Sunday, April 25, 2010

Sunday's Menu. What's on your menu?















Menu of the Day:

Music: Jealous Guy by Casey James

Book: I just finished a really good book called Waiter Rant. It's written by a New York waiter who worked in a high end restaurant. He first started a blog and it got so popular that he wrote a book. It was a great read. I'm also reading a book called Gonzo. (I think that's the title.)

What i've recently lost: i cannot find my mailbox key. I specifically remember getting my mail Thursday. But it's gone now.

In my glass: a Bogle chardonnay.

What's for dinner:
Something with tofu and brussle sprouts. How good does THAT sound?

What i keep forgetting: I need to get a new driver license and i don't know where to go since they closed my place i used to go.

The best thing that happened this week: I have been working on doing something about my longtime dissatisfaction with my own union. I am making calls, sending money, designing flyers, mailing letters....all to try and help get a new union president elected so that we can oust our militant hard core Teamster-y type of leader. (It's the reason i started the Facebook in the first place.) We find out May 3. It may make a difference in whether i retire next year or not.

The most productive thing i've done: as you can see from the photos, i have been painting again. And once again, i am not happy. I am trying to match the stucco colors in my Georgia O Keefe print, and while the yellow i chose is beautiful, it's too kitchen-y. (If that makes sense.) So i'll be back at it. And dammit, it took both of us ALL day to get this done and Brian says he's not helping me change it. (and i don't blame him.)

What bothers me about this: Is i usually get this kind of thing right the first time. And i've missed it twice now.

Re: the paint. The colors are above. My new bathroom color is to the left of the yellow. (I painted that last week. And the yellow is of course what we did yesterday.

American Idol: I will be glad when this is over. I still like Casey James, but my read on him is that he isn't in it to win. He is in it to be discovered. And he will. (He is VERY good and an awesome guitar player. He is as good as his Legends of the Fall good looks.) You just have to look at my video from a few weeks ago to see it. Crystal Bowersox should win but she's like having Van Gogh enrolled in a painting class at a community college. She's just too good for Idol and i don't want her making their kind of record. So my pick is Lee DeWyze, the guy who works in a paint store who sang The Boxer. (That was the first time i thought he could win.) He would benefit the most and he's very good. I love his voice. But he's sort of bland in the personality department for Idol but endearingly bland. My kind of bland, nice ego, no drama, the real deal. So those are my top three, with Lee winning.

Re: Lost: Another show i will be glad to have over. But i think i will rewatch all the episodes later where i can watch four in a row and keep going. I will remember more. This show has enough characters to populate a whole country! It's too hard to follow because so many are essential to the plot. (Maybe if i was not menopausal i could follow this better.)

What I'm worried about: We're getting a new union director in our office. I get to be on the interview team and we start this week. Toni and i have worked together for 23 years and we're such a great team. (She's a visionary and i'm the detail oriented one. It takes both of us.) I am organizing her retirement and I keep writing my speech in my head as i'm running and driving. My problem will be keeping it to 15 minutes and i hope i don't cry. Crying, especially in public in front of a crowd, is not something i do.

The funniest thing that happened this week: Nothing I can think of right now. (But i put this up hoping it get's y'all to think of something since you sometimes order off my own menu with substitutions.

Re: Oprah: do we really need a book about Oprah? I have never read a Kitty Kelly book. But i'm thinking we're already on Oprah overload as it is. What else do we need to know?

Re: a very good movie: Did i mention this before? It's called The Cove. My nephew Brian was relentless about getting me to watch this. It won an Oscar for Best Documentary at last year's Academy Awards. It's about the slaughter of dolphins by the Japanese. It was amazing. And both my husband and i went on the Take Part website when it was over. It was very well done and if you read the reviews in Netflix you will see that most everyone was moved by this movie. I thought about this film for days afterwards and i still think about it.

Ok, that's all i got. I know last week i thought of other things and thought to myself, 'i'll have to mention that in my blog" but now i've forgotten what those thoughts were.

19 comments:

equeyaya said...

I always forget to mention the things I meant to mention in my blog, too.

Music: Just Breathe, by Pearl Jam

Book: I have a new one to read, Ten North Frederick, by John O'Hara, but I can't really claim to have started it yet. I've been a bad reader lately.

