He said International Comfort Food, and I was hooked

In that strange way of the universe, I was sitting at a local bar the other night, talking to a friend who is going back into the work force after years off as a SAHM, and it turned into- as you know it does for writers- a plot, with characters and a perfect setting.
Have you ever sat at a bar and guessed about the occupation of the person sitting next to you?
Sometimes it's very simple.
The executive with the Blackberry and briefcase, the airline pilot, the frazzled woman who purse dangles a photo key chain with way too many kids pictures.

And sometimes, the person is still dressed in their uniform which tells you this.
 Here's some of the international comfort food my new friend Enrico, his wife and mother make at a wonderful little place I am certain to visit soon.

So, now I have to decide, will someone get murdered, robbed or fall in love in this new setting?

Music with a Purpose. Served up Two Ways.

I believe in the magical quality of music. Of the healing power of positive words. So when I found out about N.E.D. I had to share it.
This group is not just full of talented musicians and songwriters, but they are a rock band with a purpose.
N.E.D. was named for "No Evidence of Disease" -- a phrase that every gynecologic oncologist hopes to tell a patient after undergoing cancer treatment.

This band's made up of six gynecologic cancer surgeons with a mission to enhance knowledge about the disease, bring hope through rhythm for women undergoing treatment, and raise awareness & money for the fight against women's reproductive cancers.

Their CD is slated for release on September 8th to coincide with Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month and they include informational booklets about gynecologic cancers entitled, “What Every Woman Should Know.” Net proceeds from the sale of the CD will be donated to the N.E.D. Cancer Foundation in association with the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF) to educate the public about gynecologic cancers and support promising research.

Here's one of my favorite songs: False Pretenses
Listen to more here. and fan them on their FaceBook page.

I'm wishing them all the best in this endeavor.


Some of my bunko mates and I brought on our own healing night of music last night.....

when we braved the stairs outside the Japanese restaurant where we had a great dinner- to enter the Korean karaoke house. It was set up so different than how Americans do it, and since I've never been to Korea.... it was all new to me.

The last bunko- karaoke night was years ago and got us booted from a local coffeehouse, and the last time I was with some of these gals we saw a fight break out...

So maybe little Momma singstore owner knew we were trouble and that was why she rushed us into the big room with no delay.

We were led to the largest karaoke room. Everyone who comes in gets their own room and system. We had a nice long couch and table and two large monitors. The speaker system was awesome and the flashing laser light show pretty cool, although we had some trouble with the controls on the complicated remotes... getting some Korean lyrics and a very very slow tempo on a few songs but nothing we couldn't work around.
After a few hours of fun, we were ready to head back home, crawl into bed and set the alarm to get the kids on the bus in the morning, most of our worries left behind in a dimly lit, well padded and very private fifty dollar room.

Family Dinner Charades

I'm all about the family dinner conversation, the "meeting." As long as it's low-key and ends in my favor, well, generally anyway.
The problem in our house starts with getting everyone to sit down at the same time and maintain a common pace through the meal.
Invariably, someone will have to hop up for a condiment or the phone or a bathroom trip. Then there will be someone whose food needs to be warmed or cooled or spiced differently. And there's me, who grew up with three hungry sisters and hates having the "end piece" of anything. I'll eat what's on my plate and do it quickly. Sadly, meals have become more necessary than enjoyable.

But the other night we were talking about impressions, and after my daughter chickened out of doing 5 teacher impressions for her school talent night ( they were GREAT!), I joked about someone else at the table, and in imitating him, got a rise out of her.
We then took turns transforming into each of the other three family members... like a physical caricature, we walked the way they walked, tagged everything with the familiar phrase they utter or nickname they use for a loved one, and exaggerated common mannerisms they employ when trying to make get their point across.
It was funny and no one had any problem coming up with material.

The next night when the kids wanted to do it again, I said, only if it could all be positive. It was harder, but still fun, and interesting to see how you come off in the eyes of your children and your spouse.
Maybe a little too eye-opening for some of us.
Try it in your family and let me know how it plays out.

