Second Blooming

RTT: Roommates, Onion and Jumpsuits

 

I love this site - Hysterical Roommate Notes.

 

Good thinking, Ryan.

I need to leave one of these for Jimmy. Grrrr.

 

 

When I was in college, I used to label all of my food. "Gretchen's Pickles", "Gretchen's Mayonnaise". I even wrote "Gretchen's Egg" on all my eggs in Sharpie. I'm sure my roommates loved it.

__________________________________

 

This...

...is growing in my kitchen. It is an onion which, instead of rotting, has decided to sprout leaves. I realize I should probably throw the thing away, but I'm kind of fascinated with it. Do y'all think it would grow if I stuck it in a pot of dirt? I love a good science experiment.

___________________________________

TIME SUCK ALERT:

Oh my God. I got totally sucked into this one - Goodreads.

You sign up and then start rating books that you've read/want to read. Which is where I got sucked in. Then, they give you recommendations based on your ratings. I must say, their recommendations are spot on. It's sort of like going to a book store and rooting through the shelves.

___________________________________

When did "radicalize" become a word? They keep using this word over and over on the news in regard to the Boston Marathon bombers, like "Exactly when did these young men become radicalized?" I swear I've never heard this before. Is it a real word or did Anderson Cooper just make it up? I must say, I do love me some Anderson Cooper. I wish he was my younger brother. Okay, I just veered off topic from "radicalize", sorry.

___________________________________

 

Because I'm a weirdo, I looked up the address they gave at the bottom of this, and it's right around the corner from the pool where Jude practices swimming. Alas, Jumpsuits Ltd. is no more, it's now a Citibank.

 

I have nothing to say about these. Please leave your own caption.

_________________________________

Please, please go visit Stacy and the other Random Tuesday folks.

 

Spin Cycle: My Favorite Quotes

A few things I wish I'd said first...

 

My mantra.

 

Isn't it true?!

I have this taped to a cabinet in the kitchen. I read it every day. And try to remember it always.

Good old Abe.

 

My favorite prayer.

A great truth.

The theme of Camp Mama, and neatly sums up my experience as a parent.

I wish that everyone I know would read and understand this.

__________________________________

Please go and check out the other "Quotes" spinners...

Nain at View From Down Here

SuziCate at The Water Witch's Daughter

Jan at Jan's Sushi Bar

Janice at I Got Nothing

Michele at It's a Dog's Life 

Vandy J at The Testosterone Three and Me

Kendra at Life in the slow lane

Ginny Marie at Lemon Drop Pie - NEW on FRIDAY!

__________________________________

Next week on The Spin Cycle...

Apple/Tree

As in "...doesn't fall far from...".

Which tree did you fall directly beneath? Do you find words coming out of your mouth and then gasp "Holy Christ, I've become my mother!"? Do you look down and see your father's ugly, bony feet sticking out the bottom of your pants?

Or maybe you are the tree. Do you see things in your children that are JUST LIKE YOU?

Is all of this a good thing? Or a curse? Do you revel in the sameness? Or gasp in horror?

Write your spin on "Apple/Tree". Post it. Tell me. I'll link it.

Come back next Friday for my take on "Apple/Tree" and to get the next week's spin topic.

Happy spinning!

Share your spin!
Highlight the code.
Copy to your HTML.
Et voila! Linked!

<center><a href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" _mce_href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" _mce_src="http://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" alt="Second Blooming"></a></center>

Quidditch. For Real

An old friend of mine from high school keeps posting things on Facebook about her son's recent participation in the Quidditch World Cup VI, which just wrapped up in Kissimmee, Florida.

Yes, you read that right, Quidditch.  Like Harry Potter and flying brooms and the golden snitch and all that. I, too, found this a bit peculiar, and had to look into it.

Turns out, it is for real, people! There were 80 teams from universities around the world!

According to the website for the Quidditch World Cup, "Players will collide in full-force tackles, bludgers will leave stinging blows that knock athletes off their feet, quaffles will whistle through the goal hoops, while seekers hunt the snitch runner. Thousands of spectators will look on, watching one of the most exciting sports ever invented unfold before them."

Apparently, "Quidditch is a co-ed, full-contact sport that combines elements of rugby, dodgeball, and Olympic handball, with four balls (plus a human snitch) and seven players per team vying for control of an elliptical pitch."

Just like they play at Hogwarts. Except, of course, they don't actually...fly.

