I ended up selling two items from ebay. Maybe I'll try having another ebay sale to see if I can sell any more items that way before I try selling them at a flea market.

I have to get my act together and try to sell some frames at a craft festival that runs weekly in the city.

Has anyone seen that commercial I think its a GE commercial with Christopher Columbus? He asks for ships from the Queen of Spain and they give him boats. Too funny.

Niel was correct. Hah what a shocker. He was correct that if a person eats their food slower they feel fuller. I think I heard that some place else also. Anyway yesterday I was so busy at work I was eating in small increments. I was quite full by the end, and the feeling of I am starving to death is gone. I felt like that after breakfast the first few days of being on SB, this luckily has changed since yesterday. It was also the first day I have not thought of all the things I could not eat since being on SB. It took almost a week but atleast I am not fiending anymore. Woo hoo. I also have to get my act together and type it some more information about South Beach for you folks.

Yesterdays dinner was not so good. It looked semi appetizing when I read it in the SB book for phase 1, but after actually eating it we decided it was not good. We like seafood but these recipes don't call for a lot of spices. Maybe the lack of flavor was the problem. The dish was red snapper stuffed with sautéed onions, celery, green peppers, and cooked in the oven for half an hour on 350. Sounds good right? It so was not! The side dish of two bean salad was good; but that is something I have made since our first year of marriage and it was a given it would be flavorful. Oh well can't have winning meals all the time.

Sunday Breakfast of Canadian Ham Cups. 


Sunday Dinner of Chicken Capris and Mushroom Pizza. 

The city is so empty this morning. It's like a 1/8th of what normally it is people wise in my part of town. I guess most people went on vacation this week because of the Republican National Convention in town and with all the protestors and fear of another possible attack. Yeesh. I mean both the RNC and the protestors have a right to express themselves. It wouldn't be fair to take away freedom of speech from either of them. Niel & I have a plan just in case God forbid anything does happen to get out of the city. After 9/11 I've worried a bit for whomever has to travel into the city, but I if anything does happen I can't stop it and I still have to go to work, and I won't live in fear in my own city.

The weekend was good. We ran some errands, started to look at cars, had an early birthday dinner Saturday afternoon for my mom in law at Umberto's Clam House in Little Italy. Man all the pasta looked so scrummy. But Niel and I had salad with our dishes. I ordered Pork Chops in tomato sauce with onions and peppers, and Niel had sausage with tomato sauce with onions and peppers. The sauce was really good and especially Niel's dish.

Dead Like Me is such a good show. Episode after episode I am so impressed with the writing. I am happy Niel and I started to watch it from the beginning. Last night's show was about choices. How choices affect everything. How people choose to be mean, how people choose to read or hear something about someone and instead of being happy they instead are jealous, how people go to houses of worship and choose to ignore the message and so on.

I am a little sad that the Olympics are over. It was nice to see athletes all over the world competing, their personal stories about them and the city hosting them. We were switching from the closing ceremonies over to the MTV Video Music Awards. They were a bit dissapointing this year. Usually I enjoy watching it, but this year had little umph. I don't think the venue they chose had a good stage.

It was a nice Summer, but I am looking forward to Fall.

Laura Branigan passed away.

Here are the recipes for the two dishes above. They are both South Beach dishes. I found the mushroom one on Allrecipes. I just combined it with the chicken recipe. We ate dinner with salad.

Canadian Ham Cups:

A package of Canadian Bacon
Quarter cup of chopped cooked onion
Quarter cup of chopped cooked red pepper
Quarter cup of chopped cooked green pepper
Quarter cup of grated low fat cheese(whatever you have or like on hand)
An egg for each muffin

Heat oven to 350. Oil with olive oil a large muffin pan. Put two slices of Canadian bacon into each muffin cup. Mine only made it for 5 out of the six cups.
Put in the onion and peppers, and break a whole egg(I guess you can scrambled egg also), and the cheese on top. Cook in oven for 20 minutes. I would add more seasonings next time to give it more flavor.

Chicken caprice and Mushroom Pizzas

4 large chicken breasts
4 large Portabello Mushrooms
8 thin slices of low fat mozzarella
Half a cup of low fat Ricotta with oregano, salt and pepper
1 can of crushed no sugar tomatoes

Sear chicken breasts on each side for 12 minutes in lightly coated olive oil on a slow heat.

Marinate the mushrooms in olive oil, lemon juice and rosemary.

Then top the chicken and mushrooms with tomato, ricotta and slices on mozzarella for twenty minutes on 400 degree oven. Yum Yum.

Please please please adopt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Niel and I started the South Beach Diet as of Tuesday. The reason for this although my husband's organs and blood pressure, blood sugar level and blood pressure are healthy, he has high cholesterol.

The doctor gave him three options to lower it and Niel chose SB and a supplement to assist lowering his cholesterol. The side effect of SB is weight loss. SB was created to help heart patients.

I never really cared what weight Niel was. I've seen him thin and I've seen him not thin, but either way I just saw Niel and I know the same goes for him. But if the doctor believes this is what will make Niel healthier then I am all for that.

