Everything Seems To Be Conspiring Against Me

I must admit to having just slightly enjoyed my crabby mood of late. But I just can't seem to keep it up. It's just been such a great day. It started with my sweet husband making Pumpkin Waffles for breakfast, followed by a half day outing involving the garden section of both Lowe's and Home Depot, planting my two garden plots at the Community Center, dropping off the recycling, Whole Foods for Chicken Italian Sausages for dinner and plus all their Saturday food samples - and picking up a Fennel Bulb and Lentils for a salad later this week, a stop at Queenie's for tomorrow's desert (Strawberry Cheesecake), and finally Chai Tea Lattes from Starbucks where I finished off my Lenten Tipping tradition.
I really wondered if I'd be able to make it this year. Anyone who knows me knows that I would rather make own Tea at home, because I'm quite frugal, but that I give up those Small, Smug Frugalities for Lent, in order to tip someone at least once a day. This is not as easy as it sounds. But once again, I made it. Yeah!
And then, to finish off an already terrific day, it was a free HBO weekend, and so John switched the TV over to the movie, Grease, in progress, just (and I mean to the second) in time for Frankie Avalon's appearance as an angel singing Beauty School Dropout to a pink haired Didi Conn. Which is our favorite movie song scene of all time. Good Times!

How Can I Stay Crabby?

Just got back to Tulsa and found that a few things I thought I posted by phone don't appear to be on the Blog. Wonder where I put them? In an attempt to stem the tide of irritability that has been ebbing and flowing all day, I lined up some of my favorite things on a TV tray, (another one of my favorite things), and turned on a That Girl rerun. Better. Dark chocolate and an individual carton of Peach Yogurt, eaten with an Iced Tea Spoon - (I love Iced Tea Spoons), wonderful French Cherry Jam - (Just Cherries, Lemon Juice, Sugar, & Fruit Pectin), and cute Geese Candle Holders, and some really good Moisturizing Cream - better still. Now all I need is for John to get home from New Orleans to put the Crabbies at bay.

Parking or 405 Freeway in Los Angeles? You Decide

12 Lanes of Frustration

See What I Meant About Target Jewelry?

I noticed that the jewelry buyer for Target must be watching Faux Fushia's Blog, since they came up with such designs as these.  They are plastic and don't have the "feel" that real stones and crystal have, but for less than $20, they did look cute. And if you loved the Prabal Gurung for Target collection, it's now 30% off, but the best part is that it is just about time for all those Ebay Sellers who bought all the stuff and have been trying to sell it at a huge profit, have to return it to the store. So there is more Parbal Gurung (check the shoe selection) to chose from, and on sale.  

Monday Night In Sacramento

Came to Sacramento tonight for a training session put on by John's coworker, Rick. Had dinner with him and the amazing Janice Hill, who works in the same field. (Doesn't she look young to have her own company with lots of employees? This is what they mean when they describe someone as "self-made".) Had Thai food - from the Phad Thai to the Sticky Rice Pudding with Mango, all delicious.
So can you tell I'm pretty uninspired tonight? I'm full of good food and just feel like going to sleep - so I'm going to.
Luckily I got to see all my Sacramento relatives at my mother's 90th Birthday this month, because this trip is looking like mainly work related.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Still Searching For The Perfect Snack

I am still searching for a really good pre-dinner snack. Now, don't suggest Pretzels to me - I'm half French, half Czech - and not even the tiniest bit German. And don't get me started on them being the healthiest snack possible. That just means they have no reasonable stopping point. The point when you are entirely satiated. (Satisfied to the point when any extra just detracts from the Pleasure,  At any rate, that's my definition of "satiated"). I think it's that whole no fat thing. But my point, and I did have one when I started writing, was that the addition of beer (humm, maybe the beer is what got me started on my pretzel rant - they do go together perfectly) does nothing for Potato Chips. But then, I've never enjoyed beer.

