Let us not forget all the men and woman who fought and gave their lives for this country.

Season 2 of Dead Like Me is coming back July 25. Wooo hooo!!! The hubby and I are pysched. The show is sooooooooo well written.

Last night I made an Enchilada pie for dinner. Holy cow it was delicious! I used ground turkey instead of beef and I used green chili sauce. It gave it a pow. I also put cheese in the mixture instead of just under the crust. I think the mixture would also make tasty meatloaf, and burgers too.

Niel and I rented Mooseport last night. I really was looking forward to viewing it. Within the first ten minutes I thought I was going to like the movie. It reminded me sort of What About Bob. A movie full of quirky folk. The film is essentially about some poor schmuck played by Ray Ramano, who ends up in a love triangle while accidentally running for Mayor against a former President played by Gene Hackman(Gene what are you doing in this film?). I ended up hating the film. The characters were so one dimensional. I usually find Ray Ramano's self depreciating humor funny, but not this part. I feel he just got typecast with his Everyone Loves Raymond character. Like the makers of this film thought if they gave him a new name, and set him in small town America that the viewer would be tricked. Hah! Moira Tierny's part was so whiny and just annoyed me. For Pete's sake why not ask the guy yourself if he wants to marry you instead of playing those goofy games!!!! I found the abundance of animals in this film more interesting. Anyway please don't rent this Mooseport.

I finished reading a Tree Grows in Brooklyn and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The book is very moving as it progresses through Francie's life. Betty Smith was so honest in her writing whether it dealt with joy or sadness. I would very much recommend it.

My friend Maria sent me a link to a site about urban legends and I thought I would share.

The squid I used last night to cook Calamari.  

As you can tell Blogger has photo options now. So I can put up more pictures. I am still trying to figure it out.

The Calamari Fritti with Marinara sauce was the appetizer and for dinner I made Chicken Cacciatore*. I did not use the biscuits in this particular recipe. Wednesday night we had Pot Pies. I used ground turkey instead of beef for that particular recipe. I think I like Tuesday's Pot Pie a lot better. The turkey bits were whole and the sauce was creamed chicken soup.

I don't usually make an appetizer. It's one main meal with salad. But, Niel loved the Calamari Fritti. It tasted a bit fishy to me. I guess because the squid I brought from the Asian market was so fresh. So I think I might soak the squid in lemon juice(I got this tip from a coworker)next time to take out the fishy taste. There was also black watery stuff oozing out of the squid, which I know is expected, but still grossed me out. The skeleton of the squid looked like plastic. It was very clear. I don't really know, maybe the fish monger put plastic in the squid to make it straight?

*Chicken Cacciatore(a la Pillsbury)
2.5 to 3 lb cut up frying chicken
1/2 medium green pepper, cut into strips
2 cups fresh mushrooms
1 jar spaghetti sauce(I used crushed and added Italian seasonings)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon oregano leaves crushed

Heat oven to 375 F. Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium high heat until hot. Add chicken and cook until browned on both sides. Place browned chicken in ungreased baking dish and top with veggies, sauce and seasonings. Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes.

I love it when Niel does the food shopping. He always comes home with something neat. This time he came home with frozen turnips for me. He knows I love them. Last time he brought home frozen squash. Yummy things for me to eat when Niel goes camping in a few weeks.

Two cool sites to check out: The Pretty Purse and Oh Theo

Has this season’s American Idol felt particularly angry to anyone? The first season was novel and everyone pretty much knew who was going to win. The second season everyone seemed to enjoy both of the contestants and they are now equally doing well.
But this season seems so much angry. I know it’s a competition, but the contestants seems to be taking it better than some of the fans. I don’t understand why it has to be a popularity contest? It’s not about your state, but who can sing. So even though my pick LaToya was eliminated (sniffle) I wish whoever wins well.

Some buttmunch tried to attack my home computer and when I get my hands on who it is they wish they never tried what they did. It makes me really sad that people are so unhappy that they try to ruin other people's happiness.

Happy Graduation Day to my brother's girlfriend who graduated from FIT. I hope life gives her the best it has to offer!

Last night's dinner was a very tasty Turkey Pot Pie.

Saturday night I made duck legs. We've either been on an Asian food kick or an interesting food kick. The smell of the duck was very nice but it was so fatty the texture was a bit gummy.

I was happy to find that Whole Foods also carries my favorite brand of Madelines, Donsuemor. I only thought Starbucks carried them.

A funny article on pooing in Germany.

Wasn't Sunday's Aliasa holy crap moment? I kind of suspected the ending to turn out that way a few weeks back, but with the addition of Sydney's sister I was thrown off track a bit.