Thrilling Singular Sensation? = Hot Date with Hubby

Escaping the captive confines of computer and office and heading out on the town.
Woo hoo.
Off to shave my legs.

In a day that began with a shoe lover donating shoes...

It's no wonder it ended in fire.
Yes, that is a belly dancer balancing a lit sword on her head while she gyrates around the room in gold high-heeled sandals.
Maybe I was sad for the loss of 9 pairs of shoes and one pair of boots... but I was reasonably sedate for the evening I think it had something to do with this:
Peach hooka!
Only in Georgia.


Or the fact that we were sitting on the floor on comfortable cushions, jammed behind low tables drinking Turkish beer. i was more than happy to just watch.


I left the belly dancing up to the ladies with the dollar bills and the hip gyrating classes.
Like Yasmin and Mary.


and this odd couple.
of course no girls night out would be complete without the requisite man pose.


Much fun and much eggplant. I will definitely have to do it again.
Another outing I can cross off my "want to do" list.

Weekend wrapup. Old Dogs, Flowers, Fish and Football

My parents were in town for the weekend. Not a big event for most people, but my parents took 2 days to drive to Georgia from Central NY, stopping in on us on their way to a short vacation in Florida.
It was a busy few days. Not only did my old dog turn 13. Happy Birthday, Kid Kallahan.

My Mom turned 73.
Happy Birthday, Cookie.We went out for Greek food after a day at the Aquarium.
We also went to a flower show. My dad and I liked the butterflies from South America
and I got to see more of the weird orchids I love.
creepy aren't they?

Then of course there was THE SUPER BOWL. Though, it was kind of like the super disappearing act in our house, as some people crashed on the couch, some holed away in their room with a video game and others escaped to a book. We did make a betting pool and had lots of snacky food and martinis, so sure, it was a party. Just more sedate than usual with lots of texting going on and lots of waiting for the funny commercials, then dvr'ing the great play so we could see the catch again and again.
If only I had a life dvr.

Good things about having your kid suspended from high school

Because I am a look-on-the-bright-side kind of gal, and because I read too many cop novels to know if I killed my son I'd get caught...

Here are a few good things that will come from my son getting a 3 day out of school suspension for provoking a bus driver-- a guy we have a bit of history with--don't ask.

1. Someone ELSE will be doing all my housework for 3 days
2. Every bit of bad boy's homework will be done correctly and checked twice
3. He will have extra time to prepare for his midterm exams
4. The house will be quieter without his computer, tv, ipod, playstation2, 3, DS and psp
5. My neglected yard will be weeded
6. My wheels will get shined
7. I will get to sleep in an extra 2 hours for 3 days
8. He will learn to play by the rules and to respect authority, in whatever dubious form it takes


on a lighter note, the freezer nights are going fine- only problem being bad boy had a gingivectomy at the ortho to expose some new teeth coming in yesterday afternoon and can't eat spicy, salty or difficult to chew stuff, so I had to break out the soup and noodles

I declare this week: EAT FROM THE FREEZER WEEK!

After trying to stuff one more package of on-sale chicken breasts into the freezer, I took a quick calculation. Behind the 3 half gallons of ice cream and frozen yogurt was a ten day food supply. From ground beef, chicken breasts and wings to assorted frozen vegetables, bread items, organic potatoes, hotdogs, salmon patties, shrimp and california burgers, I could feed my family and never leave the house.
It sounded too good to be true, but I ticked off the days and figured I'd give it a run. Avoiding the grocery store will have its own rewards: no video store side trips, no costly Starbucks coffee or "necessary" magazines, no pricey premium gas expenditures and no forced small talk with the aging cashier.
So that's my plan.
Tonight from the freezer: ground beef and chicken,veggies and tortillas. Ice cream for dessert.
pix to come.

Today, You're number 1.

My husband says he knows he's not number one on my list.
He says that most days he knows he's not even number two or three or four, but hey- he's just happy to be on the list- at all. He's only partly joking.

But today, I bump him to the top of the list- or at least we share the spot as we celebrate our 9-11-92 wedding with a day of surprises.

Allow me to recap...

Last year was his choice, and we did this.

