Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

The birthday festivities started with a bang tonight with dinner at mom’s. Since it was my day I got to choose the menu and I wanted something different. One of my favorite meals as a kid was taco night when mom would buy flour tortillas from local restaurant, Mexican Villa, and fry them fresh at home. She’d load up the cool 1970s Frankoma Pottery Lazy Susan with all the fixin’s and we’d be ready for dinner. Unfortunately, mom decided to get rid of the Frankoma Lazy Susan so we couldn’t load it up tonight, but everything else was about the same. The taco shells were crisp and fresh, mom shredded white American cheese and we had authentic sauces from the Villa. Dessert was another fave: strawberry pretzel salad. It’s not so much of a salad as it is a tasty dessert dish. Everything was delicious and I’m thinking this just might be a good birthday meal tradition.

Thanks to mom for a great dinner and a relaxing evening together. Also, thanks to mom and Burl for my Cabo cash for October’s trip. Tomorrow’s my actual birthday so let the fun continue!

I can’t believe it, but my oldest niece, Julia, turns five today. I remember the day she was born, although probably not as well as her mother does! Ralph called me from the road to tell me they were on their way to the hospital. Nobody knew the sex of the baby and I had been hoping for a girl from day one. I still hadn’t heard from her when I had to go to a meeting so I told my client I’d have to answer my cell phone because my sister was in labor with her first child. The phone rang about halfway through the meeting and I heard Julia’s voice for the first time. I was so happy she was a girl (and healthy) that I cried. From that day on, I’ve enjoyed every minute with her.

Julia is opinionated, funny and adorable. She loves playing with her Aunt Tammy’s old Barbies and going to Chuck E. Cheez with Uncle Steve. I can’t wait to see her next week and celebrate her birthday. She’s getting a deluxe stamping set and the Hungry, Hungry Hippos game from us. Ralph said to be prepared to play it all week. I’m sure we will when we take a moment from our Barbies!

Since I’m sure everyone is tired of hearing me bitch about all our rainy weather (just as I’m tired of experiencing it), I decided not to talk about it today. Instead, let’s focus on me. Well, my birthday anyway which is Thursday. I’ll be 42. Yikes! Where did time go?

Of course, when planning my birthday the most important thing is what to wear for the different events surrounding the festivities. First I have to attend a Rotary luncheon with my mom. I’m thinking of my new white linen pants and my black and white kimono top. The outfit has a nice breezy look and the top actually gives me a waist. Plus, I can wear my hot new silver sandals which I scored on sale. Then there’s probably Happy Hour at our fave Thursday spot, Hickok’s because no birthday would be complete without an adult beverage. Since Hickok’s is very casual, I guess I’ll wear something along the lines of crop pants and a t-shirt. Perhaps I’ll mix it up with a fun tunic.

My birthday dinner is on Friday night and I have chosen local Italian restaurant, Gilardi’s which is owned by our friends and former neighbors, Nicola and Monica Gilardi. The food is outstanding and it’s a nice place to relax and celebrate. I think I’ll wear my white linen pants (again, gasp) with a very cool charcoal grey top with clear bead embellishments. This is the outfit I wore to model a couple of weeks ago and the store let me buy it for half price. It’s one of those special outfits that makes me feel tall, thin and very stylish. I think it’s the perfect outfit for celebrating a birthday.

Saturday night is not planned yet, and yes I know it’s two days post birthday, but I’m hoping for more festivities. Perhaps Steve will call friends Mary and Doug Guccione for some dinner and drinks (hear that, honey? hint, hint, hint). Mary and I are having lunch on Wednesday so maybe I’ll talk to her about it. No wonder Steve complains he can’t surprise me since I tend to plan things myself!

Good news! Steve just called and has fixed my iPod! Things were looking grim after it died on Friday. He spent all weekend trying to troubleshoot the problem with no luck. He was going to take it in today to have it fixed since it’s under warranty but decided try hooking it up to his computer at work before completely giving up. Success! That’s one bright spot in my otherwise rainy day. I’m so glad I married such a smart guy.

Dear Mother Nature,

It is with great regret that your position in management has been terminated. Your failure, of late, to manage the weather patterns is far below our standards. An overabundance of wet weather, severe storms, flooding, tornadoes and unstable temperatures have resulted in cataclysmic situations for most people living in the Midwest. We have repeatedly warned you of abusing your power, but to no avail.

