Happy New Year

Christmas Eve - all is merry and bright

Merry Christmas everyone

The incredible (and deviled) edible egg

I had a girly party to attend this last weekend. A pot luck. I volunteered to bring deviled eggs. As someone kindly pointed out recently, I've been obsessed with deviled eggs of late. Not exactly sure why, but I think its the drive to create the perfect one. Its more of a science and personal preference than anything. Nonetheless, I've made it me personal mission to find the recipe that Mister and I like, personally, the best. I think I've found it. So, I had this girly event and wanted the eggs to not only be super duper tasty, but also, girly. My first plan was to decorate them with sliced roasted red peppers (I am in love with them lately) and chives. You know, red and green, for the holiday. But when Mister and I walked to the grocery Saturday morning, I saw this package of edible flowers right next to the chives. I bought the chives then went back and bought the flowers. I had much fun decorating these eggs with the flowers. I thought they were the most beautiful deviled eggs I'd ever made. That really wouldn't be much of an accomplishment, I mean, they are deviled eggs. How much time does anyone (other than me) spend decorating them. Yes, yes, I know, moving on. So, the platter above was the finished product and below is a close up of one the the eggs with a delicate little forget-me-now placed in the center of the deviled portion. On looking at the photo, it could have been more 'cleaned up' of an egg to photograph, but, eh, like I said, they're deviled eggs. Get over it.

Oh, and the delicious recipe I used, and of course changed up a bit is this one from all recipes dot com, which I changed up as follows:

24 eggs, hard boiled

8 tsp white vinegar

1/2 cup mayo

2 Tbsp mustard

2 tsp dried dill (rubbed between your palms or turned in your mortar and pestle to bring out the flavor)

s&p to taste

paprika for sprinkling

So, I really just read the reviews of the recipe, adjusted according to which reviewers I believed and then tasted, adjusted, added, stirred then piped in the filling, topped with prettiness and refrigerated until the party at which point I ate them. All. No, just kidding. But, many. Mmm, mmm delish!

Just Watched: Julie & Julia

Oh my heavens. If you like to cook or bake, at all, go out and rent this film. It was fantastic.

I can see how someone who doesn't like to do those things might not care for the film, but I loved, loved, loved it! I will own this film, at some point, in the futur. Guaranteed.

If you don't know, its based on the blog by Julie Powell called The Julie/Julia Project.

Julie Powell, through many reasons (watch the film) started a blog chronicalling her cooking her way through Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Its also the story of Julia Childs during the period of time in which she lived in Europe. Her amazing relationship with her husband and food and life in general. I've ALWAYS found Julia Childs an amazing phenomenon, as I am sure so many poeple have and do. I found myself being slightly jealous of Julie Powell while I watched the movie, I wished I had thought to do that blog and all that cooking. But then, I realized Mister and I have far too many food issues (dairy and gluten being the foremost) to do much french cooking. So, there you go.

Really great film. Totally recommend it.

Harley's Wild Ride

This is what happens when Mister has too much time on his hands. Actually its great, Harley loves hanging with Mister and also has always loved riding around on things. It seemed a natural progression. CLICK HERE - YouTube

Dipped Pretzels

As you are, I am sure, aware, I read the Pioneer Woman. She has some good stuff. I usually modify her recipes, that's just what I do with most recipes. This recipe is no different. I picked up the idea HERE on her blog. I then changed it up to make it more to my liking. I used pretzel sticks -they have salt, which I think helps the overall flavor and they were thicker and shorter. So, I didn't have to break them in half and they were strong enough not to break during the dipping process. I also did the nuts slightly differently.

I started with slivered almonds which I toasted. Dry pan, medium heat, watching constantly, shaking and stirring. There are a million methods to do this, in the oven, on the stove top. This is just the quick one I find works best for me. Mmmmmm, toasted almonds. My kitchen smelled amazing!

