Friday, February 27, 2009
Tgif. I guess.
Final Edition from Matthew Roberts on Vimeo.
It's a sad, sad TGIF video day. The Rocky Mountain News, a dream job newspaper of mine for so long, has published it's last edition. A 150 year old institution, gone.
It's stunning. Suddenly 220 people are without jobs in a shit economy, in a struggling industry. And these folks aren't just losing their jobs, they're losing their careers. And we're not just losing newspapers, we're losing our government watchdogs, our literacy, our biggest allies in the protection of the First Amendment.
What's so distressing, I think, is that for all the talk about new models of getting information - video, blogs, photos, multimedia - few papers have done it as well as the Rocky. And to what end? These Band-Aids can hardly stop the bleeding of a failing business model, shifting readership and corporate profiteers.
The Rocky had the Pulitzers to back up it's accomplished staff and service, but in the end (sadly) Pulitzers and quality mean little in the face of 20 percent profit margins to corporate behemoths.
Next week I promise to return to our normally scheduled fun and entertaining TGIF video, but for today, a salute to those folks at the Rocky Mountain News and for the rest of my friends and former colleagues at struggling newspapers everywhere.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Hold Your Noses Party People
If you like the stench of backed-up sewer while you're drinking beer, then look no further than Mulligans.
Sure it's overwhelming at first. You walk in and PA-POW, Sewer Smell. But by the time you've downed a beer from the tap wall you hardly even notice the putrid stink anymore.
Whatever you do though, hold it. Because if you go anywhere near the restrooms (where clearly there is a very serious plumbing issue) the bouquet of butt-funk will leave you wincing for mercy.
But let's relish this, ok people? It's not just anywhere you can enjoy the fragrant aroma of raw sewage with your beer. Ahhh... Refreshing.
Sure it's overwhelming at first. You walk in and PA-POW, Sewer Smell. But by the time you've downed a beer from the tap wall you hardly even notice the putrid stink anymore.
Whatever you do though, hold it. Because if you go anywhere near the restrooms (where clearly there is a very serious plumbing issue) the bouquet of butt-funk will leave you wincing for mercy.
But let's relish this, ok people? It's not just anywhere you can enjoy the fragrant aroma of raw sewage with your beer. Ahhh... Refreshing.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
What I Thought About While Checking My Credit Report
I checked my credit report yesterday. I'd never done that before, but it's free you know. ( AnnualCreditReport.com )
I apparently borrowed $9,035 for my undergrad education. I've never known how much we actually borrowed. I was 18-22 and all it meant to me then was signing loan papers on time. On top of that, my parents borrowed at least that much in parent PLUS loans.
I never paid back any of that money. My mom and dad paid every cent of it. It cost them a lot of their overtime pay, retirement money and certainly some of the nicer things they probably wished they'd had.
I remember there was even a clause written into their will at the time that should anything happen to the both of them - God forbid - my college loans would be paid first. Then if there was anything left it would be divided and distributed.
When I graduated and got my first job at the Northern Virginia Daily I wanted to start paying on the loans myself - I was an adult damn it, with a job! But they refused saying it was their responsibility as parents to give me a good education.
My mom wanted me to have a "sit down job" since she worked in a factory and had to stand all day. My dad was just proud I went to college.
They finally paid off my loans - and theirs - in 2003, when they retired.
They took my dad's retirement and paid of the remaining of my loans, and with my mom's retirement they put a front porch on the house.
The picture above was taken last summer from the porch swing of that new front porch.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Movie Madness
I committed to seeing a few movies recently. Shocking.
Here are my four-ish sentence reviews.
Milk - Harvey Milk and his crew are thoroughly charming, entertaining and moving. I'd have totally joined their Castro Street crew. Though the ending left me with a lump in my throat, overall it's an uplifting and spirited movie. Also, I loved the way Sean Penn's eyes crinkled when he smiled.
Slumdog Millionaire - Distressing and brutal. I spent the entire movie anxious and eager for the rags-to-riches happy ending, which I think is how this movie ends up with such glowing, happy-go-lucky reviews: He gets the girl AND the money. YAY! The rest of the movie, however, is heaps and heaps of violence and brutality. Children are lured by kindness to then be blinded, the hero is orphaned, tortured and then betrayed by his brother, and the heroine is pimped as a young girl then later slapped around (and cut) by her rich husband. But hey! In the end they get together and do a dance number. Fun!
