Eyes Meme

my_eyes_glasses
Originally uploaded by Mystery Mommy.

Here are my eyes in glasses. Nowadays they are more often seen bare (contacts, y'know).

If the color doesn't come through, they are hazel. Brown, green, blue, orange, and grey.

Nine Years.

Palms
Originally uploaded by Mystery Mommy.

Happy Anniversary, Mr. Spock! I love you so much. Thank you for being in my life and for taking us to Kauai for our fifth anniversary. I loved our view then and I love our "Little Souvenier".

History of the Gilligan/Dr. Smith Award

So I was talking with SuzanH over at her site about last night's episode of Gilmore Girls and one thing led to another and suddenly I was talking about our family's tradition of awarding the Gilligan/Dr. Smith Award to one character from every show we watch.

The recipient of the award is the person whom, if the cast of the show were stranded on a desert island or Lost In Space, would be the first to be killed and eaten. The award is named after the classic examples of awardees. Honestly, I can't get through an episode of Lost in Space without shouting, "Kill him and eat him! Kill him and eat him!"

Anyhoo, on Gilmore Girls the awardee is Kirk. On Smallville, it's Lana. On Joan of Arcadia, it's Joan's boyfriend who can't seem to remember that her name is JOAN, NOT JANE! and always wears either a hoodie or a stupid knit cap.

We haven't been able to award one on Good Eats, but Alton cooks and eats something every episode so that's close enough.

Any of you have nominations?

UPDATED: Agh! Agh! They almost killed her, they could have gotten rid of her, but noooooo Lana has to live. Agh! Agh! Agh!

Threes Meme

Saw it at Jo(e)'s first.

3 Names you go by: Mommy, Liz, Sweetie

3 Screen Names you've had: MysteryMommy, Liz, I haven't been here long enough to have a third.

3 physical things you like about yourself: Height, Breasts, Eyes

3 physical things you don't like about yourself: Height, Breasts, Tummy. Hey! It depends on the day people!

3 Parts of your heritage: Jewish, New York (Brooklyn!) , Eastern Europe

3 Things you are wearing now: PJ's, Wrist watch, Wedding ring (this was true when I wrote it last night, now I'm wearing a suit, pantyhose, pumps (and watch and ring))

3 Favorite Bands/Musical Artists: Peter Gabriel, The Police, The Proclaimers (among others)

3 Most recently listened to songs: Gotta be (Desiree), Breathe (Anna Nalick(sp?)), Sing Verdi Very Loud (Beethovan's Wig 2)

3 Physical Things about men that appeal to you: Hands, Eyes, Shoulders

3 Favorite Hobbies: Reading, Blogging, NY Times Crossword Puzzles

3 Things you want to do badly right now: Sleep, Kiss Muffin Man, Kiss Mr. Spock (again, true last night, now switch "Sleep" to "Go Home"

3 Things that scare you: Cancer, Plane crash, War

3 Everyday Essentials: Chocolate , Water, Hugs

3 Careers you have considered/are considering: Radio Disc Jockey (actually did this in college), Book Store Owner (managed one anyway), Teacher

3 Places you want to go on vacation: Kauai, Kauai, Kauai

3 Kids names you like: Muffin Man's real name, Emily, Margaret

3 Things you wanna do before you die: Visit England, Read everything, Meet my grandkids

3 Things you want in a relationship: Mr. Spock.

3 Ways in which you are stereotypically a boy: Don't like wearing make-up, Enjoyed Circle of Iron, Would rather hire a cleaning crew than do it myself

3 Ways in which you are stereotypically a girl: I neaten everything before the cleaning crew comes, love receiving jewelry as gifts, Get all excited and trembly about newborns and weddings.

3 Celebrity Crushes: Steve Martin, Harrison Ford (BCF), Paul Newman

Recipe for Low-Fat Mushroom Risotto (for Genevieve)

Makes 4 Servings

3 cups Fat-free Chicken Broth (plus some water, maybe)
1 cup Arborio Rice
1 large onion (or 2 shallots)
1 pkg sliced mushrooms (or you can slice 'em yourself, but why?)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 splash madeira or marsala
1/4 cup freshly grated parmasan cheese

In a large sauce pan, warm the chicken broth. In a small sauce pan cook the mushrooms until they are tender.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and cook the onions until they are transluscent. Add the rice to the onions and toast the rice (stirring frequently) until it is transluscent with little white spots in the center (about 4 minutes). Over high heat, add one ladleful of chicken broth to the rice and stir constantly until the bottom of the pan looks dry when you move the rice away from it. Continue adding broth ladleful by ladleful, stirring constantly, until the rice is tender with no crunchy bits. This will take 20 to 40 minutes. If you run out of broth before the rice is done, start using warm water. The liquid you add to the risotto must be warm.

