I got to see the rough edit of Vegas Schmegas on Saturday (a rough edit means that there are still incomplete elements like music or segments still missing) but it can give you an idea of how a project is coming together. It looks great, Mark and Jon did a killer job editing. But it's running a little shorter than we would like. So we needed to add a couple of sketches. Now it's been a while since I wrote the original episodes and I knew we needed to incorporate more "Vegas" into the show (it is titled "Vegas Schmegas" after all.) But permits are expensive...okay, permits are cheap, insurance is expensive and we have already spent our insurance budget. So it's time for a little 'guerrilla' filming.
We came up with the idea that Jimmy Germano and I would pose as tourists and just improv about what we saw and did, and film it hand-held with my consumer video camera so that we wouldn't draw attention. Now we aren't the first film crew to do this. I saw a short film at a festival called "Flip" that took place in Las Vegas. They filmed all over the place. During the Q&A after the movie I asked the director how he got all the location permission and he told me he didn't (I don't think I'm breaking confidence here since he told the whole audience.) So whenever the guys would say "we can't film there, we don't have permits" I would think that since other people did it, why couldn't we? I don't want to break any laws but until the pilot is purchased, it's a moot point. When the pilot is purchased, it will either be sold as a 'concept', meaning what we filmed will never be shown publicly, or we will make more episodes with someone else's cash, in which case we can re-shoot those scenes with permits. So legally, we are covered under the same laws that cover any other tourist. Ethically it might be a gray area, but I'll just add that to my list of things I feel guilty about.
So last night Jimmy and I became "Gina and Dominick from Teaneck, New Jersey". I wore a Las Vegas t-shirt and those cheap plastic beads that they hand out at Mardi Gras (all the casinos give them away too.) It was pretty funny the way our crew handled the filming. Jimmy and I wore lav mikes (a wireless microphone pack you wear on your person with the wires concealed) which were connected to the big camera for sound only, the camera in Mark's backpack and he was listening to the sound from his iPod earphones so that if you saw him you would think he was just some guy listening to his music. Kelly walked ahead of us shooting still photos of us while Charisma strolled along with her consumer camera capturing us from a wide angle. We looked like random tourists who didn't know each other. Jimmy and I used my camera to capture our improv.
We filmed at the Fremont Street Experience. Fremont Street used to be just that, a street, kind of a main drag through downtown. My dad used to cruise Fremont during his high school days. But as "The Strip" became more of where the tourists went, downtown casinos fell out of favor. So they turned several blocks of Fremont into a covered, traffic-free area with lots of kiosks for shopping, street entertainers and the world's largest big screen on the canopy overhead where they play hourly music tributes and videos. It's like a big, permanent street fair with stores and casinos and gambling lining the way. It was definitely a great place to make fun of. People walk around with these giant "yard long' drinks or drinks in huge plastic footballs and act crazy. It's like Disneyland on acid.
Now I love improv and I have no problem looking like an ass in front of total strangers. I used to do an interactive dinner theater and found that the more obnoxious I got, the more people liked it. So that's how I was last night. And we had so much fun. I even had a crowd of people clapping for me at one point and taking pictures. (I am in so many tourist photos I should charge!) We even filmed inside one casino (I know it's a no-no but no one stopped us and I doubt many tourists know you aren't supposed to film inside if no one tells them). And we won $12.50 in a slot machine. All of this footage will have to be mined by the wonderful editor that Mark is to even know if we got the two to four minutes of comedy gold nuggets we need. The idea is to have whatever is funny go into a segment where it's the blog of a couple of tourists on their Las Vegas vacation. I think it will be pretty funny if it works. And I can't wait to go to the Strip to film there too.
But I want to put out there for the hundreds of people on Fremont Street last night that if you saw some crazy lady in a purple Vegas t-shirt who was loud and obnoxious and making a complete ass of herself and her 'husband'...it was an act. I'm an actor. I'm a normal person who does not usually dance in the middle of the street. I don't, as a general rule, make suggestive comments about shrubbery, ask strangers where the obtained their alcohol or loudly comment on other women's breast size. I usually am the girl no one ever notices. So I wasn't drunk or insane. It was an act.
But all the other people exhibiting the same bizarre behavior? Those were tourists.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Where Do Ideas Come From?
Every story came from an idea. But where do ideas come from? What rattles around in your brain, rolling around, worried about like a bit of sand in an oyster shell until it becomes a beautiful pearl? (Or as is my case most of the time, a weird looking lump?)
Last night we were watching Jim Gaffigan's new stand up special "King Baby". If you have never heard Jim Gaffigan do comedy, you should really take a listen. He is so funny, my cheeks hurt from laughing so much. I've seen him both on TV and live, and he is truly gifted. His timing is awesome, his jokes are funny and he works clean. I actually watched the show twice (bless Comedy central for running it back to back), the first time with my mom where we just laughed our butts off (don't I wish that were actually possible) and the second time to analyze. (When I first started doing comedy I would be analyzing other comics constantly, but that took a little joy out of it so now I make myself watch it first to enjoy then analyze later.) He has his routine down cold, like when the microphone should be in his left hand to make a joke work, when to drop inflection, when to stop, when to start. It's amazingly well crafted and I only wish I could be half that good.
Here is part of his routine from last night about bacon.
Too funny. But while watching his show I heard a joke that started the wheels turning in my head. The idea for a new short film. I know there is a lot of filming going on in the future but maybe we could wedge this one in too. I don't want to give it away while I'm working on it but the title is "Spare Way to Heaven".
So that's how the genesis of this film began. A joke that made me think of something else that led me to this script. My first script, "Arnie Johnson's Big Break" was based on the "what if" scenario, in that case "what if a comic picked the wrong audience member to insult?". "Supermodels" is based on the idea that if you are a 'supermodel' instead of just a regular model that you have super powers. Ideas that germinate, then actually grow into something.
Anyway, I am excited about this new short and I have to get it all finished so I'm going to go write now. And I'm glad because it's taken me slightly away from my cookie obsession (yes, I am going ahead with the cookie favor business, so you get to see that from the beginning too, Loyal Readers. I am getting ready for the photo shoot of the cookies and I'm getting my web designer to start the project.)
So, where do your ideas come from? And once you get one, what do YOU do with it?
Last night we were watching Jim Gaffigan's new stand up special "King Baby". If you have never heard Jim Gaffigan do comedy, you should really take a listen. He is so funny, my cheeks hurt from laughing so much. I've seen him both on TV and live, and he is truly gifted. His timing is awesome, his jokes are funny and he works clean. I actually watched the show twice (bless Comedy central for running it back to back), the first time with my mom where we just laughed our butts off (don't I wish that were actually possible) and the second time to analyze. (When I first started doing comedy I would be analyzing other comics constantly, but that took a little joy out of it so now I make myself watch it first to enjoy then analyze later.) He has his routine down cold, like when the microphone should be in his left hand to make a joke work, when to drop inflection, when to stop, when to start. It's amazingly well crafted and I only wish I could be half that good.
Here is part of his routine from last night about bacon.
Too funny. But while watching his show I heard a joke that started the wheels turning in my head. The idea for a new short film. I know there is a lot of filming going on in the future but maybe we could wedge this one in too. I don't want to give it away while I'm working on it but the title is "Spare Way to Heaven".
So that's how the genesis of this film began. A joke that made me think of something else that led me to this script. My first script, "Arnie Johnson's Big Break" was based on the "what if" scenario, in that case "what if a comic picked the wrong audience member to insult?". "Supermodels" is based on the idea that if you are a 'supermodel' instead of just a regular model that you have super powers. Ideas that germinate, then actually grow into something.
Anyway, I am excited about this new short and I have to get it all finished so I'm going to go write now. And I'm glad because it's taken me slightly away from my cookie obsession (yes, I am going ahead with the cookie favor business, so you get to see that from the beginning too, Loyal Readers. I am getting ready for the photo shoot of the cookies and I'm getting my web designer to start the project.)
So, where do your ideas come from? And once you get one, what do YOU do with it?
Friday, March 27, 2009
Adventures in Eating
I've been lucky. I was blessed by an abundant appetite (some might say too abundant but who am I to question it?), an avid interest in world cuisine and the opportunity to experience the food of many cultures without ever leaving my home town.
Las Vegas has always been the melting pot of the melting pot of America. Tell me a country or region and I'm pretty sure I can find you a group of people in Las Vegas who are from there, within a generation or so. Las Vegas truly welcomes everyone (I think that should be our next city slogan..."We don't care who you are as long as you leave some money at the tables." And Las Vegas has always embraced food. My grandmother would tell stories of the great midnight buffets on the strip while we ate tamales made by a lady down the street.
Part of my culinary education is due to the fact that my mother and grandmother liked to explore new cuisine as well. When I was growing up, once a week my mother would go to visit her mother. I'm sure it was much more enjoyable for them when my brother and I were in school but during summer breaks we would go along with them. It almost always involved shopping and lunch. Most of the time when we tagged along it was shopping at Kmart and lunch at The Country Inn (a much beloved but now gone restaurant that specialized in turkey, including wonderful turkey sandwiches on these amazing little yeast rolls.) But when we weren't along, or when my picky little brother wasn't with us, we would go to ethnic restaurants and crazy little ethnic stores that were treasure troves of the different, unusual or exotic. So through them I learned to appreciate Middle Eastern, Thai, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Greek, Cuban, Indian and a host of other types of food. I still love these cuisines today, although most of the time when we go out we eat American, Mexican, Italian, Chinese or Middle Eastern food, because my brother is with us, and while he is more adventurous than he used to be, he's still not quite as far along as we are.
Which leads me to last nights dinner. In an effort to get more stuff for decorating the house with, we spent the afternoon shopping and then went to dinner (ah, so reminiscent of days gone by, except back then we didn't have to lug a wheelchair everywhere.) There is a little shopping center not far from our house that while it has seen better days is still a good place to shop and eat (there is a Target and a Red Lobster so you got your chains covered). In a little section away from the Target there is little restaurant that has been many things. You know the kind I'm talking about, it seems to go out of business every six months or so, then like a phoenix arises as something new. This one has been a pizza place, a Brazilian rodizio, a family breakfast place, a gosh only knows what and now and Indian restaurant. India's Grill.
We hadn't been in the place since it was The Batter Beater. We only went there once, when it was newly open, because we remembered the original Batter Beater, a much liked breakfast place from when I was a kid. The food was fine but not as great as the memories of old and we weren't surprised when it went under. It then became the Insala Grill or something like it, honestly I didn't pay too much attention to that incarnation. I did laugh when it became India's Grill because they kept most of the same signage, thus saving the new owners from having to buy much more than a 'd' and an apostrophe. But I didn't think much about eating there until my mom read a review in Las Vegas Weekly, a lifestyle magazine I pick up free for her whenever I see one. The reviewer called the shopping center and the part of town that it's in "dreary-looking" and since it's my neighborhood I took a little offence. My mom read the whole review and he praised the food for its quality and said it was very reasonably priced. That was enough to convince my mother we had to try it. I was game so off we went, after a successful shopping expedition.