Coraline in 3D - Coraline is fun to look at. It has spooky scenery and fantastical moments, but it fell flat for me. The characters are emotionally devoid, and therefore so I was toward them. And while I rooted for Caroline to make it back to her "real" parents it was only because I didn't want her to end up with button eyes, not because I particularly liked her. Fun to watch, but a joyless story.
(Sidenote: Whoa! 3D glasses are a lot cooler than the blue and red lensed pieces of cardboard they had when I was kid.)
The Spirit of the Marathon - I saw this during it's one-night run in the theater last spring and declared it my favorite movie of '08 even then. Watching it on the couch took away some of the drama of the huge shots of runners starting in the Chicago Marathon and the feeling of running beside them as they competed and suffered, but it's still a great movie. Whether you're a runner or not, it's impossible not to root for these folks and marvel at the body's adaptability.
Best line: "People ask me why I run marathons - I run it for the t-shirt."
Tropic Thunder - Sure I was delirious with bronchitis and hopped up on cough medicine when I saw this, but I was highly entertained and delighted by the strange satire and over-the-top story. Robert Downey Jr.'s character made me crumble with laughter, as did Jack Black's heroin withdrawal scenes. And Wow, That was Tom Cruise!
Best line: "I know what dude I am. I'm the dude playin' the dude, disguised as another dude!"
Next on the list, Revolutionary Road and He's Just Not that Into You. (Yeah, I want to see it. So what.)
Here are my four-ish sentence reviews.
Milk - Harvey Milk and his crew are thoroughly charming, entertaining and moving. I'd have totally joined their Castro Street crew. Though the ending left me with a lump in my throat, overall it's an uplifting and spirited movie. Also, I loved the way Sean Penn's eyes crinkled when he smiled.
Slumdog Millionaire - Distressing and brutal. I spent the entire movie anxious and eager for the rags-to-riches happy ending, which I think is how this movie ends up with such glowing, happy-go-lucky reviews: He gets the girl AND the money. YAY! The rest of the movie, however, is heaps and heaps of violence and brutality. Children are lured by kindness to then be blinded, the hero is orphaned, tortured and then betrayed by his brother, and the heroine is pimped as a young girl then later slapped around (and cut) by her rich husband. But hey! In the end they get together and do a dance number. Fun!
Coraline in 3D - Coraline is fun to look at. It has spooky scenery and fantastical moments, but it fell flat for me. The characters are emotionally devoid, and therefore so I was toward them. And while I rooted for Caroline to make it back to her "real" parents it was only because I didn't want her to end up with button eyes, not because I particularly liked her. Fun to watch, but a joyless story.
(Sidenote: Whoa! 3D glasses are a lot cooler than the blue and red lensed pieces of cardboard they had when I was kid.)
The Spirit of the Marathon - I saw this during it's one-night run in the theater last spring and declared it my favorite movie of '08 even then. Watching it on the couch took away some of the drama of the huge shots of runners starting in the Chicago Marathon and the feeling of running beside them as they competed and suffered, but it's still a great movie. Whether you're a runner or not, it's impossible not to root for these folks and marvel at the body's adaptability.
Best line: "People ask me why I run marathons - I run it for the t-shirt."
Tropic Thunder - Sure I was delirious with bronchitis and hopped up on cough medicine when I saw this, but I was highly entertained and delighted by the strange satire and over-the-top story. Robert Downey Jr.'s character made me crumble with laughter, as did Jack Black's heroin withdrawal scenes. And Wow, That was Tom Cruise!
Best line: "I know what dude I am. I'm the dude playin' the dude, disguised as another dude!"
Next on the list, Revolutionary Road and He's Just Not that Into You. (Yeah, I want to see it. So what.)
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Blue Angel to the Rescue
The Hyundai got, JACKED UP!
Adam got into a car accident last week.
I was on the shuttle going to my car when my phone rang so everyone around me heard this part of the conversation:
"Hey what's up?"
"Oh no!"
"You got hit head on?!"
"Both airbags?!"
"Oh my god! Are you are ok?"
"Where are you?"
"Can you drive it?"
"Does he have insurance?"
Then quizically, "What are you eating?" (The, "At time like this," was implied in my tone.)
