Damn you, Karmen….
She did this. By posting it on FB. But instead of reposting on FB, I’ll do it here. All in the name if my faithful readers. Wouldn’t want to disappoint you by posting less than once per quarter.
Use only ONE word to answer the questions below. It’s not as easy as you might think! Now copy this into your “notes,” change the answers to suit you. It’s really hard to only use one word answers.
Where is your cell phone?
Butt
Significant other?
Cats
Your hair?
cut
Your mother?
Rock
Your father?
Cancer
Your favorite thing?
Cats
Your dream last night?
Ariene
Your favorite drink?
Beer
What room are you in?
Living
Your hobby?
Shopping
Your fear?
Alone
Where do you want to be in six years?
Happy
Where were you last night?
Dinner
Something that you aren’t?
Average
Muffins?
Top
Wish list item?
Amazon
Last thing you did?
Wrapped
What are you wearing?
PJs
TV?
DVR
Your pets?
Cats
Friends?
Amazing
Your life?
Limbo
Your mood?
Meh
Missing someone?
Always
Drinking?
Water
Your car?
NEW!
Something you’re not wearing?
Bra
Your favorite store?
Gap
Your favorite color?
White
When is the last time you cried?
Dunno
Who will resend this?
Blah.
Where do you go to over and over?
Internet
Five people who email me regularly?
Impossible
My favorite place to eat?
Maggianos
Favorite place I’d like to be at right now?
STL
Four people who will respond?
Impossible
Tomorrow December 6th, 2009 marks the 29th year of my friend Beth’s existence. She would prefer that I gave a broader age range (like 25-ish) but reality sucks. Get used to it, sista. You’re 29. Own it.
To celebrate, her sweet husband Andy planned a dinner at The Screen Door, which is located in One Arts Plaza in the Arts District in downtown Dallas. We had drinks at the bar first and for dinner I ordered the Texas redfish, roasted chili cheese grits, smooth tomato cream & Herbsaint remoulade. The fish itself was basically blackened (translate: salty). The cheese grits, however, were delicious. I should add that this was fter the table shared 3 different appetizers. The Fried Green Tomatoes were very good with the chili ranch dressing. The Spicy Crawfish Dip w/ Tabasco Crackers was a surprisingly spicy treat and the pulled pork roll-thingies weren’t even on the menu. They were also very tasty (if not a little too salty as well). Basically, the food was very good, but maybe not quite worth the price. Southern soul food can be found at much more authentic places (and prices). Any suggestions?
All in all…a delightful dinner for Beth’s birthday. Andy was gracious enough to provide the appetizers and wine. He makes a great co-spouse. Plus, Texas won the Nebraska game, which put all the boys in a much better mood than what could have been. Hook ‘Em!…I guess. (guns up?)
I finally did it. After 3 1/2 years of whining about wanting a white Honda CR-V with a roof rack, I bought one. I just got frickin’ fed up with my car yesterday at lunch. I knew I had someone who wanted to buy it, so I called them. They brought me cash money. I went to a Honda dealership after work. I bought a new car. Decision to fulfillment in under 8 hours. Nice work, self.
I got a FABULOUS interest rate (on my own thankyouverymuch) and negotiated MY ASS OFF. I got EXACTLY the car I’ve wanted. I didn’t compromise on anything (except a stupid pinstripe that I didn’t want but apparently could not have removed for all the tea in china) and I refused to pay for anything extra (except window tinting which, let’s face it, is worth every penny).
I’m including photos from the Honda website. Only because mine doesn’t have the roof rack and tinting yet, but it will after next Wednesday!
See, here’s the thing: I’m wildly uninteresting. I got nuthin’. I would apologize for my absence, but I’ll bet you dollars to donuts that you don’t care.
I guess I can tell you about my trip to Mexico. “Trip” makes it sound awesome, right? Whatever. It was barely 2 days.
