The Fair
Costa Rica
The Kids
Friday, August 27, 2010
A visual state of mind....
I haven't felt like writing much lately. I go through waves of expressing myself through words, and then through pictures. Right now I'm more into photos. See below for some of my favorite recent pictures and some oldies but goodies.
The Fair
Costa Rica
The Kids
The Fair
Costa Rica
The Kids
Friday, August 13, 2010
Little Bee: A book review of sorts
Last weekend I grabbed a new book as I was headed to the pool (a local apartment complex pool I crash at, don’t judge me). I bought this book a while ago but didn’t start it right away. The pool seemed like the perfect opportunity to begin.
After a trip to the book store, I’m always hesitant to start a new book. There is so much pressure for the book to live up to my expectations. I want it to be good. On the contrary, if the book is as good as I expect, I will have to say goodbye to my daily responsibilities. I will devote every minute, dream, thought and waking moment either diving deeper into the book or lost in my own thoughts about the world the author has designed.
Little Bee did live up to my expectations. My house is evidence to this fact, a tower of dishes so high they teeter on disaster, tumbleweeds of animal fur gathering in the corners, shoes strewn about, the grumbling stomachs of hungry pets and husband, and most noticeable, a butt shaped impression in the corner of the couch.
A reviewer on amazon captured the story better than I could: "Little Bee is a 16-year old refugee from Nigeria who is always looking for a suicidal option for "when the men come". Her character provides a unique and captivating narrative; by page three I cared about her, by page nine I knew she had terrible story to tell me and I dreaded it.”
It was a great book that I enjoyed reading. I was rooting for Little Bee, almost audible telling her to be brave and bold. I was disappointed with Sara’s character, but that may have been by design. While she proves she has a good heart, there are times she is painted as self-involved and immature. I was willing her to do the right thing, even though I wasn’t sure if she did, it would be believable.
As with all engaging books, once they are over I continue to analyze the characters, their story, and the relationship (if any) with my own life.
If you enjoy being enthralled in a story as much as I do, I recommended escaping into this story.
P.S. Somewhere I read that this book was marketed as a comedy with a horrific tragedy. I would strongly disagree, this was not a comedy. It makes me wonder if the marketing team even read the book.
After a trip to the book store, I’m always hesitant to start a new book. There is so much pressure for the book to live up to my expectations. I want it to be good. On the contrary, if the book is as good as I expect, I will have to say goodbye to my daily responsibilities. I will devote every minute, dream, thought and waking moment either diving deeper into the book or lost in my own thoughts about the world the author has designed.
Little Bee did live up to my expectations. My house is evidence to this fact, a tower of dishes so high they teeter on disaster, tumbleweeds of animal fur gathering in the corners, shoes strewn about, the grumbling stomachs of hungry pets and husband, and most noticeable, a butt shaped impression in the corner of the couch.
A reviewer on amazon captured the story better than I could: "Little Bee is a 16-year old refugee from Nigeria who is always looking for a suicidal option for "when the men come". Her character provides a unique and captivating narrative; by page three I cared about her, by page nine I knew she had terrible story to tell me and I dreaded it.”
It was a great book that I enjoyed reading. I was rooting for Little Bee, almost audible telling her to be brave and bold. I was disappointed with Sara’s character, but that may have been by design. While she proves she has a good heart, there are times she is painted as self-involved and immature. I was willing her to do the right thing, even though I wasn’t sure if she did, it would be believable.
As with all engaging books, once they are over I continue to analyze the characters, their story, and the relationship (if any) with my own life.
If you enjoy being enthralled in a story as much as I do, I recommended escaping into this story.
P.S. Somewhere I read that this book was marketed as a comedy with a horrific tragedy. I would strongly disagree, this was not a comedy. It makes me wonder if the marketing team even read the book.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The State Fair
Its that time of year. The time of year when the sun is so hot, everything concrete and steel sizzles. The time of year when the humidity is like a wet blanket that is glued to your skin and amplifies body odor. The time of year when you wear a thin layer of sweat that hurricane-force winds can't dry up.
What better to do during this time of year than embrace it. Where better to embrace it than at the FAIR. At the fair, everything is HOT, everyone is SWEATY, and everyone STINKS.
