Took the day off. Cleaned a bit in the morning. Then Niel and I headed to the DMV to take care of some things and then had lunch at The Olive Garden. Tried their new stuffed ravioli with shrimp and crab. Yum Yum Yum. Afterwards we went to Niel's mom's house. We're cleaning up her garden to surprise her when she returns early Monday. Then we saw They Might Be Giants in Prospect Park. What a lovely strip of homes in that area of Brooklyn. The opening act for TMBG was Corn Mo. He reminded us of a bit of Jack Black, a bit of Meatloaf,and a bit of Y2J's ,band Fozzy. That boy has a powerful set of pipes on him. TMBG put on a great show that included confetti being shot out of a canon and the wave. Well have a good weekend!

I was at the laundromat waiting for my clothes to stop drying. I was looking at a little girl maybe two years old, running around, laughing, doing wacky little hops and dances. She looked so care free and happy (that’s cause she probably was). I think sometimes adults look at children and think wow they are so lucky to be able to be so free of responsibility. Children can't wait to be adults. Both wishing they were the other.

The little girl then threw a tantrum because she wanted to go one way and her father wanted to just sit down and not chase after her. Some adults can excuse behavior like that to a certain extent because children are young and don't understand yet that type of behavior is frowned upon. Yet I think adults are jealous of the ability to be able to just let go and be angry. I think a release like that can feel good sometimes (within means of course). I know it would for me. After a day of dealing with a not understanding boss, or running into people who you just don't care to deal with, I wish I could just let go at times and throw a tantrum. And not have to care what people think.

Lately I have been riding on our exercise bike at home. More than that I sort of have been bike dancing. What is that you ask? While my legs make the motion of riding a bike my hands are moving around wildly in the air to the rhythm of whatever song is streaming through my headphones. I look ridiculous of course. A girl (can't call myself a woman yet, and don't think it is wrong to be called a girl…not much anyway) my size bike or chair dancing. I find it so freeing, to close my eyes and just to let go. Of course I can't dance very well if I were standing, but that doesn't bother me much either. I just like the feeling it gives me.

I found the blog for Garden State on Curly's site. It's pretty neat. I heard about the movie for a while now and am looking forward to seeing it. I really enjoy Scrubs and am impressed that Zach Braff wrote the screenplay and directed the film. He is actually a day older than me. HAH. Never heard of anyone that close to my birthday.

The receptionist for our office brought a body cream from Sephora that not only moisturizes but also smells nice and shimmers on the skin. It is by Ralph Lauren I cannot find it on either site. But it is a clear bottle with white cream, and a pink label. I think I might buy it tomorrow. It's only $20. What more can a girl want from a beauty product?

On my way to work I pass by a residence for the elderly. A few times I have noticed a man I guess to be between 70 to 80. What is interesting about this man is half his neck and both arms are covered in tattoos and he has piercings in both ears.

Niel and I have been watching the Democratic Conventionon TV. My favorite speakers so far have been Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Ron Reagan and Barack Obama.

I really have to agree with the following. I found it on Stefmike.org

"Friendship is about how much time you devote to the other person. If you want to stay friends, you need to make the effort to do so. You need to keep in touch as much as possible, or else, you shouldn't have the right to complain about the lack in friendship. If you do your part and the other party does not respond, maybe it's time to move on from that friendship. "

I wanted to share a list of handy things from Real Simple and hopefully I will be able to update on a monthly basis.

Double Duty Pantry Items from Real Simple. Some of the original uses are funny.

Rolling Pin
First Usage: Preparing dough for pie crusts
Alternate Usage: Instant chopped nuts. Put a handful of nuts in a plastic bag and then run over them with the rolling pin.

Apple
First Usage: Keeping the doctor away
Alternate Usage: Tomato ripener. Mix tomatoes and apples together. The ethylene from the apple will make the tomato ripen faster.

Cake stand
First Usage: Showcasing that yummy caked you baked.
Alternate Usage: Serve appetizers. Stack a smaller cake stand on top of a larger one and wa la two surface areas for your h'or derves.

Lemon
First Usage: Giving Martinis a Twist.
Alternate Usage: Guacamole Preserver. Squeeze a little lemon into the dim and give a stir. The lemon eliminates the browning when guacamole sits after a while.

We used this brand when making tasty Indian rice this past weekend. I recommend it.

I did end up using this recipe to cook the banana peppers. It was very good and spicy. It reminds me of a dish my mother makes. I am sure you can substitute ground turkey, beef or chicken if you don't care for Italian Sausages.