The decor hasn't changed much at all since the Batter beater days, when it was decorated to resemble a 1950's diner with pink walls and red booths and pictures of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe on the wall. The walls and booths remain, with Elvis and Marilyn replaced by black velvet paintings of Indian looking people and a few streamers of red and gold hanging in the window. If it hadn't smelled so wonderful we might have turned around. But we got ourselves to a table (they were very nice to The Graminator and ver accommodating of the wheelchair so bonus points for them) and ordered water (yes, we are cheap but also because water is good for you) and I ordered a mango lassi because it had been a long time since I had one. It was one of the best I've ever had, with fresh sweet mango. It was also one of the largest, served in a big Coca-Cola glass (I'm guessing these were left over from the diner too.) The $2.50 price tag was very reasonable, especially given the size. I started feeling guilty about ordering it but since it was shared by my mom and The Graminator (who drank the lion's share) I didn't feel too bad.
The menu at India's Grill is extensive, with over 90 items on the menu. And the prices are cheap. Like about half of what you would pay at other Indian restaurants in the city. With such a huge selection we were a little overwhelmed until I found the "India's Grill Specials" section of the menu. On it was a vegetarian or non-vegetarian Thali, which I think is Indian for 'buffet'. It is a large silver platter with little bowls of a lot of stuff on it. Like a smorgasbord of choices and we decided to get it to try a variety of things and gauge the quality of the food. So mom got the vegetarian option and I got the meat eaters special and we got an order of samosas for The Graminator and decided to just share it all. The samosas were huge and mildly spiced and fried very crispy. My mother's thali came with another samosa and onion bhaji appetizers, mixed vegetable curry and palak paneer (Indian cheese with spinach and spices) as the entrees plus dal makhani (a lentil stew with onions and tomatoes and spices), a delicious cucumber raita, rice, naan bread and kheer, an Indian rice pudding. Along with the raita, naan, dal makhani and kheer, my thali came with chicken tikka curry and lamb kahri as the entrees and a tandoori chicken leg as the appetizer (since I'm a white meat girl the leg was given to The Graminator.) Everything was so good but the stand-outs were the nann (I LOVE fresh naan) the chicken curry (I want more now, right now) the palak paneer, the samosas and the raita. And the kheer, the Indian rice pudding was so good I ate all of mine then got an order to go, to eat while we were watching TV last night. It's not thick like American rice pudding, but milky and sweet and really refreshing. I wanted to gobble it all up.
The decor isn't all that awesome and when we first went in they had Game Show Network on the television. But as the sun set and they changed the TV to a Bollywood music video channel it improved a lot. We had so much fun watching the videos that we ended up staying at the restaurant for two hours. No one rushed us and everyone checked in to make sure we were doing okay and that we fond the food satisfactory. It was excellent. And the total bill? Well, for one lassi, two enormous thalis (which had enough left over from the three of us eating it that we still had enough to bring home for lunch today, except no chicken curry, I ate all of that) and order of samosa's and a to go order of kheer, with tax and tip it came to $36 bucks. And I tip well, especially when people talk to The Graminator and treat her with respect. They do take out but then we wouldn't get to watch the Bollywood videos. My mom wants to go back just for naan and lassi on a hot day, but I'm hoping we go back a lot before then. So good. MMMMM.
So if you're ever in a "dreary" part of town, like the part around 95 and Decatur and feel like exploring a little cuisine wise, ignore the strip mall diner feel and fill yourself up on some really incredible Indian food (the chef is from Goa and if you call ahead to give him some time he'll prepare you a Goan feast) for a cheap price. India's Grill, 222 S. Decatur, Suite C-101. Call me, I'll join you!
Las Vegas has always been the melting pot of the melting pot of America. Tell me a country or region and I'm pretty sure I can find you a group of people in Las Vegas who are from there, within a generation or so. Las Vegas truly welcomes everyone (I think that should be our next city slogan..."We don't care who you are as long as you leave some money at the tables." And Las Vegas has always embraced food. My grandmother would tell stories of the great midnight buffets on the strip while we ate tamales made by a lady down the street.
Part of my culinary education is due to the fact that my mother and grandmother liked to explore new cuisine as well. When I was growing up, once a week my mother would go to visit her mother. I'm sure it was much more enjoyable for them when my brother and I were in school but during summer breaks we would go along with them. It almost always involved shopping and lunch. Most of the time when we tagged along it was shopping at Kmart and lunch at The Country Inn (a much beloved but now gone restaurant that specialized in turkey, including wonderful turkey sandwiches on these amazing little yeast rolls.) But when we weren't along, or when my picky little brother wasn't with us, we would go to ethnic restaurants and crazy little ethnic stores that were treasure troves of the different, unusual or exotic. So through them I learned to appreciate Middle Eastern, Thai, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Greek, Cuban, Indian and a host of other types of food. I still love these cuisines today, although most of the time when we go out we eat American, Mexican, Italian, Chinese or Middle Eastern food, because my brother is with us, and while he is more adventurous than he used to be, he's still not quite as far along as we are.
Which leads me to last nights dinner. In an effort to get more stuff for decorating the house with, we spent the afternoon shopping and then went to dinner (ah, so reminiscent of days gone by, except back then we didn't have to lug a wheelchair everywhere.) There is a little shopping center not far from our house that while it has seen better days is still a good place to shop and eat (there is a Target and a Red Lobster so you got your chains covered). In a little section away from the Target there is little restaurant that has been many things. You know the kind I'm talking about, it seems to go out of business every six months or so, then like a phoenix arises as something new. This one has been a pizza place, a Brazilian rodizio, a family breakfast place, a gosh only knows what and now and Indian restaurant. India's Grill.
We hadn't been in the place since it was The Batter Beater. We only went there once, when it was newly open, because we remembered the original Batter Beater, a much liked breakfast place from when I was a kid. The food was fine but not as great as the memories of old and we weren't surprised when it went under. It then became the Insala Grill or something like it, honestly I didn't pay too much attention to that incarnation. I did laugh when it became India's Grill because they kept most of the same signage, thus saving the new owners from having to buy much more than a 'd' and an apostrophe. But I didn't think much about eating there until my mom read a review in Las Vegas Weekly, a lifestyle magazine I pick up free for her whenever I see one. The reviewer called the shopping center and the part of town that it's in "dreary-looking" and since it's my neighborhood I took a little offence. My mom read the whole review and he praised the food for its quality and said it was very reasonably priced. That was enough to convince my mother we had to try it. I was game so off we went, after a successful shopping expedition.
The decor hasn't changed much at all since the Batter beater days, when it was decorated to resemble a 1950's diner with pink walls and red booths and pictures of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe on the wall. The walls and booths remain, with Elvis and Marilyn replaced by black velvet paintings of Indian looking people and a few streamers of red and gold hanging in the window. If it hadn't smelled so wonderful we might have turned around. But we got ourselves to a table (they were very nice to The Graminator and ver accommodating of the wheelchair so bonus points for them) and ordered water (yes, we are cheap but also because water is good for you) and I ordered a mango lassi because it had been a long time since I had one. It was one of the best I've ever had, with fresh sweet mango. It was also one of the largest, served in a big Coca-Cola glass (I'm guessing these were left over from the diner too.) The $2.50 price tag was very reasonable, especially given the size. I started feeling guilty about ordering it but since it was shared by my mom and The Graminator (who drank the lion's share) I didn't feel too bad.
The menu at India's Grill is extensive, with over 90 items on the menu. And the prices are cheap. Like about half of what you would pay at other Indian restaurants in the city. With such a huge selection we were a little overwhelmed until I found the "India's Grill Specials" section of the menu. On it was a vegetarian or non-vegetarian Thali, which I think is Indian for 'buffet'. It is a large silver platter with little bowls of a lot of stuff on it. Like a smorgasbord of choices and we decided to get it to try a variety of things and gauge the quality of the food. So mom got the vegetarian option and I got the meat eaters special and we got an order of samosas for The Graminator and decided to just share it all. The samosas were huge and mildly spiced and fried very crispy. My mother's thali came with another samosa and onion bhaji appetizers, mixed vegetable curry and palak paneer (Indian cheese with spinach and spices) as the entrees plus dal makhani (a lentil stew with onions and tomatoes and spices), a delicious cucumber raita, rice, naan bread and kheer, an Indian rice pudding. Along with the raita, naan, dal makhani and kheer, my thali came with chicken tikka curry and lamb kahri as the entrees and a tandoori chicken leg as the appetizer (since I'm a white meat girl the leg was given to The Graminator.) Everything was so good but the stand-outs were the nann (I LOVE fresh naan) the chicken curry (I want more now, right now) the palak paneer, the samosas and the raita. And the kheer, the Indian rice pudding was so good I ate all of mine then got an order to go, to eat while we were watching TV last night. It's not thick like American rice pudding, but milky and sweet and really refreshing. I wanted to gobble it all up.
The decor isn't all that awesome and when we first went in they had Game Show Network on the television. But as the sun set and they changed the TV to a Bollywood music video channel it improved a lot. We had so much fun watching the videos that we ended up staying at the restaurant for two hours. No one rushed us and everyone checked in to make sure we were doing okay and that we fond the food satisfactory. It was excellent. And the total bill? Well, for one lassi, two enormous thalis (which had enough left over from the three of us eating it that we still had enough to bring home for lunch today, except no chicken curry, I ate all of that) and order of samosa's and a to go order of kheer, with tax and tip it came to $36 bucks. And I tip well, especially when people talk to The Graminator and treat her with respect. They do take out but then we wouldn't get to watch the Bollywood videos. My mom wants to go back just for naan and lassi on a hot day, but I'm hoping we go back a lot before then. So good. MMMMM.
So if you're ever in a "dreary" part of town, like the part around 95 and Decatur and feel like exploring a little cuisine wise, ignore the strip mall diner feel and fill yourself up on some really incredible Indian food (the chef is from Goa and if you call ahead to give him some time he'll prepare you a Goan feast) for a cheap price. India's Grill, 222 S. Decatur, Suite C-101. Call me, I'll join you!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
I'm No Saint
This week has been a roller coaster with The Graminator. In January she was complaining of extreme fatigue. So much so that she just wanted to sleep all the time. It's not healthy to sleep that much and we were very concerned about her quality of life. I read an article about the possibility that vitamin B-12 could help the elderly with not only fatigue but also dementia symptoms. So I started her on a sublingual B vitamin complex. And it changed her dramatically.
