The Gershwin Hotel & other New York adventures

Photo Credit. Our "fabuloso" trip to New York City - midtown Manhattan started at The Gershwin Hotel on East 27th Street between 5th and Madison. Just two stops from Grand Central Station, if you take the 6.

Our flight landed 1 hr late in LaGuardia. Not surprising from the airport reknowned for its tardiness. I was determined to use the Subway to get to our hotel. We did finally arrive at our hotel around 1:15am, after realizing that the subway does NOT connect to LaGuardia, and you have to take a bus to the subway station. Matt was getting tired of lugging around our 52 pound suitcase up and down the Subway stairs. So, we vowed to take a cab back to the airport on Monday. LOL. On the upside it only cost us $2 each to get to the hotel as opposed to a potential $45 cab fare.

Our room was a "superior" room (according to the hotel), with queen-sized bed and private bathroom (yay!). Apart from the squeeky bed (it protested everytime you rolled over) and the non-view (we had a window that faced 3 brick walls and the garbage bins below) - it was okay. The hotel is over 100 years old, covered in art, and it had a nice quirky Warhol/Poet/Artsy feel to it. the little window-box air conditioner did it's job well and kept our room nice and cool. The shower never could make up its mind what temperature the water should be, and so my showers consisted of interchanging minutes of scalding hot water and icy cold water. I got a kick out of the cold water knob seeming to control the amount of scaldi-ness, and the hot water knob seeming to do nothing. Matt said it was just better to shower at 3pm in the afternoon when nobody else was using the water, but I couldn't wait that long. men have it so easy. We had a nice wardrobe for our clothes, and a dresser top to stick the suitcase. All was pretty much groovy. Some advice I'd give the hotel (if they cared to listen, and I bet they don't - long story) is: Get your liquor license and open up the damn bar in the lobby. The bar is physically there. USE IT! Also, you'd attract some brownie points if you had coffee makers IN THE ROOMS ? wouldn't that be a novel idea? every other hotel I have visited has this feature. or heck, serve coffee in the lobby at your "BAR!" - and don't run out. They do serve coffee and tea (bad coffee and tea) in the lobby but it's self serve and was gone before 9:30am. say what?

Although, they have an AWESOME hang-out area in the back of the lobby. A big red room with a grand piano and several very comfy couches. I adored this area!! If they ever opened the bar up, they would have a nice night-time hotspot.

- FRIDAY -

Around the corner on 5th Avenue and E 28th Street was our favorite deli of the trip - Cafe 28 - which is open 24 hours. We got a tuna sandwich from the deli at 2am. Delicious!

We went back again in the later morning for a bagel and some amazing coffee. They also have a full salad bar, chinese buffet, sushi (with chef), they sell all sorts of energy bars, wine, beer, chips (including UTZ - yes you Mad Men lovers -UTZ potato chips!), etc. It was a "Bit pricy" according to my standards, but it IS Manhattan right? I am just spoiled with my local Goldberg's deli in my 'hood.

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Matthew and I proceeded onto the 6 train northbound to visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka The Met). Along the way, Matt took some snapshots of The Guggenheim and proudly proclaimed "It's my first Frank Lloyd Wright!" - I keep forgetting he hasn't been to all the places that I have been before. I can't wait to take him to Falling Water in PA or Taliesin Spring Green, WI. Anyhoo that is another set of trips someday. We didn't actually get to go IN the Guggenheim - they had a lot of construction going on, and our goal was to conquer The Met today after all. So, we strolled down the Central Park Sidewalk on 5th, until we entered The Met. In Matt's words "So much art from so many masters. We approached it as an overview pausing for some of our favorites but it really needs to be seen one section at a time. It was cool to see original Rembrandt's and Degas' and Goya's and Picasso's and on and on." We walked and walked and soaked in as much art as we could. For my first, we went to the 2nd floor of the Met. Last visit here I didn't make it to the 2nd floor. We also stopped in the Cafeteria for a small bite to eat. Can you believe they actually have Sushi? and Sake? and Beer? oh my. We had a quick plate of nigiri and a small california roll, and then off to see more art. Around 4pm, we were exhausted. Thankfully, I had the foresight to buy an umbrella (from the Met), and we bid the monstrous museum adieu and entered the downpour of rain.

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For some strange reason, we were hungry, so we ate $1 hot dogs from a vendor right outside The Met. They were the MOST delicious hot dogs I think I have ever had. We had 2 each, and this was the cheapest meal we would eat in NYC. Matt bought another umbrella from a passing vendor, and we took the Subway back to our stop. My jean hems were soaked, and our feet were very wet and dirty. However, it was okay.

We stopped a Kessler's Liquor Store for 2 bottles of Malbec (one for now, one for later- or for sharing). A Man working in the liquor shop, was quite helpful, and on his recommendation one of our Malbec bottles was a Luigi Bosca - the BEST Malbec I think I've ever had! We took our lovely wine back to the hotel room, and met up with Erika and Ben for a little cocktail, and changing of our wet clothes, before heading off for dinner.

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On a whim and a recommendation, went to Maui Tacos on 5th Avenue. I would not recommend this as a fine dining restaurant. The chips bordered on stale, the salsa was weak (I had to have the HOTTEST salsa to have a any zing of flavor), and the staff has never heard of "queso" - we explained it to him, and he brought us a little plastic ramekin of melted shredded cheese (which congealed in 5 seconds). che-che-KEW! The margaritas were okay, and the burritos/tacos were okay, but from a dining perspective - you are better off hitting Subway or Chipotle - in my humble opinion. On the upside the service was quick, and we were in and out in no time. You get what you pay for I guess?

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After dinner, we wandered up 5th avenue to Rockefeller Center, so Matt could see where the ice skating rink is, etc. Then we parted with Erika & Ben as they had another group to meet with, so Matthew and I walked over to Grand Central Station - as Matt had never seen it before. We stopped for a glass of wine (Matt had a Peroni) at Cipriani Dolci, before heading back down to the hotel. We did stop at my bank to get cash. For some reason it wouldn't let me. I could definitely use my debit card to buy things, but getting CASH was impossible. I tried to call my bank, but the automated message said they were unable to provide account information. I discovered later that Hurricane Ike may have had something to do with this little mess. Anyhoo, we weren't necessarily starving for cash, so we went back to the hotel, and even passed a "Roche Bubois" - one of my favorite fantasy furniture stores. I say fantasy because I will never pay that much for anything, but I do admire their stuff. Sleep is bliss.

- SATURDAY -

We slept in, then met Erika & Ben for brunch. The brunch plan was to raid Cafe 28's hot and cold salad buffet, then take our food down to Madison Square Park for some outdoor dining. The park was beautiful - and may I just say that Cafe 28's Pesto/Parmesan Shell Pasta is just to DIE for - wow!

We didn't have too much time to frolic with siteseeing, as the wedding was at 5pm, and we had to be there early.

However, we opted to stroll through the south side of Central Park for a bit. Ben is a wonderful tour guide. He was amazing at navigating the subway lines and the park. We wandered into the park, went around the Heckscher Playground, the Friedsman Carousel, walked down the Mall, looked out over Bethesda Terrace, saw The Lake bridge, rounded Cherry Hill to Strawberry Fields, and then hopped the 72nd street Subway back down to the hotel. We changed/showered/got pretty, and hopped a cab to Penthouse 15 for the rooftop Wedding of our dear friends Lauren & Torrey. Much drinking, dancing, and even some night-time relaxing on the rooftop overlooking the city. I must say spending time on the roof at night, was perhaps one of my favorite moments this trip. It was nice to rise-above the noisy, hectic, crazy, insane, overwhelming chaos that IS Manhattan, and just take a moment to see it from up high, in a quiet and peace. We reconnected with several friends from our past at the wedding, including Erin & Mandy. Kymry and Kenyon were also there, and we visited with Lauren's and Torrey's parents again. The live band was particularly exciting - they did a LOT of James Brown hits. We finally went back to our hotel room, happy and tired, via bicyclist carriage. I don't know what you call those things. FUN is a word to use!

- SUNDAY -

Sunday was a day of "winging it" if you will. You would be proud of me. Normally, I'm a type A, planner, and minor control freak. Sunday all of this was put to the test AND it was ridiculously HOT outside on Sunday (thanks to Hurricane Ike). Nevermind the fact that the previous weather forecast said high of 75, it was nearly 90!!! Humid and stifling too. Imagine in Georgia it is hot, but you are shaded by trees and there is grass. In Manhattan, it's the Concrete Jungle, and Concrete seems to radiate HEAT. blah. I was definitely sweaty all day.

We started out at Cafe 28 for breakfast with the intent to eat quickly, and then go site-seeing. Suddenly, we saw Kymry and Kenyon enter the Cafe. We ended up eating our breakfasts together, and then changing our plans. The boys wanted to go to B&H Photo Store (owned by Hasidic Jews, closed every Saturday-that includes their website-I'm not kidding- and only open on this Sunday from 11-2, before the start of a WEEK LONG Jewish holiday - for which the store would close again). So, off they went!

Kymry and I decided we wanted to shop. We headed uptown on 5th to several places. I bought 2 sweaters in white and orange (the kind where your sleeves are long and normal, but the sweater hangs down long, and you can tie it across your waist, around the back, around your neck like a scarf, etc. they were very versatile). I also purchased a denim vest thingie - I like to say it looks like the feminine version of a men's tuxedo vest, and you can wear it alone or over a white shirt. We looked all over Forever 21 and Strawberry, but I didn't find anything I wanted (or that fit) in those stores. I need to go on a DIET badly! ha! I passed another bank ATM bay, so I tried again to withdraw cash, no luck. So I called the bank. they said "well you didn't tell us you'd be travelling" and I replied "I shouldn't HAVE to tell you, the fact that I know my own pin number should be a clue that it is me." and long story short they had put a temporary security block on my account because I had used my Debit Card to buy a subway pass at an MTA terminal, and supposedly that triggers all sorts of alarm bells. Well anyway, they reactivated me, and that was that. I was able to finally get some cash.