As my three loyal readers know, Biscuit and I have a love affair with the fair (read the 2008 posts here and here). We go every year (with only one lapse due to budgetary constraints). For that one day in early August each year, we tease the grim reaper on questionable rides, with heart-attack inducing fried food, and with hyperventilating laughter.
Our risky behavior is contagious. This year, our duo turned into a caravan. Husband, Momma T and Monkers joined the fair celebration.
We ate!
We rode rides.
We laughed, perspired and we were tuckered out. It is something that we can only do once a year!
What better to do during this time of year than embrace it. Where better to embrace it than at the FAIR. At the fair, everything is HOT, everyone is SWEATY, and everyone STINKS.
As my three loyal readers know, Biscuit and I have a love affair with the fair (read the 2008 posts here and here). We go every year (with only one lapse due to budgetary constraints). For that one day in early August each year, we tease the grim reaper on questionable rides, with heart-attack inducing fried food, and with hyperventilating laughter.
Our risky behavior is contagious. This year, our duo turned into a caravan. Husband, Momma T and Monkers joined the fair celebration.
We ate!
- Corn on the cob (have to make sure they dip the entire ear in the VAT of butter before you eat it)
- Fried buckeyes (the candy, not the nut)
- Smoked Turkey Leg (the overall favorite)
- Fried Pickles
- Fried Cheese
- French Fries
- Lemonade/Gatorade/Water
We rode rides.
- Momma T did not like the ride that spins you in a circle so fast that centripetal force pastes you to your seat
- I should NOT try to take pictures during the ride! Broke the camera slightly....but fixed it when safely on the ground.
- Husbands' stomach is stronger than I thought.
We laughed, perspired and we were tuckered out. It is something that we can only do once a year!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Burt is a tease
Our peach tree, Burt, has been so laden with fruit that the branches are working hard just to stay off the ground. Just walking into the back yard, we have a curtain of branches we have to navigate through. The orange fruit screams to be picked. I think it says something like this: “Look at how bright and juicy I am. I am so full of flavor, even the branches can’t hold me up. YUMMMM. If you don’t pick me soon, the critters will get me and you will have waited to long. PICK ME NOW!”
What a tease.
I could no longer ignore the Burt’s taunting, so Tuesday was HARVEST DAY. We only picked about half the fruit, hoping it would lessen the load on the young branches. No success, the branches still hang heavy with abundant fruit. We are trying to let as much of it ripen on the tree without losing the fruit to the critters. I think a dinner bell rings when they hit peak ripeness. We’ve lost an entire harvest to the critters before.
So now, how to take advantage of all those peaches? First, sangria with fresh Peaches on the back patio with Linda while the pups play. Second, a peach cobbler to celebrate Momma T’s birthday. I found a great recipe that calls for crystallized ginger – yum. Hopefully I can do Burt’s peaches proud and honor Momma T by baking something delicious.
What about all the rest? We’ll eat them for snacks, give them as gifts, and they’ll be gone before we know it (kinda like summer itself).
What a tease.
I could no longer ignore the Burt’s taunting, so Tuesday was HARVEST DAY. We only picked about half the fruit, hoping it would lessen the load on the young branches. No success, the branches still hang heavy with abundant fruit. We are trying to let as much of it ripen on the tree without losing the fruit to the critters. I think a dinner bell rings when they hit peak ripeness. We’ve lost an entire harvest to the critters before.
So now, how to take advantage of all those peaches? First, sangria with fresh Peaches on the back patio with Linda while the pups play. Second, a peach cobbler to celebrate Momma T’s birthday. I found a great recipe that calls for crystallized ginger – yum. Hopefully I can do Burt’s peaches proud and honor Momma T by baking something delicious.
What about all the rest? We’ll eat them for snacks, give them as gifts, and they’ll be gone before we know it (kinda like summer itself).
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Sammy's Never-Ending Search
Just recently I bought matching ID tags for the Dog and the Cat. These are very durable metal tags with their names and our phone number engraved on the back.
Just Monday I received the new tags in the mail. I immediately went to work, attaching them to the kids’ collars. The next day that I arrived home to find Sammy in a heightened state of alertness. I walk into the living room and she is intensely searching every nearby surface for something. Husband is watching the scene with amusement.