I received the latest Issue of Martha Stewart and there are a few recipes I want to try:Lemon-blackberry pudding cakes, Vietnamese Summer Rolls, Spaghetti with Shrimp Scampi and Lemon meringue Pie. (sorry there aren't any links. When I make the dishes I'll type in the recipes).

I discovered some time ago the British have a different name for eggplant. They call it Aubergine. They use this term since the French do. In our house we call it Patlajan. It is Romanian and since my mother's mom grew up in Romania(yes Dracula country) this is the name we use.

I think Aubergine is a much nicer than eggplant. I thought it was also a pretty name for a girl. Of course I wouldn't name a daughter after a veggie/fruit. I wouldn't want her to go through the troubles that I had and occasionally still do with my name.

The weekend was a good one. Saturday we got errands out of the way. We don't have a closet in our guest room and needed extra space to store clothing. Early in the morning, Niel and Mike went to Ikea to purchase it(I can't find a link to it). They took Mike's car since it has more room. I stayed home and made space in the guest room for the new closet. Later on we rested for a bit before splitting up the rest of the chores. I did laundry while Niel went grocery shopping. Afterwards he went to play softball while I did some more things around the house. I was happy the weather was good enough for Niel to play. In the evening we tried to see Shrek 2, but it was sold out. We went to see Troy instead. It was well done. I thought I would be drooling after Orlando Bloom, but I ended up drooling for Eric Bana (he looks good scruffy).

Sunday Niel worked a good deal on putting together the closet while I rearranged our photo albums. Our living room looks like a closet threw up. We then took a quick treck to the fair in Middle Village and brought ourselves a sausage and pepper hero for lunch. Yummy Yummy. Afterwards we took the train into the city to see the world's best movie Napoleon Dynamite.We met up with the funny and nice Dave and the equally funny and nice Holly at the theater. Everything about this movie was awesome. The acting, directing and writing. The theater would not stop laughing. Here is a link how you can see this movie for free. If you can't see it before it's release on June 11 then please pay for it and see it. I cannot wait till it is out on video so I can watch it over and over again. I know it will get lost during the Summer block busters but I hope not. A big thank you to Dave for telling Niel about this fabulous film. Afterwards the four of us went to eat some dinner at Tikka Masala. A good Indian restaurant in Maspeth. It was a good weekend.

I hope to get to see a few movies this weekend and go to a street fair in Middle Village. The movies I hope to see are
Shrek 2 and a free screening of Napoleon Dynamite, which Niel got tickets for. Yippee.

I am already thinking of eating grilled corn, sausage and peppers, cheese calzone and hopefully oysters on a half shell at the street fair. Yum, yum, yum!!!

Last night we watched Wonderland. I usually do not go for such dark movies, but I figured Niel watched my goofy movie. I should do the same. The movie was about former porn star John Holmes and his days after leaving the industry. The movie was actually very good and I was pretty proud of myself for lasting up until the last 10 minutes when they showed the killings. I ran into the bedroom and turned on our other TV to watch the rerun of the last Friends episode. Why do I torture myself?

For dinner last night I marinated some flounder in Mirin, ginger, Lemon Juice, Light Soy Sauce, salt and pepper and baked it in the oven. It was delicious!

This would be a nice carnival to attend.

My foodie friend Isabelle emailed the following quiz to me and I had to share. I couldn't choose just one chocolate. I like Baby Ruth, Snickers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and chocolate Covered Raisins:

Pick your chocolate, then look to see. No cheating!
Take this chocolate personality test...

If you were buying candy and you had your choice of
the following, which would you choose?

BABY RUTH
3 MUSKETEERS
BUTTERFINGER
SNICKERS
HERSHEY'S
ALMOND JOY
CLARK BAR
REESES PEANUT BUTTER CUPS
ENERGY BAR
CHOCOLATE COATED RAISINS


OK - Now that you've made your choice, this is what
research says about You!

STOP - - NO .... you can't change your mind once you
scroll down! So think carefully what your choice will be!!!


BABY RUTH ...
Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm fuzzy items. A little nutty.
Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day.

3 MUSKETEERS ...
You are adventurous, love new ideas, are a champion of underdogs
and a slayer of dragons. When tempers flare up, you whip out your saber.

BUTTERFINGER ...
Smooth, sexy, & articulate with your hands, you are an excellent
after-dinner speaker and a good teacher. But don't try to
walk and chew gum at the same time.

SNICKERS ...
Fun-loving, sassy, humorous. Everyone enjoys being around you, but
you are a practical joker, however, you are a friend for life.

HERSHEY'S ...
Romantic, warm, loving. You care about other people and can be
counted on in a pinch. You tend to melt.

ALMOND JOY ...
Sexy, always ready to give and receive, very energetic, and really
likes to get into life. The opposite sex is always attracted to you.

