin boys that remind me of The Shining every time I see them. I know, in the Shining the twins were girls, but these kids have the same glazed over look in their eyes that the movie twins had and with their bowl hair cuts they kind of look like Danny, the little boy from The Shining so it all just merges in my head and I'm generally freaked out. In truth these kids are very nice and well behaved and I'm just being an immature film freak, but what can I say. If you were there you'd totally see the resemblance.
After Gymboree, Miss B. and I went to lunch with the gang at our usual food court hangout. Today the food court was empty except for our gaggle of toddlers and a whole table full of New Jersey State Police. (The barracks are across the parking lot). I kept thinking to myself-- do State Police have anything they could give to us (besides a ticket) if we brought the kids over? You know, like how Nuns are supposed to give you medals and stewardesses can give you wings? We decided not to try our luck.
But, I digress. During lunch, one of the kids in our party kept running free which wouldn't have been an issue except for the fact that her hands and face were covered in an assortment of food which included pizza, pizza sauce, egg roll, beef and broccoli, fruit punch and chocolate chip cookie. Can I just say, wipes were invented for a reason? And, not only that, but there is such a thing as a napkin and customarily they are given away free when you purchase food, so it would be nice if we could all start using them! I had to sit at lunch with all of my belongings on my lap for fear that "food-hands" would be all over my stuff. My coat is machine washable, but my purse isn't. Really, saying "she won't let me wipe her mouth" is just an excuse for laziness. Admit it, you've just given up. Or, alternatively, if your child really has some sort of pathological fear of having their face wiped, why not police what they're having for lunch a little bit better so that there isn't as much of a mess going on? Oy!
The Space at the End of a Sentence.
Have you ever spent the better part of an evening searching for ". [space]"?
Otherwise known as the space at the end of a sentence, which, for whatever reason, in my world must be exactly two space bar pushes?
At the Job, if there is a sentence following a sentence there must be two space bar pushes in between. Not one, not three. Two. If there is a new section, or if it is the end of a paragraph, the rule doesn't apply. There may be some other formatting issue, or a tab involved, but not specifically anything about spacing. BUT, in between sentences that do go together to form a paragraph? Two pushes of the space bar (which appear on your screen as two small dots floating in mid-air.) Hanging. Just sitting there. A pause.
Unfortunately, whoever first drafted the particular document that I was working on this evening was not a fan of the pause. Clearly they must have been a fast talker, one who rarely takes a breath between thoughts because peppered throughout the document were sentences with merely one space bar push before the next sentence.
It was one big gobbledygook of dominion account provisions thrown together in much the same manner as the text read ridiculously quickly at the end of a car commercial.
Did the younger associate who worked on this agreement before me and failed to update defined terms, yada, yada, yada, correct this microformatting glitch? Of course not. So, it was left to me, after midnight to sit and search for ". [space]"
Not to mention taking out all of the instances of the article: "the" before any proper name used in the singular (another one of our stellar formatting conventions).
Now, don't get me wrong. I am being paid for all of this. But is it any wonder why lawyers are high strung? One spends years of training memorizing all kinds of minutiae and it all boils down to ". [space]"
Pause. Breathe. Space. Space. Next sentence.
Otherwise known as the space at the end of a sentence, which, for whatever reason, in my world must be exactly two space bar pushes?
At the Job, if there is a sentence following a sentence there must be two space bar pushes in between. Not one, not three. Two. If there is a new section, or if it is the end of a paragraph, the rule doesn't apply. There may be some other formatting issue, or a tab involved, but not specifically anything about spacing. BUT, in between sentences that do go together to form a paragraph? Two pushes of the space bar (which appear on your screen as two small dots floating in mid-air.) Hanging. Just sitting there. A pause.
Unfortunately, whoever first drafted the particular document that I was working on this evening was not a fan of the pause. Clearly they must have been a fast talker, one who rarely takes a breath between thoughts because peppered throughout the document were sentences with merely one space bar push before the next sentence.
It was one big gobbledygook of dominion account provisions thrown together in much the same manner as the text read ridiculously quickly at the end of a car commercial.
Did the younger associate who worked on this agreement before me and failed to update defined terms, yada, yada, yada, correct this microformatting glitch? Of course not. So, it was left to me, after midnight to sit and search for ". [space]"
Not to mention taking out all of the instances of the article: "the" before any proper name used in the singular (another one of our stellar formatting conventions).
