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.
This week’s installment of Favorite Friday will include my favorite websites. Some are funny, some are useful, some are nerdy. Something for everyone.
- CNN – My homepage. Like a swallow to Capistrano, I constantly go back to it.. I hit it close to 15 times a day. In this age of information, it’s like an IV drip. I’m terrified of not having ALL THE LATEST INFOMARTION. CNN.com helps. Enables. Whatever.
- The Frisky – AWESOME. Uncensored, excellent, honest, girly website. I don’t always understand their fashion picks, but their articles range from serious to vulgar to funny. I like it.
- ITA Software – This site is my go-to for plane tickets. It’s the same database that travel agents use. You can’t book through it, but you can find the flights you want and then book through the airline’s website once you know the flight #s and/or times. You can search for weekends or do a month-long search. I just love it. It’s simple, no ads, banners, or BS.
- Facebook – I’m ashamed. So ashamed that I won’t provide a link. Besides, none of you need it. Facebook Lovers.
- Twitter – My latest vice. I don’t censor myself on Twitter. It’s a direct link to my psyche. Have fun with all that, by the way.
- People – Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You know you want to know how Jessica is doing after her breakup with Tony. I won’t tell.
- Television Without Pity – Snarky, funny and insightful site devoted to TV. I’ll admit that it was better when it was an indie site, before being swallowed by Bravo. However, it’s a fun way to catch up on shows you might have missed or don’t feel like actually watching.
- Real Simple - It’s the website for my favorite magazine. Full of excellent tips and ideas.
I will have a whole separate edition of Favorite Friday devoted to blogs. Who wants to me on my list? I’m accepting bribes…
In the spirit of Wordless Wednesday and Follow Friday (and because I’m nothing if not an idea-stealer), I bring you…….
Favorite Friday #1
It should be painfully self-explanatory. If you don’t like it, get your own blog.
Our topic for today will be TV shows.
In no particular order (except the first one):
- The West Wing – Hands-down the best show that has ever aired. It was smart, funny, quick-paced and impeccably acted. Created by Aaron Sorkin (The American President, Sports Night, Studio 60), it was on from 1999-2006 and I BAWLED MY EYES OUT when it was over. I have all 7 seasons on DVD and I watch it in bed every night. I start at the beginning and watch every episode and then start again. I’d guess I’ve probably seen most episodes no less than 15 times.
- Deadliest Catch – This show has me almost as hooked as TWW. I’m compelled by it. I watch every stupid marathon that comes on and I really really really want to go to Alaska now. And hang out in Dutch Harbor. And marry Andy Hillstrand.
- Diners, Drive-ins and Dives – Fabulous except it makes me hungry. This one is great because Guy Fieri gets to eat all the crap I would like to eat. greasy burgers and whatnot. I ate at a place in Fort Worth last weekend that was featured on DDD. Also? In that episode? MARTIN SHEEN, PEOPLE.
- Friends – It’s my go-to show. I DVR every episode that comes on so I always have something to watch. Still makes me laugh. Still want to look like Courtney Cox Arquette.
- The Big Bang Theory – This one is new to my list, but damn, it makes me laugh out loud. Nerds are funny and somebody told me last week that that show reminds them of me. I’ll take that as a compliment. Unless they mean that I’m socially awkward, which would suck. Uh oh.
- Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood – I. Can’t. Help. Myself. It’s awesome. They are adorable and very much in love. They dote on their kids and are, both individually and as a couple, hilarious. I was completely against it at first but they are just so nice. Yes, I said it.
- M*A*S*H – I prefer BJ Honeycutt over Trapper John and Charles Winchester over Frank Burns but otherwise, it’s all good all the time. Classic.
There are many other shows that I enjoy, like CSI:Miami, LOST, and How I Met Your Mother, but I don’t really have anything to say about them except that. I like them.
In the spirit of sequels, this one sucks too.
The tumors have been growing again. Dad finished his first round of chemo in late February and went back for his first follow-up scan this week. The best news we could have hoped for was that the tumors hadn’t grown again and we could check back in another 3 months. We couldn’t even catch that kind of break. All we want is to know that it hasn’t gotten worse. He will always have it. It’s never going to go away. We get that. We accept that. Living with cancer. Hell, people do THAT all the time. It’s that it keeps goddamn growing. 4 months of miserable, awful treatment bought him 3 good months. That’s bullshit.
STUPID CANCER.
Hearing the news brought back all the fear and desperation. We’re pretty much been back to normal the last 3 months. Not having to think about it very much. Now I’m back to being weepy and terrified. Part of the fear is that Dad will just say enough, no more. I’m done. It also comes from reading that the overall survival is about 10 months. 3-5 months without treatment. Then there’s the 5-year survival rate of 35%. Is he in that 35%? But, thats only 1/3! Is he lucky enough? 10 months is NOT ENOUGH. It’s already been 8 months and he feels good. How can you feel good and be dying at the same time? When does the clock start? It’s driving me FUCKING CRAZY. I’m a numbers person. Gimme numbers. I understand them. FUCK, I hate this.
The recommended treatment this time is a drug called Alimta, which was recently approved for treatment of recurrent bladder cancer. He only has to have it once every 3 weeks (instead of every week for 3 weeks) and it’s only a 10 minute infusion (instead of 5 hours). He has 9 treatments that will be supplemented with steroids and B12 shots and a bunch of other crap. The Alimta needs to be started within the next 2 weeks. Not sure yet if he’s gonna go for it. I expect he will because the side effects are known to be much less icky.
On top of the SUCK, he’s also grumpy and not communicating. My poor, sweet mom. It’s hard on her, too. He’s feeling sorry for himself and we’re feeling sorry for both ourselves AND him.
I want to push it out of my mind and not think about it but that seems selfish. I also know that I need to grieve a little every now and then. I don’t want to Pollyanna myself into oblivion and then be hit with the inevitable. My dad is going to die sooner than we’d like. It could be in 6 months, it could be 7 years. THAT’S what’s making me nuts. I feel like I need to prepare myself for it, but I don’t wanna.
I had to leave work for a few minutes just now because I wasn’t holding it together very well after talking to my mom. I can’t talk about it without sobbing and wanting to scream, so I just shut down. I can blog in the privacy of my own home, though. And it makes me feel a little better to know that people who care about me know what’s going on. (I assume you care since you’re reading this dumb thing.) It also means I can just refer anyone who asks to the site and I don’t have to keep saying the words. Maybe I should have business cards printed.
Q: “How’s your dad?/What’s wrong?”
A: “Here’s my card. thanks for asking.”