The year before was my plan, so we spent the weekend driving one of these around and leadfooted it to a luxury time here.

2005 was the first year we had full day availability. I started the "surprise me- and NO gifts. Just adventures." So, he chose to do this! on our 13th anniversary. Yes, off that ramp.

So today, I will take him on a funky lunch date followed by the most unique museum experience in the world and wrap up the day with an hour doing this... well at least wrap up the public part of the day.
Then I'll brush my hands together and pass the torch.

Mary Kay Andrews said it was okay, so here it is.

I made this carrot cake for a recent dinner party, and though we were all full after a fabulous meal, most folks tried at least a slice and gave it the thumbs up.
Bringing the leftovers home, my kids gave it the BIG thumbs up.
This was all that was left of Kathy Trochek's AKA Mary Kay Andrews mother's famous carrot cake.
If you don't know or read any Mary Kay Andrews books, you should. She's got a wonderful sense of humor and writes fun characters in great settings. I always want to go junkin' or cook something after I read one of her books.
I asked Kathy if would be okay to link her blog site where she tells the carrot cake story, so here it is. Now, go here and buy her books.

I ate one of the 20 worst foods in America

I don't eat out very often and we NEVER do fast food, mostly because I am cheap, don't like the bother and am basically leary of anything that comes from a place behind a swinging door carried by someone I don't know...

But if you do frequent restaurants, you should read this list:

Worst Drink
Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 fl oz)
900 calories
10 g fat
183 g carbs
166 g sugar

Jamba Juice calls it a smoothie; we call it a milk shake. In fact, this beverage contains more sugar than 2 pints of Ben and Jerry's Butter Pecan ice cream.

Worst Supermarket Meal
Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie (whole pie)
1,020 calories
64 g fat
86 g carbs

The label may say this pie serves 2, but who ever divided a small pot pie in half? Once you crack the crust, there will be no stopping.

Worst Mexican Entree
Chipotle Mexican Grilled Chicken Burrito
1,179 calories
47 g fat
125 g carbs
2,656 mg sodium

Despite a reputation for using healthy, fresh ingredients, Chipotle's menu is limited to football-size burritos, overstuffed tacos, and gigantic salads — all of which contribute to a humongous waistline.

Worst Kids' Meal
Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni 'n' Cheese
1,210 calories
62 g fat
3,450 mg sodium

It's like feeding your kid 1½ boxes of Kraft mac 'n' cheese.

Worst Fish Entree
On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans
2,100 calories
130 g fat
169 g carbs
4,750 mg sodium

Perhaps the most misleadingly named dish in America: A dozen crunchy tacos from Taco Bell will saddle you with fewer calories.

The Worst Food in America
Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing
2,900 calories
182 g fat
240 g carbs

It's the caloric equivalent of eating 14 Krispy Kreme doughnuts, before your dinner arrives. Even if you split this "starter" with 3 friends, you'll have downed a meal's worth of calories.

Worst "Healthy" Burger,

Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger

1,145 calories
71 g fat
56 g carbs

We chose this burger for more than its calorie payload: Its name implies that it's healthy.

The Truly Healthy Choice: Skip burgers entirely (few at Ruby Tuesday come in under 1,000 calories). Instead, order a 9-ounce sirloin with a side of steamed vegetables.

Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal

Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips from McDonald's (5 pieces) with creamy ranch sauce
55g fat
(4.5g trans fat)
48 g carbs, 830 calories
The only thing "premium" about these strips is the caloric price you pay. Add a large fries and regular soda and this seemingly innocuous chicken meal tops out at 1,710 calories.

Worst Chinese Entree,

P.F. Chang's Pork Lo Mein

127g fat,1829 calories 95 g carbs. The fat content in this dish alone provides more than 1,100 calories. And you'd have to eat almost five servings of pasta to match the number of carbohydrates it contains. Now, do you really need five servings of pasta?Pick Another Noodle: P.F. Chang's Singapore Street Noodles will satisfy your craving with only 570 calories. Or try the Moo Goo Gai Pan or the Ginger Chicken & Broccoli, which have 660 calories each.