My friend Ariene was gettin’ hitched to a real nice fella named Danny. These are my friends who live in St. Louis. The wedding took place in Tulum, Mexico, which is about 75 miles south of Cancun.
I left that Friday morning and was lucky enough to be on the same flight as another couple of good friends who also happened to be going south of the border for a short vacay. The hotel that was chosen for the wedding was Dreams Tulum. It was AMAZING, y’all. It’s quite a new hotel so everything was immaculate. Service was impeccable. Beach was beautiful. Cerveza was cold. Did I mention that it was all-inclusive? Hellz yeah…
My room was so lovely. I was very sorry I only had 2 nights there.
It’s clear that I have no photography skills…
The first night there, we had dinner at the buffet and then took to the discoteca for some dancing. Things got a little crazy and a lot sweaty. If you want to see all the debauchery, feel free to check it out on Flickr.
Saturday brought breakfast in bed…
I have to note that traveling alone is great. It’s easier. VACATIONING alone, however, sucks big burro ass (redundant? hee.). It took me telling them 3 times that the breakfast order of only one dish was, indeed, only for “one persons”. And yet they just couldn’t help themselves so they brought 2 cups for the coffee. *sigh*
We spent most of Saturday morning and afternoon at the pool. Then us girls took to the spa for some beautifying. Well, the bride got beautified. We just got drunk while we watched her.
The ceremony was held right on the beach.
It started to rain a little bit.
It would be very difficult to screw up a wedding on a beach at sunset. Chairs and a man of the cloth is really all you need. It was PERFECT.
Aside: The minister who performed Ariene and Danny’s wedding was the same awkward, cringe-inducing, long-winded one who performed Becky and Matt’s wedding in Playa del Carmen one year ago yesterday. (Happy Anniversary to the Fettys! what’s this one? paper? cotton? beer?). Basically, the minister thing was all I could think about, so I giggled inappropriately through the whole ceremony and didn’t actually hear any of it. Oops.
With the kinda-sorta rain, the hotel moved the reception from the pool area under a covered restaurant/grill thingamajig. This actually worked out best. It was lit beautifully, dinner was delicious and there was plenty of room for the dancing (again with the dancing!).
A great time was had by all at the reception. Afterwards we went to the….wait for it….discoteca. Seriously. This place was like a very tiny strip club inside and we had the BEST. TIME. It was just the place at the hotel, so we pretty much took it over both nights. If there were outsiders there when we arrived, they most certainly were not there when we left. That’s called DOING IT RIGHT, folks. There are no photos of that night, sadly. I was super tired and went home around 12:30am to order room service. Did I mention that this place was all-inclusive? I freakin’ love that. So convenient.
Wedding photos taken by the AMAZING Devon Jones are here and here. That’s Devon’s blog. She also has photos available to order here, including Ariene and Danny’s engagement photos. Not that you have any need for photos of people whom you have never met…oh fuck it. It’s a plug for Devon, ’cause I love her stuff! Plus, she and her husband are super-sweet people that I am glad to have met.
Um…yeah. So. The rest of the “vacation”? Hmmm. I had breakfast with Ariene while Danny slept in back in their room and we hit the beach for an hour or so. It was cloudy and windy and not very warm, so we went to my room to pack what was left. Then I left. It was sad.
I should also note that part of my resentment of the short trip was the fact that the hotel was 2 HOURS FROM THE AIRPORT. This means that of my 50 hours in Mexico, 10% were spent with strangers in a white van on a boring road. GRRRRRRRR.
I am also shamelessly going to post this beautiful picture hoping it makes you as stabby as I am when I see it. Stabby because I am not there anymore. STAB.
Over the past few months, my skin has gone on a rampage. Rebellion. Pissed off-ness. Holy crap, lady, I hate you-ness. OY.
Acne developed in the middle of my cheeks, which has never been a problem area for me until recently. UGH .UGLY. Especially at the age of thirty. I mean, come ON, UNIVERSE!!!
