Really, I Ain't Sweat'n It... (senryu)

I'm still a "Plus One"
on "Single's Awareness Day" --
but I'm not lonely...


***If you're with that special someone, I wish you all the best.

If you find yourself without, then don't bother to pout --

love. is. everywhere -

and that ain't the Hallmark talking... ;)***

Xmas Day: Frank Lloyd Wright, Eat Your Heart Out!...

For the first time in many, many, years, I engaged with my cousins, niece and nephew in a holiday activity that I hadn't done since I was in the 3rd grade:

Building Gingerbread houses.

Yep, I bet you didn't know I was quite the amateur architect, huh?

Anyway, of the 3 houses made, mine and my nephew's placed 2nd overall based on the family votes at the table.

However, I guess you can say we all won the "Make the biggest mess in the kitchen possible while having a blast" award, and that's the most coveted one of all.

Check it out:

As you can see, we decided to go with the
Single Unit A-Frame Studio Duplex, with matching
2 car garage. We also got kudos on portability,
since ours was the only one that was stable enough to
survive a possible car ride. However, it seemed something
was missing...


Voila! Someone made a Candy Cane Santa Sled to finish
off the roof. Our architectural masterpiece
finally complete!




This house was made by my niece and her mom, the
1st place finishers. Complete with marshmallow snow
in the back, and hard candy walkway in the front, this
was definitely the flashiest of the 3, and my personal
fave -- besides me and my nephew's, of course!



And last but not least, this was made by my cousin and
a family friend's kid -- it was certainly the "little house
that could", collapsing 3 times, yet still managing to be
put back together in some kind of massive high rise/
watchtower configuration. And with all 3 houses,
a Santa can be found on each of the roofs -- I dare ya
to spot them!




But you know what? When you put all 3 of them together,
it does make quite the sweet community!

Shhh!!! Don't tell my cousin, but I think I might want to do
this again next year... ;)

Christmas 2007: A Few Shots I Got...

Christmas cheer around the office...


... And even in the city streets...


... where decor ranged from gloriously gaudy...




... To quietly serene...


...But whether you like it Frosty...


... Or by sugared sprinkle sweets...


... I really hope you dig, my
Fiber Optic Tree!


Merry Christmas Everyone, and to the "George Baileys"
of the world... ;)

I’d Never Expect Christmas Sung By M.J.B...

Ever since I've been on this kick to catch clips with my DVR, The Today Show manages to amaze me with the musical guests they have on so early in the morning.

Although Mary J. Blige was on to promote her new album, she also did a rendition of an old classic Christmas tune that just simply blew me away. And I'm not even a big fan -- but if she ever decides to put out a Christmas album, I'll be in line to grab a copy.

Without further ado, here's MJB giving us a little holiday tune... ;) :

Thanksgiving 2007 - Best Turkey EVER!...

Ah, what a Thanksgiving -- the combination of great food, friends and family never gets old. I have a lot to be thankful for, but most importantly, I'm thankful for being able to share this all with you.

Unlike last year, I didn't have to do Thanksgiving dinner solo: Mama did most of it, and I handled one side dish in particular (the pics toward the bottom). And since Mama was in charge, the turkey was absolutely stellar; juicy and delicious with that nice golden color that looks too darn good to be true. But you don't have to take my word for it, the proof is in the picture.

I hope ya'll had a good time too, and now, without further ado - THE PICS!

Ah, the stuffing. This is only the first phase, where the wet ingredients are cooked first.

The naked bird, in all it's glory. The recipe for the included ingredients is a secret, but the taste is for all the world.


Can't have turkey without the requisite fruit sauces to go with it: apple chutney on the left, cranberry chutney on the right...


... And canned-goods need some love'n too! Our family likes to "slice" our cranberry sauce straight from the can.


This ham brought to you by Honeybaked: When you need it delicious and taken home 10 minutes before closing, it's the brand for you.


The usual suspects -- Potatoes and corn go like peas and carrots.


Yep, that's me, boiling water. I got sooooo demoted!


Eh, just kidding! I'm here working on my side dish -- Pasta Shells and Cheese! I was gonna go with Macaroni, but I thought that I'd go a little fancier for the holiday.


First phase complete. The main sauce was alfredo, and I threw in some cheddar to give it that "extra boost." Cook at 320 for about 10 minutes and you should get something...


... That looks like this! You're not looking for that "too burned" cheese-look for this dish. More subtle, like you just slapped this thing last minute, but it's gonna taste good.


And finally, pose with said-dish, and watch it slowly disappear. Grins and smiles on faces should be the apropos norm.


The stuffing, with the croutons mixed in last so they won't sog up too quickly. Baked in the last half of the cooking cycle, it came out really well this year.


All right, with all the key players in their positions, what could be missing?


Friends and family? Got that covered. Okay, what you've all been waiting for...


BAM! Now is that a turkey, or is that a TURKEY! kudos to the mama - not bad for never having used this particular oven before (we've moved into a new place). What did I do to help out? Well, I did set the Digital timer, so I guess my share would be 20% out of 80%...


This is how I roll -- sweet potato, shells 'n cheese, and a piece of turkey that looks like roast duck. Fan-tabulous!


And remember, with no one to share this with, Thanksgiving just ain't the same.

Have a good'n and I'll catch ya'll in a bit... ;)

o.g.11/23/07

My Father's Sacrifice (Don't worry, it's funny)...

Last night, while riding in the car with my Mother and Father:

ZRRRRROOOOM!

Did you see that?

Dad, that guy just totally cut you off!

I hope he gets into an accident. He deserves it for driving like that.

Easy there. Don't you think you're being a bit hard on him?

No. That guy was crazy!

But still...

You know what? That's what I'm gonna give up for Lent.

What are you giving up?

I'm giving up being a nice guy.

Huh?

You heard me! I'm gonna be a jerk for 40 days!

That doesn't make any sense at all! How do you reason this?

Well, most of the year people are jerks and they're only nice during Lent. So I'm gonna do the opposite and be a jerk for them. It will help to balance out the universe - for the lack of jerks during Lent.

You've gotta be kidding me!

You think being an asshole is easy? It takes A LOT of work! So... I'll be like a "reverse martyr". I think I can do it.

So basically, you're going to sacrifice kindness in all its forms?

Yes.

Hey - can I borrow 20 bucks?

No!

Ah, it's starting already...

***And then we all got into a funny conversation about the Chinese and how they confuse the word "intercourse" instead of using "discussion" and how hilarious that usually turns out - but alas, that's another story entirely...;)***

Valentine's Day, served 21st Century Senryu style...

Cupid, strike me down!

With laser-guided arrows --

No way you can miss!!!

**Big thanks and SUPER WINKS ;) to those that sent me e-cards and special notes this year - Loved every one of them! And may we all appreciate those we love - today, each day, and the tomorrows to come... P.S. I'm feeling particularly festive, so I might post more than once today, so I'll catch ya'll later... ;)**

This One's A Keeper...

Though many gifts I did receive -
a sweater, a shirt with shortened sleeves,
a blender that can pummel seeds,
the box-set of some DVDs...

... Your gift, I valued most of all -
a simple card with your writ sprawled,
"I'm yours, always, from Spring to Fall" -
of now I have the wherewithal...

... to know, what life means to me.