My knitting is coming along. I am now able to see my mistakes and begin to fix them myself and my speed has steadily improved. I hope at the end of August I can show my results.

It was a good weekend. We had a nice dinner with Ted & Maria at a Greek restaurant Friday evening. Saturday Niel and I went to the New York Aquarium in the morning. It is a lot bigger than I thought it would be. Niel especially like the stingrays. Here are some pictures to peruse. Afterwards we went to see Napoleon Dynamite. It still rocked. The opening was new and there was an extra scene of a wedding at the end. A must see. It finally stopped raining on Sunday and the air was a little cool. It was nice. Sort of Fall like.

I also have a link on the side bar for successful recipes I have made. It will have to do until we get around to getting a web host.

One of my favorite childhood authors Paula Danziger passed away. She wrote such books as The Cat Ate My Gymsuit. I remember the first time I read one of her books. I was 12 or 13 and I somehow got my hands on a second hand copy of The Cat Ate My Gymsuit and I devoured it. She was an excellent writer. Some of her recent books are the Amber Brown series. They are for 8 to 10 year olds.

Per Niel's recommendation I started reading Shoeless Joe  by W. P. Kinsella. I can see why Niel liked it. The book is very well written. The author has a good grasp for whimsy and plain speech which he is able to jump between wonderfully. If you like baseballe and even if you don't, read it.

It is raining very, very hard in the city right now. I have not seen rain this bad since Niel and I were in Orlando in April. I got stuck in it because I ended up having five appointments this week. My umbrella helped a little bit.

I must say I am absolutely addicted to the Sopranos. For so long I resisted watching it because I had a different idea as to what the show would be about. Boy was I wrong. Niel explaining the episodes to me helped. I still run out of the room when I think someone will get "wacked" but for the most part that does not happen in every episode. So thanks Niel.

Via Pretty Purse Via Giao's blog
the
last cigarette: A very long time.
last alcoholic drink: Too long ago to remember.
last car ride: Last week sometime?
last kiss: This morning from Niel.
last good cry: Can't remember.
last library book: Can't recall.
last book bought: Little Women.
last book read: Gypsy Masala.
last movie seen in theatres: Spiderman.
last movie rented: Club Dread.
last cuss word uttered: Crap! Does that count?
last beverage drank: Water
last food consumed: Sushi!!!
last crush: My hubby:)
last phone call: To my Mom last Sunday
last tv show watched: Sopranos!
last time showered: This morning and was caught in a shower this mornig.
last shoes worn: blrown sandles
last cd played: Haven't heard much in a while
last item bought: Does food count?
last download: I don't.
last annoyance: Too many to bore people with.
last disappointment: Too many to bore people with.
last soda drank: Not for a while.
last thing written: It's raining!
last key used: !
last words spoken: It's raining!
last sleep: What is that?
last ice cream eaten: Last Sunday I had vanilla ice cream with the bluebarry/peach pie.
last chair sat in: I'm still sitting in it. Work chair.
last webpage visited: Michele's site http://www.theprettypurse.com

A pipe bomb went off in one of the subway stations near my office on Tuesday night. Apparently it was a cop who set it off.

If I allowed myself to cry, I would never stop.

No time for Sudan.

Sometimes I wonder when a blogger has not updated in a while where they are. But I don't want to ask since I don't know them too well and don't want to come across as a weirdo.

We've been eating a lot of chicken this week in various recipes. Monday night we ate roast chicken, yesterday I used the remainder of the roast chicken in a Paella, and Saturday I intend on making bbq chicken pizza and Sunday a chicken dumpling soup. It's funny the eating cycles one goes through. A few weeks ago we were eating a lot of ground Turkey.

I've been trying to make salads that are a little more diverse. Instead of the regular salad we eat(romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrot and feta salad with olive oil, vinegar, garlic and Adobe dressing); I've made Tabouleh, Ceviche, and tomato, mozzarella and basil salad. They have all been yummy. Yesterday I even brought a Japanese ginger salad dressing to eat with our regular salad. It was very good!

Thank you to Michele for emailing me her Mango Salsa recipe. It looks delicious. I hope to try it out soon.

I finished reading Gypsy Masala. It was an interesting and quick read. The story focused on three characters:Bali, Sheila and Evita. They all had their own version of the story in the book. It went from childhood to meeting one another. The event that brings them together is the couple in the story Sheila and Bali cannot have a child. Bali's adopted niece Evita comes to live with them after her parents die in a car accident and how this change affects them. The story was beatifully written.