Ok, almonds all toasted up, here's the honey wheat pretzels I used, the just happened to be from Trader Joes. Semi-sweet, non-dairy chocolate chips and the wonderful, delightful, amazing, creamy, delicious Nutella. Yes, I am aware that Nutella contains dairy. Sometimes I just sneak it in and know there will be consequences.

Chop up the nuts so they are pretty fine, but not powder. I just chopped until I was tired of chopping. Melt the chocolate and as much Nutella as you think you want, I used two - three rather large spoon fulls. Dip half the pretzel in the chocolate mixture then roll in nuts, place on parchment paper lined baking pans, cool, eat.

I'm giving them as Christmas gifts and will have some around for a Christmas Eve open house we are having.

They could not be easier to put together and they are pretty tasty.

Bon Appetit!

Mexican Wedding Cake

Made a batch last night. Not the best photo, but that's ok, they taste good. You can find the recipe all over the internet and also in your Joy of Cooking. This recipe I pulled off Epicurious.com and was delicious. I chose this version because it called for just a hint of cinnamon in the powdered sugar coating. You don't really notice the cinnamon, but you do notice 'something'. Does that make sense. Ok, seriously, go bake something. I want to hear about what you are doing this Christmas. Bon Appetit!

Just Watched: Food Inc.

I really, truly believe everyone should watch this movie - Food, Inc.

It shouldn't have anything to do with politics, its about the food we put into our mouths and into the mouths of our children. Its about our/your health. Its about the future, your children's future, not mine. Its about how we not only treat the animals who give their lives for us, but for the farmers who are treated not much better than those animals. Its about being controlled (without much knowledge on the part of the Amercian people.... hence we should all watch the movie) by corporate giants, there's only actually a few using different names to keep us guessing. Giant corporations who care nothing about the consumer's well being, the quality of our food, whether we die from food poisoning or not, but only about the corporate (and hence their personal) bottom line. There is nothing else they care about. No matter what their packaging and advertising states.

We should really ask ourselves, "Why?". Why do the corporations deline to comment or be on camera? Why do the corporations threaten the farmers contracts, i.e. livelihoods, with revocation if the methods are socially acceptable.

I believe, no matter what personal choices we make in our own lives, that we should all know the facts about where our food comes from. I believe we each should make our own choices, but let's have them be informed choices.

So, there you go. Thursday.

Holiday Baking - Best Peanut Butter Cookies of Your Life

Ok, these cookies have nothing to do with the post, but they are the only cookie photos I could find on my computer. I decided in the last couple days, that I needed to give my holiday cheer a good hard boot kick to the sternum, or the tuchas, your choice. I don't have photos, photos are terrible when you try to take them in a dark kitchen in the middle of December. But, I've made a couple batches of ginger bread, mini loaves to give away as gifts. Last night I made peanutbutter chocolate chip cookies. The BEST peanutbutter chocolate chip cookie recipe EVER, in my opinion. If you try these out, trust me on the baking time. I gave the recipe to someone who loved the cookies. I gave her the same warning I'm giving you now and she didn't heed it. She thought I was crazy and that I had no clue what I was talking about. Her first batch out of the oven were rocks. Tasty rocks, but rocks nonetheless. The advice - bake them for 6 to 7 minutes at the most. You won't think its enough baking time. But once they are out of the oven and cooled for about 12 seconds and you sink your teeth into the meltaway cookies, you'll thank me.

1 c white sugar

1 c brown sugar

1 cup shortening - please don't use butter, the texture will be all wrong, trust me

1 cup peanutbutter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

about 3/4 bag of chocolate chips of choice - seems crazy, but its almost too much chocolate even at this reduced amount. BUT - you choose you chocolateyness level.

Just follow your regular cookie making directions, cream, add, sift add then roll into 1+ inch balls, flatten slightly and bake at 350 for 6 - 7 minutes.

These cookies won't spread much, they'll keep their shape and then when you bite into them, they'll practically melt in your mouth.

Anyway... I also plan to make peanut brittle, Mexican wedding cakes, gluten free banana bread from this cook book which Mister gave me for our 2nd anniversary (paper don't ya know). Those are the 'for sure's'. Not sure what else I'll get to baking. Maybe Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls to give away.

