tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34359402576174737262024-03-06T00:31:04.378-06:00FROM THE INSIDEWRITING, TASTING, FEELING,
WITH JUST A BIT OF DIVINE
DEVIATIONNicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-42369989012001018632011-01-20T20:27:00.022-06:002011-01-21T08:04:07.015-06:00Every Girl Should Have Good Scents<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am a perfume lover...Not just ANY perfume lover...I <b>ADORE</b> perfume, and I like many different kinds, though I tend to lean more towards Chanel, especially #19, and Jo Malone, (Pomegranite Noir is one of my favorites..)<br />
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Unfortunately like everything else, my taste tends to run a bit on the expensive side. Now how is a girl EVER going to support an expensive habit like that? Well, of course a girl like me comes up with an answer, one that I have been using for at least 10 years, maybe more.</div>
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I know that there are "discount" fragrance websites, stores, all about, but I can personally only vouch for one, and that is the website, "Scentiments".<br />
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Sure I still occasionally hit up Neimans for a "Chanel" special, or when I cannot live without some "Jo Malone" product, (as Scentiments unfortunately does not carry Jo Malone)<br />
For the most part though, they do carry some wonderful scents and at fab prices, if you know how to shop, and/or get lucky enough to find what you want in stock.</div>
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You see, I'm afraid that this secret is not just my own..Dreadfully, many others dip their toe into this pond as well....Often I will go to order a perfume, and find that they are out of it. There is an option to leave your</div>
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email and be notified when they get the product in, but let me tell you, you have to act quickly or it will be gone once again. I also notice that at times, it takes them what appears to be a century to get a product back in.</div>
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If you are like me, (and of course, you should be), and willing to experiment on a scent that you have possibly never even smelled, you will love using this site. If I do order a scent that I have not smelled, like the one that I reviewed in my last blog entry, I make sure that it is a scent from a well know perfumery...i.e. Burberry, Boucheron, Bvlgari, Prada, Versace, etc...<br />
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Secondly, I consult the site to find one that is considered spicy and/or oriental or that contains y-lang y-lang, amber, and/or bergamot oil, as I tend to be attracted to these scents. </div>
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Those of you who are not familiar with "bergamot", will find it to be a lovely light citrus aromatic that blends</div>
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beautifully with ingredients.<br />
Funny but doing a bit of research on "Bergamot" lead me to this...</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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What Is Bergamot Oil?</span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Bergamot oil is obtained from the peel of the bergamot, a citrus fruit grown mainly in Italy. The oil is used as a flavoring agent in foods and beverages and in various cosmetic products (for its citrus scent). It is also used to treat skin conditions, such as <a href="http://psoriasis.emedtv.com/psoriasis/psoriasis.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0033cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">psoriasis</a> or <a href="http://skin.emedtv.com/vitiligo/vitiligo.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0033cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">vitiligo</a> (when applied to the skin), or to treat <a href="http://anxiety.emedtv.com/anxiety/anxiety.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0033cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">anxiety</a> or <a href="http://depression.emedtv.com/depression/depression.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0033cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">depression</a> (when used as aromatherapy).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Wow...and to think that I've spent all that money on anti-depressants, that don't work, when all</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I had to do was soak in some hot water doused with bergamot!!??!!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Live and learn....Live and learn...</span><br />
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Not like we couldn't have figured that out! Ever notice the pleasurable "rush" that you get after<br />
a whiff of some wonderful perfume or European chocolate?<br />
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Kudos to the genius that eventually figures out how to bottle those two...</div>
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Imagine how happy Tom Cruise would be?<br />
(no more Anti-Depressants! <b>MIND CONTROL</b>...so much more effective..)<br />
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Not to mention Chocoholics...<br />
(so much less fattening when you can just wear it!)<br />
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Sometimes I even go a step further, and consult Neimans online to see if they are selling the perfume that I'm considering ordering...Personally , if they sell it, that's enough for me to try it, owing to my long-time faith in Neiman Marcus's taste.<br />
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I also enjoy gloating about the price I'm going to pay for it. Now, you don't get the freebie samples or the lovely bag like you do if you purchase it at Neimans, but after a year's time, if you buy perfume like I do, you should have saved enough to afford a little trip to Neimans for tidbit or two.<br />
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Like that rationalization? (got lots more where that came from!)<br />
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Lastly, if they have the "tester" of a fragrance, look to see what that means. It will either mean that<br />
it comes in a plain box, comes without a cap, or comes without a cap in a plain box.<br />
The only time I buy a tester is if it comes in a plain box. I DO NOT buy a perfume without a cap, as<br />
it will expose the perfume to air. Now if it comes in a plain box, who cares? Unless I am taking it on<br />
a trip, I dispose of the box immediately anyway. (Actually the "plain box" turns out to be a very sturdy<br />
box, perfect to pack in luggage!) The "tester" is, of course, the most economical way to go, and is OFTEN<br />
what they are out of...The "tester" I assume, is one that they were going to put out at the store, but your<br />
bottle never made it out there. That's how they can sell it for such a fantastic price. Again, a "tester" is where<br />
you REALLY get a bargain. I have bought a tester without the original box, but otherwise exactly as new,<br />
for $42.00 instead of $110.00 MANY TIMES.<br />
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The scents are all THE REAL THING...I repeat..<br />
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They are <b>THE REAL THING.</b><br />
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No doubt where this is concerned, as I would not consider buying anything that wasn't.<br />
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So, there you have it...My secret, along with about a million others, is out.<br />
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www.scentiments.com<br />
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One more thing about Perfume (I never buy "Toilette" or "Cologne" Why would you want a watered-down version?)<br />
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You must use your Perfume in a timely manner. Keep it in a cool place and it should smell like new up<br />
to a year. If it starts to get darker or change color, throw it out...<br />
Look what I found while I was doing a bit of research....<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"Older perfumes contain musk from other <a class="StrongLink" href="http://www.ehow.com/pets-and-animals/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0074e8; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">animals</a> or ambergris, <b>whale vomit</b>. These fixatives are intended to make the perfume scent last longer"<span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"Older Perfumes", eh? Makes me want to rethink my "Joy"and "Shalimar" obsessions...I have a thing for</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">scents produced in the twenties...( Shalimar, Chanel #5, Joy, etc...)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">How does one capture "whale vomit" anyway? I'm not going to think about this any further....</span><br />
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<b>Wear Your Perfume. </b><br />
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<b>Perfume is not just for a so-called "special occasion"</b><br />
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<b>E</b><b>veryday is a "special occasion"</b><br />
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<b>Spritz on a bit when you emerge from the shower...</b><br />
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<b>Go easy for work and crazy otherwise!</b><br />
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They sell both mens and womens cologne and perfume, and certain gift sets as well.<br />
I love the miniatures for traveling...<br />
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I must add, that their shipping is extremely timely, except for perhaps holidays...(forget finding anything<br />
around Valentines day or Christmas)<br />
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I would be remiss if I didn't share with you my NEW LOVE.<br />
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He came to me at Christmas time and I can hardly stand to be away from him.<br />
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His name is Kindle, but I call him "Kin"...<br />
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Yes, it was LOVE at first sight... (sight...LOL...get it? I crack myself up!)<br />
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He is never far from me, and is always the last thing I see before sleep...<br />
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He <b>ROCKS!</b><br />
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<a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/">https://kindle.amazon.com/</a></h2>
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</div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-25827609376055108102011-01-20T16:40:00.001-06:002011-01-20T16:40:26.371-06:00My Review of Lolita Lempicka 3.4 oz EDP spray TESTER for women by Lolita Lempicka<div class="hreview"><div class="item"><p><a href="http://www.scentiments.com/Product/SkuInfo.aspx?id=95608">Originally submitted at Scentiments</a></p><div><img src="http://images.powerreviews.com/images_products/04/22/702319_100.jpg" class="photo" align="left" style="margin: 0 0.5em 0 0"><p style="margin-top:0">Eau de Parfum, With a liquorice accord comprising of aniseed, violet, vanilla and praline with a floral oriental harmony of ivy, iris, amarena, tonka bean, vetiver and musk makes it a rich fruity fragrance . Comes complete but in a plain box.</p></div><a href="http://www.scentiments.com/Product/SkuInfo.aspx?id=95608" style="display: none;" class="url fn"><span class="fn">Lolita Lempicka 3.4 oz EDP spray TESTER for women by Lolita Lempicka</span></a></div><br clear="left"><p><strong class="summary">Oriental</strong></p><div>By <strong>Class Act</strong> from <strong>Dallas</strong> on <strong><abbr title="2011120T1200-0800" class="dtreviewed" style="border: none; text-decoration: none;">1/20/2011</abbr></strong></div><p><div style="margin: 0.5em 0; height: 15px; width: 83px; background-image: url(http://images.powerreviews.com/images/stars_small.gif); background-position: 0px -180px;" class="prStars prStarsSmall"> </div></p><div style="display: none"><span class="rating">5</span>out of 5</div><p><strong>Pros: </strong>Sexy, Draws Compliments, Smells a bit like Angel, Great Smell, Long-Lasting, Sensual</p><p><strong>Cons: </strong>Strong smell, Overpowering</p><p><strong>Best Uses: </strong>Evening Use, Daily Use, Just a whiff for days</p><p><strong>Describe Yourself: </strong>Classic Style</p><p><strong>Fragrance Type: </strong>Powdery, Oriental/Spicy</p><p style="margin-top:1em" class="description">I love it, but would not be for those that love a <br xmlns:pr="xalan://com.pufferfish.core.beans.xmlbuilders.xsl.Functions">subtle smell....Bottle a beauty...Strange atomizer<br>though..took a minute to get used to it..</p><p style="margin-top:0.5em">(<a href="http://www.powerreviews.com/legal/terms_of_use.html" rel="license">legalese</a>)</p></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-57402919355596549392010-12-20T22:35:00.003-06:002010-12-25T16:55:32.386-06:00Holiday excusion to San Francisco 2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQH2wzjQfJxPuhKGl2tLQmRfIl1ayzUmVFR4MovBZC37MeRH_ZZEot01t0fRXPBdtQPaU1hPoSXPhMIDV3SLcrPFrrHo-sg1NcbJOE55Iswem8vHJKPZkd-FYjKJc7jG717dsEMnVWdMg/s1600/embarcadero.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQH2wzjQfJxPuhKGl2tLQmRfIl1ayzUmVFR4MovBZC37MeRH_ZZEot01t0fRXPBdtQPaU1hPoSXPhMIDV3SLcrPFrrHo-sg1NcbJOE55Iswem8vHJKPZkd-FYjKJc7jG717dsEMnVWdMg/s400/embarcadero.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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One never tires of San Francisco. I especially love a holiday visit, as the city is filled with the most</div>
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beautiful Yuletide decorations. Our stay at the Westin St. Francis Hotel was a wonderful one, as expected.</div>
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A huge edible all sugar Castle that rotated with a train rounding the bottom of it, adorned one of the entrances, surrounded by a white gate and dozens of admirers, day and night.<br />
The St. Francis is an amazing hotel with so many beautiful things that one must try to focus on one thing at a time, lest you might miss something. Everything is very old and extremely ornate, as the original St.Francis was built at the turn of the Century. The Great Earthquake and the fire that followed destroyed some of it as well as all of Union Square, but it was built again, in all of its glory two years later. Check it out at www.westinstfrancis.com, and if you ever get a chance to stay here, do so, and in the Main Bldg. which is the older historic one.</div>
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I enjoyed the city, as I always do, shopping at my favorite jewelry store for a new and unusual piece, visiting the wonderful little British tea shop that carries unique and whimsical gifts, a stop at the Ghiradelli Chocolate Shop in the Square, the sound of the trolleys, the beautiful and huge lit Christmas tree and ice skating rink at Union Square, the sights, smells, and sounds of the Wharf....<br />
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San Francisco is a treat...A visit there is on my list of guilty pleasures, and there's a lot there to love...I contend that once you have been there, you simply must return, time and time again....(think that I have a<br />
former blog about returning to San Francisco...check it out...)<br />
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Now...I will give you my newest/and or updated restaurant reviews from one of the best Foodie destinations there is: Three restaurants to be exact..An updated review of "Slanted Door", and reviews of two new restaurants, "Wayfare Tavern" by Tyler Florence, and "Orson" by Elizabeth Faulkner...<br />
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I have dined at "Slanted Door" before, and though it was nice, I was not overwhelmed, and needed to be.</div>
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Glad that I gave this very popular establishment another shot, as this time it was absolutely sublime..</div>
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Amazing cocktails, BBQ spareribs, Daikon Rice cakes, Cellophane Noodles with Crab, and Caramelized</div>
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Shrimp, creating a delicious way to spend the evening. This is the kind of restaurant, especially on a Saturday</div>
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night, that one feels quite special dining in...There is definitely "magic" in the air, as well as dollars, for this is certainly not a dining destination for the frugal-hearted, but oh-so absolutely THE dining destination for the foodie...This is haute Vietnamese at its best, and I daresay better than you have or will ever eat it...</div>
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For a more economical version, there are a couple of "Out the Door" locations in town, with take out from</div>
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the same restaurateur, and though not all of the menu is available there, it is known as a very tasty alternative, and it can be eaten there or taken home, at a fraction of the cost. "Slanted Door" is located in the Embarcadero at the Ferry Bldg (more about that in a minute).<br />
Just remember to get reservations early if you ever plan to dine there. (www.slanteddoor.com)<br />
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Another very delicious dinner was had at Tyler Florence's new restaurant, "Wayfare Tavern." Located in the Embarcadero Area, it simply does not disappoint. Other than the cocktails, which could use some</div>
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improvement, everything we tried there was outstanding. Loved the atmosphere, (old world tavern, duh),</div>
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it is quite popular, though they do take reservations. I recommend the fried chicken (brined and brilliant), the deviled eggs (capered and anchovied with love), popovers (who knew that these could actually be delicious?), brussel sprouts (mustard braised and ham hocked, so divine that I felt weak in the knees), oh, I could go on and on...Suffice it to say that everything that we tried was ambrosial...(www.wayfaretavern.com)<br />
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Finally, one of the best burgers EVER, along with their duck fat fries (yes, we have actually found a way to</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
make french fries even MORE sinful), can be had at "Orson", the new restaurant in the Soma area, opened by the famed pastry chef Elizabeth Faulkner (of "Citizen Cake", and many appearances on Food Network...You know, the one with the short, spiked platinum hair? No, not the loud one, the quiet one...Oh well...)<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Her "Orson" is a very modern, futuristic space with sparse surroundings, and will not be everyone's "cup of tea" to speak, but is definitely mine...My Mother looked almost faint when we first arrived, as the ambiance was a bit um, "frightening" shall we say, though she appeared to feel much better after a strong scotch on the rocks...<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
There is a film, usually old, that plays on the huge wall behind the bar...When we arrived it was a video of</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
a fire in a fireplace, helping to give a "cozy" feel to all of the surrounding steel...Actually I felt quite at home, as it reminded me of so many places that I frequented in the 90s'...Remember that cold, white, steel, too contemporary for comfort, design of the 90s? That's exactly what Orson looks like...<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
The menu looks extraordinary, and I'm certain that it is all tasty, but we were all in the mood for the burger.<br />
"Orson Burger with Duck Fat Fries" (grass fed beef, parmesan bun, truffle mayonnaise, cob relish, and<br />
house made steak sauce...)</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
The description of a dish is an important job...Indeed, I do like this one, AND it also delivers!</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
To make sure that the duck fat fries are decadent enough, they are accompanied with a browned-butter</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
bearnaise...Ketchup just can't do these jewels justice...gotta have the browned-butter bearnaise to really feel</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
guilty, remorseful, and luxuriously happy...<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
When finished, one simply MUST remember that DESSERT is what has made our Elizabeth famous, so </div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
to continue support for the chef, dessert is to be ordered..<br />
Our favorite was "Guilt By Association", (hazelnut cake, salted malted milk chocolate ice cream, malted almond crunch)</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
The description is drool-worthy, don't you think?</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Delicious and interestingly constructed, as all of her desserts are..Nothing here is as you have seen it </div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
before...This goes for not only desserts but other items as well.<br />
For example, her version of Caesar salad is literally an "explosion", due to the pop rocks hiding in the romaine, that "explode" with the dressing....<br />
It's quite evident to me, that Ms. Faulkner believes in having fun while dining on her decadent cuisine, and I<br />
am all for it....I shall return....(www.orsonsf.com)<br />
<br />
One of the greatest things about San Francisco restaurants, at least those that I have visited, is that they<br />
use only locally farmed, organic, and sustainable products. This makes such a huge difference in the taste of their food...One place that you must visit/experience is the Ferry Building.<br />