Now, don't get me wrong. I am being paid for all of this. But is it any wonder why lawyers are high strung? One spends years of training memorizing all kinds of minutiae and it all boils down to ". [space]"
Pause. Breathe. Space. Space. Next sentence.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
It's 12:19am, and I'm Punchy.
I've been doing school work since Miss B. went to sleep and there's nothing like revising a Second Mortgage to get you all loopy. I've got "Next" on the kitchen TV (and the credits are scrolling backwards) but I've been listening to my iTunes library the whole time while the Husband paints the utility room (surely the paint fumes have nothing to do with my current mental state, it's all the loan docs, I'm certain of it).
So. What's new? Rented "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" and "Leatherheads" from the Redbox. We'll see how those are.
Didn't even get an honorable mention in the Oscar Pool.
Next, in the "New found Appreiciation" department:
Cake. Okay, I know they came out sometime in the '90s, so like how behind the times am I, but since "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" has been the theme to "Chuck", I started listening to their music and what can I say, it's very catchy. Thanks to the Husband for figuring out who they were and what they were doing. I also like their version of "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"
Other music? Duffy. Paolo Nutini (got to love the name if nothing else). And, basically most other people you'd hear in an elevator or in the background at J Crew. I've just become one of those people, I guess.
Other favorites: For baby clothes? Old Navy. Okay, ON can be kind of on the fence, but in the baby/toddler clothes department they've been hitting some high notes lately, so here's to hoping they don't go out of business too soon. I've been getting some great little dresses for Miss B. there, including one little knit jobby with matching tights that totally looks like it could be from the "tea" collection!
Finally, what's on the menu for this week?
After yesterday's bout of stomach-flu related unplesasantness one would think I wouldn't be thinking about food for a while (let's just quote TDWP, right now!) But never! This week we've got sliders and fries, home made pizza and chili. I've also got to try and finish my DB's Challenge before the end of the month, but mum's the word on that one!
Good night, all!
So. What's new? Rented "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" and "Leatherheads" from the Redbox. We'll see how those are.
Didn't even get an honorable mention in the Oscar Pool.
Next, in the "New found Appreiciation" department:
Cake. Okay, I know they came out sometime in the '90s, so like how behind the times am I, but since "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" has been the theme to "Chuck", I started listening to their music and what can I say, it's very catchy. Thanks to the Husband for figuring out who they were and what they were doing. I also like their version of "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"
Other music? Duffy. Paolo Nutini (got to love the name if nothing else). And, basically most other people you'd hear in an elevator or in the background at J Crew. I've just become one of those people, I guess.
Other favorites: For baby clothes? Old Navy. Okay, ON can be kind of on the fence, but in the baby/toddler clothes department they've been hitting some high notes lately, so here's to hoping they don't go out of business too soon. I've been getting some great little dresses for Miss B. there, including one little knit jobby with matching tights that totally looks like it could be from the "tea" collection!
Finally, what's on the menu for this week?
After yesterday's bout of stomach-flu related unplesasantness one would think I wouldn't be thinking about food for a while (let's just quote TDWP, right now!) But never! This week we've got sliders and fries, home made pizza and chili. I've also got to try and finish my DB's Challenge before the end of the month, but mum's the word on that one!
Good night, all!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Oscars.
Hmpf. Not that exciting. Thoughts?
First off, I've only ever won the Oscar Pool at the Job once. That was clearly some kind of fluke. This year I went straight Entertainment Weekly voting across the board (with the exception of choosing Mickey Rourke over Sean Penn because I despise Sean Penn) and what happens? I lose in all those goofy categories like "best animated short film" and "best documentary about a subject no one is interested in". Damn! I was just trying to win movie tickets and shut out again, as usual.
Outfits? What did everyone think? Poor Reese Witherspoon. Why do people think black and blue can go together? It's never good when you start out closely resembling a bruise. It takes a lot to come back from those comparisons, so the dress has to be really phenomenal. And this one just wasn't.
Amy Adam's jewels. Is it just me or did this look like the same Bulgari necklace that Keira Knightly wore a few years ago? (And, why do I know that?)
Meryl Streep. So didn't talk to Tim Gunn on the Red Carpet. And, given that she was in grey and made her poor daughter wear dishwater brown it's no wonder.
Brad and Angie: Good for her. She snubbed Ryan Seacrest AGAIN!
Jennifer Anniston and John Mayer. Okay, sorry, but he's just too young for her. He makes Ashton Kutcher look like Henry Kissenger. It's not even his age so much as you just know he's a smug immature jerk, you know? And really, if he's dated Jessica Simpson, do you think this is some sort of prize after you've been married to Brad Pitt? She would have been better sticking with Vince Vaughn!
