Everything sounds better in French. Mais oui, it’s official. Lobsters. Champagne. Cristal Saint-Louis, 1586. Merci mes chers amis. Ocean House, allons-y.
Hair Say
Whose hair you’d rather? Travolta, Aniston, Bieber, Ghadfi? Salander?
UK Telegraph agrees that Noomi Rapace was robbed. She should win the Oscar for her portrayal of Lisbeth, TatooGirl. My favorite actor performance besides the obvious Colin Firth was Justin Timberlake’s in The Social Network. Speaking of the Oscars, check it out. MazeHome will participate in the swag bags. Kelsey’s ex un-real housewife of Beverly Hills, Camille Grammer will be covering the red carpet for CNN. Plastic pathological people of the world unite. Great.
ReciPie
OK, finally made Anne’s Spinach Pie. Hers is the classic “Spanakopita”. Italian DNA cannot help itself, so, to Anne’s great Greek basic- see RecipeDetours- I put my own twist. With 4 oz. crumbled Feta cheese, I added about 5 tbs. ricotta, part skim; substituted basil and garlic powder for dill weed. Anne suggested scoring the dough on top, which I did with success. The baby spinach worked well, most important thing is never to use frozen spinach. Dr.Husband approved. Spanakopita, Ciao!~
If you can’t get to Winnetka, Illinois to browse around Maze Home, the store with a unique palate of gifts and home furnishings, now you can shop online at mazehome.com. Recently featured in Martha Stewart’s Living February issue.
SnoWarren
Year of the Rabbit. Livin’ it. Happy Chinese New Year! And Thailand, too. Got dug out too late to make pie. Who was first on line at 3am for new Verizon i-Phone? That’s online. Classes today, don’t forget.
Poor Anderson got clocked. Journalists being rounded up. Scary. How long before Glenn Beck confabulates that Mubarak and Barack are secret half-brothers plotting to take over the world? Jordanian King should shed his Eaglebrook, Deerfield roots and get with his peeps before it’s too late there. Gonna be a bumpy ride.
Purple Haze
Purple over the whole map. Purple is not good. 18″+ in the next 2 days.
Will bunker down with Diderot and Voltaire. Napoleon meets Candide.
Il faut cultiver nos jardins. If we can find them under the drifts.
Huntsman leaving China, running for Prez? Huh? I know Jon’s Dad and have met Jr. several times in Salt Lake and Park City. They hosted a send-off dinner for me at their monster ski home. I was one of original financiers of Huntsman Chemical Corporation. Don’t ask, lots of bad stuff. But, Jon Jr.? He makes Romney look like a Mormon heathen. Jon’s grandfather was an “Apostle” in the LDS. He was introduced to us bankers as ‘the chosen one’. Oy vey. How will he play in Peoria?
Dr.Husband off to save the children. If any show up. At least babies won’t be wrapped in terrible towels. Schools closed again, they’ll be going in August.
Kranky Kristmas 3 – OrnaMental
First things, first. Happy Something-Zero to Anne, dearest friend for 35 years!
When we last left you, Ben was cluelessly chatting with Pete Hamill in the Village, while Dr.Husband was being attacked by the evil tree that poked his eye out and ruined the house. Eye and house restored. Tree tossed in woods in broken stand. GodsonJame got holy water at St.Cecilia’s Mass with Grandma. Sprinkled on evil tree to exorcise demons. Dr.Husband shook head, no, still bad. WalMart. Plastic. No water. No needles. Dr.Husband happy, singing Hallelujah chorus. His wish came true after all these years. Sorry, Ben.
Kranky Kristmas 2 – TannenBomb
And so it begins. Saturday. Picked out, paid for a very big tree. Son Ben wants a big tree. Dr. Husband hates Kristmas Trees. Really hates big trees. More with every passing year. This year especially, since Ben taking exams at NYU. Not here to help. Bad.
Sunday. Dr. Husband gets home late after picking up tree and tying on top of car. Bad. Not happy. Long weekend of hospital rounding. Lots of ‘Jesus’ and ‘Maria’ Christmas babies born a week early. Very tired. Very bad.
Puts big wide-trunk tree in stand. Watered. Good. Okay. Comes downstairs to finally relax in hot tub. Good. Oh no. Tree tilts. Goes down. Pokes Dr. Husband in the eye. Hurts. Bad. Big mess. Boehner-esque melt-down. “Tree is evil. Christians’ revenge. Wrecking our house. Water all over the floor. Needles everywhere.” Very very bad. Poor Dr. Husband.
Cleans up mess. Tosses tree and broken stand out the door. Sad.
Kranky Kristmas
Holly, jolly. Not so much this year. Everyone seems to be in a kranky mood. It’s not unusual for the holidays, stress abounds. Uncertain economy, lousy job market, transitioning college kids, major moves, aging parents, aging us. Makes this season scroogier than usual. Don’t even put on the news. Adults in short supply, Congress still scrapping in its sandbox.
Prospect of Jake’s first Christmas with cuzins brightens the spirit. Singing at OldBaldGuy’s piano with an egg nog will add more needed cheer. For all its faults, family is tradition and hope. So, we’ll light the dysfunctional candle, suck it up and in the end make the best of the next two weeks. It may even be fun! Hmmm. I’ll let you know.
Side Trek – Blog Spotted
Pioneer Valley newspaper Daily Hampshire Gazette featured TheSideTrek in Phoebe Mitchell’s “Blog Spotter” report. Cool! Great article. Read it here, the link works now, thanks to Noah:
‘Florence Woman Makes Mark on CNN Blog, and Her Own’. Ms. Mitchell highlighted frequent on-air Cafferty File comments, Recipe Detours, 2010 best TrekBooks and eclectic ramblings including the Hopper exhibit at the Whitney. Nod to GemQueen. Mitchell cited snarky “Skippy Hallow” post, and liked that Alicat and I fought over the neck and gizzard on Thanksgiving.
James Franco hosting Oscars, Ben’s NYU Econ Honors thesis acclaim and now this, good times. Thanks for your 14,000 visits and comment away into 2011!
Stuffington Post 2010
Post stuffing-palooza. I still like Thanksgiving in Katonah and as advertised the cuzins remain smart, sweet, kind and funny as heck. They are all special people despite their crazy parents. Alicat and I fought over the neck and gizzard, and Jake was the star of his first Turkey Day. Family, food, fun. Liberty’s last stand. Hula hoop this week.
CG&B had wonderful reunion with LaLyd, Doug&Sand, GemQueen, A-Man at Ed’s Chowder House/Empire Hotel near Lincoln Center. We all expressed our thoughts and sympathies for K9Queen on the loss of her beloved Emma.
HenryE will be the next LeBron or ARod, quite the athletic phenom at 2! Betsey relished her tongue from Zabar’s. We have a tough decision to make on April 29 next year, Jake’s 1st bday party or the wedding in London? It’s still the season for giving, so don’t forget TheFoodBank, click here and give.
Side Trek . NYC 