She stopped complaining of fatigue and was more alert, able to exercise more and became more participatory. She started reading the paper again. We were really surprised and pleased with the results. Even my Aunt, who lives in Florida, noticed the difference, when she spoke to The Graminator on the phone and was able to hold a conversation with her. Before phone calls were mostly one word answers, now she was chatting away.
Then a couple of weeks ago The Graminator got a UTI. We sent her tests off to the lab and the doctor called in a prescription for an antibiotic. She was on the antibiotic for a couple of days when the doctor's office called and said that the infection she had was resistant to the antibiotic she was on and to replace it with a different one they prescribed. So even though her symptoms seemed to be improving, we changed her medication. I don't know what was in that stuff, but it was not fun. Her memory got horrible again, she was tired and not only did I feel like we had regressed to where she was in January but that it was actually worse. Plus you don't even want to know about how it changed her digestive system.
So last Thursday was the last day on the antibiotic but by Sunday morning there wasn't really much improvement. On the way to Val's shower I had to tell here where we were going about thirty times. But coming home from the shower, she was bright and animated and very chatty. I don't know if it was seeing a baby or what, but it was a marked improvement. She had a doctor's appointment on Monday morning. On the way there she told me that while she wasn't depressed, she wasn't as "gay" as she used to be. (Boy, how word meanings have changed, huh?) She was upset about her incontinence and her lack of ability to do all that she did in her younger days. I can sympathize, it must be awful. But her doctor's visit went great, she has now gained all of the weight she lost during the hospital/rehab days and I can stop constantly nagging her to eat more (I'm still going to nag, just not as much), her blood pressure was excellent, everything looked wonderful. And she was so chatty with the doctor, her doctor was impressed (and said that the B vitamins weren't interfering with anything so I could keep giving them to her.)
So the rest of Monday, she was so active and chatty I couldn't keep up. She read the Sunday paper, the Monday paper and every magazine we had laying around. And by reading, I mean reading and understanding. She was reading me articles and saving columns for my mom to read and ripping recipes out of magazines for me to try. She was like a spinning top. I couldn't get any chores done because she was so active. She did 9 laps (a small circuit around out living room/kitchen area that I have her walk several time a day for exercise) without even slowing town (we usually do sets of four to six). And then she stayed up watching "Dancing With the Stars". Whew.
Of course, all that activity wore her out so yesterday she was practically narcoleptic. But we'll get back into the routine and I am now pretty confident that it was the antibiotic that was interfering with her brain chemistry and now that she's over it we'll regain the memory and activity that we lost. Yay! Learning about Alzheimer's has been a challenge. But I totally recommend to anyone with a loved one who is experiencing Alzheimer's or dementia to try the sublingual B vitamins. I don't know if it would work for others as well as it has worked for us, but it's certainly worth a try!
The title of the post was that I'm not saint and here's why. My friend Maura mentioned in a comment on this blog that I was great for doing all that I do plus cheerfully taking care of The Graminator. Well, that's so sweet an much appreciated, but let me tell you that it doesn't feel all that cheerful to me sometimes. I feel terrible, always nagging her, telling her what to do or what not to do, getting frustrated when she can't comprehend something or forgets. I feel like an awful person most of the time. If I rationalize my feelings, I think it's been worse lately because of the terrible incontinence and problems associated with the antibiotic. Now that she's better I feel optimistic again. Also, my mom has been working six days a week since Thanksgiving and I have had very little time for myself. I know that sounds horribly selfish, but I'm selfish sometimes, I told you that I'm no saint. But my Mom finally had a day off last Friday and I took a few hours for myself (okay, it was running errands after the table read but it was still time away) and I really needed it. being a 'parent' is a 24/7 job and can get overwhelming sometimes. I have a new respect for all parents and caregivers out there. You get all of the work and none of the glory.
Anyway, thanks for reading about the current chapter in The Graminator saga. Sorry this post wasn't more edifying or entertaining, I'll aim for that tomorrow!
P.S. I was able to do my part of the writer's tennis and it has now been passed on to Maura - hopefully she got the email- and when it's finally completed by Dyann then I'll post the finished story on this blog and we'll take Loyal Reader suggestions for a title. The winner gets...well, nothing. But it'll still be fun.
She stopped complaining of fatigue and was more alert, able to exercise more and became more participatory. She started reading the paper again. We were really surprised and pleased with the results. Even my Aunt, who lives in Florida, noticed the difference, when she spoke to The Graminator on the phone and was able to hold a conversation with her. Before phone calls were mostly one word answers, now she was chatting away.
Then a couple of weeks ago The Graminator got a UTI. We sent her tests off to the lab and the doctor called in a prescription for an antibiotic. She was on the antibiotic for a couple of days when the doctor's office called and said that the infection she had was resistant to the antibiotic she was on and to replace it with a different one they prescribed. So even though her symptoms seemed to be improving, we changed her medication. I don't know what was in that stuff, but it was not fun. Her memory got horrible again, she was tired and not only did I feel like we had regressed to where she was in January but that it was actually worse. Plus you don't even want to know about how it changed her digestive system.
So last Thursday was the last day on the antibiotic but by Sunday morning there wasn't really much improvement. On the way to Val's shower I had to tell here where we were going about thirty times. But coming home from the shower, she was bright and animated and very chatty. I don't know if it was seeing a baby or what, but it was a marked improvement. She had a doctor's appointment on Monday morning. On the way there she told me that while she wasn't depressed, she wasn't as "gay" as she used to be. (Boy, how word meanings have changed, huh?) She was upset about her incontinence and her lack of ability to do all that she did in her younger days. I can sympathize, it must be awful. But her doctor's visit went great, she has now gained all of the weight she lost during the hospital/rehab days and I can stop constantly nagging her to eat more (I'm still going to nag, just not as much), her blood pressure was excellent, everything looked wonderful. And she was so chatty with the doctor, her doctor was impressed (and said that the B vitamins weren't interfering with anything so I could keep giving them to her.)
So the rest of Monday, she was so active and chatty I couldn't keep up. She read the Sunday paper, the Monday paper and every magazine we had laying around. And by reading, I mean reading and understanding. She was reading me articles and saving columns for my mom to read and ripping recipes out of magazines for me to try. She was like a spinning top. I couldn't get any chores done because she was so active. She did 9 laps (a small circuit around out living room/kitchen area that I have her walk several time a day for exercise) without even slowing town (we usually do sets of four to six). And then she stayed up watching "Dancing With the Stars". Whew.
Of course, all that activity wore her out so yesterday she was practically narcoleptic. But we'll get back into the routine and I am now pretty confident that it was the antibiotic that was interfering with her brain chemistry and now that she's over it we'll regain the memory and activity that we lost. Yay! Learning about Alzheimer's has been a challenge. But I totally recommend to anyone with a loved one who is experiencing Alzheimer's or dementia to try the sublingual B vitamins. I don't know if it would work for others as well as it has worked for us, but it's certainly worth a try!
The title of the post was that I'm not saint and here's why. My friend Maura mentioned in a comment on this blog that I was great for doing all that I do plus cheerfully taking care of The Graminator. Well, that's so sweet an much appreciated, but let me tell you that it doesn't feel all that cheerful to me sometimes. I feel terrible, always nagging her, telling her what to do or what not to do, getting frustrated when she can't comprehend something or forgets. I feel like an awful person most of the time. If I rationalize my feelings, I think it's been worse lately because of the terrible incontinence and problems associated with the antibiotic. Now that she's better I feel optimistic again. Also, my mom has been working six days a week since Thanksgiving and I have had very little time for myself. I know that sounds horribly selfish, but I'm selfish sometimes, I told you that I'm no saint. But my Mom finally had a day off last Friday and I took a few hours for myself (okay, it was running errands after the table read but it was still time away) and I really needed it. being a 'parent' is a 24/7 job and can get overwhelming sometimes. I have a new respect for all parents and caregivers out there. You get all of the work and none of the glory.
Anyway, thanks for reading about the current chapter in The Graminator saga. Sorry this post wasn't more edifying or entertaining, I'll aim for that tomorrow!
P.S. I was able to do my part of the writer's tennis and it has now been passed on to Maura - hopefully she got the email- and when it's finally completed by Dyann then I'll post the finished story on this blog and we'll take Loyal Reader suggestions for a title. The winner gets...well, nothing. But it'll still be fun.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Showering with Love
So, yesterday was Val's bridal shower. I would post pictures of the shower but I left my camera on the counter at home so I have to wait until Val's mom emails me the pictures from her camera. So I'll just have to write about it (I am a writer, after all.)
Because we are redecorating the house, we had the shower at the Market Tea Room, which is tucked in an Antique Mall near the airport. It's a little place, only about 6 tables, but everyone agreed that it was very cute. I had made a reservation ahead of time and when we got there they had a large table all ready for us. Each place was set with mis-matched china for a quaint, eclectic feel. Each woman chose her own pot of tea, which came wrapped in a tea cozy that kept the tea nice and warm for the two and a half hours we spent there. Most of us were "no-caffeine" people (most by choice, me by necessity) and it was very nice that they had a large selection of roobios (red) tea to choose from (which is naturally caffeine free) as well as a tisane (what tea purists call herb tea.) We each also chose either a soup (choices that day were tomato basil, turkey noodle and broccoli cheese) or a quiche. Then came large three tiered servers with an assortment of finger sandwiches, scones and desserts.
The food is all homemade at the Market Tea House by chef/owner Carolyn Geiger, who came out several times to talk to us and see how we liked everything. The finger sandwiches were delicious, with open-faced chicken salad, made with nuts and cranberries, a lovely cucumber and cream cheese with dill (my favorite since I love cucumber sandwiches), egg salad and tuna salad. There were apricot, cherry coconut and apple cinnamon scones and while I prefer a moister scone my mother thought they were wonderful. But the house made clotted cream and a lovely strawberry jam was a truly wonderful accompaniment.
The soup and quiche portions were small, but that was okay because by the time they arrived we were getting pretty full. (Finger sandwiches always seem so delicate but when you eat six of them they can be a substantial meal!) I had he tomato basil soup, which had great flavor but was a little odd in that it was a brothy, chunky soup where I am used to it being a more pureed and smooth consistency. I didn't try the quiche but my mom said it needed work. After speaking with Chef Carolyn, who has a background in garde manger, I knew why the baked good were really the weak link in the chain. The quiche and desserts were just okay. The chocolate cake was alright, but it should have been denser and had way more chocolate flavor. My mother said she didn't even know what the carrot cake was (it neither looked nor tasted like carrot cake) and the bread pudding cubes were odd both in texture and flavor. None of the desserts were bad, just nothing spectacular either. Now, I can be a tough critic because I know when I can do something better, and I wanted to volunteer to do her baking. But it was still a lovely meal, the few hiccoughs aside.
