annzeepark914

I've only been to Paris once but that week was so peaceful and serene (stayed in the 7th arrondissement). Chessie--be sure to see the Eiffel Tower at night at the top of the hour when the lights start twinkling like mad.

@bilgistic: Is there any way to install a camera by your door? or have management install cameras in the hallways to prevent stuff like this (or in case of burglaries have some proof)?

I made a chicken curry last night and included a peeled, chopped Granny Smith apple in it. It was quite good!

I guess my pet peeve isn't all that important BUT, for the love of God, will some store please start selling black linen sheaths (and not with plunging necklines)? Back in the day, I could always find something to wear to a wedding, anniversary party, special occasion, etc. The past few years? Nada! I could find sheaths when I was in my 20's & 30's but after that? They disappeared it seems. Or, their sleeveless-ness is so extreme (to show off my "guns" I suppose? I don't have "guns"...they're ok arms but not like Michelle Obama's). Re: cellphones? I've had a smartphone for 1.5 years and love it. I don't walk down the street staring at it, don't even take it out when I'm out & about. But it's nice to have by the bed to check the news, messages, facebook before I go to sleep or when I wake up (or, if I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep? It's something to do...I even play solitaire on it)

Oh Lawdy...shades of the great Seinfeld show. And how did I miss this article in the Washington Post? So glad to know we have a real deal organist playing those jaunty tunes. Go Nats!!!

chessiegal: I hope you have a wonderful trip/month! And I can't wait to hear all about it, especially the QM2 and your visit to France.

Is a real organist these days or is it a tape? Whenever I hear the organ music at the Nats games at first I'm enjoying it & then I realize--it's a daggone tape.

I watched this show for the first time tonight and wasn't impressed with any of the contestants. Strange that Valerie is a judge on this show since she just got her first show this past year (although she does have experience in acting and I guess that's what these people are supposed to be doing when they're taping a video).

editorgrrl: Try to eat one a day! ;>)

Isn't that sort of Frankenstein-ish? Sounds as tho' it looked like a bolt. I can't stand to look at people with pierced lips or tongues because I can almost feel the pain.

Yes, keep us posted on your trip. I'll be very curious about the QM2...that sounds like an interesting trip. I like the idea that you can cruise over to England and then, if you want, fly back. Regarding the formal nights: we've cruised on Holland America to Alaska and Princess along the New England coast and the Canadian maritimes. Formal night was interesting. My husband brought along a suit for the first cruise; for the second, he brought a sports jacket. We had people at our table wearing all kinds of clothes (even t-shirts with corny expressions on them). I discovered that I could wear a black sheath or black dress pants and a black tank top with black sparkly sweater. So it will be interesting to hear if the QM2 requires formal attire (and doesn't care about the nuts showing up in the he said/she said T-shirts!!)

I wish Hagen Daz still made coconut ice cream. It was the best ice cream ever (and I'm a vanilla girl). The pineapple-coconut just isn't good enough for me. A few days ago I bought Skinny Cow's vanilla almond crunch. There were 5 bars in the package and I ate 4 in one evening. I can't be around stuff like that!

Tonight's dinner was odd. I'd bought Trader Joe's frozen porcini lasagna several months ago and decided it needed to be used or tossed. Whoa...shudda been tossed. That is some weird stuff. The color, texture (mushy) and taste put me off. Mr. P914 ate his, said he'd eat the rest of it (he hates to see food tossed). Good thing I also made baked pilaf (my favorite) so I had something to eat! Some things at Trader Joe's are just not good. Most items are, though. I love their pork tenderloins (the tenderest tenderloins around), Arrabbiatta sauce, CA Olive Oil, Reduced Guilt potato chips and RG mac & cheese, Prosecco, chicken salad when they have it, lavender laundry sheets, flowers..well, I could go on and on. But beware the Porcini Lasagna!

I'm just a poor lost soul with this newly revised format, trying to figure it all out, find my way around. How do you get rid of notifications once you've seen them?

I hope he does because Hanyu may be able to do multiple quads but he's just not IMO an interesting skater. There's got to be more to skating a program than the jumps. Most of the skaters just go from jump to jump with little in-betweens (other than clutching their heads to indicate the agony of the singer/music).

