Not Your Everyday News

A year later...

2010-05-01T19:22:00.003-04:00

...and so much has changed! After leaving the place where I had been happy, I went to work for my parents, a difficult transition for me after not having to be under their thumb for almost 4 years. I love my parents, do not get me wrong, but we most definitely do not see eye to eye as far as the restaurant biz goes, or much else for that matter. Anyway, after almost a year of enduring, they finally decided to retire AGAIN, and now I FINALLY have my own place, the Cavalier Diner! I ask whoever reads this to please come and visit me and hubby, we are really trying to make a go of this and need the support of friends and locals. Breakfast is served all day, and we have a wide ranging menu, from salads to pizza, subs to pasta, gyros, burgers, chicken, and so much more. Give us a try, you won't be disappointed. 1403 N. Emmet St., right where the 250/29 bypass is. The red car is the same, and we have pics of the best dog in the whole wide world displayed, as Lady is our official mascot! But while I am at it, let me post another pic of her just to remind you of her...come on down to the Cavalier Diner! Open 7 days a week, 6am-10pm weekdays, 6am - midnight Fri./Sat. - also with free delivery and Wi-Fi too!

And the beat goes on...

2009-04-07T10:00:00.006-04:00

Wow, so much has happened in the last 5 months, and almost none of it

good. Hubby fell and broke his wrist Christmas Eve; the break was so

severe that it required surgery after the holidays. He had also been

complaining about the vision in his left eye - turns out he had a cataract,

so another surgery there. The good news is that he sees great now, and

his wrist is mending well; there is a plate in there with 5 screws, but he

has regained most of his mobility and about 1/2 of his strength. The

physical therapy continues. Last and unfortunately least, yours truly

has lost her job at the local restaurant that I wrote about so often in

these pages. There was a change in ownership, and apparently I rubbed

the new owner the wrong way; we have totally different personalities,

styles, and ways of doing things. The experiment of cooperation lasted

a while, but it had become clear the last few months, as more and more

changes were being made to a restaurant that didn't need change, that

a divorce was imminent. Sure enough, 2 weeks ago I handed over my

set of keys. It has been a painful 2 weeks. I miss it. I miss the drama of

the staff, the food, and most of all, my regular customers, the ones who

came in when they saw the red car parked outside, the ones who came

in at set times certain days of the week, thrilled to see a 'reserved' sign

on 'their' table, the ones who pretended to come in give me a hard time

but in reality to chit chat for a bit and shoot the breeze. I miss my peeps,

and I hate the new owner for taking them away from me. Hopefully some,

if not all, of them will follow me to my next place of employment; I

should know where that will be in the next week or 2. I thought of a

return to teaching, but unfortunately, there is not alot of demand for

history teachers these days. Seems like all the openings are in science,

math, or Spanish (and we all know why everyone needs to learn Spanish

now don't we?). Anyway, I may or may not return to blogging, I have

been having some fun on Twitter now, but that might just be a fad, time

will tell. In any case, the little red Mazda, her husband, and her great dog

Lady continue to roll on.

Shaken, not stirred

2008-11-15T14:33:00.004-05:00

Well, as most of you know, the latest James Bond movie is out, and

as is always the case each time one is released, there is banter as

to how the latest ranks comparatively to the previous flicks. Then,

naturally, the various arguments begin: which Bond is superior?

Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, or the newest 007,

Daniel Craig (Timothy Dalton? uh, NOT!). Alot of folks also debate

whose Bond song is the best, be it Tina Turner, Tom Jones, Nancy

Sinatra, Carly Simon, Sheena Easton, A-Ha, or Duran Duran, (sorry

Madonna, you are a legend, but your Bond song? Awful). But perhaps

the most discussed topic of all Bond movies? The Bond girl/babe

naturally! Guys love the action sequences, gadgets, cars, and special

effects of the 007 movies, but let's face facts, they are also scoping out

the latest seductive female enemy that Bond falls for. And, as with the

songs, there are numerous contenders; in this case, who has been the

prettiest and/or sexiest. Halle Berry and Kim Basinger stand out of

course, as do Barbara Bach, Britt Ekland, and Jane Seymour. But it

seems that Ursula Andress (who starred with Sean Connery in 'Dr. No')

wins every debate. Guess that 'blonde at the beach in a white bikini'

look is rather popular!

Float your boat

2008-11-09T11:21:00.006-05:00

Well here is a story that you don't come across everyday!

For the last 9 years, Beatrice Muller, an 89 year old widow,

has chosen a rather unconventional retirement residence -

the luxury cruise ship RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (the QE2 for

short, shown above). Muller has found this arrangement, one

that allows her to cruise around the world and receive top

notch service and cuisine, much more agreeable than any

retirement home. However, come this month, she will find

herself in a dilemma. The QE2 is about to be retired from

service. Muller, though, despite her ship's pending retirement,

has no intention of returning to land - "Why would I want to do

that for?" Instead, she plans to find another ship to sail out her

days on. Her cabin on the QE2 costs about $7000 a month;

according to her estimates, that is about the same cost as a

retirement home in Florida, except that is is "far more pleasant".

Let's hope that the sea loving Mrs. Muller finds a suitable new

cruise vessel that will float her boat!

Elton John

2008-10-21T18:13:00.003-04:00

I am about 4 days late getting this posted, but better late

than never! Hubby and I went to the Elton John concert

last Friday evening. I was in semi-shock that someone of

his stature was coming to our small fair city, but ecstatic as

I got lower level tickets. Not as close as I would've liked, as

you can tell from the pic above (EJ is in the lower left hand

corner, on the piano of course!), but they were decent seats

all the same. Elton John, despite his 60+ years, still has it -

he is a first caliber showman, still with a very good voice,

and most of all, still having fun and enjoying what he does.

You could just tell he was having a grand old time, which only

energized the sold out crowd; the aisles were full of people

dancing for the last hour of the concert. He is still a great piano

man with great endurance; he went almost 3 hours non-stop

except for a few seconds here and there to sip some water.

John played many of his classics - 'Daniel', 'Sacrifice', 'Don't let

the Sun go down on me', 'Candle in the Wind', 'That's why they

call it the Blues', 'Philadelphia Freedom', and much more.

The only thing that bothered me was that the quality of the

sound at the arena, that new one built by the local university at

great cost, was very POOR, not giving Elton John's music or

voice justice. Who on earth designed the acoustics at this poor

excuse of an arena? It's not bad enough that the upper level is

set up so steeply that some people get vertigo going up there,

or that the seats in the upper level are so tight and close together

that unless you are 98 pounds and short, you barely fit into the

seat and your knees touch the back of the seat in front of you?

They couldn't get the acoustics right either? Were the speakers

not adjusted or synchronized correctly, or just set too loud? At

times, John's beautiful music almost sounded harsh; my husband

and I both left the concert with a headache. We had a great time,

thrilled to have seen a living legend live, but distraught over the

abysmal sound system.

German Ingenuity

2008-10-11T11:45:00.007-04:00

So last night ole gal pal Michelle commented to me how it had

been forever since I posted in my blog, that she was tired at

looking at the perfect brownie pan! So at her behest, I am posting

a new picture for all to check out, and naturally, it has to one of

the reason that I spend less time on my computer. Yes folks, a

pic of the one and only Lady coming up!!! But before I dig one

up suitable to post here, I do need to take the time to applaud

those lovable Germans yet again. Two recent articles in the Reuters

website grabbed my attention. In the first one, it was announced

that 1000's of German policewomen would be receiving bullet-

proof bras. Apparently, it was determined that there was a slight

safety risk for women cops wearing bras with an underwire under

the standard bullet-proof vests. Hence new bras were designed

that contained no metal parts and had the look of a sports bra!!!

Secondly, the city of Stuttgart recently upgraded their medical

emergency service by purchasing 2 new vehicles for their ambulance

fleet. The 2 new vehicles? Porsche Cayenne SUVs of course! A Porsche

spokesman stated that it was not an easy conversion; a defibrillator,

ECG, oxygen supply, and other medical equipment had to be placed

in an overhauled interior. However, the Cayenne will get a patient in

distress to the hospital in style....quickly!!!

Almost perfect!

2008-07-26T15:36:00.007-04:00

Brownie lovers of the world....listen up! I came across

this ingenious baker's pan online today, and I have

already targeted this to be a Christmas present for a

good friend of mine who loves to bake. It is a pan with

edges built in, as you can see from the picture above.

With this pan, there will be no gooey centers, each piece

will have the crunchy, tastier side of the brownie. I love

the corner pieces (even when I make a tray of lasagna!),

and know quite a few folks who do as well. It is perfect...

well, almost perfect....I imagine there are those who

prefer the gooey center pieces and are looking at this

pan in horror!

We shall return...and return

2008-07-21T17:09:00.004-04:00

Well, got back to the restaurant a few days ago after taking

a little bit of time off, and needless to say, the drama did

NOT decrease while I was away! One of the waitresses

who had given notice and left is actually coming back this

week, much to the chagrin of the rest of the staff, who were

enjoying an absence that basically was a 2 week vacation!

I had actually told this woman that I knew she would be

back; I predicted within 3-4 months, so this return after 2

weeks did surprise me. Another waitress has actually left

after seemingly giving notice for the last 2 YEARS...I think

I should set up a pool, allowing everyone to predict when

she will be back! There seems to be a common thread

within the restaurant. So many members of the staff, past

and present, have one time or another left, sometimes

more than once, only to return a month, 6 months, a year

later. It is almost a joke....oh, so and so will be back,

everybody comes back eventually! Some are welcomed back

with open arms, others are taken back only because of need,

and then there are those that the only thing that can be

said is HECK NO!!!

Ventriloquist Fun!

2008-07-13T12:56:00.008-04:00

First and foremost, I must acknowledge ventriloquist/

comedian Jeff Dunham for coming up with one of the

funniest (if not THE funniest) puppet acts ever - Achmed

the Dead Terrorist! Good ole gal pal Michelle showed me

the video of their act online, and I was immediately

HOOKED.....repeating the catch phrase 'Silence....I Kill

You!' way too often, and prompting me to buy tickets to

Dunham's show in mid September right here in our fair

city. For those poor souls unfamiliar with Achmed and

Jeff, just click on the title of this post, and it will take

you to the YouTube video of the act. The humor is at

times dark and/or politically incorrect (the latter being

right up my alley!), but is simply too hilarious to pass

up....ENJOY!

Despicable

2008-07-10T10:29:00.003-04:00

Contempt is what I feel for the jerk in this story. A

man in Wisconsin was recently arrested for faking

heart attacks to get out of cab fares and restaurant

tabs. His scam was uncovered by a doctor at the

hospital he was taken too; the doc recognized him

as a repeat 'patient' and called the police. The faker

was charged with fraud and could face up to 9 months

in prison and a $10,000 fine. I think both are light-

weight slaps on the wrist. Someone close to me has

had a heart attack, and it is NOT a laughing matter or

something to play with and fake having one. One day,

it might be a case of the boy crying wolf.

Weekend warriors

2008-07-07T19:21:00.005-04:00

This past 4th of July weekend was not a banner one for the

restaurant. Business was a bit off as alot of folks took the

opportunity to go out of town for the long weekend, while

those who remained did fireworks/cookouts/family

activities at home. But that didn't mean that we didn't

have our share of dysfunctional hijinks at our dining

establishment. As we are bit shorthanded as far as night

shift waitstaff goes, we have been on the hunt for a few

good men and/or women. Well, we did rehire a young man

who worked briefly for us in the past on a part-time basis.

As the so called 'fresh meat' of the restaurant, he has gotten

endless scrutiny, mainly inquiries as to his availability and

sexual preference! And I must confess, one of my gal pals,

the one and only Michelle, is slightly smitten with him!

Good luck girlfriend! Meanwhile her best friend, Alexia,

who has now been with us for 2 months, has quickly

moved up the drama queen ladder; I foresee her firmly

perched in the top rung in just a matter of time! Recently

she broke up with her significant other, only to hook up

with an ex flame. In the meantime, she has had to ward off

the unwanted advances from members of both sexes,

primarily cooks, with a few customers thrown in! Last,

and sadly not least, I was compelled to call 911 last night

due to a disturbance in the restaurant by someone who was

obviously mentally unbalanced. She had come in once

before, about a year ago, but had left peacefully. Last night,

however, was a different story. I didn't want to have her

arrested, but it got to the point where I had no choice. The

situation was simply distressing; makes me wish there were

more viable and effective longterm solutions to help the

homeless and/or mentally disturbed members of our society.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T15:12:00.006-04:00

When it comes to the American independence day,

most folks think of fireworks, cookouts, and general

merriment. I just want to remind people the real

meaning of the day, how it symbolizes when the

founding fathers of this great country 'declared'

independence from Great Britain in 1776; a long war

followed to ensure the declaration came to actual

fruition, and in the 232 year history of the United

States, several more wars have been fought to ensure

our freedom - the freedom to vote, have free speech,

freedom of religion, and of course, the freedom to

have firework exhibitions and to grill 'til our hearts...

and stomachs...delight! Happy Birthday U.S.A.!

1 Year!!!

2008-06-30T11:31:00.013-04:00

It was one year ago today...June 30, 2007, out of sheer curiosity

to an ad we had seen, that my husband and I were united with our

then little, now BIG, beautiful baby girl, Lady! Hubby had seen an

ad about someone giving away puppies, Lab/Husky mixes. Ever

since we moved into our present home, we had explored the possi-

bility of getting a dog, since we had a fenced yard, and of course,

since we both loved dogs. Occasionally we would takes trips to the

SPCA to take a look, but it seemed like the majority of the dogs

there were either pit-bulls or pit bull mixes. Some of them were

good looking, but I have to admit we are scared of this breed of dog;

maybe they have a bad rep, but it is what it is. Anyway, after seeing

the ad about the puppy giveaway, we were curious as to what they

would look like, as we both liked Labs, and I thought Huskies were

pretty. So on Saturday morning, after breakfast, we took the 25

minute drive to a neighboring county JUST TO LOOK at them.