Blueberry Muffins 


Blueberry goodness 

Niel brought back with him some treats from his venture last week. He brought back Shoofly Pie and some banana peppers. The pie is sweet. I liked the crust. I was looking for some recipes to use the banana peppers up. It even smells hot. I love spicy! I am going to try it in our salad tonight and use this recipe for it also.

I am enjoying all the additions my local supermarket has to offer. They now offer Sushi (pretty tasty), organic baby veggies (I brought beans, squash, carrots and zucchini),and exotic fruit(Tamarillo, Passion Fruit, Uniq Fruit, and Feijoa).
Now that I have the research on them I want to purchase them and test them out. Hee hee.

I checked out The Days on ABC. I thought the writers were trying too hard and the camera frames made me dizzy.

I brought 5 pints of blueberries yesterday. They were on sale for 98 cents. Not bad? We've been eating a lot of blueberries this Summer. We enjoy the taste so much!!!!

This is going to be a busy week for me. I have four sales calls and I have to prepare for them all. Ay.

I sometimes wonder if the only reason VH1 have these shows is so comedians can have work?

Niel got me a new book to read Gypsy Masala by Preethi Nair. I'll give a brief review after I am finished.

Our new sales assistant who also works for Kaplan was doing research for Kaplan on strange scholarships. Did you know that there are scholarships for tall people(6 foot and higher) for short people (4 feet and shorter), scholarships for wiccans( at The Coven of Crystal Waters) , scholarships if you are into goat farming, scholarships if you get accepted into the same school as your grandparents. Do a search on Google.

My my my what a weekend. It felt like a long weekend even though I went to work Thursday and Friday. It felt long because I had dinner with Isabel on Thursday evening, had lunch with Maria on Friday, and met up with her and Ted after work, Saturday I hung with my mom all day shopping in the city for her trip and then we went back to my parents house for a BBQ, then I headed over to Niel's mom to check on the animals, and the best part was when Niel came home. I really missed him, especially being around Ted and Maria. You miss the every day normalcy aspect of doing things together. Even though the most Niel has been away has been 2 days I felt like I had to get to know him all over again, and Sunday my brother and his girlfriend came over for dinner. I made Tabouleh,Hummus served with garlic pita (yes I love garlic), an antipasti platter, a tomato and goat cheese tart(I used multi colored tomatoes to make it pretty), and a blueberry and peach pie,for dessert. I ran out of all-purpose flower and had to use the whole wheat. It had an earthy flavor to it.  Afterwards we played Taboo. It was nice to be busy but I am a little tired. I like seeing more of our friends and family. I hope to be able to do it more often.

Thank you to all who gave their input about cars. If there are any more suggestions about the cars or web hosts it would be appreciated.

Today is my one year bloggaversary.  I have found that keeping this blog has helped immensely in my writing and also is a good account of all that I have to be grateful for: Health, a roof over my head, time with my husband, people we care for, the smell of air, enjoying a good meal, a refreshing drink of water, finding a flower I never knew existed before, meeting a new neighborhood dog, or cat.  My blog reminds me not to take things for granted. It is a place for me to be me.  An account of what I have done, seen, and hope to do.  A place where I can rant and plan freely.  A haven to escape to and hopefully an online community where I have learned from others.  And hopefully share a bit of what I have to offer. It is a memory chest where I can go back and remember fondly a particular moment in time.  It is  a place where I learn about myself.  

Thank you for everyone who commented with their kind words. Niel is returning tomorrow evening. YAY! We will probably bbq at his mom's house and hang out with Ripley; since Mike is away for the weekend and his mom is on vacation. We don't want the doggy to be alone.

Before VCR's there was Armenian Radio.

Tori Spelling recently got married. To an Armenian. Here is their registryfound on
Goldeelox9'sblog.

My friend Maria told me that Martha Stewart was sentenced today. She will get 5 months of prison time, 5 months of probation and have to pay $30,000. I thought it would be a lot worse. Her lawyers will appeal it. As I mentioned before I thought it was a sham of a case. A witch hunt. No pun intended. Those Enron bastards still have not gotten their day in court, (I hope soon) but Martha was sought after like prey.

It was good seeing Isabel last night and the restaurant was great. After a bit of confusion of locating one another was over we enjoyed ourselves immensely and talked about everything. It is good to be able to see friends. She understands the importance of cultivating a friendship like a flower. You have to water it.

