On The Move

I despise moving. And everything about it. Packing, wrapping, organizing, cleaning, living among boxes and junk for weeks. But, I love moving on. New space, chance to organize and have everything in it's place. Right now, I am on the cusp of a move. I am also on the cusp of an anxiety attack to match it. I have known for quite some time that I would be moving yet I elected not to pack one thing or even think about it. I've been scouring Craig's List for cheap or free moving boxes. I'm trying to find that tape gun I pilfered from a job several years ago. I am thinking about how I am going to wrap all those wedding presents so they don't break. I have also enlisted CityCrab to help. He's been living in our new city for a few months now but we have developed a plan where we'll spend the holidays together....packing.

Consistency

As a blog author, I also read a lot of blogs. One of the most common subjects I find is the issue of consistency. People write about how they pledged to write for some many weeks, months, years. They write about why they take time off, what they’ve been doing, where they’ve been. There’s a lot of apologies and excuses. I am not casting stones especially since I have been a member of all categories above. I’ve been inconsistent and I find that when I write, I write a bunch. In fact, this is the last of 4 entries I am getting ready to publish. This month marks over a year for me so I made it to my 1 year goal. And, I’ll continue to write. I’ll also continue to make excuses and be inconsistent and apologize from time to time. Hopefully, you’ll continue to read.

Chanukah, Hanukah, Hanukkah

Since I received more than one question on this year, I thought I would address it. What’s the deal with the spelling of this holiday? Truth is, I have no idea. But, I have a few theories of my own. Firstly, Chanukah is a Hebrew word. The Hebrew alphabet is not a one for one for the English alphabet so really there’s no checks and balances on this one. Two Ks? Sure, why not. A “CH” versus an “H”? It’s really in how you choose to pronounce it. Secondly, I think it’s a personal preference. For example, my mother has always used the Chanukah spelling. So, that’s what I feel comfortable with. So whether you go heavy with
your pronunciation, throw in an extra K or H, we still get gifts for 8 days.

The Miracle of Chanukah

Long story short, after successfully driving the Syrians out of The Temple in Jerusalem, the Macabees wanted to clean it up for their own use. As a tribute to their victory they wanted to light the candelabra. They were only able to find a tiny a drop of oil. But, miraculously, that oil lasted for 8 nights and thus we have Chanukah. I’ve always felt that Chanukah lent itself to some mathematical miracle of its own. For example, in Jewish day schools instead of the “a bus leaves Chicago going 75mph and a bus leaves New York going 85 mph….” question do they ask “you have an 8 candle menorah and every night you light a candle for the night plus a leader candle……” Having celebrated Chanukah for 30 something years now I know that in order to fulfill the celebration you need 44 candles. Every year, I rummage through my cabinets, closets and storage bins to find juts enough candles. Sometimes they all match, other times I have some beeswax, some smooth. Always different colors. But, alas, I always find 44. And, so the miracle of Chanukah, continues.

The Miracle of Chanukah

Long story short, after successfully driving the Syrians out of The Temple in Jerusalem, the Macabees wanted to clean it up for their own use. As a tribute to their victory they wanted to light the candelabra. They were only able to find a tiny a drop of oil. But, miraculously, that oil lasted for 8 nights and thus we have Chanukah. I’ve always felt that Chanukah lent itself to some mathematical miracle of its own. For example, in Jewish day schools instead of the “a bus leaves Chicago going 75mph and a bus leaves New York going 85 mph….” question do they ask “you have an 8 candle menorah and every night you light a candle for the night plus a leader candle……” Having celebrated Chanukah for 30 something years now I know that in order to fulfill the celebration you need 44 candles. Every year, I rummage through my cabinets, closets and storage bins to find juts enough candles. Sometimes they all match, other times I have some beeswax, some smooth. Always different colors. But, alas, I always find 44. And, so the miracle of Chanukah, continues.