Chinese delivery. The pollen is really bad here and I'm not feeling like cooking ;>( We really don't have great delivery around here, unfortunately. I mark the menus accordingly: Good, OK, So-So, Meh, Blech! This way when they mail us updated menus, I know which ones to keep.

I caught the last 15 minutes of Cook's Country yesterday. What is it with these labor intensive recipes they think we want to tackle in our own kitchens (w/o the help of assistants to clean up all the equipment)? They made huevos rancheros. It looked delicious when it was done. But first they drained, then spread out the chopped tomatoes onto a rimmed cookie sheet & basically roasted them in a 500 degree oven. They took them out, poured back some of the drained juice & added some other ingredients & baked that. Then put the eggs on top & baked. When they took the sheet out the eggwhites were still jiggly (ugh) so they tented foil & let it sit for a few minutes & I guess they finished cooking. I just looked at that cookie sheet & thought there is no way I'm ruining my sheets.

I liked $40 a Day and never paid attention to the financial side of it. I was just interested in the food she ate. Throwdown--I loathed that show. It seemed most times I watched it, he won. I'll never forget him going to a popular restaurant in Vermont where the lasagna was much loved. Of course Bobby tossed some unusual ingredients in his lasagna which the judges found interesting and he won. The looks on the faces of all the customers, who were sure their favorite lasagna was going to win, was just unforgettable. Bobby didn't look embarrassed that he won either. Maybe in the later shows he lost a lot but not that first year.

That is such an evil trick that some people pull when giving out their recipes. It's really pathetic. Share the whole da*n recipe or don't share it at all. I guess people like that must be insecure.

Prince was a true musician. He could pick up any instrument on a bandstand and play it. I don't think he got the respect that he was due.

We just got back from a trip up through Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York State (with a side trip to CT) and I must say that the people who waited on us at several fast food places along the way (and diners) were so nice and cheerful. We love to stop at the Wendy's in Hazelton (maybe the West Hazelton exit??) on I-81 because it's halfway there, I guess. But when you're traveling on these awful interstates, it means a lot to get off of them and be greeted by friendly faces. These folks don't make a lot of money but they work hard and so I think it's pretty wonderful that they can be so nice (yeah maybe they'd get fired if they weren't nice--but still...). Anyway--I was impressed and appreciative!

Just want to pass along a tip. We were in NYC on Sunday and someone recommended Mario Batali's Eataly. Wow! What a place. We sat at a counter & enjoyed watching the staff prep meals including our own which was the freshest most delicious salad on the planet (complete with sugar snap beans and razor thin slices of Easter egg radishes) and fritto misto (but they didn't make aioli to dip the fritto misto in, unfortunately--they need me workin' there!) All of this amongst a huuuuge market. If I lived in Manhattan I'd be in there all the time.

It's gonna be a humblin' experience for V/M, fighting for the coaches' attention.

I have a pet peeve against these faux ponds (that's what I call the watershed mgmt ponds around golf courses, shopping centers and apt developments) because they lure Canada geese. The geese don't know how dangerous it is to be near highways, parking lots of supermarkets, developments, etc., & wander around and I worry about them. Today when I was driving away from Harris Teeter supermarket, I saw a huge goose pecking away at a little strip of grass and sure enough--she'd created a nest filled with big eggs in the same place it was located a year ago in the parking lot. I called the store (last year) to ask them to get someone to move the animals to a safer place and almost immediately the geese disappeared (so then I worried that I'd caused the grim reaper to come get them). Now the geese are back and I'm worried about them, especially when the goslings hatch and they're wandering all over. A pox on whoever dreamed up these faux ponds.

Tonight's dinner was an oldie, Spaghetti with Summer Sauce (chopped tomatoes, chopped green olives, capers, chopped onion, oregano, parsley, basil, red wine vinegar & olive oil, s&p, etc). But the other night I made Russian Chicken, that old recipe where you mix dried onion soup with Russian dressing & apricot jam. Blech! I haven't made it in years and because I used low sodium dried onion soup I figured it would be good (less salty). I used skinless, boneless chicken breasts that I cut into thirds. I don't know what was wrong but when I bit into the first piece of chicken it tasted as though the chicken was raw (even though it was cooked). The "remains of the day" as we say in this household after a cooking disaster, will be eaten by Mr. P914 (he thought it was good). Fuhgeddaboudit.