The boys found us again, and then we opted to walk around looking for more stores and things. Matthew made it about 20 more mins, and then he said "enough of this heat" and went back to the hotel to cool off and rest (and watch football). He was happy to do that. I kept going. Kymry was intent on hitting a Perfume store Bond No. 9 on Bond Street near Soho (I think), and off we went. She found her scent "The Hamptons" and I fell in love with "Lexington Avenue" - which was of course the newest fragrance and of course they only sold it in the larger bottle sizes (as opposed to the smaller $40 purse sized vial). And of course, being on vacation, knowing this was one of a kind, I splurged. I needed perfume anyway, so I do not regret it, but it was definitely the more extravagant purchase of the trip.

We lunched at Soho Park - delicious Belgian hand-cut fries with your choice of dipping sauces. I tried the Basil Mayo and the Roasted Red Pepper Aioli, ordered a Grilled Kosher Dog (with no kraut, I don't do that), and a HUGE bottle of Smart Water to drink (it was so damn hot out, I needed electrolytes!) Mmm! This place is quick, awesome, and tasty! KY and Kenyon said the burgers were divine also! This place TOTALLY trumps Maui Tacos FYI. Then off to shop some more. Kymry was looking for the holy-grail of "I love NY" t-shirts to buy for her friends in Norway. Apparently, she wanted a purple one, but darned if anybody had any. At the end of my trip I DID see one purple one at the gift shop on top the Empire State Building, but it was too late to get it then. Thankfully, KY did find some shirts in Chinatown later that night. We didn't buy anything but stopped to smile and enjoy the fabulously overpriced but decadent Dean & Deluca Store. Truffle oil? have you ever heard of such a thing? or Black Squid Ink Fettucini noodles? WTF? I was just in LOVE with this store. Too bad I'm not a millionaire and could shop here for groceries every day. Anyway, it was definitely worth looking at. They should have free samples - wow. The cheese selection was just unreal!!! Move over Sur La Table and Whole Foods. There's a new level of gourmet in town.

We hit a few more shops, including a 3-story monstrosity that I can't remember the name of, but that looked like the Oriental Trading Company catalog vomited inside. WOW! And then finally, all the walking, the heat, the shopping, the noise, it all caught up to me. So my friends were gracious enough to let me sit down in a Starbucks (air-conditioned thank goodness) to catch my breath and cool off. After visiting the restroom (there was literally a 30 min. line to the only bathroom), we went on our merry way. We stopped at Sabon for a moment (they were handing out free soap samples and let us wash our hands with this amazing scrub). I tried the Patchouli Lavendar Vanilla one, and wow, it was heavenly!

Then were in CHAOTIC Chinatown next. Good Lord Almighty, that was an experience. Better keep your purse zipped and your items close to you. All around were Chinese saying "Handbag? handbag? handbag? or T-shirt, you buy?" and it was just NOISE. I did buy a Harley Davidson belt buckle for my dog-sitter, and then the largest box of perfume I'd ever seen for Ralph Lauren Romance for less than half of the retail price. The box was still wrapped in plastic, so I doubt it was tampered with. Wow they do barter there! I did some on accident. A man was trying to sell me a handbag for $40 and I said "no thank you" and he kept talking, so I walked away, and as I'm walking he shouts "ok how about $20?" and then "$5?" but I had no need for another handbag.

Next - we were supposed to meet up with Mandy, Erika, Kendra, Ben, and Matt. The original plan was for everyone (except Mandy who was meeting us at the subway station) to meet at the hotel at 5:30pm, then take the train down to Canal Street (I think the Lafayette one, but not sure), and then walk to dinner, because our Dinner was supposed to be at 6pm. Matt had an iPhone with maps and GPS, and I had already texted him the restaurant's address, etc. I assumed it wouldn't be an issue. Wrong.

Kendra called Erika, and was going to be very late. So at 6pm (not 5:30), Erika, Ben, and Matt left the hotel and took the subway down. Mandy was mostly on time though, so I was happy to see her. Poor Erin and her boyfriend were already at the restaurant at 6pm, so they stood in line to wait for our table, but the restaurant is so tiny, that unless you are SEATED and eating, you pretty much have to stand outside. And remember it was HOT!

We finally (all but Kendra), made it to the restaurant Joe's Shanghai on Pell Street, near Mott Ave. 6:30pm, but because they won't seat you until everyone is there, we weren't seated until around 6:45-7pm. I was trying not to get upset, but I was FUMING. I was so hot, tired, hungry, sweaty, I had to pee, people were LATE and not doing what they agreed upon. I was just getting really irritated. I barged my way into the restaurant anyway and found the one-room bathroom, so I could at least cool off for a moment and pee. I guess it's typical with such a large group of people (some notorious for their chronic lateness - which in hindsight we should have accounted for), to meet in NYC all in one place. I suppose it shouldn't be such a problem for me. I just had a really LONG day that day. I was super cranky. Matt is such a gem for calming me down though. He always knows what to do. Bless him! Kendra had to drive, but luckily she did make it after the first dumplings arrived, and SURPRISE our friend Choice showed up too! I had no idea he was coming. yay! We crowded around a round table, and dined like kings.

The food WAS good! We ate family style and it was all about $20 per person (including tip and beer), so that was really nice! We had the crabmeat dumplings, the garlic eggplant, the spicy blackbean curd squid plate, tofu, some kind of chinese pizza thing (I let the vegetarians have that one, I was enjoying the other stuff first) the veggie fried rice (wow!), something called "vegetarian duck" (which was actually 1/2 of a DUCK and then vegetables. LOL), spring rolls, and Tsingtao beer! Yummy! this is one of those times I would actually drink the beer, because it's COLD, it's alcohol, and they didn't have wine. LOL.

Then it was back through Chinatown to get to the subway. Along the way, KY finally found her NYC t-shirts she wanted (just not the purple one, darn it), and then I bought 3 Dolce & Gabbana (?) sunglasses (obvious knock-offs but who cares, I will never buy the real thing anyway - and good gifts for friends). Then on to the subway.

We all had to go back to the hotel to get Erika & Ben's luggage and KY & Kenyon's luggage. KY & Kenyon were staying at Mandy's house in Brooklyn that night, and Erika & Ben were crashing at Kendra's place (somewhere near prospect park? not sure). Kendra drove some of them back, but as there were so many of us, we had to split up. So here goes the madness of coordinating that many people again. The plan was to all end up at a local Brooklyn pub called Daddy's. I did get to change clothes finally at the hotel, while Erika and Ben packed, and then we re-split (the boys Ben, Choice, and Matt - took the subway to Brooklyn), and then Erika, Kenyon, myself, and Kendra rode in Kendra's car. Somehow they started driving to Brooklyn but without knowing Mandy's address. Hold on - WHY would you blindly drive someplace if you don't know where you are going? and in New York for heaven's sake too? but after 3-4 cell phone calls to Mandy they figured it out. Maybe I'm just one of those prepared and think-ahead people, but not everyone is? I don't know. Where was Matt when I needed calming down again?

In the meantime, I sat back in the back-seat and enjoyed the Latino music station that Kendra was listening to. It was nice. Not too "la cooky-ra-cha" for my taste, and not too clubby - it was perfect! I couldn't understand a word they were singing, but so what? It was nice.

We finally made it around 9:30pm. Boy was I tired and hot again, but it was less stressful because the night-air was cooler, and there was a nice Malbec at the pub. yay! Matt said the boys second-guessed the subway and they ended up getting off 10 blocks away from where they meant to go, but they made it also - arriving about 10 mins before I did. YAY we all made it! And Mad Men was on TV too! YAY!

It was a mellow, slow to awaken, type of pub. Very cool old wood for the bar and floors and tables, great drink selection, and relaxing ambiance. Matt said Brooklyn reminded him a lot of the Grant Park area in Atlanta, just bigger.

We hung out until nearly 12midnight, and then I was about done for. So tired, feet sore, etc.

Matt knew the way, so we bid our adieu's and walked to the nearest subway and hopped on back to the hotel.

Matt was craving pizza, and since he had to pee, I told him (while on 28th and Madison) we should split up and I'd get the pizza so he could go to the hotel. I was all proud of myself and walking quickly down the dark street towards the Cafe 28, that I totally didnt' see someone's dog tied up to a lamp post near the mountain of garbage bags on the street. The dog barked at me and scared the living daylights out of me. I let out a terrific scream (the same one I use when I see a cockroach in my house - the one Matt says sounds like I am being murdered), and then promptly started laughing once I realized that it was just a dog and he couldn't reach me anyway. It was one of those really crazy dark-night-time moments where you almost question your sanity.

Unbelievably Cafe 28 (which has every other food item on the planet) didn't have any pizza at all, and they couldn't tell me where to get any. So I got us some chips and another tuna sandwich to share (healthier than pizza I suppose). We dined quickly, then fell asleep.

- MONDAY -

Monday was our last day in Manhattan. We had to check out before 11:30am, but the hotel will hold onto your bags for you (for a small fee - sure they will). And we had a few hours to kill before our plane (and cab ride, remember I promised we could take a cab this time). LOL!