Stung

When you see The Police perform twice within 3 months you’ve officially been Stung. We traveled abroad in Sept and caught The Police at Twickenham Rugby Stadium (just outside London). Then the week we returned home, we found out that they would be playing in our current town of Charlotte. So, we snagged tickets and went. Good news is that CityCrab conceded that his Sting desire has been satiated for quite some time. Whew! Just when I thought we were going to have out quit our jobs and follow them around in The Police bus.

Paris

Our primary goal is Paris was to sight see and eat. I've got lots of eating notes. Sightseeing not so much.

Here's a rundown of our eating experiences:

Angelina - we had been told my many people to check this out and it happened to be right around the corner from our hotel Rue de Rivoli. Tourist trap? yes. But if you know the language, they are quite nice. I did and was able to navigate my way at the front counter completely in French. Although one morning I ended up with some kind of pear pastry that I had not intended to order. But, like the Soup Nazi, it's best to order, pay and move on. Ask no questions.


I had done extensive research on restaurants in Paris. I researched and cross referenced from all sources. CityCrab left this completely in my hands and as we rode the Eurostar to Paris, I thought I was set on where we would eat. But, we ended making some game time decisions that worked in our favor.

First night, we went to Le Severo. It was a last minute decision. We didn't make a reservation, we schlepped over the 14 arrondisement and we found a small slice of heaven waiting for us. It is located on the corner with windows lining both walls. There's maybe 10 tables inside and when we entered (around 9pm) there was one long table filled with what looked like university students, drinking, smoking, eating, laughing - living carefree Parisian life. We were met by a man in a white butcher's coat. I got the sense that he did not speak English (I was right). I pulled out my best high school French (Merci, Monsieur Betts) and proceeded to have a complete conversation with him. His name is Guillaume and he's the owner. At his recommendation, we dined on goat cheese & fresh greens, steak frites (prepared 2 ways), sauteed mushrooms and a carafe of house red wine. Delicious. I didn't even crave ketchup for the frites. Then Guillaume did something that endeared me to him. He sat down at our booth, gave me a locals restaurant book and told us where to eat. He instructed me that when I got back to the hotel, I need to ask the concierge to make a reservation at these restaurants tonight and to tell them that Guillaume sent me. I double cheek kissed him on the way.

The next night didn't start until quite late. Our second day in Paris started early and we didn't end our sightseeing portion until 7pm or so. When we got back to the hotel, we made a reservation at Chez Denise. We were scheduled to eat at Bistro Paul Bert since we had heard great things about it but decided, again last minute, not to. At about 10pm we walked into Chez Denise. It is located in Les Halles section (essentially the meat packing district of Paris). You would have thought it was 8pm. The place was packed, the tables were so close you couldn't tell where one group ended and another began. We immediately felt rejuvenated. I could also tell we were the only Americans in there. I love a good find like this. We started with foie gras. At the waiter's recommendation, I had the beef kebab (a special) and CityCrab ordered the marinated steak. When we asked for frites, he gave us "bien sur" which is French for "of course, what do you think we wouldn't serve you frites!" This was all accompanied by a couple of carafes of house red. We made conversation with the table next to us. At first in French (I love when people think we're locals) then in English when the French got too hard to understand (or I got too drunk.) Our tablemates lived in Paris but originally from Martinique. We tumbled out of there close to 12 then walked all the way home. Another great find.

Uh-oh. I've done it. I've put you to sleep with my slideshow.

Our last night, we ate at L'Absinthe. A recommendation from some friends. Located in a small square not too far from our hotel. Had much more of an American feel to it. All the waitstaff spoke English and we were seated in between Americans. Food was good. Something different from the steak frites we had had the previous 2 nights. With all that Paris has to offer, not sure I would go back. Michel Rostang, is wellknown chef(a Parisian Mario Batali of sorts) and has a couple of restaurants in Paris, each run by one of his daughters. I would likely try another one of his places next time.

London

I don't want this to become the blog equivalent of the dreaded slide show so I only going to include highlights. Same goes for Paris.

We were fortunate to have 2 of the best guides you could have: our friends who are London locals. Both born & bred. The best host is the one who is willing to partake in sightseeing in their own town. I can honestly say that while living in New York I was a bad host. I hardly ever went above 42nd Street and encouraged visitors to see the Statue of Liberty & Empire State Building and to call when they were done. I think my attitude has since changed.

