Tag Archive: Pictures


Keeping my promise

Last week I said that I was going to post every trip Em and I made to the city. The only problem I have is coming up with new and original titles. Also right now, I don’t know if the problem is with WordPress or my router, but I am losing posts. It is very annoying but because that is happening, this post may not be what I want it to be, as in, not as long and no pictures, since the pictures seem to be the problem. For instance, I have been trying to get my review post done for almost an hour and a half. It’s not the writing that is taking so long, it is getting the pictures in the post! There again, I don’t know if it’s my browser or WordPress.

It is making me so frustrated, I can’t even remember what I was going to say here.

All right, my reviews are posted. So Saturday, we got a late start, I had to go to Weight Watchers (up 0.6 pounds) and Em was not feeling great. Fred came with us, I never got a reason as to why, not that I care. First off we stopped at the soupman. Fred kept saying he wanted soup from the ‘Original’ soupman, so we went, Em had a groupon. I got black bean and he got Lobster bisque. On the wall was a T.V. with clips from Seinfeld, every so often a quote from an episode featuring the Soupman was shown and I would laugh, then we would have to explain why it was funny to Fred. After we finished the soup we walked to Bon Chon Chicken for lunch. Another groupon, before we get finished with Em’s groupons, we will probably have eaten in every part of Manhattan. Make sure to check out my review of Bon Chon here.

Next was Em’s appointment to get her nails done, Fred was getting a manicure also. We were early, so we stopped at the Yankee store since I had promised Em a sweatshirt for opening day. She didn’t find any she liked, but I found a navy blue jersey that was half price. While she was getting her gel manicure and Fred was getting a plain manicure, I went to wait for him at Starbucks across from the nail salon, thinking I would go online and check my e-mail, track my food for the day, guess what? It wasn’t working. I was frustrated. After Fred was done he came over to Starbucks and we went to the library, where I let him use the computer and I went online there with my iPod. Such fun, I don’t know what he did, but I checked in with four-square, and what else I don’t remember.

We took the subway to SoHo. It was cold Saturday and I don’t think Em was feeling very well. The original plan was for Em to go look at earrings, by that time she had changed her mind, one because Ashley wasn’t going to be there and two because of the cost. But we still wanted tea so we went to Harney and Sons. Check out my review here. I also bought tea, so as soon as I finish my chocolate rose tea, I can start drinking my Irish Breakfast. The other Irish Breakfast I currently have is going to feed the plants.

We had one last groupon we used, for dinner, at a pizza place called zPizza. According to Em it is in Greenwich Village but the website says it is in the West Village. I didn’t write a review, it is small and you can buy a slice of pizza already made, or you can pick your crust, your sauce, your cheese and your toppings for a custom made pizza. When we were done, once again we headed for the subway instead of just walking up to Grand Central. When we got there we had to go outside because Fred wanted to try on these shoes he saw at Models. They are ‘toe’ shoes, remember toe socks? Well these look creepier. Then to the train, then home and I was so tired, I took my shower and went to bed. Didn’t even turn on the computer.

This title is sort of misleading since Em and I have not stopped our bi-weekly trips to Manhattan, what stopped was I stopped writing about them. Last year was not a good year for blogging for me, this year I have recommitted and decided that every trip will be followed up with a blog post.

Also I will be bringing my camera, which I haven’t done in a while and taking pictures. Not a lot probably, but enough to give you an idea of what we are doing. Em has a lot of food groupons, that is why we will be eating at a variety of places. Saturday lunch was at Oaxaca, 16 Extra Place, Manhattan. It is just a little fast food Mexican place, we each had two chicken molé enchiladas. They were so good, spicy hot with flavor. It’s going on our list, just have to remember where it is. Then we headed to NoHo to see Ashley. Em had to take out her piercings, and one of them was all red now. I wanted to go to the tea place that Ashley tweets about all the time. Em said sure since we didn’t have an agenda. After getting the address from Ashley we headed to Broome St.

We had already had lunch, but decided a little snack was in order, after all it was COLD Saturday and I was still having sinus and asthma problems. Friday was so nice, Saturday was not. So we got tea with scones. The scones were served with cream and jam, thick cream like butter. All very yummy. Em got mint chocolate tea, I got Chinese Black Tea, Golden Snail I think it was called. Em bought some tea and I bought a tall tea cup with an infuser and a lid.

Next stop was a fabric store, that was closed. That turned out to be o.k. because it wasn’t fabric for clothes it was fabric to home furnishing, so now Em can replace the curtains. Dinner was at a place called MotherBurger. It was quite different from Harney and Sons, which was relaxing and quiet, MotherBurger was loud and crowded. But the burgers were good, exactly to order and not to huge.

Our last stop was at Annie Moore’s. Is there any better way to end a day then with bourbon and chocolate cake? Well Em would say scotch and chocolate cake. Of course it wasn’t really the end because we ended up with a sighting of our strange friend with the long spike of hair, red and blue plaid, and some train drama. We had to wait in Harlem for an ambulance for someone on the train.