I have been using Philosphy’s On A Clear Day cleanser and I liked it enough. But, I haven’t been using it regularly. I keep it in the shower, so I wasn’t so good about using it (or anything, to be truthful) at night.
After I got back from Hawaii (and after a week of sunscreen clogging my pores), I went to Sephora and picked up the trial-sized package of the staples of the On A Clear Day line of products. I figured that nothing could make it worse, so I used every product as directed, with no regard for skin sensitivity/moisture level. My skin does tend towards the oily side, though.
I’m actually quite amazed. I had some big, angry spots that started to disappear after a day and a half (one night plus one full day) and after one week, my skin is completely different. Like, WOW different. I mostly credit the retinol lotion for the improved texture and tone of my skin. It also makes me realize that maybe I don’t need moisturizer all over my face. The retinol lotion seems to be enough on the problem areas and my eye cream takes care of the rest.
I plan on writing a review on every site that will let me. I truly think it’s that good. Again, I thought my skin would be too sensitive, but DANG, I’ll take a tiny bit of spotty dryness if it means the damn zits will GO AWAY. So, finally back to having grown-up skin. Yay.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Cooking is not something I’m great at. I can cook pretty much anything except meat – I always overcook it. I enjoy cooking very much, but I’m not a GREAT cook. Now, my mom? She can cook. And she makes it look effortless.
While I was at my sister’s last week, she made paneer, which is a simple Indian cheese. It has a consistency close to that of tofu, which I LOVE. Turns out that paneer is super-easy to make, and you really only need whole milk, lemon juice and/or vinegar, and cheesecloth. Paneer, like tofu, takes on the flavor of whatever it is cooked in. You can add seasonings to it, or you could just simmer it in a prepackaged Indian sauce like Tikka or Korma (which you can get at World Market) and serve over basmati rice. YUM.
Here’s how:
Heat the milk (gallon, half gallon, whatever) just to boiling then immediately remove it from the heat. Then add lemon juice a tablespoon at a time every couple of minutes until the milk curdles (I know…ew). Mine never curdled properly (probably because the lemon juice wasn’t acidic enough) so I added about 2 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar and it curdled perfectly and quickly.
Once you have the curds separated from the whey (yep, just like the nursery rhyme), pour the whole pot into a colander lined with the cheesecloth. Gather the edges and tie it, hanging from your kitchen faucet for about 30 minutes. After that time give it a good squeeze and form it into whatever shape you want (I made a 1″ thick slab so I could cut it into wedges). I then smushed mine under a cutting board weighted with a pot full of cold water. Wait another 30 minutes or so, then DONE. You have cheese.
To recap:
Boil
Add acid
Strain
Smush
DONE
Cool, huh?
So…Aloha. I’m back. From Hawaii. And pretty glad about it, to be honest. It was a wonderful week and it was great to see my family, but I’m frickin’ beat. I love coming home to my stuff and my bed and my cats (SHUT IT). I guess I’m just a homebody. If my STUFF was someplace else I would like going there, too. Like maybe St. Louis. Or DC. Or other places with green stuff and cooler weather. Maybe a hill or something.
Anyhoozleberry, here I am. Photos from the trip are posted on Flickr. My friend Beth came with me and I think she had fun. We both successfully did some stand up paddling, which is basically a large surfboard that you just stand on and, well, paddle. Much like you would use a door and a deck plank from a shipwreck to search for land.
We also went to the USS Arizona Memorial. I had been a few years ago but since it was Beth’s first trip to Hawaii we both felt that she should see it. They play a video first (narrated by Stockard Channing!) and then you take a short boat ride out the the final resting place of the over 900 sailors who went down with her (and by “her” I mean the ship, not Stockard Channing). There is currently tons of construction going on to expand and improve the visitors center but the US Navy and the National Park Service do a phenomenal job. As a point of interest, it isn’t exactly a crowd pleaser but it’s a Must-Do.