There were 3 left out of the litter of 10; all 3 were females. The trio

were chubby and very cute, but only the smallest one really paid

hubby and I any attention, coming over to sniff us, then rolling on

her back, asking for a belly rub. The owner of the pups explained

that the small one was her fave, how she had the most personality,

but how no one had wanted or taken her since she was the runt of

the litter. I picked the runt up, looked in her eyes, and knew right

then. That RUNT was 11 pounds at the time. Lady is now in the

vicinity of 70 pounds, and has changed our lives. She is our girl,

hopefully for many more years to come.

Woes

2008-06-24T19:47:00.004-04:00

Kind of disappointing weekend. First, the Euro 2008 soccer

tourney is not going as we had hoped. Greece got knocked

out first, and then Italy; the Italians lost a real heartbreaker

in the quarterfinals to Spain, on penalty kicks after a score-

less regular time and overtime. UGH. Of course, being fans,

hubby and I will watch the semis and the final; the first semi

pits Germany against Turkey, the second has Russia against

Spain. Personally I hope Germany comes out the winner,

although the Russians have looked rather impressive. We

shall see. At the restaurant, I had one waitress pull a no

call, no show for the second time, so she is out for good this

time; we had taken her back after she pulled this the first

time after hearing and believing her sob story. Then another

waitress gave her 2 weeks notice as she has some health

issues and, unfortunately, a difficult family situation. So it

looks like we are about to enter another shorthanded

phase at the restaurant after going several months without

any employee issues. Not too surprising I guess, nature of

the beast so to speak!

Take the cake

2008-06-21T12:20:00.005-04:00

First and foremost, I need to wish a very happy birthday to one of my

gal pals, Michelle! Hope she has a fantastic day! Also need to wish a

belated birthday to another gal pal, Lola. As she seems to rotate

between Alaska, Seattle, and Colorado, I can't seem to keep up with

Lola, and in this case, her big day, but I hope she had a good one

nonetheless! I really need to get my address/important dates book

more organized; I know another friend of mine has a birthday coming

up this summer, just have to remember who and when! Two nice

folks that I need to add to my inner circle cluster are a sweet couple

that frequent the restaurant, I'll call them Keith and Amy here. They

are about my age (a rare thing indeed when it comes to my inner

circle!) and are very likable, other than the fact that they just adopted

a kitten - yes, I know kittens are cute, but the problem is that they

grow up to be cats! But we can overlook this minor technicality and try

to ignore my dog (as in Lady!) bias! Anyway, Keith is a computer dude,

like my hubby, while Amy manages the areas largest oral surgery

practice. Hence she is forever offering up dental do's and don'ts! The

funniest thing is when she notices a restaurant staff member or

customer who in some way is dentally challenged and starts remarking

about #9 or #11. I learned that dentists number each tooth; my dentist,

for instance, every year when I go for my checkup, takes a long look at

#14, as it is a tooth that he feels could be problematic. Every year, #14

gets x-rayed, and every year he says we'll just keep an eye on it and

check it next time. I have my yearly appointment in July, so I am sure

the focus will be on #14 again! The good thing about #14 is that is in

the back, not visible. The teeth that Amy comments on, such as #10,

are front teeth and hard to miss.....if they are not actually missing

that is! And unfortunately the restaurant is staffed/frequented by

more than a few folks with dental issues, keeping Amy's commentary

flowing while poor Keith just shakes his head....oh, look at #8!!!

Dead Mayors Society

2008-06-16T19:34:00.006-04:00

Here is a eyebrow raising story from the Reuters.com website.

The mayor of a small village in north eastern Romania won

re-election in municipal voting over the weekend...despite

dying soon after the polls opened! Word spread of the

incumbent's death due to liver disease, but his constituents

deemed that the dead mayor was still superior to his live

opponent. (That is kind of embarrassing for that guy if you

think about it!) A voter even stated " I know he died, but I

don't want change." In the end, however, elections authorities

gave the post to the runner up; the deceased's political party

are now calling for new elections. Oh well, I am sure if that

does occur, the citizens will pick the best man for the job -

dead or alive!

Soccer galore

2008-06-10T16:46:00.007-04:00

Every 2 years hubby and I get all worked up about a

big soccer tourney. Two years ago we had the World

Cup, won by Italy; four years ago we had the European

Cup, won by Greece! They are 2 of the 3 countries

closest to our hearts (along with the United States of

course). Well, this year the European Championship

takes center stage again. Hence, since last Saturday,

we have planned our days around soccer matches,

thankfully being shown on ESPN 2. The games will go

on for about a month, basically killing our social life,

but bringing our sporting side a needed fix (since soccer,

football, and basketball seasons are over). Unfortunately

both Italy and Greece lost their opening matches, but

both have 2 matches to go before the elimination round,

so it's not over yet! Go Italia and Hellas!

Waitstaff follies

2008-06-08T11:30:00.004-04:00

I have been remiss in my duties....to introduce you to new players and

characters in the never ending restaurant soap opera. Besides the fact

that we have had a couple waitresses get pregnant, take time off, and

dutifully return to work, we have had several comings and goings staff

wise. Keisha, the white ghetto fab waitress chick, and a good friend of

mine, left a few months ago because she was unable to find reliable

babysitting for her non-school age children. So how is she earning funds

now? By....babysitting!!! Actually, she makes a good amount of her living

by babysitting children of the waitresses who got knocked up (see

above!). I do miss Keisha though - fortunately we talk on the phone and

she drops by every once in a while to shoot the bull. Meanwhile we have

hired several new waitstaff gals, one who used to work with Brandy in

the past and has been a real find; she actually has no drama or issues in

her life - she is married AND has no criminal record or addictions - kind

of makes me wonder what she is doing at the restaurant in the first place!

But all the other new hires have more than enough crises to make up for

our normal gal. Two of them are admitted alcoholics; we did have to get

rid of one of them after she came to work intoxicated on more than one

occasion. The other is part-time, so I guess she is smarter, saving her

drunken stupors for her days off! Recently we hired another lifetime

waitress who has already become fodder for the rumor mill; I could

really care less if everything said about this gal is true, as long as she is

reliable, good to the customers, and does her job. Last but not least, I

need to introduce y'all to a chick I will call Alexia here. She has been

working at the restaurant for about a month now; I hired her due to need,

and also as a favor to my gal pal Michelle, as Alexia and Michelle have

been best buds forever. She recently moved back to the area after going

through a divorce and other personal drama. Brief outline of Alexia -

good waitress, pretty redhead, great sense of humor, albeit a bit on the

sarcastic side at times (definitely NOT a drawback in my book!), mother

to 2 small children, oh, and did I mention she is a lipstick lesbian? While

she refuses to even consider my theory, I must assume that her marriage

was so bad and delusory that she just went to the other extreme; I will

just have to hope that one day Mr. Right will walk in and bring her to her

senses! Until then, I guess I will have to put up with butch 'women'

dropping by the restaurant. Oh well, like we don't already have a multi-

tude of characters frequenting our establishment, what's a few more?!?!

Pringles

2008-06-02T19:29:00.003-04:00

A touch of the sad and bizarre here. The inventor of the cans that

those way too yummy Pringles potato chips come in died last

month. Fredric Baur of Cincinnati, Ohio had worked for Proctor

and Gamble as a chemist and food storage technician. He filed a

patent for the tubular chip container in 1966; the patent was

granted in 1970. Baur was so proud of his invention (and rightly

so in my book!) that he had requested, upon his death, that a

portion of his ashes be placed in one of the cans and buried. His

family honored this, with the rest of the ashes being placed in an

urn and buried alongside the Pringles can. While I do have my

eyebrows raised a bit on this one, I can't help but wonder what

flavor can was picked for this solemn event - ranch, cheddar,

barbeque, sour cream and onion, or simply classic original?!?

It's a dog's life - part 2

2008-06-01T11:40:00.000-04:00

It's a dog's life!

2008-05-25T13:05:00.002-04:00

Hey, you just gotta be comfortable while

eating and drinking....you go Lady girl!!!

Only in New York

2008-05-24T15:37:00.003-04:00

New York City that is. The other day I was checking out some

stories on the Reuters website, and came across this tidbit,

about the most expensive burger in NYC, and I would dare to

say, probably anywhere. The Wall Street Burger Shoppe recently

unveiled a deluxe burger priced at $175....that is NOT a typo!

Now we all know that the Big Apple is known for excess and

high prices, but this is definitely over the top. The owner of this

establishment justifies the price by detailing the ingredients :

Kobe beef patty, an abundant amount of black truffles, wild

mushrooms, seared foie gras, and aged gruyere, all topped with

flecks of gold leaf and served on a brioche bun. Well alrighty

then! The scary thing is that the eatery sells approximately

20-25 of these pricey dish per month, no doubt to the well-

heeled, pretentious clientele. I love a good burger like most

anyone else (vegetarians excluded of course!), but forget all

that exotic stuff, give me some good old fashioned lettuce,

mayo, bacon, a portobello mushroom maybe, blue cheese if I

want to get fancy, and I am good to go, all for under 10 bucks!

We all scream for ice cream

2008-05-06T22:29:00.006-04:00

Sad times for all ice cream lovers. It has been reported that

Irvine Robbins, one of the co-founders of the ice cream chain

Baskin-Robbins, died yesterday at the age of 90 after a long

illness. Robbins had opened his first ice-cream shop in 1945

after being discharged from the army, using funds that he

had gotten from his bar mitzvah. His brother in law, Burton

Baskin, opened his own ice cream shop a year later. By the

end of the 1940's they had joined forces, flipping a coin to see

whose name would come first. One of their corporate policies

was to allow employees to eat all the ice cream they wanted,

because, as Robbins simply stated, "I don't want my employees

stealing." Baskin and Robbins also decided to sell their

stores to managers, pioneering the concept of franchises for

ice cream stores. Robbins, who retired in the 1970's, once

declared that "Frankly, I never met a flavor I didn't like."

Personally, there were some flavors that didn't suit my

palate, but I severely miss the old Baskin-Robbins that we

used to have in our fair city. But perhaps it is best, I am sure

I would be having even more weight issues if Jamocha

Almond Fudge, simply the best Baskin-Robbins flavor EVER,

was readily available to me!

Old friends and new

2008-04-29T19:43:00.003-04:00

What can I say? Not sure really, it just seems that my endless

fountain of news, gossip, wit, and unusual things occasionally

somehow run on the borderline of dry. Does that mean that

my restaurant cast of characters or gal pals have suddenly

become run of the mill? uuummmm......NOT!!! I have one

waitress fretting over her son being arrested AGAIN, another

waitress who is supposedly attending classes as to how to lead

a drug-free life testing positive with a random drug test she was

subjected to, and a cook whose automobile-related run ins with

the police continue to accumulate. As far as my friends go, Lola

is back in Alaska, Michelle claims that this time she is DONE

with the ex-loser boyfriend, Sandra is less than impressed with

my matchmaking efforts for her, and Francesca is, well, simply

Francesca, her drama filled life confounding all who know her!

And I have a couple of new gal pals to add to the crew, a married

mom of 3 that I will call Hillary here (no, NOT Clinton!), and a

chick I'll call Carly here, who brings her blind dates to the

restaurant in order to feel safe and be surrounded by folks she

knows in case the situation needs a quick remedy! Hillary, who is

not just a soccer mom, but has 2 other sports to deal with as well,

is living proof of why I decided against having kids, she averages

about 3 hours of sleep a day due to all a life revolving around

not 1, not 2, but 3 preteens. Carly, after 4 failed adventures, seems

to have hit the mother lode with date #5.....they are officially a

couple now, so good luck to her....and to our the soccer mom!

hindsight - always 20/20

2008-02-17T15:53:00.002-05:00

It is one of the oldest cliches ever, hindsight is 20/20 vision.

And it is so so true. My husband and I decided to have our

big puppy girl, Lady, spayed. We had heard from several

folks and read numerous writings about the benefit of having

such a procedure done. Inexperienced in such matters, we

decided to go ahead with it. To put it simply and mildly, we

are besides ourselves, almost desperate with regret. Lady is

so sad in this week since she was spayed. She has had to wear

a lampshade-shaped plastic collar that she hates with all her

might; she has already destroyed one and the 2nd one is

hanging on by a thread. Her physical activity has been

severely curtailed, as the vet said she cannot jump, run, go

up and down stairs, or any other activities that are normal

for her. Hence, Lady is bored and miserable. Her saucy, cocky,

crazy spirit is not even 1/2 of what is normally is. Everyone

has been trying to reassure me that once the 2 week period

is over and she can take off the lampshade and do her usual

physical antics, she will be fine and back to normal. But

watching and spending time with her this past week, and

knowing we have one more week of this to go, has broken

hubby's and my hearts. Lady, we are so so so sorry to have

had this done to you, if we had any idea of the true reality,

we never would've have gone through with it. We are just

so sorry and love you even more Lady, we'll never let you

be hurt again baby girl.

WAY too much time on hands!

2008-02-16T15:12:00.003-05:00

There are all kinds of folks out there, including those who stress

and obsess with every little thing. Alot of these people are just

anal-retentive, while others simply have a boatload of time on

their hands; many of such people then, either intentionally or

not, make the lives of normal folks a bit more interesting

(if for nothing else, to make fun of the crazy nitpickers!) Prime

example - a man in Poland received a letter on January 3 that

had been dispatched December 20. Believe it or not, it had been

sent priority. In any case, the gentleman who received the tardy

mail made calculations about the actual time it took to get his

letter. He came up with the conclusion that a snail moved faster

than the Polish postal service. It took 294 hours for the letter to

arrive, and had to travel 11.1 kilometers. Given the distance and

the time, the letter traveled at the scorching speed of 0.03775

kilometers per hour; a garden snail was timed at the lightening

pace of 0.048 kilometers per hour. Hence your proof, mail in

Poland moves as slow as snails, or in this case, even slower!