Apparently Adam had gone through the McDonald's drive-through just before he got hit, so while he waited for the cops to show up he was snacking on some fries.
For my part, I "came to the rescue" clutching my camera. Fearing I wouldn't get any shots of the car crashed-in before they towed it, I arrived to find it up on the tow truck and about to pull away.
So what did the World's Best Girlfriend do? She hopped out of her car, sped past Adam who was standing in the road weighed down from holding everything that was in his car, and rushed up to the tow truck to get a few shots before it drove away.
As this happened I thought, Shouldn't you have given him a kiss or something as you walked past, you know, to show your concern before taking photos? But it was too late. I figured back-tracking would only accentuate my error.
But I bought him a Frosty and took him to the emergency room to make up for it. Who wouldn't rather a Frosty over a kiss anyway.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Thursday, February 05, 2009
25 Things... About Brunch
A useful parody
1. The Echo (Echo) is self-seating, so stand by the glass like everyone else. When someone sits down, move up. Those are the rules.
2. If the wait is so long you'll starve to death, Teller's is just around the corner. The food is pricey and there's less of it, but it's pretty good. (No counter service though. Boo.)
3. And you can eat outside just above the Hyde Park surface parking lot, if you like eating near cars.
4. Binkle fries from Honey. No, I will not share.
5. Daybreak has really gone downhill. Service is spotty at best. If you're lucky someone will acknowledge you. Eventually.
6. Once they gave me French fries instead of home fries. Uhh, no. Not all potatoes are equal, Daybreak.
7. But still, the food is pretty good, once you get it.
8. Bacon, extra crispy, no matter where.
9. Mokka French toast with fruit at Mokka.
10. Because anything coated in corn flakes and creme brulee pastry cream rules. Too bad it also has shit service (see Daybreak, #5).
11. I ate next to Paavo's table at GreenUp Cafe. The wait can be cruel, but the food is fantastic. And Paavo might be there.
12. GreenUp also has the best outdoor seating. Urban yet secluded.
13. Deep-fried powdered-sugar covered carnival food is a perfectly acceptable brunch item. These are also called Kettle Cakes at the Hitching Post.
14. If you are under 47 you will be the youngest person at the Hitching Post.
15. I know someone who got engaged at First Watch. (Seriously.) It didn't work out.
16. There is no maple syrup for the waffles at The Coffee Shop on Madison. They're sweet already so you don't need it. But you will need something to offset the dryness, so get some cream on top. Or chocolate syrup.
17. Or forgo the waffles all together and do one of Toms' Pot Pies. Big hunks of chicken and vegetables in that resolve-weaking pot-pie gravy. (Hey, you need fuel up for your Flying Pig training, right?)
18. The table at the large picture window is the best. The outdoor seating blows, though, unless you like eating on a sidewalk and breathing in exhaust fumes from the traffic 15 feet away. (See #3 also.)
19. The breakfast bar at Frisch's is something. Lots of grease and big vats of canned pears and peaches swimming around in heavy syrup.
20. And further, greasy bacon, horrible eggs and sawdust gravy. Eat at your own risk. Better yet, order from the menu.
21. Should you find yourself at Children's Hospital (hopefully because you work there and not because you have a sick child) then the biscuits and gravy are the best in town. For real. Better than the Echo even. And they're only $1.35 for one biscuit with gravy. (Which is all you should eat anyway.)
22. Bronte is great because afterwards you can browse (read: buy lots of) new books, newspapers and magazines. And the food is good.
23. Good company (or at least interesting company) is key no matter where you are for brunch.
24. Unless you have a newspaper, magazine or book, then screw company.
25. And if you don't want to go out you can never go wrong with a bacon, egg and tomato sandwich from home.
1. The Echo (Echo) is self-seating, so stand by the glass like everyone else. When someone sits down, move up. Those are the rules.
2. If the wait is so long you'll starve to death, Teller's is just around the corner. The food is pricey and there's less of it, but it's pretty good. (No counter service though. Boo.)
3. And you can eat outside just above the Hyde Park surface parking lot, if you like eating near cars.
4. Binkle fries from Honey. No, I will not share.
5. Daybreak has really gone downhill. Service is spotty at best. If you're lucky someone will acknowledge you. Eventually.
