Second Blooming

RTT: Sherlock, Cornwall and 4G

Jude is NINE!

Happy Birthday my angel!! Saturday was a long and hellacious day of track meet and screaming boys until the wee hours. But I will save that for another day.

In the meantime, here are a few Random Tuesday Thoughts...

Oh my GOD! As if my Sunday television viewing wasn't brilliant enough with Game of Thrones, The Killing and Mad Men, they have now brought Sherlock back!

Sherlock Season Two is better than ever! Did you watch it? Oh you HAVE to! Sherlock had an almost-love-interest - a brilliant dominatrix! And by almost-love-interest I mean that he seemed to be actually thinking about having sex. With a woman! Which for Sherlock was a big deal. Very sexy. And we got a sadly brief glimpse of Benedict Cumberbatch's naked bum!

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A friend posted this on Facebook...

You know...they would never have written that sign if it hadn't happened. Just saying.

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And while I'm talking about my Brit tv obsessions (well, I was talking about it back before the Trojans), I have FINALLY started watching Doc Martin on Netflix.

Which has been recommended to me numerous times, and is a little less gritty than I usually like, but I'm completely loving, especially because I've thought Martin Clunes was kind of yummy ever since he guest starred on Doctor Who back in the early '80's...

...mmm, not exactly remembering what the lipstick and earring was about. And yes, I AM a silly geek, but I don't care. And I don't know why I find curmudgeonly (nice way of saying asshole) doctors so attractive (House). Anyway, worth watching.

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So all of this Doc Martin watching has me checking out UK real estate again. The show is shot in Port Isaac, Cornwall - a DREAM location. Absolutely gorgeous and charming. Look at this place, The Victoria House Cafe.  For only 575,000 pounds, I could buy this cute little cafe with an apartment above it. I would be the PERFECT ex-patriot cafe owner/love interest for the curmudgeonly doctor! Or what about this house, Fern Cottage, haven't you always wanted to live in a house with a name?! So charming. This is where the curmudgeonly doctor and I could move once we get married and I give up the cafe business. Sigh...

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Okay, I am so excited I can barely CONTAIN myself! The other day, I was in the Apple store, buying Jude his very own iPod Touch for his birthday (big hit, btw), and when I pulled out my vintage iPhone, the Apple dude very politely asked me why I had never upgraded my phone. I hemmed and hawed and admitted that it just cost too much, and I hated to spend the money until the phone completely went out, even though the damned thing is SOOOOOOOOOOO slow that I want to throw it out the window at least 3 times a week. The dude looked at me as if I was just as dumb as a stump (and clearly, I AM as dumb as a stump) and informed me that since I was such a valued AT&T customer, I could upgrade from my archaic 3G to a 3Gs for FREE, or another generation to the 4G for only $99. So I have bought myself a Mother's Day present! My new 4G is arriving tomorrow. I will no doubt spend the next few days on a New Phone Honeymoon. All sorts of new apps which my old phone couldn't handle. Happy, happy, joy, joy.

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And that's the end of my randomness for this week. Visit Stacy and check out the others.

 

RTT: Geek, Johnny Depp and Geek

RANDOM TUESDAY THOUGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I'm sorry, was I shouting?)

Gretchen = Geek Example #1 -

I'm dying to go here - Dickens World. It's a Charles Dickens theme park in Chatham, UK!

You can walk through the dank corridors of Marshalsea Prison or take the Great Expectations Boat Ride. It's like an English Major Dream Vacation!

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Is anybody else sick and tired of the Johnny Depp/Tim Burton collaboration? I mean, I have absolutely ZERO interest in this new Dark Shadows movie.

He keeps playing the same silly, freaky character over...

and over...

and over...

and over...

Enough already!