What are YOU baking? Making? What are your holiday staples - baking or traditions or things you do, places you go? I really am needing a holiday cheer boost. I'm pretty much scrooge and the grinch all wrapped up into one cranky female this week. Help a girl out, won't ya?!

Just Watched: Local Color

Local Color. Mister and I both liked this movie. Mister's mom recommended it to us and it didn't disappoint.

I love cilantro - Mediterranean Spread

Oh, baby! Just about any recipe with cilantro and I'm there.

My brother and his wife and another couple had planned to stay the weekend with us. My brother flew out Saturday morning for Christmas at his wife's family's place in Illinois and the other couple were going to hang with us and have amazing sushi Saturday night. Well, freezing rain ruined a big part of that, we had to reschedule. We were very bummed, but, Friday night, the four of us (Mister, me, bro, his wife - sorry, I'm being very redundant right now, but keeping the people straight is confusing me and I lived it. Anyway...) I had mediterranean food planned for Friday night and it turned out oh, so, wonderful.

White rice with turmeric;

THIS tandoori chicken recipe - I, of course, changed it up a bit. I used boneless, skinless thighs and cut them into chunks before it went into the marinade. I used soy yogurt, and this garam masala...

and when it came time to cook the meat, I left it in all its marinade, poured it onto a baking sheet and cooked it at 425 for 15+ minutes, until the meat was cooked through. It would be so great to substitute all manor or your favorite veggies for the chicken (zucchini, tomatoes, garbanzo beans). The garam masala's second ingredient is black pepper and the recipe called for cayenne pepper, Mister was in heaven, it was a bit hot for my taste. Still ate it though.

We had kalamata olive, two varieties of flat bread, corn chips, green pimiento'd olives, olive tapenade, Sriracha sauce and sliced roasted red peppers (which were to die for), guacamole, salsa, celery, carrots, green onions... I think that was most of it. Oh, and a large bowl of roughly chopped cilantro to sprinkle over everything.

Yum!

City Walks: #2 Piedmont & Overlook Loops

I've said it before, I've always thought urban hiking would be great. Up until now, its been difficult to find someone who wanted to do it with me. I then get motivated by Alison of Discovering SanFrancisco and her "city walks". I go out, I buy me a book...

and voila! The next thing I know, Mister and I are city walkin', we are city walkers, we are walkin' the city...... ok, no caffeine or alcohol involved here, just a prolonged lack of sleep.... story of my life. I digress.

We find ourselves with a beautiful Fall afternoon and decide to do our first city walk. We choose two loops in North Portland. The Overlook loop actually meanders right by the Overlook House, where Mister and I got married just two+ years ago. We took it all as a sign.

So, the nitty gritty is this: North Portland - which can in places be intimidating, but these two loops were not; excluding the MAX ride (which we did exclude due to waning daylight and temperature) the two loops totalled 5.9 miles. It took us just about 3 hours, or maybe a bit more, and we were not in a hurry, we took our time and stopped often to check stuff out. Despite the photo heavy post, you won't, unfortunately, get much of a feel of the walk. I took what I thought was a lot of photos, but it turns out I just took a lot of the same thing, over and over. Lesson, hopefully, learned for future city walks. We start our walk on Rosa Parks Way in Peninsula Park. This park contains not only the oldest community center in the city, but also what was the original "Rose Garden" (Portland is the City of Roses, The Rose City). The sunken rose garden was superceded just 4 years after it was built by the Washington Park Rose Test Garden which still serves as a focal point in our city.

There are notable homes as you walk along and the book also gives interesting information about the neighborhoods that you, as a regular person, would just never ever know. At one point, there were quite a few alleys. We didn't pay much attention then were informed (by the book) that the alleys were created for the telephone and electric wires. Keeping all those overhead wires on one street, contained - as it were, kept the look of the main streets and avenues 'cleaner' and more desirable. Interesting.