Add the mushrooms and the madeira to the rice and stir. Add the cheese and stir until the whole mixture sort of looks like oatmeal.

Serve in bowls with a salad (tomatoes and balsamic vinegar go very well with this.)

HINT: The person who is doing the stirring should NOT be the person who tests the rice for doneness. Trust me on this. You'll end up with crunchy risotto if you don't pay attention to this hint and nobody likes that.

UPDATE: Weight Watchers 3 points a serving.

What we're listening to around our house

And in the car.

Beethovan's Wig and Beethovan's Wig 2. Super silly lyrics set to well-known classical music. Muffin Man looooooves it and asks for it by name EVERY. TIME. we get in the car. "I want BAYTOWGAN'S Wig". Excellent albums (particularly the first one). I warn you though, you will get them stuck in your head.

Anyways, I've used his love of these albums to introduce Disney's Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 to him. He loves anything that doesn't over-do the thunder-and-lightning and volcanos. Not so much into The Sorcerer's Apprentice (too scary) or the dying dynosaurs (ditto). He loves the cavorting animals, flowers, and fairies on both DVD's.

Thoughts

Walked outside this morning and the scent brought me right back to summer camp. You know that scent, the one of warm air right after the rain with just a touch of freshly mown grass and a dash of honeysuckle? It gets me every time.

Why will Muffin Man fight tooth and nail to avoid taking a bath, and then fight tooth and nail to avoid getting out of the bath once he's in it? Does anyone else's child behave this way?

I made Osso Bucco tonight. First time ever. I served it over Mr. Spock's low-fat mushroom risotto. Delish. But why is it that the most scrumptious meals are the ones that are least likely to be on one's diet?

Osso Bucco & Risotto = 15 points on Weight Watchers. I'm only allowed 20 a day. Thank Goodness for swapping in exercise or I'd be in serious trouble.

Does anyone know how many calories are burned by giving piggy-back rides (including galloping and jumping) to a 30-lb 3-year-old for about a half-hour? If you do, please let me know.

Me on the porch in Cape Cod. Age 2.

Me_Age2
Originally uploaded by Mystery Mommy.

This goes with My First Summer Memory below.

Jo(e)'s summer meme

Favorite summer flower: Ummm....Let's change this to:
Favorite summer Flora: Blackberries growing wild on Fischer Road.
Flavor of ice cream: B&J Chocolate Fudge Brownie.
Mode of transportation: Feet or Bicycle.
Music: Anything I learned at Camp Onas sung by 120 children of varying ages.
Food: See this post.
Favorite game to play: Capture the Flag.
Earliest childhood summer memory: Playing on the beach in Cape Cod.
Favorite Drink: Lemonade from a thermos.
Favorite Snack: Goldfish.
Place to read: On the beach.
Most annoying: Mosquitoes in the bedroom at night.
How I handle the heat: By whining.
Pet Peeve: Dead horse flies by the side of the pool.
All-time favorite bathing suit: Purple & black striped speedo one piece with open back. I looked good in that suit.
Best Time of Day: Sunset.
Most romantic: Not really summer but...vacation in Kauai 4 years ago this week.
Summer movie: Grease.

View from the playground

So yesterday, Mr. Spock and I walked over to Muffin Man's daycare center to pick him up. We toted along his tricycle and his ladybug helmet so that he could pedal home if he wanted. Our way back takes us past a playground (or as it's known in our family "Swings and Slides!") and we stopped there to do a bit of swingin' and slidin'.

I'm sitting on a bench, watching the fun while MS & MM are playing on the slides.

MS & MM (together): "1, 2, 3, 4, 5! Whee!" MM slides down.
MS: "Can you count backwards?"
MM (turning around so his back is to MS): "1, 2, 3, 4, 5!" Falls down laughing.

Smartass.

I swear, we haven't even let him see "Airplane!" yet.

What are they thinking????

Pentagon Proposes Shutting Walter Reed. WALTER REED! The best hospital anywhere for treating burns, amputees, and all the other horrors of war. They want to close it during wartime? Are they crazy?!?

You gotta read...

...This. It is seriously funny. Seriously. Corndog, you are sooooo cool!

Blame it on Travels in Booland

This post reminded me of...