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The other day, Jude and I were driving in the car, discussing his upcoming birthday. He's decided that he doesn't want to have a big theme birthday this year. Which makes me both sad (he's growing up) and happy (WHEW!). Anyway, we haven't really planned it yet, but I think he's going to have just a few pals over for a sleepover and that's it. I asked him if they wanted to do anything special, maybe play a game or watch a movie, and he said no. Then about a beat later he said "When I'm in high school, and have parties, we'll play a game called Spin the Bottle."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Gretchen = Geek Example #2

Drama Major humor...

I am a reeky, clay-brained, canker-blosson! What are you?

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This is NOT written by my child, but stolen off the internet. Enjoy...

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Gretchen = Geek Example #3 -

I desperately wish for this sign every time certain children are dropped off at a Cub Scout meeting and left for others mind...

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And on a quick serious note: 

Two noteworthy events this week which gave me pause -

1. The 20th anniversary of the LA Riots. I will never forget them. A few sad, angry, frightening, tragic days, when the straw broke the camels back, and people went temporarily insane.

2. The One World Trade Center, which is the tower they are building to replace the World Trade Center has officially reached the height that surpasses the Empire State Bldg. and makes it the tallest building in NYC.

May it forever stand proud. And may Jude never force me to go to the top of it (I know he will!)

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Go forth and visit Stacy!

RTT: Lonely Farmers, Show Tunes & Geek Cakes

Another Tuesday, another Random Tuesday Thoughts...

I saw this on tv and almost peed myself...

 

Ha! It's a real site - Farmers Only! The only online dating site for Americas Farmers.

According to the website, "This group makes up America's Heartland – the slice of America with good old fashioned traditional values, values that were never lost by the farmers of our country."

So why are there so many pictures of trashy looking women in Daisy Duke cutoffs riding tractors?!

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I have a new favorite way of entertaining myself while I'm doing housework. Our Direct TV cable company has a bunch of music stations, and I have discovered their Show Tunes channel. My mother would have LOVED this station! All show tunes, all the time. I sing along at the top of my lungs while I'm mopping or doing dishes or whatever. I'm seriously hoping that the UPS man doesn't show up while I'm in the middle of dancing along with Rita Moreno on "America" from West Side Story. Though I'm sure he's seen worse.

 

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I may be late to the game here, but you all, especially those of you with boys, MUST read this lovely piece - 25 Rules for Mothers of Sons. I agree with them all. And I SO wish I'd written this first.

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The other day, I had hunted all around for my reading glasses, and couldn't find them. I finally had to leave, got into the car, reached up to pull down my sunglasses and discovered this on top of my head...

Yes, that would be TWO pairs of reading glasses + my sunglasses. I have finally, officially become my mother.

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I LOVE this weird and wonderful website - Between the Pages: where pop culture and food meet. They have pictures of great sci-fi geek cakes! The Enterprise...

Star Wars wedding cake...

Dr. Who...

Very inspiring!

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My new iPhone game obsession! Swipe Four.

It's SO addicting! You make four letter words using the letters they give you. It's so simple, but completely fun. I HIGHLY recommend it. Well, not if you want to actually get anything done in your life.

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Alright, short and sweet today. I'm working on brevity. It's very difficult. We'll see how it goes. Be sure to hop over and visit Stacy's other random thinkers!

RTT: Sunday Nights, Toilet Seat Covers and Korean Tea

Is it really Tuesday again? Geez.

I am SO loving Sunday nights! I look forward to it all week. Suddenly, ALL my favorite shows are back and all on the same night - Game of Thrones, The Killing and Mad Men! I'm in tv heaven. And speaking of Mad Men, check out this Mad Men Cocktail Culture iPhone App. Since this week's Spin Cycle topic just happens to be Cocktails, it's the perfect time to download this app! It not only has excellent recipes for a bunch of classic cocktails, but also a little game in which you mix up cocktails on your iPhone and then drink little virtual drinks. Which is amazingly unsatisfying.