In fact my coworker who is a size 2 and a vegetarian has high cholesterol as well and needs medication to control it.

I am on SB to be supportive of Niel and my cholesterol to be honest could also be lowered. The doctor told me this a while ago and I didn't do much about it then. My cholesterol is moderately high. It fluctuates.

I don't really get how food affects cholesterol since most cholesterol is made in the body and does not really reflect much on what a person eats.

Some people can have carbs and not have a problem. Not us.

So we are currently on day four of the diet. The first two days were very difficult for me. I was grumpy the entire 2 days. Day three I was depressed because this is something I realized we need to do for life and cannot cook the way I used to; but all that honestly does not matter because if this will help Niel and me to live longer and healthier, than I can do this. I know that there will be special occasions when I can try the foods I am accustomed to for 29 years like holidays and birthdays. Plus I'm not going to expect if I am a guest at someone's house that they'll have to change their diet just for me. I'm not going to bring my own food either, but make do. The days are becoming easier but the nights are still difficult for me. I used to have fruit for dessert. I love fruit. Still don't get how fructose in the fruit is bad. But if I can eventually eat fruit again in small amounts, as the book says, then I can go the rest of the two weeks without it.

I also don't get how eating meat and cheese is good for someone's heart even though it's supposed to be lean and fat free meats and cheeses. But I'm not a doctor. I've been looking for vegetarian, seafood, and turkey recipes.

We also will bring exercise back into our life. We didn't eat junk food before, we thought we ate well and just did not exercise much. We're thinking of taking inexpensive tennis lessons once a week. Besides walking to the train in the mornings and we've always wanted to try playing tennis well.

I have been doing research on the SB site and have found a good amount of recipes to use and Niel borrowed the book and recipe book for more information.

So far I have made these dishes:
Aggieland Zucchini

Spicy and Tangy Shrimp. I substituted the Rosemary with Thyme.

Mini Eggplant Pizzettes

Baby Spinach Salad with Tomato and Mozzarella

Portobello Pizza

Phase two which we should be in on September 7 we can gradually bring back fruit and whole wheat breads, pastas and rices.

Has anyone seen the cute Ikea commercial with the dog going in and out of the house because he can't recognize his home since the owners brought new furniture. How cute is that dog?

Much like Giao I forget to mention when I find new links. So check my Wanderings link every now and then.

A plea to the people who have come into our city to protest the Republican National Convention. It's your right to free speech and all, but what you are doing is also affecting the people who have to work and live in the city. So please stop blocking traffic and trampling on our grass. I don't want to be locked in my office building because security deems it unsafe for me and my coworkers to leave since you'll be outside being violent.

The protests are starting early. Yesterday four people were arrested for putting up a sign on The Plaza Hotel, eight people were arrested for getting down to their birthday suits and stopping traffic on 34th Street so AIDS research can get more money, and hundreds of people walked the streets of Manhattan yesterday protesting the two party system. Sheesh.

Fox has decided to bring back the Family Guy. I am soooooo happy about that. It had a huge following on cable and of course Fox not wanting to lose anymore money than they had when they dumped it, is bringing it back. Idiots.

Anyway the Family Guy is a super funny show and that is because it is smart and well written.

Niel and I saw a new show on VH1 last night called Totally Obsessed. We saw two episodes and some of those people, ok most of those people are disturbed. I wanted to cry atleast three times because I felt so bad for them. There was this guy that had 700 piercings in his body, and a woman that carries around Lord of the Rings Poster boards. She speaks to them and takes them out to restaurants! Then there is another woman who dresses up as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Geez.

I have really am enjoying the Olympics. I am a bit confused though why some people aren't happy when they receive a Silver or Bronze? I know the Gold is good but I thought getting the medal was like the icing on the cake? Isn't just going to the Olympics and competing the neat part?

Has everyone heard The Scream has been stolen!

There is a family of turtles that live in the window of my neighborhood flower shop. Anytime I am on that particular block I make an effort to go to the window and just peer in on them for a few moments. I like to look at them swimming and enjoying the sun. That usually subdues my wanting turtles.

First I would like to congratulate Jenn and Renzo on the birth of their daughter. May her world be filled with all the goodness that life has to offer.

We watched part of the Hulk movie last night. Oh my gosh it sucked! I didn't mind so much that they did not stick to the comic or even the TV show but the writing was awful, the split screen thing was so annoying.

I have been knitting like a mad woman all weekend to finish my project. I hope to finish it in the next week or two. I have been taking pics of it all the while so I will post it soon.

I recently saw that the online magazine which previously accepted two pieces of poetry from me expanded their format to now include travel, recipes, music and movie reviews. I submitted a travel article about Seattle. I hope they like it enough to run it. I tried to adapt to the style they use. Maybe if I work on it I can eventually give them a music and movie reviews just to expand my clips, but I'll see. I am still only comfortable with travel reviews. I was looking into taking classes to improve my article writing and to help with my block to finish the four children's books I have been working on like forever, but the classes are way too pricey right now for us. We have a budget to deal with.

Food Network had a nice little tribute to Julia Child. She was such a vibrant and entertaining chef. I am going to miss seeing her on the television.