6. Once they gave me French fries instead of home fries. Uhh, no. Not all potatoes are equal, Daybreak.
7. But still, the food is pretty good, once you get it.
8. Bacon, extra crispy, no matter where.
9. Mokka French toast with fruit at Mokka.
10. Because anything coated in corn flakes and creme brulee pastry cream rules. Too bad it also has shit service (see Daybreak, #5).
11. I ate next to Paavo's table at GreenUp Cafe. The wait can be cruel, but the food is fantastic. And Paavo might be there.
12. GreenUp also has the best outdoor seating. Urban yet secluded.
13. Deep-fried powdered-sugar covered carnival food is a perfectly acceptable brunch item. These are also called Kettle Cakes at the Hitching Post.
14. If you are under 47 you will be the youngest person at the Hitching Post.
15. I know someone who got engaged at First Watch. (Seriously.) It didn't work out.
16. There is no maple syrup for the waffles at The Coffee Shop on Madison. They're sweet already so you don't need it. But you will need something to offset the dryness, so get some cream on top. Or chocolate syrup.
17. Or forgo the waffles all together and do one of Toms' Pot Pies. Big hunks of chicken and vegetables in that resolve-weaking pot-pie gravy. (Hey, you need fuel up for your Flying Pig training, right?)
18. The table at the large picture window is the best. The outdoor seating blows, though, unless you like eating on a sidewalk and breathing in exhaust fumes from the traffic 15 feet away. (See #3 also.)
19. The breakfast bar at Frisch's is something. Lots of grease and big vats of canned pears and peaches swimming around in heavy syrup.
20. And further, greasy bacon, horrible eggs and sawdust gravy. Eat at your own risk. Better yet, order from the menu.
21. Should you find yourself at Children's Hospital (hopefully because you work there and not because you have a sick child) then the biscuits and gravy are the best in town. For real. Better than the Echo even. And they're only $1.35 for one biscuit with gravy. (Which is all you should eat anyway.)
22. Bronte is great because afterwards you can browse (read: buy lots of) new books, newspapers and magazines. And the food is good.
23. Good company (or at least interesting company) is key no matter where you are for brunch.
24. Unless you have a newspaper, magazine or book, then screw company.
25. And if you don't want to go out you can never go wrong with a bacon, egg and tomato sandwich from home.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
This Little Girl Adopted Me
Well actually she adopted my sled.
She said, "I want to ride your sled." I said, Ok, here ya go. And she said, "I want to ride your sled on your lap."
How adorable is that? If she'd have said she wanted to borrow my apartment I'd have let her move in, that's how sweet she was.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
TGIF Munchkins! It's Video Time!
This little ditty really made a difference!
It takes a bit to load given how awesome it is, but you're going to want to stick around for the whole shocking thing. How did so many talented artists agree to such a self-righteous shitbomb of a song? (It was no "Do They Know It's Christmas.")
Highlights:
• Billy Joel had hair!
• Why was Michael Jackson forced to stand over by himself?
• Does Willie Nelson even know where he is?
• Bruce seems a bit... constipated.
• I love it that Kenny Loggins and Steve Perry do back-to-back solos.
• Holy God, it's Bob! (I don't remember him being there. But he probably doesn't either.)
• But let's really give it up for the c-listers - Latoya, Tito, Shelia E, I'm looking at you.
• Yeah I admit, I still know all the lyrics. So what!
Look, all I'm saying is We are the World!! We are the Children!!
TGIF everyone, let's make it a better day, ok?
Thursday, January 29, 2009
What Is Now Known As "The Snow Incident of '09"
The Blue Angel was NOT. HAPPY.
Out of a deep, blissful sleep I was awakened at 2 a.m. this morning by the freakishly loud and obnoxious door buzzer of my apartment.
BZZZZZZZZ! BZZZZZZZZ! BZZZZZZZZ!
It was so consistent and uniform Adam thought there was a short in it. I figured it was a disgruntled ex of a resident looking to throw a snowball at said ex; or maybe someone had gotten locked out in the snow.
Either way, I was pissed. In my pajama pants, tank top and bare feet, I padded down the three flights of stairs to the door prepared to choke-out whoever it was.
It was a police officer.
Hmm... Am I about to get arrested? Have I done anything arrest-worthy lately? Am I being subpoenaed? Is another resident in trouble somewhere? Oh god no, did someone die?