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One of my Facebook friends posted a link to this website - Nina Katchadourian. It totally cracks me up. This woman is a serious artist, who had the incredibly silly idea to create a series of photographs entitled Seat Assignment: Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style. While on a boring flight, she went into the airplane bathroom, stuck the toilet seat cover on her head and took a picture with her cell phone...

She loved the picture so much, that over the next two years, she went on 70 flights, and took over 2000 pictures in the bathroom.

PLEASE check out the website, they are hysterical! I love this woman.

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This reminds me of my youth in Austin - much time was spent in a tube, doing things that may have defied this sign...

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I have become a little crazy about a new tea - Korean Citron Honey Tea.

Yes, I know it looks like marmalade, but it's not. You spoon it into a cup, add hot water and have this really delicious lemony tea. And....I know that most of you don't live within walking distance of a Korean market, like I do, but you can even get it from Amazon...

True, $10 seems like a lot for tea, but that is a HUGE jar. So BUY some. I'm actually looking forward to my first cold of the season.

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The other day on Facebook, Jen from Sprite's Keeper mentioned how excited she was that they finally have a new Trader Joe's nearby, and I realized how dependent I am on the place. I really don't know what I'd do without it. It's amazing how many TJ items are staples around our house. In addition to their great food/great prices and amazing ready-made foods, I have a number of super easy meals that involve just mixing together a bunch of stuff from Trader Joe's that I keep around the house. Last night, we had one of our faves, which I will share with you. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, MAKE THIS. If you do not, you have my deepest sympathies.

Trader Joe's Tuna Lemon Pepper Pasta

1 pkg. TJ's Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta

1 12 oz. bag TJ's Artichoke Hearts, frozen

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 can water-packed tuna, drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 jar capers

grated zest of one lemon

salt to taste

Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Add the pasta. Boil for 10 minutes. After about 7 minutes, dump in the bag of frozen artichoke hearts. Cook the 3 minutes more. Drain, then return to the stock pot. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Mix. EAT.

Serves 2. Which is good, because it has too much green stuff in it for Jude.

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Hope everybody is having a lovely Tuesday thus far. Please visit Stacy's place and see the other Random Tuesday Thoughtites.

Dear God

Dear God,

I don't ask for much really. Well, that's not true, is it?  I ask for lots of things, but nothing really big.

Well that's not really right either. I ask for all the really big things, capital BIG things like...World Peace. And safety and protection for my family. And a cure for hot flashes.

But nothing for me really. Nothing particularly selfish. I don't ask to win the lottery or anything. Though if you saw fit to make that happen, I would really appreciate it. And certainly I would see fit to make a nice, sizeable donation to a charity of your choice. Just saying.

So I feel that it's okay for me to ask you for something that's possibly a bit selfish.

So here it is...

Ugh, this is hard. I should just say it, right?

Okay, here goes...

Please dear God, please, please, PLEASE don't make me take Jude to see that new Three Stooges movie!

I do many, many things for my child! I've gone to numerous amusement parks, ridden countless horrifying rides to make him happy! I do camps, water slides, b-b guns! I'm a soccer mom, baseball mom, swimming mom, track mom, Cub Scout mom.

And I have endured many, many terrible cinematic experiences - I sat through the dreaded Squeakquel. I endured the horror that was Space Chimps. I survived the 3D induced nausea of The Lorax.

But please, PLEASE DEAR MERCIFUL LORD don't make me suffer...the faux Stooges!!!

I mean, I don't get the REAL Stooges. I just stare at them, allowing the inanity to wash over me without getting the humor at ALL. I have over and over again sat while Jude and Jimmy watched old Three Stooges movies - they scream and roll around with hysteria, while I sit and stare, clueless. I'll think "Hmm. Interesting. This seems to be a part that they find humorous." but I remain unmoved in any way.

My friend Wendell believes that there is a special 3S chromosome, which is missing in the female of the species. This might explain the problem. Though I'm not really sure why you, in your infinite wisdom, would create such a thing. A test? A plague?

