Post-Turkey Blues

It's something I experience every year, the post-turkey blues. I have to say that it's better this year than in years past, maybe because as I get older I know what's going to happen and I understand it now.

I am a perfectionist. I want everything to be just right. It makes me good at what I do but it also leads to great disappointment when things aren't perfect, which is most of the time since perfection isn't possible. Thanksgiving is a magnification of that. Thanksgiving is about celebrating gratitude with food. Talk about a holiday made for me! And you get to celebrate it with the people you love, making it even better. So I work really hard on this holiday, although my family tries to do their best to restrain me. If I could, I would make a dozen dishes. But since there are only seven of us, I have to keep it to a minimum. I have also learned to let others contribute to the meal, taking some of the pressure of of me.

Here was yesterday's menu:

Roast turkey - Injected with an herb butter, moist and crispy skinned.
Stuffing - Traditional bread stuffing from The Graminator's recipe. I spent four days drying out the bread and made the poultry seasoning from scratch dee to Roberta's sage allergy (see last year's post "Sage-free is Okay".)
Mashed Potatoes - Truly delicious garlic and Parmesan mashed potatoes made by Will and Val.
Gravy - Made from turkey stock I made on Monday with roasted turkey legs, carrots, celery, onions and fresh thyme. Really rich and delicious. And while it takes a while to make it, it makes turkey gravy a snap and no deglazing a pan on Thanksgiving.
Sweet Potatoes - Bourbon mashed sweet potatoes, made by Mom, from my adapted recipe.
Cranberry Sauce - Home made cranberry, pomegranate and Meyer lemon relish. Not bad but I'll go back to my regular recipe next year.
Brussels Sprouts - Shredded Brussels Sprout with Lemon from the December issue of Everyday Food. Made by mom (but I shredded the sprouts.)
Herb Rolls - Even though I'm intimidated by yeast dough, I made these rolls (from the November Issue of Sunset magazine) which requires little yeast knowledge but lots of kneading (15 minutes) by hand. Full of fresh dill, chives, parsley and rosemary. Yummy. I'll try my hand my yeast dough again.
Spinach Salad - Adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light, this fresh spinach was dressed with a sweet and spicy dressing made from red pepper jelly and had blue cheese and glazed peans (which I made myself.)
Pumpkin Pie - A traditional favorite in my house, made with fresh pumpkins I cook down myself (no canned pumpkin here!)
Butterscotch Pumpkin Pie - From the November issue of Bon Apetit. Lots of work to make and it wasn't as good as my normal pie. I wouldn't make it again. Also made Martha Stewart's Pate Brisee dough for the crust. Not good with this pie but I think it needed a higher heat. I will use the other round of dough for a different pie and see if it works better. Of course, both pies were served with fresh Chantilly cream made from Trader Joe's heavy cream.

This menu was proceeded by appetizers of shrimp cocktail, stuffed celery, deviled eggs, cranberry-cream cheese with crackers and Chex mix.

Okay, can you see why I get the blues? I spend weeks preparing the menu, days shopping and prepping and cooking an it gets eaten in under an hour. As I said, this year is better. I was prepared for the blues. And this year they were mostly forgotten due to exhaustion. (I normally take weeks to prepare but due to Vegas Schmegas production I was on a tighter schedule). And I understood this year that the only person who needed to appreciate my hard work was me. So while I would have liked a greater show of appreciation (is a standing ovation really to much to ask?) I settled for a full tummy and a glass of Moet.

My mom's kitchen is small. Really small. Like airplane galley small. And at one point I did snap when someone asked if they could help while I was trying to carve the turkey with two dogs underfoot and my mother hovering over me with a sponge to clear any turkey juice that might drip onto the counter and I had no elbow room to carve (sorry for snapping Roberta). But Roberta is cool, she just grabbed the red wine and headed out. And honestly, I would have loved some help if the kitchen wasn't so danged tiny. I don't know how my Grandma Charlotte ever cooked those huge meals for ten in there. Let me tell you "efficiency kitchen" really means "no room". Anyone know a producer at one of those remodeling shows to fix up my mom's kitchen? But if I can cook Thanksgiving in an 11' X 4' kitchen on a forty-five year old stove, I can cook most anywhere.

So the post-turkey blues are over. Which is good. It means I can move on to the pre-Christmas panic followed by the post-Christmas meltdown and the New Year's Day depression. Aren't the holidays great?