Please vacate the premises immediately. There will be no severance package as the funds are being used to clean up the last round of messes you left in Iowa. Thank you for your service to the world. We wish you well on your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Everyone

When I tell you what I’m doing, I know all of you will be jealous. Ready? I’m having a garage sale. But wait, it gets better. For the first hour of the sale it rained buckets. Matter of fact, for the FOURTH time in two months, we have water in our basement. I think I’m going to Bass Pro later to buy an outboard motor for my car.

The morning actually began on a funny note as Steve greeted me with a hammer and, “You won’t believe what’s in the garage.” A raccoon had decided to get out of the rain and was hanging out behind the clothing rack on a back shelf. Poor little thing was terrified and we tried to leave him alone so he could escape. After about two hours, he finally made his way out the side of the garage. He was so cute! I named him Henry.

Once the rain was over, the sun came out because the day wouldn’t be complete without extra humidity. All I can say is that this crap had better sell because I’m about to drop kick it to the curb. To add insult to injury, now my iPod isn’t working after I tried to plug it into the dock which had apparently gotten wet. I haven’t even made enough money to pay for a new one!

I swear, this is the last (I mean it) time I’m doing this. Goodwill can have this crap in the future. I don’t need the money that badly.

Kevin Kelly recently posted his list of books that changed his life which got me to thinking about important books in my life. I’ve tried to keep these in chronological order, and have probably left out many of them, but here’s my list. If you post a list on your site, leave a comment and let me know.

Charlotte’s Web - Man, that book just tore me up. I remember I was reading it in the car when I got to the part where Charlotte died. It was the first time I remember a book making me cry. My mom asked me if I was ok and I said yes, but I was so sad.

Where The Red Fern Grows - Another weeper, but a great book nonetheless. I was reading it in bed with my sister and started crying. She made fun of me for crying over a book, but she reacted the exact same way a few years later when she read it. Of course, I didn’t make fun of her for crying. Ok, I did, but she deserved it, the little twerp.

Dune - Although I can’t really remember much of the book, or the entire series, it was the first really difficult book I ever read. I was in Junior High when I discovered the series and decided to challenge myself by reading all of them. I don’t think I’d ever have the patience to do that today.

The Stand - After my round with Science Fiction, I decided to tackle Stephen King. The Stand was the first book I read by him and remains a favorite. I think it’s his best work.

To Kill A Mockingbird - This was actually part of our HS English curriculum but I was encouraged by our teacher to read it before it was assigned. It was the most amazing book I ever read. I finished it before the assignment then read it again for class. I now re-read it almost annually. It never fails to reveal something new to me.

Jane Eyre - I just loved this book because it kept me on my toes. I wanted Jane and Mr. Rochester to get together so badly but time and time again the relationship seemed doomed. They were both so lonely but so in love. Plus, Jane needed to remove that stick up her ass. She was way too proper when she met Mr. Rochester.

In Cold Blood - My introduction to the True Crime genre and still my favorite True Crime book. It is so amazing to me that someone could kill another person. This book gave the Clutter family such a voice, but also made the killers real people. Yes, it’s a horrifying read, but a really good one.

Helter Skelter - This one took me three tries to read. I never could get past the actual killings to get on with the trial of Charles Manson. Once I actually got past the gore, it was a fascinating read. Charles Manson is completely crazy, but the really interesting part is reading about his followers. I am still fascinated by him and his “family.” I’ve read all the books by Vincent Bugliosi because he makes the legal aspect of the trials so fascinating.

One Hundred Years of Solitude - This was a toughie, but I felt like it was something I was supposed to read. I started it, put it down for about six months, then started it again. Once I got into the book, it was really good. For me it was about finishing it more than anything else.

I could go on and on about all the books that have changed my life, but these are some of my favorites. What are yours? Post a comment and let me know.

What do Springfield, MO and Iowa have in common? We’re both dealing with flooding. Yesterday, we received a record 3.88″ of rain in about 6 hours which lead to all kinds of pandemonium here in the city. Of course, we have water in our basement. As I was watching the deluge I thought perhaps I should roll up the carpets and prepare for the worst. I was all excited when nothing was happening until I saw a tiny trickle of water coming in under the stairs. Crap. That could only mean the worst was to come and I did. I finally decided I wasn’t going to stay around here watching the water so I did what I do best: I went shopping. The highlight of my day (besides the two beers I had at Happy Hour) was scoring a gorgeous black linen tunic for 75% off. It was one I’d tried on about 6 weeks ago and loved so much I almost paid full price for it.