I finished reading Marriage: A Duet in two days. It was a pretty good book. From the review I read I thought it would be smutty, but it is not at all. I never read a romance novel, so I thought I would try. I don't know why I thought it would be a romance novel. It is not at all. It is well written and interesting. The book is actually split into two short stories. The first is about an older couple. It is from the wife's point of view. The husband is on life support and the wife is remembering their marriage. The husband cheated on her and she forgave him and they moved on. The second is about a middle age couple, this time it is the husband's point of view. The wife cheated on the husband and it shows him having a breakdown.

Can anyone please recommend a car? Why do you like it? How is mileage and safety? We are in the market for one, not immediately but are in the research mode.

Can anyone also please recommend a good web host? Although Blogger is pretty good and I will keep it for a journal. I've come to realize more and more I need a web host. I have all the items to put together the food blog I want to create, as I mentioned some weeks back, but with Blogger and most other blogs you need to put a date with each entry. This would not work for a recipe site.

I found this some where:

What's the last thing you ate? Pumpernickel bagel with scallion cream cheese.

What's your favorite cheese? All types.

What's your favorite fish? Eel Sushi.

What's your favorite fruit? Berries.

When, if ever, did you start liking olives? I have always loved Olives.

When, if ever, did you start liking beer? Never enjoyed beer. I do like an occasional daiquiri.

When, if ever, did you start liking shellfish? I have always loved Shellfish.

What was the best thing your mom used to make? Everything my mom bakes & cooks is awesome.

What's the native specialty of your hometown? Pizza!

What's your comfort food? Mac & Cheese.

What's your favorite type of chocolate? White. I know it doesn't count. I don't care.

How do you like your steak? Well done.

How do you like your burger? Well done.

How do you like your eggs? Sunny Side up.

How do you like your potatoes? Mashed, fried, baked, scalloped. I like potatoes cooked anyway.

How do you take your coffee? Don't drink any.

How do you take your tea? Lemon and sugar.

What's your favorite mug? A blue one with a celestial theme.

What's your biscuit or cookie of choice? Stella Dora cookies and Entenmanns's cakes.

What's your ideal breakfast? I don't care too much for breakfast foods. I'll have leftovers, or a bagel.

What's your ideal sandwich? Grilled cheese.

What's your ideal pizza (topping and base)? Pepperoni.

What's your ideal pie (sweet or savory)? Savory=Chicken potpie and sweet=cherry pie.

What's your ideal salad? We're pretty plain. A variety of greens, tomato, cucumber, olives, canned beets, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, carrots, an occasional egg and cheese with olive oil, garlic paste, vinegar and adobo dressing.

What food do you always like to have in the fridge? Various cheeses, eggs, salad greens, milk, yogurt, butter, fruit.

What food do you always like to have in the freezer? Frozen veggies, ice(duh), coffee for company(it stays fresher), various meats and fish.

What food do you always like to have in the cupboard? Seasonings, various pastas, rice(arborio, basmati, long-grain), olives, corn meal, corn flour, sugars(white & brown), flour(whole & white), tomatoes sauces, canned beans and soups, canned veg if I can't find what I need fresh, olive oil, various vinegars,

What spices can you not live without? Salt, pepper, red pepper, Adobo

What sauces can you not live without? Salad dressing.

Where do you buy most of your food? Local grocer.

How often do you go food shopping? Every week, and sometimes twice per week.

What's the most you've spent on a single food item? Don't know.

What's the most expensive piece of kitchen equipment you own (excluding 'white goods')? What are white goods? I guess that means fridge and stove. Ours is the fridge.

What's the last piece of equipment you bought for your kitchen? Forgot.

What piece of kitchen equipment could you not live without? Can opener.

How many times a week/month do you cook from raw ingredients? 5 to 7 days per week.

What's the last thing you cooked from raw ingredients? Most of our meals are made from scratch.

What meats have you eaten besides cow, pig and poultry? Doe seafood count? I also tried kangaroo, emus, slligator, shark and ostrich.

What's the last time you ate something that had fallen on the floor? Probably within the last week --I always do, at home. I know I sound gross. Never in public or at work, though. I stick to the five-minute rule. I try to keep a clean house so I don't worry too much.

What's the last time you ate something you'd picked in the wild? Never.

Bread and spread: Pumpernickel with scallion cream cheese. MMMM!!!

What's your fast food restaurant of choice, and what do you usually order? McDonald's I like their California Cobb salad.

Pick a city. What are the three best dining experiences you've had in that city?
Oh gosh I should know. But I don't.