This is a 1906 shingle-style home with a semicircular bay window above the front porch. It was beautifully painted and looked to be well-taken care of.

We came across this metal shop called Edelia. There were so many really cool metal sculptures, here's one, a bicycle which looked, we never really got to talk to anyone, they were busy, to be made of recycled materials.

This is a big old 4-square home on the Overlook bluff. Imagine, your bedroom has that upstairs balcony. How great would that be?!

This triangle of land with 3 large London plane trees used to be the site of streetcar turnaround. You could walk or drive by this and never know.

Don't know what these berries were, but they were SO purple.

This was in someone's yard, an old British phone booth. A replica? The real thing? Either way, it had a skeleton (leftover from Halloween, I presume) hanging out.

We then came to this cute, hidden walkway. It is one of the very few, if not the only, walk way over a major street (N. Going) the only street to/from Swan Island, an industrial area. Here you can see the spiral ramp.

...and the spiral from underneath...

... and it apparently is over top of Simon G. Stanich Park. No clue who that is/was.

... and as we climbed the spiral ramp, the walkway we will soon be inside...

... and us inside the walkway with N. Going and Swan Island behind us... (squint)...

... and finally Mister walking out the other end of the walkway. This is the perfect example of, no photos of all the amazing homes we saw and 23 of the one walk way. Eh, what are you gonna do. I gotta be me.

The walk took us through the adidas Village. (Interesting side note, the company I work for owned, developed and then sold to adidas its village.)

We then turned around, and walked back the way we came rather than finishing the loop as a loop. The last leg of the loop would have been a straight walk down a very busy street, so we opted to return the way we came and see things from a new angle.

In summary.... we loved, loved, loved our city walk and have annoyed everyone we know telling them how much we loved it and can't wait to do more and want everyone we know to do them with us. And now the loop is complete, we are back to the part where we think urban hiking is cool and neat and educational and our friends and family think we are odd.

We're ok with that.

More City Walks to come, but it might not be until Spring. We realized on this walk that we'd need to copy an laminate the walks out of the book because we were constantly referring to it as we walked. Who knows, we'll see.

Just Read: The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

Author: Rebecca Wells

Its from the author of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which I dearly enjoyed. This one, was just okay. A nice, sweet story of Calla Lily Ponder, growing up in LaLuna, Louisiana and reaching the goals she sets in her life and the trials and bumps along the way. Not unhappy I read it. Would I recommend it, not necessarily. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Full moon

Photos from the other morning when I got to work, full moon and fog, clear and crisp. Very pretty.

Just Watched: The Matrix

Yes, yes, I know. I'm the only person on the planet who had not seen The Matrix. Up until yesterday, that is, when Mister insisted I watch it with him. Its one of his favorite movies. It was actually a good movie, intriguing and dark and thought provoking.

Next, who knows, maybe I'll rent E.T.

Thankful

I am thankful for:

my husband

my family

my harley

my friends

my job

my auburn hair

mornings

fall leaves

pecan pie

email

cozy blankets

eye sight

the ability to reason

hugs

opposable thumbs

beaches

auto-feed scanners

chocolate covered anything

carbonated water

sunsets/sunrises

cameras

the ability to walk

smiles

cotton

shortbread

gasoline

music

Google Chrome - even though it makes my blog look wonky and incorrectly colored

teachers

bread

other people's puppies

distance

trees

black

and a lot more too.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Friday

So, I haven't touched my camera since the last post where I said I was going to make it a priority. I haven't even downloaded all the pics from Mister and my City Walk and you have probably noticed, no post about that topic, YET, either. Its on my To Do list. Getting up in the dark and getting home in the dark, seems to put a damper on my willingness to do, well, much of anything. I'm not a daylight savings time fan.

I know its not technically Friday, but today is my work Friday - yee haw! I have friends in town from Sonoma tomorrow and we have a day planned. We'll be wine tasting at Jacob Williams Winery in Lyle, Washington tomorrow. My Sonoma friend's brother owns it. We'll then go to the Full Sail Brewery for lunch and then find some funky fun place for dinner. Looking forward to having a day off from work to play with friends whom I don't see very often. Good friends are funny that way, you don't see them, but you still miss them and are excited to get together. (thx D!)