Where was Jack Nicholson? He's usually front and center with his sunglasses on. Maybe he was trying to avoid Shirley Maclaine.
First off, I've only ever won the Oscar Pool at the Job once. That was clearly some kind of fluke. This year I went straight Entertainment Weekly voting across the board (with the exception of choosing Mickey Rourke over Sean Penn because I despise Sean Penn) and what happens? I lose in all those goofy categories like "best animated short film" and "best documentary about a subject no one is interested in". Damn! I was just trying to win movie tickets and shut out again, as usual.
Outfits? What did everyone think? Poor Reese Witherspoon. Why do people think black and blue can go together? It's never good when you start out closely resembling a bruise. It takes a lot to come back from those comparisons, so the dress has to be really phenomenal. And this one just wasn't.
Amy Adam's jewels. Is it just me or did this look like the same Bulgari necklace that Keira Knightly wore a few years ago? (And, why do I know that?)
Meryl Streep. So didn't talk to Tim Gunn on the Red Carpet. And, given that she was in grey and made her poor daughter wear dishwater brown it's no wonder.
Brad and Angie: Good for her. She snubbed Ryan Seacrest AGAIN!
Jennifer Anniston and John Mayer. Okay, sorry, but he's just too young for her. He makes Ashton Kutcher look like Henry Kissenger. It's not even his age so much as you just know he's a smug immature jerk, you know? And really, if he's dated Jessica Simpson, do you think this is some sort of prize after you've been married to Brad Pitt? She would have been better sticking with Vince Vaughn!
Where was Jack Nicholson? He's usually front and center with his sunglasses on. Maybe he was trying to avoid Shirley Maclaine.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Jon and Kate... plus a big new house
Okay, I haven't watched this show in quite a while. I used to like it. Tonight? Tonight I saw an episode where they're moving into yet another new house. This one appears to be rather large. The finished basement/family room looks bigger than the entire first floor of their old house. They've now got a professional kitchen with a Sub-Zero. Good for them that they've been able to accomplish all this just by having reproduced, but I have to say you've just lost me as a viewer. I'm interested in what their life is like with the *kids*, not *because* of the kids. We've gone from free plastic surgery, free hair plugs to now a giant house with a circular driveway and watching Jon and Kate pick out floor tile. I wasn't watching to see "This Old House" or "House Hunters".... No wonder our society has spawned the "OctoMom"!
The Prisoner's Dilemma
You have to love Human Nature. Tonight we went to Wegman's to pick up a few things and to drop off three Redbox DVDs. We get to the store and there's actually a *line* at the Redbox. There's a man and his son, renting and then three women behind them waiting to rent. Then there's me. I've got three New Releases and I'm waiting to return them. Meanwhile, the people ahead of me are endlessly scrolling through all of the movies the box doesn't have. Finally, I say to the woman ahead of me that I am returning three movies and if she let's me put them in the box, then she can rent them. I then have to pitch to her the movies I'm returning. Because, you know, she might not want any of them... and god forbid, I might attempt to rent something *ahead* of her, right after I finish returning my videos. I sell her on "W.", but meanwhile we're still waiting for one of the women. Her husband comes over. Now I can tell, just by looking at these people that if her husband knew that I was holding "Body of Lies" with Russell Crowe, the man would have wanted to rent it... but no, instead he and the wife are oblivious. I then say that I'm going to leave and return the movies after we're done shopping because this whole process is taking too long and now the woman ahead of me, who wants to rent "W." pleads with me to stay.
As for the movies? "W", was, as the Dad had fortold: entertaining (though I did doze during part of it, but that was more because I was tired...) I was really surprised with Josh Brolin. Normally I'm not a big fan of his, but I thought he did a good job.
Then there was "Frozen River". Okay, I can see why Melissa Leo got an Oscar nomination. She was the female equivalent this year of Richard Jenkins. I guess if wearing absolutely no make-up is seen as good acting than she certainly deserves to win. In all honestly, the movie was good, but not in an uplifting or entertaining way. It was a well told story in an "Independent Film Channel" sort of way. I read up on the movie on the net and the writer/director said that she was trying to show how a mother's love for her children is something that transcends cultural boundaries. I will say that was accomplished, and if you ever wonder what life is like in Upstate New York, this movie certainly can give you a taste of it.
