Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Oh Martha

Even though I don't have one or more country home(s), a greenhouse, farm animals and a full staff, I still enjoy reading Martha Stewart's blog. Some of her posts have the funniest titles - My New Coldhouse! and My Farrier, for example, but she is so earnest about it all. I can't tell if her readers are wealthy people with similiar interests, or people who read the blog because they love Martha and are truly interested in everything about her and/or aspire to have her lifestyle.
I started reading the blog because I really do admire Martha Stewart and I thought the blog would be more about her inspirations and creative process and not so much about what goes on at her home(s). I like it when she blogs about her travels and her daughter - who I saw on Oprah and really enjoyed. I remember being a teenager and reading about Alexis Stewart taking over a hotel in the Hamptons. I was very jealous.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Birthday Yays

I had a wonderful time at Table 8. The grilled cheese that I had heard about was on the appetizer menu and we ordered a few for the table. They were as delicious as I had hoped. Then I had the New Zealand Lamb and that, too, was fantastic. I also really liked the Bubbles and Mangoes drink and the Pomegranate Caipirinha. B was not as happy with his Kansas City Steak, but he enjoyed the Dulce De Leche cake for dessert. As we were paying, the chef, Govind Armstrong, came out of the kitchen and over to our table to say hello. He was very nice and I told him how I'd come for the grilled cheese, but that I'd heard about it before Oprah, which he thought was funny. I admitted that I'd seen him on Oprah, however, and thought that he'd done a nice job. He was very nice and generous with his time. It was a great night.

Birthday Blahs

Two days before my birthday my cell phone rang while I was lounging in bed with B. I picked up the phone and saw that it was from an "unknown" number, which usually means my sister. So I answered it happily only to hear that it was my dad on the line. I don't talk to my dad. It's a long story, but believe me when I say that he is a troubled person who made my life very sad and I've done much better since I decided to become estranged from him. Anyway, I answer the phone and he says, "Happy Birthday!" My immediate response is to tell him that it's not my birthday yet, but I hear the argument that will ensue play out in my head ("Oh Jesus Christ, can't you let anything go? Come on, do you really think I don't know when your birthday is?(Yes, actually I do.) Give me a break!") So I just say "Thanks," instead and he asks me how I am and I say fine and then he switches into his casual, "I'm not doing anything unusual, just having a breezy once a year or so conversation with my daughter," voice and asks, "So, hey, I need your brother and sister's addresses because I sent something and it was returned." And I say, as usual, "Ok, well I'll ask them if it is ok to give it to you and get back to you." (We are all estranged from my dad, by the way.) To which he replies, "Oh, you have to ask them?" And I patiently reply, as if we haven't had this conversation twelve million times, "Yes, I will ask them and then get back to you." He then says in a pissed voice, "Well then, don't bother." I point out that he has my brother's phone number and he can call him, but my dad says that he needs my brother's address, not mentioning that he has called my brother and my brother refuses to return his calls, tells me again not to bother and gets off the phone. Lovely, right?
I have a brother that has a birthday the day before mine. I think my father got confused and thought that my birthday was the day before my brother's, instead of the day after. Oh well.
I wasn't going to mention this and was trying to pretend it wasn't a big deal, but I've realized that things like this send me into a bit of a depression, so I thought I'd address it and maybe then I could move on.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Birthday!

