red dress, new life.

As I'm on the job search yet again and have been spending more time at home than usual, I thought that maybe I'd give some of our belongings a little lift.  First up was this little storage/side table:

"Hello, my name is Boring.  I live a boring life in a boring corner with nothing interesting to say about myself."

"One day, however, I took a risk and painted myself Red."

"Now if Stacey would only do the same for herself..."

As my ever-wise oboe professor Elizabeth Camus used to say "Put on that red dress and strut your stuff!"  Alright, job search, how do I look... stunning?

cuddle magic gardens

This past Saturday, Cuddle Magic played.....

...at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens...

.....and it was so, so good.

Wanting it to happen all over again....

light, and one of my roomies.

what can i say, he just started posing.  camera-hog.

booooo.... ... . .. .

For days I've been waiting for the right opportunity to make a photograph of this car.

It's been parked in the same spot on 46th Street for days now and every afternoon, I walk a few blocks to go see it, hoping that the spot in front of it is vacant.  There's such a great contrast between the navy matte finish of the car as it sits against a wall of vibrant gold mums and I just wanted to try capturing it.

Today, I went out with my camera, hoping against all odds that the parking spot in front of it was open.  Whaddaya know, it actually was!?!  I was flipping out inside... after days of waiting, I could finally take a photo!

I pull out my camera and I'm walking closer and closer as I'm adjusting my settings and am suddenly mortified to notice another car creeping down the street in search of a parking spot....

Boo.

I wasn't even there for 15 seconds before the stinking car had to ruin my photo shoot.  I snapped this one just because I wanted some kind of record of it.  [The left side's cropped slightly as to hide the other car backing in].

If tomorrow, I walk down the street, and the blue car is gone, at least I took one unsatisfying picture.

caesar salad

Up until this past year, one of those things that I just couldn't avoid ordering as my first course at fine dining restaurants was the Caesar salad.  I'm not talking about your Applebee's-equivalent type of food establishment, I mean real foodie-type restaurants, where every bite of every dish is so intoxicating that when you're finished you can only manage to stumble out of your seat as you leave.  I can't explain it, I've always had this weakness for a delicious, freshly tossed Caesar.

Last year, I discovered this recipe in their printed-edition magazine and started experimenting.

My first attempt wasn't that great.  I used some poor quality stuff--including not-so-tasty olive oil and since we only had half the amount of good Parm-Reg that was needed, I compensated by adding cheap-o Kraft Parmesan cheese (I admit this, most embarrassingly).  So, bear in mind, the tastiness of your salad does, of course, depend on the quality of your ingredients.

By now, I've attempted the recipe a dozen or so times, changing little things with every attempt and it's gotten better every time.  So if it's not perfect the first time, try try again.

Now, when I see Hearts of Romaine on the menu, I tell myself "I can make my own tasty version at home" and so I avert my attention to all of the other delicious menu options.