Buckingham Palace - this was one of the highlights of the trip. In August & September, they open the state rooms here while the queen is summering at Balmoral. We had access to the mews (horse stables, garages for cars & carriages) and public rooms inside the palace. Very cool. Audio tour is free (a nice perk since they charge you everywhere for it in the States) and you really feel immersed in the lives of the royals family. They also have an extensive art collection throughout the residence. If you visit in late summer, I highly recommend this.

Tate Modern - We are big art fans and while I think you can get art overload especially when all the artists start to look the same and you can point out works you've seen in New York, Chicago & Florence but the Tate delivered in a very unique way. The collection here are very unique and provocative. In addition, they have a lot of interactive exhibits. They are currently undergoing a renovation a la MOMA and have clear glass panels exposing it. The Tate is housed in an old factory building along The Thames. The building itself is an exhibit. Free admission and a gift shop to rival the new one at MOMA.

Being Locals - Since we were accompanied by our friends we did a lot of local stuff. For example, we took the 11 bus throughout the city since it is one of the best ways to see everything. Why pay for the double decker when your oyster card can get you the same for only a few quid? We partook in watching rugby accompanied by ciders (first time I tried - really enjoyed it, much better than beer.) We went for a curry at Le Taj in Battersea, tea at The Berkley (a wonderful experience), they even hosted dinner at their flat serving a traditional British meal which was absolutely delicious. This really made the trip.

Eating - I would be remiss if I didn't mention at least one meal out. We ate at Eight Over Eight, an asian inspired restaurant located on Kings Road. Food was great. It's an extensive menu of small plates of all kinds of delicious concoctions. Gow Gee (like dumplings), miso cod, wagy beef (Kobe to us Americans), chili salt squid, sweet potato curry...I think we tried just about everything on the menu. Highly recommend it.

Sting

CityCrab has a man crush on Sting. Back when we were dating, he got tickets to see Sting perform at The Beacon. I am a fan of The Police. I owned their Synchronciity album. But I didn't know what I was in for. Halfway through concert, CityCrab turned to me and said, " I am completely secure with my sexuality. Sting is hot." I gulped then agreed.

Fast forward seven years and we're in London, seeing Sting, grooving along to every song. This was CityCrab's favorite moment of the trip.

All Business

About a month ago, CityCrab and I took off for a 10 day holiday to London and Paris. We planned the trip almost a year ago and hoped, at the time, that booking this far in advance would work out travel wise. We figured with 10 months notice, the flight to London would be in expensive and we'd be able to use out gajillion miles we've diligently earned over the years to upgrade to business class. We know we are not 8 hour flight, middle row in coach people. I have no problem saying publicly here that USAirways sucks . There, I said it. We both have USAirways credit cards that we opened just to earn miles thinking we'd be able to use them for all sorts of things: business class, first class on short flights with dreams of whole cans of sodas, free toiletries, ear phones and that little sleep mask. Alas, it was not to be.

CityCrab did extensive research (one of his best qualities) and found us alternate travel resources. We rolled the dice and make arrangements to fly the new all business carriers. Maxjet, Silverjet , EOS , L'avion are just a few that started in the past year or so. Because of our travel dates, we flew Maxjet to London and Silverjet back to the States. Here's the skinny:

Maxjet was a wonderful experience. They are a US-based carrier (out of DC), their seats are similar to those in Delta's first class (it's about a 160 degree decline), they have a high flight attendant to customer ratio, the galleys in the cabin are open all flight for you to help yourself to drinks, snacks and, City Crab loved this, the all night Reuben. (although for the record he never ate it. I think it was the idea that it was available whenever.) Maxjet flies into Stansted which is about 45 minutes form London. Once you land, just jump on the train or hire a car to take you into the city.