We played a couple of games, one suggested by Maura. Where I handed out little engagement rings an if someone said the word "wedding" you could steal her ring(s). it was hard to not say wedding at a bridal shower, especially when one of the other guests was a bride-to-be as well. We also did a word scramble and one game where I took the labels off of some small jarred candles and they were passed around with everyone trying to guess the scent. This one was fun and easy since the prize was the candles!
Val got lovely presents, but nothing risque. Everyone seemed to have a really good time and it was nice and relaxed. The Graminator even had a good time, especially because one of the attendees brought her baby and The Graminator just lit up when she saw the child. it was fun to see her laugh and giggle with the little girl.
My friend Traci made these wonderful chai tea soaps that were given to guests as favors. They smelled so good! Everyone exclaimed over how nice they were and how yummy the scent was.
I made hand-decorated bride and bridesmaid cookies to use as place settings. They turned out really cute (although I over baked them just a bit.) The same cookies go for around five bucks apiece on the Internet. (And I saw one site that charges eleven dollars apiece for them!) My mom thinks they are so cute that I should sell them on the Net myself. I could do the wedding ones as well as ones for baby showers, birthdays and holidays. There are several companies that do them so I'm not sure how I could carve out my niche but it wouldn't cost me much to set up a website to 'test the waters'. My cousin does website design so maybe he could help me set up a simple site and we can see if any orders come in. I'm going to bake up some samples to decorate and photograph. What do you think, Loyal Readers, would you pay $3 a cookie?
Because we are redecorating the house, we had the shower at the Market Tea Room, which is tucked in an Antique Mall near the airport. It's a little place, only about 6 tables, but everyone agreed that it was very cute. I had made a reservation ahead of time and when we got there they had a large table all ready for us. Each place was set with mis-matched china for a quaint, eclectic feel. Each woman chose her own pot of tea, which came wrapped in a tea cozy that kept the tea nice and warm for the two and a half hours we spent there. Most of us were "no-caffeine" people (most by choice, me by necessity) and it was very nice that they had a large selection of roobios (red) tea to choose from (which is naturally caffeine free) as well as a tisane (what tea purists call herb tea.) We each also chose either a soup (choices that day were tomato basil, turkey noodle and broccoli cheese) or a quiche. Then came large three tiered servers with an assortment of finger sandwiches, scones and desserts.
The food is all homemade at the Market Tea House by chef/owner Carolyn Geiger, who came out several times to talk to us and see how we liked everything. The finger sandwiches were delicious, with open-faced chicken salad, made with nuts and cranberries, a lovely cucumber and cream cheese with dill (my favorite since I love cucumber sandwiches), egg salad and tuna salad. There were apricot, cherry coconut and apple cinnamon scones and while I prefer a moister scone my mother thought they were wonderful. But the house made clotted cream and a lovely strawberry jam was a truly wonderful accompaniment.
The soup and quiche portions were small, but that was okay because by the time they arrived we were getting pretty full. (Finger sandwiches always seem so delicate but when you eat six of them they can be a substantial meal!) I had he tomato basil soup, which had great flavor but was a little odd in that it was a brothy, chunky soup where I am used to it being a more pureed and smooth consistency. I didn't try the quiche but my mom said it needed work. After speaking with Chef Carolyn, who has a background in garde manger, I knew why the baked good were really the weak link in the chain. The quiche and desserts were just okay. The chocolate cake was alright, but it should have been denser and had way more chocolate flavor. My mother said she didn't even know what the carrot cake was (it neither looked nor tasted like carrot cake) and the bread pudding cubes were odd both in texture and flavor. None of the desserts were bad, just nothing spectacular either. Now, I can be a tough critic because I know when I can do something better, and I wanted to volunteer to do her baking. But it was still a lovely meal, the few hiccoughs aside.
We played a couple of games, one suggested by Maura. Where I handed out little engagement rings an if someone said the word "wedding" you could steal her ring(s). it was hard to not say wedding at a bridal shower, especially when one of the other guests was a bride-to-be as well. We also did a word scramble and one game where I took the labels off of some small jarred candles and they were passed around with everyone trying to guess the scent. This one was fun and easy since the prize was the candles!
Val got lovely presents, but nothing risque. Everyone seemed to have a really good time and it was nice and relaxed. The Graminator even had a good time, especially because one of the attendees brought her baby and The Graminator just lit up when she saw the child. it was fun to see her laugh and giggle with the little girl.
My friend Traci made these wonderful chai tea soaps that were given to guests as favors. They smelled so good! Everyone exclaimed over how nice they were and how yummy the scent was.
I made hand-decorated bride and bridesmaid cookies to use as place settings. They turned out really cute (although I over baked them just a bit.) The same cookies go for around five bucks apiece on the Internet. (And I saw one site that charges eleven dollars apiece for them!) My mom thinks they are so cute that I should sell them on the Net myself. I could do the wedding ones as well as ones for baby showers, birthdays and holidays. There are several companies that do them so I'm not sure how I could carve out my niche but it wouldn't cost me much to set up a website to 'test the waters'. My cousin does website design so maybe he could help me set up a simple site and we can see if any orders come in. I'm going to bake up some samples to decorate and photograph. What do you think, Loyal Readers, would you pay $3 a cookie?
Friday, March 20, 2009
This, That and the Other Thing
It's a busy weekend for me. Today we have a table read for YP (That's the initials of the title of the movie I'm staring in...I know I'm not a star but I just love saying that!) and Sunday is Val's bridal shower and I still haven't figured out what games we are playing or what prizes to give for the unknown games. Thank goodness the shower is at the tea house so I don't have to deal with food...except for the two dozen cupcakes currently sitting on my counter waiting to be frosted so I can take them to the table read.
The wedding is six weeks away and I still need to lose five pounds and get a pair of Spanx so it looks like I lost ten pounds. I'm doing Script Frenzy in April. (It's like NaNoWriMo, except that instead of writing a novel in 30 days yo write a script in 30 days). We start filming YP two days after the wedding. Am I crazy? Yes, but we already knew that.
I need Christmas sweaters for the film. Lots of Christmas sweaters. I wear at least thirteen different Christmas sweaters in the film (it may be more but I have to ask my director about a couple of different scenes). I counted them in the script last night. I though that I would need maybe six. But thirteen? I have three that I bought at a local thrift store but when I went back last week to look for more they had changed over to their summer stock and had none. Now I'm getting worried, because I need so many more. So I sent out an SOS last night and I'm pleading to you today, Loyal Readers. Send me your tired, your poor, your tacky. I need any Christmas apparel you can loan me. I'm not picky about size because in addition to having to wear thirteen different sweaters I also have to show off a rack of sweaters that my character paid $10K for. I'm going to hit a couple of thrift stores today in hopes that they might have some hiding way in the back. I'm trying not to panic yet, or worse, think about the fact that I have to wear Christmas sweaters in Las Vegas in the summer...under hot movie lighting...with the air conditioner turned off because it makes noise while you are filming.
Also, Maura, Dyann and I are trying to motivate ourselves in our writing. (I need it way more than they do, since they each have TWO manuscripts already completed.) We are embarking on some writing exercises. So not only will you get to see my posts, Loyal Readers, but you get guest blogs too!
So here is my challenge to you, Maura and Dyann. We are going to play a round of writers tennis. I'm going to start a story, then send it to Maura who will write the middle of the story and then send it to Dyann to write the ending. We will post the finished story on our blogs. (I did reverse alphabetical order of writers this time, we can change it up in the future.) To get started, I found this writers exercise. It gives me the first line of the story to start from and I have to take it from there.
So have a great weekend Loyal Readers. And Maura, I'll send you my part of the story by Monday, so be ready. Here is the first line:
"As the plane slowly backed away from its designated gate Sam realized that..."
The wedding is six weeks away and I still need to lose five pounds and get a pair of Spanx so it looks like I lost ten pounds. I'm doing Script Frenzy in April. (It's like NaNoWriMo, except that instead of writing a novel in 30 days yo write a script in 30 days). We start filming YP two days after the wedding. Am I crazy? Yes, but we already knew that.
I need Christmas sweaters for the film. Lots of Christmas sweaters. I wear at least thirteen different Christmas sweaters in the film (it may be more but I have to ask my director about a couple of different scenes). I counted them in the script last night. I though that I would need maybe six. But thirteen? I have three that I bought at a local thrift store but when I went back last week to look for more they had changed over to their summer stock and had none. Now I'm getting worried, because I need so many more. So I sent out an SOS last night and I'm pleading to you today, Loyal Readers. Send me your tired, your poor, your tacky. I need any Christmas apparel you can loan me. I'm not picky about size because in addition to having to wear thirteen different sweaters I also have to show off a rack of sweaters that my character paid $10K for. I'm going to hit a couple of thrift stores today in hopes that they might have some hiding way in the back. I'm trying not to panic yet, or worse, think about the fact that I have to wear Christmas sweaters in Las Vegas in the summer...under hot movie lighting...with the air conditioner turned off because it makes noise while you are filming.
Also, Maura, Dyann and I are trying to motivate ourselves in our writing. (I need it way more than they do, since they each have TWO manuscripts already completed.) We are embarking on some writing exercises. So not only will you get to see my posts, Loyal Readers, but you get guest blogs too!
So here is my challenge to you, Maura and Dyann. We are going to play a round of writers tennis. I'm going to start a story, then send it to Maura who will write the middle of the story and then send it to Dyann to write the ending. We will post the finished story on our blogs. (I did reverse alphabetical order of writers this time, we can change it up in the future.) To get started, I found this writers exercise. It gives me the first line of the story to start from and I have to take it from there.
So have a great weekend Loyal Readers. And Maura, I'll send you my part of the story by Monday, so be ready. Here is the first line:
"As the plane slowly backed away from its designated gate Sam realized that..."
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Having Your Corned Beef and Eating Your Hash Too
I know my Irish Post was yesterday (thanks for the Irish blessing Maura!) but I HAD to tell you about my corned beef. It was AWESOME. Seriously, so good I can't rave enough about it. I was worried because I never really liked the corned beef my grandmother used to make, the one you get at the grocery store with the little packet of pickling spice in it to boil the meat in. It never tasted like corned beef to me, just like boiled meat with mustard seeds stuck to it. Plus I was more of a pastrami than a corned beef girl. So I made the home cured corned beef with low but hopeful expectations. Man, was I ever blown away. It was honestly the best corned beef I have ever eaten and the vegetables were out of this world. The salt from brining the beef mixed into the water with the spices (which were tied in a bag made from a coffee filter so no weird seeds stuck to the meat) and seasoned the vegetables deliciously. It smelled so good while it was cooking. I wanted to eat the whole thing, but I also wanted to have enough to make hash, because we love hash at this house. The only bad thing about the corned beef? Because I was scared that I wouldn't like it I got the smallest brisket I could find and now we only have enough left over for hash, while if I had made a bigger one we could have had hash AND reuben sandwiches. (But I have learned from my mistake and it won't happen again!)
