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?