A Christmas Carol

I'm so stoked for this movie!  Too early for the holidays?  Yes, I'm even writing a rant about such nonsense, but this movie trailer is to good!

Official start of the holiday season?

Last week I was browsing the Halloween candy at Target and I came across a small section of CHRISTMAS merchandise...decorations to be exact.  CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS in SEPTEMBER!?  WHAT!?  I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas, it's such a magical time of year BUT come on people, Christmas merchandise in September? It makes no sense.  Whatever happened to the days when the stores would magically transform into a winter wonderland the day after Thanksgiving? As a kid, it was such a beautiful feeling to visit the Amsterdam Mall (yes we HAD a mall) and see all the Christmas decor just "magically" appear.  Now? They start stocking the shelves as soon as they sell the Halloween stuff off. It's a travesty. At least wait until November! So when does the holiday season start for you? 

For me it used to be when the stores started selling Christmas stuff, now that must change, I'll wait for the red holiday cups from Starbucks.  Should be any day now!

Back from mental vacation

Well I've been back from Vegas over a week and my mind has finally returned from vacation. Coming back from vacation always sucks; laundry, empty fridge, no money, jet-lag, work...luckily my mind has recovered and my somewhat daily posts to this fancy blog shall resume.  Some highlights from the Vegas trip:

-The weather: Perfect! High 90's and not a cloud in the sky for 5 whole days.

-THEhotel: Great resort, loved our two room suite, loved the pool area and great service!

-Food: We had some great meals.  I'm working on some reviews for Trip Advisor, I'll share when I am done.

-Well stocked bar: Thanks to the grocery delivery service out mini bar was fully stocked.

-Bathtub: Love a nice bathtub...and bubbles only make it better.

-Derek: Such a great vacation companion...precious in every way.

-Slingo slots: Great fun and I won some $$$

Some low lights:

-KA: Lousy Cirque show, I don't think Cirque is for me.

-Rednecks and trash: Vegas is full of them, nothing says "welcome to Vegas" like the f-word.

Well stay tuned for more of Derek and I's Vegas Adventure Part 2!  Peace Possums!

My wish list for tonight...

-A bottle of red.

-Fuzzy blanket.

-Braised short ribs and mashed potatoes.

-Cuddles.

-A Christmas movie.

Piper Sonoma - A Fruity Budget Choice

Intense and overwhelming fruitiness with a sweet finish. Not for me.

Purdy's Price: 12.99

Star Rating (out of 5): **

Words and Bubbles

I love me some bubbly, I love me some wine...I would love to review such things but I can never find enough words to describe such a thing. Starting soon I'm going to introduce a new line of blogs aptly titled...

A flute full of words...bubbly reviews in a few words or less.  Sound fun? Yes. Useful? No. Tasty? We'll see. Simple? Very.

Shoot...red wine doesn't go in flutes...I guess thats what variations are for.

Some times life isn't so bad!

It's the simple things!

Long Weekend = Long Week

I love a nice holiday weekend but it always makes the following week a bit hellish, it's almost like we have to cram the 5 days of work into 4.  I'm not complaining, I'm just saying.  These past few days I feel a bit jet lagged and I haven't even travelled.

Speaking of which, Vegas super soon.  Pool, drinks, sun, roulette, food and preciousness.  

Back to the weekend...I had such a grand one, I'm feeling a bit autumnish so I baked some pumpkin pie, roasted a chicken, made brownies and drank bubbly.  I also spent some amazing moments with some amazing people, we took on Lark Street and were victorious.  Can't wait to do it again.  We also took on Circus Cafe, however we didn't win that battle, it was all downhill when we were approached to take part in a foursome!  I also spent one last day at the track, good times, even though our horse came in dead last.  I think it's still runnning.  The track season is over, happy to see it go, fall is here and winter is around the corner...blah...well my sauce is bubbling over, I must go!  Peace Possums!

Signature Dish

I was catching up with Top Chef and you always hear "signature dish", I always ask myself, what would be mine? For last night's dinner (FND instead of SND), I made roasted chicken w/ cheddar mashed potatoes and green beans, basic but delicious (no pictures, I was too hungry).  This might rank as my top go-to dish, it's perfect for company and pretty darn easy, just stuff the chicken, season and bake. Perhaps I should get a group of friends together and do some taste tests.