What's your choice of tipple at the end of a long day? No alcohol for me.

What's the next thing you'll eat? I don't know.

Niel is away this weekend with Squilky golfing in Pennsylvania. I hope he has a fun and safe trip. It will be good for him. Meanwhile I miss him like crazy. I made a list to cheer myself up.

Things I love:
1. Niel

2. Berries, cherries & grapes

3. The smell of a freshly cut lawn

4. Finding a new recipe

5. Life in general

I am keeping busy by having dinner with Isabel at Kelley and Ping's after work, Fridays I like to stay home and just unwind by watching TV, and I will be shopping with my mom on Saturday for her trip.

A list of books I have read. I found it on Jess's site. I can't believe I read most of these. The majority I read in junior high, high school and college. I need to go back and reread them as an adult.

Bold: I have read it.
Italics: Have only read partially.
Neither: Have not read.

-- Beowulf
Achebe, Chinua - Things Fall Apart
Agee, James - A Death in the Family
Austen, Jane - Pride and Prejudice
Baldwin, James - Go Tell It on the Mountain
Beckett, Samuel - Waiting for Godot
Bellow, Saul - The Adventures of Augie March
Brontë, Charlotte - Jane Eyre
Brontë, Emily - Wuthering Heights
Camus, Albert - The Stranger
Cather, Willa - Death Comes for the Archbishop
Chaucer, Geoffrey - The Canterbury Tales(LOVED IT)
Chekhov, Anton - The Cherry Orchard
Chopin, Kate - The Awakening
Conrad, Joseph - Heart of Darkness
Cooper, James Fenimore - The Last of the Mohicans
Crane, Stephen - The Red Badge of Courage
Dante - Inferno
de Cervantes, Miguel - Don Quixote
Defoe, Daniel - Robinson Crusoe
Dickens, Charles - A Tale of Two Cities
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor - Crime and Punishment
Douglass, Frederick - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Dreiser, Theodore - An American Tragedy
Dumas, Alexandre - The Three Musketeers
Eliot, George - The Mill on the Floss
Ellison, Ralph - Invisible Man
Emerson, Ralph Waldo - Selected Essays
Faulkner, William - As I Lay Dying
Faulkner, William - The Sound and the Fury
Fielding, Henry - Tom Jones
Fitzgerald, F. Scott - The Great Gatsby
Flaubert, Gustave - Madame Bovary
Ford, Ford Madox - The Good Soldier
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von - Faust
Golding, William - Lord of the Flies
Hardy, Thomas - Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Hawthorne, Nathaniel - The Scarlet Letter
Heller, Joseph - Catch 22
Hemingway, Ernest - A Farewell to Arms
Homer - The Iliad
Homer - The Odyssey
Hugo, Victor - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hurston, Zora Neale - Their Eyes Were Watching God
Huxley, Aldous - Brave New World(LOVED IT)
Ibsen, Henrik - A Doll's House
James, Henry - The Portrait of a Lady
James, Henry - The Turn of the Screw
Joyce, James - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Kafka, Franz - The Metamorphosis
Kingston, Maxine Hong - The Woman Warrior
Lee, Harper - To Kill a Mockingbird(LOVED IT!!!!)
Lewis, Sinclair - Babbitt
London, Jack - The Call of the Wild
Mann, Thomas - The Magic Mountain
Marquez, Gabriel García - One Hundred Years of Solitude
Melville, Herman - Bartleby the Scrivener
Melville, Herman - Moby Dick
Miller, Arthur - The Crucible
Morrison, Toni - Beloved
O'Connor, Flannery - A Good Man is Hard to Find
O'Neill, Eugene - Long Day's Journey into Night
Orwell, George - Animal Farm
Pasternak, Boris - Doctor Zhivago
Plath, Sylvia - The Bell Jar
Poe, Edgar Allan - Selected Tales
Proust, Marcel - Swann's Way
Pynchon, Thomas - The Crying of Lot 49
Remarque, Erich Maria - All Quiet on the Western Front
Rostand, Edmond - Cyrano de Bergerac
Roth, Henry - Call It Sleep
Salinger, J.D. - The Catcher in the Rye(LOVED IT)
Shakespeare, William - Hamlet
Shakespeare, William - Macbeth
Shakespeare, William - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Shakespeare, William - Romeo and JulietShaw, George Bernard - Pygmalion
Shelley, Mary - Frankenstein
Silko, Leslie Marmon - Ceremony
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander - One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Sophocles - Antigone
Sophocles - Oedipus Rex
Steinbeck, John - The Grapes of Wrath(GOOD BOOK!!!)
Stevenson, Robert Louis - Treasure Island
Stowe, Harriet Beecher - Uncle Tom's Cabin
Swift, Jonathan - Gulliver's Travels
Thackeray, William - Vanity Fair
Thoreau, Henry David - Walden
Tolstoy, Leo - War and Peace
Turgenev, Ivan - Fathers and Sons
Twain, Mark - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Voltaire - Candide
Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. - Slaughterhouse-Five
Walker, Alice - The Color Purple
Wharton, Edith - The House of Mirth
Welty, Eudora - Collected Stories
Whitman, Walt - Leaves of Grass
Wilde, Oscar - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Williams, Tennessee - The Glass Menagerie(SO SAD)
Woolf, Virginia - To the Lighthouse
Wright, Richard - Native Son