I do think the Food Network dropped the ball because they could have received higher(like they need it) ratings with some Greek recipes that would coincide with the Olympics.

My stupid cable company no longer provides me with Channel 129 or also known as The N. Now I have missed two Digrassi Episodes and all future episodes. Anyone have them on tape they can offer to send me? I'll pay for shipping and blank tapes! Please!!!

I took another three day weekend. After meeting my goals for work I needed to unwind. Thursday night we watched The League of Extraordinary Men. . It was a darn good movie. I liked the way it was shot. It sort of reminded me of the camera work that was used for the Sherlock Holmes Series on PBS.
Niel has most Fridays off in the Summer so we spent the day together. I heard about some Dim Sum places in China Town from my coworkers Elaine and Isabelle (former). We tried to find the one Elaine suggested but that one (Silver Palace did not exist anymore). So we decided to try to go to the one Isabelle suggested Dim Sum Go Go. We got off on a different train line too many blocks from Dim Sum Go Go, but we luckily came upon another place. Or so we thought. The food ended up being not so good. The atmosphere was interesting because it was family style and very crowded. I was a little taken off guard to take any pictures. We did not stay long. We ventured off into Little Italy and found some very tasty desserts at Caffe Palermo . Niel had a Canolli and I had a Strawberry Sorbet. We hope to go back this Saturday for my mother in laws birthday as an early treat.
We walked around a bit more and purchased some neat magnets for the fridge and came home.


Magnets3 


Magnet 2 


Magnets 1 
Saturday we ran errands, where I discovered there is a very inexpensive craft store a half a mile from my house. Almost three years we've been living in my town and now I discover that store. I found a lot of neat things that gave me ideas! We managed to get caught in the rain during one of our errands. Niel got pretty soaked. We stopped by to see my brother . and to dry off. He gave us some grape tomatoes which my parents are growing on their balcony. Much better tasting than anything in the store. We then came home in time to see the sun trying to come out from the clouds. The pictures we took from our kitchen window came out much darker then the sky really was. We watched Muslim in Texas on the Trio . channel(wow) and rented Johnson Family Vacation and ate some calzones I made from the leftover Italian sausage mixture I used the from the Stuffed pepper recipe.

Sun Shots 
Sunday we went to Niel's aunt's 80th birthday. She is his father's brother's wife and grew up on the same street as Niel’s father’s side of the family. That is how they all know one another besides marriage. Her name is Rose and she is full of life. She still likes to dance and have fun. For dinner I used up a left over pack of chicken and made enchiladas again. Yumm yumm!

Ewww almost got food poisoning on Wednesday during lunch. I normally brown bag but I did not cook Tuesday night since Niel was out. So brought my lunch from a Thai place across the street from my office. I have been there twice before and never gotten sick. I opened up the bag and the smell was disgusting. Like spoiled meat. I threw it out and called the health department.

Tuesday evening I occupied myself by cleaning the fridge, knitting, and writing an article. I think I am going to stick to travel articles. They are a good fit for me. I don't know enough about fashion and although I do enjoy music and movies there are not too many online magazines who want articles about those subjects. Music I only took one class in college years ago and I don't feel comfortable enough giving my opinion on it. But travel is good because I have visited the places I write about and if I need research on statistics I can always look things up.

A shocking factoid about the Olympics I read about. Shudder.

A cute way that Google is recognizing the Olympics is with all the cute drawings they have had up. Check out today's.


Our popcorn bowl! 

These are a list of movies I would like to see this Fall based on Entertainment Weekly's August 20-27 issue:

September:
The Motorcycle Diaries
Vanity Fair

October:
Alfie
I Love Huckabees
Shark Tale

November:
Neverland
The Incredibles
Surviving Christmas
Christmas with The Cranks
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

December:
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Ocean's Twelve
Blade Trinity
Meet The Fockers
Spanglish
The Life Aquatic

I cringe going to family get togethers. It does not matter which side of the family they may be on. For the longest time before Niel and I got married, I heard, "So when are you getting married?" I guess its normal and everyone goes through it. Now that we have been married for almost three years I have started to hear, "So when are you going to have kids?" The people who ask these questions seem perfectly nice, but I think this is an extremely personal question. Especially since I see these people only once a year and how come they have not considered hey maybe they are having trouble conceiving? I don't know if we do or don't. But many people have had trouble.
I have a tough time restraining myself from yelling out when I am asked this question,"That is a personal question mind your own freaking business!!!!" I have of course never done that, because of the respect I have for Niel. That is also another reason I also don't go beating up on people that tick me off. I sometimes feel like I am not being true to myself by not saying anything, so its a constant struggle not to feel like a doormat and be polite.

Sometimes I have this crazy fantasy of picking up and moving to a small town by the water. I would like to sit by the water wrapped in the shall and think about the neat new town Niel and I live in. The town I am thinking of is always Victoria, B.C. We had such a nice time there and it seemed so much less busier than NYC. Of course we would never do this because Niel is finally in a stable job that he enjoys and I could not do that to him. But I like to daydream every once in a while and it keeps my wanderlust at bay.