I plan to have my camera in hand all day and hopefully take some photos. Who knows, you may get lucky and I'll actually post some.

Ok, here's a photo I took this very morning for my Facebook profile. A bracelet that I love that I have lost for a couple weeks, found last night. I then slept in it.

Have a great weekend my friends.

2010

I've been missing my vegetarian days of late. It could never really happen living with a carnivore, like I do, but I'm leaning toward being 'more' vegetarian in 2010. Does that make any sense at all? Living with Mister has taken me back to a day when I eat animal protein nearly every day. Its distressing me a bit. Just thinking out loud.

Collections

9 things I collect:

1 - bowls - really all manner of kitchen ware, but mostly mixing bowls, preferably vintage pyrex;

2 - watches - although I've stopped wearing them and all their batteries are now dead, if I wear them at all, I just consider them bracelets;

3 - lip balm - I seem to have them in every jacket pocket, several in my purse, in the bathroom, in my night stand, many in my desk, randomly stashed around the house, clear, shimmery, tinted, you name it, I've got it;

4 - vintage green glass (depression glass or vasaline glass) - mostly pitchers, but I would love a pie stand;

5 - cameras - not intentionally, I just have always liked photography, so have several, and want just one more;

6 - fridge magnets - from everywhere I travel;

7 - corks - every bottle of wine or champagne opened in our house, the cork goes into a wire basket on the counter. I have no idea why;

8 - empty glass jars - I'm weird about cute glass jars, those little ones pimientos come in, jam/jelly jars, vintage canning jars, anything with a cork or a cute shape, totally weird, I know this. I have to go through and recycle old ones so I can add new ones (don't judge);

9 - heart shaped jewelry boxes - well, I used to, not for many years now.

Can you tell I was reaching on #9. I guess I just don't collect things. Sure seems like I have a lot of cr@p though. I've probably forgotten something really obvious, oh well.

So, what do you collect?

Just Realized

I just realized that I'm bummed I haven't picked up my camera, in a very long time, and spent any time with myself taking photos. I've taken very few photos this year. I believe I will rectify that situtation, and soon. Wish me luck.

In the mean time, this is a photo my friend Sully took. He was showing me some other photos on his computer and this one popped up, I immediately asked him to give it to me. I just love it. I hope you do too.

I totally want a stone daisy somewhere in my yard.

Just Watched: We are Marshall

Recommended by a friend, sat on my Netflix list forEVER, couldn't even remember what it was about when I got it in the mail - - totally recommend it to everyone. Its the true life story of Marshall University's tragic loss of nearly its entire football team and coaches and many, many fans in a plane crash and how the university and the town come back from the horror. I cried from about five minutes in until the credits rolled, and then through the credits. Highly emotional, but that may just be me and where I am right now. I don't really care for Matthew McConaughey, but he nailed (I presume) the coach he plays and in the end, I have more respect for his acting talents than before I watched this film. I do *adore* Matthew Fox, and he's in it too. Go, watch We are Marshall, I don't think you'll regret it.

a prelude, fall color and a kitty

My friend Alison, of Discovering San Francisco, has inspired Mister and I to do some urban hiking. I've always loved the idea of urban hiking, but have had a bit of a difficult time talking anyone into doing it with me. Why walk around the City when the wilderness is just over there... Alison has a book of San Francisco "City Walks". She's been blogging about her adventures as she makes her way through the book. #1 - Alison's a writer, so her posts are interesting and make sense and are cohesive. Not necessarily something found here on my little site. #2 - I found it wonderful that she moved to a new city and found a unique way of discovering interesting things about it that she might not necessarily have discovered on her own. #3 - I bought a book of City Walks in Portland and am very excited to tell you Mister and I did our first Walk recently and I plan to copy (the sincerest form of flattery...) Alison and blog about our adventures. Here are a couple prelude snippets of our first walk, which just happened to be on a spectacular Autumn day in our city.