Visiting the Ferry Building (especially on Saturday morning) is wonderful, as all of the farms are represented there, and touting all of their very best wares..Do not eat before you go, as noshing here is a glorious experience.<br />
I've decided, that for a more economical foodie experience here, I could almost stay at a hotel near the Ferry building and eat there most of the time. Places like Boulette's Larder, Il Cane Rosso, Cowgirl's Creamery Artisan Cheese Shop, Acme Bread Company, and Bocccalone Salumeria, as well many others, could make for some delicious meals, and a bit less expensive way to go..(Right, like that's gonna happen...) Just say'n.<br />
www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com (a delicious destination)<br />
<br />
I hope that you visit San Francisco if you never have, and return to it if you've already been, as it is one<br />
of the most delightful places to spend a few days, especially for a holiday visit...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-83227609789956194262010-11-19T14:34:00.002-06:002010-11-19T14:51:28.782-06:00Way up there on my "I Don't Get It" List<br />
For years I was one of those people that didn't like cranberries.<br />
When I was growing up, that jellied cranberry jarred monstrosity was all that I knew.<br />
<br />
What in the world are you supposed to do with that stuff?<br />
The consistency alone is enough to send me over the edge,<br />
The "mouth feel" is a punishment.<br />
The taste is simply not tart enough.<br />
<br />
Having said that, it is probably still one of the best sellers during the holidays.<br />
Amazing<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GyQLCmQV63a6TeskyLrUvdyPF6z2hLMHT9oVtgExGK8WgCglc8KyF5IcU0li6dH70d9_UZNIamSSjxhJdADo9K03c7TvPOBRjaMkiupzVWkeICGtS5PmvOU0PfHgFSo7531fYU55-9ha/s1600/holiday+meal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GyQLCmQV63a6TeskyLrUvdyPF6z2hLMHT9oVtgExGK8WgCglc8KyF5IcU0li6dH70d9_UZNIamSSjxhJdADo9K03c7TvPOBRjaMkiupzVWkeICGtS5PmvOU0PfHgFSo7531fYU55-9ha/s320/holiday+meal.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
It will forever stay on my "<b>I don't get it</b> " list.<br />
<br />
Years later I started tasting the "real deal" or homemade cranberry sauce, with<br />
actual cranberries in the sauce. You could see, taste, and FEEL the cranberries,<br />
and it turned my cranberry world around.<br />
<br />
Not only is it the easiest recipe in the world, (my "can't cook" sons could do it in their sleep),<br />
but it is delicious and refreshing.<br />
With added orange zest in a cut crystal bowl, it's not only tasty, but gorgeous to look at.<br />
<br />
The recipe I am going to give you is not meant to replace our beloved homemade cranberry<br />
sauce, but is a wonderful addition to the holiday table.<br />
Frankly, this would make a wonderful relish/chutney all year round!<br />
<br />
Fresh tasting, with an exotic punch, you'll find it's great not only with turkey, but<br />
baked ham as well.<br />
<br />
Served instead of bread and butter pickles, it's a versatile dish, that will "<b>WOW</b>"<br />
your family and guests.<br />
(I myself am a huge fan of the "WOW" factor.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>GIFT IDEA!</b> <b>(</b>Make a batch or two and spoon it into wide mouth jars tied with a pretty ribbon.)<br />
<b>MARTHA would be</b> <b>PROUD!</b><br />
Kept cold in the refrigerator, this will keep indefinitely.<br />
<br />
The year that I made this, there were "oohs and aaahs" a plenty, and as I mentioned earlier,<br />
it was absolutely the bomb on leftover turkey sandwiches. Use it as a relish, or if you wish, eat it<br />
straight out of the bowl!<br />
<b>ENJOY!</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<br />
<b>Pickled Grapes with Ginger and Chilies</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
(from Salsas, Sambals, Chutneys, and Chowchows)<br />
<br />
Makes about 6 cups<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
1 1/2 cups white vinegar<br />
1 cup white sugar<br />
1/2 cup brown sugar<br />
2 tbsp. crushed coriander seeds<br />
1 tbsp. cinnamon<br />
7 whole cloves<br />
1 tbsp. salt<br />
1 piece ginger the size of your little finger, peeled and cut into dime-size slices.<br />
3 red or green jalapenos, finely diced,<i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">with seeds </span>(trust me, it is not too hot)<br />
4 cups seedless red and/or green grapes. (<b>Red is best, I think)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugars, coriander seeds, cinnamon,<br />
cloves and salt.<br />
<br />
Mix well, and then bring to a boil over moderately high heat.<br />
<br />
Remove from heat and add ginger, jalapenos and grapes.<br />
<br />
Mix thoroughly, and allow to stand for one hour.<br />
<br />
This is a great one to make ahead a day or two, and let the flavor meld together,<br />
but after just one hour, it's fresh tasting, and ready to rock the table...<br />
<br />
Again, it keeps a long time kept covered and chilled.<br />
I like to serve it closer to room temperature.<br />
<br />
Feedback is always appreciated if you'd care to leave a comment.<br />
I'd especially love to hear from those that give this a whirl...<br />
Another recipe soon....<br />
<br />
Nicole<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-53033867969269243652010-11-02T14:08:00.002-05:002010-11-02T14:11:11.801-05:00Mini-Survival Kit for the Holidays plus a sumptuous recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1FyCpc4efadIIhyphenhyphenhSwga7GTedAx-aCP_od_bfxp9WaWvB3rNF_0HS-Yoyf97RRU-6uMr0WbuKySuRkkS059PXKOmrrHxiTTEc7ghaR5Vh3LawLyMaNHyGSQfDoVC7eWYMhKpRVOUji3J/s1600/christmas+room.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1FyCpc4efadIIhyphenhyphenhSwga7GTedAx-aCP_od_bfxp9WaWvB3rNF_0HS-Yoyf97RRU-6uMr0WbuKySuRkkS059PXKOmrrHxiTTEc7ghaR5Vh3LawLyMaNHyGSQfDoVC7eWYMhKpRVOUji3J/s320/christmas+room.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
I find that we have only two ways to approach the holidays.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<br />
With <b>RESENTMENT</b>, because we don't get to enjoy them each on their own,<br />
before Christmas peeks its little head out at the Department Stores, pushing us to<br />
make gift decisions very, very early...(Hey, what happened to the real meaning of<br />
Christmas?<br />
These VULTURES!<br />
Give me a break....etc.etc...)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>OR</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
By completely <b>EMBRACING</b> it! Now by that I mean, you will have to leave<br />
behind your traditional expectations and give yourself and your family some major<br />
breaks. Here are some holiday truths that should help... <br />
<br />
<br />
If you are not a crafty-type, you are not going to magically turn into Martha Stewart or Rosie O'Donnell.. (That's why there's a Hallmark store)<br />
<br />
If you hate to cook, you will hate it even more. If you don't have time, you will have less....<br />
(That's why there are caterers, restaurants serving and selling holiday meals, and Whole Foods Stores etc.)<br />
<br />
If you cannot stand shopping malls, don't go...Sure they're pretty right now, but still crazy!<br />
(Small independent shops have better gifts anyway. Better yet, buy it all on the web... get started now)<br />
<br />
This last tip was one that I utilized one Christmas and it was a breeze..Did it all at Barnes&Noble.com.<br />
That's right...Never visited one store! Everyone loved their gifts...truly!<br />
<br />
You don't have to have a big tree.<br />
(They have really cute tabletop ones these days...Okay, I guess if you have small kids..)<br />
<br />
One year I just put a huge Father Christmas on the dining room table, scattered some pine scented candles<br />
about, put an 8 inch "silver" tree on a shelf, and my boys were quite pleased!<br />
<br />
If you have been laid off or just don't have extra money for whatever reason, try to come up with<br />
something special that doesn't dip into your gas bill...<br />
<br />
Now this one may be hard for some, but don't give up immediately. Open your mind...<br />
<br />
Can you draw or paint? (an original drawing is kept forever)<br />
<br />
Can you write a song and play it or record it? (quite special indeed)<br />
<br />
Can you write a poem or story that will have specific meaning for the receiver?<br />
Even a small little writing can mean a lot from a loved one.<br />
<br />
If you have ANY artistic talent, this is the time to put it to use..<br />
<br />
But what if you don't? (Hard to believe but...here's an idea...)<br />
<br />
How about that beautiful little necklace of yours that your daughter has always admired?<br />
Why wait until you're dead to hand it over?<br />
(You can't see the smile on her face if you wait until then anyway...Think about it...)<br />
Put it in a small velvet box with a ribbon and surprise her! (you know that you don't really wear it much anymore...)<br />
<br />
How about some one's favorite treat that you rarely make?<br />
My "Million Dollar Fudge" comes to mind, but I know that you and your family have their favorites...<br />
It could be a very special loaf of bread or any much loved treat...<br />
Whip it up when no one is around, and put it in a festive tin, or wrap it up in colorful plastic wrap with<br />
a bow...<br />
People eat that up...literally!<br />
<br />
Hey, better yet, if you have kids or grandkids do the Christmas cookie thing...(Sadly, I'm not sure that<br />
I ever did that...I'm sure that I MEANT to ...Hmmm....Well there ya go...You can produce holiday "guilt" even years later if you allow yourself!)<br />
<br />
Note to self...Do Not Allow!<br />
<br />
I truly feel that a lot of what we get Hyper and Disappointed in ourselves about, has EVERYTHING to<br />
do with our own illusions of what the holidays should look and FEEL like...(reinforced by every single<br />
item in the media...Remember...they are ALL advertisements in one form or another...They need to sell<br />
to you...It is their business...)<br />
<br />
These hard to manufacture illusions may come from one's own childhood experiences, magazines, or films we've seen and grown up with...(Not to mention Martha Stewart's Crafty Christmas Shows and Food Network Holiday Specials...)<br />
Hey, I love them too, but there's an abundance of time, money, and help that produces all of that<br />
enchantment...<br />
<br />
For me it is comparative with the trap that we allow ourselves to fall into when we are getting married<br />
and having the "Big Wedding"..<br />
We reference all of what we have seen or dreamed about, and WHEN and IF it doesn't line up as we have<br />
perceived it, the disappointment sets in...<br />
<br />
I dearly love movies, books, magazines, and fantasizing, but one must resist the temptation of buying into<br />
the whole "Disneyesque" version of life...<br />
These images will always lead to a let down, or worse, you'll tell yourself that you didn't do what you could have done to make it really "perfect"....<br />
<br />
(A note about "Disneyesque" life...Everyone should visit Disney World at least once in their life to enjoy the<br />
true "Disneyesque" experience. One is never too old, and I feel that the older you are, the more you appreciate it ..You certainly deserve a complete and total "too good to be true" fantasy...I say leave the kids home, and go and delight in it yourself....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">but then that's just me...</span>)<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>VERY IMPORTANT STATEMENT:</b></span><br />
<br />
Holiday Depression is a serious epidemic, and I feel that a lot of it stems from unrealistic expectations.<br />
<br />
<br />
Having said all of this, if you find yourself in a position to turn your holidays into a world of homemade crafts,<br />
glistening wreaths, glass balls, silver linings, tin soldiers, golden angels, velvet ribbons, nutmeg candles, along with a kitchen filled with apple cider simmering on the stove, cheese straws dancing on candy cane plates,<br />
layers of smoked turkey and cheddar circling a silver platter, and champagne bubbling in crystal tulip goblets, well...<br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;">THAT'S OKAY </b>(and we'll all be over for the party on December 17th!)<br />
<br />
I will be posting recipes suitable and delicious for the holiday season the next few weeks.<br />
This week I will start with a simple, yet elegant recipe from the late and great culinary master,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Craig Claiborne. God rest his culinary genius soul.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Sweet Potato Puree with Walnuts and Ginger</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Serves 6 -8</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
6 to 8 sweet potatoes (about 3 lbs) organic is best</span></i></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>1/2 cup ginger preserves (look for it at gourmet groceries or order it online)</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>3 tablespoons dark rum</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>2 tablespoons butter</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>1 cup chopped walnuts (preferable black walnuts)</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>3/4 cup whole milk</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br />
</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Preheat oven to 350 degrees. </i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Put the potatoes in a baking dish and place in the oven. </i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Bake 1-2 </i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>hours, depending on the size of each potato. Press with the fingers and remove each potato as it becomes soft.</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>When all the potatoes are cooked, let them rest </i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>until cool enough to handle. Split each potato in half and scoop out the flesh. </i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Put the flesh through a fine mesh or a potato ricer. (you should seriously have a potato ricer as they are so cool...especially for mashed potatoes)</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>There should be about 3 cups. Put this into a </i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>saucepan. </i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Combine the preserves and the rum in a small</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring. Add this to the potatoes. Add the butter, walnuts and milk;</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>heat to the boiling point, stirring.(watch and stir</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>faithfully, so as not to burn...)</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>The recipe contains no salt, so at the end, I would taste, to make sure that the black walnuts added enough salt, if not, I would not hesitate to add a </i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>bit to taste. </i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>I can SO see this mixture piped from either a </i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>piping bag, or a large Ziploc bag with a small </i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>snip on one corner (this always works...)</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>You could pipe this mixture decoratively around</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>the platter of sliced turkey, ham, or whatever</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>meat you were serving...</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>You could also just serve it as you would mashed</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>potatoes...</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Why you could even do your best Martha Stewart impression, and pipe it into hollow orange halves! (somebody stop me!)</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br />
</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Delicious!</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br />
</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br />
</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br />
</i></b></span>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-69737525889872835402010-10-26T01:47:00.001-05:002010-10-26T01:51:30.896-05:00Falling Apart You Say? What Now!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbW0yRQ51e6StiGdN77QJHyFD4qXimgkYQhQh5bPtYa3XC6NynKM40WXCEs0OqXrUz5dKKRjAetZcMiaQE1Qk8eIYBt4WPxfrpdFhYr-JozZZPn1AIOo58bk6UqmjBp0SSf0Rp7f3lJ5B_/s1600/injection.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbW0yRQ51e6StiGdN77QJHyFD4qXimgkYQhQh5bPtYa3XC6NynKM40WXCEs0OqXrUz5dKKRjAetZcMiaQE1Qk8eIYBt4WPxfrpdFhYr-JozZZPn1AIOo58bk6UqmjBp0SSf0Rp7f3lJ5B_/s400/injection.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>Well today it's official.<br />
I'm<br />
<i>falling</i><br />
apart.<br />
<br />
I guessed<br />
this might happen<br />
(Yes, right from the start)<br />
<br />
<br />
Surprised you ask?<br />
Why no,<br />
of course not...<br />
<br />
It's why I don't visit<br />
the Doctor<br />
a lot.<br />
<br />
<br />
While <i>I do</i> like<br />
to work with them<br />
(and God knows <i>I do</i>)<br />
<br />
The truth <i>about me</i><br />
<i></i> from their lips,<br />
turns mine <i>blue</i><br />
<br />
<br />
For little can <i>shock</i><br />
a girl like me,<br />
who avoids<br />
Doctor visits<br />
like the <i>plague</i>,<br />
you see.<br />
<br />
<br />
Well the pain<br />
broke me down..<br />
Had to visit a clinic<br />
<br />
Which was<br />
no small feat,<br />
for a <i>healthcare cynic</i><br />
<br />
Come to find out,<br />
it appears that <i>my knee</i><br />
that's failed me<br />
for months now,<br />
is <i>lost</i><br />
<i>and unseen</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
How on <i>earth</i> did it vanish,<br />
(is there a "missing knee" site?)<br />
<br />
Might there be a way<br />
to find it?<br />
Or must<br />
bone spurs<br />
be my <i>plight</i>?<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes, I'm told<br />
a replacement<br />
is the <i>only way,</i><br />
I can live<br />
without pain<br />
(at least that's what they say)<br />
<br />
<br />
I MUST be too<br />
<i>young</i><br />
for such a<br />
<i>serious</i><br />
endeavor.<br />
<br />
(Besides, not my style...<br />
overdone, hardly clever)<br />
<br />
<br />
And there's no guarantee...<br />
Why I could<br />
actually <i>expire</i>!<br />
<br />
From a pulmonary embolus<br />
that <i>explodes</i><br />
like a tire....<br />
<br />
<br />
Didn't <i>even</i><br />
<i></i>get my breasts done<br />
(they'd have really looked great!)<br />
<br />
Nope,<br />
fears that it<br />
might <i>kill me,</i><br />
Left me with my<br />
<i>small boobs</i> fate.<br />
<br />
<br />
So for now<br />
I've decided<br />
I'll just<br />
try my luck,<br />
with shots<br />
and pills<br />
and all that<br />
<i>schmuck.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
I guess<br />
it's just <i>inevitable</i><br />
that our bodies<br />
break down...<br />
<br />
Oh, and<br />
<i>limping's</i> just <b><i>not sexy</i></b>...<br />
not in scrubs<br />
or evening gowns..<br />
<br />
<br />
Written with sincerity, truthfulness, and paranoia...<br />
<br />
Nicole 10/26/10Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-86588914744299198422010-10-01T23:14:00.021-05:002010-10-26T02:15:27.628-05:00HALLOWEEN II AND MY CREEPY POEM FOR YOU<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBVePoD7_yylQOsBoS2jwfFejRLwodWQzwjktoV_2A42C2CLTv7Y6P1LJ0qnGzodSkDRg4LDDCESplM0RpRJxpaHGnGdMu0CLoYEPYDdI4bOc-CI1R6QVR9N3t4_I6iCvMjKJJ5wKz6Ya/s1600/iStock_000010598071XSmall.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524459618267067602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBVePoD7_yylQOsBoS2jwfFejRLwodWQzwjktoV_2A42C2CLTv7Y6P1LJ0qnGzodSkDRg4LDDCESplM0RpRJxpaHGnGdMu0CLoYEPYDdI4bOc-CI1R6QVR9N3t4_I6iCvMjKJJ5wKz6Ya/s400/iStock_000010598071XSmall.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 269px;" /></a><br />
<div>I should SO be asleep...</div><br />
<div>Why I've chosen to cruise the Internet and catch up on my Blog, instead of getting the essential</div><div>4 hours of "I've gotta get up and go to work at 5am " sleep, is beyond any explanation. </div><br />
<div><br />
<div>I DO love my sleep, though at times, I feel just as Ernest Hemingway did...</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span class="body" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;">"</span><span class="body" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I love sleep...My life has a tendency to fall apart when I'm awake</b></span><span class="body"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><i>"</i></b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span class="body"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><i><br />
</i></b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><span class="body"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><i><br />
</i></b></span></span></span></span></div><div><div>I hope that some of you (my loyal followers) are still out there...</div><br />
<div>Surely not ALL of you have lost interest.</div><div>(though I could hardly blame you)</div><div><br />
</div><div>As not only am I a sporadic blogger,</div><div>I'm not always in my foodie mode. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Honestly, as the writer, I strive to avoid prosaic, monotonous material ,</div><div>for fear of not only boring my reader, but myself as well.</div><br />
<div>I've not lost interest, it's just that sometimes I go through "spells"</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>(<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><i>spells</i></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>?</b>)</span></span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Feel too involved/busy, living my highly predictable schedule of work, sleep, read, and eat.</div><div><br />
</div><div>At times I'm convinced that the</div><div><br />
</div><div>"creative genes" have vanished...</div><div><br />
</div><div>or worse yet...</div><div><br />
</div><div>that they were never there to begin with.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Introspection is certainly healthy,</div><div><br />