The first weekend in Hawaii, I was lucky enough to get to stay at the Grand Wailea on Maui for a couple nights. The hotel is so beautiful, with a kick-ass pool. It has, like, giant water slides and stuff. The kids (and adults) spent 2 days playing on the slides and never even went into the ocean. It was my first trip to another island (other than Oahu) and I think it’s safe to say that Maui has the BEST sunsets I have ever seen.
Our flight landed in Dallas at 5:30am on Saturday morning. I had the whole weekend to recover from jet lag and to enjoy some laziness and home organizing. And now I think I’m getting sick. I started feeling bad while I was in a meeting before lunch and I felt progressively worse throughout the day. After work, I fell asleep on the couch for 3 hours. Now it will be impossible to fall asleep. Super.
So…uh…Aloha. The goodbye kind. Mahalo.
I am a list person. Commence the list-making in 3…2…1
- I am leaving for Hawaii on Friday. This is both exciting and tiring. But more exciting. My sister lives there so I am lucky to get to visit every now and then. My friend Beth will be joining me on Monday, after me and Ruth’s family take a quick trip to Maui for the weekend. Life is rough, I tell ya.
- This past weekend, I went to St. Louis to see my friend Ariene for her bridal shower and bachelorette party. I wasn’t feeling too hot all weekend, but had a fabulous time nonetheless. I can’t say enough how much I love St. Louis. It is a surprisingly kick-ass city. I would really like to live there someday. It has taken the place of DC in that respect.
- The beginning of football season excites me very much. Not so much because I care about any particular team, but because it’s the signal of the beginning of fall. Also, I have a fantasy team this year so I will have to pay closer attention than normal.
- Work kind of sucked today. It wasn’t a bad day, per se. It did, however, start with a rather unpleasant series of emails from my bosses regarding an unfortunate incident that happened over the weekend. I was out of the state, and yet I still feel like I did something wrong. It just kind of set the tone for a not-so-fun day. At least the rest of the day was okay.
- Speaking of work…OY is tomorrow going to be busy. I’m on my second 4-day week, so I’m really crunching everything into the next 3 days.
- I almost always complete 99% of my week’s work by Thursday. Mostly so I have Friday available in case anything unexpected comes up, but also because I like to finish out my week by not doing much of anything. It’s both efficient and nefarious.
- I bought cowboy boots and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH I WANT TO WEAR THEM EVERY DAY YEE HAW.
- My dad is on his second round of chemo. He’s not doing as well on it as we had hoped. It’s a 3 week cycle and it takes about 10 days for him to start feeling better. I hate it for him, but he soldiers on.
- My nephew is going to be 9 years old on Wednesday. I cannot comprehend. To me, he is still the 2-year-old who likes to be dragged around the house on a rug and can’t say “Auntie Val”. It always came out as A-Wee-ul. Preshus. I am still the cool aunt, though!
- Pureology Thickening Mist is by far the best product I have used for that purpose. Which reminds me…I’m going to draft a post about my favorite beauty products. So, pretend to be amazed and surprised when you see it there.
- I am going to see U2 on October 12.
- I am going to Mexico for another wedding on October 16.
- I am going to start calling it Sexico. For reasons you crazy kids don’t need to know.
I got this forwarded email today. Instead of forcing it down your throats via your email inbox, I figured I would put it here and leave it up to you. Enjoy.
***************
We will be going into the new 2009 edition of getting to know your family and friends. Here is what you are supposed to do, and try not to be lame and spoil the fun. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person who sent it to you. Some of you may get this several times; that means you have lots of friends. The easiest way to do it is to hit ‘forward’ so you can change the answers or copy and paste. Have fun and be truthful!
1. What is your occupation right now? Property Manager
2. What color are your socks right now? None, I’m barefoot.
3. What are you listening to right now? Dial tone on coworkers speaker phone.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Almonds
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yeah, baby. I mean…yes. I can do that.
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Annie
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I love her in the most heterosexual way imaginable. Hi Lisa!
