chapter XVII

My Def Celebrity Sighting

I cannot believe I forgot to mention this - I had the BEST celebrity sighting a couple of weeks ago.  I was at a media conference in NYC.  I was not really digging the presentations (crappy, also ran, tweaks on a theme kind of companies) so I decided to head to the lobby for a little networking (UUUGGHHHH I MUST change that word - "to network" - barf.  so self serving sounding.)  As I was saying, I headed to the lobby for a little networking and standing there in the middle of the lobby was none other than LL Cool J. 

I almost passed out.

I LOVE LL Cool J.  I am a huge hip hop fan - especially older stuff (as we hip hoppers say OLD SCHOOL...oh pardon, my white girl is showing).  But I really do love hip hop and am sure if I were not a venture capitalist, I would be a very famous A&R executive known for all the slammin' (note the use of hip hop vernacular) hip hop acts I would have launched.  Russell Simmons ain't got NOTHIN' on my bad self.

And there he was - like a god standing in the middle of the Mandarin Oriental hotel lobby.  I could practically hear the doves cooing in their beat box way. 

I picked my chin up off the floor, restrained myself from bum rushing dear LL (could it have been the 700 pound body guard that deterred me?) and sat down to watch him.  Sat nearly 5 feet from him.

I immediately texted a friend:

Me: "You will not believe this - I am sitting five feet from LL Cool J!"

Friend replies: "Why?"

Me: "Because he won't let me sit on his LAP, that's why."

It was a beautiful moment.  I worked at a hip hop company from 1999 - 2000...best time of my working life.  Bar none.  And that took me right back.

Count To Ten

Whatever you are doing right now, stop.  Close your eyes, focus on and count your next ten breaths.  That is all you have to do - focus on and count your next ten breaths. 

How many can you get to before your mind wanders to something else?

I do this occasionally throughout the day.  It's hard to get to ten.  But I always feel a little refreshed afterwards.

Act Your Age

We have had a pretty interesting weekend so far.  And thank goodness, since it's President's Day.  It would be depressing not to have a good weekend on President's Day.  Quick summary:

Dinner and drinks last night at The Stanton Social.  I need to link to this stuff since I tend to forget places I like and this is a good way to remember, so when friends come to town and ask "where should we go?" I now have a resource for creating an itinerary...and sounding cooler than I really am :-). 

After dinner/drinks we went for more drinks "vodka soda please" at The Back Room which is the old Lansky Lounge.  Fun place...would recommend.

Of course at this point (2:30AM) we were feeling peckish.   Nothing a Spicy Redneck cannot solve.  What, pretell, is a Spicy Redneck?  You can get one here.  We have a special fondness for this place because the Crif Dogs hot dogs were our first meal together as an engaged couple (we got engaged, had a bottle of champagne, got hungry and made a run for DAWGS).  If you are in NYC, and you like bacon and hot dogs...and in particular BACON WRAPPED HOT DOGS (indeed), do not hesitate.  Just go.  That is an order.  But don't tell.  And oh yeah, order the tater tots. 

And then we went to bed.  At something like 3AM.  Maybe later. 

And then I woke up (damn cats) and felt like I needed to shave my tongue.  God, I am too old for this (I said to my self as I sat up in bed, and I am SURE I heard God reply back "Yes dear, you are too old for this.").  But then the Big H made me an egg sandwich and a cup of tea (I normally drink coffee, but he made me tea.  Bless his heart...I know when to pick my battles and when to let things go.) and I was feeling human again.

So now we get to Saturday.   And on this particular Saturday we got a car!  We got a 2007 VW Touareg and we love it!  Now after a night of childish debauchery we feel like adults again.  It's one degree away from a station wagon, big enough to "haul" stuff and hold a dog (even though we don't have a dog.  but if we did, we could haul him).  This car rocks and we had a great time beating up the salespeople.  Best negotiation of my life so far I think.  There was blood on the floor by the time we left and it was not ours.  I think the manager may have actually cried.  Now we are feeling most sensible, smart and practical. 

So at the risk of feeling adult like for too long, we immediately took our new car home and got ready to go out (are you really still reading this?  it has to be incredibly dull for others...but I am liking this weekend so far and want to remember even the tiny details.  OK, if you insist...)

Saturday night 8:30PM we meet friends at Death & Co. for pre-dinner drinks.  I order something called a Company Hub and immediately know this is the kind of drink that puts hair on your chest.  Perfect.  I was looking for a new accessory. 

Off to dinner now to E.U. which was great (better than the review suggests).  The Big H knows the chef so he sent out a few extras that were terrific. 

We ended with a cheese plate.  And ice cream.  And fried dough with chocolate.  And Moscato.  One might say we gilded the lilly.

Then the crowd moved to a club/bar.  At this point, I was beginning to fade...my pumpkin had arrived.  I smooched the H goodbye, and hopped in a cab.  And here I am, recounting the weekend thus far.  He is still out with the crowd (someone has to represent the family) and I am happily now ensconced at home at 1:30 AM.

A good weekend thus far, I would say.  Wonder what tomorrow will hold... 

Poaching Fish

Just a note - I made salmon the other night and used a new method...and it ROCKED.   Thought I would share.

Take a salmon fillet, give it a little salt and pepper.

Squeeze some lemon juice into a freezer safe storage bag.  Place salmon fillet in said bag.  Squeeze out the air and close the bag.

In a deep pan (does not need to be too deep - but should hold about 3 inches of water) bring water to a simmer.  Place bag into simmering water and allow to cook for 10 minutes.

Remove bag from pan, then remove salmon from bag.  Enjoy delicious easily cooked healthy salmon.  Lemon is not necessary, but tasty.  You can use other elements of flavor in the bag if you like (dill, maybe garlic).