Last night's dinner of Veal Rollups, roasted potatoes and garlicky spinach. 

This is an adapted recipe from Rachael Ray

Ingredients

1 & 1/2 lbs. Veal(I used veal on the bone and just hit it with a mallet to flatten the meat and I removed the bones. Rachael's suggestion was to get the veal from a butcher store. I don't have a butcher near me so I did I got my meat from the supermarket and marinated it the night before to bring out more flavor with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika.)

1/4 pound of Panchetta

A few slices of cheese(Ms. Ray said to use mozzarella but I also included provolone)

A few slices of fresh spinach(Ms. Ray said to use roasted red peppers. I did not have any.)

I rolled everything up and stuck a toothpick to hold it all together and cooked it in a preheated pan with olive oil for about 20 minutes turning it every ten. It was so good.

The potatoes I just added olive oil too, red pepper, and Adobo and cooked it in the oven at 500 for 20 minutes. It was spicy!

The spinach I cooked fresh spinach in olive oil, garlic and lemon juice for about 5 minutes.

Tuesday's Night Dinner of Chicken Enchiladas. 

This recipe I adapted from a Martha Stewart Recipe.

Chicken Enchiladas
1 (12 pack) of Goya Flour Tortillas
2 (14 ounce) cans of Enchilada Sauce (I used Old El Paso. Ms. Stewart made her sauce from scratch)
1 (24 ounce) package of pepper jack and cheddar cheese.
1.5 pounds of chicken(Ms. Stewart used fresh chicken and cooked it in chicken stock)
1 package of Goya Sazon
1 large onion
1 large green pepper
2 cloves of garlic
Defrost Tortillas. Heat Enchilada sauce. Cook garlic, onion and green pepper till slightly browned. If cheese is not shredded shred.
I used a bag of left over chicken but you can just boil the chicken (preferably breast) until done. When cooled shred the chicken and mix in the 1 package of Goya Sazon.
Put a table spoon amount of Enchilada sauce on each tortilla, add the chicken, onion mixture, and a small amount of cheese. Wrap them and place in a casserole or baking dish and cover the top with left over Enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 till cheese is melty. We ate it with refried beans and salad. It was super tasty.

There was a funny show on ABC Monday night called The Best TV Shows You've Never Seen. It was about a bunch of pilots that were never picked up for shows. I would see most of what they aired just for the cheese factor. There was one about a village of Amish flying people with William Shatner as the town doctor, and another show with a Viking Superhero.

Monday night wrestling was a bit of a shocker for me. Although Niel can usually tell in advance what the new story lines will be, I still end up being shocked. I had a feeling the out come would be as it was but when the main bad guy Triple H (Hunter Hurst Helmsley) pretended he didn't care that his "friend" Randy Orton won the title, I believed it. Then when Triple H did infact end up beating up on Randy Orton I was shocked. Silly me I fell for it!!!!

The song "Gay Bar" by the Electric Six is stuck in my head thanks to Niel's August 13 entry relating to Governor McGreevy.

Now there are reports coming out that he resinged because it was too corrupt, other places are reporting it was not really an affair at all and the other party was being sexually harrassed. Who really knows what is happening?

I made Braciole for the second time in a few months recently. It was pretty tasty. Sorry no picture. My co-worker says she has a different version for me to try. Mmmmm.

Niel was able to download episode one of Season 5 of The Sopranos. It was good to see & thoughtful of him. I am going to miss that show. But as Niel said the Joey show will combine my love of Friends and The Sopranos into one. I hope so.

I am currently reading an advanced copy of Peter & The Starcatchers. It is an excellent book for adults and children. I was impressed with the way the authors put together history with fantasy and gave a perspective to what Peter's life was like before Neverland (the place).

There is some BBA World Championship happening on the first floor of my building where the WWE store used to be. It's like a whole different world. I am feel so out of touch sometimes.

I just have to say how much I enjoy being married. I can't imagine being married to anyone else in the world and before Niel I really couldn't see myself as married. There is a long tangent coming up. I just thought for the longest time that I had to (no if and or buts about it) marry someone of my own culture and if I did not I would fall into a large whole and die. The idea of marrying an Armenian man scared the bejuses out of me. I am not saying that all Armenian men are shit, but most of the ones I have had the displeasure of encountering that weren't either my dad or brother (and even then I have stories I could tell but won't) have been complete lunatics. Anyway getting back to Niel, living with him and being part of his life has been wonderful. He makes me laugh all the freaking time and not to say that our relationship does not have the occasional bumpiness, but for 99%of the time it is pure joy. He supports me in whatever I do. Except for the occasional rant of "I am gonna kill name excluded". And visa versa. He has a willingness to try new things and love me for the wacky me that I am. I have never felt such pure emotion. And it is scary. Scary because it could be gone anytime. With those thoughts I want to say how much I appreciate this gift I have been given, of a toothy grinning wonderful man. I know its not even our anniversary or anything so sorry to embarrass you honey.

My Ebay sale is ending tomorrow so if you are interested in buying something I would appreciate it. The items are inexpensive and I need to get rid of things I have no intention of ever using, but do appreciate receiving.