So, there you go, a prelude to a story... are you enticed?

Now, some fall color. I've been negligent in photographing and subsequently posting fall color photos here. These were both taken on walks Mister and I regularly do around our neighborhood....rosehips.... do you *love* them!And my sweet Harley. He's blissed out next to Mister on the cozy crocheted afghan my mother made me. Its Harley's favorite blanket to snuggle on.And... again Harley with his crazy, cocked ears and reflective eyes. He lays on the back of the chair sandwiched against my back as I use the computer at home.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Priceless

An opinion piece: This morning, I was listening to the news and heard a priceless quote from the new candidate for California State Senate (R), Carly Fiorina, it went something like this... Its time we balanced our country's budget, we have to do it at home, we should have to do it as a nation... Now, that's not an exact quote, and I don't normally feel the need to comment on political 'stuff', but, I just want to remind Ms. Fiorina and her cohorts that the budget was balanced before her party leader took over and lead the country into a financial chasm, the likes of which have never been seen, for eight long years. I really, really dislike political rhetoric. With all my heart, I can't stand it. He said, she said, they did this, what's up with them.... Why can't the American public figure out that all sides of the politics slant their views and only comment on the erroneous ways of the their 'rivals'. Both sides R and D get their panties in a wad when the other side does something they don't like and then when its their turn again to be in power, they do the exact same thing that they railed against just 10 minutes ago. With all those pronouns, I hope you got what I was trying to convey. The majority of the American people (not all of us, but a majority, in my opinion) have no idea what is going on because they can't be bothered with it, our personal lives are chaotic enough without spending the time and energy to wade through the lies and half truths. I think that most people just listen to what they listen to or read what they read and believe all of what is said to them. All of what is told to them. No thought about what the entity who is giving the information wants to gain from telling the half truths. Its true, I weigh 119 pounds! Seriously, I do. But you see, that would only be a half truth, I also weigh a few more pounds than that too. Ok, maybe that's not a very good example, but you get what I'm saying.... right?!? I sincerly hope you do. Mister and I dream of living somewhere better. But, in reality, this is the only country I can feel completely safe posting something like this on the internet, so, I think we'll stay... for now. ...Please school me if you feel the desire.... I can always use more schooling and opinions are great too.

Just Watched: Bottle Shock

I overheard someone talking about this film at a party. I thought it was slow at first then fun in the end. Interesting information on the uprising of the California wine industry, as its based on a true story. Something my lovely, wonderful, passionate, discerning and did I say lovely... California wine connoiseurs (did I spell that correctly, I don't feel like looking it up... help me out here, would ya?) would do well to remember, 'Don't be a snob, like the French, about your wine' other parts of the world are capable of turning out amazing wines too!

Just Read: The Audacity of Hope

Author: Barack Obama

GO READ THIS BOOK NOW!

This book is so uplifting. It is wonderful to have a president who has such a grounded, real life outlook on our economy, family, and just people in general. Even if he hadn't become president, he has an intelligent and yet unassuming way of verbalizing what he believes. Politics, religion, race, family, nothing is left off the table.

I laughed and I even teared up a bit in places (at his amazing view of things). At one point he tells about his life with Michelle. I seriously thought he was talking about my relationship with Mister.

I wish everyone could read this book, no matter what their political views, this man 'gets it'. He has a unique (and not so unique) view of things growing up without a father figure, half black/half white, ending up as a lawyer then a senator who is rather well off. He feels honest out open and (I know I keep coming back to this) real. He doesn't seem untouchable, does that make sense?

I got this book from Audible.com. Its where I get a lot of my books, but, if you been reading my blog, you know this. President Barack Obama was the reader!!! So, so, so cool. It made 'reading' the book just that much more alive.

GO! Go get this book and read it. If you want, I'll buy it and send it to you! Just leave me a comment and I'll get it to you. Seriously. Read it, pass it on, ruminate on it. You won't regret it.