As for the movies? "W", was, as the Dad had fortold: entertaining (though I did doze during part of it, but that was more because I was tired...) I was really surprised with Josh Brolin. Normally I'm not a big fan of his, but I thought he did a good job.
Then there was "Frozen River". Okay, I can see why Melissa Leo got an Oscar nomination. She was the female equivalent this year of Richard Jenkins. I guess if wearing absolutely no make-up is seen as good acting than she certainly deserves to win. In all honestly, the movie was good, but not in an uplifting or entertaining way. It was a well told story in an "Independent Film Channel" sort of way. I read up on the movie on the net and the writer/director said that she was trying to show how a mother's love for her children is something that transcends cultural boundaries. I will say that was accomplished, and if you ever wonder what life is like in Upstate New York, this movie certainly can give you a taste of it.
Friday, February 20, 2009
It's been a bad week for electronics....
Last week my blackberry bit the dust. Alas, it had inadvertently fallen to the ground one too many times for its own good and the last blow was directly to the track wheel (which apparently is about as technologically advanced these days as using a doodle pro for email)... I quickly learned that without the trackwheel, I couldn't scroll through emails, select applications or generally use the damn thing. Thankfully, the Job provided me with an upgrade, to a Blackberry 8130 "Curve". Yay! It's got a Qwerty keyboard (though the keys are super tiny, so that will take some getting used to), it came with a headset... the folks in New York State will be happy with that at least for purposes of those pesky "handsfree device" rules..., and a camera and all other sorts of neat goodies! So, when I got home from the office the other day, I went to turn on my work computer and what happened? Blue screen of death? Why no, it wouldn't even boot up to the blue screen! I've got a DOS prompt telling me that one of the programs necessary to make the computer function is either (a) lost or (b) corrupted. So, I called the gentleman in IT who handled my blackberry set up and read him the error message. I am then told, in a low voice: "Oh.... You're going to have to bring that in." I swear, this was NOT intentional! Perhaps I have become magnetized like Jack Black in "Be Kind Rewind", or it is possible that my laptop just decided to give up on life after working for two years (it had started overheating something terrible and the battery power pack thing would get hot enough to practically fry an egg on!) None of that could be good.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Dad, D-A-D, Dad
So, this is a shout out to the DAD! How cool is it to have a Dad that you can call up and say:
"hey, I was thinking about getting "X""
and have him say: "I've got one of those! I'll bring it up for you!"
The Dad is like the International House of Pancakes, except he's more like the "International House of Dad" and he's got everything in stock!
You see, in the fam, we all take pictures. Thanks to Mom and the Dad I got my first Nikon 35mm (a 6006) as a college graduation gift. It's a beautiful camera, which I still have. After using it for my summer in Paris and eventually moving on to becoming a half-way decent photographer, the folks upgraded it to a Nikon F5 when the Husband and I went on our first trip to Paris. Meanwhile, the Dad was purchasing all kinds of camera equipment for his photo arsenal, including all kinds of neat lenses. Along the way, he also provided us with a fancy-schmancy fisheye lens and once Miss B. entered the world, the Dad delivered to us a D200 to move us into the digital age. (Not to mention, having previously supplied us with a Canon Elph APS camera-- *love that camera*... and a Digital Elph.... did I mention that we all like to take pictures? Like, a *LOT* of pictures? And, that apparently, our motto is "you can never have too many cameras?")
So, for my photo outfit I've got a 50mm 1.8 lens, a telephoto zoom, a wide angle zoom, the aforementioned fisheye and a wide angle zoom on my 6006. The other day I visited B & H (aka the equivalent of a crack den for photography enthusiasts) and picked up a 24 mm lens. But I was in the middle of a brain fog, because what I was really looking for was a telephoto prime lens with a low f-stop NOT a wide angle lens with a low f-stop.
So, I call the Dad, because I know he's got some goodies hidden up his sleeve and I wanted to see what he had and see if I could test out some of the lenses in order to really figure out what it was that I was looking for. And what, ho! Dad not only has the exact lens that I was thinking I wanted to get, but then he has an even fancier lens, with zoom capability and an even more amazing f-stop capacity. And, it's never even been used! Not only has it not been used, but it's in the original packaging. (That is one of those things that I have inherited from my Dad... retaining original packaging... I found an iPod box the other day for an iPod I don't even have anymore-- but I still have that Box!) ;) How cool is that?