Another weekend has come to an end unfortunately. And the work week starts out soggy just as it ended. The weekend was a good one. Niel and I had lunch on Friday. It's nice being able to have a lunch date with the hubby. We went to Monster Sushi. The restaurant is very cool. The tables and plates have their logo of what looks like a Perana and the window is decorated with neat Japanese movie monsters like Godzilla and Gamera. The walls were decorated with bamboo and posters of more Japanese monsters. The appetizers we ordered were Gyoza and Shumai which were tasty, but the Sushi itself (we had the combination of Sushi and Sashimi) were mediocre. Still fun to try a new place. After work I dragged Niel to the bubble tea place I stumbled upon a few weeks back. Niel did not enjoy the tea at all and like the last time it gave me a stomach ache. After a while Niel also got a stomach ache. So no more bubble tea for us. :(

We then practically swam home, ordered some Papa Johns (really good no more Pizza Hut for us...except for wings) and watched the Olympics. I love the opening ceremonies. It's nice to see all of the countries participating walking out, pretending for a weeks they get along. Although I like watching the games themselves; I especially enjoy watching the stories about the athletes and the country the Olympics is in for that particular year.

The rest of the weekend was spent cleaning and errand running. We did manage to sneak in some fun by going to the movies on Saturday night. We saw The Manchurian Candidate. It was really disturbing with all the gory scenes. I thought it was clever of the film makers to release the movie at this time with the election and all. I thought I would like it more than I would. I have to see the original.

I am having an end of Summer Sale. I want to clean house and get rid of a lot of gifts that are not just Niel and my taste. If I don't do well on Ebay then I will have to sell the items at a flea market. Luckily none of the items I am selling are from people who read my blog.

I will be putting up more items for sale later on today. So keep checking back.

It is only a five day sale so start your Holiday shopping early. Maybe you know someone who will enjoy these items? Happy bidding.

Ok blog readers this will be a long entry so I hope you have a beverage by you. Thursday was not any better. It was worse, much worse. I got to the office at 9 and did some work before I had to leave to my appointment which was at 11:30. I thought I could leave at 10 and catch one of the buses at Port Authority to NJ to the town of Livingston. Well the bus I needed left at 10 and another one would not be around till 12:30. Darn wrong website information! So I think to myself I can get on another bus to Livingston that would get me close enough. The bus driver was rude not wanting to give directions. Has anyone heard of a driver who doesn't want to give directions? I finally get to Livingston running late for my appointment. The client is so understanding and offered to pick me up so I don't have to take another bus.

I see her for an hour. She drops me off at the Livingston Mall where the buses are and where I was supposed to be originally. I grab some food, make phone calls to the office and other clients. I finish lunch and it is raining full force at this point. I buy two umbrellas for $1 each just incase. I head out to wait for the bus. It never comes. I am curing the state of NJ at this point and how I got myself lost. I am thinking that Niel is going to have to get me. I walk to another stop, some girl with The Animals T-shirt feels bad for me and tells me to get on the 31 to South Orange(lovely Main Street)where I can catch a train to Penn Station. I got back to office at 4:45PM and stayed till 6 filling out orders. I would have kissed the ground except for the germs. I work hard for the money, oh so hard for the money.

Unfortunately I had to miss the office party for the editorial intern Rivka. She is a very nice girl and had been with my company for three years. She was always pleasant and I would talk movies and music with her.

I then find out at the office that Governor McGreevy of NJ is resigning because he had an affair and is Gay. What is going on here people? What! Ok the affair was bad, but I am sure it is not easy for Gay people and he unfortunately had to lie and hide and people got hurt due to the lies. But why did he have to resigning from his position? What does his sexuality matter? Why is this even a subject? Is it because he lied about the affair that he will lie at work? I guess it would be stressful for his job since the former lover is suing him. Good luck with that case.

All in all although I got lost terribly, was late for the appointment, I did deal with a nice client, saw some ducks, an Armenian Church, and some mansions on the ride to South Orange.

After work I went home changed and we went to Niel's mom's house to have a birthday dinner for Niel's brother, Mike.

The Summer Olympics ceremony start tonight. I am pysched, espically since it is back in Greece where it all started and espcially since it is NOT in New York. Niel and I are going to buy some Papa Johns (who's your papa?) and watch the games.

A Papa Johns luckily (hopefully it will be tasty) opened a location close by our apartment. Woo hoo. A Quizons also opened up relatively close to us.

So remember how I told you there was a police activity outside of my apartment yesterday evening. Well apparently it is in connection to a double homicide that happened across the street from us. Holy crappola! I always thought our neighborhood and street were safe! In the words ofJoe Schmo 1 "What is going on around here?"

The Last Comic Standing finals were last night. I am glad the three contestants that were picked were the final three. All were very funny. We were pretty glad that John Hefron was crowned the winner. Much success to them.

We think our digital will live. We'll have to wait it out for any long term affects though.

"What ever happened to Fay Ray?" Dr. Frank N. Furter, Rocky Horror.


Goodbye Superfreak.

Rest in peace Queen of Cooking.

