So much going on. I'm moving!
No, not to New Orleans, but to Los Angeles! Yeah, you read that right, L.A..
If you read my other blog, you can get the scoop there on the whys & wherefores. Right here, I'm working through the now less than 2 weeks away emotions of cutting free and moving 1560+/- (and then some from my NOLA peeps) miles away from my friend/family base.
As I was clearing off my craft table (which had become the repository of just about anything...jeeze) - I excavated my crockpot...and what did I see? Glitter! LOL! Hence the name of this post.
Excitement, purging stuff/packing stuff and adrenaline has been keeping my head busy. Yes, I'm SO VERY jazzed to be going to live with my Boo, that's not the issue. It's just that now - it's really starting to sink in that there are goodbyes to be said to family and friends.
Tonight, I said goodbye to my father and aunt. Now, if my mom is reading this - do not take this as a slam against my other father (her second husband). My inner-loop dad and I are very close. We hang out at least 2ce a week, and more since I've been needing to load stuff in my storage room that I cannot get there on my own. We get together on Lotto nights for dinner and television. He's my buddy as well as someone I can talk to. Telling him 'laters' tonight was difficult. He's leaving on Wednesday for a road trip up to a family reunion and won't be back until I'm just out of reach when I'm scrabbling my way across TX, NM and AZ to the West Coast.
Being with my Boo will really rock, so that isn't making me sad, but it's just a change. I cannot wait to be able to see him daily.
This coming weekend I say goodbye to my mom and other dad and my brother and my friends - that will see me shedding a fair amount of tears, too. And a week on Thursday, I say farewell to my career in office furniture...hallellujah! :) I will be looking for a part-time job or two once I get to L.A., but I'm not looking for a 'career' but for something I enjoy and make enough money at to be comfy but not overly stressed. Maybe I'll find something I want to pursue further, which would be great. But the stint in L.A. is only about a year, so just some experiences in different things will work.
My car will be paid off in February or March, so that will function as a raise. ;)
It's just a crazy time for my emotions and the big changes afoot in my life. I'm booked for my hotels on the trip out, pet-friendly places. I hope the cats handle the road trip alright...
Anyhoo, that's enough blather from me right now.
Cheers...time to inflate my temporary bed (the other one is in storage) - and hit the hay...I'm zapped.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Jane Eyre - a review
So, I went to the 4:15 showing of the latest iteration of the classic "Jane Eyre" at the Houston River Oaks Theatre. All in all - a B++.
It left me wanting to read the book again, as it's been some time since I last poured over the pages. (and of course, I cannot find my copy, must be in a box at my dad's or I shall have to acquire a new one)
Mia was perfect as Jane, Michael Fassbinder intriguing as Mr. Rochester (and quite dishy in a young yet craggy way).
Dame Judy Dench wonderful as ever - what do they put in the British water to make so many actresses so adaptable and yet natural?
The costumes get my HEARTY approval (not easily won, generally).
The story was a bit muddy in places - I imagine it due to some screenplay edits a bit disjointed, but overall flowed. But then, who knows what was left on the editing room floor? (mayhap a director's cut will be on the DVD?)
The lighting was overall very appropriate for a comfy, yet dankly situated manor house. Might have been some lamps used 'before their time' but not such that it ruined anything.
My only actual 'complaint' was: disjointed cinematography...it's like a few different 'impressions' were shooting this movie. Grainy film in some spots, damned near HD in others...
But - WORTH the $7 matinee admission.
I hope there will be more footage on the DVD. :)
It left me wanting to read the book again, as it's been some time since I last poured over the pages. (and of course, I cannot find my copy, must be in a box at my dad's or I shall have to acquire a new one)
Mia was perfect as Jane, Michael Fassbinder intriguing as Mr. Rochester (and quite dishy in a young yet craggy way).
Dame Judy Dench wonderful as ever - what do they put in the British water to make so many actresses so adaptable and yet natural?
The costumes get my HEARTY approval (not easily won, generally).
The story was a bit muddy in places - I imagine it due to some screenplay edits a bit disjointed, but overall flowed. But then, who knows what was left on the editing room floor? (mayhap a director's cut will be on the DVD?)
The lighting was overall very appropriate for a comfy, yet dankly situated manor house. Might have been some lamps used 'before their time' but not such that it ruined anything.
My only actual 'complaint' was: disjointed cinematography...it's like a few different 'impressions' were shooting this movie. Grainy film in some spots, damned near HD in others...
But - WORTH the $7 matinee admission.
I hope there will be more footage on the DVD. :)
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Something lightweight funny and yet so wrong...
I saw this pic and this caption came to mind...I'm not right... ;)
http://cheezburger.com/View/4591631104
W.
http://cheezburger.com/View/4591631104
W.