Here is the recipe, courtesy of Bon Apetit magazine, March 2008.
Brine:
6 cups water
2 cups lager beer
11/2 cups coarse kosher salt
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Insta Cure no. 1* (optional)
1/4 cup pickling spices
1 6- to 8-pound flat-cut beef brisket, trimmed, with some fat remaining
Corned beef and vegetables:
1 12-ounce bottle Guinness stout or other stout or porter
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 whole allspice
1 dried chile de árbol,** broken in half Cheesecloth
12 baby turnips, trimmed, or 3 medium turnips or rutabagas, peeled, quartered
8 unpeeled medium white-skinned or red-skinned potatoes (about 3 pounds)
6 medium carrots, peeled
4 medium onions, peeled, halved through root ends
2 medium parsnips, peeled, cut into 2-inch lengths
1 2-pound head of cabbage, quartered
For brine:
Pour 6 cups water and beer into large deep roasting pan. Add coarse salt; stir until dissolved. Add sugar; stir until dissolved. If desired, stir in Insta Cure No. 1. Mix in pickling spices. Pierce brisket all over with tip of small sharp knife. Submerge brisket in liquid, then top with heavy platter to weigh down. Cover and refrigerate 4 days.
Remove brisket from brine. Stir liquid to blend. Return brisket to brine; top with heavy platter. Cover; refrigerate 4 days. Remove brisket from brine. Rinse with cold running water. do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Wrap corned beef in plastic, cover with foil, and refrigerate.
For corned beef and vegetables:
Place corned beef in very large wide pot. Add stout and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Wrap cheesecloth around bay leaves, coriander seeds, allspice, and chile, enclosing completely, and tie with kitchen string to secure. Add spice bag to pot with beef; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 1/4 hours. Transfer beef to large baking sheet.
Add turnips and all remaining vegetables to liquid in pot; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently until all vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to baking sheet with beef. Return beef to pot and rewarm 5 minutes. Discard spice bag.
Cut beef against grain into 1/4-inch thick slices. Arrange beef and vegetables on platter. Serve with Horseradish Cream and Guinness Mustard.
*Insta Cure No. 1 is a mixture of sodium nitrate and salt that is used in cured and smoked sausages to prevent botulism. In this brine, its only purpose is to prevent the meat from turning gray, so you can certainly leave it out. You'll find Insta Cure No. 1 at sausagemaker.com.
**A thin, red, very hot three-inch-long chile; sold at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Latin markets.
The changes I made were to reduce the amounts to half since I made a very small brisket. I only used one onion and I added some golden beets to the vegetables. I didn't use any Insta Cure, but it was fine without it. And for the spice bag I just used 2 Tbsp. of pickling spice with the chile de árbol and a few juniper berries thrown in for good measure. (I changed the spice bag because I don't like bay leaves and I already had the pickling spice.) I also used a, gasp, English beer, because that's what I had in the house and I knew my mom would drink the leftovers. And I only brined it for six days.
I served this with an Irish soda bread, which I had also never made before but I would again, it was so easy and delicious.
Just mix 2 cups of four and 1 teaspoon each salt and baking soda in a bowl. Pour 1 cup of buttermilk into a well in the center of the flour and incorporate gently into the flour just until it all comes together. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead about 3 times, gathering the dough into a ball. Place the ball onto a greased pie tin, flatten it slightly and cut an X in the top. Bake it in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Or you can cut the flattened ball into 4 rounded triangles and grill it in a greased skillet for 10 minutes on each side for a scone/biscuity looking thing. (I made the bread but I'm going to try the 'farls' next time.)
I swear, you have to try this. (Maura, put Larry on this, seriously) It wasn't hard and once you put the meat in the brine you just put it in the back of your fridge and forget about it. It was the best St. Patty's day meal I have ever made. So good that I can hardly wait till next St. Patrick's Day to do it again!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
As a red-haired (well, with assistance I'm red-haired), green eyed girl named Shae (Shea is a Gaelic name but my dad was a notoriously bad speller) I have an affinity for all things Irish. I'm not as Irish as my friend Maura, who still has relatives who live in Ireland, but my dream is to visit the 'old sod' when I sell my first book. So today, in honor of the most revered Irish-American holiday (I don't know if they make as big a deal out of it in actual Ireland, dying their beer green and such) I give you my tribute to Ireland.
Here is a video by Flogging Molly, the song is "If I Ever Leave This World Alive". (Thanks to my friend Traci for turning me on to them. I had actually heard them before and liked them but didn't know their name. I love this song.)
These are pictures of a converted parochial school in County Clare that you can rent to stay in. It's like $450 dollars a week (thanks to a dropping Euro.) They have turf fireplaces and are near the ocean and a short walk to three pubs. Lovely little stone cottages that I want to stay in and wrap myself in a fine Irish sweater and write some Gothic romantic tale.
Tonight we are having the corned beef and cabbage that I cured myself. (I hope it's okay or we are in trouble!) With lots of root veggies and some soda bread. And of course I'm turning the leftovers into delicious hash. (Or at least that's the plan.)
I want to curl up today with a bunch of Irish themed movies (For romance I choose "Circle of Friends", for music and beautiful Irish scenery I would choose "P.S. I Love You" but I don't want to cry.) I wish you the luck of the Irish, with shamrocks and leprechauns. And I raise a pint, in your honor Loyal Readers!
Happy St. Patty's Day!
Here is a video by Flogging Molly, the song is "If I Ever Leave This World Alive". (Thanks to my friend Traci for turning me on to them. I had actually heard them before and liked them but didn't know their name. I love this song.)
These are pictures of a converted parochial school in County Clare that you can rent to stay in. It's like $450 dollars a week (thanks to a dropping Euro.) They have turf fireplaces and are near the ocean and a short walk to three pubs. Lovely little stone cottages that I want to stay in and wrap myself in a fine Irish sweater and write some Gothic romantic tale.
Tonight we are having the corned beef and cabbage that I cured myself. (I hope it's okay or we are in trouble!) With lots of root veggies and some soda bread. And of course I'm turning the leftovers into delicious hash. (Or at least that's the plan.)
I want to curl up today with a bunch of Irish themed movies (For romance I choose "Circle of Friends", for music and beautiful Irish scenery I would choose "P.S. I Love You" but I don't want to cry.) I wish you the luck of the Irish, with shamrocks and leprechauns. And I raise a pint, in your honor Loyal Readers!
Happy St. Patty's Day!
Friday, March 13, 2009
More Random Things
I need to come up with a better title for when I have these posts that are conglomerations of several thoughts....
Do you think "Kath & Kim" deserves to be on the air? I'm not sure. It has it's occasionally funny moments but the main characters are really unlikeable. I love Molly Shannon and Selma Blair but not this show. The season finale was on last night and I don't really care if it comes back or not. I only watch it because it's wedged between "My Name is Earl" and "The Office" (which is probably why most people watch it.) I'm going to check out episodes of the original Australian version to see if it's any funnier. But if it's cancelled I won't cry.
I had some strange dreams last night. In one, which took place in that hard-to-identify-because-it's-a-dream time period of 'war' (my clothes screamed 1930's but WWII was later than that, but again, it's hard to criticise a dream for being anachronistic) I was held in Imperialist China as a POW and forced to work as a courtesan for Chinese and foreign dignitaries. I used my position to spy for 'our' side (again, not sure who that is but since I was clearly a good guy then I was spying for the good guys, right?). I had grown jaded and bitter and no longer cared for my own life or safety, which the guards knew and they then used my fellow POW's as leverage to keep me in line. An American official tried to convince me to escape but I knew they would kill my friend Lily who was still innocent and naive. That's where I woke up. But in the dream I could sing and got to wear these incredible gowns while I sang for the men.
In the other dream I was in a wedding (see how this darn wedding is even permeating my sleep?!?) which took place at the airport. But for some reason the wedding party went through security while the guests were on the other side, so that when we finished the ceremony the wedding party had to go all the way around the airport to get back to the guests for the reception. (Because you can't just turn around at security, at least not in my dream.) I agree, it's a strange and demented dream.
I love Ross. We took The Graminator there to look for dresses for the wedding activities. We found two dresses that were just right. One is a bold patterned black and green that she fell in love with that she can wear to the shower and rehearsal dinner. The other is a cream colored with large pink flowers and green leaves in a muted pattern that is so perfect for the wedding I can hardly believe it. If I said to you, "picture a dress for a grandmother of the groom at a spring outdoor wedding", I swear you would picture this exact dress. And the total for both dresses? Forty dollars. My mom got a great little khaki shirtwaist for less than twelve bucks and also got two framed prints that will hopefully go with the new decor in the living room. I didn't find anything so I'll have to go shopping another day.
Jacques Pepin is amazing. Did you know he used to work at Howard Johnson's? I got his book "More Fast Food My Way" at the library and it has some really neat recipes. I made one last night that was a pan fried fish coated with, get this, french fried onions. Yup, those ones in a can that you put on top of green bean casserole. I have always been opposed to the canned fried onion but I had to try Jacques' recipe. You grind the onions in a food processor and use the 'crumbs' to coat the fish fillets. I added a bit of fresh bread crumbs because the onions were a bit, well, greasy. But it turned out delicious. Light and onion-y but not overwhelmingly so and nicely crisp even though you just pan fry them (they could easily be baked too.) I served them with Pepin potatoes, which is a Rachel Ray recipe based on one from Jacques' childhood. You basically steam little baby potatoes in chicken broth then once the broth is absorbed you smush the potatoes just a bit (you aren't mashing them, just flattening them a little) and then let them crisp in the pan. They are so yummy, you can't imagine but you have to cook them longer than her recipe calls for. (You can get her recipe on the Food Network website.) I also made some jalapeno tartar sauce to top the fish and green beans on the side. Even The Graminator cleaned her plate.