Speaking of Harlem, does anyone know of any safe neighborhoods for a little white girl to live?

Today was my Wednesday off so I made plans to go out with Christine. I woke up with a wicked sore throat. Couldn’t swallow without pain. It was pretty annoying considering I woke up in time. Thinking that maybe if I got up and started moving about I would feel better, cause sometimes that does happen, I got up and made eggs for breakfast. I sprinkled some of my very hot red pepper flakes on them. Red pepper is good for sore throat. It didn’t help, the longer I stayed up the worse I felt so I ended up going back to bed.

Of course in this house you can only stay in bed if you have the plague or are dying, or is that, ‘dying of the plague’? Eventually I had to get up. Em wanted lunch and Gwen wanted to go up to apply for a job at the mall. I also wanted to try for Yankee tickets. After getting home the mail came and my findings arrived, so now my Yankee earrings have lever-back ear wires instead of posts. One more thing ready for opening day, just have to get tickets.

My hair appointment had been changed from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. since my stylist had to go to a funeral. After my appointment I was supposed to pick up Nick. Of course first the stylist was late, then it took forever to do my hair. When I tweeted ‘Why does it take so long to do my hair?’ Em tweeted back, ‘Do you know how much hair you have?’ This much, this is how much hair I have, but it does look good doesn’t it?

Finally she was done and I left without getting it dried. Picked up Nick and some other kids, took them all home and then we got home. I was so happy to be home, but the day wasn’t over yet. As I was coming up on the deck I heard a commotion inside, Butterscotch was running back and forth on the windowsill, and I was wondering what was wrong with our cat? Then I realized it wasn’t our cat. It was one of the feral cats from the neighborhood (yes one of those cats I hate, unreasonable I know), that had somehow gotten inside. Abigail was locked upstairs, Butterscotch put in the basement, and while I stood in the cold with my sore throat and wet hair holding the door open so they could chase this demented feline out, it ran the opposite way into the living room, up on the windowsill behind the computer desk and almost took out our router.

Stitch manged to catch it and put it outside, where it rocketed away from the deck. It is not the cat’s fault it is stray and wild, but if that cat ever gets in our house again, it is getting the business end of my boot.

The rest of the evening our two cats were eying each other, perhaps to make sure we hadn’t replaced one of them? Abigail kept sniffing the windowsill, after all that is her perch to watch the world go by. And an impostor had been on it.

Coconut oil

Recently there was an article in the NY Times, Once a Villain, Coconut Oil Charms the Health Food World, you can click on the link to read the article in full but in summary, at one time coconut oil was considered to be very bad for you, containing more saturated fat then butter, lard or beef tallow. It was the reason movie theater popcorn was so bad for you, because it was popped in coconut oil. Recently however, its been available in the health food stores and the attitude toward coconut oil is changing. Apparently, the studies were done on partially hydrogenated coconut oil, we all know any hydrogenated oil is not good for you. But virgin coconut oil isn’t so bad for you.

The article goes on to talk about how not all saturated fats are considered equal and while its uncertain if coconut oil, like olive oil, is good for you, in small amounts it is not bad for you.

However many good things might be said about coconut oil, I still won’t eat foods made with it, I like breathing better. Air in and air out is good, no air in and no air out is bad, very bad. This brings up two concerns of mine about coconut. First of all, coconut is not a very common allergy, so while you can look at the list of ingredients and at the bottom of the list in bold print, is whether or not the product contains, peanuts, wheat, milk, soy or tree nuts, coconut is not mentioned. Which brings me to my second concern, why don’t people consider coconut a nut? Doesn’t it have nut right in the name? And that tall thing it grows on, isn’t it called a palm tree? It makes me wonder where this woman’s head is:

Elizabeth Schuler, who writes the blog mycommunaltable.com, started baking with coconut oil after her son’s severe allergies to tree nuts, eggs and dairy were diagnosed. She searched out vegan recipes and was surprised by the number that relied on margarine and Crisco, a no-go as far as she was concerned.

This means I have to be super vigilant about coconut, it helps that I know what foods are likely to have it in them, Lindt Truffles, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, Girl Scout Cookies, other high end chocolates, Häagen-Dazs® chocolate covered ice cream bars, some fudge ice cream toppings and some soft serve ice cream. And I read the labels, all the labels, every little ingredient.

Like I said, I like breathing, a lot.

Why?

These are my socks, it may not be visible in this picture, but they are in a plastic resealable bag, like a ziplock bag. Why? Are they afraid the socks will go stale? By the way, that’s a medium in GIRL’S socks.

Another why question I have is, WHY did Splenda® stop making the SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Flavors for Coffee in Cinnamon Swirl? It’s available in French Vanilla, Mocha and Hazelnut, but no Cinnamon Swirl. That stuff was great on oatmeal.