Good idea.....NOT

2008-02-07T07:27:00.000-05:00

In the last month or so, I have gone back to trying to find

unusual and/or whacky things online, be it stories or

products. Well, I have a product to present from the site

Wallet Pop, one that LOOKS like a good idea, but in the

long run probably isn't! Camileon Heels has come out with

women's shoes that convert from high heels to low heels,

without requiring the wearer to take her shoes off. The heel

is engineered to fold when the wearer desires a more comfor-

table, casual feel and look. It is quite obviously aimed at

travelers and business women on the go who don't have alot

of time or baggage space. No need to pack a 2nd pair of shoes

here is apparently the idea. Sounds good?! Well, first and

foremost, I would be concerned about the balance of the arch

support. It would obviously change if the shoe went from a

3 or 4 inch heel to 1 or 2 inches. Second, what if the wearer of

the shoe doesn't bring it up from a low heel to a high heel pro-

perly (after all, we must take blondes into consideration!).

She'll go to take a step and stumble instead, or worse. Last, but

not least, these shoes by Camileon sell for around $300. I don't

know about you, but for that price, I can buy 3 pairs of very nice

shoes. And quite frankly, shoes don't take up all that much room

in an overnight or weekend bag. So you pack a pair of fancy high

heels, a casual low heel pair, and some comfortable tennis shoes

if room (and your schedule) allows. Done. A good idea in theory

maybe, but thumbs down on the Camileon Heels.

Probation???

2008-01-28T19:58:00.000-05:00

Quick updates. It has been a while since I have written about some

of my gal pals, so time to do a quick summary. Michelle is still

ruling at the cell phone retailer she works at. Good news and bad

news with her....she is NOT seeing the bozo that has mistreated

her so much in the past.....bad news is that for some reason, she is

still not over him. Let us bang our heads against the wall in unison

now.....AAGGHH! Oh well, other than that, she is in fine fettle. As

for Sandra, she is still at the job she landed last summer, while

occasionally doing her stand-up comedy routine....and yes, still

single. Someone who is kind of sort of seeing someone is the one

and only Francesca. She dropped by the other night after being

AWOL for a couple of months. She is still with the same boyfriend

(yes, we are ALL shocked about that one!), but as she put it, he is

on "probation". Apparently he has misbehaved lately. Furthermore,

her parents can't stand him (nor can her sister, friends, etc....maybe

a hint hint hint for Francesca?), so until he meets with her parents

and things improve, probation it is. She did state that since being

put on this probation, boyfriend is actually opening doors for her!

She has also quit one job, and is on the verge of quitting her other

one should this travel agency gig that she applied for comes through.

Francesca is really hoping for that, more for the discount airline

tickets and hotel rooms! Last, but certainly not least, Lola is still in

Seattle, but maybe for not much longer. No viable job has come

through for her, and unfortunately, no relationship has cropped up

either, although there may be one in the works. However, a return

to Alaska is very likely in the early spring if things don't turn around

soon. I tell ya', keeping up with the adventures of these gals is one

thing, understanding what is going on inside their heads another!

Lady

2008-01-27T11:20:00.000-05:00

Here it is, way overdue, a picture of our big,

beautiful, baby girl, the one and only LADY,

just the best dog ever! Witness her in relax

mode, (trust me, a RARE event!) chilling on

the sofa! Good girl, love you!

Frustration and Fun

2008-01-20T12:25:00.000-05:00

With the Benazir Bhutto assassination 3 weeks ago, and the

subsequent fallout, I neglected to wish my friends and readers

a very Happy New Year....so Happy 2008! Personally, it could

have started off a little better. My beloved Dallas Cowboys,

who had the best record in the NFC and held home field advan-

tage throughout the playoffs with a first round bye, blew it by

losing to the N.Y. Giants, a team Dallas had beaten twice this

season. I know it is tough to beat the same team 3 times in the

same season, but after the year Dallas had had, and the advan-

tage at hand, it could - SHOULD - have been a victory. Yet we

Cowboy fans have to suffer through yet another year without a

playoff victory, a streak that reaches over a decade now. Very

frustrating. :( On the positive side, we got our first real snow

fall of the year, much to the delight of my dollbaby puppy Lady!

(yes, she is still a puppy, despite her having reached 60 pounds

recently!) The Siberian Husky side of her definitely came out

with the cold white stuff; she was bouncing and prancing around

in it, attacking the snow balls I was throwing, sticking her nose

in mounds of snow and tossing masses of it about. Lady enjoyed

the snow so much she was hesitant to come in when I called her,

taking her sweet time while looking back over her shoulder

almost lustfully! The fact that most of the snow melted away the

very next day was, I am sure, rather disconcerting to my big gal!

Bhutto Assassination update

2008-01-05T13:00:00.000-05:00

I have spent these days since the lamentable assassination of

Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan in a state of mournful sorrow, yet

with a twist of amusement, but not in the funny, ha ha sort of

way. No, I have been 'amused' by the Pakistani government's

(ie. murderers) explanation of the events on that tragic day.

Apparently, according to the government spokesman, Bhutto

did not die from gunshots or the bomb explosion. No, the

sunroof killed her! Yes, you read correctly. Bhutto, as you all

know by now, was waving and saluting her adoring public

as she stood in the open sunroof of her vehicle. When the

deadly commotion started, she quickly tried to re-enter her

vehicle (according to the government version), and in doing

so, hit the lever of the sunroof with the back of her head,

fracturing it and causing the fatal injuries. That's right,

death by sunroof is the version they are trying to sell. I just

want to know when the entire world became blonde, or

were born yesterday. It is just an insult to even offer up

such a pathetic fantasy; who in their right mind would even

for a moment consider such an excuse? A harried videotape

taken during the dreadful episode has surfaced, and despite

it not being of the best quality, it is still very clear that

Bhutto was shot first, as you see her buckle and begin to

collapse, then the light of the explosion from the suicide

bomb follows almost immediately after. So now the red-

faced Pakistani government, trying to present some

semblance of propriety, has invited Scotland Yard investi-

gators into Pakistan to assist in discovering exactly how

Bhutto was killed and who was responsible (again insulting

our intelligence, as if we didn't know....sheesh). Further-

more, a few days ago, the government announced they

would delay the elections until February, due to the exces-

sive protests and violence after Bhutto's death. It would

not surprise me in the least if the elections were delayed

again, or not even held. And if they do ever take place, it

will be ridiculously rigged, so it will all be moot. But

nothing, not Scotland Yard, not any mournful protest by

Pakistani citizens, will bring Benazir Bhutto back. Sad.

Goodbye Benazir Bhutto

2007-12-27T16:47:00.000-05:00

After I got home yesterday from the restaurant, I
turned on the TV to check out the headlines on CNN,
as I do everyday. But yesterday I saw a headline that
floored me, the tragedy of it threw me down on my
sofa in horror, shock, and sadness. Former Pakistan
Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had been assassinated,
murdered - killed. She had come home to Pakistan only
2 months ago, after several years of exile, to challenge
the current leadership/dictatorship in the January 2008
elections. I remember watching CNN when she did go
home in October, the throngs of adoring people, the joy on
Bhutto's face, and I remember turning to my husband and
wondering out loud why on earth did she go back? I recall
then saying that they would probably try to kill her, that
it was just a matter of time......I never dreamed that it
would be just 2 months later, but that it would be sort
of like Indiri Ghandi of India so long ago, killed in office.
Unless the Pakistan elections were going to be totally
rigged, there is no way Bhutto would have lost in
January, and then I just figured some Muslim fanatic,
angry over the fact that a woman was in power, would
cut her down. But despite the Pakistani government
laying full blame of Bhutto's assassination on terrorists,
I think anyone with half a brain knows what happened
here. It was the Pakistani government, the same one
that refused to provide her with full security and only
the BARE minimum of protective measures upon her
return, who engineered this horrible tragedy yesterday.
Government officials saw the huge crowds of people
everywhere Bhutto went, saw the adoration and support,
saw the political tide turn enough to realize that no one
would accept a rigged election outcome, and simply
took care of business. For shame....may those bastards
rot in hell. Benazir Bhutto, Allah Bless you and may you
rest in peace, you were a remarkable, brave woman in
not only a Muslim, but any world.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T11:34:00.000-05:00

Just want to wish all my readers near and far

a joyous Christmas with the help of my cute

buddy bear here! And if you plan to overeat,

make sure chocolate is involved!

Green Card Shenanigans

2007-12-22T12:59:00.000-05:00

You know, the holiday season is a time to remember and if

possible, to be with loved ones. But for some folks, it is time to

find that new special 'loved one', as in the case of this Russian

immigrant in California. A 24 year old blonde Russian female

living in Los Angeles had placed an ad in Craigslist about 2

years ago trying to find a husband in order to procure a

Green Card. The ad read as followed:

'Green Card Marriage - Will pay $300 a month, Total

$15,000. This is a strictly platonic business offer, sex not

involved. Not required to live together.'

Immigration officials saw the ad originally but apparently sat

back and waited for the fraud to occur. The Slavic gal found a

taker, and in February 2006, she tied with knot with her new

found 'love'. However, earlier this month the fraudulent couple

were arrested by immigration officials, charged with engaging

in a sham marriage. The attorney of the Russian chick is

alleging that she had no idea that it was illegal to marry for a

green card; he sited the blatant language of the ad as evidence.

I just call it a case of someone being WAY too honest, she just

wasn't sly enough to engineer the scheme more discreetly, but

the gal is blonde, so enough said!

No surprise

2007-12-18T16:57:00.000-05:00

I recently read this article on Switched.com about how ATT
is going to phase out their pay phones by 2009. I just wonder
what is taking them so long! The local phone company in our
area has noticibly decreased the number of pay phones around
town; the few that remain are owned by private companies, and
you have to pay an arm and a leg while jumping through hoops
to get to a national carrier. The pay phone that we used to have
outside of the restaurant has been gone 4 years. Of course, the
reason for all this can be easily be explained - cell phones. Every-
one seems to have at least one, even kids nowadays, and you see
the super busy/important/show off kind of folks with 2 or 3.
People can't eat out, shop, walk in the street, or drive their cars
without their cell phone. It has become the national obsession. So
who is actually going to dig for change to use a pay phone unless
their cell phone battery has died, or if they are in the boondocks
without coverage? Of course, we do have those folks who use pay
phones to make shady calls/deals where it's better to not dial
from your actual number, like some mobster verifying a hit, or a
drug dealer arranging a sale....you get the point!

Get Real!

2007-12-08T15:46:00.000-05:00

It's one thing to have the spirit of the holidays, it is another to

basically have them pushed down your throat. For instance, one

of the local radio stations started playing Christmas music the

day after Thanksgiving....needless to say, I am frequenting other

stations while driving. Then you have those folks who started

decorating the day after Thanksgiving.....lights galore, lighted

wire reindeer in the yards, the big plastic lighted snowmen and

such in front of houses, etc. etc.. Basically, on our street there

are only 2 houses that haven't decorated, and yes, ours is one of

them! I generally wait until about the 10th or so of December,

so I will get in gear the first part of next week. We'll get our

tree, decorate it with the lights showing out of the window,

put a wreath on the door, and we are done. I am actually more

concerned about getting my Christmas cards out (and yes, I

have already received 2!), which will be quite a trick this year

as I have lost/misplaced my address book. Thus I am scram-

bling to gather envelopes of cards and letters I have received

throughout the year, check phone book listings, and garner the

rest of my addresses as I see potential card recipients. Oh well,

I am sure the old address book will turn up....after the holidays

of course! Then I need to actually figure out who will get what

as far as gifts go. I have a couple ideas, have scoured catalogs,

and may actually get that done by the 15th or 20th. Nothing

like cutting it close! To those people who proclaim that they

have not only gotten their cards out, but also have completed

their shopping I say WHATEVER!!!

Recalls, cell phones, and teachers!

2007-12-03T19:47:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to kick this lingering cold to the curb for a

couple of weeks now, very frustrating how it just seems to

want to hang around. But that doesn't mean that I haven't

been keeping my eye on the odd, amusing, or troubling

headline! First off, a thread that has been way too commom

on this site, another food recall, and again concerning ground

beef. American Foods Group recalled 96,000 pound of ground

chuck and sirloin that had been distributed to several states

in the midwest and mid-Atlantic, including Virginia. Kind of

sad that recalls are so common now that they aren't really news.

The next story is one that really surprised me only because I'm

surprised we don't read more of such instances. A man in

California was killed by a train when he stepped out in front of

it while talking on his cell phone. Apparently the guy was waiting

for one train to pass, and when it did, stepped into the path of

another one going the opposite direction. Bystanders reported

that he was obviously distracted by his cell phone conversation

and simply didn't pay attention. I myself, while driving, have had

to break hard or swerve around pedestrians and drivers who have

been occupied by the oh so important cell phone conversations

they were having and weren't paying attention to the road. No con-

versation or text message is worth your life people.....be careful.

Last, but certainly not least, a high school literature teacher in

Italy has been suspended by her school due to her "extra curri-

cular activities". Her 'hobby'? You guessed it, a porn star! The

teacher has been dubbed "porno-prof" by the Italian media;

she calls herself Madameweb! Apparently Madameweb has

indulged in several hard-core internet videos; her popularity

surged last month after her participation in an erotica festival

in Berlin, Germany. The lusty teacher tried to defend herself by

stating that her behavior at school has always been "professional

and irreproachable", but was unable to sway the educational

authorities in the Fruili-Venezia Guilia region (northern Italy).

Well, I just know that I never had any teachers like that in my

school, but then again, I grew up in Virginia, not Italy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T16:05:00.000-05:00

Kind of combined the Halloween pumpkin with

Thanksgiving wishes....but hey, we eat pumpkin

pie on Thanksgiving, so it's a natural process!

Of course, for me, as my close friends know,

Thanksgiving is also about watching football,

as my fave team, the Dallas Cowboys, ALWAYS

play on Thanksgiving (as do the Detroit Lions).

Dallas will be playing the N.Y. Jets at 4:00 pm, so

I'm hoping they come through with a win. They

should, as the 'Boys have had a good season so

far, and they traditionally play well on Turkey

day. Anyway, just want to with everyone a happy

and blessed Thanksgiving day, and go Cowboys!

What on earth?