We ate our breakfast/brunch (from Cafe 28 - you guessed it) at Madison Square Park again, and then traversed up to the Empire State Building for a look. As we werewalking across 5th avenue, just one block south of the ESB, I totally tripped and fell down on the curb. It was actually quite funny, because our to-go box of Salmon Caeser Wrap and whatever Matt had been eating, totally broke my fall, and I did not even have a bruise to go with it. The cute part was that about 5 gentlemen (plus Matt) ran to my side and asked if I was okay and helped me up. I just started to laugh hysterically. I think I was more embarrassed than tickled pink, but it was funny all around. Thank goodness that was the ONLY place I tripped and not in the subway (which I think I have a secret fear of falling in - I keep dreaming about it). So, we made it to the Empire State building each in one piece, carrying some squashed sandwich wraps. yay!

The line was supposedly only 45 mins long, so we did it. $19/person to get to the 86th floor observatory. It was about 45 mins to floor 80, but then the line for the elevator was ANOTHER 45 mins, so the staff gave us the option to hike up 5 or 6 flights of stairs to make it to floor 86 if we were in a rush. We WERE in a rush, so we took the stairs. whew! It was a bright, sunny, clear day, and the view was SPECTACULAR! Matt took some photos (I can't wait to see them), and then we had to get back down to the street, to get to the hotel, to catch a cab, to get to the airport. Of course, you can't escape from the 80th floor unless you go THROUGH the Gift Shop. Stinking b*stards! I really hate blatant marketing like that. Isn't there a more subtle and nice way to sell NYC memorabilia? blah! anyway, we escaped without buying anything, and made it to the hotel by about 1:15pm. grabbed our luggage, hailed a cab (I'm terrible at this, I tend to catch them better if they are at a stop light, then I just walk up to them). Anyway, we got a cab and high-tailed it to the airport. We tried to check-in at the curb. This very thickly accented Spanish dude is our Airtran man, and he actually ASKS for a tip. I mean he blatantly ASKS. What a jerk. We gave him $2 - grudgingly. I like to tip for GOOD service on my own when I decide I want to, not because some bungholio asks me for money . Blah!

Of course, of course, of course our terminal has NO BAR - only 3 newstands and 1 Donut shop, so there's no way to get a pre-flight drink, as a toast to the last remnants of our vacation.

so we have diet coke and water. LaGuardia has sealed its fate with me. I'm never going there again if I can help it. Worst airport EVER! I'll take Newark next time. At least the Subway GOES there. ha!

On the upside, our flight was on-time (until we hit the line on the tarmac for take-off), and we got our luggage fairly quickly in ATL, and Erika gave us a ride home (since she left her charger in my room). YAY! Thanks Erika!

We got home, retrieved the Dog from the neighbor's house (after giving said neighbor his belt buckle from Chinatown), and sat down to have a celebratory glass of wine with Erika.

Matt ordered Pizza (finally some pizza!), and we relaxed on our own couch in our HUGE living room (huge by NYC standards), and watched the Cowboy's lick the Eagles. YAY!

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Places I want to visit next time I go to "The Big Apple":

MoMA

La Grenouille

Katz Deli

Recommended by Anthony Bourdain:

Sakagura

Grey's Papaya

Prune

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Hint- I hear it's cheaper to stay in Manhattan if you look for places to rent on Craigs List. I didn't know we could do that, but in hindsight it would have saved us some money.

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MATT posted his NYC photos from Zazen Photo.

More photos from the NYC wedding. Damn I look a bit drunk.

Remembering 09/11/2001

Photo Credit

Blue Frogs, Broccoli, & Wii

Photo Credit
The Blue Frog Cantina: Last night, Matt & I dragged ourselves downtown for some $1 Tacos, $2 PBR, and a chance to see Kymry one last time before she flies to NYC. Yes, we will see her briefly in NY at the wedding, but this was supposed to be one last time to see her locally. Well, we ended up NOT seeing Kymry, but we did have a nice dinner with Erika & Ben. KY didn't get Erika's email in time to see that we were doing dinner together. So, Erika and Ben met up with her at The Earl last night. I went home to bed. I really did want to see my beloved KY, but not eating dinner until almost 9pm on a weeknight (a week where I am working and have to be awake at 5:15am the next day), was about all I could do. I do love the Taco nights and plan to go back again to eat more! Maybe tonight? LOL.
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Will wonders never cease? My company cafeteria served something super delicious today. I actually loved this recipe SO much, I had to find it online. I was shocked because normally, the food is sub-par. I'm not blaming the staff, it's not their fault we are given low-budget ingredients. But WOW they really made some smashing food out of these options: Broccoli,Cran,Almond Salad (note: just use regular broccoli florets, I don't see the point in buying "special broccoflower" or whatever they are advertising in the recipe there).
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Between all of my social activities, I have been trying to get more exercise. Thus I challenged Matt to a Wii Tennis Match. Yes he beat me twice (again!), but I got very close - we were neck and neck for the 5 sets to the match point - and somehow he pulled it off. Damn! I just realized THAT is why my arm is so sore. ha! I'm getting ready for a "wii-match."

read that last sentance again.

slowly.

there ya go.

KY, Herring, & Spa, Ah-Choo!

Photo Credit for this amazing photo of Kymry, goes to My beloved Husband Matthew Lane of Zazen Photo.
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Kymry's Homecoming Party went off without a hitch on Saturday evening. She had a full spread of Norweigan fare for us to sample. Pickled Herring in Mustard, brown cheese of some sort, blue cheese atop white chocolate, Norweigan Milk Chocolate, Norweigan cookies, Hariboo Candy, etc. The chocolate was fabulous, the brown cheese was weird but it grew on you - tasted like a caramelly/peanut butter cheese. Pair that cheese with chocolate and I'm in love! However, I avoided the pickled herring like the plague. Yech! I am adventurous about most things, but I already had an aversion to anything pickled, and I am just now starting to like SOME mustards, but to add a nasty fish to it?? no way jose! I let the other braver souls at the party try it. They said it was rich, creamy, but strong tasting. I just smiled and said "good job for trying it" but I didn't have any. The cookies were ok, but I don't think I will run to the store for them. The Milk Chocolate was AWESOME! The blue cheese/white chocolate mixture was ok, but not my favorite. Kymry later said that they usually serve a "black cheese" on top the white chocolate, but that she couldn't find that here, so she got the blue cheese instead. It is okay though, people ate it.
Amazingly, this Fergie-look-a-like and one-time Miller Lite fan had actually graduated into Guinness and Boddington's Beer. Matthew & I grinned like proud parents.
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There must have been a good 50 people crammed into Erika & Holly's house and spilling out onto the deck that night. We stood and talked with people for almost 8 hrs. My feet were sore when I got home (even though I had worn MERRILL's!). Talk about a big party. We ran out of beer, we ran out of glasses, but there was plenty of wine and whisky, so the party survived. I started the night with a nice Carmenere, but graduated to Cabernet Sauvignon, and then a Malbec later in the evening. No I didn't drink all night. I actually had wine with dinner around 6pm, then at 8pm switched to water (drinking out of a Mason Jar since there were no glasses left and it was bloody hot outside (the one day all month it was 88 and muggy at NIGHT!!), I had about 6-7 glasses of water, and then got tired of being the only sober one there, so I had 2 more pours of wine afterwards. Matt and I left around 1:30am to hit Taco Cabana's drive thru for some nachos (our typical late night place), and then home to eat it. We somehow ended up watching Live Free or Die Hard while we snarfed down our Nachos, and while Matt went to bed, I continued watching it, unable to stop, and finally went to bed at 4am. ooh yes, I'm a glutton for punishment. Thank Goodness for the "Crystal Light -Hydration" - once again saving me from a hangover. :-D
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Sunday we slept in as late as possible, and then finally roused ourselves in time to throw on some clothes and go to Minsoo's for Formula 1 viewing of the race in Spa, Belgium. Considering this is skilled driver racing, Formula 1 still has a soap-opera-drama-appeal due to all of the interesting things that happen on-track and off-the-track. McLaren's spy Scandal is one off-track incident. Spa is one of the hardest tracks to drive, especially since it started to rain, and the cars are no longer allowed to use traction control. It's hard not to get excited when there is rain, because the likelihood of a crash or near crash increases and that's when the fun begins. This race, Hamilton and Raikonnen were neck and neck for First place towards the last 2 laps. At one point Raikonnen had edged Hamilton off the road, but then Hamilton swung back in and passed him. Shortly after this Raikonnen (who easily had 2nd place) spun out twice and finally crashed into a wall (uninjured, just stupidity). Later, it appeared towards the end, that Hamilton had won! However, just after we watched him do the "podium" and "after-race interview" Minsoo read an article on his iPhone that Hamilton had been penalized for cutting a chicane (the spot where Raikonnen had edged him off-road) and thus slipped to 3rd place putting Massa in 1st. Oh the drama. Hamilton is one of the younger drivers, and thus seemingly hated by the older-more experienced drivers. Several of the guys in our F1 fan group just hate Hamilton, but even THEY had to admit it seemed very unfair that Hamilton wasn't awarded 1st place. He ran off road because he HAD to for safety reasons. Did the F1 association WANT him to hit Raikonnen to stay in the bounds of the track? I mean it just wasn't going to happen. Oh well. Minsoo's living room was in an uproar. I just sat back with the other 2 girls and laughed at the men. Hysterically funny! I go to watch the men get all excitable, I don't particularly get all involved in the races. Although, I love to watch the driver's crash or almost crash when they get those huge wheels too close to one another. ha!
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In other news, I finally went through a bag of clothes given to me by a friend (her neighbor & friend had moved to Maine and left behind some GREAT shoes and sweaters, etc). However, unbeknownst to me, there was CAT HAIR all over the clothes. Also, I had the grave misfortune of opening the bag of clothes in my bedroom, whilst the ceiling fan was on HIGH, thus spreading ALL of the dust/dander/cat hair, all over the room. I am terribly allergic to cats, and have spent much of the weekend SNEEZING in remorse. AH-CHOO! To add insult to injury, the shoes and clothes were both 2-3 sizes too small for my gi-normous self, but I was able to give some to Ms. Kymry & Erika, and also saved a few gems for my sister-in-law. Oh all my dear sweet tiny-skinny friends and family . I really do need to go on a DIET! At least we will be walking all over creation while we are in NYC so maybe I will lose a few pounds on this vacation?