Speaking of Food Network, did you know that Guy Fieri (host of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" and star of those annoying TGI Friday's commercials) went to UNLV? He graduated a few years ahead of me, which I didn't know until I got his cookbook at the library. One of the 'dives' in his book is the Four Kegs bar that's about two minutes from my house and we have been going there forever (seriously, I went there with my Girl Scout troop for cryin' out loud.) He reminisces about going there during college to watch sports games and eat stromboli. The stomboli there is good and the Kegs is pretty famous for it, but we go there for what my friend Chan coined as "grease-fest". We order the chicken fingers, fried mushrooms, stuffed jalapenos and Cajun fries. Yes, you need to bring your own defibrillator, especially when you order extra ranch to go with it all. The Cajun fries are awesome, they are actually just fries that they douse with the hot wing sauce and you need to turn your head when they first come to the table or the vinegar and hot sauce smell could knock you out. But once you dig in, you will be addicted. They haven't remodeled the place in, well, ever. They redid the outside about ten years ago and we were excited to go in and see what they did inside. We went and...nothing. Same worn Formica tables and old carpeting. They serve your food in baskets with Styrofoam plates and cheap (but metal) silverware. The waitresses have been there since the Earth's crust cooled. But the draft beer is served in these chilled goblets that make the beer so wonderful in the hot summertime. We haven't done 'grease-fest' in a long time because the place isn't all that wheelchair friendly for The Graminator, so I miss it. And I like Guy Fieri just a tiny bit more now (but he can still work a nerve with his over-the-top style.)
Okay, enough ramblings for now. Have a great weekend Loyal Readers. Hopefully next week you will find more insightful commentary on this blog (but I wouldn't count on it!)
Do you think "Kath & Kim" deserves to be on the air? I'm not sure. It has it's occasionally funny moments but the main characters are really unlikeable. I love Molly Shannon and Selma Blair but not this show. The season finale was on last night and I don't really care if it comes back or not. I only watch it because it's wedged between "My Name is Earl" and "The Office" (which is probably why most people watch it.) I'm going to check out episodes of the original Australian version to see if it's any funnier. But if it's cancelled I won't cry.
I had some strange dreams last night. In one, which took place in that hard-to-identify-because-it's-a-dream time period of 'war' (my clothes screamed 1930's but WWII was later than that, but again, it's hard to criticise a dream for being anachronistic) I was held in Imperialist China as a POW and forced to work as a courtesan for Chinese and foreign dignitaries. I used my position to spy for 'our' side (again, not sure who that is but since I was clearly a good guy then I was spying for the good guys, right?). I had grown jaded and bitter and no longer cared for my own life or safety, which the guards knew and they then used my fellow POW's as leverage to keep me in line. An American official tried to convince me to escape but I knew they would kill my friend Lily who was still innocent and naive. That's where I woke up. But in the dream I could sing and got to wear these incredible gowns while I sang for the men.
In the other dream I was in a wedding (see how this darn wedding is even permeating my sleep?!?) which took place at the airport. But for some reason the wedding party went through security while the guests were on the other side, so that when we finished the ceremony the wedding party had to go all the way around the airport to get back to the guests for the reception. (Because you can't just turn around at security, at least not in my dream.) I agree, it's a strange and demented dream.
I love Ross. We took The Graminator there to look for dresses for the wedding activities. We found two dresses that were just right. One is a bold patterned black and green that she fell in love with that she can wear to the shower and rehearsal dinner. The other is a cream colored with large pink flowers and green leaves in a muted pattern that is so perfect for the wedding I can hardly believe it. If I said to you, "picture a dress for a grandmother of the groom at a spring outdoor wedding", I swear you would picture this exact dress. And the total for both dresses? Forty dollars. My mom got a great little khaki shirtwaist for less than twelve bucks and also got two framed prints that will hopefully go with the new decor in the living room. I didn't find anything so I'll have to go shopping another day.
Jacques Pepin is amazing. Did you know he used to work at Howard Johnson's? I got his book "More Fast Food My Way" at the library and it has some really neat recipes. I made one last night that was a pan fried fish coated with, get this, french fried onions. Yup, those ones in a can that you put on top of green bean casserole. I have always been opposed to the canned fried onion but I had to try Jacques' recipe. You grind the onions in a food processor and use the 'crumbs' to coat the fish fillets. I added a bit of fresh bread crumbs because the onions were a bit, well, greasy. But it turned out delicious. Light and onion-y but not overwhelmingly so and nicely crisp even though you just pan fry them (they could easily be baked too.) I served them with Pepin potatoes, which is a Rachel Ray recipe based on one from Jacques' childhood. You basically steam little baby potatoes in chicken broth then once the broth is absorbed you smush the potatoes just a bit (you aren't mashing them, just flattening them a little) and then let them crisp in the pan. They are so yummy, you can't imagine but you have to cook them longer than her recipe calls for. (You can get her recipe on the Food Network website.) I also made some jalapeno tartar sauce to top the fish and green beans on the side. Even The Graminator cleaned her plate.
Speaking of Food Network, did you know that Guy Fieri (host of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" and star of those annoying TGI Friday's commercials) went to UNLV? He graduated a few years ahead of me, which I didn't know until I got his cookbook at the library. One of the 'dives' in his book is the Four Kegs bar that's about two minutes from my house and we have been going there forever (seriously, I went there with my Girl Scout troop for cryin' out loud.) He reminisces about going there during college to watch sports games and eat stromboli. The stomboli there is good and the Kegs is pretty famous for it, but we go there for what my friend Chan coined as "grease-fest". We order the chicken fingers, fried mushrooms, stuffed jalapenos and Cajun fries. Yes, you need to bring your own defibrillator, especially when you order extra ranch to go with it all. The Cajun fries are awesome, they are actually just fries that they douse with the hot wing sauce and you need to turn your head when they first come to the table or the vinegar and hot sauce smell could knock you out. But once you dig in, you will be addicted. They haven't remodeled the place in, well, ever. They redid the outside about ten years ago and we were excited to go in and see what they did inside. We went and...nothing. Same worn Formica tables and old carpeting. They serve your food in baskets with Styrofoam plates and cheap (but metal) silverware. The waitresses have been there since the Earth's crust cooled. But the draft beer is served in these chilled goblets that make the beer so wonderful in the hot summertime. We haven't done 'grease-fest' in a long time because the place isn't all that wheelchair friendly for The Graminator, so I miss it. And I like Guy Fieri just a tiny bit more now (but he can still work a nerve with his over-the-top style.)
Okay, enough ramblings for now. Have a great weekend Loyal Readers. Hopefully next week you will find more insightful commentary on this blog (but I wouldn't count on it!)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Weddings, Weddings Everywhere!
We are less than two months from the big day and things are in full swing.
I have painted 72 gum paste cherry blossoms. Actually, I painted 90 but I dropped a box which shattered like glass and I was only able to save 3 unbroken ones, so I have one more box to paint. The cupcake flavors are set and I am going to do a trial run of the little wedding cake this weekend. I don't know what filling it will have but I'm going to do a marble cake since the bride and groom can't decide between white and chocolate cake. I have to practice the branches the blossoms will rest on. They come up the sides of the tiers so I need to be able to make it right.
Breaking the box of flowers meant I had to order more which meant actually ordering at least fifty dollars worth of stuff since that is the minimum order. The place I have been ordering from, Pfeil and Holing, is a bakers dream. They are for the professional and semi-pro baker and every time I go to the site I'm like a kid in a candy store (and since they sell edible decorations it is sort of an actual candy store.) So I ordered an offset spatula, a disher (which is like an ice cream scoop and 'dishes' out a measured amount, so all the cupcakes will be uniform in size), cake ruffle (a pretty decorative edging to put on the cake stand) and some cake dummies (Styrofoam 'cakes' for making those fake cakes you see on display at bakeries.) My mom wants me to go into the wedding business and I may have to just to recoup my investment in this one. The last order had the original flowers plus the cake stand, the pans for the 8" and 6" tiers and some professional pastry bags and tips (i have long wanted these bags and now I had an excuse to get them!) In total a lot of money spent so I hope I can do the cake justice.
The shower is a week from Sunday. Since the house is in the middle of redecorating, we are having it at a tea house. It will be an afternoon "high tea" with tea and scones and that sort of thing. I still have only received one RSVP, seriously, how hard is it to drop an email saying yes or no? The 'deadline' is Sunday so I guess I just have to be patient until then. My friend Tracy, who makes these great soaps and lotions and stuff (seriously, check out her store, she makes cool stuff with emu oil and smelly good stuff), is making me some chai tea soap that we will wrap in a tea themed fabric as shower favors. I have the decorations for the table so all I have left to do is figure out some shower games and prizes (suggestions anyone?)
We are going shopping this afternoon to find The Graminator a dress for the wedding and one for the shower and rehearsal dinner (can you still call it a rehearsal dinner if there is no rehearsal?). My mom has her dresses already but needs some Spanx to suck it all in (don't we all!) I'm going to look for a dress too but it has to be cheap because I'm running out of cash, but since we are going to Ross, I have hope. Then on to Target to get a shower gift.
My wedding ensemble is set except for jewelry. I found this incredible pendant that I'm hoping to make into my wedding jewelry. It's made by this Hill Tribe in Thailand and it's not just pretty but fair trade as well. The only problem is that it is coming from Thailand so I'm hoping it arrives in time for me to do something other than just put it on a chain or ribbon. The site said usually seven to fourteen days but leave as much as 8 weeks. I ordered it at the 9 week mark so my fingers are crossed that it doesn't take that long. Isn't it pretty? And it was less than twelve bucks. I saw it on some custom jewelry sites at more than ten times the price but I went Googling around and found the source. It should look lovely and it totally fits the cherry blossom theme.
So, does anyone out there need a wedding cake or coordinator? Because I'm available and getting pretty good at it. I'll post some pictures of the 'trial' cake after I make it this weekend!
I have painted 72 gum paste cherry blossoms. Actually, I painted 90 but I dropped a box which shattered like glass and I was only able to save 3 unbroken ones, so I have one more box to paint. The cupcake flavors are set and I am going to do a trial run of the little wedding cake this weekend. I don't know what filling it will have but I'm going to do a marble cake since the bride and groom can't decide between white and chocolate cake. I have to practice the branches the blossoms will rest on. They come up the sides of the tiers so I need to be able to make it right.
Breaking the box of flowers meant I had to order more which meant actually ordering at least fifty dollars worth of stuff since that is the minimum order. The place I have been ordering from, Pfeil and Holing, is a bakers dream. They are for the professional and semi-pro baker and every time I go to the site I'm like a kid in a candy store (and since they sell edible decorations it is sort of an actual candy store.) So I ordered an offset spatula, a disher (which is like an ice cream scoop and 'dishes' out a measured amount, so all the cupcakes will be uniform in size), cake ruffle (a pretty decorative edging to put on the cake stand) and some cake dummies (Styrofoam 'cakes' for making those fake cakes you see on display at bakeries.) My mom wants me to go into the wedding business and I may have to just to recoup my investment in this one. The last order had the original flowers plus the cake stand, the pans for the 8" and 6" tiers and some professional pastry bags and tips (i have long wanted these bags and now I had an excuse to get them!) In total a lot of money spent so I hope I can do the cake justice.