2007-11-13T00:20:00.000-05:00

Stampedes. When you hear that word, generally you think of cows, bulls,
or other bovine creatures. But in China, that land of defective or poison
laden toys and food, stampedes are done by people. This past weekend,
a supermarket had a special promotion on rapeseed oil. People had lined
up in front of the market since 4:00 am of that morning. Well, once the
doors did finally open, people rushed through frantically. The result of
this madness - 3 people dead, 31 injured (7 seriously). 3 people dead
over rapeseed oil? I mean, I have heard of peanut oil, vegetable oil,
canola oil, and my personal favorite, olive oil. Obviously I am not in the
know of rapeseed, must be a staple of Chinese cuisine. It might be darn
good oil, but worth trampling people to death? sheesh

This is progress???

2007-11-10T15:09:00.000-05:00

I came across a website that I had not visited in a while,
Switched.com. This site basically talks about new gadgets
and inventions that are a tad offbeat. Well, there are a
couple of innovations that caught my eye while browsing
this morning. First off, the Pet Washing Machine. Naturally,
this caught my eye since I have had a pet since June, and
let me tell you, washing Lady is an adventure. However, I
don't think my best girl will be anywhere near such a
contraption....ever. It looks like a cross between a front
loader washing machine and a large microwave oven.
You place your pet inside, pick the options/services you
want, put the money in the automatic pay systems, and
off you, well, off your pet goes. Does this sound at all like
those automatic car washes.....but instead of wax, maybe
you pick an anti-flea and tick spray? Anyway, I can only
imagine how traumatized most animals would be in such
a machine, especially the skittish ones. Lady, who is simply
the most happy go lucky dog ever, would be extremely
peeved and annoyed. Thumbs down on this 'invention'.
Next I came across an appliance that is just totally
American, one that may grace police station kitchens
across the land. It is called the Dough-Nu-Matic, and it
can whip out a dozen donuts in less than 6 minutes. It
forms, fries, and dispenses mini-donuts automatically.
Yep, American ingenuity at its best!

Beer can crushing - Aussie style

2007-11-06T19:19:00.000-05:00

I just had to share this story with y'all, straight from that carousing
land down under, Australia. A barmaid in a town outside of Perth
has been fined $1000 dollars for exposing her breasts to patrons
of the bar she is employed in. Apparently, the talented barmaid
was exposing her headlights in order to crush beer cans between
them. The bar manager was also fined, I suppose for not taking
care of the crass situation. Another barmaid, from this very same
bar, was fined $500 dollars for helping her beer can crushing
co-worker to hang spoons from her nipples. Very enterprising
young ladies I am sure. I bet that bar is popular with the locals,
despite the police statement declaring that the fines "send a clear
message... that.we will not tolerate this type of behavior." hhhmm,
bet the barmaids in question get more than enough tips to offset
their fines....what do you think?

in recovery...

2007-10-30T12:47:00.001-04:00

...no, not from drugs or alcohol, but from a week of doing the opening
shift at the restaurant! Yes, a full week of waking up at 5:00am to get
the madhouse open at 6:00am. Those who know me well know that I
am NOT a morning person, never have been, never will be. And to top
it all off, it was Parents Weekend at the local university, so we were
even busier than usual. But fortunately, things went smoothly, as is
the case when you have good, reliable help, as dayshift does, unlike
my lackey minions on nightshift! The good thing about this opening
shift nonsense was being able to see some customers that I would
not normally get a chance to see and chat with. But I know from now
that my night shift regulars will be giving me an earful in the next
several days about my absence....my adoring fans and groupies!
Before I sign off, a quick update on my best girl, Lady, that out of
this world puppy! She is fast approaching 6 months, is right around
50 pounds, and is simply growing into a gorgeous, elegant canine.
Lady is still WAY too rambunctious and just gets excited about
EVERYTHING, but she is smart and loving, maybe the best dog ever!

That time of year

2007-10-22T09:21:00.000-04:00

I am not sure what my favorite time of year really is. Could it be
spring, when it starts warming up again after a cold winter, or
fall, when it starts cooling off after a hot, humid summer? I guess
it would have to be fall, for the simple reason that it is also foot-
ball season! By the way, my Dallas Cowboys are 6-1. To be honest,
I am not quite sure how they have achieved this, as a couple of
games have basically been pulled out of a magician's hat, but
hey, a win is a win! In any case, it's just nice to watch football
again; summer is just not a good sporting season, unless there
is an Olympics, World Cup, or if you are a baseball fan, which I
am NOT...BORING. Anyway, another characteristic of fall is the
the extra weight mailmen need to carry around due to all the
winter/holiday catalogs they need to deliver. My mailbox has
had its share of catalog glut, but I am sure nothing compared
to the mailbox of my dear friends the Thompsons. See, Mrs.
Thompson is simply the queen of catalogs and mail order. If
she gets less than 1/2 dozen a day, she questions if the mail-
man delivered ALL of her mail! Yep, definitely a pro shopper,
we pseudo shoppers can all pick up a few pointers from her!
Another sign that summer is over and fall is here - tree leaves
changing color. Here in Virginia we are blessed with true
beauty - the vibrant array of reds, yellows, and oranges even
attract tourists from out of state. And last, but not least, fall
means cooler evenings, which translates to the occasional
cozy fire in the fireplace (thanks to hubby's talents!), and
more home cooking by people who really know how to cook
and are generous enough to give samples away! Last night
for instance, one of the cooks at the restaurant gave me a
piece of sweet potato pie that his mother had made. Now, I
am not a real fan of sweet potato pie, perhaps because I had
never tasted a good one. Well, I did last night, and am now
wondering what other goodies this lady has in store. Oops,
there goes my diet.....AGAIN!

Toast, pop tarts....schnitzel?

2007-10-18T11:09:00.000-04:00

The toaster has to be one of the more significant kitchen appliance
inventions. I mean, look at all that can go in and be made warm
and.....TOASTY! Bread, english muffins, bagels, pop tarts, frozen
waffles, and more. But now a German firm has come up with a
new item to toast - Schnitzel! Yes, I have my doubts too about
this one. Apparently German meat producer Toennies believes
that the convenience of a frozen schnitzel that one can pop in
the toaster for 3 minutes, rather than going through the trouble
of breading and frying, will be a draw for many time-pressed
people. What I am curious about is how they claim that the
concoction won't ooze or drip grease from the heated meat.
Toennies spokesman Dietrich Gumppenberg wouldn't discuss
how that is possible, stating that it "...will remain a company
secret. We're patenting our invention." I could maybe buy this
if you put the schnitzel in a toaster oven, where you could line
the pan with aluminum foil, but I wouldn't feel confident putting
this "invention" in a pop up toaster, but hey, that's just me, True
fans of the breaded pork or veal dish are cringing everywhere!

Beetle-mania

2007-10-16T21:49:00.000-04:00

No, not the movie, nor avid music fans. This is about yet another
method of delivering illegal drugs. After reporting about 10 days
ago about a Mr. Potato Head being used as a drug mule in
Australia, our good friends the Dutch came across an even
more unusual drug mule method. Customs officials, while
examining a package from Peru, were shocked to discover
100 dead beetles inside, all stuffed with cocaine. In all, there
were 300 grams of the white powder, with a street value of about
$11,000 dollars. Dutch officials, who have probably seen it all in
a country where soft drugs are legal, admitted that it was "a very
striking method of smuggling. Well, I guess until the drunk blind
Estonian driving man of past posts pops up again ( and I really
believe it is only a matter of time!), I will just have to be on the
lookout for more astounding drug mule ideas. How about inside
some ravioli or other stuffed pastas, it would make marijuana
brownies look tame!

The dishwasher from Hades

2007-10-15T09:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I am just chilling, resting up after a hectic homecoming weekend
and football game, which translates to very busy times at the restaurant.
Most things went fairly smoothly except that for some reason, we
have happened upon the dishwasher from H*E*L*L!!! This small, older
Hispanic dude got hired a little over a month ago to replace another
Hispanic dude who had disappeared; we had not been real keen on
hiring this guy, but after the other no-called no-showed, and with
concerts and games coming up, we figured he would be better than
nothing. WELL, maybe better than nothing, but not by much!!! He is
a complete whack job, nuttier than a Christmas pecan log. He claimed
that he was experienced, knew what he was doing, and needed no help
or instruction. But he is beyond unstable, and has been getting worse
as each shift wears on (he works only on the weekends). This past
weekend sadly made us all fearful that we would have to call the folks
with the straitjackets and rubber rooms for him. First he kept getting
into it with the cooks; dishwasher dude kept putting the clean dishes for
them to pick up on the line, where the cooks place the food ready to be
picked up by the waitresses. This left NO room for the cooks to place
food out. When they pointed out this 'minor' detail to him, he went off,
declaring that they needed to treat him with respect. uh, OK. Then it was
the waitresses turn to feel his wrath. When washing the silverware, dish-
washer dude was just racking them and running them through once; the
silverware first has to be soaked and then run through no less than 3
times. So, the racks were coming out simply nasty, preventing the
waitresses from rolling the cutlery. The gals would bring back the silver-
ware to dishwasher dude to wash again, an action repeated close to 1/2
a dozen times. Each and every time elicited a temper tantrum from the
Hispanic guy; he would curse in both English and Spanish, toss things
around and slam things down, all while shooting everyone evil, crazed
looks. I would have canned his short, sorry butt right then and there,
but without a backup, and another busy night coming up the very next
day, I decided to hold off. The next night he was only slightly better.
Some silverware actually came out clean, but during the huge rush,
when others tried to pitch in with the towering stack of dishes, he
chased them off....only to complain later on that there were 4
waitresses, 3 cooks, and only one of him, and he was doing ALL the
work. Dishwashing is not rocket science, a well trained monkey could
probably do the job. But this dude is too cocky, macho, and nuts to
do the job. In any case, our dishwasher from Hades is probably on the
way out; one of the cooks knows a guy who wants a part-time job
and is trying to get him to come in. Hopefully he will, and we will be
rid of that fruitcake once and for all, and not a moment too soon.

Put down that pot pie!

2007-10-11T09:22:00.000-04:00

I shake my head as I type here - yet another food problem. This
time, it involves a typical Americana comfort food - Chicken Pot
Pies. Con Agra, who earlier this year had a recall of their Peter Pan
peanut butter (reported on these very pages), has stopped produc-
tion of Banquet Chicken Pot Pies at a Missouri plant after health
officials stated that the pies may be linked to salmonella cases.
Almost 140 cases, in 30 states, have been reported. Con Agra has
stated that the pies are safe if cooked properly; problems may
arise if they are cooked in microwave ovens, where the heat may
not be uniform, resulting in uneven cooking. While Con Agra did
not issue an official recall, it will give refunds to all consumers
who have purchased the pot pies in question. Something tells me
that once the CDC and USDA finish their investigations, we will
have yet another recall in the books.

Seattle's slew of nuns...and sluts!

2007-10-09T21:16:00.000-04:00

I am sure most of y'all have seen the Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan
blockbuster hit movie 'Sleepless in Seattle'. The largest city
in Washington state looked rather serene in that movie.
Well, thanks to my gal pal Lola, I now know that this depic-
tion was an illusion, or at least rather misleading. Lola, upon
her arrival there, noticed an abundance of drag queens; the
most outlandish ones were dressed as nuns! She has since
discovered that these 'nuns' are part of an order called the
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The sisters originated in
San Francisco (of course!); the Seattle chapter goes by the
Abbey of Saint Joan. I have attached the link to their website,
just click on the title of this post, and prepare to be amazed
and amused! Speaking of amazement and amusement, Lola
provided both to me when she discussed the rail type metro
system that Seattle is in the process of implementing. It will
be called the Seattle Light Urban Transport (or train). Now,
I know my readers are smart and hip, so y'all have already
figured out the acronym here - S.L.U.T.! Yes, I can hear it
now - "yeah, I think I'll take the S.L.U.T downtown! or even
better, 'ok, gonna ride the S.L.U.T across town!' Well well,
guess folks are sleepless in Seattle after all!

Wacky stuff

2007-10-05T09:24:00.000-04:00

I haven't been awake too long, just long enough to have
had breakfast with hubby, take out Lady to do her thing,
and then give her breakfast. So now I am checking my
e-mail and the news at CNN, and yes, I have come across
a couple of doozies. I am sure all of y'all have heard
of drug mules, folks who smuggle illegal stuff in their
luggage or even person. Well, we now have a new mule
to watch out for...Mr. Potato Head! Custom officials in
Australia found over 10 ounces of Ecstasy pills hidden
inside such a toy, sent from Ireland. While no arrests
have been made yet, the incident is under investigation.
A customs official did admit that while they were used
to odd methods of drug concealment, the Mr. Potato Head
was definitely "outlandish"! Gee, no wonder he has such
a goofy smile! And now a story that I could kind of
relate to - an Idaho woman trying to enter a Federal
courthouse was forced by security officials to remove
her bra because it was setting off the metal detectors.
From the video of her interview, one can tell she is a
'healthy' woman, definitely not an 'A' cup! Those who
know me know that I fall in the same catagory; I have
gone through many a metal detector, and my underwire
bra has rarely set them off, and on the odd occasions
it did, the security official simply ran the wand over me
and was satisfied. I am not quite sure why that was not
an option, rather than have the woman disrobe right then
and there. Did the security guys just want to get an
eyeful, or perhaps a jealous flat-chested security chick
seeking to humiliate a bustier broad? In either scenario, I
sense discrimination against 'D' cupped women. For shame!

Bad news, sad note

2007-10-01T09:09:00.000-04:00

Darn it, here we go again. After yet another spinach recall during
my hiatus month, we now have more food problems. Topps Meat
Company, based out of Elizabeth, N.J. (N.J? already sounds bad)
recalled 21.7 million pounds of ground beef and hamburger
patties after reports of about 25 cases of E. Coli related illnesses
in 8 states. Apparently, the problems started during the first
part of September; the affected meat had a "sell by" September
25 date. The E. Coli outbreak so far has been in Connecticut,
Indiana, Maine, Florida, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and of
course, New Jersey. It's just sad how rampant cutting corners
and slacking off on regulations has become. From being mad,
to being sad. The actress who played Miss Moneypenny in 14
James Bond films has died. Canadian born Lois Maxwell died in
Australia of cancer over the weekend at the age of 80. When I
was younger, I never missed a James Bond flick, either going to
the movies or watching on TV or video all the Roger Moore and
Sean Connery releases. Moneypenny pined for 007, and while
there were episodes of flirting and the occasional double
entendre, she never got her man. Or was it the other way
around, maybe James Bond never really got THE girl?