EASY Thai Recipes - a la VSLane

Photo Credit. Craving Thai Food anybody?
Ok I do have a motive, I'm making Thai for my girlfriend Kymry tonight, as she is visiting for dinner. BUT I have some "shortcuts" I use for making Thai food, and I thought what the heck I will share. I am all about EASY cooking.
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Thai - Coconut Soup
1 Can Coconut Milk (lowfat if possible)
1/2 of a bag Kroger, frozen Asian Vegetables (should contain mushrooms, slivered green beans, onions, etc.)
1 Ginger Tea Bag (aka raw ginger in a tea bag - can get this at Trader Joe's usually)
1 Can of Chicken Broth (or Veggie broth if you are vegetarian)
1 healthy spoonful of Thai Curry Paste (I use Green Chili Paste - can find at Kroger, Publix, etc. Usually in the aisle with the Asian sauces etc.)
Soy Sauce (low sodium version to taste)
Lime Juice (to taste)
MEAT (if desired - 1 can tuna, or 1 can chicken, or just leave vegetarian- your choice)

Instructions: Put all the above ingredients into a saucepan (I usually let the ginger teabag hang into the pan, but tie it to the handl eof the pan, so it steeps like regular tea), and simmer on the stove, stirring every so often (to ensure no boiling or burning occurs, you are cooking with MILK afterall - for about 15-20 mins. I like mine thoroughly heated.
WHY is this recipe easier than others? no hunting for real lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, etc. All the lemongrass/lime leaves/garlic/cardamom/spice/etc is in the Thai Curry paste already. Also, many recipes call for "fish sauce" which is just another version of Soy Sauce anyway. Also since Kroger has all the veggies in one frozen bag anyway, it's easier than cutting them all up from scratch. And who the heck knows the difference anyway? it will taste fresh, since it's frozen and simmers into your soup. I love it!
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Thai Curry over Rice (Quinoa can be used instead of rice)
1 Cup of cooked rice (or more if you want a lot)
1 Can Coconut Milk (lowfat if possible)
1-2 tbsp Olive Oil
MEAT (if desired - 1 can tuna, or 1 can chicken, pre-cooked chicken cubes, or just leave vegetarian- your choice)
Veggies (I use frozen veggies, or a mix of canned and frozen - again your choice - but if you use raw veggies you may want to precook them so they are soft and not too hard)
2 Tbsp Thai CurryPaste (your choice as to which kind - I like to try different ones with different veggies)
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Instructions: Cook rice or quinoa as normal. Set aside but keep warm (or if you can handle it, cook this at the same time as the curry mixture). In large skillet (preferably one that has a lid), add olive oil, then curry paste and meat, cook the paste and meat together in the olive oil for a few minutes on low heat. Do not heat too high, oil will spatter (ug). Gradually, add coconut milk and stir gently. After thoroughly mixed, start adding frozen veggies. Simmer mixture on low heat with lid on (or lid slightly off center to allow some air to escape), until veggies are cooked/hot but firm, etc.
Serve Curry mixture atop rice/quinoa. voila. Tastes just like the restaurant versions.
Abbie's Fave combos:
1) Panang Curry paste with veggie mix of Red & Green bell peppers, baby carrots or carrot slices, spinach leaves or fresh basil leaves, etc.
2) Massaman Curry Paste with veggie mix of potatoes, cashew nuts, avocado slices, spinach leaves, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc.
3) Yellow Curry Paste with green beans, mushrooms, spinach, carrots, etc.
4) Green Curry Paste - green beans, bamboo shoots (can find these canned usually), water chestnuts, etc.
WHY is this recipe easier than others? no hunting for all the ingredients individually that are in the Curry Paste already. Most all the veggies can be found via frozen bag or canned goods anyway, it's easier than cutting them all up from scratch. I love it!
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Thai Iced-Tea
Thai Tea Leaves (or Red Rooibos Chai Tea bags)
Evaporated Milk (or combo of Heavy Whipping Cream & Sugar/Splenda)
Honey
Stevia (or other sugar substitute)

Instructions: Steep tea in saucepan. Sweeten with Stevia & Honey to taste. AKA pretend you're making good old southern sweet tea. Put tea in pitcher or large jar and cover. Refridgerate until cold (aka 2 hrs). I like to leave the teabags IN the tea even while refridgerating.
When ready to serve, pour tea mixture into a glass of ice cubes, and pour healthy serving of Cream or Evaporated Milk over top of the tea. Stir. Add more Stevia if desired.
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Everything turned out great, but I wanted to let you know some things I did in variation:
1) I added Vanilla Caramel Sugar Free Creamer powder into my Thai Tea to get some more vanilla flavor.
2) Discovered that the "Thai Kitchen" brand curry paste is very WEAK compared with the kind I normally buy at the Farmer's Market Store here in Atlanta. So we added a LOT of curry to the food I made for Kymry.
3) I admit I did cook the veggies in the curry mixture too long, so they were softer than I wanted, but the meal overall tasted great. Just texture preference on my part I suppose.
4) For the Coconut soup I didn't have chicken broth or veggie broth, so I just used water, but the soup was a little bit weaker than I would have liked. I will do that next time.

"The Voyeur Magazine: Urban Heat" issue is out now!

Photo Credit to Matthew Lane of Zazen Photo.
Well, she's done it again! Dreama put out another issue of The Voyeur Magazine, this issue is called "Urban Heat" - please check out the photography section (done by my hubby), and the models are myself and the mysterious Etrain. We did a shoot inspired by Gil Elvgren's Pin-up style art. Please note, the photographer in this shoot did NOT use Photoshop to alter the images, these were taken directly as-is, in the studio. GO MATT!
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Also featured, an interview with Mikamy Meadows Owner Amy Mattingly, and a section on my top 3 Political issues (mentioned in a previous blog.
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I'm so very excited today, because we are also doing a Photoshoot with our long-time friend Kymry (we call her KY), who has returned home from Norway (aka she calls it Borway) for a vacation in the USA. Next week KY leaves ATL and travels to NYC where our group is meeting up for Lauren and Torrey's wedding. WOO HOO!. I can't wait. Matt has never been to the big city, so he is in for a treat. All he can talk about tho, is the BNH Camera store. LOL. uh oh. I'm more excited about the trippy hotel we are staying in. More to come later.

Labor Day - spent doing anything but

So how was your 3-day Labor Day Weekend? Here's a recap of mine:

Friday - finally got my nails done, toes done, the works. stayed home and relaxed with my sweetie pie.
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Saturday - cleaned spider-webs off the outside of my house and screen porch while Matt blew leaves off the 3 levels of roofs (rooves? roofies? what the heck is the plural of Roof?), vacuumed the house, ran to the store for some last minute things, then we had a few friends over to catch them up on movies they hadn't seen - aka Super Troopers and Beer Fest. Much German beer and various kinds of vino were consumed during the evening. we also rearranged the living room furniture for best viewing pleasure. we liked it so much we are leaving it that way for a bit.
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Sunday - slept in late, cleaned house, made appearance at a friend's pool party in time for some grilled fish - delicious!, Matt got burnt, I got a nice tan, went back to house to relax and cool off (it was f'n HOT out there), then went to PP for a friend's friend who was visiting out of town. I mean who needs a reason to go to the PP anyway, just go! Hit TC for some bean & cheese Nachoes on the way home. oh hells yeah!
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Monday - still couldn't shake my massive headache that I had all weekend, so hubby gave me nice backrub, foot rub, and I spent the whole day in my pajamas watching Gustav news, Family Guy reruns, and lastly "The Bank Job" movie, and ordered Chinese. It was a good weekend. yes the headache finally went away.
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Can we have another 3day weekend soon? I need another one. seriously.

"The Terrible Two's" Meet Auntie Abbie & Uncle Matt

I took the photo myself. It's Jamie, Michael, and Me at Reelfoot Lake on the Boardwalk. YAY!

ok

So where to begin.

Jamie and Michael flew up to Atlanta to visit us. We had prepared by "baby proofing" the house as best we could, and borrowing car-seat for the boy (thank you Mina & Chris!). I ended up buying a pack-n-play-yard crib for him (since Jamie & I and the baby were travelling to my Grandpa's house also over the weekend). It was easily portable. We also got a portable booster seat (with straps), so he could eat at the table with us. and then lastly a "kid cage" as Matt calls it - an extra long accordian-like baby gate. You can enclose the baby inside of it, or you can stretch it out to cover doorways, stairs, bookcases, whatever you wanted to block him from getting into. It worked great, and was also portable for Grandpa's house. I didn't want anything that I had to "drill into the wall" to mount. Blah. Portable is best.
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Michael is a good little boy, he giggles, he laughs, he is independant and likes to run around by himself and wont' sit on your lap for very long, but is prone to occaisional temper tantrums and screaming (she says his terrible twos are starting early), and so we are now partly deaf, just fyi if you call me I may not hear the phone. Just kidding.
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Matthew even babysat one night for us, so Jamie & I could go out to dinner with Erika and Holly. Very cool!
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Aunt Julie travelled down from Iowa to meet us at Grandpa's, and we all had a blast. We dined on filet mignon with the Family Silver (which has been handed down for many years, and is now dad's), and the best part was that Grandpa got to meet his great-grandson. Hip-hip hooray!
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Links for Photos . Movies .