</div><div>but years of it can get old,</div><div><br />
</div><div>know what I mean?</div><div><br />
</div><div>Let's move on...</div><div><br />
</div><div>In Celebration of this ghostly season,</div><div>I have written a new little ditty that's just for you....</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div></div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div></div>"<b>JOURNEY BACK TO SALEM</b>"<br />
<div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>A lingering feeling</div><br />
<div>surrounds me tonight..</div><br />
<div></div><div><br />
</div><div>A chill in the air</div><br />
<div>for wings to take flight...</div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div>A sobering gloom</div><div><br />
</div><div>like an unexplained fear...</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>Just what could it be</div><br />
<div>that would</div><br />
<div>follow me here?</div><br />
<div></div></div><div><br />
</div><div><div></div><br />
<div>It looms in the darkness,</div><br />
<div>Like a lantern, it glows..</div><br />
<div></div><div>Feels so familiar,</div><br />
<div>something I know?</div><br />
<div></div><br />
</div><div><br />
<div>In my darkened abode</div><div><br />
</div><div>I'm watching a film</div><div><br />
</div><div>I've seen once before</div><div><br />
</div><div>Filled with horror </div><div><br />
</div><div>and gore</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>A" Serial Killer,"</div><br />
<div>a "Sicko," </div><br />
<div>a "Clone"</div><div><br />
</div><div>The ending's predictable,</div><div><br />
</div><div>already known..</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>I'm drifting towards</div><div><br />
</div><div>dreamland,</div><div><br />
</div><div>to a place I remember...</div><div><br />
</div><div>I was there </div><div><br />
</div><div>a few days</div><div><br />
</div><div>just shy of November</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>It was Halloween week</div><div><br />
</div><div>and in Salem I found,</div><div><br />
</div><div>a place like no other</div><div><br />
</div><div>world famous, renowned </div><div><br />
</div><div>for the huge celebrations</div><div><br />
</div><div>that October brings.</div><div><br />
</div><div>And now I'll return</div><div><br />
</div><div>to discover new things</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Ignoring the prickling</div><br />
<div>at the base of my neck..</div><br />
<div>down my shivering spine...</div><br />
<div>(Must get a health check)</div><div><br />
</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>Strange thoughts scatter</div><div><br />
</div><div>aimlessly</div><br />
<div>inside of my head</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>"So glad you're returning!"</div><div><br />
</div><div>a distant voice said</div><div><br />
</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>(the witches' necks</div><br />
<div>hung on soft swaying trees,</div><br />
<div>then burned all together</div><br />
<div>and cast out to sea) </div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>On streets and in shops</div><div><br />
</div><div>Potions ready to sell</div><div><br />
</div><div>And magic dust lingers</div><div><br />
</div><div>with a rusty old smell</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Inside their cloaks</div><div><br />
</div><div>in back rooms</div><div><br />
</div><div>of old stores</div><div><br />
</div><div>are the pouches of venom</div><div><br />
</div><div>Hidden safely in drawers</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>They'll lure you inside</div><div><br />
</div><div>"such delightful tricks"</div><div><br />
</div><div>and you try to resist it</div><div><br />
</div><div>(cause you figure it's shtick)</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Still you find yourself </div><div><br />
</div><div>following this </div><div><br />
</div><div>black hooded creature</div><div><br />
</div><div>whose smooth tongue</div><div><br />
</div><div>reminds you of a </div><div><br />
</div><div>well rehearsed</div><div><br />
</div><div>preacher</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div></div><br />
<div>There are SPELLS </div><br />
<div>for everything </div><br />
<div>one could desire.</div><br />
<div>though some are unpleasant,</div><br />
<div>(like lynching and fire)</div><div><br />
</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>Some Spells are enchanting,</div><div><br />
</div><div>and others just garish</div><div><br />
</div><div>(and those less successful</div><div><br />
</div><div>have caused folks to perish!)</div><div><br />
</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>This is one Holiday </div><br />
<div>you won't soon forget...</div><br />
<div>("the shivering spine..</div><br />
<div>the prickling neck")</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>"Come close to me... </div><br />
<div>Turn around!...</div><br />
<div>Now closer" he said...</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>The Potion-Filled Vials</div><br />
<div>entice you to pay</div><br />
<div>for Hexes and Vexes</div><br />
<div>that lead you astray</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div>"It's here in my pocket</div><br />
<div>for just a small fee...</div><br />
<div>Not just smoke and mirrors!</div><br />
<div>It's <strong>MAGIC</strong>, you'll see..."</div><br />
<div></div><br />
</div><div><br />
<div>Blank stares and Whispering</div><br />
<div>Where Merriment should be...</div><div><br />
</div><br />
<div>(No sign of Pumpkins, one normally sees)</div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div>The sky starts to darken</div><br />
<div>and a loud shuffling sound...</div><br />
<div>Makes me look round the corner,</div><br />
<div>and guess what I found!</div><br />
<div></div><br />
</div><div><br />
<div><strong>THE ZOMBIES ARE BACK!</strong></div><br />
<div><strong>it's the season, you</strong><strong> know...</strong></div><br />
<div><strong></strong></div><br />
<div>(these Guys really know how </div><br />
<div>to <strong>PUT ON A SHOW!</strong>)</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>I should have guessed it...</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>(that frightening sight, of</div><br />
<div><b>CREATURES THAT NO LONGER LIVE IN THE LIGHT</b>)</div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div>Quick!..</div><br />
<div>Lower Your Voice,</div><br />
<div>or <b>THEY'LL HEAR</b></div><div><br />
</div><div><b></b>what you said </div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>Don't look,</div><br />
<div>and keep still,</div><br />
<div>or </div><br />
<div>they'll </div><br />
<div>know</div><br />
<div>you're </div><br />
<div>not</div><br />
<div><strong>DEAD</strong>.....)</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div>Nicole</div><br />
<div>Oct. 2010</div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div></div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<div></div></div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-28151781940721773232010-07-18T11:45:00.005-05:002010-07-18T12:29:51.222-05:00An Artist in the Family<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7jZGgdSaTWtXf9xXwj37JLLTsf3flMYjwhlAakKbbeM_wF7ioB_juxOMbEV8mU1GiXYcJKXPOYgv8BwLfqvs6Njtquak_fTBirCXvHGuAb0rjtwknsTmgOQW0Vn6Fz9opB4rHfTVrmge/s1600/child+artist.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 265px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495299025872940626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7jZGgdSaTWtXf9xXwj37JLLTsf3flMYjwhlAakKbbeM_wF7ioB_juxOMbEV8mU1GiXYcJKXPOYgv8BwLfqvs6Njtquak_fTBirCXvHGuAb0rjtwknsTmgOQW0Vn6Fz9opB4rHfTVrmge/s400/child+artist.JPG" /></a><br /><div>No, that would not be me...I am the woman who still draws stick figures after all of these years...(though I do feel that my stick figures have CHARACTER!)</div><br /><br /><div>My eldest son is very artistic, though he has never developed a keen interest in it, (music making is his obsession, as was his Mother's for the first 40 years of her life...)</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>My one and only sister, has always enjoyed personal creativity. It started when we were young...I wanted to go BUY something for a special occasion, and she wanted to MAKE something...</div><br /><br /><div>For my parent's 20th Anniversary, my sister and I gave them 20 different gifts...some bought, some made....This would have never happened had it not been for my sister, who found great joy, and still does, in creating something original....</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>My sister is very diverse in her creativity, having written plays, directed and acted in theater productions, teaching high school and junior high theater classes, co-owning a catering company in the past, and on and on....</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>For awhile now, she has been creating art in the form of what is called "Domino Art"...</div><br /><br /><div>Yes, that's right, like the Dominoes that people used to play with...The ones that you and I may have set up in a curvy row, and when done, tipped the first one to watch the whole row collapse, one by one...(Reminiscent of the "Rockettettes" in New York. They incorporate a falling dominoes type of dance during their Christmas show...)</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>My sister's art incorporates Dominoes mixed with other mediums, making some very interesting and unique pieces...</div><br /><br /><div>I will stop and not go on and on, as everyone has their own opinion when it comes to art. </div><br /><br /><div>I will simply give you the website, and let you decide for yourself...</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.charlottegiles.com/">http://www.charlottegiles.com/</a></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>I will write again soon. I am working full time at one hospital and prn at another, and very busy, but happy....I have planned a trip to Boston the week of Halloween....(Yes, I DO plan to see the "Zombie Parade" again, as once is simply not enough!)</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-42640431201294270592010-07-06T14:05:00.016-05:002010-07-06T16:31:42.789-05:00Let Them Eat Cake with a Wee Personal Scentiment<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jJ6Wk0vE0rJjh4KxFxdBJAW4AWPUdp3TYWKvoOHip5GslXRYC-G-J8z8Cs9nwaKtAgtV4xLL1rNdzPquXQHgXM7IzYTo1OUAgnQb_59dNpG4ZHVspnGEwn8tUSwHztSpc5V0mUwkiKEs/s1600/cake.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 265px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490896513206734818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jJ6Wk0vE0rJjh4KxFxdBJAW4AWPUdp3TYWKvoOHip5GslXRYC-G-J8z8Cs9nwaKtAgtV4xLL1rNdzPquXQHgXM7IzYTo1OUAgnQb_59dNpG4ZHVspnGEwn8tUSwHztSpc5V0mUwkiKEs/s400/cake.JPG" /></a><br /><br />"You must take a lover" they Said.<br />(I'd much rather go back to Bed)<br /><br />At least in my dreams<br />I'm happy, it seems.<br /><br />Untouched by the<br />post-wedded "Dread"<br /><br /><br />It's been disappointingly Clear<br />I'm not meant to be some one's "Dear"<br /><br />But it turns out, you see,<br />to be JUST FINE with me!<br /><br />(And the audience stands up to Cheer)<br /><br /><br /><br />......................................................................<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Well now...That was inspiring wasn't it?<br /><br />You can always depend on me to add hearts and flowers<br />to any situation at hand....<br /><br /><br />(cut to recipe...)<br /><br /><br />And now for an old fashioned, easy, and sumptuous cake for all.<br /><br />Served plain or enhanced with fruit and whipped cream, or adorned<br />with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream, you just can't lose<br />with the ALL AMERICAN POUND CAKE.<br /><br />(I'm an "eat it plain person, myself" or MAYBE with a scoop of Blue Bell)<br /><br />I was inspired to post this because it is the week of July 4th, but even<br />more so, because it is baked differently than other cakes.<br /><br /><br />It's quite Southern, lighter than most pound cakes, (due to the shortening),<br />and is a recipe that James Villas acquired from a very old Southern Lady,<br />who told him that the recipe had been in her family for generations.<br /><br />It's unusual because unlike most cakes, it starts in a COLD OVEN!<br /><br />Follow the recipe to a "T", and it will turn out beautifully every time....<br /><br />(I always suggest getting an oven thermometer to make sure that your oven<br />is the right temperature...Mine was 25 degrees off...Always a good idea to do<br />if you decide to BAKE anything....)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"Cold Oven Pound Cake"<br /><br /><br />3 cups sugar<br /><br />2 cups butter, softened<br /><br />8 Tablespoon vegetable shortening<br /><br />5 large eggs<br /><br />3 cups all purpose flour<br /><br />1 cup whole milk<br /><br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br /><br />1 teaspoon almond extract<br /><br />1 teaspoon lemon juice<br /><br /><br />Grease a 10 inch tube pan with some butter, and set aside.<br /><br />In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, butter, and shortening.<br /><br />Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended<br /><br />Alternately, add the flour and milk, and beat until the batter is smooth.<br /><br />Add the two extracts and the lemon juice and mix until well blended.<br /><br />Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and place in the center of the oven.<br /><br />Heat the oven to 325 degrees F, and bake until a cake tester or knife blade, inserted<br /><br />into the center, comes out clean.<br /><br />This should take about 1 1/2 hours.<br /><br />Turn the cake out on a rack, and let cool completely.<br /><br /><br />10-12 servingsNicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-29444628161833256632010-05-12T13:40:00.003-05:002010-05-12T15:23:46.288-05:00FOR THE LOVE OF "SMALL BITES" or "TIDBITS"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbE2l7YPz2OGBx1OW1-JVDh2-wUtAzWwYGUsHqQN_2Td-VynjmT5IvUUnc519vtvE0J4Clc6siCyMGv0gcNcKPFtImhyphenhyphenx3XrTVHeJqzjpIFox6xqfG8wVZi-ptVcW8zANQBOaCJFFpCfTl/s1600/mediterreanean+tapas.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 267px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470478846897001410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbE2l7YPz2OGBx1OW1-JVDh2-wUtAzWwYGUsHqQN_2Td-VynjmT5IvUUnc519vtvE0J4Clc6siCyMGv0gcNcKPFtImhyphenhyphenx3XrTVHeJqzjpIFox6xqfG8wVZi-ptVcW8zANQBOaCJFFpCfTl/s400/mediterreanean+tapas.jpg" /></a><br /><div>As far back as I can remember, before we knew what "Tapas" were, we, that is my friends and family, were always more enamored with appetizers, grazing on small plates, or casually noshing on small "bites"....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We preferred it to the large holiday dinners, and for many years on Christmas Eve, we looked forward to our favorite Christmas treat, which was an evening filled with different appetizers and Champagne....We always had too much food, as my Mother would always point out, but it never went uneaten as we all headed home with small bites of "this and that" to nosh on for a few days to come...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I had dinner out last night with a couple of my oldest friends...We have known each other since High School, and have what seems to be a million years of memories. We don't get to see each other as often as we would like, but when we do, there is nothing that we cannot share with each other, as though we had just seen each other. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>As we perused the menu, we had so much to catch up on, that we could not be bothered with devoting much attention to what we wanted to order. The THIRD time that the waiter came by the table, he suggested the sharing of a small plate of marinated Mediterranean Olives, which was accompanied by almonds and garlic rubbed grilled toasts.....The pairing of this small bite with my lovely glass of light Chardonnay was perfection. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I have been working like a DOG for the last couple of weeks...(Why do we say working like a "DOG", when all I ever see most dogs do is sleep?)</div><br /><div>I greatly looked forward to my few days off this week to sleep late, read, and try some new recipes or make them up....These activities always relax and please me (especially the part about sleeping late, because I am now getting up at 4AM!!! to go to work...)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Now that I AM working very steadily, I grocery shop, but don't do a lot of cooking because I am not around as much. Hence the need to buy smaller quantities of food that is good for on the go..</div><br /><div>Now when I refer to food like this, I mean sumptuous Goat Cheese, French Feta Cheese, Marinated Greek and Green Olives, Peppers, loaves of Rosemary Seven Grain Bread, Sourdough small loaves, good Olive Oil, Garbanzo Beans and Tahini for Hummus, Greek Yogurt and English Cucumber for Tsatziki, Cans of my Favorite Tuna, Lemons, Garlic, Greens, Chicken Breasts, and all sorts of fresh Herbs....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>With these fresh ingredients in the kitchen, I can whip up just about anything that I might be interested in making, or grab a quick snack so as not to have to make a "big deal" out of a meal...</div><br /><div>This morning I wanted to take something over to my parents house for them to enjoy....Maybe something that they have never eaten and hopefully would find to be delicious...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Out of the refrigerator I grabbed log of Chevre' (natural goat cheese), a small amount of some French Feta, and a bit of Cream Cheese....I also pulled out the last of some walnuts, toasted them, and in the veggie drawer grabbed the herbs that I had on hand, some Dill, Tarragon, and Italian Parsley.....At this point I settled on a jar of "Party Olive ANTIPASTO" a product made in Greece and manufactured by the "PEPLOPONNESE" company...It contained olives, green peppers, cauliflower, carrots, and red peppers...PERFECT...(Believe it or not, this jar was found in the Grocery aisle where the olives are at my local KROGER...Really! Just gotta look for these goodies....) </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I decided that a great cheese spread made with this Antipasto could be very delicious, and absolutely divine on some homemade CROSTINI....So easy....</div><br /><div>I happened to have a loaf of small rounded Sourdough bread, as well as the end of a Rosemary Seven Grain Loaf bought at La Madeline....The Bread slices were the perfect size, but had they been too large, they could have been easily sliced in half....More about the making of the Crostini later.....For now back to the.....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>"MEDITERRANEAN WING IT CHEESE SPREAD"</div><br /><div>In your food processor, clean and throw in a handful of each and every fresh herb you have or want to use (be sure to take off any stems...)...Throw in a peeled garlic clove or two...Dash a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in and process until it is finely chopped. </div><br /><div>Add all of the cheese, room temp, and process until combined. Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the Antipasto along with a little marinade (but not a lot, as it is quite salty)....Grind some pepper into the processor bowl, as well as a bit of cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne (if you have it, which you should since it is FAB in just about everything but chocolate cake....)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Turn on the processor and process until really smooth almost like a "mousse"....After this is done, add the toasted walnuts (I used about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)....Turn the processor on and off a couple of times or so, as you want the nuts to still be intact, though not large....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>TASTE...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>ALWAYS taste your food...What does it need? Too salty? Add a bit more cream cheese...Bland? I doubt it will be, but if so, you could add some additional marinated olives, or just regular green or Kalamata olives....(Again, these are very salty, so go easy...)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Fill a crock jar with the spread and if giving away, tie a pretty ribbon around it...(this is a great idea, and some day I will buy ribbons just for this very reason....As for now, the jar will remain naked....)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>THE CROSTINI<br /></div><div></div><br /><div>Oven preheated to 350 degrees...</div><br /><div>Take your largest cookie sheet and line it with parchment...Place the small sized bread, (Sourdough, French, or Italian is best), on the sheet....Cut larger sized bread in half if you wish, though I think that the smaller rounded "toasts" are the most attractive...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Sprinkle or brush each piece with Olive Oil....Bake for around 7 minutes or so, but watch carefully after 5 minutes...They don't have to be brown in color, just toasted like a large crouton....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>As you pull the crostini from the oven, and while they are still warm, rub each piece with a peeled garlic clove....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Put them on a wire rack to completely cool, then store them in a large plastic ziploc until ready to serve....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I hope that you will try this Spread, as it is quite tasty, or at least gather some inspiration from the recipe, and give it a try yourself with your own choice of cheeses, herbs, and other ingredients....You could do a roasted pepper one or do one with the roasted tomatoes that you have made yourself....(i.e. see post before this one...mine were all gone!)