Happy Thanksgiving

I am thankful for so many things this holiday, and one of them is you, Loyal Readers. You keep me writing and I thank you. I hope your holiday is filled with wonderful family, fabulous friends and great food and that you are surrounded by love. Happy Thanksgiving!

Always a Bridesmaid

So, Saturday Val and I went shopping for my 'maid of honor' dress. What's nice about being the only attendant is that I don't have to wear the same dress as five other girls so we kind of chose a style that both Val liked and I looked good in. We had selected two styles before we went (to David's Bridal, where Val bought her gown) and knew that we wanted pink.

One style I really liked and when I read the online reviews there were lots 'plus sized" women who really liked the dress. It got great reviews as looking good on just about everyone. The other style was a bit more formal and styled to mimic Val's dress. Both were nice but the more formal dress was hot, heavy and reminded me more of a prom dress. Plus it didn't fit right over my butt. I would have had to order it two sizes larger then have the whole top cut down three sizes (yes, the joys of a pear shaped body. I wish I could take a cup size from my ass and have it transferred to my boobs.)

The one I liked originally looked good on my body as it flowed gracefully over the trouble spots but made my bust look bigger. I'll have to have it altered a bit to shorten the straps but the only negative that I read online was that the straps sometimes come loose so having them re-sewn should solve that potential problem. The consultant also suggested that I have bra cups sewn in so I don't have to buy a special bra to wear with it. And believe it or not, I think I can actually have it shortened and wear it again later! (You always hear that but most bridesmaid dresses are so hideous that anything other than shooting them and putting them out of their misery is unthinkable.)

So, the winner is...

Better than Advertised

Hello Loyal Readers! Thanks for bearing with me during this crazy month of November. Last week was spent recovering from the Vegas Schmegas shoot plus trying to catch up on NaNoWriMo. I also had my friend over to lunch for her birthday (made a fabulous mirin glazed salmon and am going to throw all other salmon recipes away), had to take the animals to the vet, went bridesmaids dress shopping (got a dress, yay, more on that in another post), had a production meeting (we're currently only $200 over budget. Also had sad news, the loss of a former Smidgiteer. Rest in Peace, Donald.

Now here's the reason for the title. Every week on my way to the production office I pass a restaurant on Durango called Gina's Bistro. For months I have looked at it and wondered about it. It's part of a weird looking strip mall and I could never tell if it was even open or what it was like inside. Still, my love of food made me look at it every time I passed. But it's a little far from home for a new restaurant that I'd never heard anything about so I never suggested to the family that we try it.

This week, in the Neon section of the local paper (for those not in Vegas, the neon is the weekly 'arts' pull out, with show information, movie reviews, restaurant guide, etc.) there was a review of Gina's Bistro. The review was smashing, with quotes like "Gina's Bistro may not look too much like Italy, but it sure tastes -- and smells -- like an authentic trattoria in the old country." It also carried a picture which showed an attractive interior which allayed my fears that it wasn't great inside (remember, the exterior is pretty, er, uninspiring strip mall-esque.) So I read the review to the family and they seemed interested, especially since our beloved Montesano's has closed all it's locations on our side of town (Gosh I miss those garlic knots.) I checked the website to see if they were open for lunch on Sunday but couldn't find their hours (Note to Gina: This is crucial information, put it on the website!) so I called and they were indeed open for lunch. So yesterday we made the trek.



When I read a review I'm usually skeptical. After all, the reviewer and I may be looking for different things. When I write professional restaurant reviews, I'm trying to cover the basics so that I can give readers a sense of what the restaurant is all about. But when I'm eating out for pleasure, it's a whole different story. Like I would never put this in a professional review, but for you I'll tell you that you should use the restroom before you visit Gina's. It's not that the bathroom was disgusting, it's actually fairly nice (I've been in way worse, let me tell you) but it's outside the restaurant and you have to get the key and it's a little creepy. Gina's is beautiful inside and the bathroom is nicely decorated too but the 'get the key' thing feels like a bad gas station instead of a lovely restaurant. The bistro also isn't set up to be handicap friendly, although they quickly moved a table so that we could push The Graminator's wheelchair to the table. These are very minor quibbles at best.