What i've recently lost: I am constantly in a panic about where my keys are, but they always turn up, thank god.

In my glass: i had some kind of merlot tonight, Cavit it was. i used it in the sauce for your meatball recipe. ;)

What's for dinner: see above

What i keep forgetting: dermatologist appointments for me and Grace, and OB/GYN appointments for all three of us (mother daughter bonding moments, lol!)

The best thing that happened this week: Yesterday, Grace and I drove 2 1/2 hours and back to see Mel at school and to celebrate her birthday. We went to the mall and then to dinner and then back to her dorm room and took silly photos (see facebook). We laughed and talked and it made me feel better about not being with her for her actual birthday on Thursday.

The most productive thing i've done: oh, poor brian! i think your walls look great, but you do what you need to do! I got my ironing and cleaning done this weekend, all of which I was behind on. And I did a little organizing and cleaning out in the process. Purple Heart is coming this week, so I'm hoping to purge some old clothes and stuff this week.

American Idol: Good observation with Legends of the Fall, lol! I've watched more Idol this season than ever before, but I still don't really feel like I'm up on it. I defer to your predictions. Is Lee the one with the swoopy-forward hair?

Re: Lost: I love this show.

What I'm worried about: I hope you get a new president that you enjoy working with. I have worries at work, too. It will take a long time of economic recovery for us to rebound.

The funniest thing that happened this week: Grace and I went to Game Stop to get Xbox games for Mel's birthday present. On the way over, I asked her, "What was that game Mel wanted again? Risk Alternative?"

G: "No, Mom, Resident Evil 5, why do you keep calling it Risk Alternative? What kind of stupid game would that be?"

Me: "Oh, I don't know, you could be presented with these risky options and see which ones you should pick."

G: "That's so stupid! What would they be? Today should I forget to brush my teeth or milk the cow?"

Now, I know it's totally stupid, but I think sometimes you just need to laugh. I had to pull the car over because my eyes were filled with tears from laughing so hard, and I couldn't see to drive.

I love that kid.

Re: Oprah: do we really need a book about Oprah? no.

Re: a very good movie: I think I heard about the Cove. I haven't seen anything recently.

Modern Hippie said...

mom showed me the book 'waiter rant' when i visited them the other day she said it was good. the one thing i always remember from when i worked at the restaurant was this one table that came in and they were soo rude, i went to bring them their water and they didnt even look at me, i said some things and they didnt respond and i remember i was so tickd off because i thought it was so rude and then later on when they were eating their meal i heard someone mention something about "the funeral" and then i realized they were all in black and thats when i decided to never be upset about how a stranger treats me because they could be having a horrible day which could be totally justified. which reminds me of a quote myf riend post the otherday "always be kinder than neccesary, for everyone you meet is in some kind of battle."

tofu and brussle sprouts sounds horrible. unless it includes pork. (brian, troy and i had a discussion last night about if you were trapped on an island would you rather have pigs or cows to slaughter and eat and brian and i both picked pigs lol)

jo you can go to the DOL in UP - it didnt take long when i did mine (its busy there, but its organized by what you are doing, so getting a new licnese is always a shorter line)

yeah you will deff. like LOST when you watch it all at once, ash and eddie have gotten to the part where claires baby is abducted and shes freaking out and im like "ash it only gets better, trust me" its deff. not as confusing

i can see a book about oprah being interesting though - there s alot to talk about, shes accomplished alot but i have a pet peeve about people writing their autobiographys or getting biographies (biographys?) written about them when they are alive -- especially celebrities, unless you have been a POW or have some fascinating story - and someoen has asked you to write an autobiography you shouldnt write one.

i have yet to watch the cove but brian keeps pestering me about it, i have it in my netflix queue (which i did reactive) but its somewhere in the middle of my 130 list -- if it was instant i would watch it right now.

p.s. is your gonzo book anything to do with hunter s thompson??

~ T (grits) ~ said...

good point Kylee! I think that could go both ways like if the server is having some kind of personal crises...

I didnt like either of the last 2 movies Ive seen - Premonition and Precious. They were both disturbing to me. I think they are meant to be just that but I still didnt like them.

