Most Satisfying

My inner spirit has been most appeased during the course of this still-not-yet-over-weekend.

Last night: Watching my husband get loopy from drinking one Long Island Iced Tea. Meanwhile, one Bloody Mary and two Rolling Rocks caused me to be a tad more belligerent, but not a jot less coherent.

Same night: Driving through McDonalds to satisfy an ice-cream cone craving, watching same husband drop his cone into his lap, later causing him to claim his ice-cream tasted like "pant leg". My cone was consumed in its full, unblemished, vanilla goodness.

This Morning: Looking up the recipe for a Long Island Iced Tea and discovering it's fairly high alcohol content.

Later On: Doing groceries and saving almost $11 with coupons. It just feels like I've given the big middle finger to the food companies of America who try to stiff us on high prices and bloat us on crappy nutritional content.

Way Later On (Straddling Sat-Sun): I must say I am somewhat satisfied with the contents of my winter closet. First of all, I have a decent variety of colors and styles to suit any occasion of the winter season. Many of my tops/sweaters/shirts are multipurpose, meaning I can pair them with work khakis or trousers as well as jeans. However, when I set about the very satisfying task of organizing my closet by color, I noticed something very interesting...

All long-sleeved tops - includes basically anything that is not a t-shirt.

13 - Pink
1 - Orange
4 - Green
4 - Blue
2 - Purple
2 - Brown
4 - Black
4 - White

Do you see what I see? An inordinate amount of pink. Definitely disproportionate to the rest of the colors of the rainbow. Perhaps this activity will help temper my shopping habits: if I choose to purchase a new article of clothing (aka top), it may not be pink. Or...if it is pink, I must discard a pink shirt from my wardrobe in its place.

I feel as if I am John the Apostle, who received the Revelation on the Greek island of Patmos. I have heard the word of the fashion god.

Sunday Morning: Arose at eight o'clock and completed the following tasks before hopping in the shower at 10:45.

1. Made a carrot cake (will be icing later).
2. Reorganized spice racks and pantry area (with help of daughter)/
3. Made Veg Noodle Soup and portionalized for the week ahead.
4. Prepared pot roast for today's dinner.
5. Prepared baked potatoes for today's dinner.
6. Did a load of laundry.

To me, this is a very satisfying way to spend a Sunday morning. In the kitchen. After my shower and lunch, I'll probably go workout, throw the roast and potatoes in, finish laundry, frost the cake...

Many Thoughts - Let Them Commence

My inner spirit has been most appeased during the course of this still-not-yet-over-weekend.

Last night: Watching my husband get loopy from drinking one Long Island Iced Tea. Meanwhile, one Bloody Mary and two Rolling Rocks caused me to be a tad more belligerent, but not a jot less coherent.

Same night: Driving through McDonalds to satisfy an ice-cream cone craving, watching same husband drop his cone into his lap, later causing him to claim his ice-cream tasted like "pant leg". My cone was consumed in its full, unblemished, vanilla goodness.

This Morning: Looking up the recipe for a Long Island Iced Tea and discovering it's fairly high alcohol content.

Later On: Doing groceries and saving almost $11 with coupons. It just feels like I've given the big middle finger to the food companies of America who try to stiff us on high prices and bloat us on crappy nutritional content.

Way Later On (Straddling Sat-Sun): I must say I am somewhat satisfied with the contents of my winter closet. First of all, I have a decent variety of colors and styles to suit any occasion of the winter season. Many of my tops/sweaters/shirts are multipurpose, meaning I can pair them with work khakis or trousers as well as jeans. However, when I set about the very satisfying task of organizing my closet by color, I noticed something very interesting...

All long-sleeved tops - includes basically anything that is not a t-shirt.

13 - Pink
1 - Orange
4 - Green
4 - Blue
2 - Purple
2 - Brown
4 - Black
4 - White

Do you see what I see? An inordinate amount of pink. Definitely disproportionate to the rest of the colors of the rainbow. Perhaps this activity will help temper my shopping habits: if I choose to purchase a new article of clothing (aka top), it may not be pink. Or...if it is pink, I must discard a pink shirt from my wardrobe in its place.

I feel as if I am John the Apostle, who received the Revelation on the Greek island of Patmos. I have heard the word of the fashion god.

Sunday Morning: Arose at eight o'clock and completed the following tasks before hopping in the shower at 10:45.