CLARK BAR ...
You like sports, whether baseball, football, basketball, or soccer.
If you could, you would like to participate, but enjoy watching sports.
You don't like to give up the remote control.

REESES PEANUT BUTTER CUPS ..
You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh. You are fun to be with.
People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person.

ENERGY BAR ..
Life is passing you by. Get a life! Go eat a plum.

CHOCOLATE COATED RAISINS ..
You go to the bathroom often.

New York is one of the top five cities competing to host the Olympics. I am not sure it is such a great idea. It will be much more crowded then it already is now. It will be diritier will all the extra littering and difficult to get around. Plus I would like to know how this great city that does not have money for education, to keep firehouses open will find the money to host the Olympics? On that note how do we keep coming up with money to fund the war when we can't even have better healthcare?

When I went to Bubba Gump Shrimp for lunch last Thursday I forgot to mention I got to try Hot Artichoke dip. Much to my surprise(I don't really like Artichoke)I enjoyed it a lot. I have always wanted to try this appetizer but since having bad luck with past Artichoke recipes I never tried to make Hot Artichoke dip. I now am looking to find a recipe to try.

Last Thursday we found ourselves with nothing to watch. Yes we could have played scrabble, or exercised, or read but we wanted to unwind after a long day of work by watching TV. We decided to take a walk to our local Blockbuster and rented three videos: Scary Movie 3, Big Fish and Wonderland.

We watched Scary Movie 3 so far. To sum it up it was dumb, funny and a bit scary.

I saw Big Fish over the holidays, but wanted Niel to see it as well. So I am happy to see it again with him. And Wonderland I don't know if I will watch, but Niel wants to see it.

I found the following quiz on Curly Girl's site. Below are my results:


GOLD:
At work or in school: I like set routines and organized ways of doing thingsl rules and directions are a great help to me. I prefer to stay on one topic at a time. I need to know what is expected of me, and I always want to know if I am on the right track. I like subjects that are useful and traditional, such as business, accounting, history and government.(Not really except for history, funny though since I am in the business world.)
With friends: I prefer people who are careful with their money and who make plans ahead of time. I like my friends to be loyal, dependable and on time. I am serious about love and show it in many practical ways.
With family: I like stability and security and enjoy traditions and frequent celebrations. I like to spend holidays with family members, and I plan ahead for such gatherings.


What Color is Your Brain?
brought to you by Quizilla

Last night for dinner I made Jerk Chicken. It was awesome! I am happy that cooking has gotten a bit easier for me. It has been a month since I have not had a mishap. I hope this pattern continues.

Here are the photos from the gardening Niel and I did on Sunday.

A few weekends ago Niel and I were out on Long Island finishing up errands and it was around 6 and we got the munchies. We were trying to decide where to eat. I though of Quiznos since I never ate. Niel drove to a store he knew of. The sandwiches are quite good. Inside they have some neat posters. I really liked their cheese poster. I wish I could find one to hang in the kitchen.

I felt so happy to be able to write a few more paragraphs for the books I am working on, this past weekend. It was a wonderful feeling. Sometimes though I worry when things are too perfect. Julianne Moore described it best in a recent InStyle article:"I feel nothing but a tremendous sense of gratitude, like, every second," Moore says. "it's almost unbearable how lucky I feel. I literally think every day that it's not possible that I could be happier than I am now, and then I'm happier the next day. So of course I'm terrified. When you are happy and connected to people in your life, you live in a constant state of terror, because you think anything can go wrong at any minute. But that's part of the pact. In order to really be with somebody and have a family, you have to surrender to fear. There's a lot of stuff you have to abandon yourself to, to really fully enjoy. "

Wasn't Gilmore Girls a bit of a shocker last night. I am going to miss that little town for the Summer. I am happy it will return in the Fall, unlike Friends(wah!). When writing is that good on TV I can get attached to the lives of the characters. I know the Joey show will premier this Fall as well, but from the previews I have seen of it, I feel strange not seeing Joey surrounded by the other Friends. I have heard the rest of the cast of Friends does not plan on making any appearances. Hopefully they are just saying that so when they do it will be a nice surprise. I can dream can't I?

The meanest show in America.

Dinner last night was a very tasty Cheesy Biscuit Lasagna. I used ground sausage instead of beef. I think I might start using the lowfat cottage cheese(which I love alone) instead of Ricotta. I could not taste the difference. Mmmmm!

This just in Tony Randall passed away.

I've come to the conclusion that I might just be able to only knit scarves the rest of my life. I was lusting over cute hats and other attire on other blogs, but when I looked at the directions to how to knit them I got a headache. I have no idea what any of the terms mean. I was taught by an actual person and not by a book. I learn better with actions and not words in a book. I have always been like this. I hope I can try to learn, because I would love to try to make something else besides a scarf. Although I think for some of the Christmas gifts I would like to knit scarves. And maybe make home made jam and bbq and give those as gifts as well.