Modern Hippie said...

yeah i remember when josh died and i still had to work and i was being really off(not rude, just quite, the would maybe make a joke and i wouldnt really laugh, i was just quite) with people and for some reason i thought people would know i was having an off day and finally i started thinking "what if one of these people is having a horrible day like josh, and i just ruined it even more and maybe pushed them in the wrong direction" so i tried to start being friendlier and happier, because there is no way they knew i was upset or why i was upset.

yeahhh i have to be in a certain mood to watch those kinds of movies, especially documentaries.

Unknown said...

I am so sick of the rattle in my chest. The prednizone didn't get rid of it. Now, I'm detoxing from the steroids and I feel even worse than I did when I went to the doctor. I'm sweating like a pig, I look like Cartman from South Park (totally round face), no energy and no memory.

Our receptionist (who I bought flowers for last week) lost her grandson yesterday to a drunk driver going the wrong way on I-85. In her true diva fashion she has been burning up the t.v. with interviews. I think MADD needs to hire her..she is showing a dignified grief. I don't think I could be that composed this soon.
We were worried about her but I believe she is going to be fine. I do worry about her daughter though. I can't imagine what she is going through.

I'm so disgusted that I killed my Ipod, I've not downloaded anything..I don't even listen to the radio. Man, I suck right now.

I am reading....

Oprah. Yep...I saw it at the airport and I just had to read it. I'm a biography junkie. I'm reading CoCo Chanel's as well. I'm not learning anything new about Oprah but it's not badly written and has kept me entertained. Both she and CoCo totally reinvented themselves as have many famous people.

louielouie said...

What I’ve been reading: People magazine, always an airport buy. An anthology of essays about work – not so riveting

What I’ve been listening to, Em’s i-pod, she is listening to all her music A to Z. At least it’s by title, not artist so I don’t have to hear all the Amy Winehouse in a row – plus she’s nowhere near the Ws.

Recent Movie: Date Night, including the out takes before during and after the credits. Not many plot surprises but fun none the less,

What I’m drinking- nothing now, but did have a martini and a Jameson’s in the lobby bar of the San Francisco airport Marriott. Great view of planes taking off over the water. Emma had a blueberry martini the first night and a citrus basil martini the second. Both good, but neither was the drink for me.

Best thing that happened to me this week/most productive thing I’ve done. – Now bear with me, my 84 year old mom somehow twisted her knee and inflamed a ligament and was in a ton of pain. So Thursday morning my sister in law dropped her off at urgent care and I left work and met her there. I then spent the day with her because she couldn’t get up by herself. She is going to need a new knee.
Because of her injury, and the accompanying percoset, she couldn’t go to her sister’s memorial service Saturday. So instead of me accompanying her, as the dutiful daughter, Emma accompanied me. An unplanned weekend with my daughter. We had fantastic food and conversation with family I have never known. I did a smash-up job reading my mom’s remarks at the memorial service.

What bothers me: That my brother thought he should go with me, not Em, and he would read at the service. I think this was my first time ever being the family representative, gee and I’m only 55.

Best thing I ate: This fantastic Chinese dinner with my uncle and cousins. Because he reads Chinese, my uncle can order items (like the fish head soup with actual fish heads in your bowl) not on the American menu. I don’t even know what all we ate but the best was probably the prawn purses or the whole fish steamed in some sort of fantastic broth.

What I keep forgetting: To get my papers and my act together before we meet with the financial planner tomorrow.

What I’m worried about: Nothing!
Oh I crack myself up

jojo cucina cucina said...

louie, well now i find these things out about where you've been. (You must be talking about John thinking he's the family rep.) Good for you for reading in your mom's place.

Why were you in San Francisco? i didn't know you were going there.

susieatl you and Ms. hippie can swap stories about that wicked drug prednisone. P.S. how do you kill an iPod.... besides loading it up with Glen Yarborough or Slim Whitman?

That is sad about your receptionists grandson. Weird too because you were just talking about her. If someone close to me died i don't think i could ever talk to the news. I always wonder how people do that.