Silverjet was also a good experience however, both CityCrab and I decided we would prefer to fly Maxjet. Silverjet is UK based, flies out of Luton (only accessible via car), their seats do decline 180 degrees but the food is outrageous. Not that I fly for the food but I felt the food has this air of pretension. For example, their menu touts their chef as someone who is culinary trained, offers entrees like sea bass wrapped in banana leaf (who wants THAT on a plane) and you can see a guy walking through the cabin in a chef's uniform. I thought it was a little over the top but I just don't appreciate that level of service.

Overall good experiences, especially when stacked against USAirways. The other important detail I left out was that both of these are actually cheaper than flying business class on domestic carriers. And, both of the carriers offer deals to London. For example, upon our return I received a promotional email from both carriers offering roundtrip airfare for about $800. Now, that's a deal.

Oh Deer

We've got what I would characterize as a deer problem. Not the kind which you probably think. They don't eat our vegetables - we don't have a garden. They don't peer in our windows - they're too high. But they traipse through our yard and distract our dogs. Tonight, I took Reuben & Lulu for our daily walk around the yard after dinner to take care of business. I let them wander into the woods for 2 reasons: 1. I know they like to check out the various smells. 2. This eliminates me having to clean up after them. Selfish, I know. Well, tonight Lulu was headed back for her cookie reward while Reuben was still out there finding inspiration. As Reuben was poised to take care of business, out of the blue a deer shot past him at breakneck speed. Reuben got up on his front paws and you could see the hair raise inches off the back of his neck. Now I know Reuben is a well trained machine, so if I called him to come, he would. And, I knew that if I am desperate I can always cajole him back with the word "cookie." We trained him to be food obsessed. I called to him to come. He didn't. But he didn't run after the deer either which was my fear. Eventually, he took care of business and came back. Crisis averted.

About 45 minutes later, we were back in the house and back to our routine. I walked by the front door and noticed something on our front lawn. It was 3 deer traipsing through our front lawn like it was a nature reserve. I stopped to look, then quickly grabbed the camera. Then the 3 of us (me, Reuben and Lulu) stood peering out the front door windows and watched them go on their merry way through our front lawn. As they moved out of my sight line, I could swear I saw the last one smirk at me.

Sick as a Dog

Now I know what they mean. Lulu was sick as a dog this week. Of course, she is a dog so that makes it even more appropos. Sickness in dogs is way worse than humans. They can't tell you what hurts, they can't tell you they feel nauseaus and they can't scream "take me the doctor now." But if you look really close and pay attention they are telling you this. Wednesday night Lulu was walking all around the house all night. Usually, she sleeps. But I could her the echo of the tap, tap, tap of her nails on the floor all night long. At 3am, I got up and let her out. She promptly got sick in the front bushes. I looked at her and told her, aloud (yes- I am crazy lady with a dog), "don't worry we've all been there." Granted, mine was in high school. Thursday morning CityCrab made the call to the vet and we dropped her off. The diagnosis came around lunch: pneumonia. I was traumatized by this. Was it something I did? Something I missed? Apparently, it's a fluke the doctor said. They gave her lots of fluids and antibitoics and x-rays. And, today, she's back to her old self. Now I'm watching Reuben's every move and waiting for his symptoms to appear.

Doggie Daycare

I didn't start out as that girl. The kind of girl who carries their dog in a bag then puts him in the cart at the grocery store. Or the girl who dresses their dog in a cute dress at the dog's catered birthday party. But I guess what? I think I might be that girl. It was originally CityCrab's idea. Doggie Daycare. A chance for the dogs to socialize with other dogs. Really? I thought. The first time Reuben came back, he was tired for 2 days. I thought this was pretty great. Then came Lulu and the same thing. For 2 days, they were calm. They slept, ate, slept, ate. They also seemed to be nicer to each other. It was as though they were able to express their individuality during the day so they could appreciate each other at night. Reuben, for example, loves the pool. I often leave with pictures of him in the pool. Apparently, when he is asked to get out of the pool, he gets mad and glares. He never would have survived "adult swim" at the YMCA. Lulu, she loves to stay inside and check out all the rooms. In fact, I think she helps with the chores around Carolina Doggie Daycare. She goes into the storage room and checks for the mop. She goes into the bathroom to see that the toilet paper roll is full. She heads in to the laundry room to alert the staff that the towels are done and the washer needs to be emptied. She also greet guests on occasion. If you live in Charlotte, stop by and tell them Reuben & Lulu sent you.