The thing I want the most when I go out to eat is great food. Ideally it would be great food in a nice atmosphere with good service and on that, Gina's Bistro is a winner. The only people working the front of the house are the delightfully Italian accented Gina and our equally accented waitress (whose name escapes me now but who felt like an Italian aunt giving us lunch.) Although the restaurant was empty when we arrived it was soon at half capacity (which because Gina's is so small inside makes it feel cozy and familial) but service never suffered. Even though we just ordered water, our glasses were never empty. The bread basket came as soon as we ordered (although the delicious bread deserved better than the "European style butter whipped margarine" that came with it. What the hell is "European style butter whipped margarine" anyway? Next time we'll just use the olive oil that's on the table.)

The menu, like the restaurant, is small. But don't let the laminated blue paper fool you. It's packed with gems. As Val put it, "I've never been to a place before where I wanted to try just about everything on the menu." The Graminator ordered the Pollo Parmigiana which Heidi Knapp Rinella described in her review as "Chicken parmigiana ($12.95) may seem about as garden-variety as its gets, but this lily was gilded with a layer of sliced eggplant, cut thinly so that both the flavor and texture were wonderfully delicate. The customary layer of mozzarella and a good dose of marinara -- pulpy and thick, made of chunked tomatoes instead of crushed or pureed, and cooked slowly to enable the seasonings to penetrate through to the soul -- completed the dish." but she failed to mention that it is enormous, enough to feed two people, and sided with spaghetti marinara. It was delicious and Grams will be having it for lunch for the next few days. Mom ordered the Conchiglie Campagnola (Shells pasta, diced chicken, broccoli, sun dried tomatoes and roasted garlic) while Val got the Pollo Boscaiola (Chicken breast with mushrooms and cream sauce) and Will had the Involtino Di Pollo Florentina (Rolled chicken breast stuffed with spinach and fontina cheese) all of which were delicious. Will and Val's came with roasted potatoes which they raved over and broccoli which was crisp-tender and dressed simply (but deliciously) with olive oil and salt and pepper.

Okay, I saved the best for last. I got the Pappardelle Tre Bocconi which the menu lists as "Home made wide fettuccine with prosciutto, bacon, mushrooms, mini veal meat balls in a tomato sauce" but menu descriptions sometimes don't do justice to the meal they are describing. Tre Bocconi translates as "three bites" according to our waitress. The pappardelle were soft ribbons of pasta swathed in a sauce that Gina should be ashamed to call "a tomato sauce". Sure, it had tomatoes in it but it was far more velvety and rich that some plain old marinara. It was rich and earthy and I suspect had at it's base a rich veal stock and red wine in addition to tomatoes. Thick slices of chopped bacon added a smoky note while the prosciutto gave a salty counterpoint. Slices of mushroom added to the depth of the sauce then absorbed the sauce back in, becoming a meaty, chewy flavor in themselves and lots of green peas added color to the dish. The little veal meatballs were moist and the whole dish worked together. I am not exaggerating when I say that this is the best pasta dish I have ever eaten. Ever. EVER. If I saw this on the menu of a more upscale restaurant, I would expect to pay around $32.00. And it would be worth every penny. But at Gina's it was $12.50. So delicious that I'm telling you, I want it again, now. I will be dreaming of this pasta. I almost want the recipe but I know I could never make it as well as they do, so I'll just settle for going to Gina's. A lot.

I have never read a "rave" restaurant review that I agreed with completely. But this was the first time that I found that the restaurant EXCEEDED the review. Maybe she wanted to give Gina's some business but keep it from getting too crowded? I can't blame her there. It's a really small restaurant and I don't want to not be able to get in (although they do have take out so if I ever can't get a table I'll get it to go!) One young man, who was eating alone, said it was his second time there in a week. Now this was a guy who would have looked more at home at the local Micky D's but he said the lasagna was so good he just had to come back. I know just how he feels. The lasagna is definitely on my list to try but I'm really hoping someone else orders it so I can try it yet still have my Tre Bocconi. Yup, I am that greedy.

If you want some authentic and delicious Italian food, go to Gina's Bistro. Gina will greet you and even sit at your table if there is room for her to, and give you a hug on the way out. Watch the Italian channel on the TV. Listen to Bocelli playing in the background. And call me, because I want to go too!

Awkward Much?

Okay, I'm at my least favorite part of writing my book...the sex scenes.

Look, I'm not a prude, (far from it, as evidenced by the pictures in my previous post) but it's still really weird for me to write the sex scenes. I feel like I'm intruding on a very personal moment. It makes me feel almost like a voyeur. I know, they are my characters but when they get intimate I feel like I should give them some privacy.