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I have to admit, the house is very very quiet now, and I miss the boy. Although, Sport is very glad that he is gone. He liked to chase the poor dog - pulling his tail and "patting" him (more like punching him with his toys) - and Sport was getting irritated. We mostly kept Sport out on the screen porch during Michael's visit. It was okay though.

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For such a GREAT visit (when she arrived, the plane was 30 mins EARLY - whoever heard of such a thin?), the last day was kind of a mess.

The FAA had a "software malfunction" and my poor sister was STRANDED at the damned ATL airport for over 8 hours. I dropped her off around 5pm, and told her to call me if she found out her plane was delayed (we had some storms the day before, so I was hoping the weather wasn't going to be a problem) - oh that wasn't the start of it.

I drove all the way home (the other side of town), and then she calls and says her flight was CANCELLED and the next one isn't leaving until 11:30pm! Her "prepaid phone" was almost out of minutes, and she wanted me to call her husband to let him know. I also offered to come back to the airport to have dinner with her (but she'd have to come outside of security and then go back thru later), she said nevermind she was going to take the baby to the "play area" in the airport and stick it out alone. I said ok. So we hung up. Then I called her hubby. No answer. I left a voicemail, but he normally never gets those.

Typical.

I wait about 15 mins and call him again.

No answer.

I know from experience, sometimes you just have to call him over and over and finally he realizes his phone is ringing. so I did that.

On the 7th call (after no answer), I was about to give up, and he finally called me back but he was really rude, he goes "WHY is my phone ringing off the hook? What the Fxxx is so important?" and I said "well! Jamie wanted me to let you know she is delayed at the airport and her phone is almost out of minutes", he yelled "ok how late?", and when I told him, he goes "That's just f-cking great!" and hangs up on me. He never let me tell him the new flight number or anything.

about 20 mins later, he calls back and says (in a very accusing tone) - "well why can't you get her on a flight for tomorrow? so I can pick her up at a reasonable hour?" I tried to explain to Mr. Dingleberry how unpredictable this would be due to the FAA having caused the mass confusion at the airport, and how ALL airlines were affected. What a prick!!! And finally he goes "so she's just stuck there?" and I said "I don't know what other options we have right now" and then he hung up again. JERK!

so, I'm livid at this point. I call Jamie back and leave her a short message, hoping she gets it and saves her minutes. No, she calls me back. We are midsentance as I explain about her *sshole of a husband, and click - her minutes run out. I have NO WAY to contact her over a phone. Even if I WAS to go down to the airport again, I do not know where she is, I can't go past security (because I do not have a flight to board), and how would I tell her where to meet me in this VAST/LARGE building?

It's nearly 6pm, and she's stuck there for at least 5.5 more hours, and there is NOTHING I can do about it.

I'm starting to clean up all the baby stuff (the booster seat, the crib, the baby gate), and washing laundry, and I'm feeling VERY badly. I start to cry. I cry for the stress she is having at the airport. I cry for missing them already, I cry for the life she is going back to and hope that her husband doesn't treat her like he just treated me, because if he does, she has a long hard road ahead of her. I cry for my nephew, who I love dearly, and hope his daddy just had a bad moment, because I don't want him to have that sort of role model 24/7. I cry because I feel so helpless, and moments before they were safely in my car and we could have driven anywhere we wanted. Matthew tries to console me, and eventually things calm down and we go to bed.

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But I wake up at 12:45am to call her husband to see if she has arrived safely. He's tired and less cranky thank goodness, but tells me she was delayed again and won't arrive until 2am. I ask him to call me back and let me know they are safe or if she needs me to come get her. And he says he will, but he never calls, and I wake up at 6am not knowing where they are.

And today I write this, hoping that they are fine at home, and catching up on their sleep today. I will have to wait until the hubby gets off work to call. he never answers the phone during the day. Sigh. Jamie's phone is still dead as a doornail, no luck there.

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I go back over the pics from our visit, and Baby Michael's smiling face remind me that we still had fun, and even if the plane was delayed, the overall visit was a good one. Grandpa is happy in the photos too.

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Well work is the same as ever - and I have a loving hubby at home, a loving doggie, and tonight a chiropractic adjustment and massage. Maybe things are on the upswing again.

The "Michael" Entry

I took the little sleepy photo, and
the other photo is from here.
Michael squared today. YAY!

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Well it's almost time. Jamie & my nephew are arriving tomorrow. We are going to have such a good time.

I can't wait until they get here. I have a carseat installed in my car (since she is flying here and will only have the diaper bag and stroller). We also have a booster seat, a baby gate, and baby yard (which Matt calls the "Kid Cage"). Marybeth visited this weekend, and she helped me pick out some toys for him too. He will have quite the surprise when he arrives. I'm also taking Jamie to get her hair done, but she doesn't know it yet, it will be a surprise.

I am becoming more and more of an Olympic fan. When I was younger, I could only watch the gymnastics and swimming and ice skating, since that is what interested me. Now, I am watching the beach volleyball, and all sorts of things. It is super sweet! Too bad the Olympics makes me tear up and cry a bit each time I hear the music. I'm such a sappy girl this month. Sniffle.

Anyhoo, is anybody as PUMPED as I am about Michael Phelps winning 8 gold medals? Holy CRAP that is insane!!!

ok well that's all for now - ask me in a week if I'm still in love with babies. I may be all "babied" out. LOL

What the Dulse?

Photography by Matthew Lane of Zazen Photo
Tonight I am attempting to recreate the delicious stew I had at R. Thomas. It is comprised of corn chowder, quinoa, red bliss potatoes, veggies, dulse, and nori garnish. What the heck is Dulse I wondered, but I was able to find out fairly easily doing a google search.
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I think I improved R Thomas' recipe though, I added garlic powder and some whipping cream in my version, and it's damn tasty if I do say so myself.
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I also discovered what lovely lunch/to-go options that Whole Foods has. Can someone pass some more "Meditarreanean Tuna" please? Delicious!!! And the sushi, the sashimi, it's so fresh, it puts my favorite restuarants to shame. I think I found my new lunch spot!
And don't EVEN get me started on the wine selection. holy mama!

The Return of Pinky & The Brain - yeah I wish.

Photo Credit I have decided that I TOTALLY Miss that hiliarious duo - "Pinky and the Brain" - ah yes Pinky and his "NARFing" and Brain with his witty quotes.
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Well here we go. August's rollercoaster of fun has begun.
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Matt and I watched "The Usual Suspects" last night. I hadn't seen it yet. Unbelievably, I took a wild guess as to what the ending twist is, and I was RIGHT! ha! I swear I don't remember ever watching it before now, and nobody told me the answer.
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I cannot believe how many people haven't seen "Super Troopers" or "Beer Fest" - so we are thinking of having a party so people can WATCH 'em already!
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The Hair Lounge is having it's Grand Opening on Sunday August 24th. I would totally go, but I will be in BFE Tennessee that day with my sister and nephew, so I will miss it. Darn! Ya'll enjoy and tell me how it is ok?
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Limes & Coconuts

Photo Credit
So "you put a lime in dee co-co-nut" and then what? hee hee. I prefer to put rum and cream and shaved ice into the co-co-nut with a straw, and then drink it. Screw the lime unless you are also bringing me a Corona. LOL
Ahh "Rum Runners" in Freeport, Bahamas. I miss thee!
Link to Lime & Coconut Lyrics. Interesting.
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oh yeah - funny story. So, we went to Freeport, Bahamas for Erika's Birthday earlier this year. We go to "Rum Runners" because it was recommended by a friend who had been there. I have a thing for Pina Colada's served STRAIGHT from the coconut - it's awesome! Ok so I digress. Anyhoo, Erika, Holly, Matt, and I are sitting at Rum Runners one night - drinking of course. And we see this older dude (maybe late 40s-early 50s) who we recognized from the resort swimming area earlier that day. He was hard to miss because his face was BURNT RED. Turns out he's a nice guy from Davenport, IA in Insurance or something or other, and so he buys us a drink. We chat with him for a bit. he takes a quick photo with his digital camera of me, Erika, and Holly. We barely got the guy's first name, but he seemed harmless. Fast-forward to a week later. I'm back at work, bored, missing the Bahamas, and I get an email from a friend. This friend had put us up at the Resort for a cheaper than normal rate, and had gotten a call from the Resort's front desk. The Burnt-face insurance guy had tried to find us, but since the hotel (thank goodness) doesn't give out information on guests to weird burnt-faced dudes, they got HIS info and called us. So, my friend passes this along. The message was something like "I have something for you girls" and I had a moment of panic that we'd forgotten something at the hotel. Also I did not remember the guys name or anything, so I hadn't made the connection yet. Ok - SO being the smart girl I am, I decided I would call him, BUT I would use my un-traceable work phone, versus my personal cell. I left him a very brisk business-like message about "I'm calling to find out more information on what you have for us, and how we can retrieve it, etc" - and leave him my work phone. He calls me back in about 1 hr, and THAT's when I realize who it is. He wanted to send us the photo he had taken on his camera and he wanted our mailing address. I asked if he couldn't just email it, after all it was digital. He said he preferred to mail it. I didn't want to give some potential creep my home address, so I gave him my work address.
----6 months go by---
A box is hand-delivered to my desk by the mail guy. He wants me to sign for it. I am like "I didn't order anything this size" and then I open it. It was very sweet actually. The Insurance Burnt-faced guy had printed Three 4x6 sized images of the photo he took. He framed each in real cherry-wood frames - and he had a brass metal engraved label attached to each frame reading "Rum Runners" Freeport, Bahamas. I forget if it had the date or not. Three framed photos, one for each of us. WOW! I was really surprised. The return address on the box was a UPS store in Davenport, so I have no way of tracking down this dude. However, that's fine. It was a nice gift, a nice moment, and that's sufficient. cool beans.