A Very Sad Week
First, I find out a very dear friend was not only very sick, but in hospice care. He passed away on Tuesday afternoon. And then, all week it seemed that almost everyday at least one of my friends had to say farewell to one of their furkids - mostly unexpectedly.
Thursday evening my boyfriend who is far from my arms in Los Angeles came home to find his youngest cat utterly lethargic and not at all interested in treats that he usually goes bonkers for. His gums were pale and he looked in bad shape. On Friday, he got his furbaby to the vet only to find out that his feline friend was extremely jaundiced and most likely succumbing to liver cancer/liver failure and was put to sleep. :( My heart broke anew for my beau who was utterly out of my reach to hug and help him through his grief.
For all of my friends experiencing loss, know that my heart goes out to you and I am very sorry for your loss.
W.
Thursday evening my boyfriend who is far from my arms in Los Angeles came home to find his youngest cat utterly lethargic and not at all interested in treats that he usually goes bonkers for. His gums were pale and he looked in bad shape. On Friday, he got his furbaby to the vet only to find out that his feline friend was extremely jaundiced and most likely succumbing to liver cancer/liver failure and was put to sleep. :( My heart broke anew for my beau who was utterly out of my reach to hug and help him through his grief.
For all of my friends experiencing loss, know that my heart goes out to you and I am very sorry for your loss.
W.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Warning - Rant Ahead - Inconsiderate A-Holes Abound! WTF?
I roll my window down to say something to the (WHO'S RIGHT THERE) driver who is on the other side of the car beating her gums to her friend/sister/whatever... So, I say nicely (but pointedly) "Your door is open!" and she looks at me as if I've grown a second head w/a clown mask... I carefully navigate past and drive on. I glance in my rearview mirror to see her CONTINUING to YAMMER w/her friend...door is still WIDE OPEN!??! I wish I had had it in me (financially) to just fire it into reverse and tear her door the FRAK OFF!!!
And upon my return home w/yummy Chinese food and new inspection sticker in my possession - a black Ford Fusion ahead of me pulls into the parking area for my complex's residents. And I'm right there behind her - stuck in the street. She throws her car in park to finish a call (...I'm supposing based on seeing her damned phone to her ear as she left in a bit)...I toot the horn...NOTHING...I then HONK my horn and NOTHING...I then HONKED IT AGAIN! She pulls into another spot (I was gonna go Medieval on her ass had she chosen to pull into my spot...) and I park in my paid for spot. She backs out and pulls out of the driveway...phone glued to her bubble blonde head.
Oh and to boot - the other day, I was PINING (not for the fjords) for a cattle guard on the front of my Focus. Y'know - it TRULY doesn't take much effort to be a courteous person. But some folks would MUCH rather pretend it's just them and the occupants of their personal space and the rest of the world can suck it. It makes me STABBY!
C'mon people - being aware of life OUTSIDE of your personal space is really not that hard...this is REAL LIFE, NOT YOUR OWN PERSONAL REALITY SHOW! OTHER PEOPLE MATTER! I'd be willing to bet these TWATWAFFLES are all "conservative republicans/teawads". I've HAD IT!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Frontline - "Post Mortem"
Wow...seriously? Not all folks running city/county morgues in this country have to be Forensic Pathologists???
Some of the folks appointed/elected to such positions (when not hired with proper requirements) don't even have to have a high school diploma?!??! That means "I" could even be one. Hell, I'd be BETTER at it than some of the untrained folks in their positions. Not that I'm bucking for such a thing.
And for many of the cases they are covering on the show...it's putting my New Orleans in a not great light. This is NOT news to me, but it is something that needs to be FIXED!
It's great to see Mary Howell on the show - I would LOVE to meet her and to have the Dude meet her - he's quite the Civil Rights' champion! :) (another reason I love him!)
Okay, the show is intense and disturbing, but it's a serious wake-up call.
Some of the folks appointed/elected to such positions (when not hired with proper requirements) don't even have to have a high school diploma?!??! That means "I" could even be one. Hell, I'd be BETTER at it than some of the untrained folks in their positions. Not that I'm bucking for such a thing.
And for many of the cases they are covering on the show...it's putting my New Orleans in a not great light. This is NOT news to me, but it is something that needs to be FIXED!
It's great to see Mary Howell on the show - I would LOVE to meet her and to have the Dude meet her - he's quite the Civil Rights' champion! :) (another reason I love him!)
Okay, the show is intense and disturbing, but it's a serious wake-up call.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
A Twist, Sans Oliver
Took the left over (b/c I wanted to share) roast beef/gravy/veggie delicious blend w/me to my Dad's on Tuesday night. Went to p/u some fresh par-baked French bread but all they had were veritable breadsticks w/a hint of steroid. So, I grabbed two of them and pondered the concept of 'decontstructed po'boys'...