My friend's son plays for USC, and though they did well, they didn't make it to the final, which was between UCLA and my alma mater, The University of Texas, who were the big winners. Go Longhorns!

I guess.

What do y'all think about this? The super cynical side of me just rolls my eyes and gasps "Oh good Lord, really?" But the other, super-geeky side of me says "Woohoo! Quidditch! Where do I sign up?!"

Even though the website says that Fox News (who apparently covered the event - not sure what to make of that) describes it as "a cross between the Superbowl and a medieval festival", these kids seem to be taking this silliness pretty damned seriously.

 

And I guess the game's tons of fun, with lots of action, but really? They are pretending. To. Be. Riding. Brooms! They are grown-up people!

And I keep wondering what JK Rowling must think about it. Is it an exciting thrill for her? Having INVENTED a sport in which people are actually competing in a World Cup? Or does she just shake her head in disbelief and think "It's FICTION, people!"

What do y'all think? Good fun? Or "Good Lord!"?

RTT: Hashtag, Batman and Helpful Hints

There was a huge panic on Twitter last week when Margaret Thatcher died. Apparently, folks tweeting about the death of the UK's former Prime Minister were using the hashtag #nowthatchersdead. But many people read this as meaning the loss, not of...

 

Baroness Thatcher

 ...but of... 

Goddess of Pop

 

Yes that's right instead of #now thatchers dead, people read #now that chers dead!

____________________________________

I want one of these desperately!...

...beautiful, right? Carved book landscapes. Imagine one of these on my mantel! Maybe when I finish my book and it's a big best seller? Hmmm...

___________________________________

___________________________________

Captain Dumbass posted this on Facebook, and I had to share.

Click here for the Amazon page for BIC Cristal for Her, and read the reviews. Brilliant!

 

Just for her...

 

 ___________________________________

Okay, this might be the best helpful hints site I've EVER found. I kept scrolling on and on slapping my forehead and shouting "Why didn't I think of that!" at every one. Some of my favorites...

 

_________________________________

That's it. Was that random enough for you? Go check out Stacy et al!

RTT: Dollies, Tween and Clifford the Big Red Dog

 

Spring Break is over here at Second Blooming, and I can't say I'm sorry. Jude went away on a fabulous vacation to Palm Springs with some friends, leaving Jimmy and I home alone. Doing nothing. Which I had thought would be all freeing and relaxing, but it was not. We missed him so much it's crazy. I have no idea what I'm going to do when he goes to college. I will be completely lost. It's a good thing I have 8 years to prepare myself. I did manage to get quite a bit of writing done, but I was all discombobulated and didn't know what to do with myself. I kept thinking things like "Wait! When's swim practice?!!" before realizing that the child was in another city, and I had absolutely nothing to do.

___________________________________

I desperately want one of these dollies...

Aren't they beautiful? They're from this site, Cozbi. They're all handmade by an artist woman in Brooklyn. If any of you just happen to have $1200 laying around that they would like to spend on a dollie for me, I'll accept.

___________________________________

I forgot to tell you about the nutty thing I did a couple of weeks ago. On the Wednesday night before Easter, I woke up at 3:00 in the morning in an absolute panic. I actually sat straight up in bed looking around frantically. I was convinced that I had forgotten to hide the Easter eggs. I had failed my bunny duties. I ran into the bathroom and threw on my robe, then ran into the office closet, where the eggs were hidden, and it wasn't until I got in there that I realized that it WASN'T EASTER YET. I was so crazed with all my Easter singing and planning that damned track meet, that my subconscious must have been worried that I'd drop the ball on the most important thing I had to do all week!

__________________________________

Here's another wonderful time sucking website - Young Me/Now Me. It's pictures of people long ago, side by side with current pictures in the same location. The website won't let me steal their pictures, so you'll have to pop over and see them for yourself. Here are some favorites - HERE and HERE and HERE. It's another site that inspires me to recreate some old photos!

__________________________________

Jude has suddenly become...a tween. No, he doesn't turn 10 for another month, but he has suddenly (and really mean suddenly - like...yesterday) become obsessed with listening to music on his iPod. He has never before had ANY interest at all, but yesterday he made me download a bunch of music into it, and he's been constantly walking around with the thing clutched in his hand, rocking out. He dances around and plays air guitar - real white boy dancing too, I'm afraid. And it's funny music that he's chosen - The Beatles, a bunch of Queen, a random Coldplay song. I must say, he has pretty good taste. And part of me loves it, but the other part is all "Ewwwww, teenager time!"  I guess it was around his age when I got my first record player...