So, at the end of our phone conversation, the Dad asked whether this made up for his having previously sold the infamous "Buddy L" truck. (You see, long ago in my Dad's den there was this turqoise toy truck up high on a shelf that had a boat on the back of it... I loved that truck, and then, one day I asked about it and (Gasp!) it had been sold!) I'll make it official, right here... I think this makes up for the Buddy L truck (especially, since apparently, the truck was rusted in the inside! ;) Between this and having previously delivered to me (x) the Jackie Stewart car, figurine and collie and (y) a Dinky Rocket Launcher, I think we're square.
I love you, DAD!
"hey, I was thinking about getting "X""
and have him say: "I've got one of those! I'll bring it up for you!"
The Dad is like the International House of Pancakes, except he's more like the "International House of Dad" and he's got everything in stock!
You see, in the fam, we all take pictures. Thanks to Mom and the Dad I got my first Nikon 35mm (a 6006) as a college graduation gift. It's a beautiful camera, which I still have. After using it for my summer in Paris and eventually moving on to becoming a half-way decent photographer, the folks upgraded it to a Nikon F5 when the Husband and I went on our first trip to Paris. Meanwhile, the Dad was purchasing all kinds of camera equipment for his photo arsenal, including all kinds of neat lenses. Along the way, he also provided us with a fancy-schmancy fisheye lens and once Miss B. entered the world, the Dad delivered to us a D200 to move us into the digital age. (Not to mention, having previously supplied us with a Canon Elph APS camera-- *love that camera*... and a Digital Elph.... did I mention that we all like to take pictures? Like, a *LOT* of pictures? And, that apparently, our motto is "you can never have too many cameras?")
So, for my photo outfit I've got a 50mm 1.8 lens, a telephoto zoom, a wide angle zoom, the aforementioned fisheye and a wide angle zoom on my 6006. The other day I visited B & H (aka the equivalent of a crack den for photography enthusiasts) and picked up a 24 mm lens. But I was in the middle of a brain fog, because what I was really looking for was a telephoto prime lens with a low f-stop NOT a wide angle lens with a low f-stop.
So, I call the Dad, because I know he's got some goodies hidden up his sleeve and I wanted to see what he had and see if I could test out some of the lenses in order to really figure out what it was that I was looking for. And what, ho! Dad not only has the exact lens that I was thinking I wanted to get, but then he has an even fancier lens, with zoom capability and an even more amazing f-stop capacity. And, it's never even been used! Not only has it not been used, but it's in the original packaging. (That is one of those things that I have inherited from my Dad... retaining original packaging... I found an iPod box the other day for an iPod I don't even have anymore-- but I still have that Box!) ;) How cool is that?
So, at the end of our phone conversation, the Dad asked whether this made up for his having previously sold the infamous "Buddy L" truck. (You see, long ago in my Dad's den there was this turqoise toy truck up high on a shelf that had a boat on the back of it... I loved that truck, and then, one day I asked about it and (Gasp!) it had been sold!) I'll make it official, right here... I think this makes up for the Buddy L truck (especially, since apparently, the truck was rusted in the inside! ;) Between this and having previously delivered to me (x) the Jackie Stewart car, figurine and collie and (y) a Dinky Rocket Launcher, I think we're square.
I love you, DAD!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Clam Chowder!
Tonight I made Ina Garten's East Hampton Clam Chowder (finally!) thanks to fresh shucked clams from McCaffrey's (what can I say, I had no intention of doing my own shucking). You can find the recipe on page 28 of Ina's cookbook "Barefoot Contessa Family Style". Ina has you sauteeing mire poix in butter, together with a bit of salt, fresh ground pepper and fresh thyme. I added in leeks with the celery, carrots and potato chunks. I also used red potatoes, butter potatoes and white potatoes. Once your vegetables cook for a bit and start to get soft you add in four cups of clam juice. (Nothing like peanut butter, dry white toast and clam juice!) Bring your mixture to a boil and let your veggies get soft. Next, Ina has you melting additional butter and mixing in flour and then adding that to your soup-- I diverged, and instead added a bit of cream and two bay leaves, a dash of cayenne pepper and some garlic salt. Once the potatoes were tender and the broth had thickened a bit (with the help of a touch of corn starch...) I was ready to add in my fresh clams (with their juices). With the soup on medium-low heat, add in the clams and only cook for a short time as the longer they're in the tougher they can get. Once the clams changed color, we were ready to serve and thanks to the Husband bringing home oyster crackers we were ready to eat!!!