And so, if I am unable to tolerate the real Three Stooges, I find it extremely doubtful that I would even be able to SURVIVE these new fake Three Stooges people. Even though my friend Denise designed the costumes, and I should totally go in support of her, just the mere thought of having to watch this silliness makes me slightly faint and nauseous.

Maybe if, during the movie, I was able to...meditate...to take my mind far, far away to a happy place...No. I don't think I can do it.

Don't you think that maybe this should be...JIMMY'S duty? Really? REALLY!? Even though he considers this New Stooges thing to be a horrifying sacrilege? Because he's, you know....the MAN. And this seems like it should be the MAN's responsibility?

Pretty please?

If you see fit to spare me this pain, I promise that I will hereby refrain from playing Word With Friends and updating my Facebook status during the sermon in church. Really.

Okay, I guess that's it.

Though that thing about lottery would...

Too much, right? Okay, never mind.

Thank you very much. You're a...good guy. Okay, that sounded weird, right? You're...you know, you.

So.

Love ya!

Gretchen

Texas Girls

We had such an excellent weekend! My college roommate Lannyl and her darling 12-year old daughter, Georgia, stayed with us for three nights and we had a whirlwind of LA tourist fun!

Lannyl is the original housewife on NYC. She had a pretty big Broadway career back in the '90s (My Favorite Year, Moon Over Buffalo) but took time off when she started having kids. Sounds familiar, right? She now, being the good Texas/Louisiana girl that she is (we love our vehicles), drives her kids back and forth around the island of Manhattan in her hybrid SUV. Jude and I love getting together with them when we're in NYC - Jude kind of hero worships her kids, Michael and Georgia.

I love being with Lannyl. I don't often get to spend time with women who I share my past with. We're cut from the same cloth. Everything's simpatico. We work in tandem and get things done. And man, did we do some stuff!

Friday was a tornado of activity. We stalked the cast of Glee around the Paramount lot, met our UT buddies Wendell and Christi for a gossipy lunch, then took Christi along with us for a drive-by of all the sites we could fit in in one afternoon. From the Hollywood Sign all the way to Malibu then then back again. And then, as if we hadn't done enough that day, we saw another UT friend, Kim, in a play. Whew.

On Saturday, we made our way to Disneyland. It was a great day because it was a little cold and misty, which actually kept all of the crowds away.

Jude and I led the way, and we managed to hit pretty much ALL the highlights of the world  of Disney. Georgia was SO excited.

The whole day was perfect until we got into the girl fight.

What? I didn't mention that? Silly me.

Yes, in Disneyland, the Happiest Place on Earth, Lannyl and I somehow managed to almost get into a fist fight. Perhaps I should explain...

After making our way around the park, riding ourselves silly, we decided to take a break and catch the 4:00 parade. We found a good spot close to the front, and waited for all the dancing princesses and mice to get there.

Soon after the parade began, I was shoved from behind by a small woman who appeared to be in her 60s. She literally shoved me out of the way, and bulled her way in front of us. No "excuse me" or explanation. We'll call her Rude Woman #1. Lannyl and I were all "How rude!" and "Why I never!" As I said, Lannyl and I are cut from the same cloth, and that cloth could never be described as "street".

A couple of minutes later, another woman, a woman in her 20s or early 30s, we'll call her Rude Woman #2,  squished her way in and stood next to Rude Woman #1. We assumed that #2 was #1's daughter.

"Excuse me." I said "You have cut in front of us, and I can no longer see my child. Could you PLEASE move out of my way." Yes, my reaction to physical confrontation is to turn into the Queen Mum.

RW #1 and RW#2 looked at me as if I smelled particularly bad, and didn't move.

"JUDE!! I'm here honey! I'm back here! These two very, very rude women shoved in front of me and I can't see you. But I'm here!" I cried. "She can no longer see her child!" cried Lannyl.