Which reminds me that the other day my nephew Brian and i were talking about people who talk to on the 5 o'clock news. And i said how phony is it that people who get on the news after saving someone's life ALWAYS says, "Oh, shucks, I'm no hero, anyone would have done what i did."

And we laughed and my nephew said, "Yeah, wouldn't it be cool if someone, just once would say 'Yeah, wasn't that amazing of me to save that person?'

I would love it! Don't get me started about false humility....

Ms. Hippie, i had the book title wrong. (I sort of knew i did). It's called Gonville. NOT about HST. Also, i think the DOL closed down the UP driver's license place. That's why i was wondering.

Grits. Did i miss your birthday? This is lamer than what Amanda was talking about getting no more birthday cards and instead Facebook greetings. Here i give you a LATE birthday shout out my blog and not even YOUR blog. Happy birthday!

equeyaya: Today should I forget to brush my teeth or milk the cow?" LOLOLOLOL..... Grace is indeed funny. What a great moment.

IslandPearl said...

Jo...I'd rather have a root canal than paint the bathroom again. Maybe I'll post the bathroom from hell story on my blog one day.

The yellow paint is the same color as my guestroom...maybe mine is a little lighter - more buttery, though.

I love all the blues, but darker does make the room feel smaller...

Finished Jen Lancaster's latest book (Pretty in Plaid -- though she's got another - My Fair Lazy - coming out in May I think) on my trip to AK last week. Laughing out loud occasionally.

I'm so impressed with the camera in my new Android...the mountain shots and the 2 new ocean views on my FB page are all from the droid.

One of the ocean views is from the pool deck at a friend's house. They bought a 60 year old home up on Wilhemina Rise, gutted it and turned it into a really impressive home for themselves and their son and his family (multi-family residences are common here ... cost of living thing). He's a contractor by trade and did a really terrific job. Their view is overlooking Diamond Head crater. Simply gorgeous!!

A software upgrade pushed out by IT has crashed my computer at work, turning my laptop into a doorstop. Not cool.

I always try to take a deep breath and move on when someone tees off on me for no apparent reason. Kindness is always, at minimum, appreciated. And over the long haul, rewarded.
Plus it makes ME feel better.

I'm currently in no mood to see any movie that is intended to make me feel crappy. I can feel plenty crappy for free, thankyouverymuch.

louielouie said...

1. I once read Helena Rubinstein’s bio and it claimed she blew her nose on her sheets. Sometimes when I'm in a hotel (on the last night) I do the same thing. Makes me feel rich and naughty; oh those poor commoners.

2. In San Francisco for my aunt's memorial service.

3. A colleague of mine has a goal this year to assume everyone is working with good intentions, sort of a positive predisposition thing; I'm trying for that.

4. We are laying off folks at work and changing assignments and everyone is CRABBY. I am working on having grace.

5. I bought a camera, charged the battery and read the directions on the plane and was all excited but I forgot the memory card. so once more, no photos

6. off to the shower and then the financial planner tomorrow. Unprepared.

Modern Hippie said...

susie your on prednisone! me too!! we should start a club! haha i'm very round, my mom says it looks and feels like im hoarding marshmallows but im down to 13mg and going on 11mg next week (down 2 mg a week till i hit 5mg)

sometimes death doesnt hit people right away, its kind of a different case because we were all kind of waiting for the time but i remember my grandma was very composed though all the funeral and everything when my grandpa died, but the minute all the "stuff" was over - it hit her.

thats horrible about her grandson though - those are the unfair ways to go. did the driver die? (the drunk one)

im a biography junkie as well - but i prefer them dead. haha.

i'm with you jo, i could never talk about a recent death close to me on the news, i could barely do it to friends - i remember i had texted my boss the night josh died and when he asked me about it the next day i was fine because i didnt have to say the words but when i went into the office and i told my good friend/coworker i started bawling immeditately.

hahaha you know what -- i can totally see Brian saying that on TV - he would laugh after and try and play it off but i can totally see him saying it at first lol

they closed the UP dol? i thought you meant the one by the towne centre - the UP one served so many people though! i dont even know where the seattle one is, i need to figure it out though because my license expires ON my bday and im going to want my license that night so i can have real drinks haha

i disagree with certain paint colors making a room feel smaller or bigger (blame this on my area of study) but its all about what you pair it with, what your ceiling and flooring is, ceiling heights and etc. i do however LOVE dark bathrooms, i dont know what it is i think it reminds me of luxury somehow...

i turned off my windows automatic update because i sweat everytime you "update" it slows down your computer, if i have no problems with whats currently running, why bother? i wont download the new itunes either...

i love movies that make you feel and see the worlds pain in a deeper view - but sometimes, it just makes you feel like crap because you cant do anythign about it.

haha is blowing your nose on your sheets supposed to be like wipping your ass with dollar bills? haha

i prefer optimism over pessisim (sp!)