#300

2007-09-28T09:22:00.001-04:00

Well, this is post #300 to my blog....I would have gone over 300 by
now had I not taken my little hiatus, but anyway. I did promise to
catch y'all up on the exploits of Lola, that wandering soul. As
reported late spring, she left the wilds of Alaska (bringing me a
great T-shirt in the process!), and proceeded to get involved with
that summer job she enjoyed during past summers, driving trucks
full of camping gear up and down the Eastern seaboard. The plan
originally was that after the summer job ended, she was going to
move to Philadelphia with Nora, that equally outrageous gal pal of
hers that I may have mentioned here in the past (another brainy but
bizarre character!). But then Lola's family, and soon Lola herself,
began to doubt this move, considering Philly's rather high crime
rate, and general dinginess of the City of Brotherly Love. In the
meantime, Lola had some friends in Seattle, Washington who invited
her to come to visit at summer's end, which she did, and proceeded
to decide that she needed to move to the Pacific Northwest (which in
relative terms, is not all that far from Alaska, considering). So good
riddance to Philly, much to the chagrin of Nora, hello Seattle. I think
Lola has been there about a week now, crashing with her friends
while she tries to find her own place (not easy considering she still
has her greyhound, that large yet very unassuming canine). She has
found a part-time job driving a charter bus, but is still on the hunt
for a real job. Lola does love the fact that Seattle seems to be chock
full of drag queens, including some dressed as nuns (the Catholic
Church better not hear about that!); drag queens are a great source
of amusement for both Lola and myself. We love, and are totally
amazed by, men who can pull off more feminine looks and moves
than we, the real women, can! But hey, at least our headlights are
REAL....no drag queen can say that!

I'm back!

2007-09-24T21:10:00.000-04:00

hhhmmmm, how to explain a month long absence?!? Was it just
a break, lack of blogworthy stories, time restrictions, or perhaps
writer's block?!? While I do have less time, with work, our new
puppy, trying to fit in an hour at the gym, and spending quality
time with my husband, I really have to attribute my neglect in this
forum to the latter....writer's block. Sandra sort of understood my
predicament, after all, she writes in her little spare time. Lola (who,
by the way, is in Seattle now....long story, will get to that eventually!),
suggested that maybe I take my blog in a different direction. And
Michelle basically threatened me, telling me to get going again so
that she can keep up with the zany side of news, such as that one
and only blind Estonian drunk driving man! (nothing new to report
on him by the way!) Anyway, I need to overcome whatever has
befallen me, and tonight is the first step to my way back to reporting
restaurant gossip, pop culture scandal, and news stories that garner
chuckles or raise eyebrows. While I don't see myself managing to
rant and rave in this forum everyday, it will definitely be more often
than once a month. I do need to report that Lady, our super duper
gorgeous puppy, is growing into a fine young girl. We got her on
June 30th; she weighed 11 pounds when I took her to the vet a week
later. As of last week, Lady was on the verge of tipping the scales at
40 pounds! And, according to the vet, she will probably get to about
60-70 pounds. Another 20-30 pounds....whew! But she is a good
girl, still WAY too excited and hyper, but smart and USUALLY
obedient! Anyhow, will catch everyone up soon on the latest adven-
tures of Lola and talk about the football season (my Dallas Cowboys
are 3-0 so far!), so stay tuned.

What a catch

2007-08-24T09:27:00.000-04:00

Read a story in Reuters.com the other day from one of the nations
I have written about on several occasions, The Netherlands, but
this one was actually NOT risque or morally questionable....for a
change! A 13 year old boy was fishing just off the coast of the
Dutch town of Zierikzee when he felt a heavy tug on his line. Alas,
it wasn't a big fish, but a scuba diver who had been swimming
close to shore. The unlucky diver got hooked in his lower lip; a
doctor was able to remove the hook safely. I found this story rather
amusing as I had run across a similar story while living overseas
several years ago. A scuba diver in the Mediterranean Sea suffered
a similar fate, becoming the catch of the day for an erstwhile fisher-
man. The story became the butt of several jokes, but I bet that
scuba diver wasn't laughing!

Work and play

2007-08-19T13:12:00.000-04:00

Well, this week I returned to the restaurant, after having 9 days off.
Let me tell you, that first day back was rough, more so because I
had to open, and that 5:00am alarm was a terrible thing! But I am
fully back in the swing of things. Strangely enough, nothing really
major happened, no new staff, no one got fired or quit, actually a
quiet week, so I didn't miss anything. During my time off I was
able to see some of my closer friends, such as the dear Thompsons,
Michelle, and Sandra. Of course, nowadays I am not sure if folks
are coming to see my husband and I, or to visit with Lady! So far,
there has not been a person she hasn't befriended, or a dog she
hasn't tried to play with. Yeah, and my husband dreamed of a
having a possible guard dog....NOT! Just an example of how
Lady is anything BUT....yesterday one of the local churches was
having their big annual yard sale. Hubby and I decided to go,
and we took Lady along. Part of the sale was actually inside the
church, so we were about to leave when one of the ladies of the
church volunteered to hold Lady while we browsed, which we did
for about 10 minutes (and found a couple of things to buy). Well,
in those 10 minutes, Lady befriended not only the entire church
yard sale staff, but all browsers and buyers. As my husband and
I were leaving, close to a dozen folks not only said goodbye to
Lady (by name no less!), but invited her back to next year's sale,
when she will no doubt be larger! hhhhmmm, wonder if they
will still volunteer to hold her then?!?!?!

oh no, not again

2007-08-13T21:24:00.000-04:00

I was making a quick check of the news today around
the various websites I frequent, and came across an
eyebrow raiser at Reuters.com. Last week I reported
on an article I read about the blind guy in Estonia
getting pulled over by police who thought his erratic
driving was due to being drunk. Well, he was at it again
this past weekend, and this time, he was indeed drunk,
a winning combo with his blindness when it comes to
driving! This time he had 3 people in the car with him
who were giving him instructions; no word if they were
drunk as well, but you have to wonder who would get
into a car driven by a drunk, blind man! Estonian police
this time are not in a forgiving mood. They are asking
the court to jail the man for 30 days and to confiscate
his car. Y'all can be sure that I will be checking Reuters
to see if there will be a 3rd story on this character!

Introducing Lady!

2007-08-12T18:00:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe my vacation time is winding down, these days
have simply flown by. The old adage 'time flies when you are
having fun' is oh so true. Of course, the best part about this
time off is being able to spend more time with my husband.
But we have also spent times with friends, and with our new
member of the family. Yes, the time has come for me to
introduce y'all to Lady! Lady is our puppy, approximately
3 months old. See, we don't know her age for sure. Hubby
found an online ad from a woman about 20 miles from our
fair city giving away a litter of puppies, Siberian Husky and
Labrador mix. We decided to go see them, and 3 of the
original 10 puppies were left, including the so-called 'runt'
of the litter. Well, of the 3 puppies, the runt was the only
one to actually pay attention to us, sniffing around and then
demanding a belly rub! Basically, she made us pick her!
Since that fateful day about 6 weeks ago, Lady the 'runt' has
doubled in size, gotten almost all of her shots, become
prettier and more adorable, and has even learned several
commands. She is super friendly; so far, she hasn't met a
person she hasn't won over with her exuberant charm!
(there goes hubbys' dream of making her a guard dog!) We
have even enrolled her in basic obeidience classes; the first
one went swimmingly! Once I can get pics from my digital
camera onto my computer and uploaded into this site, y'all
who haven't met her yet will get to see Lady in all her glory!

Under the radar

2007-08-11T22:45:00.000-04:00

Takeovers and mergers are always newsworthy for
various reasons. I have written about the the possible
XM/Sirius satellite radio merger and the attempted
acquisition of Wild Oats by Whole Foods (both are
still not done deals yet). But one union did occur
recently that managed to avoid the big headlines.
Thule, the Swedish company that produces car
rooftop storage boxes, ski and bicycle racks, and
more, recently acquired the American firm Case Logic,
which supplies storage bags and cases for computers,
CD's, DVD's, and other types of media. While still
subject to clearance of European anti-trust laws, it
appears that this combination will be a winning one.
According to Anders Pettersson, president and CEO
of Thule, “The Case Logic acquisition adds a highly
complementary line of products to our core line of
smart transportation solutions based on functional
design. Thule and Case Logic are serving the same
end consumer groups, active people that need an
accessory to bring their equipment with them safely,
easily and in style. A large percentage of Case Logic’s
products are offered around or inside the car, where
Thule has its strong base.” Basically, it is a merger
of techies and athletes who are on the move, like
the headphone adorned neighborhood bicycling geek!

At the movies

2007-08-10T19:28:00.000-04:00

Yay! Finally got to see the new Jason Bourne movie,
and yes, hubby and I loved it! It started off a tad
slow, but picked up speed quick and never really
stopped. And the ending was such that the door
was left open for a 4th rendition. Naturally, if there
is a 4th, we'll be there. During the previews of up-
coming movies before it started, there were some
clips of an upcoming action thriller starring my
fave actress, Jodie Foster. The role looks a tad out-
side of her norm, but Foster can pull off just about
anything. But today, Matt Damon was the star!

Let's go for a drive!

2007-08-06T13:08:00.000-04:00

Just checking the news real quick today, and came across
this headline in the Reuters website - 'Blind man arrested
for driving car'. I naturally thought of that Al Pacino movie,
'Scent of a Woman', where Pacino plays a blind retired
miitary man who at one point decides to take a Ferrari for
a spin. Anyway, this actual event occured in Estonia. Police
pulled over a car that was driving erratically, assuming that
the driver was drunk. They realized, however, that he was
blind when he kept missing the tube to blow into for the
breathalyzer test! The blind man's passenger, a teenager,
was playing the role of instructor; he obviously fared
poorly in his capacity!

time off....for a movie

2007-08-05T11:54:00.000-04:00

My gal pal Michelle visited me at the restaurant last night
and proceeded to make me extremely jealous - she had
just gotten out of the newest Jason Bourne spy flick
starring Matt Damon. She loved it, and get this, she didn't
even see the first 2 Bourne movies. I mean, what on earth!?!
It has been a while since I have been to the movies; sadly,
there just haven't been any coming out that have really
piqued my interest. But you can bet that I will be dragging
hubby to the Bourne movie this week! This week will be
divine, as I have it off; after tonight, I won't be back to the
restaurant until the second Wednesday from now - 9 days
off in a row! It is actually a good time to get a break. The
last few weeks have been rather hectic and frustrating at the
restaurant, with staff turnover and shortages, equipment
woes, and the ridiculous heat and humidity. Plus, the fine
local university will be back in session in about 3 weeks....
that means more folks in town, more busy weekends, foot-
ball games, concerts....you get the picture! So it will be a
good time to recharge the battery, do stuff around the
house, take a few day trips, maybe a bit of shopping, eat
out occasionally...and yes, hit the Jason Bourne spy thriller!

Bottled water

2007-08-03T09:44:00.000-04:00

I knew it....i knew it. I drink bottled water daily, usually
about 2 small or one large bottle. A few years ago, I
meticulously bought a bottle of each and every brand on
the market, to find the best tasting ones. I endured a
mild amount of ridicule from folks telling me that it's just
water, it's all the same, what difference does it make. Well,
I could taste a difference. Some had a more metallic taste,
even a bit of an aftertaste in some cases. So it came as no
surprise to me to learn this week that Aquafina (from Pepsi),
and Dasani (a Coke product) bottled waters were not from
fresh springs, but simply treated tap water. I had tried both
during my taste test period, and they were equally bad, very
metallic. And now we all know why. Another brand that
admitted to being tap water was one I somehow missed,
Nestle Pure Life. Yeah....real pure! Oh, and the brands that
did do well in my personal taste test are as follows:

1) Evian
2) Spring (by Dannon)
3) Crystal Springs
4) Deer Park

As Evian is a tad on the expensive side, I usually buy
Spring or Crystal (whichever is on sale!). My wild card
choice if none of those are available is Deer Park. Call
me picky, but in this case, I was right!

1894-S Barber Dime

2007-07-31T22:28:00.000-04:00

Some of you may, or may not, know that I am a coin collector,
not a real serious one, but above average. I generally stick to
U.S. coins, mostly silver ones. My faves include the 3 cent
nickels (yeah, sounds weird, but they do exist!) and all Barber
coinage. Barbers are what we collectors call all dimes, quarters,
and half dollar coins minted between 1892-1916; the coins
were designed by Charles Barber. One Barber I DON'T have is
the 1894-S dime. Only 24 proofs were made, none for general
circulation. Of the 24 proofs, only 9 are documented to be in
existence. One of those got sold a few days ago by someone in
California to a lucky soul in New York. Lucky, and rich I may
add, as the coin sold for 1.9 million dollars. The 1894-S Barber
dime is considered by many in the coin world as the Holy Grail
of coins. I know I will never get to own one, but I do hope to see
one at some point, hold it in my hot big hand and just pretend
for a few seconds.....and then grudgingly give it back. Unless I
finally hit the lottery, then maybe I can get my own, right after
I buy the Porsche Carrera convertable and a beachfront villa!

Girls Behaving Badly

2007-07-23T15:14:00.000-04:00

So y'all know that most men, my husband included, have a

thing for the television remote control. One evening not too

long ago, while roaming the channels, hubby came across an

amusing hidden camera show. Apparently when he was

younger he was a big fan of 'Candid Camera'. Well, the show

he discovered is similar to it, but with a twist. It is called

'Girls Behaving Badly' and it stars 4 lady pranksters who

pull rather outrageous, and sometimes raunchy, gags on

unsuspecting victims. Some of the pranks are cute, others on

the verge of indecency, and a few are just silly. But all in all,

'Girls Behaving Badly' is good 1/2 hour of entertainment.