8. How old are you today? 30 years, 5 months, and 16 days.
9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? NFL Football
10. What is your favorite drink? I know I should say Diet Coke, but it’s BEER. I love beer.
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes.
12. Favorite food? Macaroni and cheese or a burger. I have a very sophisticated palate.
13. What is the last movie you watched? P.S. I Love You, but only like half of it. too sad.
14. Favorite day of the year? Thanksgiving.
15. How do you vent anger? I drink excessively.
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Optimus Prime Transformer
17. What is your favorite season? Fall, but in places where the seasons actually change. Here? Winter.
18. Cherries or Blueberries? Blueberries
19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? Of course
20. Who is the most likely to respond? No idea
21. Who is most likely not to respond? See above
22. Living arrangements? Alone. Cats. FTW.
23. When was the last time you cried? Last night during that damn movie.
24. What is on the floor of your closet? Not much. I’m pretty neat.
25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? I think Kristine wins the contest for who will read this that I have known the longest. Congratulations!
26. What did you do last night? Went to the gym played on Farm Town and watched THAT DAMN MOVIE.
27. What are you most afraid of? Losing my dad.
28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheesy, spicy, gooey ones.
29. Favorite dog breed? I like my mom’s Pomeranian, but I hesitate to call it my favorite. To prissy.
30. Favorite day of the week? Fridays, when the weekend is full of promise.
31. How many states have you lived in? 2
32. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
33. What is your favorite flower? Hydrangea or any flowers given to me for no reason.
Restaurant Week in Dallas is August 17-23. Many wonderful Dallas restaurants participate by offering a three course, fixed price menu for $35, the proceeds of which go to the North Texas Food Bank. It’s a chance to enjoy resataurants one could normally not afford and contribute to a good cause at the same time.
This year, I went to Salum on Cole and Fitzhugh. Beth and Lindsay were my dining companions. We each had a different appetizer and entree. Since we are close friends, we each tasted everything on the table so I will give you a review of 6 different dishes, plus appetizers. It’s a lot of bang for your buck!
Texas Goat Cheese, Roasted Elephant Garlic, Extra Virgin olive Oil – OMG, this was AMAZING. Elephant garlic, by the way, is GINORMOU and delicious. Roasted to the point that it is spreadable. Goat cheese is lovely and creamy and the bread slices were just slightly toasted. WOW.
Crab and Goat Cheese Stuffed Fried Okra Creamy Sauce Diavolo – Nice in concept, but lacking in execution. The okra was whole and fresh, but the breading was overwhelming and it seems most of the filling had already leaked out. Okay, but not great.
Serrano Caprese Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, Serrano Ham and Pesto – A basic Caprese salad. Always nice to eat, never fabulous. Tomatoes didn’t have much flavor, mozzarella was meh, and the ham was basically prosciutto.
Grilled Tri Tip Steak, Potato and Chorizo Flautas Tomatillo Sauce and Epazote Queso Blanco - Beth had this one. Tasty with a Mexican flavor. A nice seared outside on the stead and the flautas were fun.
Seared Beef Tenderloin, Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto, Balsamic Mustard Demiglace - HOLYOHMYGOD this was unbelievable. In my words “you don’t even need teeth”. I’m going to think about it for days. Cooked perfectly. The only thing that could have improved it was to reduce the amount of the demiglace served. It was delicious, but it greatly overpowered both the steak and the risotto. I would still order it again, but maybe with the demiglace on the side. A la Sally.
Grilled Scottish Salmon, Golden Raisin Orzo Horseradish Beurre Blanc – Lindsay had this one. Deeeee-lightful. The salmon was perfectly cooked and the orzo was lovely with the fish.
Overall, quite impressed with dinner at Salum. The owner, Abraham, greeted us at the door and our server, Rusty was great. We also enjoyed a lovely bottle of Argentinean (or was it Peruvian?) Malbec. The menu changes once a month. If you’re in Dallas and looking for a nice dinner, it’s worth a visit for sure.
Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 dinner plates.