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This is the kind of cooking that I love to do, and find to be the most creative...A bit of this, a bit of that, and who knows? You might be the creator of something amazing! I think that one of the keys is to keep you refrigerator stocked with the freshest of ingredients, the best that you can afford in terms of quality, and items that you and you family/friends like....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>As Summer shows its heated little head, especially here in Texas, glasses of Chilled Wine, Lemonade, and "Small Bites" sound more and more the answer to mealtime...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I hope that you will enjoy this addition to your favorite "Tapas," or as my sister and I called them growing up, "Tidbits"....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-42090277454111646002010-05-02T22:42:00.011-05:002010-05-02T23:55:22.844-05:00DELICIOUS Oven Roasted Tomatoes (or how working brings out the Culinary in me...)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsfMtJGV7S8v7Uw7fEgykRjGed_O5aSfQz2i9-1DIVa1-RDYaKwMYcLDyppz8JTFgvo6GYJaEZcx2L4hCSjGLzAufkFc-Wj0L_qW1PoNeKhzJ_zDvxLRzaaMTgF_Mqr3gaJo1Hx2UPXM5/s1600/oven+dried+roasted+tomatoes.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466895411038390418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsfMtJGV7S8v7Uw7fEgykRjGed_O5aSfQz2i9-1DIVa1-RDYaKwMYcLDyppz8JTFgvo6GYJaEZcx2L4hCSjGLzAufkFc-Wj0L_qW1PoNeKhzJ_zDvxLRzaaMTgF_Mqr3gaJo1Hx2UPXM5/s400/oven+dried+roasted+tomatoes.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Feels great to work again...As I told my son, I missed taking care of my "Peeps"....</div><br /><br /><div>I am working so much (PRN, alas no full time position yet), at two different hospitals....I have to be careful not to "overbook" myself, as I did last week...This was my first day off for over a week...</div><br /><br /><div>After sleeping for most of the morning, I emerged an energy filled woman, ready to watch a couple of films that I recorded awhile ago, and cook at the same time...(have always loved to do this...)</div><br /><br /><br /><div>I am feeling SO much happier since I am back to work, and when I am happy, I always feel like cooking...I also HATE anything frozen and/or basically anything less than wonderful....I have been known to cook, as I did last week, 6 different things in one day, just so we would have good things to eat in our fridge..</div><br /><div><br /></div><div>My son has been on a "working out and only eating healthy things" regimen for awhile now, so I do try to keep this in mind when I am planning what I will prepare...</div><br /><br /><div>I made a recipe today that was not only completely delicious, but easy and fairly economical...It filled my apartment with the smells of an authentic Italian kitchen, and that in itself was lovely....<br />You can make this all year long, and would be especially helpful in the winter, when tomatoes are really tasteless....</div><br /><br /><div>Oven Roasted/Dried Tomatoes<br /></div><div><br />You can do this with big tomatoes, cut into quarters, but I like doing it with cherry tomatoes....They could be put on top of a pizza, scattered on top of a salad, used as a topping on a sandwich or panini, tossed with pasta, used with mozzarella, goat cheese, or French feta cheese for a great bruschetta, or just on their own...They are seriously addictive and versatile....<br /><br />Oven 225 degrees<br /><br />Use parchment paper on a big sheet pan...(If you don't use parchment, just make sure that you spray the pan or coat with olive oil, but parchment makes it so easy...)<br /><br />Wash, dry, and half the cherry tomatoes...(about 2 pints or more if your pan will hold it..)<br /><br />Place on large baking sheet, and scatter unpeeled garlic cloves around the tomatoes...<br /><br />Drizzle all with olive oil (extra virgin is best, but the regular would do...)<br /><br />Sprinkle with Kosher Salt (don't overdo that), and cracked pepper...<br /><br />Take whatever dried Italian spices that you have and mix them together...(I used basil and oregano...Fennel would be nice if you had it...)<br /><br />You will need 2 teaspoons of very fine spices, so take more than that, and with clean hands, use your fingers and turn the spices into a very fine powder...(If you have a mortar and pestle, it would be perfect for this, but I do not...)<br />Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the finely ground spices over the tomatoes...(I used a little cayenne as well for a kick...)<br /><br />Bake these for about 3-4 hours, checking them after 3 hours, as you do not want them black all over...I cooked mine for 3 1/2 hours, but it will depend on their size...If you were to half and cook the grape ones, it would take less time....<br /><br />These will keep for a few days, kept in a covered jar or container, covered in olive oil....Not sure that it will last that long though...The roasted garlic can be stored right along with the tomatoes...<br />These are perfect to make on your next day off...Make more rather than less....Enjoy</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-66453664420802709822010-04-01T03:55:00.008-05:002010-05-03T00:23:04.536-05:00Let's get all dressed up and go shopping!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7USSQRc3TtEfKBv-bIwSWYSzQ3ZPp5BWXCZO_YiGIQ7cnxVg2IHeczXJ3o9IeV4JTt8KE2kpxErEvdFqAYJAQ3oD17yd825EacteoCnNCAnhGipeKJsjGS80WfXHsBgUXEAWWyakULfLu/s1600/dog+shopping.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 344px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 349px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455095234287129074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7USSQRc3TtEfKBv-bIwSWYSzQ3ZPp5BWXCZO_YiGIQ7cnxVg2IHeczXJ3o9IeV4JTt8KE2kpxErEvdFqAYJAQ3oD17yd825EacteoCnNCAnhGipeKJsjGS80WfXHsBgUXEAWWyakULfLu/s400/dog+shopping.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Dont' you just love to shop? Oh, I don't mean a crowded mall with sale tables overflowing with unrecognizable items, (it reminds me of my laundry room, you almost have to hire a detective to find that ONE pair of red pants...)</div><br /><br /><div>No, I speak of practically vacated malls, like during the weekdays, where you feel like a million bucks and EVERYONE working asks if you need help....Of course my favorite kind of shopping is in small intimate shops that are rather antiquated in form, and lie on Cobblestone Streets with Gas Lamps...That would be Charles Street in Beacon Hill in Boston...Lovely...Another great shopping memory lies in the heart of the historic district of Charleston, South Carolina...Blocks and Blocks of antique shops, perfume shops, and basically everything "girly"...You gotta love it...Not to mention the incredibly restored mansions with their perfectly furnished pieces that are an art form in themselves...My very favorite places to shop are Art Museum Shops, where they go out of their way to provide unique and hard to find items, from art and jewelry, to music and even furniture...Even when I cannot afford to buy much, these places give a breath of fresh air, and I rather enjoy fantasizing what I would buy if I could...Of course sometimes when I am doing well, I DO buy, mostly jewelry, great stuff that is one of a kind....Hmmm..Just thinking of it puts a smile on my face......Yeah, this pup's in for a great day!</div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-81977400437891023702010-03-19T02:25:00.020-05:002010-04-01T03:43:12.252-05:00"Pimento Cheese Fit For A Queen" and Tzatsiki Sauce that's "Fit" and Fabulous<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfXWMwUi3d6XvovytfJsJQRleGQz5yW5oktBB2oZxl2D_v03PEo4kx9bCuKUZyb9AcMAGxJRRUe2JjuHXNaWcL0Z19WAtbQIZ1NTck5F79MKtaYyd7Lw4wSOj8IyKWUgLD8UnPFFWenD3/s1600/tzisiki+sauce.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 132px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455086325742882674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfXWMwUi3d6XvovytfJsJQRleGQz5yW5oktBB2oZxl2D_v03PEo4kx9bCuKUZyb9AcMAGxJRRUe2JjuHXNaWcL0Z19WAtbQIZ1NTck5F79MKtaYyd7Lw4wSOj8IyKWUgLD8UnPFFWenD3/s200/tzisiki+sauce.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJdTGbWtD-ECHwvuYYM9X4HEkv5pOF64vOmG9us7EwPtrmfiIJ9GC1uWk1OUcWNgz6KJIJmKFunPb6s0HSCzZrsSZ7RVwWCoCAGgZd9hQSMUXxld41HIutjef0BRS8oshEJ6e1j1TnqrzM/s1600/grated+cheese.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455085472371143266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJdTGbWtD-ECHwvuYYM9X4HEkv5pOF64vOmG9us7EwPtrmfiIJ9GC1uWk1OUcWNgz6KJIJmKFunPb6s0HSCzZrsSZ7RVwWCoCAGgZd9hQSMUXxld41HIutjef0BRS8oshEJ6e1j1TnqrzM/s200/grated+cheese.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qAe6JIwxCdazwX_xaBEoa7XyT3Ph38hVxIUc90lMXnPhb1jVd9_qzUK8-H5JGm7P94qUuQnShBK0jE66VkDwVzkyPX4015ewzAJofIC7cyz2bLNs15oVi-hSJCqgV8qSBtjysdeTnQWX/s1600-h/cowgirl.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 302px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450252637627887602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qAe6JIwxCdazwX_xaBEoa7XyT3Ph38hVxIUc90lMXnPhb1jVd9_qzUK8-H5JGm7P94qUuQnShBK0jE66VkDwVzkyPX4015ewzAJofIC7cyz2bLNs15oVi-hSJCqgV8qSBtjysdeTnQWX/s400/cowgirl.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />You all have probably wondered what a "once again" unemployed girl, who is on the verge of yet "another" nervous breakdown, (yawn...) does at 2:30 in the morning..<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Sleep? Heavens no! Way too predictable. and I just can't afford that kind of a reputation at this point in my life....<br /><br /><br />The answer is...I'm cooking! But of course....<br /><br /><br /><br />I'm either crying or cooking, and tonight it's<br />cooking.... (well SOMETIMES I laugh...last night at 2:30 in morning, I was watching the recent remake of "The Importance of Being Earnest", and cracking up at lines like, "When I'm sad, I refuse everything, except food and drink"....As you<br />all know, I adore Oscar Wilde...(See previous post from way back...)<br /><br /><br /><br />Actually I've had quite the productive day where the culinary arts are concerned...<br /><br />(too bad it doesn't pay, but then a girl can't have everything...)<br /><br /><br />I made some delectable Tzatsiki sauce today, and felt that I needed to balance that low fat<br /><br />regimen by following it with a high fat recipe tonight...hence the:<br /><br /><br />"Pimento Cheese Fit For A Queen"<br /><br /><br />1/2 Lb Sharp White Cheese<br />1/2 Lb Cheddar<br />Shred cheese by box grater....<br />Mix these cheeses together...<br /><br />2-7 oz cans pimentos (drained)<br />Put those on plate and mash with fork to a pulp<br />Add to cheese<br /><br />1 to 2 Jalapenos with ribs and seeds (depending how hot you want it) minced finely<br />Add to cheese mixture<br /><br />Add small amount salt, and small or larger amount garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, dry mustard-"Coleman's" is best...(all to taste, go small then add more as desired)<br /><br />Add Mayo (Hellman's or homemade) to bind...Will take at least one cup or more...(should<br />be spreadable and NOT stiff)<br />Do not skimp on this...<br /><br />(Reminder...This is not a low fat recipe, as no respectable Southern recipe is....)<br />Best mixed with a fork....<br /><br />Will require a bit of mixing and patience...<br />Want everything very incorporated...<br /><br />Finish with shots of Tabasco and a little Worcestershire sauce...<br />Mix well...<br /><br />Put in crocks or covered dish in Refrigerator, and let it stay there for at least 3-4 hours or overnight before serving....(of course, that is after you get yourself some!!!)<br /><br />Makes two really good sized pint sized crocks (I like to use the pickling jars with lids)<br /><br />Consider giving one away and keeping the other...(to some lucky friend/family...no foes, unless you want them to become friends...)<br /><br />Good for one full week refrigerated... So good, you're gonna have to find someone to SLAP...<br />(I, for one, never thought that "YO MAMA" was a good choice...just say'n)<br /><br />Notes on Recipe...Of course you could add some finely chopped Italian Parsley, Smoked Paprika, Onion, Juice from the Pimentos or Dilled or Bread and Butter Pickles, finely minced Garlic..<br /><br />Actually just the original recipe is best, I think<br /><br />Could leave out the Jalapeno and Tabasco....(pity, though)<br /><br />Serving Suggestions...On crackers, ripe tomato slices, top of burgers, stuffed celery, or traditionally, which is on white bread (the kind that nobody buys anymore...)<br /><br /><br />Now for the Tzatsiki Sauce....<br /><br />Hard to believe that it's healthy and low fat because it's just too good for that!<br /><br /><br />My Tzatsiki Sauce<br /><br />2 cups of plain yogurt ( If you can afford the Greek Yogurt you do not have to drain)<br /><br />I used regular plain yogurt and put it in a couple of coffee filters in a stainer over a bowl in<br />the refrigerator and left it there to drain overnight... (doesn't actually take all night)<br /><br />In the morning it is nice and thick like the consistency of thick Sour Cream...<br /><br /><br />2 regular cucumbers, peeled, seeds removed, grated, and squeezed dry with some<br />kitchen towels to remove all moisture (just as you would do with defrosted spinach)<br /><br /><br />Combine these two ingredients, then add 2-3 cloves of finely minced garlic, a bit of salt and pepper, about a tablespoon or two of finely minced fresh dill, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, a dash of white or red wine vinegar, a dash of cayenne pepper, and enough extra virgin olive oil to suit your consistency preference....<br /><br />You can replace the dill with fresh mint if you desire...Both are wonderful....<br /><br /><br />Serving Suggestions..<br /><br />Great with pita bread, cut up veggies, as a healthy substitute for sour cream in a baked potato, drizzled over roasted potatoes and other veggies, and any grilled lamb or chicken breasts (marinate lamb and/or chicken first in extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper, and only about 1/2 hour before you grill in the case of the chicken breasts, or they will cook in the lemon juice...can marinate lamb longer...)<br /><br />"Lamb Burgers" are wonderful with topped with Tzatsiki....<br /><br />Think that I might have that recipe posted either on this blog or on foodbuzz.com under "sautegrillfryfunnygirl"....<br /><br />This sauce is so versatile, I'm sure that you will come up with delicious ways to eat it...<br /><br />Well...Happy Eating.<br /><br />Hope you enjoy these recipes...<br /><br />When I come out with a recipe for sauteed acorns garnished with crisp fried crickets , you'll know I'm in trouble...<br /><br /><br />See you in the "Soup Lines"...(bet they won't have any Tzatsiki or Pimento Cheese there...)<br /><br />Hmmph...<br /><br />Oh and why the cowgirl picture?<br /><br />Just a rare occasion when the Texan in me shows her true roots, which reminds me...<br /><br />Roots look horrifying when you're unemployed....<br /><br />If my hairdresser saw me, he would pretend that we weren't acquainted...<br /><br />Uh oh....here comes the crying again...</div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-70667680149564445312010-02-04T10:42:00.002-06:002010-02-04T12:03:32.713-06:00How Boston can save a girl's life<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSrZCcCzBhSr5DojJX7YZC7lPWfGSt7dPhei5YMJPnpln05G0VD4u0u9k2cENFtLfCyHda84_RSkp5sBV8k-t_TWgRc6p1eC5EKKv5xw9lvRomCxZbdUm6620nFh7Spi73_X_vuhnlM5a/s1600-h/broken+heart.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434450402550803666" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSrZCcCzBhSr5DojJX7YZC7lPWfGSt7dPhei5YMJPnpln05G0VD4u0u9k2cENFtLfCyHda84_RSkp5sBV8k-t_TWgRc6p1eC5EKKv5xw9lvRomCxZbdUm6620nFh7Spi73_X_vuhnlM5a/s400/broken+heart.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I suppose that's overdoing it a bit...It seems to be my chosen haven for when everything is great and when everything is not so great. Yes, here I am several months later, so terribly sporadic concerning my entries, and I do apologize for that. I will say, though, in my defense,that I just woke up last week for the first time in 7 months.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I had NO IDEA until I was forced to resign from my full time night shift job a little over a week ago, that I had been living and walking around in a "zombie state" (somewhat reminiscent of those I encountered in the Salem zombie walk awhile back...hopefully, those that have been avid readers of this blog do recall one of my finer moments around a year ago....)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>It was not until about a week after from the day that I was asked to resign from my position, (experiencing large doses of anger, shock, resistance, horror, outrage, and sadness), while trying to initially recover for a few days in Boston, that I realized one afternoon that I had this very foreign, yet positive feeling coming from inside of me...It was something I could not initially put my finger on...</div><br /><div>In no time at all, I realized, that in fact, it was that I was AWAKE!</div><br /><div>For those of you that have smoked, and then quit, it was exactly what one goes through soon after you quit smoking...Suddenly you feel so much better...Why, you didn't even know that you felt badly! What a surprise...Well, that's how being awake felt...So nice for a change...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>My struggles with this job were made possible by not only experiencing a completely new hospital/staff/and work that I didn't normally do (intensive care for brain injuries), but I could have survived that and eventually thrived. I knew that, and I suppose that is what hurt a great deal...The anger and outrage portion was brought on by the fact that my newly promoted manager, who had never managed before, and didn't care for me before the promotion, spent the last 8 weeks of my job, "mentoring" me in the ICU policies and procedures. It's interesting that you get to a point in life where you tell yourself that people aren't really evil, as surely there is just a communication breakdown that can be remedied...</div><br /><div>WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!</div><br /><div>I won't go on and on and belabor this point, let's just say that what we had on hand was a little "Hitler" that had been physically abused by his Daddy as a boy, and also didn't particularly like women that spoke up for themselves when being tortured and emotionally abused....(uh...that would be me...)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>So, that would be it, in a nutshell, as they say...It didn't take a few days in Boston for me to realize that this was seriously for the best, as I was beginning to wear down quickly as the last few weeks went by...</div><br /><div>It was WONDERFUL for me to spend a few days in Boston again...Helped me put things into some perspective...I needed to get away from home, from the constant calls (especially those "well meaning" friends? from work, who I'm sure wanted all the gory details...I did not answer the phone...No one there got the "gory details"...)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>So....Now here I am...A second time in the last 12 months without a job...A girl who has kept a full time steady job for 29 years and does not get used to being unemployed...Why I can't even apply for "unemployment" because I "resigned" (which I had to do because of my License or I would not work again in Texas...)....</div><br /><div>I know that I will find something or maybe a couple of things at some point...As much as I thought that I enjoyed working nights, I had no idea how much better I felt when I came off of them...Definitely a love/hate relationship with night shift work...Money is so much better...Don't have to deal with the problem of not being able to get to your patient due to a multitude of others around you (physicians, OT, PT, etc)....Quiet on nights, I like that....Like being awake also....Don't like not being able to wake up on my days off....I have done NOTHING but either work or sleep for the last 7 months...Even when I went out for town, which I did often, I could hardly stay awake...My God, I have almost seen nothing that is up for the Academy Awards this year! That in itself tells the story, as I am a film freak....(Did see "An Education" while in Boston, and "A Single Man" last night....both marvelous....)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>You can imagine the state that I was in while in Boston....Trying to get away to my favorite place and "chill" after what has been probably the worst 7 months of my life...(and that includes my last marriage...yeah...THAT'S how bad it was...)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Here I am, gleefully happy, as I have just stepped out of "THE TRIDENT BOOKSTORE", one of my favorite places in Boston....I have spent a couple of hours inside, roving through the most interesting books, books that one cannot find at Barnes and Noble, etc. There are also very interesting and happy people inside, some browsing as I was, some meeting socially for a meal and/or a snack at the Trident restaurant that serves decadent looking desserts, smoothies, soups, etc. It is a PERFECT January day (for a Texas girl anyway)...Earlier that morning I am walking, eating, and mostly window shopping in my beloved Beacon Hill on the cobblestone streets, with the gas lamps glowing, when all of the sudden, the beautiful and graceful flakes of snow begin to fall....I am inside having lunch at this very quaint little shop, and as I look out on the snow coming down, every so gracefully, I have to take a deep breath, as I am overcome with happiness (a feeling somewhat foreign to me at this time...)