Oh the sweetness!!!!

All you non-vegans, please go to Krispy Kreme and have one of each of these adorable donuts on my behalf. I want to live vicariously through youse...

The Newest Addition

I added lovely Miss Evelyn to the list of postcard and holiday greeting recipients. From the looks of it, she loved getting her very own Valentine. Wait til April when she gets an Easter card from Ireland!

(I spy with my little eye...Momma Melanie in the mirror...)

Marina's Fried Plantains!

I am posting this half-assed recipe because I fear I may lose it if I don't have it written down somewheres.

Start with very firm green plantains
Cut the skin and peel off with knife (note: it will be sticky! you may wanna wear gloves....)
Slice into 1" to 2" thick coins
In a pot of frying oil (vegetable oil) about 2 1/2"-3" deep add coins and make sure they are covered
Leave in oil until golden brown
Take out and lay on paper napkin until they are cool to the touch
Grab a clean Ziploc bag
Put warm coins in bag and put a towel on top of the bag
Squish with your palm into shape (we like patty shapes!)
If they fall apart they did not cook long enough so put 'em back in the oil
When flattened in the Ziploc bag, remove them and put them back in oil
Fry until golden brown
Remove when hot and wet with oil and add a bit of salt
Lay on paper towel to cool and remove excess oil
Then serve with a side of salsa and what the hell, some lentil soup!

(tostones made by Marina on May 28th, 2017)

The Undateables

I discovered this show recently and have binge-watched episodes on YouTube. It's so good!! It's sweet and touching and sometimes I find myself busting out laughing at the turn of phrase of some of the cast and sometimes their bluntness. I howled with laughter when Michael (in season one, I think?) very matter-of-factly stated his wariness of online dating: "you never know what you are going to meet. It could be a sixty year old Nigerian sex killer." With his British accent, it was utterly endearing. Other faves have been Daniel (I love his fluffy curly hair!!), Mary (sassy to the core), Alex (his energy is contagious!), Ray (infectious laugh!), Brent (such a good guy), Kate (hair to die for and cute as can be), Tom (gotta love a fella with smile lines around the eyes...), Steve (what a sweetheart), and Shaine (the ultimate romantic). I especially like how the title sequence shows Cupid's arrow knocking the "Un" off of Undateables so as to make it The Dateables. I feel like people with disabilities or anything that marks someone as "different" are never, ever portrayed anywhere. This show shines a light on the fact that even though there are so many people in this world who are all so extremely different, that the one connection we all share is a need for love and to feel wanted. It's universal and binding and it's why I adore this show.

^Michael!!^

^Daniel!^

^Steve^

^Tom^

^Hayley^

^Ray!!!^

^Happily ever after for Challis and Brent!!^

^and for Vicky and Steve, too!!^

Last Day in the Office

Well, a wish finally came true - I'm officially full time work-at-home. No more five dollar tolls, twenty-five bucks for the parky garage, hauling my laptop, lunch, and 64-ounce bottle of water to the 6th floor. No more leaving at 9:30 in the morning to make it in time for my shift to begin at 11, no more peepodding in a public loo or having every word of my every conversation overheard by everyone. It's nearly too good to be true! I'll definitely miss seeing Kristin, my "work wife", who saved every note I left on her desk and keeps them on display. But maybe she and I will hang out in real life now and take this from work-pals to gal-pals. I still have my badge for the building, so I can visit whenever I like. Farewell for now, kiddies!

Guess Who's Five?

Last night I went to Jackson's fifth bday bash and had the best time playing with the birthday boy and his ADORABLE bestie, Chase. We did a monster city puzzle and then played Richard Scarry's Busytown Eye Found It game. It was seriously tons of fun! Ya know the best part about hanging out with a four and five year old? Not once did they bring up politics the whole night. It was a welcome relief.

(Oh, and clearly I'm the bad influence.)

Cerulean

U2 - Bad
Ani DiFranco - Crime for Crime
Antony & the Johnsons - Hope There's Someone
Bravery - Out of Time
Grateful Dead - Turn On Your Love Light
Aimee Mann - Calling It Quits
Judy Garland - Moon River
Brian Setzer Orchestra - Since I Fell for You
Merle Haggard - The Bottle Let Me Down
Joni Mitchell - Little Green
Bob Dylan - The Cuckoo
Robbie Williams - Revolution
Michael Buble - Summer Wind
Chris Isaak - Like the Way She Moves
Franbk Sinatra - How Insensitive
Zero 7 - Spinning
The Sundays - Love
Janis Joplin - Time Keeps Moving On

16 May 2005