Three years ago Mr. Spock and I watched the Nero Wolfe Mysteries every Sunday on A&E. I have read and loved many of the books and MS and I were in love with the show, which is just as clever and witty as the books. Because we got such a kick out of the cook in the series, Fritz, and his relationship with Nero Wolfe and Nero's relationship with food (a good one, Nero is one-seventh of a ton), I went looking on the web to see if the Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout and Fritz Brenner, had come back into print. It had. I bought it for MS for our sixth anniversary and was very smug about how I would surprise him by getting him something I was sure he didn't even know the existence of. On the night before our anniversary, MS apologized for the fact that the present he ordered for me would not come on time.
"I only found out about the existence of this today." he said. I felt a strange eerie sensation.
"Did you buy it from Amazon.com?" I asked.
"Yes."
"From off my wish list?"
"No." My eerie feeling grew. I knew. Beyond the shadow of a doubt I knew.
"I think we got each other the same thing" I said.
"No we didn't."
"Yes, I'm pretty sure we did."
"Fiction or non-fiction?" was the question he threw at me, like a fastball.
"Yes." I tossed back. There was a pause.
"Is one of the authors a fictional character?" tentatively.
"Yes." Giggling. I got up and ran to get the box and gave it to MS.
"Happy Anniversary to us!" We had indeed each bought the other The Nero Wolfe Cookbook.

We ate corn-on-the-cob cooked as Nero insists it should be done - in the husk in a very hot oven, served with husk and silk still on the ear. You peel back the husk and the silk just comes right off. As Nero says, "With butter and salt, nothing else, it is ambrosia".

Just found this blog (via Yankee Transplant)

Falling Down is Also a Gift who talks movingly and beautifully about the blessings of organ donation in this post (as well as the idiocy of Gray's Anatomy on ABC.). Needless to say, I'll be adding her blog in the list to the left, but that will have to wait for tomorrow as I am very tired.

'Night all.

UPDATED 5/11/05: I've put a link to her page to the right, not the left, the right. I really was sleepy.

So why aren't I working at the bookstore?

I worked at Murder Ink for three years, first as a clerk then as a manager. I truly loved my job. I loved the customers, I loved the cheap books (employee discounts and advance reader's copies!), I loved the whole thing.

Except the pay. And the bathroom in the basement. But you can live with low pay and strange facilities when you love what you do.

In January 1996, I was going about my routine at the store. We had recently hired a very nice man who was a mystery-lover in his mid-fifties and had a heart condition, so the job was perfect for him (not too much stress). We were working well together, putting together mail-order stuff to go out and chatting. A few customers came in, we sold them books.

One guy came in and he sort of smelled like a shop-lifter. I don't mean he actually smelled, I mean he felt wrong. He was just....wrong. So, I grabbed the feather duster and wandered about dusting the shelves, keeping him in sight. All the other customers in the store paid and left and he went up to my co-worker and said "Open the cash register."

Me (I can only see his back): "I'm sorry, sir, we can't do that"
Shop-lifter: "I have a gun"
Me: "Oh, well, in that case."

I went behind the counter. He had the gun pointed at me. It's an automatic. He's wearing glasses. They're taped with cellophane tape up on the right-hand side. He's black, maybe in his forties.

I opened the register and gave him all the money in the top of the tray. He asked me for the stuff underneath as well, so I gave him that too.

All the time, I'm looking at him. And praying in my head, "C0-worker, please don't have a heart attack. Please don't have a heart-attack."

Shop-lifter leaves. We call the cops. Detective Refridgerator Perry (seriously, he's 6'6" and as wide as I am tall) takes our statements and a description of Shop-lifter. I go with him to look through the books for a match.

Fast forward to the next day. I ask my boss to install a camera and a panic button. He says "No."

Mr. Spock, when I get home that night, asks, "Why are you risking you butt for bupkes, when you could easily learn to program computers and make big money?"

So the next day I tell my boss, "Cameras and a panic button, or I quit."

Boss: "No."
Me: "Okay. It was great working with you."

And that's why I'm a computer programmer.

Epilogue 1: Detective Refridgerator Perry called me to come in and view a line-up.

DRF: "I heard you quit your job."
Me: "Yes"
DRF: "Don't you think that's over-reacting?"
Me: "Probably, if I were built like you and licensed to
carry a gun."
DRF: "Hmmmf."
Me: "Detective Perry, you're a police man. How many
times have you had a gun pointed at you?"
DRF: "Never."
Me: "This was my third."
DRF: "..."

Shop-lifter wasn't in the line-up.

Epilogue 2: So many other employees at the store threatened to quit that the boss finally did get cameras installed.