It just so happens that around 6:00 PM the sunlight streams in through the living room window. As Sammy walks through the stream of sunlight, the light reflects off her new ID tag. The reflection inevitably lands just in her peripheral vision. Surprised by this flash of light, she jumps quickly to get a better look. With her sudden movements, the reflection jumps or disappears. We were entertained enough to take the following video.
We soon tired of her relentless attempts and moved on. Even after the sun set, she waited patiently for the light to return, providing her with another opportunity to “GET IT”.
Sure enough Husband called me at 5:45 yesterday to tell me it is now a daily event. She is again positioned near the window, chasing the elusive reflection.
Just Monday I received the new tags in the mail. I immediately went to work, attaching them to the kids’ collars. The next day that I arrived home to find Sammy in a heightened state of alertness. I walk into the living room and she is intensely searching every nearby surface for something. Husband is watching the scene with amusement.
It just so happens that around 6:00 PM the sunlight streams in through the living room window. As Sammy walks through the stream of sunlight, the light reflects off her new ID tag. The reflection inevitably lands just in her peripheral vision. Surprised by this flash of light, she jumps quickly to get a better look. With her sudden movements, the reflection jumps or disappears. We were entertained enough to take the following video.
We soon tired of her relentless attempts and moved on. Even after the sun set, she waited patiently for the light to return, providing her with another opportunity to “GET IT”.
Sure enough Husband called me at 5:45 yesterday to tell me it is now a daily event. She is again positioned near the window, chasing the elusive reflection.
Monday, July 12, 2010
DVR tonight
Be sure to record No Reservations tonight as Anthony Bourdain visits C-bus and the restaurant I write about here.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Fourth Annual 4th
Last weekend the Husband and I hosted our fourth annual Fourth of July cookout. I think it was un-officially the biggest event yet.
Every year we set the stage as relaxed atmosphere with an open invitation to come when/if you feel like it. While I like the relaxed attitude, it makes it impossible to plan. We ran out of everything, bugers, dogs, lemonade, Sangria and even PROPANE for the grill (where were you Hank Hill?). I have no idea how many people showed up, but I would guess that throughout the day, we had anywhere from 50 to 75 people.
It has taken us (me) four years of throwing this party to learn not to take it all on myself. I’ll just go crazy from the stress and break the bank while doing it. It takes a community to throw a party that big. I hope that everyone had fun and would like to throw a shout out to my community that helped us keep the tradition alive:
Thanks to the following:
I’ll leave you with the Sangria recipe, which was the only thing I could claim as making for the party.
White Peach Sangria
1 bottle white wine (dry Riesling)
4 peaches quartered
1 cup Grand Marnier (I used Triple Sec because I’m cheap)
1 can ginger ale
Mix the first three ingredients together 2-3 hours before serving and refrigerate. Add the ginger ale right before serving.*
*Fourth of July recipe modification per Biscuit – when the sangria is gone, but peaches are left, cover with vodka and hand over your keys.
- Both my BIL’s (Brother In Laws)
- One BIL for providing the awesome tunes. You can check his record collection and DJ stylings here at Queen City Crates.
- The other BIL for always managing the grill. The Husband tends to be too social to suffer the task of paying attention to the cooking. But we can always count on my BIL to be the master of the grill.
- Biscuit for helping me all weekend long AND bringing the liquor, you kept the party going girl.
- Monkers for ALWAYS being there to help keep things flowing and organized while I run around helpless and hopeless. I am not a hostess by nature, she is.
- Momma T and Padre for showing up. What a great surprise! And Momma T even tried her hand at spinning 45s.
- EVERYONE that brought food. It was all so delicious. Special shout out to my SIL’s mac and cheese- yum.
- The neighbor for NOT calling the cops this year when our fireworks show was underway.
- Cory and Zach for supplying The BAC (Big Ass Canopy), Corn hole boards, and all the extras we forget.
1 bottle white wine (dry Riesling)
4 peaches quartered
1 cup Grand Marnier (I used Triple Sec because I’m cheap)
1 can ginger ale
Mix the first three ingredients together 2-3 hours before serving and refrigerate. Add the ginger ale right before serving.*
*Fourth of July recipe modification per Biscuit – when the sangria is gone, but peaches are left, cover with vodka and hand over your keys.
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