Finally, after the other people around us asked them to move as well, they kind of hunkered down a little, so I could see my kid.

As soon as the parade was over, and the last dancing chimney sweep chim chiminied away, RW#1 turned around, put her arms up like a linebacker, and started to shove her way back between us.

Now as I said, Lannyl and I are cut from the same cloth, and that cloth is not "street". But we are still Texas women, and even though we may have turned into Queen Mums, we were not going to let these women shove us. I stood up to my full 5'10" and though Lannyl is not as tall as I am, she does have Broadway caliber presence. We both got big. And we both shoved back.

At this point, things are a bit of a blur. I'm pretty sure that Lannyl and I said things like "I think NOT!" and "Well excuse ME!" and "There is no need for THAT!" And the rude women started shoving and pushing us, and then people started shouting, and then there was more pushing and more shouting and then RW #1 started hitting Lannyl with her purse, and Lannyl screamed and threw her hands up to protect herself, which caused her iced tea to squirt up in the air and all over RW #1 and RW #2, who turned tail and ran away.

As they pulled away, I shouted in a rather dramatic way "Clearly, YOU" I thrust my finger toward RW #2 "Learned your manners from HER!" and I pointed to RW #1 with a flourish. Take that!

"Yo, beeotch! Don't you be dissing me and my crew! Don't you be shoving my ass! Sho nuff! I will stand my mutha f&#$in ground! That is mos def! Don't make me come ova there bitch!"

Okay, I didn't really say that part. But I think that my dramatic gesturing and "angry voice" made the point.

All around us, people ran to our defense. It was a bit surreal. Lannyl called for security. Witnesses told us that the RWs had hightailed it out of there.

The Disneyland security was very nice, even if they were a bit useless. I don't think they have many middle-aged women slapdowns. Lannyl actually had a SCRATCH on her neck. They offered to get her medical assistance, but it wasn't really needed. They did take a report. And then they gave us some "use anytime" Fast Passes for Star Tours. Which Lannyl then cleverly parlayed into two more "use anytime" Fast Passes for Space Mountain...

So in the end, a fun time was had by all.

I'm thinking that maybe when we go to NY in the summer we might go to Coney Island together. Let's hope that none of them Brooklyn beeotches mess with us!

RTT: Sexy Dwarves, Hunger Food and Darren

We had the BEST weekend. But I'm going to tease you, and tell you about it TOMORROW. Aren't I cruel. In the meantime, I do have a few...

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Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones!! I have finished the entire first season, and seen the first episode of Season Two - a feeding frenzy of blood and gore and sex and intrigue. I'm LOVING it! And I have a new crush. Tyrion Lannister. The sexiest dwarf in the world.

I must admit that until now, I have been rather close-minded regarding the sexiness of dwarves, but Peter Dinklage has opened my mind and heart. If I was a King's Landing whore, I would allow Tyrion to have his way with me for free. Oh yes, it's true.

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And speaking of Game of Thrones, I desperately want one of these neckaces. Hmmm, should I align myself with the House of Stark, the ancient kings of winter, whose sigil is the direwolf?...

 

Or should I side with my man Tyrion and the House of Lannister. Evil, power hungry and the richest of all the great houses in the kingdom, whose sigil is the golden lion...

 

And what the hell is a sigil anyway?

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I must admit that I haven't made it yet, but I'm dying to cook up Katniss' favorite food - Hunger Games Lamb Stew...

Somebody actually wrote an entire Hunger Games cookbook, which seems slightly odd, considering it's all about being hungry.

But this sounds very worthy of the fare in The Capital...