Just Watched: The Heart of Me

Helena Bonham-Carter, so great! I've been enamored with her acting since forever. Quirky, kitchy, off the wall. How can you beat that. I also really like Olivia Williams (most notably, for me, as Bruce Willis' wife in ...'I see dead people...' what was the name of that film?) Anyway, not a fast paced flick, but interesting drama and twists and view into what people will do to keep someone they love... or is it keeping a comfortable life that they really are looking to keep?

A good film.

Just Read: A Map of the World

Author: Jane Hamilton

I've had this book on my book shelf since, oh, I don't even know how long its been there. At the time (somewhere around 1999, I think), I bought it because it was on Oprah's book list. I then realized, after reading a few of the books on Oprah's list, that they have a tendency to be 'heavy'. At least, back then. I stopped looking for book ideas on Oprah's list at that time and never picked up A Map of the World.

Flash forward a few years. I wanted a physical book to read (I have a tendency toward audio books since getting married.) In the light of trying to be practical, I went to my bookshelf, instead of the bookstore, and found this gem. And a gem it really turned out to be.

First off, its heavy.

Second, even the cover feels dire, all sepia and hazy.

Third, its a good book.

I didn't know where the book was going when I started reading it, and one of the first things that happens is tragic and then it sort of goes down hill from there. What I liked about this book probably wasn't what the book intended for the reader to focus on. I liked the dual perspectives in which it was written. (Isn't it great how I didn't end that sentence with a preposition. I wrote it that way originally, then went back and changed it. Anyway...) It was told from the wife's perspective then from the husband's angle. The husband and the wife have polar opposite personalities and see the world so differently. I liked that part of the book probably the most. The story was good, the writing was great, I was gripped through out and it ended not particularly like I would have had it end, but it ended realistically, which I always appreciate.

I doubt you'll read this book, but I don't want to give anything away in case you do decide to read it. If you want more detail, I won't give it to you, but Wikipedia will.

Wow, that was a very uninteresting and non-informative review.

2

Today is Mister and my second anniversary!! Yeah US! Mister in no way wants his photo on the internet, and that includes my blog. Today, I'm posting a pic from our honeymoon anyway. Love you hun! I don't think he reads this anyway. Happy Oct 21 to you all.

Why is it that when I am 'down', I completely forget and have no energy for those things that will only make me better? Does that happen to you? I know that exercising is the best salve and the best upper for my emotions and my physical well being, but its the very last thing I want to do when I get in that place of negativity.

This very morning, I have renewed my personal/internal quest for eliminating my negative responses to unhappy people, places and things. Let's face it, they are everywhere. I am going to run into them. There's just no getting around that. What I can change, is my response, my attitude my demeanor. And I plan to renew my energies toward that end. Being upset or mad or sad or evil - - often a choice. I don't see it that way because emotions are quick-fire in my head, but, I really am going to try to slow my reponses and think about what they should be. Now, I'm sure I'll not get it right every single time, but with practice, I can only get better, right!?

So, how do you respond to the negativity around you? Do you just ignore it? Do you have such a sunny disposition that the bad vibes can't even get within a mile of you? Do you have a mantra you use to ward off unpleasantness? I'm looking for suggestions and help and whatever else positive is out there.

Just Watched: Revolutionary Road

With Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. I thought it migt be odd to see them together since I think of them as the Titanic couple, but it worked. They have great chemistry and are believable.

It was a very good movie, in my opinion. It moved faster, jumped around more than I wanted it to, but I guess its probably difficult to put an entire novel into a movie of just under 2 hours. I may just have to pick up the book to find out what I missed.

The premise is standard, you never know what goes on inside a relationship unless you are the one inside it. The movie has a very interesting way of showing the characters and, us, the audience, the truths. As observers in life, do we really know the difficulties are there in others relationships, but want so desperately for Walt Disney to have stumbled upon true happily ever after that we ignore what we see?

Nice twists, great acting. I would recommend it to you my friends.