I recently started to notice although never believed it before but if you ask for something it will usually come to you.

The Jeopardy wiz Ken has won over a million dollars as of yesterday. Good for him!!

I am still knitting. I can't talk about it because it is a secret. I wish I could have finished sooner I just did not realize what a project it would be. Plus the round needles I am using are messing me up badly.

Lately I am finding a lot of recipes to give as gifts, such as jams, home made bbq sauce, pancake mix, bath salts etc. I just have to pace myself and do one thing at a time.

Will begin to read today Marriage, A Duet, by Anne Taylor Fleming. After reading the book about the Covenant and a classic they wore me out, so I am going to read this trashy book before going back to the heavier material.

I think it is so odd that people take things at face value and not try to probe further and get out of their mindset. I know its scary and it is easier to point fingers and blame others. But why does it have to be a right or wrong issue? I will never figure people out. Never ever.

Goodbye Weezie. 

The Jeffersons is one of my all time favorite shows. I loved the interaction between the characters, especially feisty George and classy Louise. I was very saddened to hear that the actress Isabel Sanford who played Louise passed away. May she rest in peace.

I just haven't felt like doing much lately in terms of anything crafty, knitting, cooking, wearing jewelry or writing. I just want to be. I go through cycles like these.

Luckily with cooking my lethargy does not last too long but it is so hot all I want to eat are salads. Since they are not too heavy. I've been actually been craving Indian take out from a new place we found in Kew Gardens as well as some Hispanic food from Ridgewood.

I hope Ken Lehey goes to jail for a long long time.

People should have a test just so they can have kids, much like a drivers license but stricter.

Another nice weekend unfortunately comes to an end. Thankfully they have been nice. It's sort of sad I spend most of my day thinking when I can go home and to the weekend, or the next vacation day. I guess it is normal. I am always thinking of ahead. Niel says I should think of right now, the moment, which is true. I just rather win the lotto or some long lost relative I never knew of left me money so I can spend my days as a lady of leisure. Hah! But knowing me I would be so bored out of my mind. That's another reason I always plan, I get so very bored easily. I can't sit still. Enough of my tangin.

The weekend was a nice one. Saturday I went to a surprise baby shower for my friend Jennifer hosted by her mother and husband. It was a nice shower with close family and friends. It looks like Jennifer and her hubby have all they need for the baby. They are a nice couple and Niel and I are very happy they will welcome a little sweet baby soon. On that note congratulations to Harry & Anna on the birth of their baby boy. Niel and I also wish them all the best.

Afterwards I went to a bbq at Mike's house. Niel was already there helping out before getting me. Very helpful that Niel. Erin, Mark, Dave and some of Mark's friends and girlfriend were there. Mark borought the largest Kielbasa's I have ever seen.

Sunday we went to see Spiderman.
It was enjoyable. I was particularly interested with Doc Oc's struggle with the struggle he had with the dark side of his personality. This was only really displayed in the beginning and end of the film. But it got me thinking how I think we all struggle with this doing good instead of bad. And I am not just referring to big things like stealing, cheating, lying, saving the world, but I think it matters day to day. Such as consideration and respect for fellow man.

I found this on another site and thought I would share.