Hunger Games Lamb Stew with Dried Plums

5 pounds lamb fillet, shoulder or leg, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup water
4 cups beef stock
2 teaspoons white sugar
3 teaspoons brown sugar
3 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced zucchini
1-1/2 cups diced celery
2 large onions, diced
3 potatoes, cubed
5 cups dried plums
2 teaspoons dried thyme
3 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
1 cup ginger ale

Directions

1. Place lamb, salt, pepper, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Toss to coat meat evenly.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan and brown the meat, working in batches if you have to.
3. Remove lamb to a side plate. Pour off fat, leaving 1/4 cup in the pan. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until the onion becomes golden. Deglaze frying pan with the 1/2 cup water, taking care to scrape the bottom of the pan to stir up all of the tasty bits of meat and onion. Cook to reduce liquid slightly, then remove from heat.
4. Place the lamb and garlic-onion mixture in a large stockpot. Add beef stock and sugar, stirring until sugars are dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil, cover, and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.
5. Add the vegetables, dried plums, herbs, and ginger ale to the pot. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until meat and vegetables pierce easily with a fork.

Serves 8 to 10.

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Over the past few years, I have often mentioned my friends Lynn (the Curly Girl on my Blog Roll) and her husband Darren. Notably here , when Darren took what should have been MY seat at the Emmy awards, and here, when their precious daughters came to stay with us for three days .

Well, Darren, after years of people reading his hilarious Facebook status updates and telling him he needed to do something with them, has finally started his own blog! Please, please PRETTY please check him out - Daddy/Daughter Fun Time. We could certainly use another good Daddy blogger in our midst. Please support him!!

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Run along now. Well, run along AFTER you have visited Darren. That's all for Tuesday. More tomorrow.

RTT: Rockets, Geeks and Peniss

Sigh...

Cub Scout camping. Again. This time rockets...

Could there be a more phallic boy activity than building/shooting off rockets?

Rockets = Fun

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Mmmm...okay.

 

I truly can't decide if this is cute or creepy.

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 I love this geek t-shirt website! They have an amazing array of funny t-shirts for every geek subject I love!

Dr. Who humor tees...

Downton Abbey humor tees...

Zombie humor tees...

Star Wars humor tees...

Pi humor tees...

and a surprising number of Jesus humor tees...

If anybody is thinking of getting me a belated birthday present, I'd love a Medium in one of these...

Gotta love bacon as element. Or this...

Or the best of all...

...which neatly combines choir geek humor with zombie geek humor. Gotta have it!

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I got this new face goo I'm trying out, that I got with a Groupon. It's this Pure Collagen stuff, which is called "Instant Face-lift Serum". Yeah, right. I've had it for three days now, and so far so good. I can't say it actually looks like I've had a face-lift, but I'm an optimist. The only problem is that it stinks. It really does. I keep devotedly applying it in "circular motions" twice a day, but it's starting to get to me. My face smells like...hmm, how to describe it. Kind of  a mixture of cow hoof and manure. This smell led me to some internet investigation about where cosmetic collagen comes from and lo and behold...cow parts. True. And it's on my face. Twice a day. The things we do for vanity.

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I am FINALLY getting to go see The Hunger Games today - I wanted to go on opening day, but I was involved in the aforementioned Rocket Camp. Grrr...the things we sacrifice for our children. But in the meantime, I have found a couple of excellent Hunger Games items to share with you...

Katniss Everdeen's Pinterest Page...

If it's too small for you to read, you can check it out HERE.

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Very good. See Stacy. Read others. Return next week for more Random Tuesday Thoughts.

RTT: Whoop-Ass, Hash and Weird Eggs

Miraculously, I have found TWO new network tv shows that I like...