Unknown said...

Yep..MH..been on it for weeks..was weaning off and got bronchitis and I was up to 60mg a day. So now I'm off but I guess it has to work out my system..I feel like I should be on Celebrity Rehab.

I couldn't go on T.V. either..and I called the station and they said "well, she agreed" and she did ...she loved it. She was upset last night because they interviewed her for 20 minutes and only aired 2.

I think that J. and I have differences..she is southern and I'm midwestern..you don't see interviews with grieving families in Missouri (except St. Louis or KC) Just not done.

Pearl...Jen Lancaster is coming to Atlanta next week. I don't care if I'm still as round as a balloon and look like Cartman from South Park...I'm going!! I'm trying to drag Robyn with me..she just started reading her books.

I love the color blue..and the shades you are using are beautiful..I tried to paint with those colors but you have the have the right room. This house is all neutrals except the upstairs bedroom which is blue come to think of it and it looks nice. duh.

IT IS GOING TO BE IN THE 30's tonight. I brought in my potted plants but my azaleas are going to lose their blooms.

Modern Hippie said...

susie, yeah i was at 60 as well, from my experience I think it takes about 2-3 weeks to work its way in and out of your system and for the side effects to not show (puffiniess and all)

I love blue too! i have a professor that HATES blue and is very biased about it, she will hate anything you do f its in blue, i think blue is one of the most beautiful colors!

its sunnyshine in Seattle today :) i didnt get to experience any of it because of homework (to experience it I have to go to the park or really into the city, i walked the dogs but thats just on our block which is pretty much shaded and blocked by buildings.)

jojo cucina cucina said...

I am really liking this photo of the paints and i think i am going print it, mat it and frame it and hang it in my house.

May as well get some use out of the money i spent on this paint.

pearl, you have some terrible luck with the upgrades, first your iTunes library and now your laptop? I HATE UPGRADES. And i haven't upgraded my iTunes since i heard about you losing part of your library.

Who is Helena Rubenstein, a poet or a fashion diva? I know the name, i can't place her. Pretty funny about the memory card in your camera! You're not the first one to do that! Brian did it the other day.

susieatl, your secretary sounds off, like a Munchausen thing going on there. Very weird.

OOps it's time for me to go meet you louielouie for dinner and wine!!!!!!! Gotta go!
I'll be back later.

Modern Hippie said...

thats actually a fabulous idea Jo - cause it will obviously match your walls! :) (david bromstad almost always uses the wall color as a paint color in his paintings)

yeah my nannie ALWAYS upgrades (technology impaired and just does what the computer tells her to do) so her computer was alwayyyyys so slow! if its not broke - why fix it? (the upgrade almost always seems better once you get used to it, but if im happy with it, i'll just stay that way, please.)

haha thats a big difference a poet or a famous diva i'm picturing annie lennox vs. paris hilton LOL

EoDE said...

Random comments...
Love your paint colors and that you’re going to frame the picture of your paint choices.

From your last topic: Loved the picture of your nieces and nephews. It made me smile just to look at it.

Now to the menu:

Music: The organ at the NBA finals (husband is watching the game in another room).

Book: Friday Night Lights. It’s good, but I like the show better. (It's not often I like the book less than the movie/show that follows it.)

Another show I liked better than the book it was based on: Sex and the City.

What i've recently lost: My mind. Not really, but I routinely misplace my keys.

What i kept forgetting: The annual car inspection and registration. Both came due today and now they’re done.

Re: Oprah: I caught a clip of Rielle Hunter claiming she’s a private person and that she hates the media attention. Right. Umm, then don’t date a married politician who’s running for president and don’t sign up for a photospread in Playboy.