You're "JOKING" right?

Photo Source Review: We finally saw "The Dark Knight" Batman Movie on Friday night. Heath Ledger was phenomenal! WOW he stole every scene. He was pretty damn scary too!

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I could pass on Maggie Gyllenhaal. She's a good actress, but I just didn't think she fit the part as well as Katie Holmes did in the first movie. Yes, I know, Katie isn't as great of an actress, but she's much better looking. I think a lot of it was the lighting. Maggie has these crazy large bags under her eyes and in a dark/shadow-filled movie like this, it really does NOT flatter her. Sorry if I'm being a b*tch that's my opinion on the Rachel character. Maggie was awesome in "Stranger than Fiction" though. I guess it depends on the movie.

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New obsession: Peppercorn dressing from my company cafeteria. I can't explain why but it's SO damn tasty with carrots. Of course it has little nutritional value. Figures that's probably WHY I LIKE IT! blah. Here's a low-fat recipe version.
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Warning: I'm on-call this week AND I'm majorly PMSing. Cross me at your own risk.

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Discovered: I love red wines. I love dark chocolate. I do NOT like red/violet dessert wines (aka Muscat wine). Why? I don't know. I just can't drink the stuff. I feel badly for whomever brought it to our house "re-warming" party, but I think I will have to dump it out. Matt can't even take a taste of it. I can suffer through a glass, but it's not my favorite thing. Weird. I almost WISH I could like it, it would make sense if I did. Oh well.

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ok gotta get back to work, write more later.

Of Vino & Skittles

I like my vino, and I like it on SUNDAYS too!
Georgians cannot buy Alcohol on Sundays from a store.
but
We can buy it after 12 noon at a restaurant.
WTF?
CLICK HERE to help reverse this ridiculous law.
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In other news, I overdosed on too many Skittles today. Why, you ask, did I "taste the rainbow" in such a fashion?
Well it started like this.
~got a phone call asking if I wanted to get paid $100 to do a "Candy Study" - I agreed
~was required by said study, to go out and buy candy - any kind I liked - it would be reimbursed so no worries.
~I like Skittles - so I bought some.
~Study is over, but Skittles are still at my house
~Served Skittles at Mikamy Meadows Party hoping guests would eat lots of Skittles. They didn't eat much.
~Skittles still not gone.
~Tried to only eat 1 or 2 handfuls a day for 2 weeks.
~Skittles still not gone.
~Took Skittles to work today and put on my desk. Bad idea.
~"grazed" on Skittles all day at work. ug.
~came home from work, had sugar crash
~took long nap
~dreading another day of Skittles at work (yeah they STILL aren't gone yet!!!)
~Skittles = addicting and evil!

Mad Men & Passionate Causes

Mad Men Season 2 Premiere was absolutely everything I expected, and more. Damn! Everything, down to the lighting is just superb! Don is just gorgeous, and I just love Joan's red hair, and Betty's outfits, etc. Ah yes, we missed this show! It's been TOO long between seasons!

Now if only Heroes would come back on for Season 3 (and be as good as Season 1 - season 2 was definitely not on par with Season 1).

All righty, so Passionate Causes time. I've got 3 issues I wanted to discuss in my blog today:

1) The FDA Globalization Act of 2008 - and how it hurts small business owners from the beauty industry - See link for info - "This video summarizes the Indie Beauty Network's position against the Discussion Draft of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008, the legislation that would put thousands of Indies out of business by forcing them to pay outrageous registration fees and comply with burdensome paperwork. If passed, this law would drive consumers back to the days when they could only choose between a few huge, faceless, nameless big box stores and brands for their cosmetics and personal care products. And fewer consumer choices always leads to higher prices."
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2) The Digital Millenium Copyright Act or "DMCA" - what is it, and how it is impacting YouTube subscribers, etc. I found out about this from Paul Robinett's Renetto You Tube Channel. Paul Robinett started out as my favorite Candle Guy, and he's since grown in fame and business size, etc. Another good link is for the EFF. This is especially important for the BLOGGERS & VLOGGERS of this world. One example was a mother who took a digital movie of her small child playing. In the background she had the radio on, playing a Prince song. Universal filed a DMCA against her for this. WTF? What a bunch of crap, she was in no way saying she had WRITTEN the song, she just was taking a movie of her baby. Stupid corporations.

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3) Orphan Works issue -Definition from Wikipedia "An orphan work is a copyrighted work where it is difficult or impossible to contact the copyright holder. "

The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) - of which we are members - have been fighting the 2006 bill, and here is their Stance on this issue.

The big debate is how much responsibility is on the Copyright holder (aka Photographer for example) versus the person wishing to use the image (or whatever copyrighted item). The best solution (other than duking out the details of the bill), is to include copyright information in the Metadata of each image, as well as put a line of credit - meaning mentioning the photographer's name or url - next to each image used - to assist with the "I couldn't find out who's work this is" excuse. The problem is people COULD use another person's work, but say "oh I tried to find out who owns the copyright but I couldn't find it" and then use it anyway. How do we know if they "really tried?" Copyright is the visual artist (Photographer or otherwise)'s BREAD AND BUTTER. You take that away, and then what do you have?

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ok this is all I have on these topics for now.

Tubbin' & Rollin' the Dice

YAY, we finally finished the Mikamy Meadows photo shoot. Amy had requested that we use more body parts (aka Abbie's hands/feet/etc) in the photos. We did the best we could in the studio, but there were 2 products that we felt needed a "tub" in the background, with a tastefully blurred out body in it. Thus, we trekked over to Erika & Holly's to borrow their bathtub. They have one of those fabulously old, standalone claw-footed bathtubs - perfect for a photoshoot!
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In other news, we went to a "car club party" way the hell out in BFE Marietta (geez why do people live so damn FAR away?) on Saturday night. It was a fun party though for shizzle. I had almost an entire bottle of Red wine to myself, but split it out over several several hours though. We also shared a nice Monte Cristo Cigar, and had some lovely chats with old friends we hadn't seen in forever. It was a nice evening.
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Sunday, I was invited to a "Pure Romance" Party - which just happened to be in Canton (an even FARTHER drive than Marietta). Oh well. What's another tank of gas for a friend? We did have a great time. I won one of the games, and got the sex-dice. woo hoo! But then I had to leave early to get home in time for the Tubbin' shoot. Goodness the day flies by faster as you get older!
I did order me a little somethin' but then I found out later that the saleslady charged me $5 for shipping (even though the item was There at the party and I didn't have to have it shipped to me). I do not appreciate that kinda thing! I even wrote the saleslady an email to ask about it and if she could refund me the $5, but she wrote back that it was her "standard practice" to charge that fee to everyone regardless of if the product was shipped or not. I think it's crap. Oh well it's $5. I will let this go - for now.
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Mad Men Season 2 started last night. We haven't had a chance to watch it, but it's probably the first thing we'll do after dinner. WOO HOO!
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No Mas & Sangrita

I love the 4th Friday of the month.
that means it's time for the Castleberry Hill Art Stroll.
and
dinner at "No Mas Cantina" - mmm mmm amazing!
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What is Sangrita?
hint - goes with your Tequila
Adios Amigos!

Ready for CHANGE!

Oh boy oh boy. I'm SO ready for a change.
ironic since I am a "Change Manager" ha!
and I could use some spare "change".
but I digress. Photo Credit
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Just getting fed up with the jobbie job, the co-worker who does the bare minimum, and who's *ss I keep having to cover for, to keep the business going.
The buggy tool I have to use every day, that nobody seems to be able to fix - and I manually have to "cover it's *ss" too - in a way of thinking - to keep the business going.
I'm just very tired.
Ready for a change.
bring it on! :-D

August is A "Gust" of activity no doubt!

Oh lawd! I am in for a crazy month, or should I say FALL. Geez - allow me a moment to PANIC! inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, "breathe with me" <--that always reminds me of the Prodigy Song "Breathe". Photo Credit
Week One - Dr's appt, Hair Appt with Debi Blair,
Week Two - Dr appt, Chiropractor, Dreama & Jim in town, Marybeth & David visit so she can move him into his dorm for the next year of GA Tech school! yay! Go David Go!
Week Three - Marybeth flies back, David in school, Jamie & Baby Michael come to visit, Hair appt for Jamie, Drive to Grandpa's, visit with Auntie Julie too (yay!)
Week Four - drive back from Grandpa's, Jamie & Michael fly back, Chiropractor
Week Five - breathe with me - exhale exhale!
then September starts - KY in town, travel to NYC for wedding, keep Matt from spending too much at BNH store? LOL.
October - Trip to Orlando, then Miami, get on Cruise, get off Cruise, drive back to Orlando, Drive back home, etc.
then I get a blessed 2 weeks to relax before my AGE kicks in. I'm going to be 30 this year.
The Dir-Tay, Thir-Tay. The year when single women of this age start their sexual revolution (or so I am told), but what happens to the married ones? I am certainly looking forward to spicing up the bedroom some more in lieu of the single-woman's fun. LOL.
OMG I'm so old, I'm so old!
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Yeah I wish the "get on cruise" part was Tom Cruise too . . . you read my mind.
ha!
just kidding Matt!!! hee hee.
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In other news, Matt's getting ready to put out the "Two Point Oh" version of his Zazen Photo website. He's got new images, a writeup on the portfolio, adding client links, and perhaps even a "testimonials" section (we were talking about that last night). Check out his Kudzu profile for the current info, he has already had SIX 5-star nominations!!! GO MATT!
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Uplifting Song for the Day