1. Made a carrot cake (will be icing later).
2. Reorganized spice racks and pantry area (with help of daughter)/
3. Made Veg Noodle Soup and portionalized for the week ahead.
4. Prepared pot roast for today's dinner.
5. Prepared baked potatoes for today's dinner.
6. Did a load of laundry.

To me, this is a very satisfying way to spend a Sunday morning. In the kitchen. After my shower and lunch, I'll probably go workout, throw the roast and potatoes in, finish laundry, frost the cake...

Ellen Vs. Oprah

Usually, I am on the treadmill at the Y around the four o'clock hour, at which time I have a serious choice to make.

First off, let me include a disclaimer: I am very naive and impressionable when it comes to daytime TV talk shows. After all, for the first time in my life, I have distraction-free access to this type of TV programming! Egads! I am a bit like a child at the circus - I am unsure what to look at first: the comically dancing white lady or the more-serious-yet-not-less-compelling black lady?

So - what better way to make a serious decision such as this? Make a list!

ELLEN:

+ Her mannerisms make me laugh. I loved her "Ellen" show way back in the day.

+ The camera always pans to the keyboardist who does her music, and he's always laughing at something she's saying.

+ The audience is always smiling and laughing.

+ She includes little mini-segments, like the one today called "Ellen's Quest for World Domination". She telephoned some guy at that tower in Dubai and asked if she could put a flag of herself on top of their tower. How audacious is that? I love it. I was drawn to that like I...I mean, one might be drawn to a show like "Jackass".

BUT...

- Sometimes she has side guests...like the five-year-old piano prodigy who can play Chopin perfectly. That I'm not really interested in - it only serves to remind me that my children are not prodigies of any kind.

- There's a lot of audience participation-type stuff. Not that I'm totally against that...but one of the main reasons I tune in is to see the celebrities, or even Ellen herself. I'm not too keen on watching my next-door neighbor, who can play the recorder through her nose. But, that's just me.

Now...

OPRAH

+ She discusses very compelling issues. One episode was a spin-off of Hoarders...people who keep everything they ever get. Trashed houses, filthy, clutter everywhere...I couldn't stop watching it; I was enthralled. My kids and I rushed home from the Y to finish watching it - which we NEVER do. But it was that fascinating. Part of another episode (today's, actually) was about a 41-year-old woman who was lamenting the fact that she couldn't get a boyfriend. So Oprah sends out Nate Somebody, her "go-to" guy to solve this problem. Turns out the woman has Harvard-like expectations: dealbreakers include the guy having a Facebook page or using a drinking straw. Psycho!

+ It's Oprah. I loved her in "The Color Purple".

HOWEVER...

- For every episode like the two I described above, she also has episodes where she brings Robin Givens on to talk about Mike Tyson or Whitney Houston on to talk about Bobby Brown. Eh. Just not my bag.

- No laughing keyboardist sidekick.

- Prepare your rotten tomatoes and hate emails, but sometimes she gets too philanthropic for me. It's cool that she supports a lot of good causes, but hell, she's got the money to do so. Frankly, at four in the afternoon, I want to workout, get sweaty, and be physically fit...I don't want to be made to feel like a heartless ass.

So yeah, wow. Looking at this list - it's definitely a tough call. I'm going to need to know more, which means watch some more episodes. I don't know, for now, it will have to be a day-by-day judgment.

Angels & Demons

I’d attempted to read Dan Brown’s “Angels & Demons” about three times before actually succeeding earlier this year. I was surprised at my recalcitrance, as I’d loved “The DaVinci Code”.

Anyway, it was a great read, and my husband and I finally got around to watching the movie. Great movie! Yes, things were changed from the book, but fortunately, it’d been so long since I’d read it – ignorance was bliss.

There were two lines that I thought were very profound. The protagonist (Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks) is explaining to Ewan McGregor’s character before he goes into the Vatican archives his stance on religion and he says, “Faith is a gift I have yet to receive.” I don’t know what is it really about that sentence, but it’s really deep. I just liked it.

The second one occurred much later in the film. One of the cardinal dudes tells Tom Hanks, “Religion is flawed because man is flawed.” And it struck me that perhaps that is my problem with organized religion. Christianity makes me uncomfortable because of its enormous dependence on one man (Jesus), twelve men (the Disciples), and many men (the Council of Nicaea). Their teachings and decrees were interpreted by more men, and as time passes, cultures and attitudes change radically, and after a thousand years, Christianity has become something I am positive Jesus did not intend it to. Wars have been fought, innocent people slaughtered, ignorant prejudices created that cannot be erased – all in the name of Christianity.