I went to Border's to buy a new cookbook, I didn't see anything that interested me.  That is a first, I always find something. When I got home I pulled out The Complete Robuchon cookbook.  It's currently marked with several post-it's.  I have a feeling this year will bring a slew of "French home cooking for the way we live now".  Well it's a nice long weekend and I have some relaxing to do.  Talk to you all next week, have a safe and declious Labor Day!

Don't be...

...tardy for the party...

Gotta love the housewives of ATL...especially Kim...not going to lie, I can see myself grooving to this song (after a couple shots of vodka).  Listen and enjoy!

Whitney Houston

I just have to write a little ditty about the one and thankfully only Whitney Houston.  Everyone is abuzz about her "comeback", well if this is a comeback, I would have to rank it as one of the worst ever.  Her album is mediocre, nothing notable or memorable and her "comeback" performance on GMA was just terrible.  Check it out on youtube.com.  Please note that her performance is 80% back-up singers, 20% Whitney.  She is not ready for this, her voice isn't ready, and based on her banter in between songs, she doesn't seem mentally prepared.  She was once the voice, now she is a raspy out of tune "singer". 

A voice is like an instrument, you need to rest it, train it and preserve it.  Can she still sing?  Perhaps, but she needs to take the time to get her voice back in shape.  Was it just a bad performance?  Perhaps...all eyes are on Whitney for a true comeback, maybe she should book the Today Show for 2010 and give it another try.  I like a good comeback so I'm upset this didn't live up to my expectations.  Heck, it could be worse, she could have lipsynched and lathargically moved about stage like Britney Spears.

Photo: ABC TV

Rich and Julia

I need a Julie and Julia moment...

...I'm so mad at Julie for coming up with the idea of cooking through Julia Child's book before I did.  That would be perfect for me.  Now if I do anything remotely like it, no will care and I won't get to write a book that they turn into a moving starring Meryl Streep.  What to do and what would I cook from...Rachel Ray?  Too easy...  Ina Garten?  Her books aren't large enough for a years worth of material.  Martha Stewart?  Her recipes NEVER turn out right...

There really isn't anything as iconic as Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking...what to do...I need a distraction from this life and something to focus some positive energy on.  It seems that my positive vibes aren't cutting it in the workplace.  Stay tuned for what's next...suggestions are welcomed.  Peace possums!

This is too good not to post...FLASHBACK

Tablescaped Luncheons

Nothing beats a tablescaped luncheon.

-Risotto

-Sauteed Mushrooms

-Green Beans

-Great People

The days are getting shorter...

...and the weeks are getting longer.  My gosh, its only Tuesday and it feels like it should be Thursday.  I don't know what is going on lately but it seems like the work week is getting longer and longer, regardless of how many days are in it.  There is no motive for writing this blog and it will be complete randomness, I guess I just need a few moments to let some stuff out.  Buckle up!

I walked downtown this evening, headed to Border's hoping to purchase the movie "Mask" (the Cher one of course), sadly they didn't have it.  In fact the only Cher movie they had was Moonstruck, so sad.  If I really want to watch Mask, I'll have to dig out my VHS tape. Some good news...no one called me names.

Vegas is in 2 weeks, it is currently 100 degrees.  I'm so stoked for some sun and pool time.  The weather in Upstate was lackluster and Fall is here.  I love this time of year but I also love pool days, and I didn't get enough.

Speaking of fall, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back...I ordered one today and I also made one at home, my recipe is better (and cheaper).  If you are interested in my PSl recipe, surf back a year and find it (hehe).

Some people think they know everything, to the point where they wear permanent blinders, they only see what they think they know and nothing else.  People like that annoy me.  Listen, someone else may have a better idea.  Proof of that will come soon enough.

Some people are not very nice, someday they will realize that their "un-niceness" cost them the best thing in their life.  

Some people are amazing, gold claps to them.

Some blogs should end...especially this one...later possums.