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Walking in the falling snow up and down those streets is like a perfect dream...Only problem is, eventually your hair is so wet, you have to duck inside somewhere....This brings me back to walking out of the Trident Bookstore. I've had probably the best day I've experienced for too long to remember...All of my favorite things in one day....As I walk out to stand under the awning to wait for my ride, I immediately see a little woman, humped over, on the phone, and she eyes me up an down quickly, and tells her caller that she must go, and that she will call her later...This little bent over, dark stringy haired, crooked nosed woman, is a shoo-in for the part of Hansel and Gretal's witch....I'm looking away, because I SO don't want to be bothered, but NO, not gonna happen....She comes towards me, extends her hand, and introduces herself. As she is still looking "around me up and down", she exclaims that "I MUST do a reading for you".....I decline and tell her that I'm sure that there are many others that would appreciate a "reading", but she tells me, "NO! I will NOT do readings on just anyone...My Grandmother, my Mother, we all have the "gift" and we do not abuse it! You don't understand, you NEED a reading, and I MUST do one on you"...I SO wanted just to give this woman money and say bye bye, but instead I told her that I didn't want a reading, as they tended to scare me, and I did not feel like being scared today.....She succumbed to my wishes, and we shook hands and she told me "God Bless You", and I said, "God Bless You Too", and sighed that it was over...She walked a few steps to the Trident door, opened it up, and then turned her twisted little body around, and spoke in an ominous tone as she warned.....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>"BEWARE...THERE ARE THOSE THAT WANT TO INVADE YOUR LIFE...THERE IS TERRIBLE JEALOUSY.....EVIL MEN WILL COME.....BEWARE...." Immediately I told her, "I know, I've already met a few..Gotcha though...." </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I bring this little incident up, because I think that it is important to note, THAT IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING, ISN'T IT? I'm certain that someone else would've come out of the bookstore, happy as a little clam, and been left the hell alone...Not me...NEVER ME! It's as though I have a sign on my head that says...."HEY...FEELING A LITTLE TOO HAPPY/SECURE...COME BUG ME..."</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Never a dull moment...Story of my life...</div><br /><div>Later...</div><br /><div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-28558627071545585412009-11-21T03:48:00.005-06:002009-11-21T15:20:06.477-06:00ESCAPE TO BEACON HILLI got back this week from a wonderful week in Boston<br /><br />I fell in love with Boston last year.<br /><br />(remember my blog on the "Zombie parade" in Salem?)<br /><br />As usual I knew no one where I was going...<br /><br />I had just always known that I would love the place.<br /><br />It was MY kind of place, and was certainly "love at first site" before we ever laid eyes on<br />each other...<br /><br />Some things you just KNOW, maybe by movies you've seen, possibly by books read....<br /><br />Not the least of which, those gorgeous photographs you've always seen...<br /><br /><br />The beautiful Golden Dome on top of the State House...(my hotel this time was right next to<br /><br />it...what a gorgeous sight!)<br /><br /><br /><br />The Cobblestone Streets of Beacon Hill...Gas lamps lining the streets...( lingering in the<br />precious antique, wine, specialty food, gift, clothing, jewelry shops...both up and down Charles Street...This is where I stayed this time...Nirvana...)<br /><br /><br />Architecture that has except for upkeep, simply has NOT been changed since the 1700s!!!<br /><br /><br />Beautiful Back Bay with the bells ringing from the Trinity church, the oldest Episcopalian church in America...Both inside and out, it is almost overwhelming...There are no words to describe this kind of beauty...<br /><br /><br />Let us not forget those that are more the "Rodeo Drive" type of shoppers......<br />Newbury Street in Back Bay is your paradise...<br /><br /><br /><br />Statues of Paul Revere, Henry Adams, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, President Kennedy, and many others surround you....<br /><br /><br />The Boston Common (oldest park in America)...The public garden...Swans gracefully set upon the water in the summer, and in the winter covered in ice for an outdoor skating rink...This is wonderful to watch, because in Boston, as in New York, people actually know how to skate and skate well....<br /><br /><br />SO MUCH HISTORY SURROUNDS YOU...<br /><br /><br />The kind of history that one doesn't probably appreciate as a kid...One of the joys of getting older...that love of history...and to see it right in front of you...To hell with history classes, this<br />is the way to learn and love history (I know, unrealistic, but too bad)<br /><br /><br />Sipping tea where Louisa May Alcott used to sip her tea, as she wrote "Little Women"...<br /><br /><br />I could go on and on...(and probably will...)<br /><br /><br />Beautiful and exciting Cambridge...(where the very best restaurants are..more later)<br /><br />Cambridge is literally one of the best places in which to observe people...Very interesting<br /><br />types of people...Intellectual, attractive people...Love it...<br /><br /><br /><br />Speaking of people, I have now spent two week of my life in Boston and never met a rude<br /><br />person...I have ONLY encountered either polite or downright friendly people...Sorry to<br /><br />bust yet another "myth" about people up north...east....<br /><br /><br /><br />The Boston Symphony Orchestra...(my second time, where once again, I landed a seat on the 6th row, close enough to actually view the genius virtuoso that inevitably performs during the concert. This time it was a 21 year old "child"....She was obviously gifted beyond reasonable comprehension...Mozart as a child came to mind, as I watched her fingers produce literal "magic" on the piano keys....I had to try to keep my mouth from falling open...As previously stated, drooling in public is simply not an option for me....)<br /><br /><br />The Isabella Gardner Museum...<br /><br />I am so passionate about this "museum" (it was actually her huge mansion), that I will try to<br />hold myself back from 3 paragraphs of explanation...<br /><br /><br />Let's just get to the major points...<br /><br /><br />Point number one...If at all possible, you must do what you need to do to see this stunning<br />museum before you die....<br /><br /><br />That said....<br /><br /><br />Point number two...There is a massive "Garden Courtyard" in the house that literally has to be seen to be believed...She loved her courtyard and poured herself and her love of art (not to mention a lot of money) into this garden and every space of this mansion....It is 3 or 4 stories, and probably contains about 30 or more rooms that contain precious art from all over the world....This is place where the horrific art burglars around 1990 got away with some Picasso, Matisse, and many other priceless paintings...They have NEVER found the paintings or the criminals...Their frames lay vacated on the walls...Mrs. Gardner left a will specifying that NOTHING ever be changed in the museum and it has not...Even when a painting is stolen, the frame remains just as it was...Wow...<br /><br /><br />Point number three... There is a precious little tea room/lunch room inside the museum if one gets "the vapors" or any other malady while trying to take it all in...<br /><br /><br />Point number four...For those that adore Museum Gift Shops, THIS is your place...I would say that next to the gift shop at the MOMO in NY, this is my favorite museum gift shop...Last year I bought the CD that was playing while I was in the shop, a collection of charming French tunes sung by well known contemporary French artist...(not well known by us, of course)<br />It is still one of my favorites...<br />I put it on when I am particularly irritated, and it seems to help.....<br /><br />I digress...<br /><br />Point number five...On first Thursday evening of the month, and on Sundays at 1:30, they have small and interesting "concerts" by musicians from all over the world...I attended one this time while in Boston, and while it wasn't exactly my kind of musical preference, I really enjoyed the whole "private" affair held in one of Mrs. Gardner's "concert rooms"....(It was an "experiment" in Classical and Synthesizer music, that had its exciting moments, I must admit)<br /><br /><br />So that you don't think that I am just waxing on about nothing...do check out their website if you are more interested...I feel that it is my duty to share this incredible place with the world...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.gardnermuseum.org/">www.gardnermuseum.org/</a><br /><br /><br />There are many wonderful things in and about Boston...Much more than this, and I might as well write a guide book (hmm...think this has been done already...but not by me! Note to self...think<br />about this later...)<br /><br />I know that most of my followers are foodies...so I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that this<br />is one of the best places for foodies in the country...Seriously, it's right up there with San Francisco, you just have to know where to go....<br /><br /><br />I do think that there are some wonderful places in Boston itself, "Hamersley's Bistro" being one of them, but most of the really special and deliciously different ones, I have found, reside in Cambridge....<br /><br />I was there for a week, and I must say that it was difficult for me not to revisit my favorites, which I did, but I managed to try two new ones....(I did go to my very favorite twice though...)<br /><br />I will provide you with a list of not to be missed places for foodies...(but I must say that I do it out of love for my fellow foodies, because it is VERY difficult at times to share one's researched and favorite "gems"....)<br /><br />Okay...here goes....(oh, and of course, nothing is cheap, because organic, quality, fresh and farm grown sent immediately to restaurant, type of food, never is...Foodies simply cannot be bothered with that silly detail anyway...)<br /><br /><br />In Boston...<br /><br />South End:<br />Hamersley's Bistro <a href="http://www.hamersleysbistro.com/">http://www.hamersleysbistro.com/</a><br /><br />B & G oysters <a href="http://www.bandgoysters.com/">http://www.bandgoysters.com/</a><br /><br /><br />North End:<br />This is their "Little Italy"...many good Italian ones here...I am not particularly as huge a fan as others of Italian, though I understand that "Mama Maria" set in a century old farmhouse and right across from Paul Revere's home is suppose to be quite special<br /><br /><br />The North End is where one could find some authentic and cheaper food...I understand that<br />"Mike's Pastry" is also wonderful for the best pastries....(note Mama Maria NOT cheap)<br /><br />I did do a foodie tour here last year, but never made it back to dine here...One of those, need to<br />do my next visit deals....<br /><br /><br />Many of these restaurants that line Hanover Street are Mom and Pop and may only take cash, so be prepared...<br /><br /><br />Special mention for "Neptune's Oyster" in North End...People rave about their "Lobster Rolls"<br /><br /><br />Cambridge:<br /><br />"Oleana" (my favorite restaurant ANYWHERE)<br /><br />(Vegetarians take note...I have been there three times now, and have never tasted meat, because the Vegetarian dining option is so incredible, it is what I always get...It is different every<br />night...)<br /><br /><br />"Craigie on the Square"<br /><br />This chef won the James Beard Award...<br /><br />I did the after 9Pm on Sunday night "Chef's Whim"<br /><br />You have to be adventurous, because you do either meat or veg, and then it's up to his<br /><br />"whim" at the moment as to what your 4 or 6 course dinner is plus dessert....<br /><br />This is the first time I have ever eaten "sweetbreads", a Hannibal Lector favorite, and I must<br />say, I probably will not seek them out again, but I got through it and it was quite delicious...I don't know...think I have seen "Hannibal" too many times to appreciate this....<br /><br />The rest of the course were too complex to even describe, but all very special and delicious...<br /><br />I sat next to a woman who was also by herself, doing the "whim" and even she got different<br />things than I did...(interesting woman, on business in Cambridge...A physician recruter for an infamous hospital in Memphis, who meets with soon to be graduate Medical students from Harvard and Scientist from MIT....Great job...."I get excited talking about Science"...She was also a serious foodie...)<br /><br />It was fun, a great experience, and I will do it again...<br /><br />They also had a "cocktail whim"...4 Mini cocktails of their choosing, from light to dark, in the cutest little miniature cocktail glasses that you have ever seen. If Ken and Barbie had "cocktail hour", this is what they would drink out of....<br />Okay, Okay...maybe not that small....<br /><br /><br />"Hungry Mother"...<br /><br />Excellent Chef living in Cambridge, who saw a need for "gourmet" Southern fare...I have eaten it in Charleston, some of the best ever, and his take, although quite different, was no less delicious and I highly recommend it....<br />He had me at the "pimento cheese" starter and it just got better and better...<br />Anyone who can make "greens" taste that delicious, has my vote....(and no bacon it seemed)<br /><br /><br />All three of these are "foodie heaven"....<br /><br /><br />All of these places must be reserved, and Craigie probably a bit ahead of time...<br />I'd do it at least a week in advance, maybe longer..<br /><br />All are very, very popular....<br /><br />Those folks in Cambridge love the good stuff....and I'm right there with them...<br /><br />Oh and don't let me forget to mention the really cool bookstores and poetry slams that they<br />have in Cambridge...<br /><br />Great jazz as well....<br /><br />I could do at least 3 or 4 days in Cambridge alone...<br /><br /><br />My hotel is different every time, but never anything less than remarkable...This time it even came with a chauffeur...I used him about 3/4 of the time, and he had to be booked, as it was a small hotel and everyone wanted service....(Boston is a great walking city though....)<br /><br />XV Beacon was my hotel....<br /><br />Other great hotels...The new "Liberty hotel" in Beacon Hill, The Fairmont Copely in Back Bay,<br /><br />the Charlesmark ( very reasonable), Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro ( somewhat reasonable), the<br /><br />Charles Street Inn (bed and breakfast with incredible rooms named after famous Bostonians, expensive but seasonal like most of them)....The Elliot Hotel in Back Bay...These would be my particular picks....<br /><br /><br />So, I had another adventure in Boston, and plan on many more...<br /><br />Some choose to "Escape to Witch Mountain"...that's so ordinary....<br /><br />I'd much rather "Escape to Beacon Hill"<br /><br />okay, alright, I'll stop now....Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-26352822255674685472009-10-06T01:39:00.003-05:002009-10-06T02:21:18.903-05:00DREAMING HER LIFE AWAY<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrbQQCtzkpqq9aYWHG7g6yjeyXQ-hEP1Qanr4rEEZXgU1e-XUBuSrHgyPa29JA2XcomyNWJVcMb11iDVyBOSbcMz5cuKke4Mz6ELcfI8ioIt5KC9EcPimHHdfkG1McRhf6fmQ8n13uZN9/s1600-h/heart.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389380024168807346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrbQQCtzkpqq9aYWHG7g6yjeyXQ-hEP1Qanr4rEEZXgU1e-XUBuSrHgyPa29JA2XcomyNWJVcMb11iDVyBOSbcMz5cuKke4Mz6ELcfI8ioIt5KC9EcPimHHdfkG1McRhf6fmQ8n13uZN9/s400/heart.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I'm so out of touch </div><br /><div>With the Poet in me...</div><br /><div>With the Daughter, </div><br /><div>the Mother,</div><br /><div>and the</div><br /><div>"Comic Wanna Be"...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>You see </div><br /><div>I've been</div><div> </div><div>around here</div><div> </div><div>More than</div><div> </div><div>half a Century long..</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>(Though the Piano Music's gone</div><br /><div>with the Girl</div><br /><div>that sang the Songs...)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Such a Shame that I'm</div><br /><div>Dreaming My Whole Life Away...</div><br /><div>While the World is still Spinning,</div><br /><div>I'm Asleep Night and Day...</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>Won't SOMEONE </div><div> </div><div>Awaken Me!<br /></div><div>(Time is so Dear...)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Before ALL of my </div><br /><div>Todays </div><div> </div><div>and</div><div> </div><div>Tomorrows</div><br /><div>DISAPPEAR....</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Nicole (10/6/09)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-27916116074216552612009-10-02T00:40:00.005-05:002009-10-02T02:50:48.895-05:00YES, I'M STILL KICKIN...WELL SORT OF...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZJQw1vgrIj5um41rljsVXSJtF7tDw0OMNFh8vI0d8WVU7CUHT2GPK4OqcEfu-qGBdNwe7ysxT95pNLfCiUti9S1GXXQKprjkyrtpWNWzYAbwpilN09yOtF4tnHYBVPhQN41Kv6To9jih/s1600-h/mother+and+son.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387900483265110466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZJQw1vgrIj5um41rljsVXSJtF7tDw0OMNFh8vI0d8WVU7CUHT2GPK4OqcEfu-qGBdNwe7ysxT95pNLfCiUti9S1GXXQKprjkyrtpWNWzYAbwpilN09yOtF4tnHYBVPhQN41Kv6To9jih/s400/mother+and+son.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Though one would have to wonder at this point...</div><br /><br /><div>Remember when I used to write 3 entries/week? Well, obviously those days are on hold right now...Believe me, it's not from a lack of interest...As they say, I am "running as fast as I can", these days/nights....<br /></div><br /><div>Therein lies the problem and/or change...</div><br /><br /><div>Working nights is not that hard...It's the days/nights off that are difficult...</div><br /><br /><div>The adjustment is quite difficult and fatiguing...</div><br /><br /><div>I find myself just working and sleeping all of the time...In between those two activities I try my best to meet friends for dinner, go out of town, and generally just try to barely meet the minimum when it comes to keeping up with life's necessities...</div><br /><br /><div>I've actually been late with bills sometimes, NOT because I don't have the money, but because I am lost in this tunnel- like existence, and paying the bills is a more difficult endeavour than it used to be!</div><br /><br /><div>Now...enough of that...Blah..Blah...Blah</div><br /><br /><div>Your took the job...you deal with it...</div><br /><br /><div>Problem is...the job which should not be THAT difficult at this point, is harder than it should be, due to the recently promoted individual that is over me...</div><br /><br /><div>For one thing....he never sees me, so his judgements are unfounded at best...</div><br /><br /><div>For another....he doesn't like me....</div><br /><br /><div>Oh well...sort of been there and done that at this point...</div><br /><br /><div>Surely it will get better...</div><br /><br /><div>My relationship with fellow employees is definitely improved...</div><br /><br /><div>But this guy that's over me...Bad news to say the least</div><br /><br /><div>Too bad he's an egotistical, young , inexperienced Sap....(they make the worst managers...)</div><br /><br /><div>If you are a person that can kiss___ on a regular basis and still come home and look at yourself with respect in the mirror, then you probably do well with these types...</div><br /><br /><div>My problem is, like so many others, that this is a difficult endeavour for me, and always has been...</div><br /><br /><div>I don't even mind kissing ___if I respect the person, but when I don't...it's tough...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Oh well...just like you can't pick you Mother-In-Law, you can't pick you boss....</div><br /><br /><div>Ah...some things in life just NEVER change...They are like the wind, clouds, sun, moon...they are and always will be THERE...</div><br /><br /><div>Let's face it...This particular problem/situation has been around as long as JELLO and possibly even longer!</div><br /><br /><div>Just got back from visiting Austin last week. I have not been there is so many years that I do not recall having been there at all!</div><br /><br /><div>I DID see "THE VELVEETA CLUB"...This is a club where I had actually gotten a job with the comedy troupe that I was a part of...We were supposed to play there on Friday and Saturday nights...Considering that it was a good 4 hour drive away, I'm not sure that it would have ever worked out...I quit about that time, but I'm pretty sure that the troupe never performed there...It was kinda cool to see it anyway...Of course it was a dump, which all comedy clubs should be....</div><br /><br /><div>My purpose of going to Austin was to see my older son...I have not seen him for a year....I also met his "partner".....</div><br /><br /><div>His partner, I was warned before meeting him, was an "artist" and tattooed from head to foot as well as having these outrageously large holes in his ears...(believe they are called "gauged"'')</div><br /><br /><div>I cannot begin to tell you how many frightening images and exposed nerve cells that I experienced before meeting him...</div><br /><br /><div>I was so freaked out that I practiced "aversion therapy" before I met him, by pulling up the most bizarre and frightening images on the Internet that I could find of tattooed and "gauged" individuals...</div><br /><div>I do believe that this helped me, as upon meeting him, he was not even CLOSE to being as scary as anything that I had viewed....What immediately calmed me was that he had these very kind and gentle eyes...I was smitten at once....Turns out that he was a very nice young man, very intelligent, and he is crazy about my son....I know that most of you might "wince" when one says that, but it is interesting how when things in your life are not anything like the "Cleavers" or the "Waltons", you eventually DO adjust your way of viewing things...</div><br /><div>In the end, you, like all parents, want your child to be with someone that appreciates and loves them....My son is not an "easy" person to love...He is extraordinary in so many ways, but is not "easy"....I understand that it must take a lot of patience and understanding at times, and this young man appears to have that...First impressions, of course, are just that...Time is a much bigger talker...</div><br /><br /><div>I took one of my best friend with me, and we stayed at the "Driskill hotel"...