You can find Kira, Chelsea, Melissa, and Shondrella, the 4

crazy gals, on the Oxygen Channel, available on basic cable.

it never ends.....

2007-07-22T15:19:00.000-04:00

.....the food recalls that is. This week the FDA has had to handle

yet another food crisis. Castleberry Foods of Augusta, Georgia

has recalled more than 80 versions of canned corned beef hash,

chili, chili sauce, and beef stew. Apparently the meat products

have been connected to a botulism outbreak; botulism is a

muscle paralyzing disease brought about by a bacterium. So

far, cases have been discovered in Texas and Indiana. Most of

the Castleberry products are sold as the store or generic brands

of many grocery stores. Equipment malfunction seems to be the

culprit of this latest recall; a Castleberry official stated "we

believe we have isolated the issue to a situation of under-

processing on one line of our production facility...we have shut

down this line altogether and are recalling all products produced

on it." Guess we just have to wait for the next food or other

recall, I am sure it will be just around the corner, since corners

keep getting cut on a regular basis.

The curse of the moto razr

2007-07-16T01:33:00.000-04:00

Spoke to gal pal Lola earlier this evening. Her plans to acquire

the iPhone were temporarily postponed last week, but in the

meantime, her current phone decided to cease operations. So,

as one of her good friends did indeed buy an iPhone, she had

an extra phone to give to Lola.....a Motorola Razr. Now, let me

fill you in on my humble opinion on this matter. I am by no

means superstitious, nor do I believe in psychic stuff or spells,

but I kind of have to wonder about Lola and her relationship

with Razrs. This will be the 4th one she has had in about a

year. Her first one was stolen, the second suffered a painful

death in a washing machine, and the third suffered an unfor-

tunate demise in the snow and ice of Alaska. So I really have

to wonder a couple of things - first, why would she take

another one after her string of bad Razr luck? Secondly, I

can't help but wonder what the Fates hold for this latest

Motorola - perhaps it will be run over accidentally as it falls

out of a pocket under the tire of some vehicle, or maybe it will

end up slipping into some dingy toilet of a bar where Lola has

had too much to drink!

Sounds like a plan!

2007-07-12T18:27:00.001-04:00

Reuters.com occasionally provides me with some rather

cute stories. The latest one that caught my eye was titled

"Jail break timed with guard toilet break."! Naturally, I

could not resist. In Manilla, capital of the Philippines,

7 men escaped from a police station detention cell by

sawing on the bars (albeit very old, rusty bars) of the cell

they were in. They were able to time their sawing with the

numerous bathroom visits the lone guard took that evening;

the guard was nursing an upset stomach and had to make

several toilet pit stops. It wasn't until several hours later

that the guard noticed the damaged cell and the missing

prisoners. What made it worse is that of the 7 escapees, 2

were being held on murder charges (the other 5 for theft

and robbery). Needless to say, the guard was suspended,

as was his commanding officer. I suppose the possible loss

of work will really make the poor guy's stomach churn!

Another transfat free chain

2007-07-08T12:33:00.000-04:00

Yet another fast food chain has recently announced that they

will go trans fat free in their cooking oil. Burger King is the

latest to join the anti-trans fat trend; they even stated that

they had already starting using trans fat free oil in several

hundred of their 7100 restaurants and will do so in all of

them. I am pretty sure that we are witnessing a positive

trend here, with all these chains announcing how they have

seen the importance of going trans fat free. Not to sound

cynical, but could it be that some of these companies are

enjoying the publicity they attract when they announce

that they are following more health conscious choices?

Maybe one company gets jealous when another announces

menu alterations? Whatever the case may be, these are all

instances where change is indeed good.

work and money

2007-07-07T16:03:00.000-04:00

I am just positively getting spoiled....almost regular visits by

Sandra lately! She has started a new job, and so far, it seems

to be working out great for her, other than the fact that she

has to wake up at the very awful time of 4:30am!!! ick, yuck

Another one of my gal pals who has had quite a time at work

lately is Michelle. She works for the cell phone retailer who

just happens to be the exclusive here in town for the over-

hyped iPhone by Apple. Needless to say, her workplace has

been a madhouse lately. At least Michelle will have extra

bonuses on her next paycheck thanks to the commissions.

And speaking of the iPhone, the one and only Lola called me

last night and declared that due to an unforeseen bump in her

paycheck from her summer job, she is going to go to buy the

iPhone TODAY. I knew it was only a matter of time before

Lola broke down and bought it, she just can't help herself!

Happy 4th of July!

2007-07-04T18:18:00.000-04:00

Yes, time for your history lesson! On this date in 1776, the

Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental

Congress by the 13 British Colonies in America. The Declara-

tion listed all the grievances of the Colonies against the

British monarch (at the time, King George III) and declared

the Colonies to be free and independent states; it was

unanimously endorsed by all the delegates. As the website

for the History Channel states, this event "marked the cul-

mination of a political process that had begun as a protest

against oppressive restrictions imposed by the mother

country on colonial trade, manufacturing, and political liberty

and had developed into a revolutionary struggle resulting in

the establishment of a new nation." Wow, I couldn't have

said it better myself, Happy 231st Birthday U.S.A.!

Some odd food notes

2007-07-02T10:05:00.000-04:00

Unusual food notes that I ran across over the weekend. According
to Reuters, McDonald's Corporation in Britain has announced that
starting this week, they will convert part of their 155 vehicle
British delivery fleet to run on biodiesel fuel made from their own
recycled cooking oil. It will start with 45 vehicles, with the rest
being switched over the next 12 months. The fuel will be 85%
cooking oil collected from the approximately 900 Mickey D's
around Britain, the remaining 15% will be pure rapeseed oil. My
question is, will the discharge smell like fries? On a more serious
note, Veggie Booty Snack Food has issued a recall of all their
snack foods due to possible salmonella poisoning. Veggie Booty?
Is this name for real? I was quite surprised to read the CNN
online article about "a popular snack food sold nationwide....in
supermarkets, health food stores, vending machines, and online
in the U.S. and Canada." As most of you know, I shop alot, hit all
the grocery stores (depends on what I need and who has specials),
but I have never seen a snack food with such an offbeat name....I
would have remembered 'Veggie Booty'!!! I mean, up until this
article, I just assumed booty was a popular subject in many of the
rap music songs I hear on the cook's radio in the restaurant's
kitchen, and trust me, the lyrics (those that I can actually under-
stand that is) definitely do NOT refer to veggies!

Remembering Liz Claiborne

2007-06-29T15:09:00.000-04:00

There are alot of women out there in mourning these days.

This past Tuesday saw the passing of fashion designer Liz

Claiborne after a long battle with cancer. Liz revolutionized

the fashion industry, designing and producing stylish, classic,

and affordable casual sportwear and coordinated outfits and

that were serious yet so very attractive. Her fashion and sense

of style were aimed at the influx of women entering the work-

place and climbing up the corporate ladder in the 70's and 80's.

Elisabeth Claiborne was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1929 and

came to the U.S. in the 1940's to pursue a career in fashion.

(She married twice and had one son.) After working for years

as a relatively unknown dress designer, Liz, together with her

husband Art Ortenberg and 2 business partners, launched the

Liz Claiborne line of clothing in 1976. It would not take long for

her to totally turn department store clothing policies and sales

upside down; her clothes became an instant hit, and in 1981

Liz Claiborne entered the stock market. In 1985, Liz Claiborne

Inc. became the first company headed by a woman to be listed

in the Fortune 500. So, as you can see, she broke the barriers

and set the table for other successful women that would follow

her (such as another one of my faves, Martha Stewart). Liz

retired from day to day operations in 1989, but stayed active

through various charities and foundations, most recently with

the Liz Claiborne Art Ortenberg Foundation, dedicated to

wildlife conservation. I was in high school when I first started

buying Liz's clothes; the styles and colors were conservative,

classic, yet very attractive, high in quality yet sporty, all while

being affordable. Furthermore, the lines and cuts of the clothes

fit me well, something not easily accomplished due to my height,

arm length, hips, and bra size. When Liz entered the accessory

line, she sold me there too; shoes in large sizes, fantastic belts,

wallets, and purses....the total package. The only designer that

can come close to her accessory line is Aigner, but in clothing,

no one topped Liz. A pioneer for the non-stick figure, moderate

income woman who wants to turn heads in a non-flashy way,

who desires to wear fashionable and comfortable clothes that

last without going out of style - thank you Liz Claiborne, you

will be missed.

Albino...goat?!?

2007-06-26T00:25:00.000-04:00

Ok, so is this little fella cute or what? Forest rangers in the

northern Italian Alps came across this very rare albino

mountain goat, the first such find in that area. Photos

such as the one above were taken at around 10,000 feet in

the Val d'Aosta region of Italy. Hikers and climbers had

reported seeing a white animal during their treks, so the

rangers had been on the lookout for such. Well, they finally

found him; the goat is estimated to be about a year old.

They even decided to name him.....Snowflake!

A diverse trio

2007-06-25T23:20:00.000-04:00

I must admit, I have been remiss in introducing y'all to some

of the new wait staff additions that we have had at the

restaurant recently. They are all night shift girls, as that

shift has a MUCH higher turnover rate than day shift. I am

pretty much convinced that the main reason for that is the

late closing hour that we have there; not a whole lot of folks

are too keen on being out and about at 2 am. Night shift is

also a much slower, more relaxed pace than day shift; hence,

the better waitresses tend to work during the more hectic

day, while at night we can usually get by with staff who are

not quite as efficient. Those who realize that waiting tables

is NOT for them then move along. So the 3 newer staff

members I need to bring y'all up to date with are Patricia,

Terri, and Susan. Patricia is Hispanic, from Puerto Rico, but

speaks excellent English. She is a good waitress and a very

hard worker; the only drawback is that she is habitually late

to work, to the point that the rare day she is on time, others

applaud or fall over!. In part I can understand her being short

on time - she has 4 kids at home, plus her sister, with her 3

kids, has been staying with her as well lately. I can only

imagine the difficulty of time management in her case.

Patricia has become quite popular, as several regulars ask

for her. Terri is our new part-time gal, working only on the

weekends as she has a full time day job during the week. She

too has kids, 3 of them, counting on her at home. Terri's sense

of humor and wry sarcasm is a definite plus in the restaurant,

you can definitely count on her to liven things up and keep you

on your toes! One of her victims has been the 3rd gal I men-

tioned, Susan. She is the youngest of the bunch, just 19, and

quite a BIG gal, about 6 foot and very large boned. Let's just

say she makes me looks small, and those who know me can

verify that I am not. She is a work in progress, as she has had

trouble catching on to how we do things there. Susan is part-

time, which is just as well actually; she also babysits during

the day, and, basically, most of the other staff believe she

should stick to her day job! But she isn't a bad person, just

maybe not quite the smartest. The other day one of the cooks

made a pizza error, and generally mistakes get eaten by the

staff. Terri, as she was about to grab a piece, commented how

she didn't really need to be eating pizza, which Susan belied by

stating that, actually, pizza was good for you, not detrimental

at all! Ever since then, Terri has joked about how eating

pizza will slim you down, allowing you to drop 2 pants sizes!

She even took it further by calling M&M's "diet pills"! Susan's

reaction? A typically blonde one - an oblivious "huh"?!?

Antibiotic free chicken

2007-06-24T12:36:00.000-04:00

A bit of good news has emerged from a national food company.
Tyson Foods, one of the largest producers and sellers of poultry,
has announced that as of this coming Monday, they would no
longer sell chickens that have been raised on antibiotics.
Granted, consumers will have to pay slightly more for the
untreated birds, but as a top Tyson's executive stated, "we're
providing mainstream consumers with products they want",
while also stressing that the cost would be below what con-
sumers have said they would be willing to pay. Tyson will now
embark on a $70 million dollar ad campaign trumpeting this
new development; different packaging will also emphasize the
lack of artificial ingredients. Naturally Tyson will be spending
more now to raise antibiotic free chicks. Almost 1/2 of their
production facilities will be converted to produce the 'new'
product. This is a good, albeit overdue, change by a major food
company. Let's hope others will follow suit in the near future.

Grocery shopping is NOT boring!

2007-06-23T15:10:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, even the most mundane of everyday events can turn
out to be rather amusing. Take my grocery shopping experience
today. My fave store (begins with a 'G' and means very large!)
had several items on special that my husband and I use regularly,
so I had to hit it. Eventually I made my way to the frozen food
section, and in front of me was a mother with her 3 small children,
2 in the shopping cart, the other walking alongside her. Well, the
lady stopped to check out certain items, so the little boy walking
near her decided to get a few items himself! He opened one of the
glass freezer doors, grabbed whatever items he could reach, and
then tossed them in the shopping cart...MY shopping cart! I simply
removed them and kept going, but so had he, on to the next glass
door, whereupon he repeated his previous action, grab and toss,
again in my cart! At this point his mother noticed what sonny boy
was doing, took the items out of my cart, and apologized to me
before trying to correct her son. He seemed rather unfazed,
because once she turned her back again, he went on to the next
glass door and resumed his "shopping", or should I say, OUR
shopping! All this took place in under 2 minutes, as I grabbed
the items I was actually looking for and finally moved on, but I
just found it kind of cute how the little dude was trying to shop!
Well, I finally checked out and headed to the car with my cart,
and I came across an older gentleman, sitting in the car parked
next to me, undoubtedly waiting for his wife. He had to be in his
60's at least. What caught my attention was how he had his
stereo turned up FULL throttle, blasting some classic Elton John
tunes from the 70's! It was amusing to say the least. Just goes to
show, you are never too young to shop, and never too old to
pump up the volume!

Dutch Driver

2007-06-21T17:13:00.000-04:00

Read a great story on the Reuters website about another odd
event in one of my fave countries (for their unconventional
antics anyway!), The Netherlands. During a random traffic
checkpoint set up by police in Amsterdam, an 84 year old
man was pulled over. Police discovered that not only was his
car uninsured, but that he had been driving without a driver's
license for 67 years! Apparently the man had never gotten a
speeding ticket, nor had been in an accident, hence why his
flaunting of the law had never been discovered. The octoge-
narian promised police that he would get rid of his car (which
had also never been inspected!). No word if he was headed to
the Dutch DMV to finally get his driver's license, more than 6
decades after he first got behind the wheel!