 

I loved it. It was portable and battery operated. Imagine the sound quality.

I guess we're going to have to get him a sound dock for his birthday. Any ideas of a good/cheap one?

__________________________________

You must, must, MUST watch this - Louis C.K. on Clifford the Big Red Dog...

 

_____________________________________

And that's my random for today. Go see Stacy and the others...

Spin Cycle: Springtime Things I've Been Thinking About

Ah, Spring...

Daffodils

When I was a little girl, every time I got sick and stayed home from school, my sweet Daddy brought me a little present when he got home from work. Usually, it was a coloring book or paper dolls (I'll never forget when he brought me a Julia coloring book - remember that tv show Julia with Diahann Carroll? She was a groovy widowed nurse raising her little boy Cory all by herself. Okay, I just veered wildly off topic...) or when I was older, a Seventeen magazine. But once, when I was about 10-years old, he brought home a bouquet of daffodils. Just for me. It was the first time anyone had ever given me flowers, and it has led to a lifelong love of daffodils. And every Spring, good old Trader Joe's has them on sale for 99 cents a bundle, and I go crazy and buy 5 or 6 and fill the house with them. I loved my Daddy!

 

I wish I'd taken this picture

 

Favorite shows are back!

Woohoo! Game of Thrones premiered on Sunday, and the tension is mounting in the Seven Kingdoms. My man, Peter Dinklage has a fabulous new scar...

 

Chicks dig scars.

 

And Mad Men returns for it's 6th season THIS Sunday! They're promising that the focus will be more on the women this season, which is fine with me. Can't wait! Y'all should definitely check out my Cocktail Guide, and get ready to make Betty's favorite drink, a Tom Collins, while you're watching.

 

Produce

For about a year now, I have been getting a box of organic produce delivered to my front door every other week from Farm Fresh To You . I have LOVED it. Every time I get my box, it's a culinary adventure. It's like that tv show Chopped, because I never know what's going to be in the box, and it completely inspires my cooking for the week. Here's this week's box -

 

This week's haul - strawberries, asparagus, chard, lettuce, carrots, onions, apples and a wacky mushroom!

...now that is Spring, y'all! If anybody lives in So Cal, and is inspired to join the fun, click on this Farm Fresh To You link. And if you tell them that I referred you, you'll get $10 off your first box, and I'll get $25 applied to my account! Use the promo code 6164, and tell them my name. I promise you'll love it!

Pasta Primavera

Since I have all this yummy produce, I made Pasta Primavera this week. It's one of Jimmy's favorite things in the world. This is the recipe I make, but you can throw in pretty much any vegetables you have. I would have put in zucchini if I'd had it. And maybe yellow squash. It's all good. Every time I make this, I am reminded that the doctor who delivered Jimmy, long ago in Brooklyn, was named Dr. Primavera. Don't you love that?

Pasta Primavera

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion (or one small leek) chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup broccoli, cut into very small florets

1 cup sugar snap peas

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 cup frozen peas

10 to 12 asparagus spears, sliced in 1-inch pieces

15 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth, if you're so inclined)

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3/4 lb. farfalle pasta

Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large pan. Add onion and saute until softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add broccoli, sugar snap peas and carrots. Cook for 1 minute. Add frozen peas, cook until defrosted. Add asparagus and tomatoes. Stir for 1 minute more, then add chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, and cook about 5 minutes. Everything should be pretty al dente.

In the meantime, cook pasta. Drain. Serve vegies over pasta, and top with lots of Parmesan.

It's good and good for you!

Whish Shave Crave Blueberry Shaving Cream

I am LOVING this stuff. I got it as a sample in my Birchbox, and I'm kind of crazy for it. First of all, it smells like blueberries, which is kind of a revelation. But the best thing is how it works. It's not like the same-old, same-old shave cream. It's so moisturizing that when you shave, you feel like it must not be working because there's absolutely no friction. But then, it does work, and when you rinse it off, you don't even need to put on lotion. It's amazing. Oh, and if you want to start getting Birchbox, you can go to THIS LINK HERE, and I'll get free Birch Points for referring you. Man, I'm all about the kickback today, aren't I?

Rockin' Robin Nail Polish

Is this the cutest nail polish ever?!!!

 

What could be Springier than robin's egg, y'all?

 

This will be my toe nail color from spring through the summer. I LOVE it!