Niel's scarf is coming along well. He really likes the color scheme and requested no frills at the end and the length be long.

My computer was not cooperating so today I do not have any garden pictures to show. I hope tomorrow.

It is funny how certain smells can transport me back in time. Every time I smell the perfume Sunflowers, I am reminded of my first trip alone at 18 across the country to California. I was on a school trip for a journalism convention. It was four days of freedom for me. Besides learning new techniques to run the school paper better, I also got to visit family and site see. I even had my own hotel room. It was heaven.

I went to the fruit market this past weekend in my parents neighborhood. I was happy to find cherries and blueberries on sale. I was longing for cherries for a while now. On the way back I was able to find some watermelon. It was a good venture. I could eat watermelon alone of with Feta cheese. This might seem odd to most Americans, but in an Armenian home it is a delicious meal.

Feta is tasty with most foods. Such as fresh Tarragon leaves and crumbled Feta wrapped in lavash bread. Or Feta with tomatoes and bread. My favorite type of Feta is Bulgarian. It has a creamy and salty texture and taste. Niel enjoys Feta cheese on his salads. It is a great cheese.

This past weekend was a very good food weekend. I didn't bring lunch with me on Friday and I decided to try a Thai place by my office. I noticed the name of the restaurant Yumm and finally decided to cross the street and look at the menu. It looked good and my coworker recommended it. I ordered Thai Fried rice which tastes to me a lot better than regular Chinese Fried rice, (which I still enjoy) and steamed seafood dumplings in chili sauce. I couldn't finish all the rice and brought the rest to Niel to try and he liked it also.

Friday night I made Tandoori chicken. It was sooooo easy and scrumptious! I used my indoor grill to cook the meat. We had it with a side of Basmati rice. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Saturday for lunch we decided to try a different type of fast food place, Arby's! After sitting in traffic for about 20 minutes to go to the one a bit farther from us (the closer one closed down) we finally arrived. They don't really have hamburgers there. They have sandwiches, wraps and salads. Of course it is not entirely healthy, because the side items are curly fries(I LOVE CURLY FRIES), and soda. I don't mind the soda either since we don't have soda at home. We only buy it for guests as an option besides water. I ordered a chicken club sandwich and Niel ordered a roast beef and cheese with ice tea. Both were very tasty. I think we will go back. I enjoy trying different places to eat so.

Saturday evening we went to Sea an AWESOME Thai place in Williamsburg. We accidentally stumbled upon it a few months back, but only got around to going Saturday night. We thought there was a big wait since of there was a group of people outside, but nope we were immediately seated. The service was pretty good, but the atmosphere and food were amazing. They have an indoor pond with a gold statue in the middle of it and a gorgeous picture of pink flower behind it. The place is dark and lit with candles. But not too dark that you could fall down. Well I guess one could fall down. I ordered crab and shrimp dumplings and shrimp pad Thai. Niel ordered frog legs(the brave devil....ok I begged him) and volcanic chicken for his main course. The food came out fast. Niel's main dish was on fire for effect. The food was so flavorful!! The frog legs really taste like chicken. Niel made them dance for me. I wish I could have taken pictures, but it was too dark in there. That area is beginning to look like the village a bit.

Sunday I tried cornedbeef hash for the first time. I really did not like it. I think I will just buy it for Niel though who really likes it.

I was able to write this weekend and it felt really good. I wrote both days. Saturday morning Niel was at a scout function and I kicked myself in the butt to go and write while I was alone in the apartment. Afterwards I got a hair cut.

Sunday we were supposed to go to a street fair with Niel's mom in Middle Village but we got the day wrong. So we decided to take his mom to Home Depot so she could purchase some flowers and grass for her garden. We then had lunch at Sizzler. We hadn't been there in ages. I love their corn fritters. Then we went back to her place where Niel and I got our hands dirty and planted some flowers and seeds. I will post pictures tomorrow. We were both so tired (still are) from gardening that we just lay on our couches the rest of the day.

Although I am sad that Latoya was eliminated from American Idol. She was my pick to win. I am not too disappointed to badly, because American Idol is really a stepping stone for people and a talent like her will be picked up by a record company.

As you can see I have updated my blog(with Niel's help) and Niel did also. I unfortunetly lost all my old comments. The design reminds me of the packaging from Wonderbread. It's funny because I have never eaten Wonderbread. I have had the store brand version of it. I think it probably would taste the same.

I found this on Giao's site and I thought it would be fun to take and share.