The Manny

No doubt by now you've heard all about The Manny. The book ,the video, the author. As typical with things like this, it becomes a comment passed at a dinner party or an idea passed at a business meeting and before you know it, there's a book, a video, a NYTimes article , a mention in Talk of the Town. I haven't read the book although, I do plan to when it comes out in papaerback (more on this later). This concept, however, harkened me back to my own youth. As a child growing up in Connecticut, we had a slew of babysitters. Typically high school girls, whom at the time I thought were in their 30s, who would spend Saturday nights watching over me & my younger brother. We watched movies, ate Cool Ranch Doritos (my mother's attempt to assuage separation anxiety) and played stupid games. Sometimes we would do "girl things" like paint our toenails (there was the nail polish incident on my bright pink rug) or make an egg & oatmeal face mask. I know my brother abhored these moments and usually retreated to the den with the Atari joystick. Then Evan showed up. He was the high school aged son of my mother's friend. He was dark haired, handsome (in a 50s kind of way), a member of the Varsity swim team and he was not into painting nails or face masks. But, boy did he & my brother have a great time. They high-fived over a high score in Pac Man, double-overed in laughter at Goonies and Evan even managed to figure out how David's Capsela worked and got moving in the bathtub. Now, I've always thought my mother was ahead of her time. But all this recent talk about The Manny really made me think she might have been the originator of The Manny. Nice work, Mom.

Travel

I love to travel. Weekend travel is fun. But I really like the 7-10 day trip to another country. CityCrab and I always plan 1 international trip a year. Last year it was Manchester, UK for a friend's wedding and Italy (Florence, Bellagio & Milan). This year it is London (to see same friend) and Paris. We're leaving early Sept for 11 days. This weekend starts the planning. In all honesty, it should have alreay been happening but we've got lots going on. So, it starts with a trip to the bookstore for travel books, a visit to the library for a French-English CD (to brush up - I actually speak French fairly well) and a search for the 2007 trip folder where I've been collecting articles all year long. We prefer the insider's approach. The last thing I want to do in any foreign country is eat at a McDonald's or the TGIFriday's Times Sqaure equivalent. I like to discover off the beaten path. Go where the locals go. So, if you've got ideas, tips or city favorites, please send them along.

Sunday Styles

Every Sunday I reserve an hour to entrench myself in The New York Times, Sunday Edition. I'm a creature of habit: front page first, then the obituaturies (i know but I am convinced that someday knowledge I gleen from her will win me a million dollars), then I glance at the front page of each subsequent section for anything interesting that I want to come back. Then it's off to the meat of the Sunday Times experience: The Styles Section This I read cover to cover starting on page 1. I read the article, go to it's correpsonding page then anchor back to the first page. Now I think about it, I read the printed piece like I would the webpage. Turning pages instead of clicking. Of course, the best part is the Weddings & Celebrations section. As a self proclaimed W&C expert (I've been reading since I was in high school), I could blog about this for pages & pages. But I will only comment on one item today. I have noticed that over time, the ages of the newlyweds have grown. Of course, there are a fair amount of kids in their 20s but there are increasingly those into their upper 30s and 50s. For some reason, the 40s seem to allude love. As someone on the other side of 30, this is comforting. It's nice to know that people can still find love at any age. And, that The Times is out there to advertise it.