2004 is an anniversary year for two New York institutions Central Park and the MTA

The skies became very dark and opened up yesterday afternoon and it poured. The rain got less intense as the afternoon went on, but the lighting and occasional thunder lasted most of the night.

I got my new driving permit and I look like a big, pink, pig. LOL.

These past week has been nutty with trying to sell a special section, with holidays coming up, and three appointments I am tired and grumpy from the overwork. I am so very happy when I get home and spend those few hours with Niel each night. On the way back from my second appointment yesterday I saw a homeless or poor old lady on the West 59th Street and Columbus train station. She was in a wheelchair and had a sign that read "I am hungry please spare some change." God that really struck a cord with me, especially since I just purchased some ice cream molds on sale($5 bucks baby from $20!). I gave her all the change I had. I felt so lucky and bad at the same time. I wish I could do more. I know I talked about this a short time ago, but its my blog and this is what I see living in NYC. So if you rather go to a fluffy blog that talks about happy projects all the time there are tons of nice ones out there who do that. I wish I could buy property and have all the homeless people and animals live there and they would hang out with one another. I'd give them food and get them help if they were sick. They would have jobs like giving out food and tyding up the property, so they could feel useful and have an income for going to the movies and stuff. I don't think any person sets out in life to be homeless. This is what I wonder when I don't see more people giving spare change. What are you going to do with it buy a Snickers? I mean sure you worked for it but everyone falls on hard times and bad luck so spare some change for the less fortunate. Who is at really fault the poor shmuck for falling on very bad times or the person who is not on bad times for not wanting to help? We can't take possessions to the grave but we can try to help one another and make our stay as comfortable for each other? I hope my trip out to NJ is better today.

I think I broke our digital camera. I accidentally dunked it in water. I am always trying to multi task and this one bit me in the ass. I broke our first camera and I fear I have also broken our first digital. I have a slight history of being a klutz. As the days go by we can tell if the camera is salvageable.

I almost forgot to mention yeserday evening I was in the computer room online, AC blasting waiting for Niel to come home when I take a look outside and there are quite a few cop cars right on my block, across the street from our apartment. There is some guy in handcuffs looking like he is about to cry. I wish I looked out the window earlier so I could see what happened.

Tuesday night's dinner:Israeli chickenwith Tabouleh Salad, and red pepper/Feta dip.

Last night's dinner was Tuna burgers with pasta salad. I forgot to take a pic. But it was quite tasty. My problem is it never takes me thirty minutes to make any of Rachael Ray's recipes.

Niel and I started watching Growing Up Gotti. We missed the first episode but it takes little to catch up. Pretty much the A & E network thought it would be a good idea to follow around Victoria Gotti, daughter of alleged now deceased mob boss John Gotti and her three sons to see what life is like Growing Up Gotti. One problem as Niel pointed out, her three sons are not Gotti, and she is already a grown up. Well supposedly. The show is very engrossing because it is comical and partly I need to get my Sopranos fix(not that this "show" is as any good as The Sopranos are) since Season 5 is not out on DVD yet and Season 6 will not be out till 2006. Oh the cruelty.

Joe Schmo 2 show ended last night. I am happy that the second season Schmo's took it well also. It is a difficult thing to realize that all what you had come to know was a lie. I guess the $100,000 and the trips help? Maybe the same policy should apply to real life?

Thankfully Niel finally went to the doctor. He hasn't been in a while and had been having awful indigestion and problems sleeping. The diagnosis was good. His lungs and heart are very healthy. Niel has GERD and with medication it can thankfully be treated! He just needs to take a test to see how long he has had it(we think for a while) and may be the cause of not just his indigestion problems, but his sleeping. When Niel told me what the doctor's diagnosis was and treatment, it was as if someone told me I won the lottery.

Ever wonder what happened to 80's hearththrob Kirk Cameron? Well here's your answer. Found on Dooce.com.

I am reading a new book The Gospel According To Tony Soprano.
The writing and the structure of the book are not very good, but the theories the author brings up are interesting. He raises some interesting questions and comparisons between the show and religion. A good read for any Soprano fan!

Dinner last night was Israeli chicken(minus the zucchini, just used the rest of the ingredients for the toping), Tabouleh Salad, and red pepper/Feta dip which we put on top of the chicken as well. I'll post the picture tomorrow. I forgot to email it to myself. It was really good!

A few facts from the Martha Stewart's August Issue:

The Morning Glory vine, whose flowers bloom just as the sun rises and close in the afternoon, twines around its support clockwise, regardless of climate or hemisphere.

The first printed definition of the word cocktail appeared in 1806 in a New York newspaper; it described a "stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters."

America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, a pickle peddler from Italy who took a bread from selling his wares to go explore the New World in 1499. After reading Vespucci's accounts, a cartographer suggested that the new land be called America, and it stuck. (This should have been in their July issue.)

The earliest picture posted cards had room on the back for only postage and an address. But due to their growing popularity, on March 1, 1907, Congress granted vendors extra space for personalized message.

I took Friday off to have a nice long weekend with Niel. Things will get even busier at work soon and I need a day here and there to rejuvenate.