Favorite show that just ended a brief run: Who Do You Think You Are. I’m betting it will be back.

Confession: Genealogy websites are like crack to me. I lose all track of time when I start digging around. Recent online find: a picture of my great, great grandmother that I'd never seen before.

jojo cucina cucina said...

annie lennox vs. paris hilton. LOL....kylee!

EoDE... girl, good to see you! Thank you for liking that print of my nieces and nephews because it's a favorite of mine partly because i so remember that day. That print that is framed and matted on my wall was actually made by my husband (he was my boyfriend back then) in his darkroom - back in the day when we had darkrooms. Brian was amazing in with darkroom prints. They were always so rich. I never had the knack for it.

I always loved the darkroom and the smells. (PhotoShop doesn't have the same sexy ambiance.)

I'm trying to think of a show or movie i liked better than the book. I know i have one because i was talking about it the other day.....dammit.

You are talking about misplacing keys. I rarely misplace keys, BUT i did lose my mail key and only this morning found it. In a place i had already looked. In the side pocket of my car door.

OOOOH, i know! It was "The Notebook". The book was pure cheese. But the movie was really good!
also on the same line: "Bridges of Madison County", not my favorite movie at all, but it was at least better than the book.

Rielle Hunter is so full of shit. But so is John Edwards. They belong together. I never liked John Edwards.

I just got home from work this evening at 8:30. We had a retirement seminar for teachers at the union office. And we resume tomorrow at 8 am. Besides working it, i'm interested since i am close to retirement. I really liked the financial planner who presented (without any sales pitch). I already have Smith Barney but i think i'm going to get a second company to work with and have him look stuff over and invest with both. (I want to look into Roth IRAs.)

Besides he knows a lot about wine. Because we talked afterwards since he mentioned how much it would cost to eat for 27 years and then added, depending on whether you include wine with that dinner like i would.

All i need to know from him is what else can i do so i can retire at 55 and still buy all the wines and books i like?

I have always been a saver. Since i was in my early 20's and didn't have much money. But i just know that if i die way before my time, my very last thought will not be about my family, not about my husband, or Kylee, or my brothers, or anyone i love. It will be:

Dammit, i saved all that money for NOTHING!

louielouie said...

My checkbook is 81 cents off and will not balance.

Helena Rubenstein was a cosmetic founder of some sort. I think she was friends with Estee Lauder. I do not think either of them would be friends with Mary Kay. They would be put off by her ostentatious pink Cadillac.

They would drive understated, or excuse me; their drivers would drive understated dark Mercedes. Besides Mary Kay was so common, going door to door, really.

I just checked out Helena Rubenstein on Wikipedia, you should take a look. She just oozes class.

Modern Hippie said...

regarding book vs. movie I think it all depends on what you experienced first. I feel if you watched the movie first, you usually like it more. if you read the book first, you like that more because its all what you expect and its usually so different it seems like a let down

you were still at work! we drove by around 3:00 and saw your car there and i was thinking you were going home soon (we walked chambers and i did surprsingly well! almost as good or even better than when we used to go every saturday!)

HAHAH!!! Jo you crack me up! I do agree in living your life to your fullest - save for what? (unless you have an actual goal) thats why i have such a problem saving, although i usually agree with the idea of savings towards something but people that save and penny pinch just to have a big savings account for no reason; whats the point?

although you can leave all your money (well leave me half hahaha) to charity like UNICEF or something and then it will feel good haha

Louie - I just restarted doing a checking account and I was 1.41 off and it drove me crazy I spent 2 hours (i finally found it)

i just watched Avatar with my parents on my dad's new blu-ray --- all i can say is WOW - james cameron may be an ass but he has some imaginative talented mind. what is it about really talented people (artist in particular) that they tend to be such assholes? alot of really great architects are total assholes some of them are assholes in an endearing way though (like Phillip Johnson) others like Frank Lloyd Wright are just nasty.

jojo cucina cucina said...

i am only posting here not to add anything but to let y'all know i still read after the post is gone.

I HATE making adjustments in my checking account without finding the error. I always have to find out why it doesn't balance.