I know I'm not alone in this, Maura wrote about this same thing on her blog and Dyann and I have discussed it as well. One of the big factors for me is that my mom and friends are going to read this (hopefully) and that feels almost like I'm telling them about my sex life. Now I can talk to my family about sex, but it's more of a general thing, I don't get specific in the details. These scenes, however, need to be graphic for the genre I'm writing. I'm blushing just thinking about it and I know everyone is going to think I'm a perv! It's something I have to get over if I want to be a successful romance writer but what will the Graminator think when she reads it?

I wrote a scene for a movie (still a WIP) that involved a serial killer and his victim. It was a graphic scene and when I got done writing it, I was really upset. I'm not a killer so how could I write about one so realistically and graphically? What does that say about me? My mom won't watch shows like "Criminal Minds" with me because she thinks it gives crazy people even more crazy ideas to work with. Is that true? Are writers responsible for the evil in the world? Does Steven King worry about this? Does life imitate art or is it the other way around? Am I the chicken or the egg? Aughhhhh!

So today my challenge is to write a highly erotic scene. I mean all out, balls to the wall (metaphorically speaking.) I can always tone it down later but for today, I'm going to break down my 'inhibitions' and just go for it. Just don't judge, okay Loyal Readers?

I am wayyyyyy behind on NaNoWriMo, having done no writing at all from Thursday to Monday. I'm hoping to catch up, but towards the end it may not be good writing. Oh well, I guess that's what rewrites are for.

Thanks for the encouragement Maura, I'm energized to get some writing done but Shelby is on hold until after NaNo. But I do feel excited to write and I have some irons in the fire. Shelby will be back in the forefront in just a few weeks!

It's (Almost) a Wrap and a Possible Career Change

After three weeks of intensive shooting, it's a wrap on principal photography on "Vegas Schmegas". Well, almost.

The motel location we were shooting at stands in the shadow of the Wynn Hotel. Literally in the shadow. Like so in the shadow that we lost shooting light at 3:30 and will have to go back and re-shoot some scenes so that all of the footage matches. And we still have a long list of things to do before we can finish editing on the project, including shooting some B-roll footage, recording some voice over, doing ADR, etc. But we are calling that "Second Unit" so that we could celebrate a wrap yesterday.

Thank you to all of the actors and crew who worked so hard to make this happen, we couldn't have done it without you. Most worked without pay and just did it for the love of being on set and working. That's what independent film making is all about. Let's pray that this project gets picked up so we can then reward everyone for their hard work.


So, after a really LONG shooting day on Friday (ten hour days on set are pretty normal, twelve hour days aren't uncommon but this one was fourteen hours long!) I may be considering a career change. How do you think I'd do as a dominatrix?
Yup, that's me in costume. The consensus on set was that the Graminator was right, I did look "nice". Although if the catcalls and whistles I got from the people driving down East Sahara were any indication, I could potentially make some money at it. It was warm all day on Friday, almost hot at points (about eighty degrees) but by the time we shot the dominatrix scene it was really cold and windy.


This is the most wonderful actress and person, Elly Brown, and me, huddled underneath Nathan's shirts in between takes. We were sooooo cold. I love Elly, she was a trouper, she was in every scene that day and was AWESOME. I want to write more stuff for her because she is so good. Usually, really beautiful women aren't all that great at comedy (they don't have to be, they are beautiful, duh) but Elly has great timing and killer comedic instincts. She's also so nice and really willing to do what it takes. And right now she's on a cruise with her husband basking in the sun on some tropical beach. I'd be jealous but she worked so hard, she deserves it!

This is Nathan Ferrier and Jimmy Germano as "Franke" and "Louie". They were great. Nathan is new to our band of merry players too, and he was awesome as well. Did I mention he's totally gorgeous but a nice guy to boot? (He's the one who gave up his own comfort to loan Elly and I his shirts on set when we were cold. He stood there in a t-shirt so we could get warm. Plus, he let us use him as a wind block.) He did a fabulous job this weekend and he's a great actor, he knew his lines and he was ready to work. Yesterday, we shot his scenes as "Stan the cab driver" and he made my lines sound even better than when I wrote them! It's hard when you are filming to see "the big picture" but the Stan scenes were really encapsulated so it was easy for me to see how great they are going to turn out, and damn is it good! It wasn't an easy part either, but Nathan pulled it off like it was no big deal. Plus he and Jimmy work really well together and I want to write them some more stuff.