Strawberry Daiquiri

Did you notice that box of strawberries up there in my produce picture? Well they were not long for this world. They were made into an excellent and terribly Springy cocktail, which I enjoyed oh so very much. Please follow suit...

Strawberry Daiquiri

2 oz. white rum

1 oz. lime juice

1/2 oz. triple sec

1/2 tsp. sugar

5 - 10 strawberries

ice

Dump it all in a blender and whir it up. Is that a word? Whir? Well, you know what I mean. Serve it in a margarita glass. Yum

____________________________________

Hop on over to our other Spring spinners (Get it? Hop? Spring? Sorry.)...

Janice at I Got Nothing

Vandy J at The Testosterone Three and Me

Nain at View From Down Here

Jan at Jan's Sushi Bar - NEW on FRIDAY

Ginny Marie at Lemon Drop Pie - NEW on FRIDAY

____________________________________

Next week on The Spin Cycle...

Inspiration

Where do you find inspiration? What do you find inspirational? A place? A song? A picture? A poem? Is there someone who you have been particularly inspired by? Does inspiration come from inside? Outside? Above?

Write it. Post it. Let me know. I'll link it here.

I expect to be quite inspired by your posts!

Share your spin!
Highlight the code.
Copy to your HTML.
Et voila! Linked!

<center><a href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" _mce_href="http://www.secondblooming.typepad.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" _mce_src="http://secondblooming.typepad.com/spincyclekeelyresize.jpg /" alt="Second Blooming"></a></center>

RTT: Easter, The Giving Tree and Ironic

It is Spring Break here in Second Blooming World. Which means I survived Holy Week and Easter. Not an easy feat, as I'm supposed to sing with my choir in 4 church services, including a 3 hour Good Friday service, and a 2 1/2 hour Holy Saturday mass. I ended up missing the Holy Thursday mass, because I was at Jude's track meet for SEVEN HOURS and missed it.

Easter Sunday was quite lovely. It started with what may well be Jude's last Easter egg hunt. He still believes, but just baaaaaaaaarely. And maybe only because he wants those eggs. He did suggest to me that next year we leave a note for the bunny, asking him to hide the eggs better, so he'd have more of a challenge.

 

"Lame" egg hunt

 

The view from the choir loft before church.

Choir with hats.

Jude with Lynn and Darren's daughters.

Then after church, we went to an excellent brunch at The Hungry Cat and gorged ourselves on seafood and eggs. After which, I curled up in my bed and played Farmville and watched Absolutely Fabulous on DVD.  Which I consider an excellent end to a busy week.

You'll all be happy to know that my tiny virtual Farmville farm survived my Lenten games sacrifice without any loss of tiny virtual life. I know you were all worried.

_____________________________________

So, what is Jude doing for Spring Break? He'll be going to a fabulous resort in Palm Springs for 4 days of rest and relaxation. What are Jimmy and I doing? Nothing. That's right, the child is going with his friends, and not us.  I'm so jealous I could spit. I'm hoping to use the time to catch up on my writing and various other tasks that I have let fall behind. Though I'm more likely to waste all of my time on my aforementioned tiny virtual farm.

_____________________________________

My friend Juliet told me this story the other day, and it's so terrible and yet hilarious that I knew I MUST share. Her daughter is in the CCD class at the church affiliated with Jude's school. The class is preparing for their first communion. The priest who leads the class (who shall remain nameless) decided that for a treat, he would show them a video of Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, which he located on YouTube. Unfortunately, he failed to watch the video before showing it to a church full of 7-year olds. Please enjoy...

 

Oh yes, he did. Apparently, the poor priest managed to get the video turned off before things got really ugly, but not before freaking the crap out of all the children!

_____________________________________

Y'all should check this out - Where Should I Shop?

It's a site which lists and gives links to top shopping sites around the internet, divided into 39 categories, from Alcohol to Weddings. I like it because it not only gives the usual Amazon and Etsy links, but also lesser-known sites like AbeBooks and Coriandr. Pretty handy.

_____________________________________

 

Hehe.

___________________________________

 

Becky, the Suburban Matron [I must insert here that just then, when I typed the word Suburban, I accidentally wrote Subourbon - which was almost certainly a Freudian slip, and would make a great title for something] posted this on Facebook last week, and I COMPLETELY identified.