Happy Pi Day (3.14159265359) & A New Necklace To Celebrate

It's March 14th, or as the nerdiest of us say - Happy Pi Day!  (3.14159265359)  Since most of us agree that more than 5 decimal places are wasted, we'll just settle on 3.14159, which means that my son, Zach is going to Marie Callendar and buying a pie to take to work and serve at exactly one minute to 2:00.  Right, in Orthodox Geek Culture, Pi(e) is traditionally served on 3/14 at 1:59.
There is a hole in my jewelry collection - a fairly plain necklace that isn't all that plain. While I do like Target for their designer line jewelry, like these wonderful earrings, (it turns out to be nearly impossible to get a good picture of your own ears, by the bye) I wasn't actually there to buy a necklace tonight at 10 pm. No, I was there to buy toilet paper. (Do the refined among us have a more genteel word for it? Bathroom Tissue doesn't sound any better. That's what it's called on the Charmin package.). And aren't we all sick to death of all the ridiculous ads for the stuff? I know I am.
But for less than $30, this necklace had to be mine. There were some other interesting ones that looked like cheap renditions of the ones worn on Faux Fushia's wonderful Australian blog. But this one was cheap, but didn't look cheap.

Food Truck Tuesday

Garlic-Scapes, Piaggia on Wheels, Rolling Sushi Van, BaconMania, Sexy Burger, My Delight Truck, & California Grill were all there tonight.

Jalapeño stuffed with ground beef and wrapped in bacon.  Terrific!

Shredded pork sliders with vinegar slaw and barbecue sauce on brioche bun.

Cheese and Bacon Crispy, which is just cheddar cheese mixed with bacon and spread thin in a non-stick pan, then fried until crisp.  The best possible solution for those perky low-carb regimes, which I usually embark upon right after the Christmas Sugar Fest.  But probably the worst possible thing for any other diet.

Hamburger topped with premium hot dogs, among other things.

And Key Lime and Dulce de Leche Cupcakes for dessert.

Dates and Daylight Saving Time

Sent the new computer back and still haven't found a new one, so have been trying to do it all with my phone. Fun writing a post, but impossible to leave reasonable comments. Autocorrect can change the nicest comment into the weirdest inappropriate stuff. But my point, and I do have one, is that I haven't been sulking quietly about Day Light Saving's Time - which anyone who knows me knows is one of my major universal complaints - and the Spring Back Time Change is the very worst part of it.
Today I discovered that the Palm Trees right outside my window in Southern California are currently producing dates. Does anyone even eat dates anymore? I wonder if these are edible. The crows seem to think so, but they are camera-shy. Or maybe the dogs that follow me everywhere are their problem?

Kale Chips - Snack Of Champions

These Kale Chips were very tasty - I liked the taste, but John did not. He even asked for a Cream Soda to get rid of the flavor. We'll agree to disagree.

Finally, I Can Start Looking For A New Canvas Tote

My Coach tote finally got a blemish, so now I can start the search for its replacement. It started life as a diaper bag, and since my youngest is in graduate school, you know how old it is. I still have the changing pad that came with it. Maybe red this time?  But even at more than 20 years old, this is still one of my "new" Coach bags.  And it's only the "new" Coach items that will ever need a replacement - because the first Coach bags made will never wear out in my lifetime.  Seriously.  Thirty years ago, if you walked into a Coach store with one of their first bags, they would give you some line about wanting to acquire it for their archives, and that they would trade you for a brand new Coach bag.  (One of my friends fell for this.)  But the truth was, they figured out that they had built purses that would never wear out.  And thirty years ago, if your bag didn't wear out, you probably didn't replace it.  So they re-engineered them.  And that is why this tote has begun to wear out before it is even 30 years old.

That Girl

Remember Marlo Thomas in That Girl, the gentle sitcom about an actress trying to make it in New York? She had a nice apartment, sweet boyfriend, and terrific clothes. I can't remember who her costume designer was, but I would sketch every outfit. I'd try to figure out how to recreate my favorites - some of which I did. Like that coral dress with the white bands. But that dress with the sleeveless coat was just impossible. The sleeves were pieced, not printed. Just too much! And there it was this morning, on MEtv. After Perry Mason but before Kokak. Now if they would just run some MacMillan and Wife, I could swoon over Susan St James' clothes, too. I copied one of her coats in white denim with a fake fur lining - hooded and zipped up the front. Glad I don't have a picture, because my memories of that coat are so much better than it could ever have been.

Is that Joan Blondell?

Adorable kitchen in the background.