It's amazing how creativity breeds the need to make more creative stuff but I thank everyone on set for giving me a 'creative energy boost'. I am fired up and ready to write. We all agreed that it was wonderful to be on set again. It is a blessing and a gift to the writer to hear their lines and see the scenes they wrote brought to life. So thank you to everyone who made this happen for the incredible gift you gave to me and to Kelly and to all of us who have been working for so long to get this project off the ground!

Mucho thanks and love to: Kelly, Mark, John B, Charisma, Denise, Jimmy, Marissa, Jon, Eddie, Zach, Elly, Nathan, Nicole, Shannon, Gary, Craig, Kelly's dad, the staff and patrons at My Cousin Vinny's, Irwin Kishner, the staff at the Somerset Motel, all the friends who showed up to play hookers and soccer moms and my family who covered for me watching the Graminator so that I could prep and be on set. No shoebox, you all are the best!

And thanks to you, Loyal Readers. Your support during this journey means more than I can ever tell you.

Making Headlines

Check out this week's column by Carol Cling in the Vegas Voice, a blog by Las Vegas Review Journal columnists.

SHOOTING STARS: TV pilot spoofs ‘Vegas Schmegas’
Posted by Carol Cling
Monday, Nov. 10, 2008 at 05:00 AM
Anyone who calls Las Vegas home knows all the clichés of life in Neon Nirvana, from the always-on lounge lizard to the showgirl-by-night, brain-surgeon-by-day.
And that’s exactly the kind of humor behind the locally produced TV pilot “Vegas Schmegas,” currently shooting weekends through November.
The pilot, from Las Vegas-based Vision Dynamics Entertainment, spoofs comical, commonly held stereotypes about Las Vegas.
You know the drill: “People live in hotels, showgirls wear their headdresses everywhere,” explains producer-director Kelly Schwarze, who hit on the idea of a Vegas sketch-comedy project while watching the British comedy troupe “Little Britain.” (Canada’s Kids in the Hall also provided inspiration, he says.)
“There are so many colorful people” in Las Vegas, Schwarze notes. So he and collaborator Shae Wilhite, a Las Vegas-based writer and comedian, came up with the “Vegas Schmegas” concept and created a variety of comedy sketches.
One focuses on a mom who takes the kids to school and shops in full showgirl regalia, another on a mobile wedding chapel that ambushes couples forces them to tie the knot. And then there’s the crabby cabby who’s always deflating visitors’ dreams.
Locals Elly Brown (a real-life showgirl who also appears in local theater productions) and Nathan Ferrier are among the performers featured in “Vegas Schmegas,” Schwarze reports.
A half-hour pilot, to be presented to various cable television producers, will feature “the best of the best” sketches being shot this month.

Stay tuned, Loyal Readers!

Midway, Thirdway, a Whip and a Bowl of Red

Hello Loyal Readers and thanks for hanging in there with me during this time of sporadic posting.

Principal photography has reached the midway point after yesterday's shoot. The weather on Saturday was beautiful, so of course we shot on Sunday when the wind, rain and clouds presented a challenge. Once scene involved about seven of us dressed in "hooker" attire in the freezing wind. Then later we shot when it was so dark and windy and cold that we were freezing (I only brought a light sweater to set and I wished I had gloves and a scarf or something!) Then when we came back outside the sun was out, the wind had stopped...lovely, right? Wrong, because now our scenes wouldn't match the earlier ones so we had to re-shoot everything. Ahh, gotta love a challenge.

It is also the 'thirdway' point of NaNoWriMo. I should be at 15,000 words but I'm a bit behind at about 10,000 words. I also can't get in to upload my word counts because the server is so busy. I'll try again today. I think I'll be able to really catch up after shooting ends next Sunday. Any writers up for a write-a-thon? (Hmm, Dyann?)

I haven't even gotten to play with my new iPod much, although I did start the set up process. Now I just wish there was an easy way to transfer everything on my Zen to my iPod...

The whip in the title of this column is actually a riding crop and it's part of the dominatrix costume I'll be wearing on Friday as part of the Vegas Schmegas shoot. Boy, is it ever uncomfortable. The fence-net pantyhose make me feel like I'm stuffing myself into those bags that hold lemons or onions. But it was a great excuse to buy a pair of boots that I can't afford (why do I feel like I'm on 'Sex and the City' when I say that?) The funniest part was when I tried my costume on for my family, The Graminator thought I looked 'really nice'. Not exactly the look I was going for, or else my grams thinks I should dress more slutty.