What do you enjoy the most(sort of):
best soda? Coke and Welch's grape.
food? Sushi
color? Maroon
age? 29
TV show? Scrubs, Dead Like me & a few others
movie? Napoleon Dynamite
(your best) friends? My hubby.
job? I am in sales. My dream job is writing.
person to marry? Already am to Niel
place to live? Canada or England.
color to wear in spring? Light blue
song to listen to when you're sad? Don't Dream, It's Over, Crowded House
song to listen to when your happy? Hey Ya, Outkast
car? A Ford
candy? Don't eat too much. If I do lately Nerds On A Rope.
book? Anything when I was a child
web site? www.theworldofani.blogspot.com
state? New York
paper clip color? Blue
place to socialize? Home or at a friend's house.
place to go when you're sad? On the couch.
comedian? Carrot Top
actor? Tom Hanks
actress? Judy Denche
singer? Tori Amos
group? White Stripes
season? Fall
snack? Cheese and grapes.
thing to do? Write, read, watch TV, go to the movies, cook, garden if I could.
Jazz musician? Don't know too many. I did like Dizzy Gillespie when I was little. It was the cheeks.
poet? E. E. Cummings
language other than English? Armenian
animated character? Homer Simpson

Not too much to say so here are two quizzes, what shows are coming up in July and a recipe. Have a good weekend.

1. Your name spelled backwards. Ina.
2. Where were your parents born? Yerevan, Armenia & Sofia, Bulgaria.
3. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your : I don't download anything.
4. What's your favorite restaurant? Can't pick just one.
5. Last time you swam in a pool? It's been years. Too bad.
6. Have you ever been in a school play? Yes
7. How many kids do you want? Can't decide.
8. Type of music you dislike most? I really like everything.
9. Are you registered to vote? Yes
10. Do you have a car? Yes
11. Have you ever ridden on a moped? No. Looks fun.
12. Ever prank call anybody? No.
13. Ever get a parking ticket? Yes.
14. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving? Noooooooo, neither.
15. Furthest place you ever traveled? Armenia. I went back for a visit too long ago.
16. Do you have a garden? No. I WISH! I'd have a flower garden & a veggie garden, a cherry tree, a hammock, nice chairs and table.
17. What's the size of your bed? Queen
18. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem? Yes
19. Bath or Shower, morning or night? Shower morning and sometimes at night.
20. Best movie you've seen in the past 4 months? Napoleon Dynamite.
21. What's the next movie you want to see? The new Will Farrell.
22. Chips or popcorn? Why do I have to choose?
23. Have you ever broken any hearts? None that I know of.
24. Premarital sex? None of your beeswax.
25. Are you a good cook? Pretty good.
26. Orange or Apple juice? Apple.
27. Who was the last person you went out to dinner with and where did you go to? It had to be Niel and it was a while ago. I don't recall where.
28. Favorite type of drink? Water.
29. Best thing in the world? Life.
30. Have you ever broken a bone? No.
31. Have you ever won a trophy? Yes!
32. What is your favorite board game? Scrabble
33. What is your dream car? I don't know.
34. Ever order an article from an infomercial? Yes.
35. Coke or Pepsi? Coke.
36. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work? No.
37. Last thing you bought at a pharmacy. Stuff for the bathroom.
38. Who are you going to marry? I already am and happily.
39. Who would you like to meet? No one really.
40. Do you believe in love at first sight? Yes.
41. What features do you find most attractive in the opposite sex? Eyes. Do personality count also?

I am the mommy Kangaroo.

Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

So many TV shows in July I want to see Dead Like Me, the new show about party foods on the food network, Inside Out on Trading Spaces, The Days on ABC, I Love The 90's and I forget what else.

A recipe I want to share I made successfully yesterday for dinner. I got it from the I Love To Cook, Cookbook.

Grilled BBQ and Veggies

2.5 Flank Steak(or any thin cut..Flank is pricey)
4 portabello mushrooms
1 large red and yellow pepper
1 large sweet onion(Vidalia)

Marinate the meat and veggies in the following marinade for four hours before grilling or overnight. Make sure to leave out the meat for about an hour before cooking to get it at room temperature. It is easier to cook.

1/2 cup of Dijon mustard
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 minced garlic
1 finely chopped shallot
half a cup of olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Then you grill the food up and enjoy. We ate it with a Arugula, mozzarella, and tomato salad. Just cut up the cheese, tomatoes and line it nicely with Arugula, drizzle a little olive and season with pepper and eat away.

I have been a bit sick for about a week now. At the end of last week and through the weekend I was a litte weak and feverish. But I took vitamins and a few Advils here and there to get through the day so I can go to my scheduled obligations. I thought it was all the sun. It still could be all the sun. I haven't gone to the doctor. Maybe I'll go tomorrow. I haven't decided. I'll see how I am feeling. Tuesday morning I felt like absolute crap, but with Niel's help I managed to drag myself in to work. I left half an hour early. Wednesday I took half a day and today I am off. Every time I think this fever and weakness is gone it comes back. It's really frustrating.