</div><br /><div>Fabulous and HAUNTED...Full of amazing history from WAY BACK...Unbelievably gorgeous.....Check it out...www.driskillhotel.com </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We looked for ghosts, but did not meet any...On the other hand, my son went up to my room</div><div>to obtain an antacid, and he took the wrong elevators, got lost, ended up in an empty eerie ballroom, the elevator doors shut, and he claims that he saw and heard from a ghost, but was so upset when he returned to us from my room, that he was unable to elaborate...Of course, when he left, my friend and I retraced his steps and saw nothing...Uh...except another small group of ghost seekers, that is...Three guys that were not staying at the hotel..</div><div>They freaked me out more than any ghost could have...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I also got a chance to see a wonderful friend while there, and she met us for dinner one night...and just a bit of dancing afterwards...just my two friends and I....It was fun and a bit crazy...We all overdid it a bit, but it was a good time for all...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>My son and I had a wonderful visit...Austin is truly an "artsy" kind of place, which I love...Of course everyone wants to live there...I can see why...</div><br /><div>We went to a lot of interesting art and antique shops, but there was not a lot of time...With less than three full days there, some of those places will have to be seen on my return there...I plan on going 4 or 5 times/year, as I don't want there to be another long absence...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Life is far too short for such a thing...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I had truly missed my son...Even though things have been tough, and still can be, I was so glad for the opportunity to see him and spend a bit of time together...He was at his "best"...When he is at his "best" there is no one better...</div><br /><div>He seems to be feeling well right now....He has been to his first clinic visit, and things look good at this point...I am thankful for that...He has to work too much, of course, but in some ways I think</div><div>that it is good for him to do so...He thrives in the public....(An entertainer just like his Mom)</div><br /><div>So what travels are next? Well just about my favorite...My return to Boston in November...It has been a year since I first visited and fell deeply in love with the place...</div><br /><div>It is the ultimate escape place for me..I love everything about it...(yes...even the people...)</div><br /><div>There is a very special Art Extravaganza that occurs during my visit, and I simply cannot wait...Of course then there is the Boston Symphony and The Isabella Gardner Museum, two of my favorite things EVER....If Heaven is anything like the Boston Symphony or the Garden Courtyard at the Isabella, then it certainly will be everything that I have ever imagined it to be...</div><br /><div>My hotel there is so cool that I will save my assessment of it upon my return...I just know that any hotel room with a fireplace that automatically lights up with a control button is "my kinda place!"</div><br /><div>(I experienced that in a Seattle hotel room, and I felt like I was in one of those early James </div><div>Bond films...If you've never seen "To Russia with Love", you gotta check out the gadgets..)</div><br /><div>I am hoping for cool weather and good health (don't even get me started about the "plague"... Far too much of it around...)</div><br /><div>Begins to make one feel uncomfortable...Sitting in a car dealership today, waiting for my car to be serviced, a girl start sneezing, and I find myself jumping up to leave the room...In my fantasies, I am going up to the girl and inquiring, "Are you sick? How dare you come out in public, sick!"...</div><br /><div>Needless to say, one can get a bit paranoid...It just appears to be SO catching...Everyone that I know who has been exposed, comes down with it within just a few hours of exposure...Bit scary....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I will spend a few days, (my 4 days off), in December, back in San Francisco...I have never seen</div><div>the Wharf and Union Square all "lit up" for Christmas, and I hear that it is absolutely</div><div>gorgeous...I will stay in the same place that I stayed last visit...I cannot believe the "deals" that I have been able to get the last few trips...Taking Boston out of the picture (yeah, like New York</div><div>they want the big bucks), the beautiful hotels in San Francisco and Austin have been super-deals that even I cannot believe...Think it has something to do with the amount of time that one </div><div>researches, and then just knowing the many ways that "deals" can be gotten...I also really</div><div>love to research a vacation destination....A hobby of sorts really....(Hmm...maybe I should </div><div>consider a less expensive hobby?)</div><br /><div>Naw...it's all good...Overtime may not be good for the body, but it pays for the trips...barely....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>More later....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-16960157116801814682009-08-27T01:50:00.007-05:002009-08-27T03:52:04.902-05:00AN ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL LAST DAY AND EVENING TO REMEMBER!My last day in San Francisco (for this month anyway...)<br />Seriously it will be awhile until I return this time, because I have places to go for the next three months, (which of course I will write about), so San Francisco, more than likely will not be visited again until the new year....<br />This makes today, my last day here, somewhat bittersweet....<br />What a day and evening it has been though!!!!!!!!<br /><br />I stayed up a bit late last night writing this blog, so when my wake up call came at 9:30am, I simply COULD NOT drag myself out of bed (could have something to do with my being up around 34 hours straight on Monday, don't know....)<br />I woke up finally at around 1100am, and had just enough time to get ready for the play that I was seeing this afternoon....<br />I called the concierge, and she honored my request to pick up my new necklace that was being re- sized for me a couple of blocks over...She insisted on going herself, as she had never actually seen this wonderful jewelry shop, even though she had suggested it, but only heard of it...She was excited to go...(Maybe she just wanted to be able to leave the hotel...not sure...All I know is that she was going to pick up my necklace for me, and I was happy....)<br />She showed up at my door with the necklace, and I tipped her, and asked if she had taken a look, and she said that she "hadn't dared to" so I invited her in to see it...She gasped...I gasped...<br />We both decided that it was the perfect necklace that could be worn anywhere....Jeans or velvet, it was a go....That was the selling point to me as well, as I have no patience for having to wait for an "occasion" to be able to wear a wonderful piece of jewelry, and simply refuse to....I like to wear whatever piece I want when I am in the mood to do so...One of life's many pleasures....<br /><br />The play, "August, The Osgage", was outstanding...The theater was PACKED....The set was simple and appropriate...The place itself is being touted as the best "modern day Tennessee Williams type of piece" known in these times...The reviews don't lie....Along with the writing, the cast is dynamic...It is a HIT! I feel so lucky to be amongst the first to see it straight off Broadway and it's Tony Winning Award Status....The dialogue is "raw" sometimes...There are two 10 minute breaks...The play is 3 1/2 hours long...On both breaks, I hear some of the people around my parents age stating, "I didn't hear that kind of language in the Service!", or "I don't even KNOW people that speak that way!"....Well, I certainly didn't hear anything new, or even anything that I've never said before, (sorry Mom and Daddy), so it was not at all shocking to me...This is a play that I must make absolute sure that my sister sees when it comes to Dallas this January...My friend David as well...They will both LOVE it....<br /><br />I took a MUCH needed nap when I got back from the Theater and had one of the worst dreams that I have ever had...The characters in the dream were all members of my family, and it was one of those dreams that you don't realize is a dream, and it was horrifying....I'm sure that it had something to do with the play, as it was a seriously DARK DARK comedy....<br /><br />Thank heavens I had called and amended my dinner reservation for 9 PM, because the concierge forgot and did the wake up call a bit late, still I made it to dinner a bit ahead of time...<br />Tonight, my pick for dinner was a place that was called "GLOBE".... (Of course, I had never been there, as I think that I shared with you earlier, that it is always my plan to visit new places....The exception to this will be in Boston this Fall, where I WILL visit new places, but two of my very favorite places are there, so of course I must revisit them....)<br /><br />As usual, I do a lot of research before spending the time, money, and calories at an establishment....I was happy that I had not eaten all day...When you have dinner and drinks at 9 PM, it's just a happier situation from the start!<br />The cabbie let me out on the corner from this establishment, and honestly, it looked a bit "divey" from the onset, but as that never stops me, I soared into the place...<br />Inside it was more what I would term, "comfortable" and "cool vibed" (if that is even still understood in this day and age...)<br />For the most part, the walls were rather stark, the restaurant was small and dark (LOVE DARK), and the tables and booths very comfy....The very, very small kitchen was half visible in the back, and that is where I was seated. I had specifically asked NOT to be put in what I like to term a "Manhattan" table, which is backed up to the wall, right NEXT (as though you are having dinner with them), another table...Surprisingly, my message was read, and reiterated, and I had my very own table right near the kitchen, where I could spy the chefs expressions while they worked...(I liked that...of course it did not hurt that the "main" chef looked like Kurt Cobain...not sure about that spelling, btw....)....<br />I ordered a house specialty cocktail (something with vodka, lemon, mint, etc)...good, but next visit I will order a glass of wine, as it would go much better with the cuisine....<br />The menu was small...Only a few dishes in each category, but it looked extremely promising...<br /><br />For Appetizers:<br /><br />Mariquita Farms wild arugula with baby beets and ricotta salata<br />Gazpacho with dungeness crab, avocado, cucumber and sweet tomatoes<br />Salad lardon: frisee with warm bacon vinaigrette and poached chick eggs<br />Tuna tartare with genovese basil and black olive tapenade<br />Blistered padron peppers and cherry tomatoes with fresh mozzarella<br />Rabbit rillettes with pickles, grain mustard and brioches roll<br />Mixed heirloom tomatoes with dry cured olives, cucumbers, Genovese basil and feta<br />PT. Reyes oysters (Tomales Bay)<br />Soup of the day<br /><br />Average price appetizers was around $12 (except for the oysters)<br /><br />Here were the sides....($7.00 each)<br /><br />Creamy corn with marjoram<br />Macaroni and Tillamook cheese<br />Romano beans with bacon<br />Beets with lemon and basil<br /><br />Entrees....<br /><br />Braised lamb shank with potato risotto and sweet 100 tomatoes<br />Homemade spaghetti with roasted tomatoes, basil and garlic<br />King salmon on boccacino pasta with rapini, aglio e olio and salsa verde<br />Local halibut with Capay Organic zucchini and heirloom tomato fondue<br />Grilled Meyer Ranch bone-in ribeye with grilled onions and potato gratin for two<br />Potato gnocchi with chanterelles, bacon and chives<br />Quail over baby leeks, pancetta and black mission figs<br />Spicy monkfish stew with clams, mussels, habeneros and chili fish broth<br /><br />The most expensive entree was the steak for two which was $26!<br /><br />Pizza<br /><br />Green tomatoes and fontina cheese<br />Wild mushroom and black truffle oil<br />Sopressata with egg sunnyside up<br />Fennel sausage and onions greens<br /><br />Pizzas were $16<br /><br />What a great priced restaurant, eh?<br /><br />I have a decided weakness for Salad Lardon, having the best I have ever had at a restaurant by the name of "Hammersley's Bistro" in Boston (had dinner twice while I was there!), and so I decided to see what "Globe" could do with it....<br /><br />Expertise and Quality Ingredients, plus possibly a trip or two to France is all I've gotta say....<br />The Frisee was mounded in the center of the shallow bowl, dressed with an almost "too tart" vinagrette, (though I loved it, some would wince a bit), and scattered nice cubed and fried pieces of lardon were on top, and on EACH side (there's usually only ONE), were TWO FRESH CHICK EGGS (you can SO tell the difference), that were lightly and PERFECTLY poached....<br />A real contender for BEST SALAD LARDON ( right up there with the infamous Hammersley's)<br />I made sure that the message got to the chef....<br /><br />For an entree, I chose the homemade light and fluffy potato gnocchi....<br />Swimming in a light but extremely flavorful sauce with a generous amount of delicious chanterelles, with just the right touch of bacon and chives....<br />Someone in the kitchen knows EXACTLY what they're doing...GNOCCHI this light is a masterpiece to be able to pull off....Couple that with one of the most flavorful and light sauces on pasta that I have ever encountered, and you've got yourself something to talk about...<br />So here I am doing just that....<br /><br />It would simply not be right of me to leave out dessert, as it was another big-time WINNER....<br />First I will share the dessert menu with you, though....<br /><br />Warm pluot crostata, plum jam creme chantilly<br />Flourless chocolate mousse bar pistachio crunch<br />Elderberry brulee, chocolate fudge cake and almond phyllo<br />Peach gateau, maple-almond ice cream<br /><br />All desserts were $8<br /><br />Needless to say, EVERYTHING, including the ice cream, is made in-house....<br /><br />I chose the elderberry brulee, chocolate fudge cake and almond phyllo.....<br /><br />The dessert consisted of a square dense base of chocolate fudge cake, topped with the most delightful square, thicker than the cake, of FROZEN Creme Brulee, mixed with Almond Phyllo...Around the cake was a drizzle of elderberry sauce.....<br />The dessert could certainly be shared, but not too much for one...(or not for THIS one...), and was amazing...I have never had anything like it...It was light but OH SO DELICIOUS! Every bite was an epiphany!<br />I told the restaurant that I would not only be back, and tell everyone that I knew about it, but would also feature it in my blog....The hostess wanted the address of my blog...So....Here is my review...Hope that I did the restaurant justice....Also, lest I forget, I must make mention of the graciousness of the restaurant personnel....This makes for an even nicer experience...<br /><br />I will say, that this particular trip has been a most foodie inspiring one...My last trip here a month ago was interesting as well, but this visit was certainly one that was worth writing about...I have decided to start featuring restaurant reviews in my blog when I visit places that are worth mentioning...You can be sure that it will mean most anytime that I am out of town, but it might also include some dining experiences that I have in my own city as well.....<br /><br />This, as most of my solo trips, has been very interesting and rewarding in so many ways....I ended the night, before I REALLY ended it (which is when I write this blog), by having a "nightcap" at my hotel bar...Lovely space....The bar, of course, is all part of the hotel...If it's not wonderful, I probably won't stay there....<br />I sat at the bar, and two seats down from me, sat a man dining on what I had the night that I arrived, their wonderful burger and pomme frites....<br />After a few minutes, I asked the man if he enjoyed the pomme frites, as much as I had...There began a very, very long and interesting conversation with one of the more intriguing individuals that I have met for a very long time (and I meet A LOT of interesting people on my Solo Trips)...I will not go into detail, but let us just conclude that we talked of many interesting things and laughed and mutually enjoyed our conversation ...This man is very successful...A producer, director, and writer, as it turns out, of "America's Most Wanted", and previously a Stand-Up Comic, and still writes for some of the most successful comedy shows on television...He is here shooting a piece, (actually sounds interesting, though I confessed that I don't like "America's Most Wanted", because it freaks me out...Same reason that I don't watch the local news)...<br />They are shooting in Berkley....We have a lot in common....We talked a lot about hospitals...His young son died in one a few years ago....We talked about writing and performing comedy...We compared notes on hotels and restaurants in San Francisco, Manhattan, Santa Fe, Washington DC, (where he lives), Boston, and other places....He had MANY questions for me....(Who knew I was interesting enough for one to ask so many questions about?...Hmmm....Did I convince you for just a second that I don't think that I am?....Sucker!....Just kidding...Couldn't help myself, as usual...)<br /><br />If you are wondering, he was age appropriate, highly intelligent, nice looking, very successful, kind, extremely interesting, and MARRIED to a wonderful woman who works as a producer for Lifetime television....YES....As I have said before......All the good ones....(and I'll let you finish that sentence....)<br />Still, I LOVE meeting these intruiguing people from all walks of life...It has simply become my absolute JOY to travel and experience these things....<br />I feel SO lucky to be able to do so....<br />This part of my life is turning out better than I could have ever hoped!<br />Hope you enjoy this post.....<br />Later.........Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-54549496988842313222009-08-26T00:02:00.008-05:002009-08-27T03:50:09.020-05:00San Francisco Again and Again and Again......I know that I was here a month ago...<br /><br />So what...<br /><br />I'm here again...<br /><br />There's a reason, there is...Promise<br /><br /><br /><br />I WANTED TO....<br /><br /><br /><br />Hmmm....<br /><br />Reason enough for me....<br /><br /><br /><br />No one in their right mind NEEDS a reason to visit San Francisco on a regular basis...<br /><br />(especially someone who lives in blaring, unreasonable, unforgiving, cruel heat, like that of<br /><br />Dallas....)<br /><br />Miserable is not a state in which I find happiness or contentment, so I escape it at all costs....<br /><br />(if I can...and I can....)<br /><br />Work yourself to death? Sure...You gotta keel over from something...Might<br /><br />as well be in luxurious surroundings....<br /><br /><br /><br />My Father told me last week, (my Mother had just said that she was going "to die in two years", and I think that I commented on that extraordinary premonition), "Well, you might as well start<br />preparing for DEATH the minute you're born, cause it might just be a rumor, but I think a valid one, that everyone DIES"...<br /><br /><br /><br />THE TRUTH.....EXPOSED....<br /><br /><br /><br />I was dumbfounded....Part of my childlike demeanor vanished forever!<br /><br /><br /><br />So, I am in one of the most wonderful places on earth, in my opinion...<br /><br />San Francisco....<br /><br />Love is the word that comes to mind....<br /><br />Love for weather<br /><br />Love for hotels<br /><br />Love for people<br /><br />Love for art<br /><br />Love for unique and beautiful jewelry (don't ask...Okay, but I could not stop myself!)<br /><br />DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....<br /><br /><br /><br />LOVE FOR INCREDIBLE CUISINE!<br /><br /><br /><br />Now, it is no secret to any of you that follow me, that I am a bonafide "Foodie"...<br /><br />I was a "Foodie" before anyone would admit it, before anyone cared to even discuss it....<br /><br />We certainly weren't the group that we are today...<br /><br />Large and Looming...<br /><br />Bonded and Interesting!<br /><br /><br /><br />I do a lot of research before I leave town...I do it about everything...hotels, art, theater, weather, general happenings, but CUISINE is absolutely paramount! (hotels and food being the very most important of all...)<br /><br /><br /><br />I do my homework, and 9 1/2 times out of 10 it pays off....<br /><br />Tonight was NO exception....<br /><br />Having been here a month ago, I was very interested in making reservations at a different hotel and two different great restaurants that I had not visited last month, or ever...<br /><br />This time I elected to stay at "The Campton Place Hotel"....First thing is...Perfect Location...<br />Second...Lovely...<br />If you can get a decent rate as I did, (it's usually WAY overpriced), I highly recommend it...<br />Simple, streamlined elegance....<br />Service is incredible....<br />Royalty is the word that comes to mind...<br /><br /><br /><br />I DID hit a "HOME RUN" with my choice to dine at "The House", an unassuming little "you'd never know unless you knew", Asian Fusion restaurant in the North Beach area of the city.<br /><br /><br /><br />There are many restaurants in North Beach, and in my opinion, they are head to head with the delicious cuisine that one can find in the "Mission" area....<br /><br />Both are known for the best dining venues in this "Foodie Heaven"....<br /><br /><br /><br />I walked in to "The House", and almost hit someone with the door, as there were several people "crouched" around the opening of the restaurant...It was small, unadorned, LOUD, and crowded...It is Tuesday night...Even in San Francisco, this is CROWDED!<br /><br />About 1/2 of the restaurant patrons are Asian...<br /><br /><br /><br />THIS IS A VERY GOOD SIGN!<br /><br /><br /><br />Everyone in the restaurant has a look on their face that is reminiscent of a child on Christmas morning after Santa has visited...<br /><br /><br /><br />THIS IS A VERY GOOD SIGN!<br /><br /><br /><br />I had read that even if one has a reservation, they still have to wait...<br /><br />On the way over, I mention to the cabbie that I have heard that this restaurant is very good...