Bookstore Excursion

Yesterday was the perfect day to hit the bookstore. The weather was gloomy and I was craving some new reads. I am in the middle of a book but know that it will soon be finished and I'll need to move on. So, I set out for the bookstore. Borders is my destination of choice. In New York, I was a loyal Barnes & Noble shopper (disclosure: CityCrab used to work there and the 30% discount didn't hurt) however, since moving to Charlotte and discovering Borders, I'm a convert. As a marketer, I think Borders has got it down: weekly coupons, a free loyalty program where you earn dollars, clear and concise email communications and, one of my favorite aspects: buy 2, get the third free. So, I scour the weekly email for 3 reads I want. Often, I end up compromising on a third read just to get the discount (I know, a marketer's dream!) My current book is the third from my last excursion so I needed to stock up on 3 more. When I got the Borders yesterday, I ran straight to the "Buy 2" only to find out that they have swithced the promotion to Buy 3, get the 4th free. Admittedly, smart. But as a consumer I was perplexed but only for a second. I am an avid reader and have always felt that any money spent on a book is a good investment. So, I indulged in 4. Here's my new reading list:

Suite Francaise , by Irene Nemirovsky- this is an amazing story of a novelist who died in the Holocaust but this novel had remained hidden for years until it was discovered by her family not too long ago. Also, I am headed to Paris in the Fall and always like to read topical books.

Swapping Lives by Jane Green - everyone needs a little chicklit in their life and Jane Green happens to excel in this area. This is about 2 women (one a Londoner, the other a Connecticut surburbanite) who trade lives. I am also headed to London in the Fall.

The Namesake by Jhumpha Lahiri - I've wanted to read this for ahwile and have decided to put off seeing the move until I do so. About an Indian-American boy who despises his name. I got this from a movie review - I am sure there's more to it and you can expect that I will blog about it.

Otherwise Known as Sheila The Great by Judy Blume - an odd choice, no? Firstly, this is one of my all time favorite books by one of my all time favorite writers. I'm pretty sure Judy Blume hooked me and reading and writing. I bought this for my 10 year old niece. It seems to me that children today are not exposed to the classics of my youth: Ramona Quimby, There's a Bat in Bunk Five (Paula Danziger), Judy Blume. So, I am doing my part to bring these back.


Right now I am in the middle of Intuition by Allegra Goodman. It is science focused which is really out of my realm but I am doing my best to tap into my inner science geek and am enjoying it. I'm inspired, though, by the list of books I've got waiting for me.

Also, if you've got a Borders in your area, sign up for their club, Border Rewards. Now, I've done my part as a marketer.

The Occasional Knitter

I love knitting. I'm not very good at it but I love it. There's something exciting about being a quarter of the way through a project and see that it is coming together. I consider myself occasional because I don't do it often. I'll go in spurts. But the truth is, I have lots of yarn, lots of needles, lots of patterns and lots of ideas. Not a lot of time. Since it is Independence Day today and I have the day off, I am going to try to knit my day away. Right now, I am working on a felted laptop case. I should be motivated to finish it since my laptop has been banging around in my shoulder bag for over a year. Hopefully, I'll be posting the picture here soon. Oh, and, Happy Birthday America!

In the Jungle

The last 4 days we have had torrential rain accompanied by thunder & lightning. I tend to romanticize these storms. It's cool to watch the lightning strike and hear the rain patter against windows but when it's time to take the dogs out or we lose electricity, my heart deflates. Last night, we had one of these storms. When it started to get dark I quickly fed the dogs in an effort to get them out before the downpour. Well, alas, I did not make it. Just as I was about to take them out, the downpour started and our mission was aborted. The lights flickered and we lost electricity for 3 minutes. About an hour later, the storm has passed and we ventured outside for our nightly mission. By Charlotte standards, we've got a pretty big yard (just under 1 acre) and are bordered by woods where we typically see deer, owls, frogs and eagles. Well, last night, there was a symphony playing in our backyard. Imagine an orchestra pit populated with a frog section, owls squealing, deer rustling through leaves and crashing branches rounded out with lighting effects from fireflies. I felt as though I was truly plopped down in the middle of the "big" scene in Bambi. Here I go romanticizing again.....