Yesterday was my birthday and it was a very nice day. My sister gave me a day at the spa with her at some point. Now we have to figure out what spa to go to. B brought me the most beautiful flowers from Gilly, which is here in Silver Lake. He also told me that I can choose between a Gocco and a sewing machine. I am going to have to think long and hard about that one. I want both! But I am leaning toward a sewing machine. That way I can start quilting. I have to find a class to take.
We went to dinner with friends at Chichen Itza, which is a very good, not so popular restaurant near MacArthur Park. It was raining, and the restaurant was completely dead, but I still enjoyed myself. Tomorrow we are going to Table 8 to have the famous grilled cheese with pulled short rib sandwich (We had our reservations way before the Oprah mention!).
Another nice thing yesterday was the arrival of my first items I ordered from Boden, a catalogue and online shop that I first learned of on DesignMom (I think). I ordered the Double Layer Tshirt in scoop neck and vneck and they are great. I love the fit and quality of both. Then I also ordered the Dotted Button Down, which was too big. I ordered all of the shirts in the same size, so I don't know what that means, but the sizes are UK sizes and you have to figure out your US size. It seems pretty easy to exchange and when I called today to ask a question, the woman on the phone was very nice and took my exchange order and waived my shipping fee, since it was an exchange. Overall, I am very happy.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Something to Look Forward to

I just saw the online preview for Baby Mama and can not wait for it to open. When I read the description I was not sure that this would be my kind of movie, but then I saw the preview and it looks so funny.
This weekend we have to drive about two hours from here to see B's parents for the day. They are traveling and thought we'd like to see them.
Also, my friend picked her bridesmaid dress and guess what - it's not hideous! I actually don't know how I feel about the dress yet, since I haven't tried it on or seen anyone in it besides the model. I'm a little worried about how fitted it is over the hips. But I'm so happy about the color. My friend kept talking about how she's always wanted hot pink bridesmaids, but has decided to go with black because then the pink flowers will stand out better. I have been making this point to her the whole time, which is kind of rude of me but whatever.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Ouch

Yesterday was my first day back to my trainer in two weeks and today I am having trouble sitting down. It doesn't hurt once I'm seated, but on the way down my butt muscles start complaining like you wouldn't believe.
It hurts much less than it did the day after my very first training session. Back then I couldn't sit down without holding onto something. I was just leaning into my car and basically falling into the seat because my muscles hurt too much to use. So my pain today is sort of a triumph in that it is so much less.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Why Do I Still Watch The Real World?

For some reason I still watch MTV's The Real World. I can't help it. Sometimes I don't watch it on TV, I put it on my computer while I'm doing something else and just listen to it so I can keep up with what the idiots they cast are up to. I am pathetic.
This season they had this guy on named Dunbar who is a classic misogynist. He belittled the women on the show and any time they disagreed with them he'd call them "stupid bitches" and "sluts" and "whores." Nice. I was very disappointed that this didn't become more of an issue on the show. The girls complained, but they weren't very articulate about it. Cohutta, one of the other male cast members said that he didn't talk to women like that, but he never told Dunbar that he was being a royal ass.
I have been watching The Real World since its very first season and I truly feel that they used to cast people who were far more interesting and actually addressed the issues that came up during the taping. Now it's just drinking and the cast members are rarely up to anything at all. They just hang out at the house and go out drinking at night. What happened to following dreams or exploring another culture? Ugh. The woman on the show embarrass me to no end.
I do love how Cohutta calls his grandfather for advice.

Monday, January 7, 2008

2008

So we had Christmas and then a week in Mexico with the In Laws and now we are back. I did not get Montezuma's revenge, but I did catch something from my niece and/or nephew - one too many on the mouth sloppy kisses I suppose - and now I have no voice. I am also a little spacey, so I think I will be staying home for a few more days.
B went back to work today, but I am still in my pj's and don't plan on doing much besides taking a shower. My sister is not back until the 14th, so I am missing my partner in crime and sort of feeling sorry for myself. It would not be so bad if I could call up my friends and chat, but I have no voice. I can't even call my mother and yell at her for getting so drunk on Christmas that she had to be put to bed after the salad course (Not that I was there, thank God, she was staying with my brother and they were all over at a friend's house).
I thought I had a lot to write about but thinking about it is kind of overwhelming me. So Happy New Year and I'll be back later. Maybe I'll post about what I bought people for Christmas or something. Or maybe I'll just lay on the couch and watch awful tv. Real Housewives, anyone?