<br /><br />He responds, "Yeah, that's what I was told..."<br /><br />This doesn't feel promising to me, and he goes on to say, "Just don't order the seafood combination plate...There was a little scoop of rice, and then only 4 shrimp! (turns out there is nothing that even begins to resemble a "seafood combination" on the menu...I feel sure that he is confusing this restaurant with "Red Lobster"....)<br /><br />I felt just a twinge better...It dawned on me that he was just "cheap".<br /><br />I know "cheap" when I hear or see it....For some reason, people that work in a hospital tend to be afflicted with it...<br /><br />Sorry, just the truth...Not sure why...<br /><br /><br /><br />When I arrive at the restaurant, I start to feel a bit negative that no one has come over to ask me<br />if I have a reservation...I ask the group of people next to me, "Is there even someone that comes to ask?"<br />They reply "Yes...It's usually just one of the waiters...They came about 20 minutes ago and told us that they were getting our table ready..."<br /><br />Hmmmm.....<br /><br />The waitresses look harried and crazy...The patrons look exhilarated...<br /><br />I say, "Well, you know, it's Tuesday night, and there are many other places that I could go..." as my eyes gaze at the bevy of cabs driving up and down the street...<br /><br />A young woman in the waiting party asks, "Have you ever been here before?'<br /><br />"No", I reply....<br /><br />"It's Asian Fusion, you know..."<br /><br />"I know"<br /><br />"It's amazing"...<br /><br />"Not what my cabbie said..."<br /><br />This, by the way, is an entire family waiting together..Her Mother smiles at me...<br />One of those, "I know something that you don't" smiles"..<br /><br />"I can't imagine...It's quite amazing...", the young woman comments....<br /><br /><br /><br />About this time, people are starting to line up out on the street..<br />Cramming to try to get into the door...One of the waiters comes over and says, "Please shut the door...You have to stay out on the street....You MUST close this door!"<br /><br />A poor, waiting girl on the street pleads, "But we just want to put our name in ....Paleeeeessseee!"<br /><br />The owner...it appears...goes outside, and is heard to pronounce, "It will be at least an hour, unless you have a reservation...."<br /><br />No one moves...They all look like they're having a "block party"...No one attempts to leave...<br /><br />People just keep coming...There is an absolute small "crowd" outside...<br />You would think there that was a celebrity inside..<br /><br />They wait tirelessly...They MUST have dinner here....<br />It's an obvious obsession...<br /><br /><br /><br />Finally a waitress comes over...She asks me if I have a reservation...I tell her that I do and in my Bitchy "KNOW IT FRIGGIN ALL VOICE" ask her...<br /><br />"How long is the wait expected to be?"<br /><br />( I have one foot in the door and another headed for the Mission area....)<br />She says 10 minutes...I wait...<br /><br />I get a table...Near the kitchen, which I usually turn my nose up at, but somehow this time it is inconsequential....<br /><br />The aromas that waif from the kitchen are heady and aromatic to the point that I almost feel weak with anticipation...<br /><br />Suddenly I remember what it felt like to fall in love...<br /><br />I am mentally drooling....(I think that I have mentioned previously that I NEVER drool in public)<br /><br /><br /><br />I start with the crab cake with a spicy Asian remoulade..<br /><br /><br /><br />It comes beautifully stylized, standing up in a shallow dish dressed and fried as a "pear" and the stem is a "taro chip strip"....(now I only know this because I have seen and tasted taro chips at Whole Foods....)<br /><br /><br /><br />I have had MANY crab cakes in my time, some of which have been utterly delicious...<br /><br />This one is unspeakable...There are no words to describe the sensation my tastebuds are<br />experiencing...It's obscene....<br /><br />When I take the first bite of this crispy amazing concoction and dip it in the spicy Asian Remoulade, I have to take a deep breath, for fear that I will cry in public!<br /><br />From that point on, I take small delectable bites, chewing slowly to savor each flavorful moment...<br /><br /><br />Next is a dish of spicy Sechuwan Noodles with a Grilled Flatiron Steak....<br /><br /><br />The noodles are homemade and thicker than spaghetti or the usual oriental noodles......They are mixed with a sauce, 2 or 3 different julienned peppers, sesame seeds, and other ingredients, then layered with sauteed and delicious shredded Napa cabbage, then the flavorful grilled steak, and finally topped with more sauce, flash fired onions, peppers, and sesame seeds...<br />Across the bowl are a couple of thinly sliced radishes topped with a very small amount of a florescent orange substance, which I believe is salmon roe, though that is just an educated guess...<br />(the only kind that I care to make...Okay..just hit me...)<br /><br />This dish is so creative and beautiful that it takes me a moment to delve into it....but ONLY A MOMENT.....<br /><br />The homemade noodles, of course, do not even resemble those in a box, and the sauce is so complex that even I (a pretty good dissector, as cooks or foodies go...), cannot quite place all of<br />the ingredients together in my mind....<br />The steak is sliced and cooked to a PERFECT Medium...pink and juicy, and the entire dish is a dream....<br /><br />Dessert is not NEEDED (when is it ever?), but is ordered out of sheer curiosity...<br />What will an Asian Fusion restaurant, which is quite clearly, "the real thing", do with a homemade apple pie?<br />Curious foodies everywhere need to know...<br />It is my duty to find out!<br /><br />What can they do?<br />A LOT... is the answer to that...<br />Now, some would say that it was not sweet enough, but then I am not one who likes an overly sweet melange of apples...<br />The topping IS sweet with cinnamon and the crust is something that my Daddy would be exhilarated over, plus the accompanied scoop of vanilla ice cream was the perfect foil as usual...<br /><br /><br />The dessert looks so appealing, that a diner next to me exclaims,<br /><br />"WHAT IS THAT? THAT LOOKS DELICIOUS...OH, MY..."<br /><br />She is eating her entree, but I ask her if she wants a bite anyway...She doesn't, but a very pleasant conversation follows between the couple and myself...<br />He wanted to know how I found out about the restaurant, as it is somewhat obscure to those who don't already know about it...<br />They ended up wanting to know what the website address of my blog was, and I hope that they enjoy it...<br />(I can be such a braggart...almost as bad as that aforementioned type of parent that sticks window stickers on the back of their cars about their incredibly talented child...)<br /><br />Most of the time, I think that I am almost just as bad....even worse because it's about MYSELF!!!!<br /><br /><br />SHAMELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />Tomorrow I go to the Tony Award Highly Touted Play, "August, The Osage"....<br />It stars Estelle Parsons, and from the Tony Awards presentation, it seriously looks like a winner...It is said to be one of the best pieces written in many years...<br />I am stoked..<br /><br />It will be amazing...I can already feel it...(It better be...it's 3 1/2 hours long!!!!!)<br /><br />Well, I have finished the "Lemon Drop Martini" that the Bartender brought while I wrote this...<br /><br />I have had a nice impromptu conversation with a Drop Dead Gorgeous YOUNG man from Switzerland next to me on the other computer, so now it's time for sweet dreams....(which should be NO TROUBLE after this lovely evening's end...Oh to be young again...In a city by myself...Beautiful and appealing...To meet, by chance, a member of Switzerland's Royal Family...the Prince himself...)<br /><br />Aw....c'mon...who am I talking about?<br />IT'S SO TIME FOR BED!<br /><br />Later....<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Time for a sweet dreams........Later......Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-19263044618227462852009-08-11T01:23:00.017-05:002009-08-11T03:20:29.503-05:00Truth... Life...Timelessness<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uARAh2UXTsOq_7ponsPFDS6L4Y2Z9b0vuDAEqC75tIt60f6emIA8uOzejCiMwpV_23hDzriyA_SEBjPNW8VFihiVSMcEhgYW19DmxHM4K3dIkV3H6PTKS_sxkEZ3TQvNJ0H8JkidhKit/s1600-h/heart.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368604876187776050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uARAh2UXTsOq_7ponsPFDS6L4Y2Z9b0vuDAEqC75tIt60f6emIA8uOzejCiMwpV_23hDzriyA_SEBjPNW8VFihiVSMcEhgYW19DmxHM4K3dIkV3H6PTKS_sxkEZ3TQvNJ0H8JkidhKit/s400/heart.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>"To live is so startling, it leaves little time for anything else"<br /></div><div>Well said, Miss Emily Dickenson<br /></div><div>Well said..</div><br /><div>The Truth is often Timeless...Endless....<br /></div><br /><div>Life is sometimes best lived without a lot of "occurrences"</div><br /><div>People tend to get bored with this type of existence, though...</div><br /><div>Upon reflection, this would not really be "Life" </div><br /><div>It would be more of a dream, or only possible when one is asleep, or in a coma...</div><br /><div>There has to be "occurrences," at times both tragic and joyful in nature...</div><br /><div>Lately, news in my life has been shocking, tragic, and yet joyful</div><div>if one can find the light inside.</div><br /><div>My oldest son is HIV positive now</div><br /><div>My sister had cancer</div><br /><div>This was all found out within a few days of each other...</div><br /><br /><div>My son and I will see each other and spend time together for the first time in over a year next month...</div><div>It is something that we both look forward to...</div><br /><div>With all of the turbulence in our relationship..... the anger, the sorrow.... in the end, we love each</div><div>other more than we can say....<br /></div><div>We miss each other...</div><br /><div>Time is felt to be more limited now...</div><br /><div>It is a "wake-up" call of the worst kind, but we will hopefully utilize it to come together again, to mend our relationship,</div><div>to not allow the past to ruin our "present" anymore...</div><br /><div>My sister was successfully operated on and is CANCER FREE.<br /></div><div>She still feels horrible...</div><div></div><div>Hormones rage and rule...</div><br /><div>Pain is slowly leaving...</div><br /><div>She is angry and hurt with me....<br /></div><div>She often is...</div><br /><div>I am so sad about this that I cry while I write about it....<br /></div><div>I had a trip planned the day she had to have emergent surgery....</div><br /><div>She said that it was okay, as I would call when I was there, making sure all was okay...</div><div>there were plenty of people there for her...</div><br /><div>I would have come back if it had not been okay...</div><br /><div>She does not believe this...<br /></div><div>I went to San Francisco....</div><div></div><div>I called, several times, and she said that she was surrounded by people, and that I should enjoy myself....</div><div>This was true...</div><br /><div>My Mother told me that I should go....<br /></div><div>I did....</div><br /><div>When I got back I was punished for going....<br /></div><div>I am so grateful, and we all are, that my sister is joyfully clear of cancer.....</div><br /><div>She, as usual, has found a way to be angry with me...</div><br /><div>I am back to being the "black sheep" of my family....<br /></div><div>I have played this role for many years...<br /></div><div>I am unfortunately getting used to it....</div><br /><div>I feel like my Father is the only one who does not dislike me....</div><br /><div>I hate that, and that "might" not be true, but it feels like it most of the time....</div><br /><div>What will I ever do without him?</div><br /><div>I break down at the thought....</div><br /><div>What will I ever do without my Mother?</div><br /><div>I adore my Mother, but she and I are like oil and water lately...</div><br /><div>I pretty much upset her most of the time, though we love each other very much...<br /></div><div>I think that forever, including now, I am a bit "too much" for her...</div><br /><div>She is older now and does not tolerate as much...</div><br /><div>I am older now and stubbornly "myself", and find it difficult not to be, </div><div>even during a short visit or phone call...I often punish myself for not being able</div><div>to pull that off...afterall...I am an actress by nature... </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>If she were given the "truth serum" injection, she would say that I am her child and she loves me, but she would concur with my impression....</div><div></div><div></div><div>I cannot change who I am, and she cannot change who she is....</div><div></div><div>It is just the way that it flows....</div><div></div><div></div><div>My older son once told me in a rage, that I only loved the little boy that he once was...</div><div>As much as that hurt, I had to reflect on it and admit, that he WAS so much easier to</div><div>love then...and, in truth, his most precious and precocious times were in those early years...</div><div>Long before things got SO MUCH harder...hurtful....</div><div></div><div>I'm sure that my own Mother feels much the same...</div><br /><div>My sister...well...</div><br /><div>I would love for that to be like other "sisterly" relationships that I have heard about, you</div><div>know the kind, "My sister and I are BEST FRIENDS!!!"..barf....</div><div> </div><div></div><div>Kinda like those people that put "My daughter is on the Student Council!!!!" or</div><div>"My son is an HONOR ROLL student!!!!"stickers on their cars....</div><div> </div><div></div><div>Give me a friggin break....</div><div> </div><div></div><div>How bout putting a sticker next to it that says </div><div>"I'm their Parent and a Braggart as well!"</div><div> </div><div></div><div>Don't you people realize that you make the rest of us feel inadequate?</div><div>Do you think that we NEED more help with that?</div><div> </div><div></div><div>"Imbeciles!"....</div><div>(God, how I love that word...not "in vogue" anymore, but so descriptive and satisfying!)</div><div> </div><div></div><div>I don't give up entirely on my sister's and my relationship turning out like the kind in the</div><div>movies, but I try to be realistic about the chances of that happening...</div><br /><div>Sometimes the best one can do is to accept what is, and try like hell to forget about</div><div>"fairytale expectations"...</div><br /><div>I am constantly trying to "grow up" and adhere to that truth...<br /></div><div>So there you have it...</div><br /><div>The tragic and the joyful...</div><br /><div>The past and the present...</div><br /><div>The reality and the hope....</div><br /><div>They say that Life passes by so swiftly...<br /></div><div>So much happens in such a relatively short amount of time...</div><br /><div>So often I feel like there is so little time for what really matters...</div><br /><div>With the kind of work that I am involved in, that truth is reinforced every day..</div><br /><div>"To live is so startling, it leaves little time for anything else"</div><div></div><div></div><div>The Truth...</div><div></div><div>Timeless....Endless....</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-36406977097832135052009-07-30T03:07:00.016-05:002009-07-30T05:37:02.148-05:00Happy girl in San Francisco<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjri2PVnr4FBMmpm7Myu9Nl9qU41TkOi-XjgCLVz6ogHTQpq9UpRiMlZ_wXviAbzhDeqU6gtIGx-5B_i78SY_4_xv6pbkqd2_xyZy5SnXV15vSUYgqibcAG0b1soAWHEhTQsBB6tp5JmWLZ/s1600-h/excited+little+girl.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364191718834781602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjri2PVnr4FBMmpm7Myu9Nl9qU41TkOi-XjgCLVz6ogHTQpq9UpRiMlZ_wXviAbzhDeqU6gtIGx-5B_i78SY_4_xv6pbkqd2_xyZy5SnXV15vSUYgqibcAG0b1soAWHEhTQsBB6tp5JmWLZ/s400/excited+little+girl.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Yes, I think that I loved it more this time than I ever have..<br /><br /><br /><br />Somehow that sounds weird because for the first time, I went alone....Go figure...<br /><br /><br /><br />I had a wonderful and VERY SHORT visit...<br /><br /><br /><br />I met friendly and interesting people everywhere I went...<br /><br /><br />There was the financial whiz from New York, the opera singer from San Francisco, the electrician that told me that he was a rarity, since he was born and raised in San Francisco...He proceeded to tell me just how it had all changed...There was the couple vacationing from Texas, and a woman who does the registration at the hotel, an artist, who called me her "sister", who wanted to know my website address to read some of my poems...There was the guy at the corner that was waiting for a bus while I was waiting for a taxi, and we struck up a conversation after witnessing a horrendous scene involving two probable schizophrenics on the other side of the street..After viewing this outburst he commented " I HATE this city...This is the SECOND worst city in the world!!!"...I asked "What's the first", and he said "Tucson, Arizona!" Suppose that I will never visit there, as this guy seemed pretty passionate about his opinion...I won't test it...Just won't visit there...<br /><br /><br /><br />Saw a wonderful attraction at the Modern Art Museum...The very best of Richard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Avedon's</span> collection...If you are not familiar with the photographer Richard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Avedon</span>, you would be familiar with some of his work, as it has been seen here and there for many, many years...Although he was known for photographing famous people and cult classics, I especially liked his photos of the "common" people...the everyday set...His artistry captured amazing thoughts, feelings, lifestyles, etc, without a word...just a photo....I adored this show...<br /><br /><br />I bought a new bracelet there...The new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">lucite</span> that has the silver behind it so that it "shines".. Beautiful...Art museums always have the most wonderful jewelry...My favorite pieces over the years have all come from different art museums and galleries...<br /><br /><br />I also bought a coin or makeup purse made out of silver beer or coke can tabs strewn together with thick blue thread...Very cool, though sounds weird...Very futuristic looking....<br /><br /><br />Bought some other goodies as well, including my sister's birthday present for September....At first I thought that I simply could not part with it, but then my "other voice" told me that I should give it away and practice less selfishness...Hmmm...hate that "other voice"...<br /><br /><br />She will love it...A splendid reproduction...Beautiful....Don't think that she reads my blog, but just in case, will not say exactly what it is....<br /><br /><br />The hotel was beyond my expectations...I got upgraded on arrival though I am still not sure why...Asked for their biggest deluxe and a corner room, and stepped into my room only to see a place that was almost as big as my apartment...The closet itself was almost as big as my bedroom! Two chandeliers! Fantastic room...History surrounded me...Amazing photos from the turn of the century all down the hallways, which were curiously about 3 or 4 times wider than any hallways that I have ever seen....(Speaking of photos, I had not even been to my room yet, when I saw the very photo that Stanley Kubrick used in the last scene of "The Shining", the one that has Jack Nicholson's face superimposed on it...with all the gentlemen in the grand dining room...that was from the St. Francis....I had to call and tell my son that....He freaked...) I could certainly feel the many spirits that resided there from the past....It really added to the entire atmosphere...I truly loved my stay at the St. Francis...<br /><br /><br /><br />The lobby was filled with antiques, chandeliers, huge vases, rugs, all from the grandeur of the past...<br /><br /><br />The "Clock Bar" in the lobby, new, with outrageously wonderful cocktails and warm and friendly bartenders...<br /><br /><br /><br />Restaurants...A trip to the "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Tadich</span> Grill," a favorite of mine, was a disappointment...The fish suffered from lack of crispiness and the sourdough tasted more like rye...The infamous tartar sauce suffered from an overly added amount of dill (so easy to do when using dill)....<br /><br />I cannot complain about the dining experience though...That is where I had two very interesting conversations with two very nice and intriguing people...(the wall street guy and the opera guy)</div><div>When you are by yourself, they won't give you a table...you must eat at the bar...In this restaurant it is THE PLACE to sit and eat anyway, it's just that in my travels, I have NEVER been refused a table for one...Only at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Tadich</span>...a place KNOWN for their attitude...Kind of goes with the place...I said..."Hey isn't that discrimination...against the law?" and they said "Probably"...Can't help but love the place though...Oldest restaurant in San Francisco...Talk about atmosphere...<br /><br /><br />"The Slanted Door" was also slightly disappointing, although maybe my expectation were a bit high...This has been one of the most highly touted restaurants for the last few years in San Francisco...The restaurant itself was very cool..Beautifully modernistic Asian approach...Gorgeous lighting...Packed with beautiful people...all quite impressed to be there...Great drinks (they use a pick to break their own ice)...Great app...rice dumplings that were extremely unique in texture and taste...Ordered their "signature dish", <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">shakin</span> beef, think that is what it is called, and it was good, but not GREAT....Expensive, of course...Dessert was a small slice of butter pecan homemade pound cake, with a bit of homemade <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">gelato</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">drunkin</span> cherries scattered about...The pound cake was sublime and so was the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">gelato</span>...I could have inhaled the cherries, but...umm...another time...another place perhaps....