The soup was really great-- and the clams really fresh! Yay to Ina (with a few seasoning additions of our own!) ;)
The soup was really great-- and the clams really fresh! Yay to Ina (with a few seasoning additions of our own!) ;)
OYSTER CRACKERS
Where are they? Why did Wegman's hide them? I *hate* that store! For no apparent good reason they totally reconfigured the cracker/cookie/juice aisle and along the line managed to "lose" their supply of oyster crackers. How can we have clam chowder without oyster crackers!?!
Not So Tasty Tuesday....
So, we've been participating (or trying to) in Forever Wherever's Tasty Tuesday blogroll for a while now. Unfortunately, though today is Tuesday, our food fortunes did not smile upon us. I had high hopes for lemon chicken stirfry, a typically tasty and usually easy dinner that packs a lot of punch thanks to the addition of lemon saffron rice. Well. Not tonight. Nope, tonight we had a Primo's Frozen Pizza. To make matters worse, I haven't gone to do the week's grocery shopping yet so this evening, after our pizza dinner, when the Husband and I wanted to snack on something, the only thing we had was frozen Eggo Waffles. They were blueberry. This is what happens when the Husband comes home and has to review a 111 page Loan Agreement amendment and I have to revise an Amended and Restated Loan Agreement. Last night was taco night (complete with cilantro lime rice and two kinds of refried beans, crunchy and soft tacos)... but tonight? Tonight's dinner was just lame! Here's to a better tomorrow, and oh, by the way, to my friends at Whole Foods: Will you ever be getting in shucked clams again? I've been waiting to make Ina Garten's East Hampton Clam Chowder for like a week already!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Shout out to
David! Today Miss B. and I hit up Devon & Blakley with David. Bagel stick sandwiches for everyone! D&B is a little odd in that it is one level below street level and you usually get to it by going down an escalator. With Miss B. in tow, David and I were coordinating how to accomplish this when the building security folks offered up an elevator. But that elevator wasn't working, so they had us come into the building and use the freight elevator. Which required an elevator operator, who then had to show us how to get from where the elevator put us to the actual restaurant. In the end, taking Miss B. out of her stroller and then just carrying the stroller down would have been faster! But what lunch is complete without a tour of the underbelly of an office building?
As usual, lunch was fun and who besides David could we discuss camera equipment, cell phones and potty training anecdotes?
As usual, lunch was fun and who besides David could we discuss camera equipment, cell phones and potty training anecdotes?
Monday, February 16, 2009
Penelope...
Last night I watched "Penelope"... it wasn't bad for a bit of a modern day fairy tale/Tim Burton Lite...
Small World!
For those of you in the area... I'm going to be showing a selection of my photography at Small World Coffee's Nassau Street Location in April! More details to follow!!
Vesper
Were she older, this would have been Miss B.'s first "eye rolling" at the parent experience.
Since Showtime has been constantly playing "Casino Royale" it has become the new Da Vinci Code. Which means now I know most of the dialogue by heart. The other day when Miss B. and I were at Westminster waiting for Thisbe and the Wee Kraken we had a light snack. I had packed a little bag of Rold Gold pretzels. I'm not a pretzel fan myself, but Miss B. handed me one out of the bag. I took a bite.
Then I said: "That's Not Half Bad. I'll have to think up a name for that."
Bond humor. Sophie didn't seem amused.
Since Showtime has been constantly playing "Casino Royale" it has become the new Da Vinci Code. Which means now I know most of the dialogue by heart. The other day when Miss B. and I were at Westminster waiting for Thisbe and the Wee Kraken we had a light snack. I had packed a little bag of Rold Gold pretzels. I'm not a pretzel fan myself, but Miss B. handed me one out of the bag. I took a bite.
Then I said: "That's Not Half Bad. I'll have to think up a name for that."
Bond humor. Sophie didn't seem amused.
Tonight's Dinner...
A roasted chicken (surrounded by roasted potatoes and other veggies...), mashed potatoes (starch overload!), sauteed zucchini with parmesan, and baby peas. Very tasty indeed and relatively simple (though too many pans were involved). This followed a monster brunch which included (i) pancakes, (ii) eggs benedict-- with real hollandaise! and (iii) mini tater tots! What can I say, the Husband wanted pancakes and I wanted eggs. Again, how is it that we're not poster children for obesity in America? Unclear. Just keeping our fingers crossed for now.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
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Hors de Prix
The other night we watched Hors de Prix, a movie with Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh. It was really cute! I highly recommend it.
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