"New Day" by Sounds From The Ground
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my favorite part goes:
"If you want a new day,
It's only a choice away
It's not the falling down that hurts, no
It's the getting up again . . ."
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My new fave substitute for Rice & Pasta = Quinoa!
Wikipedia on Quinoa
Quinoa Pasta (for spaghetti without the Wheat!)
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The new fave dish at our house, is to make a pot of red or regular Quinoa, then I make Curry Paste/Coconut Milk mixture with meat (can use tuna or chicken, or whatever you want), and then add veggies (any frozen veggies, or canned veggies, your choice). Put the veggie/meat/curry mixture over the Quinoa, and VOILA there ya go.
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Last night I did Quinoa Indian - with Indian sauce/veggies/chicken on top. Very tasty!
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BTW this is the ONLY "leftover" dish that Matt has actually eaten for 3 straight days. He usually has an aversion to anything that has been in the fridge more than 2 days. WOW!
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Idiotic Lawsuits - rant

I usually try to use my blog for positive things with positive energy. Or just giving updates. Photo Credit
but today I have a rant about idiotic lawsuits (or just plain UNFAIR ones ...)
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ONE:
This one really "grinds my gears" http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/ar...TICLE_ID=51417
2 Border Patrol agents face 20 years in prison - Officers prosecuted – wounded drug trafficker given full immunity in exchange for testimony
ok let me get this straight, an illegal alien/drug trafficker - with 800 lbs of Marijuana in his van, is running away from the authorities - with something shiny in his hand, and he gets shot in the *ss (which is not a fatal wound), and the AGENTS get arrested and face 20 yrs in prison?!?!?!?!?!?-oh yeah we are REALLY supporting our border patrol. Nice.
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TWO:
The Victoria's Secret Thong Lawsuit (gimme a break):
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25258522/ (notice her lawyer can't keep from cracking up during the video) http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive...1secrets1.html
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=5195818
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THREE:
Gay Man Offended by Bible - so he sues the publisher. SERIOUSLY? Nuff said I think I covered that one in a previous blog entry.
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ok in other news, I thought of some GOOD things about the house not selling:
+ I can still keep my YMCA membership, and do my 5:30am workouts safely
+ It's safe to walk the dog a night by myself (downtown isn't quite so safe)
+ I don't have to re-pack all my crap again
+ We don't have to sell 1/2 our stuff again (believe me we could still sell more, we are such packrats)
+I don't have a terrible commute (if we lived downtown my drive to work would be suxors!)
+The 24 hr Emergency Vet is around the corner if we need them
+I know where all the stores/pharmacies/restaurants are if I need them
+We have 2 guest rooms and an office (a loft may not have these things)
+We have a yard (althought I detest yard work and mosquitos)
+We have a deck
+We have a full basement with bar, good for parties, etc.
+I get to keep my kitchen! yay!
+We have Equity (well sort of, depends on the market now)
-----BUT on the downside:-----
-Matt doesn't have a LOFT for his Photography biz.
-We still have debt to pay off (selling the house could REALLY help that situation)
-We don't have a rooftop deck with skyline views (some of the lofts we liked had that)
-We still have to do yardwork
-We still have to keep the big house clean (hard work)
-We still have to do repairs on the big house (it's old people, and old stuff needs fixing/replacing)
-I don't get to decorate the new place. I love decorating.
-We didn't lower our cost of living yet (selling the house will do that)
-We are still stuck in Suburbia instead of "in town"
-We are still 30 mins away from most of our social activities and weekend events.
ok well that's all for now, let me NOODLE on that some more . . .

The House Drama

I don't think my nerves can take this anymore.
We had our house on the market listed for sale from September to April this year. No offers, so we took it off the market (it's a crappy market anyhoo). We had put about 1/2 or stuff into storage during this timeframe, because we had "Staged" the house professionally.
when we "unlisted" the house, I moved all that stuff back IN and then unpacked. We figured we'd be stuck there a while. and we did love our house so it wasn't a bad situation.
HOWEVER
during this last Thursday daytime - (our realtor), called me at work. She said there was a couple who was house-hunting in our neighborhood. They said they loved the neighborhood but were not liking the houses they saw so far. Their realtor (another lady) pulled up our old listing, and they were wanting to know if Matt & I were interested in selling again - and that is why they had contacted our realtor to call us.
I was very much in shock, we couldn't just answer that, we needed to think about it and discuss it first. I was at WORK for heaven's sake. I said we needed to discuss it, could we tell them tomorrow or something?
Then my realtor called me later and said the couple's realtor asked if they could "show" the house to her clients today.
I figured it could not hurt, but only if it was later in the evening, like 6pm. I wanted to get the house cleaned up. I went home by 4pm, and cleaned like a madwoman, and then they came by to see the house promptly at 6pm. They were there for almost 1 hour - and they loved the house!
Matt came home shortly thereafter, and we had a big discussion about it. We do still want to live in-town, and cut our cost of living, but it would all depend on how much the offer was. We finally decided that we would listen to whatever offer they could come up with, but we weren't going to "relist" the house on the market. Our Realtor said if they had a good offer, we could just go straight to contract and not have to relist it. If the offer was crap then we didn't have to sell did we? no.
so …
Friday our realtor calls, she says the couple's realtor informed her that they LOVED our house, and they were scripting the offer right then. We should know something by that evening.
but
we didn't hear ANYTHING all day Friday, all day Saturday, etc.
So, Matt and I basically proceeded as normal . . .
then
Sunday - in the middle of the MikamyMeadows Party, our realtor calls me.
She says the couple had narrowed their choices down to 2 houses, and ours was one of the 2. BUT
they put an offer on the OTHER house, and it was immediately accepted.
so
all of that drama for nothing.
sigh.
I hate getting my hopes up and then BLAH.
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In other news, the MikamyMeadows Party, was a success! It wasn't quite the turnout I was expecting - but we still had about 10 people show up over the day. Also, our dear friend Erika was offering free foot massages - using the Mikamy Meadows Foot products. Everybody partook(is that a word?), and it was a relaxing party. Everybody had a good time!
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Busy Bee

Yesterday was an insanely productive day.
-worked out 30 mins
-assisted drafting contract for new client
-created new reporting template for work
-finished Candy Study homework
-shopped at Publix for necessities
-ordered sweater & pants from VS Catalog online
-ordered sweaters from Alloy online/then over phone since online isn't working right
-emptied dishwasher
-made dinner (hamburgers (no-bun) & salad)
-emailed friends in Norway
-called Airtran to check on my refund
-walked dog for 30 mins
-watched Iceland episode of "No Reservations/Anthony Bourdain"
-helped Matt rate/select photos for project submission
-put away laundry
-organized papers for office
-emailed magazine editor about project
-fixed inaccuracies on a major report for a co-worker
-called Grandpa to arrange visit with Jamie & Baby Michael
-Emailed Aunt Julie to coordinate visit
-updated facebook status
-fell asleep exhausted
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I don't know why I'm telling you this, but I'm very tired. Will blog more later when energy levels return to normal.
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Interesting Article Stop Setting Alarms on My Biological Clock. Good read.
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Geez they do NOT make it easy to be Green - When Building Green can harm the environment.
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Of White Russians and Sirloin . . .

Well you know you're doing well fitness-wise when you have a fun/wine-induced weekend like I did, with hardly any sleep on Saturday night, and the Wii-Fit tells you you haven't gained ANY weight from it! I mean I usually go up and down 2 lbs over the weekend on a light-non-party weekend. But I MAINTAINED! woo hoo!
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now, if I can only start the numbers going DOWN . . .
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Last night, our "white-russian" James came over for a photoshoot and dinner. Bless his heart, I will miss him dearly. He's moving to Las Vegas for Medical School, next week. Sigh. Not only is he one of those wonderfully zen, calm, and philisophical folks, but he's very GQ too. One of those really good friends to sit on the porch and puff on a stogie or sip red wine with, and talk about anything, or philosophize (is that a word?) with. Matt took some fabulous portraits of him. I am not sure if they will be posted or not, but I really enjoyed them. Go James Bond! We dined on Sirloin Steaks, Green Beans, and Au Gratin Potato Balls. Thank Goodness for Omaha Steaks! Of course, I don't buy from Omaha Steaks unless they are having one of those $60 specials.
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Sunday is the Mikamy Meadows Party! YAY! I bought all the party supplies/food last night.
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Funny news about Matt - he's suddenly into Pellegrino. I think it's adorable.
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Disturbing news: Gay Man Offended by Bible - did he JUST NOW read it? Is he going to sue the Koran publishers too? We all know what the Bible says on that topic. WTF - are we supposed to censor the bible now? Idiotic lawsuits. And supposedly the man is representing himself too. Gee that's a great idea. ***In a recently released statement, a Zondervan spokesperson wrote: "Zondervan doesn't translate the Bible or own the copyright for any of the translations. Instead [our] company relies on the scholarly judgment of credible translation committees."***
I have nothing personally against Gay people - don't misunderstand me, but my goodness this is ridiculous! This case holds about as much water as the Victoria Secret Thong lawsuit. Gimme a break!
I "get offended" at the Bible too, but usually because it's putting my dumb*ss back in line and I don't want to be corrected, etc. and for gosh sakes, I get offended by lots of things I read, but that doesn't mean I go around suing every newspaper, magazine, or book publisher out there. geez louise. blahg!
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Ooh Matt may have a new client. See their blog = Zularis Naturals Blog or Zularis Naturals.com

Weekend Update - this is Abbie Lane filling in for Amy Poehler. Just kidding.