1. Awake - When last I raved about sexy, brooding, Brit actor Jason Isaacs, I was watching the BBC mystery show Case Histories, and marveling that he was the same actor who played the evil Lucius Malfoy. Well now he's on NBC's Awake, and he's equally sexy and brooding, only now he's rocking an excellent American accent. I'm really enjoying the show so far, it's of the Lost/what-the-hell's-going-on-here vein. Too complicated for me to try to explain here. So you should watch it yourselves because it's fun. You can catch up on the first episodes at the NBC website here.
2. Missing - Ashley Judd as a middle-aged woman who KICKS SOME BUTT! I am loving this show because a) She's a middle-aged woman who actually looks like a middle-aged woman. and b) She kicks some butt, and looks good doing it.  She's a widowed ex-CIA agent whose son is kidnapped. She's searching the world to find her boy so she can serve up a big load of whoop-ass on whoever took him. I'd do the same, wouldn't you? If you missed the first episode you can catch it on the ABC website here. ALL MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN MUST WATCH THIS SHOW OUT OF SOLIDARITY. Plus, Ashley Judd has the same haircut that I do!

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Well now, this is simply brilliant, and an excellent idea for a party...According to this article, the wine director of Auberge du Soleil Hotel in Napa, CA has put together a list of Girl Scout Cookie wine pairings. I know it's a question you've all been worrying about, and now we have the answers! What to serve with a box of Do-Si-Dos? They suggest a 2009 Schloss Gobelsburg Gobelsburger Zweigelt. "The light-bodied and fruity Zweigelt paired with the Do-Si-Dos brings home the flavors of peanut butter & jelly." Bought one too many boxes of Savannah Smiles? Try serving it with a 2010 Dr. Loosen “Bernkasteler Lay” Riesling-Kabinett. “The lemon notes and powdered sugar create an amazing match with this off-dry, high- acid white wine.” And of course, both of the chocolaty faves, Thin Mints and Samoas, are best paired with a nice Tawny Port.

Don't say I've never taught you anything.

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Oh dear God, it was tasty! Yesterday morning I took the leftover St. Patrick's Day Corned Beef and Potatoes, fried it up, and poached an egg on top. I should have taken a picture because it was so GORGEOUS, but I gobbled it up before the thought occurred to me. And I should give you a recipe, but I just stuck it all in a skillet and fried it up so... no recipe. You'll just have to trust me that it was outrageously good. Mmmmm. Next year, I must remember to make more corned beef just for the LEFTOVERS!

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So stinking cute...

 

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I fear that this is true...

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The other day on the radio I heard a study that said that 51% of men say they are the primary grocery shoppers in their families. PRIMARY. Could that be true?!! Do 51% of y'all let your men do the majority of the shopping?! Really?! I mean, can 51% of people's husbands actually cook? Jimmy's abilities are limited to what I describe as "weird eggs". Or is it that 51% of you trust your husband to actually buy the right stuff? Because I'd say that Jimmy shops for about 1% of our groceries, and out of that I'd say he gets about 10% of the purchased items right. So...well you can do the math yourself, but it's pretty damned pathetic. Please, PLEASE tell me that I am not the only one whose husband is this useless in this area.

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Okay that's it. Pretty please visit Stacy and read the other Ransom Thinkers.

Spin Cycle: No Such Luck

I have got to be the world's worst gambler.

The phrase "no guts, no glory" comes to mind, because I have absolutely no guts. I'm such a wienie. Not a risktaker. I never take a bet unless I know I'm gonna win. After 20 years, Jimmy still doesn't remember this. If I say "I bet you a dollar." DO NOT take the bet, because I won't be making it unless I know I am absolutely, positively right.

When I go to a casino, I always allow myself a tiny amount of money - $20 or $40 - and then just play the slots until I've lost it all. And I pretty much always do. Roulette scares me to death. Craps baffles me. I like blackjack, but I'm so terrible at math I spend all my time counting on my fingers under the table, and my fellow players get fed up. I spend most of my Vegas time drinking Mai Tais in the pool and enjoying all-you-can-eat buffets.

My friend Lynn fascinates me with her skills as a gambler. You'd never suspect it when you meet her, but that woman is a poker playing fool! She has made serious $$ in poker tournaments. She's suggested several times that we take a little trip to Vegas, and I should take her up on it. I'd be happy to babysit the kids in the pool and let her gamble, if she's willing to pay for the room with her winnings.