The Farmer's Market

I'm trying to incorporate The Farmer's Market into my weekly routine. The variety of fruits & vegetables are remarkable, the flowers are the cheapest you can get in Charlotte (even though, in my opinion, they are still overpriced) and it support local farmers. When I lived in New York, I would visit The Union Square Greenmarket occasionally on the weekends. However, it had a very elitest feel to it. The fruits & vegetables were expensive and almost too exotic. I often felt pressured into buying something I had no idea what to do with because the girl from upstate with hairy armpits was so damn cool. In Charlotte, The Farmer's Market carries staples and has one vendor that carries Asian produce. Not exotic stuff, the kind of stuff I need to make basil chicken or cilantro for 99 cents a bunch. My favorite vendor is Kenny. Kenny is the kind of guy who will open a package of onions because you only need one (like he did for my friend Allison a few weeks ago.) He also the kind of guy who will tell you that a yellow tomato has no acid. In fact, he compared to a flat Coke. Plus, he has got the best tomatoes and cucumbers. This week I picked up some cucumbers that looked only OK from my cilantro vendor. When I moved on to Kenny's booth and I made myself promise to always buy my cukes from him - they are the best. The other thing I like about the market is the variety of people. I often wait in line to buy Thai Basil with what looks like a United Nations meeting. I've challenged myself to one day ask someone what they make with their cubano peppers. The Farmer's Market here has so much more to offer than just produce. And I always walk away with shoulder bag full of produce for $10. As my father likes to say, You can't beat it with a stick.

Rob & Big

Rob & Big , an MTV show, is a gulity pleasure. Citycrab found it first and talked about it incessantly. I finally sat down and watched it. Now, I'm obsessed. Why? Because Rob & Big is really a story about 2 best friends. They just happen to be mismatched. Another reason? Meaty. Meaty is their white English bulldog and our bulldog, Reuben (see photo), could be his brother. In fact, I wonder if they, perchance, got Meaty from a breeder in South Carolina. Highly unlikely but you never know. Rob & Big do some crazy things. But we continue to tune in to see their antics and ogle over Meaty.

Billions of Words

I am an avid reader. Books, magazines, online content, backs of cereal boxes. You name it, I read it. Citycrab always makes fun of me because I can be just about anywhere and find something to read. Last Fall, we traveled to the UK and Italy and I brought a boatload of books. In fact, the security guard at Doncaster airport made of me. I never really did care for British humour. I was so enthralled with my books that I would purposely shower before Citycrab, let my hair air dry (I'm on vacation, dammit) and hunker down with the book until it was time to go to dinner. I also started to shed excess weight, in books that is. When I finished a book, I would cast it aside either on the train, plane or for the maid. Here's 5 euros and The Devil Wears Prada. Admittedly, not a great tip in the US but abroad they love that stuff, I had myself convinced.

In my lifetime, I have calculated that I have read millions of words. Not any kind of exact calculation (I'm not a math person) but what I imagine is millions of words. Actually, can I revise my estimation? I'm going to move it to billions. Billions of words. Wow. As part of my new blog (and to keep myself current), I am going to add a book section. Below is a list of recent reads and my comments. I like to include both good and bad choices. Makes for good dialogue.

The Girls - Lori Lansens
Remarkable story about conjoined twins. Each girl writes her own story. I completely forgot they were joined.

Snowflower & The Fan - Lisa See
Story that transports you. A little confusing in parts but a truly touching story about female relationships.

Debutante Divorcee - Plum Sykes
Sometimes in life you need something a little mind numbing. This is the equivalent of clicking your TV remote and landing on Rob & Big or a rerun of Miami Vice. All that having been said, enjoyed it.

More to come as I firm up my summer reading list.

Slacker

I'm a slacker. I'm coming to you with my tail between my legs. I have done myself and you a disservice. I haven't blogged in 6 months. I'd like to tell you that I've been off solving world peace, checking off my list from "1,000 things to see before you die" or writing my Pulitzer Prize winning novel....but the truth is, I've been doing nothing. Well, not nothing. I've been working my day job and trying to turn my hobby into a business, lost weight, gained it back, traveled, adopted a dog, thought about blogging, wrote the entries in my head and never bothered to write them down. A true slacker. But, I believe everyone deserves a second chance. A third and fourth one, too. So, I am going to redeem myself and commit to this blog. Really commit to it. And renew my comittment to you. Hey, who doesn't love a commitment ceremony followed by a little cake. Cake, anyone?