Of all of the things that when through my head that she could have said, "Are you parked on Madison" was not one of them. Which is what she said.
Uhh yeah, I stammered.
She told me my car was about to be towed and ticketed because of the snow emergency, but if I'd kindly move it they'd spare me the hassle. I thanked her for telling me and told her I'd be right down. This time with some shoes on.
"But just to be sure, what does the car look like," I asked her. "You know, before I go out into the cold?"
It's your car, she said. "I ran your license plate. That's how I knew you lived here and how I knew you were home."
Ohhh yeah!
Back upstairs I tell Adam the sitch and we both remark at how amazingly consistent she was in her buzzer ringing, to the point where we were both driven mad by it. Kudos to her.
We both put on our jackets and boots and Adam volunteers to move the car for me. I thank him but refuse. It's my car and I was the one who parked on the street during the snow emergency, it's only right that I drag out and move it. He insists. I insist. I walk out the door, he walks out behind me.
It doesn't take two people to move a car, but whatever dude, I'm thinking.
The tow truck was all up on the Blue Angel. I could tell she had steeled herself for the violence the tow truck was about to inflict on her, like a cat who hunkers down on the couch when you're trying to push him off when he refuses to be pushed (Cassius).
I reassure the Blue Angel this will be over soon enough. I start her up, put her into first and then "WHRRRRR. WHRRRR!" Great. We're stuck.
The kindly tow truck driver starts shoveling out the front tires and Adam gets behind the wheel. (Who'd have thought he'd be useful?!) The cop, meanwhile, is roaming the neighborhood looking for other car owners to warn.
As Adam tries to get the car out, I start pushing the Blue Angel forward using the open door and the roof as my leverage.
Adam looks up at me from the passenger seat and calmly asks, "What are you doing?"
Duh! I am so clearly going to push this 2,000 pound car out of two feet of plowed snow with my 120 pound frame. What does it look like I'm doing?!
Shockingly, the car doesn't budge. The tow truck driver shovels some more and Adam and I switch spots.
Heave-HO! Heave-HO!
Nothing. More shoveling.
Heave-HO! Heave-HO! Heave-HO! And just about then the Blue Angel lurches atop a snow heap and cascades back down. We're free! I drive about 20 feet to turn into onto my side-street and drive right into another giant bank of snow, this time even deeper. "WHRRRRR!!"
My WEEEE! turns into weeee. :(
Adam starts pushing again. No dice. So he goes to borrow the tow truck driver's shovel. Shoveling, shoveling, shoveling. Heave-HO! Rocking. Heave-HO! Rocking.
Ugh. More shoveling, more burning rubber, more rocking. We must have done this three or more times.
I get out of the car, watch him shovel some and in a fit of tired resignation announce, "It's going to be stuck here FOREVER. Let's just leave it."
Never mind that it's in the middle of the road.
"They'll tow it if you leave it."
"Good. Then it won't be stuck anymore."
"Let's just try one more time."
Phssht. Reason at 2 a.m. Who needs it.
Adam pushes from the front, then runs to the back. Rocking. Burning rubber. Dirty snow flying.
Again. And again.
As the car spins futilely I wonder if the police officer and the tow truck driver are watching this epic battle of snow vs. car. vs. humans.
Then the Blue Angel and I let out a squeal so excited you'd have thought we got invited to do the dance-scene in Slumdog Millionaire.
WEEEE! We go careening down the snow-bright street.
This morning I woke up and wondered if it was a dream. Then Adam says, "From now on if we are ever called out at 2 a.m. by the cops, one of us has to bring a camera."
Then I apologized for rolling my eyes at him when he insisted on coming out with me, and added, "I can't believe you did all that in your pajama pants. Hahahahaha! Oh hey, if I get stuck again going to work will come back and get me?"
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
25 Things
Facebook is afire with these 25 things about you things. I enjoy reading them, even about people I don't really even know. So away we go!
1. I fear there are not 25 interesting things about me.
2. In the 9th grade I pierced the second and third holes in my left ear because my mom wouldn't let me "get them" pierced.
3. I was the fastest girl runner in the fourth grade; and I thought the Presidential Physical Fitness award in elementary school was my time to shine.
4. I was also the only girl in school who could climb the rope to the gym ceiling. I'd bet a million dollars I could still do it.