Do y'all do this? I probably refer to my kid as "Dude" as often as I do by his name. I can't stop myself from saying things like 'sup and yo, which sounds completely idiotic coming out of the mouth of a middle-aged white woman. And I keep using silly rhyming phrases like "Easy peasy" and "Awesome Possom". What stupid slang words did you start out using ironically, but now just use like they're real words?

____________________________________

That's it. GO see Stacy!

Fun With Cascarones (Confetti Eggs)

When I was a little girl, my friend Flavia's mom used to make cascarones every year for Easter. What is a cascarón, you ask? Well I will tell you.

Cascarones are confetti-filled eggs, traditional in Mexico and particularly popular along the US/Mexican border, where Flavia's mom lived when she was a little girl. Cascarones are traditionally thrown at someone, or even better, cracked over someone's head. It's BIG fun, y'all. It's also kind of a mess, so if you have an issue with lots of confetti and egg shells all over your yard, take it to the park. But MAKE them, your kids will thank you!

Here's what you do...

1. Using a needle, poke a hole in one end of the eggs, bigger than a pinhead, but no bigger than ¼" in diameter.

2. Turn the eggs over, and poke a larger hole, about nickel-sized to quarter-sized on the other end.

3. Carefully, blow into the small hole, pushing the contents of the eggshell out of the egg, and into a bowl. It can be done. You'll end up with sore cheeks, unless you happen to be a trumpet player.

4. Wash the residual egg out of the eggshells.

5. Dye the eggs with food coloring, the same way you'd dye any Easter eggs.

6. Let the colored eggs dry thoroughly - they need to be dry both inside and outside.

7. Gently, fill each egg with confetti. This is a mess. I suggest using some kind of funnel. I bought bags of confetti at the party store, but you could easily make your own by just dumping your shredder. I suggest NOT buying the metallic/Mylar confetti, because if it ends up all over the yard, you will want to kill yourself. Use something biodegradable. You will thank me.

8. Next, cut out a bunch of little squares of tissue paper, I'd say 1½ " X 1 ½".

 

Cut them according to the size of your egg holes.

 

9. Squeeze a little circle of good ol' Elmer's Glue around the larger hole in the egg, and cover it with the piece of tissue paper, thus closing the hole.

10. Give them to your adoring children and allow them to crack them on each others skulls.

11. Bask in the adoration of your children for being the coolest mom ever.

NOTE REGARDING WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THAT DANG EGG:

FREEZE them. Yes, it's true. But you need to prep them a little bit or weird things happen to them in the freezer. After you've blown the eggs out of all your eggshells, you first have to scramble them. Then, add 1/2 tsp. of salt for every cup of raw egg if you're saving them for savory dishes. If you want to save them for sweet dishes, you simply mix in 1 tbsp. of sugar per cup of egg. Don't forget that you've added salt or sugar when you use the eggs, or you'll end up with a really salty omelette! You can then put them in freezer containers, and they'll keep for up to a year! Viva frittata!

Felices Pascuas everybody!

 

RTT: Vandy, Maya and Tinkle

 

I have, rather indulgently. been celebrating my birthday aaaaaaaaaaaaall week with lots of girlfriend fun.

First...Vandy J and The Testosterone Three came to visit!!

Vandy and I on the beach in Santa Monica!

I can't tell you how much fun we had! Vandy is every bit as nice and fun and easy-going as you'd think from her blog. We never stopped talking for the entire day. It was like we were old friends. And her boys were absolutely darling! They were all extremely good sports when I got us all hopelessly gridlocked in traffic.

Turbo digging for crabs.

Bruiser with rake we begged off a lifeguard.

Look at that smile!!

Seriously, I wanted to take both boys home with me! Jude would love a couple of brothers! Can't wait for them to come back again, and we can get Turbo and Jude together.

___________________________________

Next, my college roommate Lannyl came to town from New York and stayed with us a couple of nights...

Lannyl is someone who I can not see for 6 months, and when we're together we pick up right where we were as if we saw each other yesterday. It always amazes me how alike our lives are on their opposite coasts! She is also welcome back any time she wants!

____________________________________

Then on Friday, Lynn and I celebrated our birthdays (Lynn's was Tuesday!) by meeting for high tea at the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel. Veeeeery swanky. Tea, finger sandwiches, scones and clotted cream, pastries. Oh yes, it was good. Celebrity sightings: Warren Beatty (looking pretty old, I must say) and Maya Rudolph who is very pregnant. Here's a shot of our pastries and the back of Maya's head...

 

Honest to God, Lynn wasn't trying to take a picture of Maya Rudolph, just of our pastries. The woman has priorities.