<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The Swan Oyster Depot...an infamous, small, unpretentious and dark little raw bar near Nob Hill. Here one can sit on wobbly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">barstools</span> and feast on fresh crab and shrimp cocktails ( you make your own sauce) along with sourdough and have a beer if you care to... You are joined by a lot of characters...That adds to the place....<br /><br /><br />I met and enjoyed my conversation with folks there that come in everyday, and have for years...The staff is really tight, like family...When I got home, I saw them pictured in my one of my travel magazines...Great crew...Incredible seafood....<br /><br /><br />"Boulevard"...a very impressive popular restaurant in San Francisco...Gorgeous decor...tons and tons of beautiful people (I could REALLY do without this but it comes with the territory, besides, I live in Dallas and it's par for the course here...)</div><div>The food was not only excellent, but almost too pretty to eat..<br /><br />Starting with a composed and artistic salad that was sprinkled with shaved truffles, followed by<br />a silken tenderloin that could have almost been cut with a fork, and a dessert of a very small but delicious double chocolate pudding tart topped with a toasted homemade marshmallow, that was drizzled with chocolate sauce, and sprinkled with chocolate "curls"....Yummy meal...<br /><br /><br />Think that I was the only single diner there...Bothered by that? No....As I travel more by myself, I really do enjoy the positive aspects of travelling alone, and I have found that there are many...<br /><br /><br />I walked the entire length of the wharf, enjoying the sights of the performers, the sounds of the musicians, and the smells that surrounded me...I loved the sound of the waves...the sea animals...the site of happy people all around me....<br /><br /><br />The weather was beyond perfect...At home it raged in the 100s'...Here it was typically in the upper 60s'...wearing a light sweater was a dream come true....I have decided that it is the weather that causes those in San Francisco to be in perpetual good moods, and it is the weather in Dallas that causes many to stay in a bad one...(especially those behind the wheel of a car...don't get me started)<br /><br /><br />I got home and made plans immediately to return in August...<br /><br /><br />September everything goes up price wise...<br /><br /><br />I couldn't help myself and won't...<br /><br /><br />Getting ready for more overtime at work starting tomorrow, it makes it all worth it to be able to think about spending my days off there again in just a few weeks...<br /><br /><br />Such a glorious place...</div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-14033953754142516602009-06-30T07:06:00.011-05:002009-06-30T09:00:14.738-05:00Lose your heart there, so that you can return again and again to reclaim it!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEvSse4enwnv36vRfPhWBlqelKmvsssTCJCnSbrHjf-NHrtp3FSeanFu_UjccTKseYwGw0qSDHK8GFpn3mOptJ_i7O33MHYH4xss6q_RTgIHNWj4Qxy6td5jP7hB8H_9fZcLBbrokMd0A/s1600-h/san+francisco.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353114566916657730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 269px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEvSse4enwnv36vRfPhWBlqelKmvsssTCJCnSbrHjf-NHrtp3FSeanFu_UjccTKseYwGw0qSDHK8GFpn3mOptJ_i7O33MHYH4xss6q_RTgIHNWj4Qxy6td5jP7hB8H_9fZcLBbrokMd0A/s400/san+francisco.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Yes, a girl like me, with a job like mine, needs a few days away on a fairly frequent basis...I have been working a lot of overtime, and continue to, so I am rewarding myself with a very few days in San Francisco soon. </div><br /><br /><br /><div>I cannot take vacation until November, so I shall work three nights, get off and grab a plane, fly to San Fransisco, hopefully arrive there awake, and then return three days later....Sounds like a plan to me...Got THE best deal of Expedia! Never used anything like that before...(always makes one a bit nervous, you know...)</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I will stay at the famed Hotel St. Francis, the one that was almost destroyed in the 1906 Great Earthquake that caused the Great Fire which practically destroyed the city.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>"Guests in the major hotels, such as the Palace Hotel which was constructed on sand dunes, reported violent shaking of the interior of the building. In the Hotel St. Francis, the tallest fully-occupied building in San Francisco, guests reported rolling, falling down stairs, and being thrown from wall-to-wall by the 1906 shock. As these people left the hotels, some wandered into the wrecked "South-of-Market" area, where the most damage to buildings and the most deaths occurred."</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>It's been a long time since that event...It is now owned by the Westin hotel chain, but still retains it's opulent lobby, staircase, and other relics....There is also a brand new Tower with contemporary rooms, that in some ways actually look nicer than the original ones in the Main bldg, but I have chosen a classic room in the Main bldg, because anywhere there is a chandelier in a room and an "Oak Bar" in the lobby, has my name on it! <a href="http://westinstfrancis.com/">http://westinstfrancis.com/</a><br /><br /></div><br /><div>My memories of San Francisco are wonderful, as I have been there several times, but not in about 5 years. I have done Alcatraz (at night! woooooo), Sausalito several times, the Exploratorium, the Haight, Chinatown, the Piers, Ghiradelli Square, and on and on...The food there is legendary, and you almost can't go wrong anywhere, but since time is of the essence on this excursion, I have chosen to spend my first day at the Modern Museum, my favorite Modern Art museum, and the art galleries and cute shops around Union Square. The next day will be reserved for The Pier, where I can walk along to the sounds and sites of the otters and seagulls, while I hear the splashing of the waves, and admire those on their beautiful sailboats...One extremely interesting site, if you are up early on the Wharf, is the "club" of swimmers, young and old, that dive into those extremely cold waters for marathon swimming every single morning...Most people would collapse in water of that temperature, but these folks have had a lot of practice! I cannot forget to stop by the infamous City Lights Bookstore where one can</div><br /><div>still feel Jack Kerouac's presence. <a href="http://citylightsbookstore.com/">http://citylightsbookstore.com/</a><br /><br /></div><br /><div>Of course I had to plan at least my two dinners, because without a reservation in San Francisco, you can forget it....</div><br /><div>I chose to go new places, which is hard, since I have my favorites, but one MUST EXPAND their culinary knowledge/taste, so I chose the infamous "Boulevard" <a href="http://www.boulevard.com/">http://www.boulevard.com/</a> and the Slanted Door, <a href="http://www.theslanteddoor.com/">http://www.theslanteddoor.com/</a> ....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I may try to sneak a very early lunch in at my favorite place, and just grab a bowl of bouillabaisse at <a href="http://www.tadichgrill.com/">http://www.tadichgrill.com/</a> , the oldest restaurant in San Francisco with "crusty" waiters that just add to the whole experience, in my opinion.....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Speaking of "crusty" is there ANYTHING better than the Sourdough Bread in San Francisco? Not on this earth, there's not.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Of course, I will write a review of my excursion when I return...In the meantime, I must work, work, and work.....</div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-35047877414472388462009-06-19T03:17:00.003-05:002009-06-19T03:34:07.127-05:00Last poem for Kerin<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaCgj9bQWAGtt4pKkPyhICLrTCSzEGxwlL6dFaX6NvCdc6SH3apwkM7EzE5dbHnqHMKcUfoRPM0mT1XEvTSAooDSarbgJ7fi6YcfLV0XV9ipARYT8y_UZyMt6InWbt3JZq9KkRhrdsQ1O/s1600-h/woman+with+big+eyes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348953596734924242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 395px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaCgj9bQWAGtt4pKkPyhICLrTCSzEGxwlL6dFaX6NvCdc6SH3apwkM7EzE5dbHnqHMKcUfoRPM0mT1XEvTSAooDSarbgJ7fi6YcfLV0XV9ipARYT8y_UZyMt6InWbt3JZq9KkRhrdsQ1O/s400/woman+with+big+eyes.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I was surprised a couple of week ago, when I arrived in a room at the hospital, to take care of </div><br /><div>my "new patient" that had just arrived. </div><br /><div>It was Kerin, the patient that I had taken care of at the previous hospital where I worked, the young woman with the very, very severe head injury, who I called "Cat woman" and wrote a previous poem about, here on my blog...It was written on 4/19 and was entitled, "Nowhere"</div><br /><div>It affected me to see her, take care of her again, as she was so very much more unresponsive, and looked so much worse...I will not elaborate, because it is too much, believe me...</div><br /><div>I think that this poem has somewhat helped me to put her to rest...</div><br /><div>Some of it just takes a bit of time...Nothing that I have not had to deal with before...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Once Again, For Kerin<br /><br />9/19/09<br /><br /><br />she came once<br />again<br /><br />but didn't stay<br />long<br /><br />she scared me<br />this time<br /><br />her head<br /><br />just so<br />wrong<br /><br />how much<br />are you<br />going to<br />take from<br />this girl<br /><br />whose left<br />all she's known<br />and is far<br />from this world?<br /><br />why can't you<br />just stop and<br />leave her alone<br /><br />allow her to<br />pass from this<br />world on her<br />own<br /><br />I searched<br />too deeply<br />inside of<br />her tomb<br /><br />The darkness<br />so frightening<br />the silence,<br />the doom<br /><br />All dignity<br />lost<br />and the<br />whiteness<br />of light<br /><br />the sound<br />of machines<br />from morning<br />to night<br /><br />I gazed at the<br />photos<br /><br />her cats....<br />there were three<br /><br />She loved them<br />they've lost her<br /><br />they wander<br />and grieve<br /><br />I called her<br />"Cat woman"<br /><br />her eyes<br />stuggled<br />so<br /><br />just where<br />had I<br />come from?<br /><br />but she<br />didn't<br />know<br /><br />it's something<br />that I<br />simply<br />can't<br />understand<br /><br />just why<br />are they<br />living?<br /><br />My anger<br />demands!<br /><br />it's horrid,<br />and tragic,<br />just how did<br />she rate,<br />this seemingly<br />lifeless and<br />nightmarish<br />state?<br /><br />why can't she<br />just rest<br />like we all<br />hope to<br />do<br /><br />when life<br />and its<br />struggles<br />are finally<br />through?</div><br /><div></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-48740945537978767692009-06-17T21:53:00.005-05:002009-06-17T22:20:23.050-05:00Quick but needed update to my faithful followers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGv3C2rRIaG4ExViqIgA5bdcyoBMPM4MNn8dMjz5tIZfprNFKwTe6XJyKr8xVktgdnc2Uh52uY4Q4tg5l6TWhLvH21_P3d-GmOPhEpgH6EZOXnSWWIYYLDlAb4qZhaI6gep1t0KOdDB5n/s1600-h/victorian+lady.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348502076444454770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGv3C2rRIaG4ExViqIgA5bdcyoBMPM4MNn8dMjz5tIZfprNFKwTe6XJyKr8xVktgdnc2Uh52uY4Q4tg5l6TWhLvH21_P3d-GmOPhEpgH6EZOXnSWWIYYLDlAb4qZhaI6gep1t0KOdDB5n/s400/victorian+lady.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Like the new avitar? I do...<br /><br />It's about as realistic as the last one...<br />Neither of them look anything like me, though I absolutely FEEL like both of them, as somewhere inside, thoses photos are lurking...<br /><br />They are certainly who I represent on the INSIDE...<br />I do not take good photos...Some people do, I am just not one of them...<br />I am ALWAYS better looking in person, as most will attest...<br />Even in keeping with that fact, I do not have a recent photo to put there, or I probably would...<br />I don't as of yet, (soon to change) have a computer situation that has photos on it, so I simply must use other photos at this time...<br />Honestly, though I look nothing like this woman or the last, I'm told that I don't hurt the eyes terribly, I promise...<br />I wanted to post a quick entry, to my faithful followers, to let you know that things at work are better, and that yes, it looks as though I am going to survive...<br />It has been one helluva hard course, and still has its bumps in the road, but after this last weekend, it appears as though some of my "we don't like you" co-<br />hearts have loosened their bogus first impressions, and actually appear as though "maybe we do like you..."<br />Just wanted all of you to know, who have suffered along with me in this horrendous new path, that it appears as though things will work out in the end...<br />I am happier now and hopeful, and I just wanted all of you to know....<br />LATER....NICOLE...</div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435940257617473726.post-35568343774292124472009-06-11T04:06:00.009-05:002009-06-11T05:42:09.392-05:00EARLY IN THE WEE HOURS..AS EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD DREAMS...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgDQBCDKoNmMy1lkUrR25mY5fAF-w_XpiiT2yv8YlmQulpYy56BTzRYSEU6iZMfcCgU9xentitaSRql6UZOBIbauB66Se3x5XaMQeKEuWWL0oGF0dqHbPccOCsS1V8hpfl2m7qgLA15f-/s1600-h/bloody+mary.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgDQBCDKoNmMy1lkUrR25mY5fAF-w_XpiiT2yv8YlmQulpYy56BTzRYSEU6iZMfcCgU9xentitaSRql6UZOBIbauB66Se3x5XaMQeKEuWWL0oGF0dqHbPccOCsS1V8hpfl2m7qgLA15f-/s400/bloody+mary.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346016086182408098" /></a><br />Yes, one can feel quite alone when it is 4am in the morning, and it's not as though you don't WANT to go to sleep. <br /><br />You SO would love that.<br />You SO would have loved that hours ago...<br /><br />But you are a person that quickly learns survival techniques when needed...<br /><br />If you want to work nights and make the big bucks, you gotta stay up the night<br />before you begin your stretch, to make sure that you sleep before you work the <br />next night..<br />The following days to sleep take care of themselves...<br /><br />Simple..<br /><br />Or you would think so, yet honestly, it appears as though many do not adhere to that simple technique, hence the incredible number of night shift employees literally falling over in an almost unconscious state...<br /><br />I have actually heard slight snoring, thinking that it was one of the many patients,<br />only to turn around and see the head nurse in a slightly catatonic state...<br /><br />This is simply not going to be me...I would rather suffer the night before, and <br />stay awake during my shift...<br /><br />I have never been a "public" sleeper...<br />Kind of a private thing for me...<br />Any extremely vulnerable state is and this is no exception...<br /><br />Drooling is just not attractive, unless controlled, (i.e. my avatar of red lips <br />with a slight drip of drool...that's artistic...if not downright fabulous..)<br /><br />As far as an uncontrolled amount of drooling, I will avoid it as long as any self respecting woman can!<br />(Hence the difficulty in TRULY getting any serious sleep on a plane...)<br /><br />So, here I am writing a new entry at a peculiar time...<br /><br />Lucky for you, I am going to post three really great recipes...<br />You're gonna love em...trust me....<br /><br />Why?<br /><br />Well they're all three what I like to call "summer friendly" ones...<br /><br />Two of them are cool and tasty beverages....<br /><br />What's not to love about that during these sweltering times? (and it's just beginning !)<br /><br />For those of you that don't have 100 plus degree weather for months on end, then <br />as we like to say in these here parts....<br />Bless yer little hearts! (this is Texas slang for you know what...)<br /><br />I digress...<br />Back to the beverages....<br /><br />One of them has alcohol, or as we say in the hospital biz...ETOH<br />Gotta love that for brunch...<br />You know you do!<br /><br />(I used to as well, but do try to stay away from it these days, unless a large <br />nap is on the menu after brunch)<br />Something about a cocktail or two at 1PM...Not the same effect as an evening one..<br /><br />Well, honestly, I find a great Bloody Mary hard to pass up...<br />Where I live, great and spicy Bloody Marys are the standard at a lot of places...<br /><br />I still contend though, that the VERY BEST SPICY Bloody Mary (my favorite) can<br />be found in Manhattan...<br /><br />Yep, Manhattan in the Flatiron District at Bobby Flay's restaurant, Mesa Grill...<br />Try not to miss a Brunch opportunity there when I am visiting...<br /><br />Always a toss up...Norma's or Mesa? Two favorites...<br /><br />Now I also love a place that my family likes to brunch that has a "Bloody Mary <br />Bar"...<br /><br />Very nice, all set up with the "fixins" and after you get your vodka and <br />ice from the waiter, you go to the "Bar" to make your own version with a large variety of great ingredients...<br /><br />I KNOW that it is why we love this place for brunch, though the small jazz band <br />and the food IS delicious as well...<br /><br />I will also post a beverage that is non alcoholic and wonderful..<br />Peach Iced Tea...the very name screams SUMMER <br /><br />Finally a very refreshing Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken, Arugula Pesto, Feta <br />Cheese, olives, and seasonal red, yellow, and any color grape tomatoes...<br />We have Emeril to thank for this one...<br /><br />These recipes work well for a light brunch/lunch.<br />Round it out with some great crispy rolls and maybe a light fruit dessert...You decide...<br /><br />I'm thinking Key Lime Pie, but then again, I've been on that same note lately,<br />so do take that into consideration...<br /><br />SOUTHWESTERN BLOODY MARY (VERY SPICY)<br /><br />6 SERVINGS<br /><br />3 CUPS CANNED VEGETABLE JUICE<br />2 TABLESPOONS FRESH LEMON JUICE<br />1 TABLESPOON MINCED FRESH CILANTRO<br />1 TABLESPOON WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE<br />1 TEASPOON FINELY MINCED SEEDED CANNED CHIPOTLE CHILIES<br />1 TEASPOON GROUND CUMIN<br />1 TEASPOON SUGAR<br />2/3 CUP CHILLED GOOD QUALITY VODKA (LIKE GREY GOOSE OR CHOPIN OR BELVEDERE)<br /><br />ICE CUBES<br />6 CELERY STALKS WITH LEAFY TOPS <br />6 FRESH RED CHILIES<br /><br />MIX FIRST 7 INGREDIENTS IN PITCHER. <br />CHILL MIXTURE UNTIL COLD, AT LEAST 2 HOURS OR OVERNIGHT (BEST)<br /><br />MIX IN VODKA<br /><br />FILL 6 TALL GLASSES WITH ICE.<br />POUR BLOODY MARY MIXTURE OVER.<br /><br />GARNISH WITH CELERY AND CHILIES<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />PEACH ICED TEA<br /><br />3 ORANGE PEKOE TEA BAGS<br />4 CUPS COLD WATER<br />5 (5 OUNCE) CANS PEACH NECTAR (ABOUT 3 1/3 CUPS), CHILLED<br />1/4 CUP CHILLED SIMPLE SYRUP OR TO TASTE<br /><br />SIMPLE SYRUP<br />1 1/3 CUPS SUGAR<br />1 1/4 CUPS WATER<br /><br />PEACH SLICES AND BASIL SPRIGS FOR GARNISH<br /><br />PLACE TEA BAGS IN A QUART SIZE GLASS MEASURE OR HEATPROOF BOWL.<br /><br />IN A SAUCEPAN BRING WATER JUST TO A BOIL AND POUR OVER TEA BAGS. STEEP TEA 5<br />MINUTES AND STRAIN THROUGH A SIEVE INTO A HEATPROOF PITCHER. COOL TEA AND CHILL, COVERED, UNTIL COLD, ABOUT 1 HOUR.<br /><br />STIR IN NECTAR AND SYRUP. SERVE TEA OVER ICE IN TALL GLASSES AND GARNISH WITH <br />PEACH SLICES AND BASIL SPRIGS.<br /><br />TO MAKE SIMPLE SYRUP: <br />IN A SAUCEPAN BRING SUGAR AND WATER TO A BOIL, STIRRING, AND BOIL UNTIL SUGAR<br />IS COMPLETELY DISSOLVED. LET SYRUP COOL AND CHILL, COVERED. SYRUP MAY BE MADE 2 WEEKS AHEAD AND CHILLED, COVERED. <br /><br />YIELD: MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS<br />CAN DOUBLE OR TRIPLE<br /><br /><br /><br />PASTA SALAD WITH ARUGULA PESTO, GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS, AND FETA<br /><br />1 LB. BONELESS, SKINLESS, CHICKEN BREASTS<br />OLIVE OIL<br />SALT <br />PEPPER<br />EMERIL'S "ESSENCE" SEASONING<br />1 BUNCH FRESH ARUGULA, TOUGH STEMS REMOVED, WASHED AND SPUN DRY, PLUS BABY ARUGULA, FOR GARNISH<br />1/2 CUP PACKED FRESH PARSLEY LEAVES<br />1/2 CUPS LIGHTLY TOASTED WALNUTS<br />2 TEASPOONS MINCED GARLIC<br />1/2 CUP GRATED PARMESAN<br />1 TEASPOON FRESH LEMON JUICE<br />1/2 TEASPOON SALT<br />1/4 TEASPOON GROUND BLACK PEPPER<br />1/4 CUP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL<br />1/4 TO 1/2 CUP OLIVE OIL<br />1 LB. PENNE PASTA<br />1 PINT RED GRAPE TOMATOES, HALVED<br />1 PINT YELLOW GRAPE TOMATOES, HALVED<br />1 1/4 CUPS CRUMBLED FETA CHEESE (BEST TO USE GOOD QUALITY)<br />1/2 CUP ROUGHLY CHOPPED PITTED OLIVE-CURED OLIVES<br /><br />PREHEAT A GRILL. DRIZZLE THE CHICKEN WITH OIL AND SEASON WITH SALT, PEPPER, AND ESSENCE. PLACE ON THE GRILL AND COOK UNTIL COOKED THROUGH, ABOUT 4 MINUTES<br />ON THE FIRST SIDE, AND 5 MINUTES ON THE SECOND SIDE. <br />REMOVE THE CHICKEN FROM THE GRILL AND CUT INTO CUBES. <br /><br />IN A FOOD PROCESSOR, COMBINE THE ARUGULA, PARSLEY, WALNUTS, GARLIC, CHEESE, LEMON JUICE, SALT, AND PEPPER, AND PROCESS ON HIGH SPEED UNTIL THE GREENS ARE FINELY CHOPPED. WITH THE MACHINE RUNNING, ADD THE EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL AND 1/4 CUP OF <br />THE OLIVE OIL IN A STEADY STREAM AND PROCESS UNTIL SMOOTH. <br /><br />BRING A LARGE POT OF SALTED WATER TO A BOIL. ADD THE PASTA AND COOK UNTIL AL DENTE. <br />DRAIN THE PASTA AND SHOCK IN AN ICE BATH AND PLACE IN A BOWL. TOSS WITH SOME OLIVE<br />OIL SO IT DOESN'T STICK.<br /><br />TOSS THE PASTA WITH THE ARUGULA PESTO TO TASTE. LET COOL WITH PLASTIC WRAP, AND REFRIGERATE UNTIL WELL CHILLED. TOSS THE CUBED CHICKEN, RED AND YELLOW TOMATOES, FETA, AND OLIVES TO THE PASTA, AND TOSS TO COMBINE. ADJUST THE SEASONING TO TASTE, AND SERVE GARNISHED WITH BABY ARUGULA. <br /><br />SERVES 4-6 MAINSNicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03958601411966261977noreply@blogger.com0