The temperature between Thursday and Saturday was really cool and reminded me of Fall. I have enjoyed this Summer immensely, but I do love Fall (just not the crowded buses) with the cooler weather, the leaves changing color, the mums and pumpkins on porches/steps.

Friday we slept in a bit and then headed over to Brooklyn. Our first stop was in Red Hook where Niel took me to a sandwich place he used to buy some of his lunches from when he worked in the area. The place is called DeFonte's and they make one mean Sandwich. Niel was very happy to be eating his favorite sandwich again.
We then went to Park Slope. I don't think of myself as a photographer. I just enjoy taking pictures of things that catch my eye. I was so inspired by Park Slope when I was there a few weeks back that I promised myself I would return to try to capture some of its charm. We walked up and down the blocks taking pictures of various things that caught our interest. Afterwards we came back home and I took a nap. I never nap. What's is up with that? I have not napped since I was six! We then got some Starbucks and Chinese food for dinner and we watched the last of the Season 4 tapes of the Sopranos What am I going to do now that Season 5 is not out yet on DVD! WHAT!!!!

Sunday slept in a bit again and then took a drive up to Hyde Park, New York to the home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt; which is upstate and in the county of Duchess. I think a nice day trip here and there is as good as a vacation sometimes, especially if taken frequently enough. We brought our tickets for a tour of his childhood and adult home of Springwood and of the library. First we were shown a movie of the life of this remarkable president. I don't think there has been any president in the 20th Century who has done so much for America. It was quite a moving movie. FDR was loved so much that he was a four-term president. America's only four-term president. Quite remarkable for a man who was handicapped. He was struck with Polio at a young age. We then were given a tour of his home where we discovered he and his wife Eleanor and extraordinary women in her own right lived with his mother Sara who was very much a control freak. Did anyone know that Eleanor was Teddy Roosevelt's niece and a fifth cousin of Franklin once removed? Talk about keeping it in the family. We then went to the family's rose garden (Roosevelt in Dutch mean rose garden) where Roosevelt, his wife and mother and the family Westie Fala are buried. Afterwards we took a look around the museum where more of the family's possessions were on display. Apparently the time when Roosevelt lived it was popular to dress little boys up till five in girls clothing and grow their hair long. Wow, that could not happen now. I very much recommend going to see this historic site .

Sunday we did laundry in the morning and went to Niel's mom's house for a bbq with Mike, Erin, Kelvin & Rachael (who were up from Maryland). Had some steaks, chicken, Kielbasa and salad. The Kielbasa and the marinade for the steaks were awesome. Good job Niel. Then prodded by Kelvin, Mike and Rachael and Mike's mom got into a religious debate. I should have just kept my mouth shut; but I heard some things I really did not care for, so I opened my mouth. I don't care if I do not have kids yet, the point is they are my kids and NO ONE will mess with them when they do arrive or my husband.
My take on religion is I don't think there is only one way to get to heaven. I do not think that is the purpose of religion, but it has become the purpose unfortunately. I think religion has become or maybe always was a way to control people. That if you follow that particular religion then you can go to heaven.
I am a Christian. I believe in Jesus. I was raised as an Armenian Orthodox, but for a very long time now I really have not liked organized religion. I consider myself more spiritual then religious. The only reason I got married in a church was because I am Christian and to keep with traditions. A lot of it has to do with respect for my parents. When Niel and I have children and baptize them those will be the reasons why. And I don't need to convince other people that my way is the only way. So please do not go trying to change my or anyone else's mind about what they should believe in, especially with an attitude.

Kelvin and Rachael then headed back home a bit afterwards and Niel, Mike, Erin and I played Monopoly. Erin beat the crap out the rest of us.

I could so get used to not working. Sure I would be a bit bored at first but I could find ways to occupy my time.

Lunch yesterday was really good. This is the second time I have been to that restaurant and have not been disappointed. Even though Sara only worked in our office for a few months she was pleasant, honest, hardworking and reliable. What more could you want from a coworker or a person?

Here are some pics from last night's meal when Niel's mom came for dinner. They talked about their trips and then we played Scrabble afterwards. Niel won. He is unstoppable.


Anti pasta platter 


Salad with multi colored tomatoes, cucumbers and olives 


Whole Weat Pittetes 


Multicolored peppers stuffed with italian sasauge 


Yogurt to top the peppers with  

Good for this guy for finally standing up and bringing it to light.

It has been a busy two days for me. I had a luncheon meeting with a client which I had to prepare for and afterwards get back to about some questions he had.
Today I have two appointments plus I am taking out the summer intern to lunch since it is her last day. The work never ends.

Tonight I have my mother in law coming for dinner. We saw her on Tuesday night when she returned from her vacation. When Niel spoke to her earlier on Tuesday she told him she liked the back yard.

I finished reading Shoeless Joe. It is a wonderfully written book. The author really has an appreciation for the written word and characters. One of the characters in the book which I don't remember being in the film, Kid Scissors had such awful daughters. They laughed at his love of baseball, while a neighbor Ray Kisella the main character appreciated his time and stories. I think this is sad when it happens to families when they don't appreciate one another and take the time to do things together. I have fantasies of holidays and get togethers and they just seem so out of grasp.