A lobster of color

2007-06-19T17:12:00.000-04:00

This story caught my eye for a couple of reasons. First, my

husband and I are seafood fans, so between that and the fact

that I work in the food industry, food stories catch my eye.

Secondly, this story comes from New London, Connecticut, a

city I know very little about despite the fact that I was born

there. So a seafood story from my original hometown....yeah,
it's a reach, but what the heck! New London is on the Long

Island Sound, which connects the Atlantic Ocean to southern

Connecticut and the north shore of New York's Long Island.

Then, in the actual city of New London, the Sound joins up

with the Thames River. Various fishermen lay lobster traps

at the mouth of the Thames, as well as in the Sound itself.

Well, the other day brought a colorful surprise to one of these
fishermen. When pulling up one of the traps, the fisherman

discovered a 1 1/2 pound BLUE lobster....bright blue at that.

The man decided to keep it in a cooler rather than cook it; the

blue lobster was then taken to an aquarium in nearby Mystic,

Connecticut. The curator there, Catherine Ellis, stated that

only 1 in about 3 million lobsters are what they call "true blue",

meaning that their coloring is due to genetics, not their envi-

ronment. Apparently the blue lobsters produce an excessive
amount of protein due to a genetic mutation. Hey, I am sure

this crustacean could care less about his genetics and color.

After all, he was saved from a pot of hot boiling water just

so school kids and tourists visiting the aquarium could stare

at him, and maybe snap some pictures, all because of his

genetically "flawed" color....claws up for that plan!

Weekend wrap up

2007-06-18T22:19:00.000-04:00

Let's see, what did this past weekend bring? Well, the return of

Annie to the restaurant, at least for now. As she is finally a free

woman, she is in the process of getting her life back to normal. But

she does live in a small town that is close to an hour away, so

personally, I don't think she will enjoy making that drive late night

for too long....time will tell. Sandra dropped in again, 2 weeks in a

row.....yeah, I was stunned! She is about to start a new job, hope

that works out for her. Michelle came in, simply miserable after

some dental work; she had to eat something VERY soft! The dear

Thompsons came in of course, to entertain and BE entertained...

mission accomplished on both fronts! Lisa and Peter also dropped

in, but I didn't have a real chance to chit-chat with them as the

restaurant was getting busy at the time. Lola called me from the

Big Apple. She and her gal pal/future roommate Nora, on a short

break from their summer job, were about to hit the bar scene. I

haven't heard from Lola since, so not sure if no news is good news

or what. Oh, and I ran into Francesca at the gym. Let's just say

she looked LESS than motivated - it was around noon and she still

wasn't really awake, but was there with her boyfriend in, as she

put it, "the beefcake section" where she feels "like a heifer"! She is

not fat by any means, but she does have curves; I am sure the

dudes in the "beefcake section" are quite appreciative of her visits

to the gym!

Counterfeit....toothpaste?

2007-06-17T11:57:00.000-04:00

Ok, the food recalls are alarming in their own right, after all, food
poisoning is no fun. But some folks now have to even be careful
about what they brush their teeth with after their meal. The FDA
began spot-checking toothpaste retailers and distributors in May for
tainted toothpaste; they were following up on press reports about
contaminated toothpaste from China being found in Australia,
Panama, and the Dominican Republic. On June 1st, the FDA issued an
alert concerning counterfeit tubes of Colgate labeled as having been
made in South Africa; suspicions grew when the words 'South Africa'
and 'clinically' were misspelled on the labels. Furthermore, Colgate-
Palmolive has stated that it does not import toothpaste from South
Africa. The fake Chinese toothpaste does not contain flouride, but
instead has been found to contain traces of a chemical found in anti-
freeze. Now the FDA has issued a full recall of the 'South Africa' tubes
after the counterfeit dental product was found in stores in Maryland,
New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The fake tubes of Colgate
have so far been found in various dollar stores. That in itself would
have raised my eyebrows. I am a loyal user of Colgate, have been for
years. I know the real price of this brand of toothpaste, and it is NOT
a dollar. The FDA has acknowledged that Colgate-Palmolive has not
manufactured or distributed the fake product. Boy, the Chinese really
have high standards - if y'all recall, some of the contaminated pet food
involved in the pet food recalls contained products that came from the
populous Asian giant. Counterfeit purses are one thing, but at least a
fake Gucci or Kate Spade doesn't adversely affect your health.

Thank you

2007-06-14T11:33:00.001-04:00

Well, I am just getting through an interesting 4 days. To start it all off,
let me announce that I just celebrated my 29th birthday.....AGAIN!
And again, I was had at the restaurant. See, last year, my dear friends
the Thompsons, and wannabe ghetto fab waitress gal pal Keisha, put
together a surprise party for me at the restaurant for my birthday.
So you would think that there is no way they could pull if off 2 years
in a row, right? WRONG! Not only did they pull it off, but got even
more folks involved in the scheme! Hubby was in on it, as were a
couple more waitresses. Furthermore, I happened to have chance
visits by Michelle and Sandra at the same time, as well as these two
older sisters who always visit me on Sunday nights. Fortunately, the
cake was big enough for everyone to get a piece! It was a really fun
time, dampened only slightly by the fact that the time they chose to
spring this on me of course happened to be the time the restaurant
got a bit busy. But a good time was had by all, especially when I had
to open my presents; Keisha had hidden some unmentionable gifts
under the Reece's peanut butter cups she had bought. Let's just
say that everyone was amazed by the varying shades of red that I
turned, and how fast I moved to put that stuff back into the bag,
the very bottom of the bag mind you! But my thanks to everyone
involved and to all who brought me unnecessary but appreciated
gifts. Hubby and I then celebrated some during my 2 days off; on
my actual birthday, we had the Thompsons over for dinner. I
prepared most of my favorite foods....veal and asparagus (YUM),
quiche, and desserts. The only things missing were shrimp, I had
been unable to find jumbo ones that I liked, and the pasta dish was
not my absolute fave, but one in the top 5. I made pasta carbonara,
with bacon, egg, and parmesan cheese. My actual fave is lasagna,
but for some reason, I can never get it quite right. The noodles
usually turn out tough and crisp on the edges. I guess I am just
not a baker. Things were topped off by a nice Prosecco wine, and
we had a grand time! All I can say again is - Thank You!

What?!?

2007-06-12T22:25:00.000-04:00

I believe that I have mentioned in the past that my husband is
a huge fan of the HBO series 'The Sopranos'. Well, as most folks
know, Sunday was the last ever episode (supposedly). My hubby
was almost depressed just thinking about the show ending. Of
course, he DVR's all the episodes to save and watch again. Thus
we were able to watch the end together (after he peeked and
watched it alone first!). As everyone knows, the episode was
rolling along, a few loose ends were taken care of, and suddenly,
as the Soprano family met in a diner for dinner (with a suspicious
looking character eyeing them from the counter), the screen
went black. I thought the cable company had gone berserk
again, but then after a few seconds, the credits started rolling.
THAT is how this critically acclaimed series ending, it cut to
black and was done. Naturally I have been reading all the
various commentary and opinion online and in the paper. Some
are calling the ending genius, while others (the majority I think)
are seething at the lack of conclusion. My words, or word, when
I realized how is was ending was, and I quote, "NNNOOOO!"
I can't say I was the show's number one fan, not by a longshot,
but the ending definitely wasn't what I expected. I do think
that the ambiguous ending left it open for a possible return of
the Sopranos, or some kind of film or mini-series to tie things
up once and for all. All the characters involved say this is
definitely the end.....we shall see. But for now, hubby will have
to be satisfied with his recorded episodes.....and cut to black.

Carburetor Cuisine

2007-06-10T13:19:00.000-04:00

That Lola is really something else. Freshly returned from Alaska, she
is up to her usual hi-jinks with her summer job. Apparently she drives
a truck that delivers luggage for children going to summer camps (the
high end camps that little silver-spooned kids attend). This company
she works for pairs up folks for each truck; one serves as the driver,
the other as map reader/navigator. Anyway, earlier this week she
had been telling me how she had heard about how some truck drivers
cook food in their engines by wrapping it up very well in aluminum
foil and placing it in strategic places. Well, Lola, being the adventurous
gal that she is, decided to try it! She and her buddy wrapped some
bratwursts and other delicacies, placed them under the hood, and
proceeded to drive around for a couple of hours (apparently the
minimum time food needs to cook in an engine...who knew?). Well,
she knew that the experiment would be successful when she and her
partner began smelling the brats through the air conditioning vents!
Sure enough, a couple of hours later, the feast was ready. Lola claims
that it was really good.....I will take her word for it. I may eat her
grandmother's cooking, but I think I will pass on veggies drizzled
with engine oil rather than olive oil!

The return of the Whistler

2007-06-09T14:44:00.000-04:00

Some good news to report. I had not see the Whistler - Tom, and
his wife Marion for several months at the restaurant. As they are
both in their 80's, with Marion beset by Alzheimers, I had feared
the worst. But last week they reappeared out of the blue. I then
found out that they had been through a rough few months. Marion
fell and broke her hip; she gets around with a cane VERY slowly
now. And Tom had some health issues himself, high blood pressure
and some circulation problems, both of which called for a change
in diet (no, the restaurant is NOT for health nuts!). But they are
back, for now anyway. Sadly, Marion's Alzheimers seems to have
gotten worse; in the past, she would occasionally have a good day,
but since their return, not one yet. But they still have their odd
habits, such as drinking a beer in a wine glass while eating extra
crisp bacon and a super rare burger, with a side of potato salad
topped with blue cheese dressing . O.K., whatever works!

Scorcher

2007-06-08T16:00:00.000-04:00

Today, June 8, 2007, brought us the first majorly hot day of the

summer - even if officially it is still spring - temps over 90 today!

And so it begins for us here in Central Virginia, hot days, made

more difficult by high levels of humidity. It is actually the

humidity that makes the heat worse - clothes sticking to you,

air thick and steamy - as we watch our electric bills go up due

to the constant need for air conditioning. We will also use more

gas in our cars, as we need to run the A/C there also. Fun fun

fun.....complain complain complain! We complain when it's cold

in the winter, hot in the summer, rainy anytime, just never ever

happy. hhhmmm, is that human nature, to moan and groan

about something all the time? oh well, such is life - enjoy!

Coffee and 2% Milk

2007-06-07T12:56:00.000-04:00

I am a milk fanatic...love the stuff. And I also enjoy coffee, 2-3 cups
a day. So this article from yahoo.com definitely caught my eye.
Starbucks, that venerable coffee chain seemingly located on EVERY
corner, has announced that they will be making 2% milk the default
milk in their coffee/espresso drinks in all their stores in the U.S. and
Canada by the end of the year. Customers will still be able to request
whole milk, and of course, skim milk. Starbucks conducted tests in
Florida, California, Oregon, and parts of Canada to see what consumer
response would be; the results were overwhelmingly positive.
Consumer requests for 2% milk had been high in Starbucks prior to
the test run; even in grocery stores, lower fat milk purchases are on
the rise. With the changes, the fat content in most coffee drinks will
be reduced by 1/3. It doesn't make the mocha and caramel drinks
exactly healthy, but it's a positive step nonetheless.

Food Recall and Farmer's Market

2007-06-05T19:06:00.000-04:00

UGH....yet another food recall. The culprit this time is ground beef.
United Food Group has recalled 75,000 pounds of ground beef due
to possible E. coli contamination. All the beef appears to be located
in Albertson's stores in Colorado. Backyard grillers in the Rocky
Mountain state beware! I am not a tree hugger, or green, or some
environmentalist, but these food scares in the last year or two
have gotten out of hand. I am not saying I am going organic or
natural, but I have noticed myself being more careful with my
picks at the grocery store lately. I have even decided to hit this
new local farmer's market that is going to run every Wednesday
during the summer, might be interesting. There is a big farmer's
market downtown every Saturday during the summer months,
but it only runs in the mornings, so no chance of me getting to
that one! But this new Wednesday one will run late afternoon,
early evening - perfect!

Lot Lizards

2007-06-04T21:28:00.000-04:00

Just to tie up some loose ends here. Kathy, as of this past weekend,

is in New York, hopefully in wedded bliss. She plans to be back in

the area later on this month to get her last things and paychecks -

anyone betting that she may not leave again if she does? But that

is cruel on my part, to be such a skeptic when it comes to Kathy,

but her track record leaves alot to be desired. That brings us to

her ex-roomie in the big house, Annie. She finally became a free

woman last week, and has called the restaurant twice to ensure

that she can come back to work in a couple of weeks once she has

her life back on a somewhat normal track. Changing streams, Lola

has left town for now, as her summer job began over the weekend.
She was able to 'educate' me last week, introducing to a phrase I

had never heard - Lot Lizard. I had never heard it before, and

while it did sound sleazy, I never imagined how much! Apparently

a lot lizard is a working girl who frequents large truck stops on

the interstates. Seems that a gal from Lola's hometown has been

making waves with her choice of livelihood. Apparently she had

to be rescued from 2 different truckstops, one in Tennessee, the

other in Maryland, where she had been stranded. As Lola

explained it to me, a lot lizard picks up a trucker, gets out at the

next big truckstop, whereupon she picks up another trucker who

is going the opposite way, back where she came from. Sadly, the

hometown lot lizard gal was unable to find a client to return home

with twice in the last week, hence the calls to be rescued. Guess

those high gas prices are hurting all kinds of businesses!

Onesole Sandals

2007-06-01T10:40:00.000-04:00

Today's blog post comes courtesy of a visit by the always entertaining

Lisa and Peter to the restaurant. Lisa, who is a borderline shopaholic

(just short of having to enter therapy!), came in showing off her new

stylish sandals. They were a zebra print, with naturally matched her
purse and blouse. But that's not all! She then whipped out these black

pieces of material that looked like swatches, covered with multi-

colored rhinestones. Turns out Lisa had just hit a fashion show at one

of the high-end woman's clothing boutiques here in town. Some lady

from Florida was there, touting her comfortable, fashionable sandals.