5. People think I am creative; I do not think of myself as creative.
6. People also think I'm funny; I do not consider myself funny.
7. I was voted senior class clown. The yearbook photo is of me and my male-counterpart climbing a tree.
8. When I laugh really hard I completely fall to pieces - I can't talk, I get weak and tears stream down my face.
9. When I was a little kid I thought cats were girls and dogs were boys. When I learned our cat was a boy I was stunned.
10. I used to have a step-daughter. She was two when we met and seven the last time I saw her. I have a photo of her on my fridge.
11. I'm a big picture person. I don't get too caught up in trifles and I don't get too worked up over trivial things. I've always been like that.
12. I was struck by lightning in my car on 275 when I was 24; I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 27. Not cool god.
13. Cancer was not the worst thing that's ever happened to me. The worst thing that's happened to me was when my brother died. As long as I live I'll never get over it.
14. I've kept a journal since the fourth grade. Entries are rare when things are good.
15. When I grew up I wanted to be Stevie Nicks.
16. I used to hide behind the curtains and under the kitchen table and spy on my parents. Prowling around the house was my favorite activity as a kid.
17. I moved to Virginia when I graduated from Ball State for my first newspaper job. It was a culture shock. Everyone still talked about the Civil War, and I lived at the corner of Stonewall and Jackson Streets.
18. I think I am missing the "Mom" chip.
19. I like the way my boyfriend holds his coffee cup.
20. I have a secret blog.
21. I am not a fierce competitor. (Unless it's Ms. Pac Man.) I am, however, competitive for other people. I think it's because I am happy about rooting for people, and I want my friends to do well.
22. I get very excited about simple things, like balconies, stars, sunshine, and driving with the windows down. At the end of the day, I'm a pretty easy person to make happy.
23. I've had a pen pal since the 6th grade. She is a pediatrician at Brooklyn Hospital in New York and grew up in Florida. I met her 8 years ago and she's awesome. We still write letters to each other - actual letters! - a few times a year. But we are also Facebook friends.
24. The first time I snuck out I was 11. It was so exhilarating I did twirls down the street and danced under the streetlight.
25. I feel like I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.
1. I fear there are not 25 interesting things about me.
2. In the 9th grade I pierced the second and third holes in my left ear because my mom wouldn't let me "get them" pierced.
3. I was the fastest girl runner in the fourth grade; and I thought the Presidential Physical Fitness award in elementary school was my time to shine.
4. I was also the only girl in school who could climb the rope to the gym ceiling. I'd bet a million dollars I could still do it.
5. People think I am creative; I do not think of myself as creative.
6. People also think I'm funny; I do not consider myself funny.
7. I was voted senior class clown. The yearbook photo is of me and my male-counterpart climbing a tree.
8. When I laugh really hard I completely fall to pieces - I can't talk, I get weak and tears stream down my face.
9. When I was a little kid I thought cats were girls and dogs were boys. When I learned our cat was a boy I was stunned.
10. I used to have a step-daughter. She was two when we met and seven the last time I saw her. I have a photo of her on my fridge.
11. I'm a big picture person. I don't get too caught up in trifles and I don't get too worked up over trivial things. I've always been like that.
12. I was struck by lightning in my car on 275 when I was 24; I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 27. Not cool god.
13. Cancer was not the worst thing that's ever happened to me. The worst thing that's happened to me was when my brother died. As long as I live I'll never get over it.
14. I've kept a journal since the fourth grade. Entries are rare when things are good.
15. When I grew up I wanted to be Stevie Nicks.
16. I used to hide behind the curtains and under the kitchen table and spy on my parents. Prowling around the house was my favorite activity as a kid.
17. I moved to Virginia when I graduated from Ball State for my first newspaper job. It was a culture shock. Everyone still talked about the Civil War, and I lived at the corner of Stonewall and Jackson Streets.
18. I think I am missing the "Mom" chip.
19. I like the way my boyfriend holds his coffee cup.
20. I have a secret blog.
21. I am not a fierce competitor. (Unless it's Ms. Pac Man.) I am, however, competitive for other people. I think it's because I am happy about rooting for people, and I want my friends to do well.
22. I get very excited about simple things, like balconies, stars, sunshine, and driving with the windows down. At the end of the day, I'm a pretty easy person to make happy.