When I first moved to LA, I didn't know a soul except for my friend DeeDee. DeeDee is now known to many of you as Fiddledeedee, mommy blogger extraordinaire.

DeeDee and me in the day.

DeeDee invited me to join a group of friends who had a weekly poker game. It was such a fun group, I never missed a Wednesday, despite the fact that I seldom did better than break even. We just played quarter ante, but we were pretty serious about our poker. We were mostly expatriate Texans, with a few notable others mixed in. When I look back on us, we really were a pretty fantastic group of young people.

We started out playing at Lou Diamond Phillips' house in Laurel Canyon.

At the time, Lou had just made La Bamba, and when his career took off and he was traveling a lot, we started moving it around to other houses.

Brandon Lee was one of our most stalwart members.

Brandon hosted the game at his house in Echo Park pretty often, and was a damned good poker player. He always said he had "the lucky of a Chinaman". He was also a deeply kind man, and a good friend. His accidental death was a huge growing up experience for us all.

Brad Pitt played with us a few times, as did Joely Fisher, who hosted the game at her mom Connie Stevens' house once. And John Lee Hancock, who recently wrote and directed The Blind Side, played with us, and even wrote a play for us to all act in together. I played Brandon's girlfriend.

But despite all this poker playing, I never got any better. And I have to admit that my biggest problem with poker is an almost complete inability to bluff. I'm actually a good liar. Sad, but true. But bluffing just never occurs to me. And after years of playing with the same group of people, they finally realized that if I was betting heavily on a hand, and raising the pot every time it came around to me, you'd better not be bluffing against me, because I was bound to have a great hand.

Eventually, we drifted apart and stopped the weekly game. Careers took off, relationships broke up (Lou's wife leaving him for Melissa Etheridge was a nice scandal). And Brandon's death pretty much ended it completely. But I remember the time and the group of friends fondly. It was an important time of growth for me.

Nowadays, the only gambling I do is when my choir goes in together to buy  lottery tickets. Right now, the Mega Millions pot is at $200,000,000, and the drawing is today! Let's do the math. If we win the big pot, my cut would be...$10,000,000. Which I could live with. I'll let y'all know if I'm a new millionaire.

I just can't stop myself from continuing to toss in $5 every week. Because I know perfectly well that the one week I finally stop doing it...they'd win the Mega Millions.

Which would be just my luck.

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Don't push your luck! Drop in and visit all of this week's Lucky Spinners!

Aimee at AimeeWrites

SuziCate at The Water Witch's Daughter 

VandyJ at The Testosterone Three and Me

Kendra at Life in the Slow Lane

Peg at Square Peg in a Round Hole - NEW on FRIDAY!

Stacy at Stacy Uncorked - NEW on FRIDAY!

Ginny Marie at Lemon Drop Pie - NEW on FRIDAY!

Patty at Pancakes Gone Awry - NEW on FRIDAY!

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Next week on The Spin Cycle...

Car Trip

Most of the country is gearing up for Spring Break, and I'm sure many of you are heading out for a little vacay. So how about we all talk about that great American activity, the car trip.

My family were car trippers! Two weeks every summer plus mini-trips every long weekend. Jimmy's family - not so much. There are so many crazies in the family that they couldn't handle being enclosed in a small metal box with each other for too long. They considered the 40 minute drive from Long Island into Brooklyn a lengthy journey.

Hmmm...which story shall I share with you? The time I moved to Los Angeles, driving from Texas in my 1984 Toyota Tercel with all my earthly possessions and THREE cats? The time Jimmy and I drove a Ryder truck filled with Mama's stuff to LA from Austin and the truck's air conditioning went out in the middle of the 116 degree Mojave Desert? Or maybe something from my childhood?

You'll have to come back next Friday to find out.

In the meantime, write your spin on "Car Trip", add the link below, leave a comment here letting me know you've posted your spin, and I'll link you up.

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