____________________________________

 

I am fairly obsessed with this website - Archetype Me. Basically, you take a little quiz and then the website decides which archetypes you most resemble, the archetypes being - Advocate, Athlete, Caregiver, Creative, Fashionista, Intellectual, Queen/Executive, Rebel, Spiritual and Visionary. I am a Caregiver/Intellectual/Creative. Which does, in fact, pretty much sum me up in neat stereotypes. Then you check out articles and websites chosen to fit your particular archetype types. It's pretty fun, I must say. And...a time suck. So...warning.

____________________________________

 

I laughed.

 

__________________________________

I LOVE these. A photographer father uses his 5-year old daughter to recreate classic paintings. These are truly amazing portraits, not copies of classic paintings, but more...inspired by them.

Definitely worth checking out!

__________________________________

 That's all the random for today. Go see Stacy for more fun!

RTT: Birthday, Corned Beef and Graffiti

Oh hello there! Yes, I DID have a happy birthday, thank you very much for asking. It was a lovely, lazy day. Jimmy made me breakfast in bed...

 

He needs a little work on his plating technique, but it was tasty. And yes, I broke the old "never eat anything bigger than your head" rule.

...then he set up a spot for me in the living room - complete with roses and a fire in the fireplace. Jimmy does good birthday.

 

View from my spot.

What did I do in my little spot? Well, as I may have mentioned before (mmm...possibly a number of times), I have given up my video games for Lent. HOWEVER, as every good little Catholic child who was unfortunate enough to be born during the Lenten season knows, it is absolutely fine and dandy for you cheat on your vow on your birthday. That's what my Mama taught me anyway. I'm not sure if this is actually written somewhere in Catholic dogma, but I choose to believe it is correct. So...I played me some games. Hehe.

 

In order to share my day more efficient, I have created for you a pie chart, a la Becky...

 

How I spent my birthday...

____________________________________

 

How was everybody's St. Patrick's day? I made the best damned Corned Beef and Cabbage that I have ever made. It was like butter, I tell you, like BUTTER. I just mixed up a bunch of recipes I found on the internet and I am gonna tell you the recipe because I'm afraid that if I don't write it down here, I won't remember it next year! Also, I'm pretty sure that one reason it was so tasty was because of that homemade Sweet & Hot Honey Mustard I made for Christmas gifts. So check that out too. And then stow this recipe away for next St. Paddy's.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

2 - 2 1/2 lbs. corned beef

little packet that comes in the corned beef package

1 large onion, sliced into wedges

10 cups water (I was gonna pour in a bottle of beer, but decided tlo drink it instead)

10 baby potatoes (halved)

3 carrots (peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces)

1 small cabbage, sliced into thick wedges

Remove the corned beef from it's wrapping, and rinse it well in a colander. Place in a large Dutch oven with a lid. Arrange onions around the beef, then sprinkle the top with the package of seasoning. Pour water all around it. Cover, place on top of the stove and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.

Remove lid and add the potatoes and carrots. Simmer for 15 minutes more, then add cabbage and simmer for yet another 15 minutes.

Slice across the grain, and serve with au jus and vegies plus some of that good mustard.

____________________________________

Jude and I went and saw Oz the Great and Powerful the other day.

I was pretty disappointed. I don't know what I expected. I mean it wasn't as bad as the dreaded Space Chimps (the thought of which still makes all the muscles in my neck convulse) but I wasn't impressed. I mean, the special effects were pretty outrageous, but seriously, I am SO BLOODY TIRED OF 3D!! It just gives me a stinking headache! Hate it! James Franco was horribly miscast. He's very cute and charming and all that, but he just couldn't wrap his mouth around the dialogue. It was sort of embarrassing. And Mila Kunis was so terrible it was startling. At one point I actually said OUT LOUD "She's just horrible!" and people turned around and looked at me and nodded. Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz were pretty good though, they both had the chops to pull off the style of the piece. But it all just seemed like a kind of sacrilege. They should have just left The Wizard of Oz alone.

___________________________________

These cracked me up - 15 Signs Improved By Hilarious Graffitti. My faves...

___________________________________

And I LOVE this! Detailed Floor Plans Reveal Apartment Layouts of Fictional New York Characters. This artist has accurately and artfully rendered floor plans for tv sets...

 

No way she could have afforded that!

She should have drawn in the cereal boxes.

 

_________________________________

That's all the random for today! Go see Stacy!