1) First Grade Teacher: Don't recall.
2) Last word you said: It's cold in here(ok words).
3) Last person you hugged: Niel
4) Last thing you laughed at: Watching Scary Movie 3
5) Last time you said: 'I love you': This morning to Niel
6) Last time you cried: At some commercial. Can't recall the topic.
7) What's in your CD player: Tori Amos
8) What color socks are you wearing: I am not wearing any socks.
9) What's under your bed: Dust!
10) What time did you wake up today: 6:40.
11) Current taste: Depends. I like a bit of everything.
12) Current hair: I need a hair cut. It's a long bob.
13) Current clothes: Black Capris and a flowy black top with white embroidery at the collar and sleeves.
14) Current annoyance: Too many to bore people with.
15) Current longing: I have a wonder lust heart. I am happiest traveling. Or not working full time.
16) Current desktop picture: Whatever webshots pops up on my screen.
17) Current worry: Also too many to bore people with.
18) Current hate: Yet again too many to bore people with.
19) Story behind your web username: Just the name my parents gave me. It is an old Armenian name.
20) Current favorite article of clothing: I don't really have any attachment to any clothes to call one of them favorite.
21) Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex/same sex: eyes...they can reveal so much.
22) Last CD that you bought: I have not brought one in a while.
23) Favorite place to be: Disney with Niel.
24) Least favorite place: Work.
25) Time you wake up in the morning: Between 6 and 7.
26) If you could play an instrument, what would it be: Piano.
27) Favorite color: I have a few: Maroon, hunter green, sage, off white, dark blue
28) Do you believe in an afterlife: yes
39) How tall are you: 5' 5 or 6. I don't really know. LOL.
30) Current favorite word/saying: I can't say I have one.
31) Favorite book: Any book from my childhood.
32) Favorite season: Autumn.
33) One person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to: My mother's father.
34) Favorite day: Friday!
35) Where do you want to go: Like to go back to Disney & Canada. Like to visit Washington D.C., San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Boston, Great Britain and Australia.
36) What is your career going to be like: ever-evolving
37) How many kids do you want: Can't decide.
38) What kind of car will you have: Don't really care as long as it is safe.
49) Type a line you remember from any book: I don't have one :(
40) A random lyric: "It was a pretty good year."
41) Identify some things surrounding your computer: Pictures of Niel and I at various stages of our relationship, water cup, stapler, rolo dex, stuffed animals, hot drink mug, tape, vase with purple dried flowers, telephone, mouse, mother board, and papers.

Yesterday me and four coworkers went to Bubba Gumps for lunch to celebrate one of their birthday's. I highly recommend the place. The food was good, the atmosphere is fun, and the staff was marvelous. I am happy I finally got to try this place and hope to take Niel there.

The menu reminded me of Cajun surf and turf. One can choose from either seafood or steak/chicken.

The walls are made to look like wood planks and have memorabilia from the movie Forest Gump. (Great movie!) Also there are lights hanging from the ceilings and a bucket is on each table filled with one paper towel and condiments.

I ordered two appetizer. I enjoy appetizer a lot more than main courses. I had the gravy fries and spicy shrimp which came with garlic bread. I also indulged and ordered a lemonade with bits of strawberry in it. Yum!

The waitress also came around and gave us trivia on the movie. They staff was attentive but not pushy.

We also told the waitress that it was our coworker's birthday so all the waiters came round at the end of the meal and sang to him and gave him a free Sunday. He was so embarrassed.

For dessert I ordered a berry and apple cobbler which I brought home to share with Niel. That was not too good. It had a strange salty tasty to it and the berries and apples could have been cooked longer.

New York City has had Thunderstorms Monday through Wednesday and they are very exciting. All the rain, lights and sounds. I must admit the loud noises do make me jump and yell a bit.

Rejection stinks. At least I think it is rejection. I submitted some articles and entered a cooking contest. I took me a while to think of an original recipe. I haven't heard back from any of the places. Niel gave me the support I needed when I was down about this. Always does. He said "Your writing is just not the for them. It doesn't mean the articles are bad." I tend to be hard on myself. I don't know why this is. Most of my life I have felt like I was in a race and I had to be good at everything. Since meeting Niel I know that I don't have to. But since not hearing from these places I submitted to; I have been afraid to try to even finish the books I have started on. I really want to. I even purchased a book to give me guidance as how to publish children's books; but got scared off. I know it is not like I am not busy with a full time job, playing, home responsibilities and would rather spend time with the most fabulous man on the planet. I just really have to get cracking on my goals. Even if it will take a while. I should allow myself a little each day to work on these stories. I just feel like since the articles did not get published, what if the stories won't? I keep reading blogs about how I should at least try and that is the entire point. I tried. Better than not trying. Which I agree with. I don't normally talk about stuff that bums me out. What is the point? I rather go along with the The Superhero's March 15 philosophy:

"(There are so many ways to tell a story) And yet, it is also a choice, what I choose to tell.
What is the story we want to tell about our life?
What are the stories we want to remember when we're old?
This journal is often the place of forgetting for me. The place where I am reminded (through sharing) of the beauty of the world, of the colors and brilliant landscapes, of the talent and wisdom of artists, writers and friends.
I've kept journals for most of my life, and most of them are downright depressing. They are wrought with struggle, confusion, insecurity and sharp pain. They are utterly excruciating to read now. (I'm sure you all have similar journals?!) It seems that I was only inspired to write when I was going through something really painful, so that is what I am left with- a collection of painful stories. It doesn't really tell the whole truth. (Were my 20's that bad?)
Several years ago, I decided to keep a visual journal, one with few words, but full of photographs, quotes, tickets stubs, candy wrappers, wishes, drawings and love notes. It became a quilt of my experience, and told a completely different story. These journals are more like footprints of my life (without the judgment and cynicism of the moment) simply tracks, things that passed through. It gave texture to my remembering. It felt wider and more full. It allowed for more joy."

I loved this article. I wish it could be true someday. You have to sign up to read it but the article is worth it.

Yesterday I finished reading The Whole Story. A book of short stories by Scottish author Ali Smith. I don't know why the last two books I have read have been by Scottish women authors. I found this book to be a quick read(two days). Ms. Smith has an interesting writing style within the story she speaks in all the characters voices rather than having one central character. She also does not have names for some of her characters. They are called either he or she. I would recoomend this book. The stories are quite quirky.

One of the books I am currently reading is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith(I also did not purposely pick authors who were female or had the same last name). Although it is an old book(1945) it is still well known, but I recently only got the courage to read it. I have read classics for school as a youngster, but reading books such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men has a different meaning for me as an adult.

I am really enjoying A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. So far in the book it deals with Francie an eleven year old girl, who lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with her mother, father and younger brother. They are a poor family who have to eat stale bread most of the week, but the mother is an inventive cook who thinks of ways to flavor the bread. Francie also does not focus too much on what she lacks, but the future and what good she does have. Francie also does something I used to as a child and sometimes still do. She wonders about the lives of the various people she sees. Such as the old man at the bread store, or someone walking down the street and the tenants in the buildings . Francie imagines entire worlds for them. The next portion of the book focuses on how her parents met. I only have read the first page of this chapter, so I cannot get too much insight into this.

Most of the stores about a block from my office are closing down. I wonder if the rent is getting too high for the Times Square area?

While in Disney at the English portion of the World Pavillion. I don't even know if this is the actual name of this part of Epcott, but this is what I am calling it. Anyway I purchased a British Cookbook and am excited to try the recipes. I am fascinated by most cultures, but particularly the countries that make up Great Britain. So I was happy to find a book of British recipes to experiment with.

Everytime our office recieves a cookbook they are not planning to review, I usally end up getting the cookbook. So I recently aquired I Love To Cook Coobook. Woo hoo more recipes to try!

For lunch I made Niel and me Shrimp Thermador.
I based it on a recipe from Rachael Ray. I am eager to try it with lobster tails as she did. I am eating it with a sweet potatoe and am enjoying it greatly!

Maria sent me this!
It is an 80's trivia game. Hee Hee heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

For Mother's Day Niel and I hosted lunch for our mom's. We made and served a spinach casserole with a salad with Cheesecake for dessert.

It was the lightest pasta dish I ever ate and easy to make. I believe it is either a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern pasta dish.

I tried Tropicana's mixed berry smoothie. It was disgusting. It was overly sweet. I felt like I was drinking melted, chilled candy. I couldn't taste any yogurt or fruit in it at all! Blech

One of my coworker’s read in one of the food magazines that if a person eats 10,000 pounds of spinach a year, they’ll die of arsenic poisoning. Guess I’ll have to get rid of those 10,000 pounds of spinach somehow. Luckily I didn’t use that much spinach for the Mother’s Day meal;)

Helen the receptionist for my office and the honorary grandma who feeds us candy and supplies us with our faxes compared knitting to a painting. I was a bit frustrated that I was still making mistakes with my knitting projects and she said that I was the only one that noticed and much like an artist who paints a picture they are the only one that see the mistakes. I thought that was a nice comparison.

Tonight one of my favorite books as a child A Wrinkle In Time is going to be shown as a movie on ABC. I'm going to have to tape it since we watch Raw on Monday nights.

There are also some films coming out I really want to see The Incredibles which looks incredible, The Stepford Wives(I heard the original is super scary so I would never watch that, but this updated version looks comical), The Pink Panther and Around the World in 80 Days. This new version of The Pink Panther stars Kevin Kline and Steve Martin who I think are hysterically funny and if Beyonce can act as she can sing then the movie should be ok. The lead in 80 Days has an Eric Idol quality about him. I also want to see Shrek 2 and the third Harry Potter movie.