Weekend Update - this is Abbie Lane filling in for Amy Poehler. Just kidding.
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Thursday - worked all day, crappy day at work, then Aunt Susan & Uncle Tom met us for Dinner at Carrabba's and we caught up on family news. There are 2 weddings coming up in October in Florida. WOO HOO!
Unfortunately, Matt and I are going on a cruise and will miss them both. Bummer. But at least we are missing them due to a cruise, not work or something boring. YAY!
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Friday was a spontaneous adventure. Driving home after work's worst week ever (I do not believe I'm exaggerating here), my stressed out-self resolved to meet the hubby at Tijuana Joe's for a nip of something potent and a bite of chips and salsa/queso.
To my pleasant surprise, my dear friend Kat was there with the rest of the RBS crew. Girl-talk commenced, and then an invitation to join them for dinner at Rumi's Kitchen - a delightful Persian restaurant. We dined on some fabulous food (Rumi's Dip, Roasted Salmon, Jekyl Wine) - oh it was divine!
Then home to hang out with my sweetie pie!
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Saturday AM - I was oncall, and work woke me up with a page at 8:50am. arggg!!!! but it was all right by 9:30am. sigh.
Matt got a nice massage from our fave massage therapist, and then we went to the mall. Matt wanted to get an iPhone, but the line was insane. We went to Home Depot instead to get a present for a friend's Birthday.
Then the Birthday Party was AWESOME!
This party had grandparents, parents, singles, kids, and babies, and EVERYBODY got along and had a blast. Yes there was alcohol at the party, but that wasn't the reason. It was just that magical kind of day where the sun shines down and everybody is in a good mood.
Somehow, quite by accident, I was the one who made the crying babies or kiddies start laughing again. My babysitter instincts kicked in and it was so much fun. Oh yeah and although I didn't drink one (I'm low-carbing it), I learned how to make a Mojito in a hurry (they make theirs with spiced dark rum, ginger ale, lime juice, and mint), very very tasty supposedly.
I had to leave the party early (8pm), the kids begged me to stay but I couldn't. Since it was my week to work the Sunday Maintenance Window, and as fate would have it, it was FOUR hour window. I woke up at 1:30am with a nasty headache from the party (no not hangover headache, more like a back-out-of-alignment-from-lifting-50lb kids all night headeache). I suffered through until about 6:30am then I got back to sleep until 10:30am.
On the upside, I DID get some homework done for a project, and fixed that stupid Denon UD-m50 CD player that was stuck. I figured out that I was the one who broke it by putting 2 cd's into a 1cd slot I fixed it, tested it, then put it back together, and plugged it in to all the speakers/wires. then it decided not to work. So I took it apart again, then it worked. I put the cover back on, it was broken. I loosened the last 2 screws and WHAT THE HECK - it worked. I'll be darned why 2 loose screws a good cdplayer makes, but yippee!
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Sunday - we stayed home while I tried to recover from the night before, and then we did a small photoshoot for a project, and then went to bed very early.

Rate Zazen Photo on Kudzu.com!!!

Please drop by and write a kind word for Zazen Photo the Photography of Matthew Lane, Atlanta Photographer, on Kudzu.com.
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Thank you so much!
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In other news, I went to Wine Club last night. Normally, there are only 4-5 girls who show up, and that means 4-5 bottles of wine to taste. So we taste a bit liberally of course, but you aren't trashed when you finally leave.
but last night was different.
Thank goodness Mina was my surprise designated driver. She called me about 10 mins before I was going to leave, and offered to drive us. I am so glad I took her up on that offer.
the wine was "Chianti"
and somehow
this time
there were TEN women there - which means TEN bottles of CHIANTI to taste.
One of the ladies seemed hell-bent on getting them all done in a hurry. We passed around 8 bottles of wine in 38 minutes. I swear that has to be a record.
True we had to get them all done, but tasting 8 wines in 38 minutes is another way to get Abbie toasty in a hurry!
damn!
Thankfully, I had the foresight to pack myself a little bottle of Crystal Lite HYDRATION!
ahh yes.
Mina dropped me off at home, and then I almost immediately went to bed.
I do have a headache today. but it is okay. I am surviving. I am not hungover, my tummy is fine, just have headache.
Tried a new cheese last night. Cotswold. that is some GOOD STUFF! and it goes well with Chianti - of course.

SOLD!

Matthew Lane of Zazen Photo sold his first Framed Photograph today!

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The "Final Approach" photo of the white bird coming down to land in the water SOLD today!

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This particular image was hanging in "The Hair Lounge" - so now we have to get another image printed and framed to replace it. I'm so excited. GO HONEY GO!

DISCOVERED - new Hangover cure

Crystal Lite - on the go - Hydration.
no seriously.
but I had the pink strawberry version, not the lemon.
damn it worked so fast I think I confused my tummy. LOL.

Independance Day Weekend & other shenanigans

The weekend started quietly enough on Thursday Night.
I was so proud of myself for getting a YMCA membership, and actually going there 4 times last week, and I was eating healthier, and feeling better, and then WHAM. I was just overwhelmingly exhausted on Thursday. I got home, and promptly fell asleep for 2 hours. It would have been fine, but even after I woke up, I never quite got my energy back up.
Matt and I had a healthy dinner of Spinach leaves and Chipotle Chicken Sausage, but then I had some wine, talk about sleepy! On the upside, we got PLENTY of sleep this weekend. yes I'm drinking more than enough water, and yes I'm taking a multi-vitamin, although I admit I ran out of my pro-biotic pills. We went to Whole Foods on Saturday to get some more though. I'm stocked now.
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Ruth came over to select images for her portfolio, she had some agents interested in her modeling, and of course she knows Matt is the BEST photographer ever (I'm so biased aren't I?), so she wanted to use mostly his images of her for the agents.
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I think I also sent some wine-induced iLike videos of Samantha James on Facebook - sorry friends I got carried away! haha!
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Fourth of July was awesome, great fireworks at the parent's community up in Jasper, GA. We had a lovely time and some good burgers.
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Saturday the 5th of July we had a spiffy time at a friend's party also. Good burgers but even BETTER hot dogs, These were all beef/chedder dogs, and they were a HUGE size. I was in heaven. too bad the damn redbull/organic vodka I drank gave me a hangover. Yeah I only had 2 drinks (which is really good with my track record at past parties here), and was sobered up to drive Matt home, and I was STILL hungover. WTF?
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6th of July, I finally went to the new H&M Store in Atlantic Station. Nothing fit. I mean NOTHING but some stretchy fat woman shorts. I was like screw this, and bought a hat. Sigh. Thank GOD for New York & Company (where real women sizes live).
later Matt & I watched "Beowulf" the movie. Interesting. For the first time ever Matt was more scared of the movie than I was. I was actually unaffected by it for the most part. Although I will say there was a lot of talent in that one.
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The Mikamy Meadows Party is on for 7/20. If I forgot to send you the Evite, you either aren't LOCAL, or you need to remind me. ;-D
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Watch this video (it is 20 mins long, but SO worth it) The story of stuff.
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I had an Epiphany this weekend about how I want my life to be in the future - hopefully the near future - I want to be as debt-free as possible. I want to live in sustainable home. I want a LOFT if possible. I want high ceilings and space and light. I want windows and flowy/drapy curtains (made of organic cotton of course), and a low king-sized platform bed to sleep on at night (see West Elm). I want a modern-style, low seated, leather couch - like they have at Roche Bubois (think Il Teatro, Symbole, or Sirius), or West Elm, or even Ikea (Kramfors). I want Matt's photography framed and featured on my walls. I want a Mac Air laptop, and all my CD tracks to be MP3s and stored on a server in my new loft, so I can get rid of all my CDs and have no need for storing them - and only the need to plug in my MP3 player to download new songs from the server. I want a 16gig iPhone so I can use that as my phone/gps/map/email/mp3 player/etc. and then I can get rid of the need for a blackberry AND Mp3 player (no sense having 2 gadgets when one will do). I want to be FREE and LIGHT and to be RID of all this baggage we call "STUFF" - I'm not just talking about the video for "the story of stuff" but the other STUFF. I am tired of my STUFF owning me. I am constantly having to manage my STUFF. bah humbug. I have too much STUFF. Get rid of it except the things mentioned above, and perhaps a few choice accent pieces, but I'm really tired of having 3 closets of clothes to manager, and a basement full of STUFF I'm storing, etc.
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And after I get rid of the excess STUFF and excess DEBT, then I want to start using my extra CASH for travel. Travel and investing, and the future! Ok we will check back on that in 1 yr and see how I'm doing.
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Upcoming future topics: Pin-up Style Photo Shoot for The Voyeur Magazine, Mikamy Meadows Party, wedding in NYC, Bahamas Cruise, paying off credit card, getting into shape.

The Hair Lounge, Bone Garden, + some 007

My first visit to the Hair Lounge was quite a success. Debi did an AMAZING job on my hair. It's slightly shorter than I'm used to, but she did a heck of a job layering and thinning the sides of my hair so I don't get that long "limp-hanging" crud on the sides. I'm so happy with it!
and she fixed the color issues too.
YAY DEBI!
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Afterwards, we checked out a new restaurant called "The Bone Garden Cantina" which was opened by the famed Atlanta "Vortex" restaurants owner. We met the owner and his wife in person there. Great DELICIOUS food, and very low prices too!
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He's Ba-ack!
mmm mmm mmm
talk about something that goes great with your morning coffee . . .
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=8585824
ooh
I can't WAIT until November 07 th!
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oh yes Happy 4th of July everybody! We are headed to Cindy & Brad's for the holiday, but we'll catcha later! Happy Fireworks, burgers, and brats!