Niel's boss is a very nice lady. She is a good boss to Niel and anytime she is on a business trip she gets us little gifts. This time she returned from France and bought us back Herb De Provence, milk chocolates shaped like fish(a Sopranos reference...she is a fan also), and Greek Olive Oil.

The Greek olive oil had such a good taste, so different than the Italian Olive Oil's I am accustomed to, which to me are a bit strong, possibly this is because of the kind I buy. I understand there are different olives oil's based on the region, if they are virgin, extra virgin and so on. Based on those differences the tastes vary. This one had a light olivey flavor to it. It is very good.

"Olive Oil is a good source of antioxidants such as viamin E, which may help strenghten your immune system, as well as lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers." Martha Stewart Living

The world can be a frustrating place sometimes. People constantly at odds with one another, in one way or another. Trying to be in control, trying to be heard so badly that we can’t or don’t want to hear each other. So wrapped up in our struggle that we can’t or don’t want to see the struggle of others. Inside we are all pretty much the same and the sooner we learn that the sooner things might start to be better.

Jeopardy is not as interesting as it used to be. Niel & I miss seeing Ken Jennings.

I saw two homeless people over the weekend and it really really disturbed me. It disturbed me because they were old. No one should be old and not have security. The first one is a lady I see in my neighborhood. At first I thought she was just looking for cans, and then I realized she is homeless. I saw her on Thursday after work. I went into a store and bought some food to give her, but by the time I left the store she was gone. The next one I saw was a man sitting at the bottom of my mother in laws house on Saturday night. There wasn't any food in the house for me to give him. I felt so helpless.

I know I don't have babies, but I want all of these shoes. Yes I said all. I am shamelessly asking for them. I think they are so freaking cute although expensive. Thank you Laura for putting this new obsession in my brain;)

Niel purchased me the new Ashlee Simpson CD. I have been watching her show and really like her singing voice.

I just got back from an appointment on the Upper West Side. I was actually a little early so I decided to walk around this particular block of the neighborhood and I found a place that sells Bubble Tea. I have been hearing so much about Bubble Tea lately that I decided to give it a try. I brought the passion fruit bubble tea. Man was it good. It was the most fun I have ever had with a beverage. There are tiny beads like tapioca pudding in the tea. The straw was extra thick so the beads could pass through. I couldn't even taste the tea really. I just tasted the passion fruit flavor. The beads sort of look like blueberries though. The hostess even gave me a card to stamp with every purchase and a free banana. LOL! If you are ever on the Upper West Side check it out.

We saw Ralph Nader on the Bill Mahr show (love that show) last night and I began to wonder after he finished talking why does the U.S. only vote for candidates that are either Republican or Democrat. Why not allow a third or even fourth party candidates to run. I also don't think it was entirely his fault that Bush won four long year ago.

I forgot to mention I purchased a third book from The Strand this weekend. The book is Arabian Nights. It was another nostalgic purchase for me. I used to watch the "Arabian" movies during the weekends such Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. It was funny to see the filmmakers trying to replicate sets and clothing they considered would be Middle Eastern.

Since it is still Summer the Food Network has been having a ton of shows about bbqing. Makings me want a house with a nice size backyard even more. I have been longing for it. I even have an entire Summer's worth of bbq recipes I want to try one day.

This poem reminds me of all the neat fireflies I have been seeing this Summer. I am going to miss Summer.

Robert Frost - Fireflies in the Garden

Here come real stars to fill the upper skies,
And here on earth come emulating flies,
That though they never equal stars in size,
(And they were never really stars at heart)
Achieve at times a very star-like start.
Only, of course, they can't sustain the part.

Three day weekends are very relaxing. Had lunch with Maria on Thursday. Posted on Friday about the days events. I got a good deal done and manage to still have fun. We finished with Niel's mom's backyard on Saturday. We did not do any major renovations because we don't know what she wants to do in the future, basically we cleaned it really well and spruced it up. Afterwards we ran errands and had my parents over for dinner. The menu was Country Chicken Picata,
Garlicy/peppery shrimp, Risotto with Mushrooms,
(Niel liked it but I was not to impressed. I will try to make Risotto from scratch next time) Red pepper/Feta dip, Hummus, and salad-romaine lettuce, multi-colored tomatoes, and cucumbers.

Sunday we headed into the city and saw Garden State. I highly recommend it. We also saw a preview for the new Johnny Depp film, Finding Neverland, it's about the author J.M. Barrie. It made me weepy. Niel and I then went to The Strand. I had never been there before. I have no excuse in all the years I have been a New Yorker not to go there. I am glad we did. Rows and rows of books. Incredible. I picked up To Kill A Mockingbird and A Catcher in the Rye for nostalgic reasons and they are excellent reads. Then we headed to Rice to Riches. I recommend the coconut (has bits of toasted coconut in it) and the Mango. Tasty!!!!!!!!!!!


A tiger escaped from the circus in the town next to mine.

My office has been having evacuation drills.