For a complete list of the 20 Worst Foods in America, and details on how to disarm the restaurant industry's weapons of mass construction, check out these rankings and nutrition secrets.

(Taken from Men's Health, By David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding)

Love the one you're with.

emily giffin
Originally uploaded by Another Good Thing

My friend, Emily Giffin's new book is out.
Go buy it.
I went to her book launch last night and saw all the pretty people. I go to a lot of these things, calling it research, and networking. Building friendships with people who usually hole up in coffee shops or basement offices with fictional characters is hard.
At these events I usually end up taking home some great ideas for when it will be my turn- for MY book... last night, with positive reports from two NY agents ringing in my ears, I was able to ALMOST see myself behind that stack of books. ( I have done a few small signings for anthologies, but nothing like my REAL author pals), I can't even call myself an author until I see my name on the book cover on the bookstore shelf... the novel is just a manuscript until it gets sold, and I'm just a writer, until I get that check.

Sensitive Guy- at least where skin is concerned.

Instead of enjoying a wonderful yoga session yesterday, I was sitting in a doctor's office looking at this: One week old POISON IVY . Trust me it was uglier in person.

My son was blessed/cursed with sensitive skin. Certain fabrics give him rashes, he sunburns and freckles in minutes and has permanent tattoos where a pencil poked through his jeans pocket and jabbed him in the leg.
The boy wanted the doctor to be stymied at this ugliness of the poison ivy, he imagined it might be another HOUSE episode, but that only made Dr. George laugh. Those shows are so unreal, he told my son ( the kid who wants to be a gynecologist) "No ER doctor delivers babies or diagnoses cancer.."
and when it came time for the steroid shot and the antibiotic injection... the doctor left--leaving us to call after him, "Oh yeah, DOCTORS don't give shots. That's a nurse's job."

Of course, since I kept the gimpy one home, we used this experience to learn about doctors, treatments, homeopathic remedies and skin.

your interesting item of the day:
skin is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial tissues that guard underlying muscles and organs


Now, I have to wash my baby, I mean CAR and finish packing for an overnight jaunt where I hope to meet my dream agent, or at least get a damn good meal and have some laughs. Though, last time I went to this restaurant, the valet busted my husband's side view mirror off and I spent a rain soaked ride home with my arm out the window. You better believe I'll be watching them this time.

Another Ad from 1930's

Yes, you guessed it. I'm doing research this week. Thought you might enjoy this.
It's a real ad run from the time period, though urban legend folks will call it a hoax. Even more unreal is finding THIS- a link to a modern day site that will actually help you buy and ingest a tapeworm cyst. Ewww. Excuse me while I go puke.

Learning from the pros.

Last night, my pal Liz and I went to hear Joshilyn Jackson speak at The Margaret Mitchell House in lovely downtown Atlanta. We arrived early- in the hot car- so we could enjoy drinks and dinner at The Vortex. Liz wanted to order the Big Naked Weenie, but settled for a veggie melt. Walking in the guy at the bar tells us pointing to the TV- "Oh man, you just missed it! The longest EVER car chase in LA."
yeah, darn.
Double darn that the MM house wasn't open for tours. I have almost read ALL the letters Margaret's hubby wrote.. each time I like the guy less. There might be a story there.. and no Lisa, you CAN'T have it.
While waiting for Joss to speak, we found this fab author. And yes, she is just as gorgeous in person, and even more humble. You MUST read her book, Sin in the Second City. I have warned her if I end up in NYC this summer as planned we are so heading to the meat packing district- now that I know my way around.
It was extra nice of Joss to come out early and chat with us-- such a funny gal- SO not raised by Fundamentalists. Then when it was time to do her THANG- of course, she killed it. She looked so comfortable up there in her spiky black and yellow sling backs ( yes!) you'd think she'd been doing this all her life and plus that- when she reads... well, let's just say I could sit there for hours and hours- if I had a bottle of wine. Go buy her book already- and the audio tape. it's her- all over the place.
Good night for an aspiring writer. Great night for a fan.

And now, something special for you from me and those wonderful folks at DSW.