Dished up the 'delicious blend' into my Dad's Corelle dish and topped w/sliced French bread and baked for a bit, to bake off the bread and heat up the mixture. Well, "yay" and "boo"...the overall concept worked, but in future - I'll just cut the loaf length-wise and leave the crust side up.
But, hey - I tried it. :) And we pigged out.
Dished up the 'delicious blend' into my Dad's Corelle dish and topped w/sliced French bread and baked for a bit, to bake off the bread and heat up the mixture. Well, "yay" and "boo"...the overall concept worked, but in future - I'll just cut the loaf length-wise and leave the crust side up.
But, hey - I tried it. :) And we pigged out.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Purge!
OMG - I suffer from "but I can use that for "X"!!!" syndrome something on a SEVERE level!
This website is something I will start to incorporate into my life TODAY!
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/18-things-you-can-get-rid-of-today-2440361
Whatever I can/will get rid of from my casa - will make it to the Houston Area Women's Center or similar - as long as it is usable and in good condition.
Please feel free to check it out and do what you can, too!
This website is something I will start to incorporate into my life TODAY!
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/18-things-you-can-get-rid-of-today-2440361
Whatever I can/will get rid of from my casa - will make it to the Houston Area Women's Center or similar - as long as it is usable and in good condition.
Please feel free to check it out and do what you can, too!
Roast Beef Cooking Away
After having dosed myself w/store-brand Nyquil last night, I slept pretty danged soundly. Finally acceded to the demands of my mobile phone's wake-up alarm at 8 a.m.. Got ready and went to breakfast w/my Dad and friends. I brought the King Cake I bought at Rouses last Monday before leaving New Orleans.
Speaking of King Cake...DANG, Houston people think getting 'the baby' is some sort of curse and not a reason to keep the party going...!??! The guys (GUYS!?!) only wanted 'thin slices'...and were terrified they might get the danged baby. Cripes, it's just an excuse to get another King Cake and have a party, not a draft notice. So, w/only a few slices nommed, I brought the cake home - it's now chilling in the fridge. There WILL be coffee and King Cake later! :)
After dropping some checks at the bank at last - jeeze, this whole direct deposit thingy has really ruined me for getting to the bank regularly...(so I sit on checks, whoops!) I went by the thrift store and indulged in three (3) dollars of decadence: I bought a pair of red patent heels to convert to MUSES throws! :)
Came home, stowed the aforementioned King Cake and then started getting my meez rocking for the roast!
Peeled about 5-6 butter gold potatoes (they are little) and halved them, chopped two ribs of celery into rustic sizes (forgot to string 'em...dammit!), sliced about half a yellow onion (getting a white one next time), and added about a half a pound of baby carrots already peeled.
Got out a plate, poured out some unbleached AP flour and liberally dosed it w/black pepper, garlic powder, Kosher salt (not SO much) and some Tony Chachere's. Mixed that up, then dredged the trimmed roast (about a 2 pounder) in it and set that to sear in the heated pot w/a bit of veggie oil.
Set the seared roast on a plate, deglazed the pot w/a copious splash of Barefoot Merlot, poured that into a smaller saucepan, added the box of beef broth (organic), a spoonful of tomato paste (check the label - make sure it's JUST tomato listed...cripes one of the brands had all manner of crap in there!??!), and a spoonful of Penzey's beef soup base (this is my first time to try to use that - just describing it, not plugging the brand - although I LOVE Penzey's!). Let that simmer a bit and stirred w/whisk.
I then put the roast in the waiting crock pot, poured in the prepped veggies. In a tall drinking cup, I poured just shy of a cup of the Merlot and about the same of the bottled Parkway Bakery water I brought back from NOLA - just as a nod to one of my FAVE NOLA joints! I put that liquid blend into the crock pot for giggles and then added the simmered/whisked beefy-winey mixture and covered.
The crock pot is set at High for 4 hours, then I'll run it at low for 6 hours and see where we're at.
There's a waiting loaf of par-baked French bread to finish off that will be misted as it heats up so that it crisps up on the outside. But that's not until the meat is falling apart tender.
So, now I'm about to work on the already-started MUSES shoeses and hopefully some tidying up around this sty of a bachelorette pad. Maybe a little sandwich for lunch and, hmmm...a slice of King Cake? ;)
Cheers!
Speaking of King Cake...DANG, Houston people think getting 'the baby' is some sort of curse and not a reason to keep the party going...!??! The guys (GUYS!?!) only wanted 'thin slices'...and were terrified they might get the danged baby. Cripes, it's just an excuse to get another King Cake and have a party, not a draft notice. So, w/only a few slices nommed, I brought the cake home - it's now chilling in the fridge. There WILL be coffee and King Cake later! :)
After dropping some checks at the bank at last - jeeze, this whole direct deposit thingy has really ruined me for getting to the bank regularly...(so I sit on checks, whoops!) I went by the thrift store and indulged in three (3) dollars of decadence: I bought a pair of red patent heels to convert to MUSES throws! :)
Came home, stowed the aforementioned King Cake and then started getting my meez rocking for the roast!