The bowl of red was the chili I made for the shoot yesterday. I made it much less spicy than I normally would since I was feeding a crowd (although it still had heat and I brought jalapenos for those who needed it hotter) but it got rave reviews. I mean raves. Kelly even called me at home last night to tell me again how good he thought it was. And to back up the compliments, when I went to go to clean up the crock pot it was empty. I mean empty. They ate six quarts of chili! And two pans of brownies. It went well on a cold day.

Okay, I gotta get back to work. Thanks for hanging in there, I'll try to make tomorrows post a bit more exciting.

Updates to What is Going on in my World

Obama is the new President-elect (was there ever much doubt?) He has some tough decisions to make to get this county back on track when he takes office. Now he needs to put his money where his mouth is. I hope that he can deliver on his promises because I think this country is really counting on him.

Principal photography began on Vegas Schmegas on Saturday and I think it's looking great so far. The poker scene looked even better than I expected and the cast and crew really came through. Kudos to everyone. Especially Mark for some tricky lighting cues and Kelly for being a great director. Saturday I played a dealer so I got to be more of an actor than crew and it was fun. Everyone is doing such a great job that I feel a little superfluous, but I guess that's how a lot of writers feel on set. (We usually have a really small crew so I do more but we have actual help on this set. Still, I helped move tables and track and dolly and stuff so I'm not completely useless.) Next shoot is on Sunday, and we have two different sketches to film. It will be a good ramping up for the 14th when we have a twelve hour shooting day.

I am behind on my NaNoWriMo project, but I knew I would be since I was out of commission (writing-wise) over the weekend. I also started a new novel, not the WIP I thought I'd use, but I figured I would use the 50,000 word parameters to write my "Harlequin" novel. I have loved Harlequin since I was about eleven years old and I graduated from Little House on the Prairie Books and Nancy Drew novels to the paperback romances that my Grandmother read. The ones she bought were always set in England or Canada and the heroines were always nurses and they spelled things differently like "humour". I was excited when I finally discovered ones set in America. I think that's what this one will be for, the Harlequin American line. It's an idea that kicked around my head so I'm letting it out for NaNoWriMo. I'm going to have to put in a few 'cram' sessions to make the word count by deadline but I can always re-write next month.

And Thanksgiving is coming so I'm trying out a few things in advance to see if I can improve upon the traditional dinner I usually make. I'm not allowed to mess with it much, we MUST have turkey and The Graminator's stuffing and my home made pumpkin pie (with fresh, not canned, pumpkin). I have been reading about 'dry brining' your turkey and I tried it out on a turkey breast last night so I could see how it was before trying it on a whole turkey. I usually inject my turkey with an herb steeped butter mixture but I thought I'd try this instead. My mom told me not to mess with it, that my turkey was already great, but I had to check it out for myself so I bought a turkey breast and dry brined it. The result? The vote was unanimous and I am NOT dry brining the turkey this year, we are sticking with injecting. While the turkey was fine and stayed moist, it didn't have as much flavor as the injected turkey does. Injecting, to me, makes the turkey moist and flavorful and is easier and less time consuming. So while it was a noble experiment, dry brining falls into the "not worth it" category for me. I also made Sunset magazines sourdough artichoke Parmesan stuffing and it was delicious. I won't make it for Thanksgiving (as this could get me killed by my Uncle) but I'd definitely make it for us again. And there is enough left over to make "Bobbies" this week. (Those unfamiliar with the "Bobbie" at Capriotti's sandwich shop, it's turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce on a sub roll and it's delicious!)

I ordered my first iPod. (yes, I have fallen into Apple's clutches, now that I love my Mac I'm trading my Zen for an iPod) it's the iPod Touch and it's supposed to arrive by tomorrow. I've been following it's progress and it's gone from Kunshan, China to Shanghai, China to Anchorage, Alaska to Indianapolis, Indiana so far. My iPod will have seen more of the world than I have. I know it's a luxury, not a necessity, but I decided to put my comedy money towards something I wanted instead of something I needed. I can't wait to play with it!

Okay, that's my world. Hope all is good in yours, Loyal Readers!