How I spent my mother's day.

Mr. Spock & Muffin Man took me out to brunch. I paid.

We went to visit a farm, lots of cows and calves, two horses and a dog. Muffin Man was in heaven. We brought home mint plants to grow. Thank you Mr. Farmer!

When MM went down for a nap, Mr. Spock made brownies while I cooked dinner. MM woke up and insisted on wearing Big Boy Underwear. We all had dinner, played some games, drew pictures.

MM WROTE HIS NAME! (Mom, Stepdad, Dad, Stepmom -- I'll e-mail you the picture I took)

MM WENT ON THE POTTY! (gummy bears were given)

Both my men were in bed and asleep by 9:00PM.

And that is a true and complete account of my day. Oh! And I spoke on the phone with Mom & Stepmom.

So, what's the first thing you notice about me?

If you ever get to see me in person, you'll probably notice that I am short. I'm 4'11''. My almost-twelve-year-old neice is taller than me. I am shrimpy.

The second thing you'll probably notice is that I'm....not Calista Flockheart.

I'm built pretty much like my Grandma Hilda (Dad's mom). She died when I was 4 of a heart attack. Dad's dad died when my dad was nine of a heart attack. My mom's dad (still going strong at age 95) had a heart attack. My dad (very well now, thank the gods) had a heart attack in his thirties. One of his brothers had a heart attack.

So, I found out several months ago that, unless I start exercising and eating right...which I knew but was denying.

My triglycerides were in the 400's. Even on medication. They're supposed to be below 150. In the last few months I got them down to the mid 200's.

How? Two small changes.

1. I got a pedometer. I started walking more (taking the stairs and parking at the far end of the garage). I record my steps at http://www.americaonthemove.org.

2. I drink 60 oz of water everyday. Keeps me hydrated, eating less, and walking more (to the kitchen at work to refill my water bottle and to the bathroom.)

My friend Preludes and Nocturnes and her fiance (who's our long-time friend from NYC) also helped me get more aware of some food decisions, so I started eating more veggies and fruit.

Because my triglycerides are still a tad too high, my doctor wants me to exercise more and lose some weight. So, along with my sister (up in New England) I joined Weight Watchers on-line. And you know? It's not bad! I'm not hungry and I seem to be losing some weight. I'll let y'all know how it goes after my next appointment.

Meeting Haiku

This is haiku I wrote today in a large meeting room where the a/c is cranked up for some unknown reason.

Why would they turn up
the air-conditioning so high?
Cold as death, tomb-like.

Is it not enough
that we must sit pretending
interest in this?

Oh well. If we die
of boredom at this meeting,
at least we won't rot.

Phantom Scribbler started it.

Almost as an aside in this post, Phantom Scribbler mentions Little Women*, which automatically reminded me of the early days in Mr. Spock's & my relationship.

In those days we were living in a two room apartment on West 96th Street in NYC. That is not a typo - two rooms, not two bedrooms.

He was doing something in one room (watching tv? working on the computer?) at this distance, I don't recall exactly what. I was in the other room reading Little Women, something I do about once a year. Beth had just died. I was going past him to get to the bathroom, sobbing.

Him: "What's the matter? Why are you crying?"
Me: "B-b-b-beth d-d-d-died."
Him: "What? When?"
Me: "J-just now in the b-book."
Him: "But....haven't you read it before?"
Me: "Yes."
Him: "So, why are you crying?"
Me: "She died!"

He never really got it. Somehow it's always a surprise when Beth dies.

*This is the edition I have. Beautiful illustrations.

Whew....

Busy weekend.

Muffin Man had a great time at sister-in-law's house. She and her fiance took him out to dinner at Ruby Tuesday's where he ate a cheeseburger, fries and dessert and left NOTHING on his plate. He slept long and well and ate a good breakfast.

After that, Mr. Spock and I threw him into the minivan and we drove to the wilds of northern Pennsylvania to celebrate Passover with my dad, step-mom, sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, and 4 cousins (actually: step-cousin, step-cousin-by-marriage, and 2 step-cousins-once-removed).

Aside from the 6 hour drive there and the 5 hour drive back, it was a lovely visit. Muffin Man was a trouper (practically no whining, absolutely no melt-downs.) and ate and slept well. He also charmed the dickens out of everybody. One of our cousins is a month older than Muffin Man and they had a pretty good time together (though MM hurt my cousin's feelings once because he wouldn't play catch with him)

And any weekend I get to eat soft-shell crab is a good one in my book. What? You say crab's not kosher? Neither am I.