I don't ever regret a weekend.

It started off perfect--a quiet little date night out in Virginia Highlands, drinking fine wine and eating fab Italian, then racing home to an empty house. Sleeping in, lounging around. Reading in a sunny corner. *sigh*
Then. We. Entered. The. Twilight. Zone.We went to a party where people tried to insert dog heads up their ass, while black booted women fell to the ground- twisting their limbs into impossible shapes.Blurry women lost their pantyhose while dancing- PANTY being the operable word here.There was sucking and blowing. Girl A is delighted to know Girl B does NOT have the flu.
There was whipping for the people who broke the glass shelves, and for the ones who had nothing to do with the glass shelves but just happened to be in whipping range- and liked it.And there was a visitor who brought joy- and maybe, if I am being honest- a little icky feeling. Where part of you wants to ask, "Why?" and "Oh, Honey, does your mother know where you are?" Because sometimes, you've lived a life that lets you look at things like that and say, I totally understand what you are going through and you aren't lying a bit.

A smart friend sets me straight on Valentine's Day- and BACON news.

Apparently there is more to this V-Day than any chocolate lover could have suspected.

Definition: Lupercalia was an annual Roman festival celebrated on February 15.
Because Lupercalia has some connection with fertility it is like an early version of a Valentine's Day holiday. Lupercalia was named for the naked male priests called Luperci. Lupercalia involved not only fertility, but also purification rituals, and was celebrated to honor a god the Romans themselves were unsure of, but who was called "Lupercus" by the Augustan era. The pastoral god Faunus was also worshiped. The Luperci sacrificed a goat and possibly a dog, and offered sacred cakes. The Luperci donned goat skins or goat skin loincloths and ran through the streets of Rome striking people or just women with strips of goat to make them fertile. Pope Gelasius I (d. 496) (or Felix III - late 5th century) is thought by some to have turned the February 15 Lupercalia purification festival into the festival of the Purification of the Virgin Mary.
Sources: Ovid's Fasti, Adkins & Adkins' Dictionary or Roman Religion.

YAY for naked male priests. ANd Belgium chocolate and penuche fudge and gift cards to Saks.

Tonight is date night with the hubby. My turn to plan and drive. I chose an Italian dinner in a funky part of town, quick stroll of the shops then off for Martinis and I-Max, Cirque Du Soleil, the Journey of Man. He can very picky, so I hope he likes my choices.

ok.
I got your BACON NEWS. Straight from my OTHER favorite paper. The UK's Daily MASH.
( For Dooce.)

LEAVE BACON OUT OF IT, HEALTH EXPERTS WARNED

HEALTH experts were last night told to 'go fuck themselves' after advising consumers to give up bacon.

Which would you save from a burning building? One of these or a healthy eating co-ordinator?

The Department of Health in London was under siege yesterday as a mob chanted 'death to the men in white coats' and 'whoever defames the pig should be executed'.

Bill McKay, an architect from Dorchester, said he would rather disembowel himself than live without bacon, the only meat to be approved by the Vegetarian Society.

He added: "We've taken a lot of shit from these people over the years. Perhaps the time has come to throw our health experts in jail."

Rona Cameron, head of bacon sandwiches at the Vegetarian Society, said she believed the experts to be either deranged or in league with the devil.

She added: "I love pigs, they're so cute and clever. But if I was in a farmyard with the smell of fried bacon wafting across my nostrils, I swear to God I'd grab me a shotgun and a meat cleaver."

Wayne Hayes, bacon director at the Bacon Institute said: "Bacon transforms men into incredibly sensitive and generous lovers and guarantees women the longest and most intense orgasms imaginable."

Meanwhile bacon campaigners have issued a series of recommendations for health experts if they wish to carry on living instead of perishing in a huge fireball after someone pours petrol through their letterbox and sets light to it with a flaming rag, including:

• Leave bacon out of this
• Shut up about bacon
• Mention bacon again and you’re fucking dead
• Don't even look at those sausages

They wore patchouli.