The kicker (ooohh, bad pun there!) is that you can change the tops of

the sandals with a different color, design, decoration, practically any-

thing. The tops are removable; they attach at 4 points with snaps.

Lisa bought the 2 designs I mentioned above and is ready to buy

more I believe! She then gave me the website to check out, and sure

enough, I saw dozens upon dozens of designs, even holiday motifs and

university logos. Furthermore, you can send in a picture, color, or

design, and the company will make custom tops for you; mono-

grammed tops are available as well. There are different selections for

the soles too. Basically, with 4 snaps, you can go from dressy to casual,

or vise-versa, in no time - it's a snap! They are a little pricey, but for

the big sandal wearer, this is a clever idea.....leave it to Lisa to

uncover something odd but neat! Click on the title of this post to go

to the website - take a peek for yourselves!

Southern grandma

2007-05-29T22:06:00.000-04:00

Was going over some of my old e-mails. I save the good ones, those with
good jokes or funny cartoons or pics. So, I figured I'd share one of the
cuter ones, courtesy of Sandra, with y'all! ;)

Lawyers should never ask a Southern grandma a question if they aren't
prepared for the answer. In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting
attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the
stand. He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?"

She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr.Williams. I've known you
since you were a young boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappoint-
ment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people
and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when
you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more
than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.

The lawyer was stunned! Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across
the room and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?"

She again replied, "Why, yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a
youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't
build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the
worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three
different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him."

The defense attorney almost died. The judge asked both counselors to
approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, "If either of you idiots
asks her if she knows me, I'll send you to the electric chair."

Do you have those shoes in my size?

2007-05-28T22:11:00.000-04:00

My husband and I took advantage of my day off, and the Memorial

Day holiday, to spend the day in our state capital hitting the sales.

We didn't get a whole lot of stuff, just a couple of summer shirts at

40% off, and a small kitchen accessory. One of the nicest surprises

was that I was able to find a pair of shoes I have been searching for.

As I have mentioned in the past, I am a size 11, a very large and

difficult size in women's shoes. I had been desperately looking for a

nice pair of cream colored medium heeled pumps - not flats, but not

stillettos either - but just couldn't find my size locally. But lo and

behold, today was my lucky day! I am no Imelda Marcos (heck, she

didn't have size 11 feet, so her choices was far greater!), but it is

nice to find what you are looking for every once in a while. Shoe

shopping is definitely not something I take for granted; it is always

an adventure into the great unknown, or unfound!

Sign the petition!

2007-05-26T12:52:00.000-04:00

So after bringing me some simply yummy meatballs and fried
chicken from her grandmother, Lola is on her way to the city
of brotherly love to visit her possible future roommate, a gal I
will call Nora here. I met Nora a couple of years ago when she
came to visit Lola here; she is loud, sarcastic, a tad caustic, very
intelligent, and just an absolute hoot - a perfect roomie for Lola!
I was just sorry she didn't attend the university here, she would
have provided great fun for 4 years. I guess you could call Lola,
Nora, and yes, even yours truly, the anti-sorority girls. We just
don't hold the blonde, skinny, dumb bimbos in high regard!
Speaking of blonde, skinny, dumb bimbos, I just got an e-mail
(from Lola of course) about the anti-Paris Hilton petition that
is circulating online. It asks that people sign it to ensure that
this embarrassment to the fine hotel chain actually does go to
jail for her criminal behavior. If my lovely waitstaff gals at the
restaurant have to serve time for their crimes, so should this
trampy airhead. If you click on my post title, it will take you to
the petition; I encourage all of my readers to sign it!

Everybody loves...Phillip!

2007-05-25T13:06:00.000-04:00

Well, after 2 opening shifts, back to my preferred nights. I'll tell ya',

I just can't understand how folks get up early like that on a regular

basis. There is this man who always gets to the restaurant before I

even have a chance to unlock the doors. (rolling my eyes as I type

here!) At least I got to work with a couple of my fave waitstaff gals -

Keisha, who is attempting to diet, but was sidetracked yesterday

by a stack of pancakes, and ole reliable Brandy, who has been hitting

the tanning beds lately, and it shows. Both chock full of attitude and

sarcasm, but all in good fun. And nice to see some customers that

usually I wouldn't get to see at night. Best of all, I got to see

handlebar mustashed Phillip, overflowing with all his British charm

and commentary! (for instance, he calls the waitstaff gals who have

tattoos "the heavily decorated young ladies"!) We were talking about

various dog breeds the other day; Phillip's favorite breed is the very

large Great Dane. He used to have a couple when he lived in the

country and there was room to roam, but condo-living in the city

eliminated that possibility, as it seems the Great Danes he had were

only slightly smaller than his beloved horses! Ah, never a dull con-

versation with our resident Brit...even Lola made a special trip to

the restaurant earlier this week just to see Phillip...and his ascot!

Vent, rant and rave cont.

2007-05-22T12:36:00.001-04:00

To pick up on my tirade about the immigration issue that I
touched upon yesterday. Again, I will reiterate that I am all
about immigration - it has given millions of people, including
some very close to me, a chance to make better lives. It opens
opportunities that may not be available elsewhere. BUT, and
this is a big BUT, immigrants from Europe, Asia, and Africa,
when arriving in the U.S., were/are expected to learn English.
Which brings me to the issue that boils my blood...why the
(mostly illegal) immigrants from Central and South America
are able to skate by without learning English like the others.
Furthermore, why are we, as Americans, forcing ourselves to
learn Spanish instead of making these folks learn English???
No one learned Greek or Italian to speak with my family,
or tried to pick up Russian, Korean, or Farsi to facilitate
communications. The Greeks, Italians, Koreans, Russians,
Persians, and ALL non-Spanish speakers learned English -
they had NO choice. But the Spanish-speaking immigrants
have books, TV and radio ads, documents, guides, game and
foodstuff labels, and much more all translated for them. So
many want ads in the classified sections emphasize the need
for Spanish speaking individuals - why not Indian or Dutch?
It simply isn't fair. I have lived in Europe, and visited several
nations while I was over there, and NEVER did I expect the
natives of the countries that I was in to speak to me in English.
I spoke to them in their language, maybe not perfectly, but I
was able to communicate well enough to get by. So I will close
by telling all you American folks out there....WAKE UP, take
back your country, before you lose it right before your very
eyes without realizing it.

Immigration reform my A _ _

2007-05-21T23:52:00.000-04:00

I haven't been politically incorrect on here for a while, actually I am
long overdue. So here is my vent for the day. I have been following
this illegal alien amnesty that is about to be given to about 12 million
illegals. Those 12 million or so basically will be legalized. I am all
about immigration. My ancestors were immigrants, heck, my
husband is an immigrant. But each and every one of them came into
this country by the book, did all the applications and paperwork by
the book, were granted all visas and documents by the book....and
doing it by the book, my friends, is NOT cheap either. Furthermore,
it is VERY time consuming. It took almost 2 years for my husband
to get his work permit, another 2 to get his green card, and in this
4 year period we had to travel a minimum of 2 hours several times
a year to do fingerprinting, picture taking, and more...all at consi-
derable expense. And folks who skirt the law, do as they please,
acquire fake documents, cards, and social security numbers, and
more will now get a free ride, plus be placed on a track towards
acquiring citizenship. Yeah, sounds fair.

Scattershooting

2007-05-20T15:11:00.000-04:00

Not too busy at the restaurant this weekend, but that hasn't kept
me from being entertained one way or another! Lola is back in town
for a couple of weeks after departing from the great white north of
Alaska. Good to have her wry, sarcastic, twisted sense of humor
back, even if just a while! She has her usual summer job lined up,
and then, who knows? Actually, Lola believes she will end up in the
city of brotherly love - Philadelphia - but alot could change in 3
months. Speaking of which, that time frame seems to be what most
restaurant staff and regular customers feel will be the length of
Kathy's marriage. I should set up a pool where everyone picks a
"honeymoon is OVER" date for a dollar, but no, I'll be nice .... and
let someone else get credit for it! Also got visits at the restaurant
from my very beloved friends the Thompsons, the ever zany Lisa
and Peter, and gal pal Michelle. Francesca came in with her big sis
Lilly the other night as well; they had just gotten out of the gym,
so they naturally came to eat pancakes and a waffle! hhmmm, my
after gym meal usually consists of pizza or some Tex-Mex yummies!

Drug running - Tajikistan style!

2007-05-18T12:27:00.000-04:00

My primary news site has always been, and still is, CNN. However,

the Reuters website is starting to move up in the ranks, thanks to

some pretty offbeat stories that they carry in their "Oddly Enough"

section. I found the latest tidbit from there this morning. A 26 year

old woman in the very poor former Soviet republic of Tajikistan was

arrested this week for trying to smuggle heroin inside a refrigerator

through the express mail delivery firm DHL. An official at the DHL

office in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, got suspicious when he noticed

that the price to ship the appliance to Moscow far exceeded the

actual cost of the fridge. Police were brought in to investigate; what

they discovered was over 17 kilos (about 28 pounds) of heroin

stashed inside the inner cover plate of the fridge. Tajikistan shares

a border with Afghanistan, which just happens to be the world's

largest producer of opium (or its refined form, heroin). Guess the

Tajiks will have to try FedEx or UPS for their 'shipping' needs

next time! I can see the new ad slogan now - 'What can 'Brown'

run for you?'

Happily married...for now

2007-05-16T23:50:00.000-04:00

Well, it is official. The lovely Kathy is now a married woman. For how
long remains to be seen....maybe she will prove all the naysayers
(such as myself) wrong....and then again, maybe she won't! But today
she was radiant and beautiful, it was her moment. Let's hope that this
will be the day she turns a page in her life. Of course, she did supply
all of us at the restaurant with a very 'classy' moment - when dropping
by afterwards to show off her jewelry, she just HAD to mention how
she and her new husband had already consumated their marriage...in
the back of the limo of course! (yes, I overheard that tidbit, Kathy has
no idea I caught that!) Changing streams - Lola is on her way back
from Alaska. By my calculations, she should be almost out of the mid-
west by now, after a long drive through Western Canada, Montana,
South Dakota, and Iowa. She will be in Virginia for a couple of weeks
before starting a summer job. I just hope her Alaskan adventure
didn't leave a bad taste in her mouth, and that her post-summer
plans, whatever they may be (unknown at this time), work out better.

Little Mermaid

2007-05-15T18:26:00.000-04:00

Denmark's biggest tourist attraction is possibly the famed Little

Mermaid statue. It is located in Langelinie, sitting on a rock at

the entrance to Copenhagen's harbor; it was placed there in 1913.

Created by Danish sculptor Edvard Eriksen, it serves as a tribute

to one of Denmark's most famous writers, Hans Christian Ander-

sen. The mermaid attracts over 1 million visitors a year, unfor-

tunately, she also attracts vandals. The little mermaid has been

defaced once again; red paint was found on her early Tuesday

morning. In March, she had been found covered with pink paint.

Worse vandalism has occured to this landmark statue in the past.

She has been knocked off the rock she sits on, and several times

she has been beheaded; overall, the statue has endured about a

dozen incidents of vandalism in her 94 year tenure. Danish

police have linked most past attacks to government protesters.

This latest occurrence may be no different; police clashed with

protesters on Monday over the demolition of a condemned

building in the heart of Copenhagen's alternative lifestyle

community. It is just a shame that this darling Danish symbol

must put up with such childish and immature behavior. We can

hope this latest defacement will be the last, but I doubt it.

The countdown is on

2007-05-13T15:36:00.000-04:00

Just 3 more days 'til the wedding of the year...but will it last a year?
The lovely Kathy and her persistent NY fiance are set to tie the knot
on Wednesday and then plan to take a quick trip to NY. After that,
she will come back here to arrange her paperwork with the probation
officials that will allow her to establish out of state residence and to be
able to move up north. I can't help but think that something will come
up before Wednesday to tank these plans, but even if everything goes
smoothly, there is bound to be fireworks in the near future. Can Kathy
remain faithful and stay away from the bars? Will New York man trust
her and not control her every move, who she can see, where she can
go, and when? He has control issues, she has her footloose and fancy
free issues...not a good mix, but hey, I and everyone else could be
wrong. To go to an even MORE bizarre story, there was a call to the
restaurant last night from our ex-hostess with the mostess, the lovely
Tina (and her boob job orchestra!). I didn't answer the phone, but
assumed it was yet another call asking to come back on a part-time
basis - she has called for the same thing about 4 times in the last
month. Anyway, my assumption was wrong, Tina was calling to recruit
employees for a new business venture that she is attempting to start.
A hair/nail salon perhaps, or a photocopy and print office, maybe a pet
grooming center? NO! She is aiming to start an escort/massage/exotic
dancing enterprise...I kid you NOT! And just to tie matters up here,
she was actually calling trying to find... yes, you guessed it...Kathy!!!
While discussing this latest development last night on the phone with
Keisha, we were debating as to who would be working with Tina - her
mom and sister both came to mind - and as to what the venture would
be called - maybe Dial-a-Ho?!? ;)

Dog Day Afternoon...

2007-05-12T15:34:00.000-04:00

...Austrian style. I recently read an article about an Austrian man
who robbed a bank in Grinzens, Austria in order to collect funds to
pay a plastic surgeon for a certain procedure. Naturally, I wouldn't
be talking about a run of the mill plastic surgery story here - NO,
of course NOT! No, this robber needed the money to pay for his
transvestite lover's boob job! The bank robber, a 29 year old
mechanic, aroused suspicions from the plastic surgeon when he
offered a large amount of cash money up front for the procedure.
The police were brought in to investigate, and the truth was soon
discovered; the mechanic will now face 6 years in prison. I wonder
if his transvestite friend will visit him, or just try to find another
fool to pay for his/her breast operation. I have never seen the 1975
movie 'Dog Day Afternoon', which was based on a true 1972 story.
I looked it up and saw that Al Pacino starred in the movie; as the
lead character, he attempted, unsuccessfully, to rob a bank in order
to finance his lover's sex change operation. Nice to know crazy
antics were going on over 30 years ago too, not just nowadays!