The shower is a week from Sunday. Since the house is in the middle of redecorating, we are having it at a tea house. It will be an afternoon "high tea" with tea and scones and that sort of thing. I still have only received one RSVP, seriously, how hard is it to drop an email saying yes or no? The 'deadline' is Sunday so I guess I just have to be patient until then. My friend Tracy, who makes these great soaps and lotions and stuff (seriously, check out her store, she makes cool stuff with emu oil and smelly good stuff), is making me some chai tea soap that we will wrap in a tea themed fabric as shower favors. I have the decorations for the table so all I have left to do is figure out some shower games and prizes (suggestions anyone?)
We are going shopping this afternoon to find The Graminator a dress for the wedding and one for the shower and rehearsal dinner (can you still call it a rehearsal dinner if there is no rehearsal?). My mom has her dresses already but needs some Spanx to suck it all in (don't we all!) I'm going to look for a dress too but it has to be cheap because I'm running out of cash, but since we are going to Ross, I have hope. Then on to Target to get a shower gift.
My wedding ensemble is set except for jewelry. I found this incredible pendant that I'm hoping to make into my wedding jewelry. It's made by this Hill Tribe in Thailand and it's not just pretty but fair trade as well. The only problem is that it is coming from Thailand so I'm hoping it arrives in time for me to do something other than just put it on a chain or ribbon. The site said usually seven to fourteen days but leave as much as 8 weeks. I ordered it at the 9 week mark so my fingers are crossed that it doesn't take that long. Isn't it pretty? And it was less than twelve bucks. I saw it on some custom jewelry sites at more than ten times the price but I went Googling around and found the source. It should look lovely and it totally fits the cherry blossom theme.
So, does anyone out there need a wedding cake or coordinator? Because I'm available and getting pretty good at it. I'll post some pictures of the 'trial' cake after I make it this weekend!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Things
Just an unconnected series of random things I have on my mind.
I think I broke my toe. I stubbed it last night in the garage and it didn't hurt much at the time (just as much as any other stubbed toe, which is a lot but I didn't think much of it) but later in the evening it really started to hurt. Today it's swollen and purple and painful. I know there isn't a lot you can do for a broken toe (I've broken toes before, apparently I need to watch where I'm walking better) so I'll just have to live with it. But it hurts and I just wanted to whine a bit. I guess I should just be glad it wasn't my big toe.
I need to find a brisket today if I'm going to corn my own beef for St. Patrick's Day. I found the recipe in Bon Apetit last year and it sounded really good but I was out of town so I couldn't do it. But I found it again this year and I want to try it. But it needs to brine for 8 days so I have to find one today.
I love my iPod touch. Love it. It makes me so happy. The new home theater system we got for the living room even has a dock for it so I can listen to it out there or in my room on my iHome radio or with my cool Skull Candy earphones. But besides the music (which is totally cool, I have found songs on iTunes that I haven't had since, gulp, cassette tapes) I really love the App Store. We were assembling my mom's bookcase and needed a level. We couldn't find one so two minutes and one free app later my iPod was a level. I play more games on it now than my DS. And the coolest app I found? One that turns my iPod into a Kindle. Yup. I can read a gazillion books on it. Now it doesn't have all the features of the Kindle but it does have the one feature I would use the most, the ability to read books on it. And the books are delivered to my iPod in less than a minute. And before you go thinking that I'm going to abandon my local library and spend way too much money on books, I'm not. First off, I can't afford too many books, which is why I started going to the library in the first place. But Amazon has lots of FREE Kindle titles. Lots are public domain works which are older titles and classics but they also have new books they release for free for a short period of time. So I can download those and have them on my iPod to carry with me to the doctor's office or on set to read. So cool, huh?
I'm really tired of the news about the economy. Does anyone else think that the constant negative news actually fuels the fear, panic and depression that helps create more bad economic news? This won't be our first depression and it won't be our last unfortunately. But come on, have some good news, please. Where are the water skiing squirrel stories when you need them? (Bonus points if you can tell me what movie that is a reference to.)
Redecorating is hard work. We have been building new furniture, hauling out the old stuff. It's tiring. And each new thing accomplished seems to add another to the list. With the bookcase that should arrive this week we should be done with the 'media' wall. (We already built an Ikea sideboard and massive bookcase and a small corner desk.) Except that now my mom wants to order a new desk chair to match. Then we still have to get the new couch, paint the walls, refinish the furniture we are keeping, get new foam and make new pillows and slipcovers for the furniture we are keeping and look for new accessories. (We also need to find a throw rug but that is on hold indefinitely as we don't want to put out anything that The Graminator might trip over.) It's going to be BEAUTIFUL when we are done (it's a seaside cottage theme, very cool and serene, and will look great in my mom's little house) but it's a lot of work. I have to go to Lowe's and get a sample can of paint and paint a poster board that we can move around and make sure we like the paint color in all the various locations it will go. (The house is so tiny that you have to paint the living room, kitchen and hallway all the same color or it will look too chopped up.) The color we think we want (notice how I include me even though she is the one who is ultimately going to make the decision? but she respects my opinion, which she should since she taught me how to decorate) is a pale blue-green, like beach glass. But we have been burned on color before (the house shutters for example are way more green than intended) so we need to choose carefully. And artwork has been hard. My mom found a print she really liked but when we went to go buy it, it was way more yellow a background than the online picture had. With the white white furniture it just didn't work. So it's back to square one with art.
Why do the employee's at Lowe's act like they are doing you a huge favor when they help you? Isn't that their job? I needed some PVC pipe cut (I used it to hide the computer wiring behind my mom's new white open desk and it turned out great, you can't see the bazillion wires now) and when I asked the man working there to cut it for me, he said "How many cuts?" I don't know what the magic number at which he would have said no, but since I only needed one he reluctantly agreed to help. But I still think that they should be nicer about it and not act like I'm imposing. In this economy if I had a job I'd be grateful for it and I'd be bucking for employee of the month. Not grumpy and mean. But I saw where he cut it and if I ever need more I know where the tool is now. In case you need to know, at the Lowe's on Buffalo it's in to the plastic tubing section on the bottom shelf. I'm pretty sure they don't want you cutting it yourself because if you cut your finger off they would be opening themselves up liability wise, but if I can't get Grumpy to help me, what else can I do? Also, now I know where meth labs get their plastic tubing, at Lowe's. They have a huge selection.
My mom takes "Dancing with the Stars" way too personally. She feels bad for the ones who stink and thinks that celebrities that don't dance well shouldn't go on the show. She so doesn't understand Hollywood.
The George Forman grill makes a great panini press. I bought my mom a GF years ago that she never used. I got it out last week and made paninis and it worked perfectly. I made more last night. Yum.
Our cat sleeps like twenty hours a day. Is that normal? She goes outside in the mornings then pretty much sleeps on the Graminator's bed all day (with the occasional food break) and roams a little around the house in the evening. She likes to play a bit early in the day but after ten in the morning she's pretty much ready for her seven hour nap. She was a skinny little stray when we brought her in, now she's a giant fat cat. And she likes it that way. I've never had a cat so I don't know if it's normal or not.
Okay, I got to go find a brisket. Sorry for my ramble, but these were all short topics that couldn't make a full post out of themselves. Have a good Tuesday!
I think I broke my toe. I stubbed it last night in the garage and it didn't hurt much at the time (just as much as any other stubbed toe, which is a lot but I didn't think much of it) but later in the evening it really started to hurt. Today it's swollen and purple and painful. I know there isn't a lot you can do for a broken toe (I've broken toes before, apparently I need to watch where I'm walking better) so I'll just have to live with it. But it hurts and I just wanted to whine a bit. I guess I should just be glad it wasn't my big toe.
I need to find a brisket today if I'm going to corn my own beef for St. Patrick's Day. I found the recipe in Bon Apetit last year and it sounded really good but I was out of town so I couldn't do it. But I found it again this year and I want to try it. But it needs to brine for 8 days so I have to find one today.
I love my iPod touch. Love it. It makes me so happy. The new home theater system we got for the living room even has a dock for it so I can listen to it out there or in my room on my iHome radio or with my cool Skull Candy earphones. But besides the music (which is totally cool, I have found songs on iTunes that I haven't had since, gulp, cassette tapes) I really love the App Store. We were assembling my mom's bookcase and needed a level. We couldn't find one so two minutes and one free app later my iPod was a level. I play more games on it now than my DS. And the coolest app I found? One that turns my iPod into a Kindle. Yup. I can read a gazillion books on it. Now it doesn't have all the features of the Kindle but it does have the one feature I would use the most, the ability to read books on it. And the books are delivered to my iPod in less than a minute. And before you go thinking that I'm going to abandon my local library and spend way too much money on books, I'm not. First off, I can't afford too many books, which is why I started going to the library in the first place. But Amazon has lots of FREE Kindle titles. Lots are public domain works which are older titles and classics but they also have new books they release for free for a short period of time. So I can download those and have them on my iPod to carry with me to the doctor's office or on set to read. So cool, huh?
I'm really tired of the news about the economy. Does anyone else think that the constant negative news actually fuels the fear, panic and depression that helps create more bad economic news? This won't be our first depression and it won't be our last unfortunately. But come on, have some good news, please. Where are the water skiing squirrel stories when you need them? (Bonus points if you can tell me what movie that is a reference to.)
Redecorating is hard work. We have been building new furniture, hauling out the old stuff. It's tiring. And each new thing accomplished seems to add another to the list. With the bookcase that should arrive this week we should be done with the 'media' wall. (We already built an Ikea sideboard and massive bookcase and a small corner desk.) Except that now my mom wants to order a new desk chair to match. Then we still have to get the new couch, paint the walls, refinish the furniture we are keeping, get new foam and make new pillows and slipcovers for the furniture we are keeping and look for new accessories. (We also need to find a throw rug but that is on hold indefinitely as we don't want to put out anything that The Graminator might trip over.) It's going to be BEAUTIFUL when we are done (it's a seaside cottage theme, very cool and serene, and will look great in my mom's little house) but it's a lot of work. I have to go to Lowe's and get a sample can of paint and paint a poster board that we can move around and make sure we like the paint color in all the various locations it will go. (The house is so tiny that you have to paint the living room, kitchen and hallway all the same color or it will look too chopped up.) The color we think we want (notice how I include me even though she is the one who is ultimately going to make the decision? but she respects my opinion, which she should since she taught me how to decorate) is a pale blue-green, like beach glass. But we have been burned on color before (the house shutters for example are way more green than intended) so we need to choose carefully. And artwork has been hard. My mom found a print she really liked but when we went to go buy it, it was way more yellow a background than the online picture had. With the white white furniture it just didn't work. So it's back to square one with art.