This morning I have to model in a fashion show (why do I let myself get talked in to these things) then I’ll be coming home to work in the basement. Thankfully, Steve’s being really sweet and is going to do a bunch of wet basement work before I get home. Hope your day is sunny and dry!

I have a confession to make. I read knitting blogs. Don’t ask me why because I really don’t know. I don’t knit, have no desire to learn, yet I read knitting blogs. I guess it all started with friend Zarah’s blog, continued with Staci at Very Pink and goes on to my newest find, Wendee at Knittlesticks (who left me a comment today). I guess I’m just intrigued with all the cool things you knitters make and the fact that I don’t understand any of it! It’s like all the pieces you create happen by magic. Anyway, I’ll continue lurking and leaving a comment or two and I hope everyone does the same here. Happy Friday!

A fun tag from Zarah. If you do this, leave a comment with your link and we can see your work. Here’s what you do:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

b. Using only the first page, pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?   
2. What is your favorite food?   
3. What high school did you go to?  
4. What is your favorite color?    
5. Who is your celebrity crush?   
6. Favorite drink?  
7. Dream vacation?   
8. Favorite dessert?   
9. What you want to be when you grow up?  
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Here’s my mosaic:

!

Well, we really didn’t dine and dash, but we did get a fabulous free meal last night. It all began last week when Steve, Valerie, Kevin and I went to local upscale restaurant, Clary’s, to celebrate Steve’s birthday. The meal was less than perfect and owner James Clary wanted to make up for all the problems we’d encountered so he invited us to be his guests at his table this week. The Chef’s Table at Clary’s is a bar-type area facing the kitchen where James can chat with his guests while he prepares a meal specifically for them. We started out with some white wine and his signature appetizer, tuna nachos. They were crisp and delicious. He followed up the appetizer with a fantastic pasta course of gnocchi with goat cheese and portabella mushrooms. The gnocchi was tender and creamy and the goat cheese added just the right zip to the meatiness of the mushrooms.

Then James asked about what types of food we liked and we all agreed on fish so he started preparing a grouper dish for our next course. During the preparation he discussed the right way to sharpen knives (even demonstrating a sharp edge by shaving the hair on his arm!) and how to get a nice crust on pan-seared fish without it getting greasy. Kevin and Steve, foodies that they are, loved it, but I also found it fascinating. The fish, served with wasabi mashed potatoes and miso broth, was crisp and tender. 

Next up was a beef course. James explained different cuts of meat and why the prime cut beef is so much more expensive. It’s all in the cut, by the way. We had the beef tenderloin medallions served with a potato gratin that was delicious. I think the potatoes had goat cheese in them, but I’m not sure. All I know is that the top was really crisp and the cheese had a nice zesty flavor that enhanced the potatoes. I let Steve finish my beef since I was getting full and knew dessert was around the corner.

Clary’s is known for their dessert soufflés so we knew that’s what we’d be having. Each evening, the restaurant serves a chocolate souffle and a flavor of the day. Because we were being treated to a special meal, James prepared a souffle flavor just for us: Grand Marnier/Cherry. Unfortunately, my souffle was the only one completely done, but the flavor was terrific. We ordered decaf coffee, but James also treated us to an after dinner drink of Grand Marnier Cuvee de Centcinquantenaire I’m not one to drink much hard alcohol, especially without a mixer, but it was a nice gesture and I did enjoy the flavor (in very small sips). At the end of the meal, James thanked us for letting him cook for us and we thanked him for a great meal. We asked Austin, the host, for a bill for our alcohol and he told us James was taking care of everything. We did insist on tipping the waiter who took care of our drinks, but were floored the alcohol was included. It was a nice way for him to treat us and I know we’ll be back.

While sitting at the Chef’s Table is something we can rarely afford (it’s $100 just to have James cook for you, but it’s split among the party) I’m glad we got to experience it. James was entertaining and personable but also gave us some time alone to chat each each other. We did discover that the Chef’s Table holds some perks: we didn’t have to chat with anyone else in the restaurant, and he’ll prepare whatever kind of food you want. Next time (if we can every afford it) we’ll do Mexican which is James’ favorite kind of food to prepare.