23. I've had a pen pal since the 6th grade. She is a pediatrician at Brooklyn Hospital in New York and grew up in Florida. I met her 8 years ago and she's awesome. We still write letters to each other - actual letters! - a few times a year. But we are also Facebook friends.
24. The first time I snuck out I was 11. It was so exhilarating I did twirls down the street and danced under the streetlight.
25. I feel like I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Fine Dining
I had the luxury of eating at two of Cincinnati's finer restaurants this weekend.
Friday night I at landed at Boca with the most random people I could ever image myself with.
I'd never been to Boca for dinner before and honestly didn't want the hassle. Eating some noodles out of a bowl at some Thai joint sounded fine to me. But the guys I was with insisted we go to Boca, as it their "spot," and sure enough, they knew practically everyone there so getting a nice table and quick service was easy. (I guess it's nice to know people who know people.)
They told our waiter, a friend of theirs, just to start bringing us whatever was good. It turns out, everything at Boca is good. (I'm clearly the last to know this first hand.)
Instead of entrees we all passed around plates and shared. Roasted lemons (roasted lemons, weird right?), grilled caesar salad, Boca sliders, roasted almonds, bruschetta-something-or-other and some sort of pasta that was so damn good I wanted to bathe in it. We got two orders of that.
For dessert we shared creme brulee, several kinds of sorbet, a custard-cookie-rasberry thing that made my knees weak and then... fried dough. Oh yeah, like deep fried biscuits coated in cinnamon and sugar. I'm Indiana girl, so it was just like being at the Grant County Fair eating an elephant ear.
I selfishly ate three of them, but backed off the other desserts to make up for my greediness.
In the end I was it was fantastic though I doubted their initial claims of how "fun" it would be. Sometimes you just got to let it ride.
Then last night we celebrated my friend Missy's birthday and went to Vito's Cafe in Ft. Thomas, "home of the singing servers." All of the servers/singers are CCM or NKU theater students, and of course they are incredibly talented and creatively incidental, one minute singing their hearts out to patrons and then the next second delivering a martini.
My favorite moment was when one waiter, mid-baritone, interrupted his part in a song to direct a woman to the restroom. All part of the job, I reckon.
Anyway, I had the rigatone and mushrooms with sun dried tomatoes and goat cream cheese sauce. It was very good, but I think my more daring friends - who ate scallops, salmon and veal - enjoyed theirs much more judging by the way they raved about their meals.
But about 2 a.m. the fine dining was over. I finished off the night with a large fry and a 10-piece McNugget. Because what you really want after drinking and dancing is some fast-food. Yum.
Friday, January 23, 2009
TGIF!
I'm starting a new weekly feature here at Gina's Blog. Welcome to the first TGIF video of the week! Come back next Friday for the song that changed all of our lives!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Groove Your Pants Off
I'm late on this, but thanks to Kari's kick-ass piece in this month's ELLE (Kate Hudson is on the cover) I was introduced to Feist and the Constantines' cover of Islands in the Stream. And whoa.
It's the opposite of the Kenny and Dolly version, which I've always loved.
But look out Dolly, this might be my new favorite version! Intimate and trippy (think Sonic Youth covering Superstar), it sounds like they really are islands in the stream, with no one in between. It's a lovely juxtaposition to the effervescent original, and I can't stop playing it.
So rush to iTunes right now if you don't already have this version. Then drop ELLE an email about how fabulous the music piece is on page 102 and let them know that that Kari Wethington (whoever she is!) is a rock star!
(Side note: When I was a kid I thought people who duetted together really were a couple. Which is why for years I thought Dolly and Kenny were married. How else could they sing that song together?!)
It's the opposite of the Kenny and Dolly version, which I've always loved.
But look out Dolly, this might be my new favorite version! Intimate and trippy (think Sonic Youth covering Superstar), it sounds like they really are islands in the stream, with no one in between. It's a lovely juxtaposition to the effervescent original, and I can't stop playing it.
So rush to iTunes right now if you don't already have this version. Then drop ELLE an email about how fabulous the music piece is on page 102 and let them know that that Kari Wethington (whoever she is!) is a rock star!
(Side note: When I was a kid I thought people who duetted together really were a couple. Which is why for years I thought Dolly and Kenny were married. How else could they sing that song together?!)
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