Another attempt at a green thumb

I kill most plants and flowers.
Not because of neglect, usually because of over-care.
But, spring is here, and once again I will try my luck.
It has been one week, and everything is still upright and colorful.
I am taking that as a good sign.

So Drunk

I am over intoxicated right now.
I am so over intoxicated - that i am having issues seeing the keyboard and getting my fingers to hit the proper keys.
But - damn, it feels pretty good!

How lovely to be drunk,and still have had a fantastic meal of amazing food, amaizing wine and good conversation.
what a way to start my vacation.

For my own reocord and for yyou to be jeaolous of my meal - here is what i had tonight.
yum

warm california asparagus salad
hedgehog mushrooms, 63 degree egg, tarragon, sherry vinegar
2005 sonoma coast vineyards, sauvignon blan, sonoma coast

mediterranean rouget - this was fish
preserved lemon (meyer lemon), bagna cotta braised celery, almond puree
2005 dutcher crossing chardonnay, costello vineyard, alexander valley
( idon't normally go for chardonnay - but this one rocked)

East coast skate 'sous vide' - (fish again - apparently like a stingray fish)
potato puree, broccoli, crisy capers, lobster brown butter
2003 skewis pinot noir demuth vineyard, alexander valley
(it had a big lobster chunk on the plate too that was awesome!!!)

California Squab
forbiddin rice, confit estate turnips and their greens, dried cherries, squab essence
2005 preston cinsault, dry creek valley

28 day Dry aged Montana Legend striploin
salt roasted fingerling pototoes, kohlrabi puree, confit pearl onions, braised beef cheek
1998 symmetry (meritage) , alexander valley - here was a wine I actually purchased a few years back - nice to see that at one point i had good taste.

manchego
spanish sheep milk cheese, house made quince paste, marshall farms honey
2004 mara zinfandel, dolinsek vineyards, russian river valley

Warm chocolate souffle
valrhona chocolate, creme anglaise
alvear, solera 1927, pedro ximenez, montilla-moriles, spain

i'm going to go pass out now.

Don't Be So Rude

All I wanted was some MAC molasses colored nail polish.
It is a lovely color, it looks fantastic on my hands ~ and I did not have to torture the poor sales associate by testing all of the other 70 colors to choose from.
I wanted the Molasses. Please.
I kindly asked the sales associate for the nail polish of my choice.
I smiled, I was friendly, I spoke clearly ~ and was met with a bad attitude.

What's the deal with bad attitude MAC employees? This is my second run in with mean counter people. The only time I get good service from my nail polish purveyors is when I order it online.
What happened to good customer service? What happened to happy human contact? How is it that when I am nice, someone could be so rude?
But will I call customer service to complain? no.

Later that same day, I found myself at the airport. Flying on a shuttle flight between New York and DC. Flights literally leave every hour of the day.
Unfortunately - there were some delays.
Once again, I was priveliged to witness more people being rude.
Perhaps, gentle airline passenger, you could not spend your time complaining to everyone you know on your cell phone about the delay. Perhaps instead of going thru every contact in your cell phone, you could stop and listen to the announcements.
Perhaps you would learn when the flight is leaving - and that it is now leaving from another gate.
Then perhaps, you would spare us all of your yelling and screaming at the poor gate attendent who has announced the new departure at the new gate for the last 30 minutes.
Is it the gate attendents fault that you were so self absorbed in your own misery?

And the trickle down? When I happily approach the gate attendent to board my own flight ~ when my zone is called - she has a bad attitude too. She couldn't muster a smile, didn't thank me, made no eye contact, nothing.
Big surprise.
Did I take it personally? no.

So let's learn to love (or at least like) one another again.
No need to be so rude.

The B!tch is Back

It's time for me to make some changes. I have decided that I have been negative for far too long.
I am going to put forth some positive energy and see what comes back to me.

From now on it is no longer about what I don't have ~ it's about what I do have.
It's no longer about what someone did to me ~ it's about what I can do for others.

Perhaps my old age is catching up to me.

I Might Not Like the Guy....

But even this seems to push the envelope for what is appropriate.
Death of a President has got bad taste written all over it!


Couldn't this have been done in a fictional context? (paging Oliver Stone)
Or were the producers of this film going for the reaction that you get when someone is kicking you in the gut? (hello Michael Moore)

Enough with the killing already!

9/11

I can't forget....

Were you born a Republican?

Were you born that way?!

Believe it or not - I have been thinking about the above question for some time.
In my opinion ~ most of the Republicans in my own circle of friends were born that way.
One such person stands out in my mind. Once upon a time I was engaged to a Texas Republican - one day when we were talking, he actually said out loud that the only reason he was a Republican and voted Republican was because his daddy told him to! Yikes! Nothing like finding your own voice!
Lucky for me, I soon saw the error of my ways, broke off the engagement and found the BeltwayB!
Read the article and see what you think.

Are you born Republican?