Why do the employee's at Lowe's act like they are doing you a huge favor when they help you? Isn't that their job? I needed some PVC pipe cut (I used it to hide the computer wiring behind my mom's new white open desk and it turned out great, you can't see the bazillion wires now) and when I asked the man working there to cut it for me, he said "How many cuts?" I don't know what the magic number at which he would have said no, but since I only needed one he reluctantly agreed to help. But I still think that they should be nicer about it and not act like I'm imposing. In this economy if I had a job I'd be grateful for it and I'd be bucking for employee of the month. Not grumpy and mean. But I saw where he cut it and if I ever need more I know where the tool is now. In case you need to know, at the Lowe's on Buffalo it's in to the plastic tubing section on the bottom shelf. I'm pretty sure they don't want you cutting it yourself because if you cut your finger off they would be opening themselves up liability wise, but if I can't get Grumpy to help me, what else can I do? Also, now I know where meth labs get their plastic tubing, at Lowe's. They have a huge selection.
My mom takes "Dancing with the Stars" way too personally. She feels bad for the ones who stink and thinks that celebrities that don't dance well shouldn't go on the show. She so doesn't understand Hollywood.
The George Forman grill makes a great panini press. I bought my mom a GF years ago that she never used. I got it out last week and made paninis and it worked perfectly. I made more last night. Yum.
Our cat sleeps like twenty hours a day. Is that normal? She goes outside in the mornings then pretty much sleeps on the Graminator's bed all day (with the occasional food break) and roams a little around the house in the evening. She likes to play a bit early in the day but after ten in the morning she's pretty much ready for her seven hour nap. She was a skinny little stray when we brought her in, now she's a giant fat cat. And she likes it that way. I've never had a cat so I don't know if it's normal or not.
Okay, I got to go find a brisket. Sorry for my ramble, but these were all short topics that couldn't make a full post out of themselves. Have a good Tuesday!
Monday, March 09, 2009
It's Picture Day!
I'm too tired to write much today (why does 'spring forward' kick my butt so much?) so I thought that since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'd give you ten thousand words (ah, if only it really was that easy.
Here is The Graminator, with her new glasses and haircut. Isn't she adorable? I think I'm going to put these in my wallet and when someone asks if I have kids I'm gonna pull out the pictures of my 'little one'.
Okay, it might not be as cute as Dyann's new haircut, but it's still cute.
Here are shots from Friday's Vegas Schmegas shoot. We worked hard, laughed a lot and made great comedy. What more can you ask for?
We had a great time filming even though it was a lot of work. But we got what we needed and we made the day. It's magic, I tell you, magic.
Here is The Graminator, with her new glasses and haircut. Isn't she adorable? I think I'm going to put these in my wallet and when someone asks if I have kids I'm gonna pull out the pictures of my 'little one'.
Okay, it might not be as cute as Dyann's new haircut, but it's still cute.
Here are shots from Friday's Vegas Schmegas shoot. We worked hard, laughed a lot and made great comedy. What more can you ask for?
We had a great time filming even though it was a lot of work. But we got what we needed and we made the day. It's magic, I tell you, magic.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Crazy Busy but Fun
Hello Loyal Readers and thanks for checking in even when I've been slacking on the posts.
This week has been über busy. After a crazy weekend (Saturday was spent dress shopping for a dress for my mother for the wedding, getting fittings for Val and I for our wedding attire and assembling a giant Ikea bookcase for my mom, Sunday I assembled all the wedding invitations) I had to accomplish a lot this week.
My dress fitting made me realize that I've been slacking on my diet and exercise regimen (it fits but just barely) and if I'm going to look good for the wedding I had better jump back in with both feet. Plus the new movie starts filming the week after the wedding and I want to look good on camera, right? (Even if my character has a penchant for ugly Christmas sweaters.) It won't do any good for tomorrow though when I reprise my role as dominatrix for the final Vegas Schmegas shoot. Oh well. But it's crunch city for the next eight weeks.
The invitations for the wedding went out Monday (well, most of them anyway, I'm still waiting for a few addresses from the bride and groom) They turned out very well and were really personalized. It was a lot of work and I'm really glad it's a very small wedding because making twenty-five was enough. I would have hated to have to do two hundred!
We had a read through and blocking rehearsal last night for the movie. It was really cool and Kelly is using an interesting filming technique to keep it fast and furious. Movies take a LONG time to shoot and he has tried to get the schedule down to twenty-five shooting days which is really short. So he's shooting it in a different way so as to minimize the number of 'set-ups' we have to do. Set-ups are whenever you move the camera, because you have to move all of the lights and it takes forever. He's trying to figure out a way to capture what he needs with as few changes as possible. The way he's doing it feels better to me as an actor because it helps the scene flow better. Last night went great and I'm starting to feel very comfortable with my co-stars and my character. Fun, fun, fun!
Random question, but when do you RSVP for something? I sent out invitations to Val's bridal shower over two weeks ago and I haven't heard anything. I did put a deadline of March 15th for RSVP's, do you think everyone is waiting until the last minute? I guess I'm just worried that they never received the invitations. But I guess they would have been returned by the post office if that were the case.
Tomorrow is the Vegas Schmegas re-shoot. I have to confirm the location and then make set decorations today as well as pack my costume and makeup. But we should be close to finishing it up which will be nice and then we can send it on it's merry way to be bought by a major network and make us all rich (are you listening universe?) I would like to spend Saturday collapsed on the couch but we are in the process of re-decorating the house and my fingers are crossed that the new desk my mom ordered will be here on Friday and I can secretly put it together for her while she's at work on Saturday. (The entertainment center and bookcase were too massive for me to do alone so it was a whole family project.) I'll post pictures next week.
Okay, LRs, I have to go and start on all the things I need to accomplish today (it's also time for The Graminator's shower). Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on Monday!
This week has been über busy. After a crazy weekend (Saturday was spent dress shopping for a dress for my mother for the wedding, getting fittings for Val and I for our wedding attire and assembling a giant Ikea bookcase for my mom, Sunday I assembled all the wedding invitations) I had to accomplish a lot this week.
My dress fitting made me realize that I've been slacking on my diet and exercise regimen (it fits but just barely) and if I'm going to look good for the wedding I had better jump back in with both feet. Plus the new movie starts filming the week after the wedding and I want to look good on camera, right? (Even if my character has a penchant for ugly Christmas sweaters.) It won't do any good for tomorrow though when I reprise my role as dominatrix for the final Vegas Schmegas shoot. Oh well. But it's crunch city for the next eight weeks.
The invitations for the wedding went out Monday (well, most of them anyway, I'm still waiting for a few addresses from the bride and groom) They turned out very well and were really personalized. It was a lot of work and I'm really glad it's a very small wedding because making twenty-five was enough. I would have hated to have to do two hundred!
We had a read through and blocking rehearsal last night for the movie. It was really cool and Kelly is using an interesting filming technique to keep it fast and furious. Movies take a LONG time to shoot and he has tried to get the schedule down to twenty-five shooting days which is really short. So he's shooting it in a different way so as to minimize the number of 'set-ups' we have to do. Set-ups are whenever you move the camera, because you have to move all of the lights and it takes forever. He's trying to figure out a way to capture what he needs with as few changes as possible. The way he's doing it feels better to me as an actor because it helps the scene flow better. Last night went great and I'm starting to feel very comfortable with my co-stars and my character. Fun, fun, fun!
Random question, but when do you RSVP for something? I sent out invitations to Val's bridal shower over two weeks ago and I haven't heard anything. I did put a deadline of March 15th for RSVP's, do you think everyone is waiting until the last minute? I guess I'm just worried that they never received the invitations. But I guess they would have been returned by the post office if that were the case.
Tomorrow is the Vegas Schmegas re-shoot. I have to confirm the location and then make set decorations today as well as pack my costume and makeup. But we should be close to finishing it up which will be nice and then we can send it on it's merry way to be bought by a major network and make us all rich (are you listening universe?) I would like to spend Saturday collapsed on the couch but we are in the process of re-decorating the house and my fingers are crossed that the new desk my mom ordered will be here on Friday and I can secretly put it together for her while she's at work on Saturday. (The entertainment center and bookcase were too massive for me to do alone so it was a whole family project.) I'll post pictures next week.
Okay, LRs, I have to go and start on all the things I need to accomplish today (it's also time for The Graminator's shower). Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on Monday!
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Soundtrack to My Life "There's a Fine, Fine Line"
My friend Dyann sent this to me on Facebook and I have been a lazy blogger this week so I'm posting it again here (with apologies to Loyal Readers who read this already.)
This was actually fun...and a bit embarrassing. Please don't judge, my taste in songs is, well, eclectic at best. But it turns out that your iPod is a bit like a Magic 8 ball, who knew?
Here are the rules:
1. Put your iTunes on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
"It's Alright" by Huey Hewis & the News
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"Defying Gravity" from the "Wicked" soundtrack
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"Life in the Fast Lane" by The Eagles
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
"When Your Mind's Made Up" by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"Save the Last Dance for Me" by Harry Connick, Jr.
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"It's Raining Again" by Supertramp (What the heck does that mean?)
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"I Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"She's Leaving Home" by The Beatles
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Close Your Eyes" by Aaron Neville (probably because they are imaginary)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen (Oh no....)
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"Fallen from the Sky" by Glen Hansard
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt (hmm, does that mean my imaginary boyfriend doesn't even love me?
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"Come Fly With Me" by Frank Sinatra
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"Suspended in Time" by Olivia Newton John
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis & the News (well. as a romance writer, it fits)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"I Have a Dream" by ABBA (not so secret, really)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"Every Heartbeat" by Amy Grant (awww)
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"Too Little Too Late" by Bare Naked Ladies (my biggest fear, really)
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"The Lady Is A Tramp" by Frank Sinatra (hey, that's not nice!)
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies" from a Christmas Album
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"The Look of Love" by ABC
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
"Feelings Show" by Colbie Caillat
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
"Evil Ways" by Santana (okay, when this came up I had to laugh)
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
"XXX's and OOO's" by Trisha Yearwood (again, aww)
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"September Morn" by Neil Diamond (I have no idea what I did one September morn)
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"Wedding Bell Blues" by The 5th Dimension (I'm happy about my brother getting married, so maybe it's the wedding planning that has me blue?)
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
"There's A Fine, Fine Line" from the "Avenue Q" sountrack (I actually love this song, it goes, "There's a fine, fine line between love and a waste of your time." So true)
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