All right, all right, I’ll stop. Believe me, I used to be a lot more virulent than this.

I think that movie’s line pinpointed and clarified for me why Paganism holds such appeal. It is a nature-based religion, and nature does not change and is not subject to the whims and desires of man. And because it is such a personal experience, any flaw in a man stays within that man. Paganism does not have any organized, hierarchical clergy, and thus, nobody is responsible for “spreading the gospel”. Therefore, Pagans don’t rely on one man’s interpretation. There is no God, no Bible, and no Commandments.

Again, I must stop. My essential point is that “Angels and Demons” is a great book and movie. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched something that really provoked me and made me think.

Vegas Recap

In lieu of a crapload of gifts, stuff, and toys, we decided to treat ourselves (as a family) to a little getaway trip. Destination? Vegas.

We were there two days and three nights. Here's the summary:
(Numbers are all rough estimates)

50: Escalators ridden
10: Moving sidewalks ridden
1149: Feet in the air above LV (on the Stratosphere Tower Observation Deck)
5: Near-vertigo attack (or, at least, near vomiting)
1: Old couple seen in matching track suits
5: Partially naked live women seen by my ten-year-old son
9: Modes of transportation taken (foot, taxi, plane, bus, minivan, escalator, elevator, inclinator, moving walkway)
3: Mimosas drank at Saturday's Champagne Brunch at the Luxor
25+: Number of provocative posters seen by family
5: Homeless persons passed
2: French desserts consumed (eclair and some french chocolate flower-thing)
$$$$$$: Money spent on food
Countless: Women seen wearing tight leggings/jean and boots combo
12.99: Price per pound of M&Ms at M&M World

Other mentionable moments:

Best Christmas Decorations: The Conservatory at Bellagio

Heather's Dream Shower: Our room - the Luxor Hotel

Weirdest Dressed Couple in Vegas: Typical nice-looking elderly woman (black, elegant, classy) and her date, who had on an argyle sweater and sweatpants

Best Thing: Going to a great steakhouse and great show (cheaply!) with a family friend on our last night there

Coolest Set of Stairs: Pink Shale Mosaic at the new City Center

You should all go. Yes, it well deserves the name "Sin City", but really, you should still go.

Ode to Zinfandel

O Wine! Blessed tender orb of the vine!
Your sweet bouquets explode upon my tongue;
I would travel through oceans to call you mine.
Songs the Greeks and Californians have sung
of your merits through all ages of time.
Not cherry, not strawberry, not red pome;
To the radiant grape, these fruits are dead.
Nor pomegranate, nor rhubarb, nor lime;
Nothing! The grape was glory of Rome!

But, make not my mistake: go white, not red!

Ode to Cocoa Pebbles

You know, when I was college taking all my literature courses, we had to read John Keats...because he was, like, the staple amongst Romantic poets.

And he may have been great and all that, but really...an Ode on a Grecian Urn? How long did he stand worshipping the urn before he composed those fifty lines? I mean, I like pottery too, but not enough to write a flowery, prosy poem about it. Aaaah, what do I know about it?

Looking back, that above immature behavior was my youthful ignorance and underappreciation for the fine arts. And so, I intend to rectify that now. I do hope John will forgive for my poor imitation. It will certainly not be as beautifully lengthy as Mr. Keats'.

My subject will be one of my favorite breakfast cereals: Cocoa Pebbles

ODE TO COCOA PEBBLES

O sweet chocolate-sweetened rice cereal treat!
Thou art music to my tongue at break of day,
I would worship you every morning, had you feet.
Your delicate shape and airy form may
Remind of me of heaven and the wings of a dove.
Twelve vitamins and minerals added to every toothsome bite
It's you who makes my milk the chocolatey nectar of the skies -
And I would endure pain and suffr'ng sent from above
to experience your glory and revel in your carbohydrated sight.
Forget calories and sugar intake! I see naught but perfection
in your chocolate-coated eyes!


For Simpler Folk:

Roses are red,
violets are blue.
The only question today:
One bowl or two?

Hail Cocoa Pebbles!