I saw the first Harry Potter last night and it was great the second time around. The imagery and story are so beautiful.

We did catch Van Helsing on Saturday and I was pretty entertained. I enjoyed how the movie opened up in black and white sort of like Young Frankenstein. I liked it because it was a campy horror flick and not the blood and gore kind. I also liked how all the great horror movie greats like Dracula, The Wolfman, and Frankenstein’s Monster. The graphics weren’t as good as they could have been though.

Happy Mothers Day!!!!!

I found this neat game yesterday on Jess's site. It is sooooo much fun. I got 13 out of 26 right. I can't believe I know so many logo's from fast food places. Ay another addictive online game.

A cute picture I thought I would share of drawer pulls we purchased at Disney for a cabinet we brought from Target
a few months back. The old handles kept falling off probably because they are made of plastic made to look like metal. But there is nothing like metal as in the case with our new Mickey knobs, which are strong. I don't think we'll be Mickeying up the entire house though that would be overkill.

I am now having problems with Yahoo photos. I believe I ran out of room. So I am looking into to switching again. I think I'll have to upload the gazillion pictures I have from the Yahoo and Snapfish files(I stopped using them when they lost my disposable camera...still pissed off about it) to Ofoto.

Van Helsing looks really good. I hope to see it soon.

My coworker's niece at the age of 28 and only being married for 5 months discovered she has a form of epilepsy which makes her suddenly faint. So she had to quit her job and is confined to her home until her doctor's try to figure out a way to stop the fainting steps. Meanwhile this poor woman has to worry about her health, feel guilty for the one income and what kind of strain this has put on her marriage. Her husband is super supportive and they are not the sort of folk to complain, but one can see the worry on their poor faces. It pains me to hear when people who say things like having my health is not a big deal when I don't have this or that. Health is everything. Without health a person can't work, go places, or have a life period.

Sadly the Friday Five
is no more. I have one more left. I'll try to get access to the archives, but I truly doubt it. Too bad. I enjoyed it greatly.

1. Do you enjoy the cold weather and snow for the holidays?
I don't care for very cold weather. Such as anything below 40. I do like the snow. I have always associated snow and winter together I guess because I grew up in a part of the county that has almost always had snow.

2. What is your ideal holiday celebration? How, where, with whom would you celebrate to make things perfect?
My ideal Christmas is very Norman Rockwell. Niel and I would have a home and our families would come over and stay from Christmas Eve to Christmas day and we would have a wonderful breakfast together, go to church, watch movies and the next day wake up open gifts, eat breakfast and spend the day together again. I doubt it would ever happen. Sad.

3. Do you do have any holiday traditions?
Now that I married into a half Italian Catholic family they eat some fish for Christmas Eve. My mom in law does Christmas day and my mom does Christmas Eve(yes she makes great seafood dishes).

4. Do you do anything to help the needy?
In general I give change or food but I could do more. I also ran in a charity race a few years back. I'd like to do it again but have had difficulty finding donations.

5. What one gift would you like for yourself?
Less stress and health for Niel and I. Ok that's a few gifts.

Some yummy recipes cooked in my home this past week:

Beef stew bowls.
I had enough for left overs!

Salmon Fish cakes cakes with instant Pad Thai


Another one I have made a few times is:

Chili Pie
1 lb of sweet Italian chicken sausage(remove casings)
1TB Chili Powder
2 15 ounce cans kidney beans in sauce
1/2 cup hot salsa
1 8.5 ounce box corn bread mix(requires one egg and 1/3 cup of water)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400F. Cook the sausage over medium heat in an oven safe skillet, breaking and cooking meat until browned. Drain the fat. Add the chili powder and cook, strirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the beans and salsa. Heat to boiling. Meanwhile, prepare the corn bread mix according g to the label directions. Stir in the cheddar. Remove the chili from the heat and spread the corn bread batter over the chili. Place the skillet in the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Remove and rest for 10 minutes before eating. Enjoy!

I have made the last two recipes a few times the past couple of months and I guess they have become favorites. I like to try different things each night so dinners don't become mundane, but always go back to those two dishes, because they are flavorful and simple to make.(I kind of feel bad for being picky..most people are starving in some countries).

Two funny things I have seen during my commute this week a little boy who looked pretty tall(I would guess five?) drinking from a baby bottle.

A little old Asian lady with purple hair (with a pixie cut) being pushed in a wheel chair.

After the rain Monday and with the combination of cut grass. There was a smell in my neighborhood which reminded me of lady apples. I have been wanting them all week! They are so cute and small and tart.