Peeled about 5-6 butter gold potatoes (they are little) and halved them, chopped two ribs of celery into rustic sizes (forgot to string 'em...dammit!), sliced about half a yellow onion (getting a white one next time), and added about a half a pound of baby carrots already peeled.
Got out a plate, poured out some unbleached AP flour and liberally dosed it w/black pepper, garlic powder, Kosher salt (not SO much) and some Tony Chachere's. Mixed that up, then dredged the trimmed roast (about a 2 pounder) in it and set that to sear in the heated pot w/a bit of veggie oil.
Set the seared roast on a plate, deglazed the pot w/a copious splash of Barefoot Merlot, poured that into a smaller saucepan, added the box of beef broth (organic), a spoonful of tomato paste (check the label - make sure it's JUST tomato listed...cripes one of the brands had all manner of crap in there!??!), and a spoonful of Penzey's beef soup base (this is my first time to try to use that - just describing it, not plugging the brand - although I LOVE Penzey's!). Let that simmer a bit and stirred w/whisk.
I then put the roast in the waiting crock pot, poured in the prepped veggies. In a tall drinking cup, I poured just shy of a cup of the Merlot and about the same of the bottled Parkway Bakery water I brought back from NOLA - just as a nod to one of my FAVE NOLA joints! I put that liquid blend into the crock pot for giggles and then added the simmered/whisked beefy-winey mixture and covered.
The crock pot is set at High for 4 hours, then I'll run it at low for 6 hours and see where we're at.
There's a waiting loaf of par-baked French bread to finish off that will be misted as it heats up so that it crisps up on the outside. But that's not until the meat is falling apart tender.
So, now I'm about to work on the already-started MUSES shoeses and hopefully some tidying up around this sty of a bachelorette pad. Maybe a little sandwich for lunch and, hmmm...a slice of King Cake? ;)
Cheers!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Because I Could
Welcome to Rebellious Pigtails!
For a few years now, I've reclaimed my seemingly lost ability to wear pigtails BECAUSE I'm well above the age one typically stops wearing them. Someone admonished me a few years back when I started to wear them on the weekend - that I shouldn't do that...hence, the name of my blog.
This is my personal rant/review/ramble blog. All opinions are therefore just that - my .02 (though in this economy, probably about a half-penny) and are NOT recommendations or to be used in lieu of talking with your doctor, pharmacist, elder, sex therapist, curling coach or any person you look up to.
;)
I'll also be sharing recipes, cat stories (I have two), and such. Full disclosure: I am an incurable NOLA-holic, but I have a blog about that and how I'm trying to get there. But sometimes it will intrude (I'm very permissive w/my love for New Orleans) so just deal. But there will be links to music, movies, news, and whatnot - and all copyrights of that property obviously remain intact. I am not passing off any such info as my own, but will offer my opinion and such.
I have (and hope to continue having) a WONDERFUL boyfriend who is someone who came back into my life at the end of 2009 after a 26 year gap, for the sake of his general privacy - he'll be referred to simply as the "Dude". Some of you may know him and some won't. He's an amazing fellow who keeps me on an even keel, even when (I'm sure) he wants to keelhaul me! LOL!
So, here goes.
Who's up for roast beef po' boys? :)
(updated to edit some bogus punctuation)
For a few years now, I've reclaimed my seemingly lost ability to wear pigtails BECAUSE I'm well above the age one typically stops wearing them. Someone admonished me a few years back when I started to wear them on the weekend - that I shouldn't do that...hence, the name of my blog.
This is my personal rant/review/ramble blog. All opinions are therefore just that - my .02 (though in this economy, probably about a half-penny) and are NOT recommendations or to be used in lieu of talking with your doctor, pharmacist, elder, sex therapist, curling coach or any person you look up to.
;)
I'll also be sharing recipes, cat stories (I have two), and such. Full disclosure: I am an incurable NOLA-holic, but I have a blog about that and how I'm trying to get there. But sometimes it will intrude (I'm very permissive w/my love for New Orleans) so just deal. But there will be links to music, movies, news, and whatnot - and all copyrights of that property obviously remain intact. I am not passing off any such info as my own, but will offer my opinion and such.
I have (and hope to continue having) a WONDERFUL boyfriend who is someone who came back into my life at the end of 2009 after a 26 year gap, for the sake of his general privacy - he'll be referred to simply as the "Dude". Some of you may know him and some won't. He's an amazing fellow who keeps me on an even keel, even when (I'm sure) he wants to keelhaul me! LOL!
So, here goes.
Who's up for roast beef po' boys? :)
(updated to edit some bogus punctuation)
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