I hear there might be a sequel to Goonies.

The new Hilary Duff movie looks cute. I wonder what originality she can bring to the fairytale. I think I might rent it though along with the remake of Around the World in 80 Days, and The Terminal.


Here is a good Chili Recipe I found in Easy Home Cooking. It is a good starter recipe.

Chili
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 lbs of ground turkey
1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
1 14/5 ounce can of stewed tomatoes
3/4 cup steak sauce
1 tablespoon cumin
1 16 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
1 11 ounce can corn drained
Suggested garnishes: Shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped scallion to garnish

In a 6 quart heavy pot over medium high heat, saute onion and garlic in oil till tender.

Add beef; cook and stir until brown. Drain fat, stir in tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, steak sauce, chili powder, and cumin. Heat to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in beans and corn and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Serve hot with whatever garnishes you enjoy.

I wish every week could have a long weekend. They are very relaxing.

On Saturday we went to Storm King, in Orange County, New York. It is a 500-acre property filled with abstract art. We took a bunch of pictures.

Sunday we went to Niel’s mom’s house and had a bbq. The food was good. Niel's brother,
Erin and Dave's brother Tommy were also there. We brought over kabobs. We made three different varieties: Pork, Shrimp and Shark. They were marinated in separate containers in Mojo. Shark is surprisingly tender and not at all fishy. Good idea Niel. We also brought over Trivial Pursuit. Niel won. I tried to help the other players, or as I was told I was cheating. We then went home and were able to look at the fireworks from our kitchen and bedroom windows. Check out those pics too.

Monday we ran some errands. We also rearranged some of the artwork we have in the apartment. We had to move around pictures we purchased, a painting by Niel's brother, and photographs of Squilky's. We only have one more spot left for another painting and that is for my brother's piece. Our place is a decent size, but hopefully when we have a larger space one day we can get more artwork.

I feel very exhausted and achy today. Normally I am chipper in the mornings just not today. Maybe it was all the sun? Now to think of it I was a bit headachy all weekend.

We started to watch the Sopranos first season. The writing is excellent. I still have to leave the room if any violent parts come on though. I can’t watch it.

Another neat part of the weekend was all the “metal” that KROQ played and the VH1 series Behind The Music had a special about Guns N Roses. I love their music.

We saw Club Dread on cable. Oh my God what a weird little movie. It did have a lot of twists though. It’s about this singles resort and there is a killer on the loose. I could not figure out who the killer was, of course at the end it was made clear who it was. Very much like the old campy horror flicks.

I made a pretty yummy omelet out of the left over veggies(green pepper, onion and mushroom) we used for the kabobs.

I finally have the pics of the Olympic torch coming through Maspeth, Father’s day and pictures from my cousin's wedding.

I also purchased some cute earrings from Jennifer's jewelry site.

Happy 4th of July America! God bless all the soldiers in Iraq and may the new year bring a safer world.

Yesterday was such a very busy work day for me. I was happy though because it made the day go by faster.

The sales department had a 8:30 am meeting.

Then I had an appointment with a client at 12:30.

The nice part was afterwards I got to walk around Columbia University. I love walking on campuses of different schools. The University of Pittsburgh also has a really nice campus.

Then the office had some cake and soda for a sales rep that is retiring.

Then we the sales staff went out to dinner to wish good luck to the retiring sales rep.

He had an impact on everyone in the office.

Can anyone confirm if Marlon Brando passed away?

Hope everyone has a nice holiday weekend!

I want to see Gloria Estefan in concert since I enjoy her music and this will be her last concert Too bad the concert is in Albany. I don't know if I love her enough to see her two hours away.

Thanks to Niel for getting me the new Cure album.

I saw on Entertainment Tonight last night that there will be yet another remake of Little House. The report said first there will be a series of TV movies and if they are Successful they will make a TV series out of it. I am curious to see it, but why mess with a classic?

I saw the following quote on a blog I occasionally read. I don't always agree with this person's views. And that is healthy. But I was thinking about what they posted. I don't think this is try but I also hope this does not happen because I would not deal with it.

"Then there are the online cliques. You know, groups of us whose names are always together. The thing is, people who are grouped together in this way, all start talking alike. Their personalities melt together. If one doesn;t talk the right way or has a disagreement with another one, the whole clique will ostracize that one person. You have to lie, watch what you say, be careful and kiss ass to remain in the cool kids group. "

Happy Canada Day to Canada!