video: score one for the little old lady

waxing poetic

Aging

As sure
as the years
that drop by.
Frequent visitors, imparting
knowledge,
then wisdom,
then grace.

Forgetting often to
wipe their footprints.

Wrinkles, lines.
Moments
engraved as if
a sense of purpose dragged
them along thin skin.

Pockets of time.
Tick, tock.
Profound.
Tick.
Permanence.
Tock.

Stop.

candyland

A coworker of mine came back from lunch today toting a bag of Atomic Fireball candies. You remember--those cinnamon-y, firey red balls of sugar that are so intense each one deserves its own individual plastic wrapping. I practically jumped out of my chair when I saw them, I was so excited. How long had it been since I'd had one? Long enough that the memory of their existence had slipped from my mind until this afternoon. Middle school. Maybe even 6th grade.

It's amazing how small things, like an old song, or in this case, candy, can immediately bring back a rush of memories. I stuck a Fireball into my mouth, and it brought me back to elementary school days:

Sitting at the back of the school bus, where all the "cool" 6th graders sat. Somebody had a tape-player going. Paula Abdul sang, "You take two steps forward, I'll take two steps back," while my friends dared each other to see how many Atomic Fireballs they could suck on at once, without being brought to tears.

In hindsight, probably not the best idea to stuff your mouth full of hard candies while in a moving vehicle... but oh, the memories. :)

"meet me" mondays

A new redladyblog feature--one I hope to run regularly. I'll share a handful of "me" stuff, then you do the same. You can share through comments, or by including a link to your blog/post in my comments section. Can't wait to meet you!

About me...

I don't like fast food, including McDonalds.
I eat McDonalds ice cream cones at least 3 times per week.
I love running.
I always psych myself out before I go running.
I love a really good head massage at the salon.
Spicy Indian food is my catnip.
I'm not a fan of cats.
I can't stand Doritos (or how they smell).
I'm allergic to shellfish.
I live in the Seafood Capital of the Free World.
I eat meat ocassionally, but I'd be happy as a vegetarian (or fruititarian, for that matter).
I'll fall asleep if I sit in the back seat.
I like swimming, especially the Butterfly stroke.
I hate chlorine, goggles, diving and holding my breath.
I cover my eyes during television previews of scary movies.

Now it's your turn!

illustration friday

[empty: spilled milk]

My very first entry for Illustration Friday, so please be kind. :) This week's theme is "empty." Since I'm on a Cheerios kick as of late, I thought a cereal-centric sketch was aprapo.

home sick, homesick

Tylenol, Crystal Light lemonade and ice chips for breakfast. I know I'm sick when skipping one of my favorite meals of the day doesn't even phase me. Pretty sure Boyfriend brought some ghetto fabulous germs home from work. He claims he's innocent: as an anesthesiology resident, he's in the sterile OR for the better part of the day. But I'm not buying it.

I'm cuddled up on the couch right now, the warmth of my laptop where it belongs, on my lap, and the coolness of a pillowcase resting under my arm. Soon the pillow will be beneath my head.

I don't get sick very often. Today's dizziness and aching head-ears-throat has also brought on a wave of homesickness. Nobody was better than mom when it came to toast and tea, backrubs and supplying those Ludens cherry cough drops that tasted more like candy than medicine. Now I resort to cheesy daytime TV and another cup of ice chips.

Here's hoping that Boyfriend brings home some hot chicken noodle soup. That, and a box of cherry Ludens, and I may even forget about those pesky germs....

beanie baby

I can't believe I've been a Boston resident for an entire month! So far, so good--I've got only a few minor complaints....

Pedestrian traffic signals. Don't get me started. They throw me the red "don't walk" high five when every car is perched at a red light. Why can't I walk?? It's no wonder pedestrians here don't pay signals any attention. However, the signals do make this cute, peeping noise to signal "walk"--somewhat akin to the beeping and blooping uttered by our Tivo.

Donut-centered directions. Everytime we have stopped for driving directions, this is the conversation that ensues:
Us: "Excuse me, sir, do you know how to get to the Starbucks on Comm Ave?"
Sir: "Sure--just go up to the fifth Dunkin' Donuts, take a left, take a right at the next Dunkin' Donuts, go thru the next two sets of lights and it's next to the Dunkin' Donuts on the right."
A franchise monopoly paired with a non-grid street system = driving disaster.

Cobblestone canyons. Quaint rouged brick streets and walkways hint at the bygone times of yesteryear. Understood. But how on earth do you walk on them in heels?

you say tomato

An enormous bunch of deep-green, wonderfully fragrant basil. One dollar.

Two pounds of ripe, rosy plum tomatoes. One dollar.

Fresh baked bread topped with homemade bruschetta. Priceless.

Ahhh...the tastes of summer. On Saturday, Boyfriend and I walked to Boston's Haymarket, near the wharf and famed Faneuil Hall. Basically, it's a big farmer's market held seasonally every Friday and Saturday. Not only is it a great place for people watching, it's also the cheapest place I've ever seen for fresh produce. Six green peppers for a buck cheap.

Needless to say, I was in vegetable heaven. And when we arrived back home, I could only think of one thing: bruschetta!

Fresh Tomato Bruschetta

6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 French baguette
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to broil. In a big bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper. Cut the baguette into ½-inch slices. Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown.

Divide the tomato mixture over the baguette slices and top with mozzarella cheese. Broil for 3 - 4 minutes (until the cheese is melted).

Enjoy!

make mine a double

If you're like me, a typical workday involves at least three visits to the caffeine fairy (a.k.a. Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts or Swiss Miss). And if M&Ms count, I'm probably hovering at more like seven or eight daily doses. So when I stumbled upon a free DoubleShot from Starbucks, you can bet your jumpy, jittery self I was signed up in no time. Just click on the "get a sample" link, and you too will get your very own coupon!

flopsy & mopsy

The hands-down, coolest thing I've seen this week? Free downloadable books - 16,000 titles, no less - and all are available at Project Gutenburg.

According to the site, "Project Gutenberg is the oldest producer of free eBooks on the Internet. Our collection was produced by hundreds of volunteers."

Where else can you grab an audio copy of one of my favorite children's books, Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit, to fall asleep to?