I can't believe tonight is the last episode of Friends. I have been dreading this since last Summer. I can't believe it has been ten years and I know they couldn't go on further with story lines, but I hope every now and then they have specials and I'll get to take a peek into these charachters lives. I know the Joey show is premiering this Fall and I honestly have no clue what to expect. Maybe it'll be as popular as Frasier which was a spinoff of Cheers.

Happy Cinco De Mayo to all!

Of course my mind is still on vacation. If I try really hard I am still in Disney. It's interesting the three of the four times we were there Disney had some kind of event. This time was the flower show which you saw pictures of and the last two times were a food showcase and a Star Wars show case.

Here is an old Friday Five I finally got around to posting:

1. Do you like to shop? Why or why not?
Yes. I enjoy shopping. Depending on what kind of shopping it is usually because I need to replacing clothing I have destroyed by spilling something on or to stock the fridge/cupboard. I try to behave and only get a kitchen gadget only every few months. Luckily I have been getting them as gifts.

2. What was the last thing you purchased?
Stuff off of ebay. Yes I am getting into it a tad.

3. Do you prefer shopping online or at an actual store? Why?
I like both. I mostly only comparison shop online though.

4. Did you get an allowance as a child? How much was it?
No. My parents purchased what we needed for my brother and I. Clothes, candy, etc. I guess that was good and bad.

5. What was the last thing you regret purchasing?
Can't really recall.

Here are the photos from our mini vacation at Disney this past weekend.

After we arrived Sunday afternoon we took a nap and then after went to my parents house to have dinner to celebrate my father's birthday. They gave us some lovely Lilacs to take home with us. The kitchen smells awesome now.

Back from Disney and it was fabulous. The trip passed by way too fast. I wish I could bring Mickey, Turkey Legs, Splash Mountain and all the other cool things back with me. The only way I have proof that it was not a dream are the pics we took, which will be up soon. When we were there it felt as if we never left three years ago, but when now that we’re home its as if we never were actually in Disney. Know the feeling? Anyway I mentioned plenty of times that my favorite vacation spot when I was a kid was Lake George (partly because that is the only place my family vacationed), but as an adult my favorite place is definitely Walt Disney World. Sure, I’ve been to plenty of nice cities, but Disney World is someplace I can always go back to and never be tired of.

We stayed at the Pop Century, which was being built when we were at Disney last. It is a themed hotel (of course) based on the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. It was neat to see what images from each era the hotel used to decorate the buildings. The 50’s had bowling pins and records, the sixties had flowers (flower power), the 70’s had Rubic’s cubes, the 80’s had computers, and the 90’s had cell phones. Inside the lobby there were various shadow boxes with more memorabilia. We enjoyed looking at the 80’s shadow boxes, with the various toys and TV shows we enjoyed during that time such as Thunder Cats, My Little Pony, He-Man and Rainbowbrite to name a few. Everything was colorful and clean and wonderful.

We arrived Wednesday night, I felt all my worries gone as soon as I landed in Orlando, checked in and grabbed dinner at the hotel dining area. Watched some TV and fell asleep. We had every intention of going to Pleasure Island and swimming in one of the three hotel pools, but never did. We were just too darn tired after walking so much and it rained a bit.

The first day was spent in The Magic Kingdom and we pretty much rode all the rides and had dinner at a wonderful sandwhich shop in the Market Place area of downtown Disney called The Earl of Sandwhich. It must have been new because we don’t remember seeing it previously.

The second day we went to Epcott and rode all our favorite rides such as Test Track and walked around the World Pavilion and grazed at the various restaurants there. My favorite attraction at the World Pavilion is the movie about Canada. The film must be about 20 years old, but it is so well done. We were surprised and happy to see the building and landscape used was from Northern Canada in the city of Victoria in British Columbia for the Canada attraction, since we were there this past November. Niel’s favorite ride in the World Pavilion is in Norway where the ride takes you through what is supposed to be Norway. We then made reservations to go to a wonderful Italian restaurant Alfredo’s in the Italy part of the World Pavilion and enjoyed a truly flavorful and fresh dinner of calamari and egg noodles in Alfredo sauce. After dinner we wanted to go to Pleasure Island, but there was a terrible rainstorm with lightning and thunder. The water was up to our ankles, so we just walked barefoot back to the bus stop and headed back to the hotel and did laundry.

Saturday was spent at MGM and then at Magic Kingdom where we rerode the Pirates of The Caribbean Ride, Splash Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, The Racetrack and I forget what else.

We had a fabulous relaxing (not restful…all the walking) and fun time and I don’t remember if I mentioned everything I want to. I would recommend the hotel and our airline flying there was Song (owned by Delta). All the seats had personal TVs and you can pay for movies or watch TV for free or even play a music trivia game. We were competing with our fellow travelers when playing the trivia game. I am already thinking about our next vacation. Don’t know where yet, but I hope soon. Work has been nutty trying to catch up and I am soooo stressed out already.