When I blog I think of it as a jump start for my other writing, a way for me to sputter and cough myself to life. Some days I wake up with a line in my head, a turn of phrase, and it could only BE a blog entry. Some days there's so much there that it becomes a chapter in the ongoing manuscript, or an essay for a magazine.
I am looking at a handful of scrap paper notes and a huge list I made on my i-pod touch in the notes section called New York Observations-- though some of them deal with longer subjects and some are character notes/eavesdropping that I'll use in novels or short stories, I still hear a "blogvoice," for others, snippets I can share and not lose the tension or excitement or secret of the image by spitting it out too soon.

Great, now that sounds like I'm a sexy foreign lover sitting across the table from my new amour in a crowded restaurant whispering all the things I want to do and all the ways I will do them- arousing her in such a way that by the time we are alone- she will most definitely be disappointed.

That said, let me backtrack for anyone who was sleeping through class. I'm a writer and I frequent writerly kinds of things- most recently the AWP Conference in NYC. (AWP stands for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs.) okay. So I go there and split a hotel room with a friend who doesn't have a conference ticket, a friend who will spend her days NOT sitting in lectures or readings, not pitching business, networking or smiling pretty for the camera, a friend who has her own good city times and is right there when I offer to sneak her into open bar dance events and later share a taxi to NYU for a poetry reading that seems to never end. She's great.

I can't tell you how nice it was to be able to make my observations to someone whose eyes didn't glaze over and someone who was just about as amused as I by the same things.
Like this:

I noticed that in New York, especially Manhattan, it has become very important to have well groomed eyebrows. Not just tweezed, but waxed, threaded, and shaped by brow professionals for the perfect A-HA look.

Celebrating Chinese New Year the same time as restaurant week should yield closer and more affordable meal options for the struggling writer mommy, but surprisingly, she will still manage to find a $!9.95 breakfast egg and toast buffet and a $22.00 sandwich.

There is a pretentiousness to the clubs in the meat packing district that has nothing and everything to do with slabs of beef.

SUCK has become the favorite new word for NYC advertisers.

Sometimes puppies look like babies and babies look like puppies.

If you have to ask, "Where's the entrance?" you probably don't belong.

Some cab drivers are damn good poets.

Some cab drivers treat the gas pedal like the throttle on a weed wacker.

The small stylish font on a business card might be great by day but is practically useless in a dark bar.

If you dance while gesturing with your middle finger, someone is bound to ask, "Are you from Canada?"

After three days in NY all travelers look the same in their black coats and street pashminas.

It isn't REALLY Dolce and Gabbana if you only paid 25 bucks for it.

Old men named Norbert can boogie.

Patchouli smells better on dreadlocked chubby white boys dancing in a basement than you'd think.

Impromptu Birthday dinners are best

We went here to celebrate my friend's birthday. Of course I managed to meet a writer. Another wine guy who writes for this paper and is almost as funny as my wine guy pal, Mark Phillips.

We ate tapas. Some looked like hairy balls but tasted better.I love going to places I have never been before, meeting new people and eating food I never would have made, especially on a Tuesday night at 6pm against the traffic.

I was THINKING about blogging.

As I was drinking water and flushing my system of appendicitis-symptom inducing beef.

As I was getting wrapped in ACE bandages soaked in an herbal remedy for all that ails you- still thinking and wishing I had a camera as I was stuffed in a rubber suit and told to sit in a sauna for half an hour.

As I was shopping FOR MYSELF days before Christmas.

As I went out to dinner at an Atlanta staple with the family and spent a car payment.

As I played Santa and gave friends our used TVs and speakers and dvd players.

As I googled long lost relatives of my husband's after hearing his mom's story, and found out one of them lives only 20 miles away, and another is on the internet almost as much as me.

As I bagged shoes and boots for the teenager neighbor girl who covets mine.

As I filled stockings and baked cookies and amused my Mother in law playing Wii games.

As I shot video on Christmas morning and watched my son play this game.

As I loaded up this new toy.

Even as I lay in bed, pretending to be asleep but really thinking about the bar scene in the novel in progress which morfed to a blog entry about people living too long.

Yes, dear internet. You are never far from my thoughts. Now, to catch up on my reading.