Added benefit - my apartment did not wreak of sautéed salmon stench (hazard of living in NYC without a hood over the stove).

I served this with over spinach couscous with a tomato caper sauce (in a bowl, combine: a handful of halved grape or cherry tomatoes, a couple tablespoons of capers, some salt pepper and olive oil, maybe parsley and basil if you want)...dumped that in a warm pan for 1 minute to heat through and poured it over the couscous and salmon.  Fit for a king, if I do say so myself.

Thank God for Peer Pressure!

After months of pressuring, cajoling, ribbing and persuading (note that STALKING did not make the list...yet) my sister has started a blog.  Yes, folks, the Chicken (long story) is writing for all the world to see.  And maybe I am biased, but she is damn funny and I am thrilled to add her to my regular reading list.  See, I said I want to hear from other people and now at least one has taken the bait :-)

So here it is.  Happy reading, and welcome Le Chicken Pie (she has a French fetish, which I am sure we will be hearing about).

Guilty Pleasures

I am all about trying to fill up my days with things that I like - rather than focusing on things that I don't like.  Life is like an empty jar, and it's your own to fill.

So of course that leads to the question - well what are those good things?!?  That is a really fun question to answer.  I have a running list of things I like, but I reserve a special category for guilty pleasures.  Here is the tip of the iceberg...

• Take a spoon.  Dip it into a jar of peanut butter.  Then dip it into a bag of chocolate chips.  Eat.
• Waking up on a Saturday and turning over. 
• Magazines.  Lots and lots of magazines.  Vogue, Elle, Lucky, Domino, Gourmet, Saveur, Cooks Illustrated, House Beautiful, Wallpaper.  The list goes on and on.
• Chocolate covered orange peels.
• Thick baggy, totally unflattering flannel pajamas.
• Stinky cheese.
• Goose liver pate.
• High heels.  They are kind of a regular guilty pleasure.  I always feel bad for my feet when I wear them.  Guilty.
• Saving up all of my shows on Tivo and watching HOURS of them in a row.  In no particular order: Top Chef, Nigella's Feasts, 24, Grey's Anatomy, CBS Sunday Morning (ok not so guilty), Studio 60 (yes, it's good!), 30 Rock).
• Macaroni and Cheese.
• McDonald's french fries.
• My almost nightly after dinner snack.  My husband calls it The Second Dinner.  Without fail, I can almost always eat before heading to bed.  It's like a nightcap. 
• Taking a hot bath on a cold day with a glass of wine and a book to keep me company.
• Heavy cream.

I obviously have a thing for food.  Good to know. 

There are many many others.  What are yours?  Maybe www.43Things.com should have a site for guilty pleasures.

A MUST Do

I just had an incredible experience.  To understand what it was, follow these instructions:

Go to best bathtub in your house and start to draw a bath.

Get your best bath salts/gel.

Pour.

Select a jazz channel on the radio, or using Sirius, or a favorite CD.  Whatever - just make it Jazz.  Not soft smooth jazz, but 3AM in the morning, in a small, smoky, martini (gin, a little dirty, extra olives, up, please) drinking club, kind of jazz.  I chose a jazz station on Rhapsody.  Perfect.

Find a candle.  Take it to said bathroom and light it where it will be in your sight.

Get into the bath.  Watch the candle. 

I promise it will appear that the flame moves to the beat.  That the flame is dancing to the beat, replicating the motions and rhythms of the musicians playing the jazz you hear.

I was entranced.  Could have been the bath gel, but I was mesmerized. 

Rewind, hit play, repeat as often as possible.

Motivation and Despair!

I crack up anytime I go into an office and see those posters with a picture of people rowing together and a saying spouting sage workplace wisdom.  Makes me want to rebel.  I mean, give me a break.  Those are the offices where you typically find tons of people who hate their jobs.  Any company that thinks they can create a happy workforce with a dopey poster is kidding itself.  Down with cheesy workplace motivators! 

And then along comes www.despair.com.  I love this company.  It's great workplace humor.  Here are a couple of examples:

I mean this stuff is funny!  Send one to your boss today.

Clouds

Good morning! 

I love clouds.  At some point in life I need to move (husband, you will come with me, yes?) to the Pacific Northwest (Portland, Oregon!) because it's low cloud country and I love clouds.  NYC has great clouds too.  Especially sunrise and sunset clouds, and storm clouds...

 

When I was young, I remember lying on the grass with my mother and looking at clouds.  Clouds are all kinds of cool.

So I wanted to post this link.  Check out these clouds.  Never seen anything like them.

Maria Had It Right

I was a nun once.  Really, I wore a habit and everything.

In the school play that is.  Yes, I was Sister Marghereta from The Sound of Music!  How do you solve a problem like Maria?  How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?

I like that last line.  But of course most of us know the favorite things diddy - These Are A Few of my Favorite THings (again, per prior post, note my imperfect spellings and just letting it go - letting the need to fix everything dribble off the keys!  of course obsessing about it all the way by pointing it out to faithful readers like yourself.  But I press on...)

The point is I find myself humming that song all the time.  Truly.  So I am starting a new list of favorite things (see lists on the sidebar to the left).  I find thinking about favorite things is a fun exercise, and revealing in the general simplicity of the items themselves.  Take note of a few to wet your appetite...

- a cold bottle of water on a hot day

- waking up and knowing you don't have to be out of bed for an hour

- hot coffee and real cream

- watching a sunset while enjoying a campari and soda

- getting caught up in a really good book

- knowing you have made someone happy

- kraft macaroni and cheese with a little more butter than the recipe recommends

What are your favorite things?  Do you take note of them as you enjoy them, or do you only remember them afterwards?