When I first had the idea for this post I was also going to include Special K20™ Protein Water Mixes, my favorite is Strawberry Kiwi Protein Water Mix. Besides being yummy it has 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, but as I was wandering around the grocery store, because I didn’t want to say, you can’t find it or they don’t make out without checking it out first, there was the Protein Water Mix in the diet aisle of my local grocery store.

Also on my list was flavored instant coffee, I mean besides Starbucks, can you find it? And there in the coffee aisle was Nescafé® Taster’s Choice® in Vanilla and Hazelnut. I took pictures, but I must have deleted them. These are from the website.

This post was originally conceived as being full of questions about missing grocery items and how it seems that as soon as I start to really love something, it disappears. Instead with a little searching I found one of the items. The cinnamon swirl Splenda® is not even on their website. So there are only two questions. I will have to console myself with a bottle of Stawberry Kiwi Protein Water.

New York, NY Slideshow

One of the reasons I hesitated moving this blog to WordPress was because I couldn’t put my slideshow in this blog. However, I just discovered the “Make a Movie” edit in Picasa, where you make your album into a movie, then upload it to YouTube.

So here it is, my pictures from New York City from last year. O.K. there are few pretty pictures from where I live.

Change is coming

For a while now I have been using two different blogging, sites, services, formats? I don’t really know what else to call it. I’ve been blogging here and on WordPress trying to decide which one I like better. For a while I was staying here because WordPress won’t play my slideshow from Picasa.

It does however play videos from YouTube and I just discovered how to make a ‘movie’ from my pictures in Picasa.

That was the deciding factor, now I can begin the process of moving this blog to WordPress. I have actually started blogging there, same address, just put in WordPress instead of Blogspot. I don’t think they have a follow feature there, but you can subscribe by e-mail.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:My desk at work

Tired

That is the only reason I have for not posting. Not writer’s block, I have all these great ideas. Then I look at my computer, and just don’t have the energy to get it out and turn it on. Yesterday I was home and got an e-mail from the library that my book was in, so I went to the gym, then I went to the library to get the book. I took my computer thinking that would be the perfect opportunity, but the wifi wasn’t working. By the time I packed it up and got home, it was time to get Em.

So tonight, as I was playing with my iPod, I got the idea to write about my favorite apps. Since Verizon now has the iPhone, I will probably be getting one in December. Here are two of my favorite apps.

Groupon (free)
Groupons are coupons you buy online, then print out and take to the company that issued it to redeem it. They are for restaurants, spas, museums, classes, bike riding in Central Park and so on. K and I use them all the time when we go to Manhattan.

This app signs into your Groupon account so you can see what you have, you can sort them by ones close to you or in order of expiration date. You can use the app to redeem the Groupon if you don’t want to print it out. You can also buy the current deal through the app.

Starbucks Card Mobile (free but you need to have a Starbucks card)
This has got to be the coolest app ever. I absolutely love it. If you have a Starbucks card, first you need to register it online. Then you get this app, add your card to it and then you can pay at Starbucks with your iPod or iPhone. After you pay, the app updates and give you your new balance. This is my app, yes I have $80 on my Starbucks card. Don’t judge me, yes I’m addicted. It’s a gold card and everytime I get 15 stars I get a coupon for a free drink. I have received a lot of coupons.

I would say these are my favorites, but I have to also mention I have game apps besides Words with Friends, I have Angry Birds, JewelMagic, Spider Solitaire and Word Warp. I also have the following apps iBooks, Kindle, Kobo.books and Nook for reading e-books. I have apps for Weightwatchers and Chase bank, my iPod keeps me pretty much connected with the world and makes my life easier.

My thumb still hurts.

>Thoughtless or clueless?

>On a book website that I frequent, I met a woman named Ló, we had the same taste in books and for some reason, became closer then some of the other women on the site. She was living in Brazil and frequently mentioned how hard it was for her to get books. Many times she had to pay more in shipping then the cost of the book. When I finished a book I liked but didn’t think I would re-read it, or just to make room in my crowded space, I would send it to her. She always wanted to know what I wanted back, Postcards I told her. I love postcards. So she sent me postcards from Brazil. I even posted them on this blog, here and here.

A few months back she told me she was moving, she wasn’t happy in Brazil, she and her husband were making plans to move. I was sad that I wasn’t going to be able to chat with her as often as I had been, different time zone and all. Then the week before her planed move her beloved cat died. She was very distressed by this. Yet, she remembered me and asked if I would like her to send some postcards from where she was moving to. Here is one, I got it last week.

Yes, Australia, she moved to Australia because she lived there before and was happy there. I sent her an e-mail telling her I got the cards, and that I loved frogs. She sent a reply apologizing for taking so long. Then no more e-mails, which didn’t concern me, I figured she was busy with moving and settling in and so forth. Meanwhile I watched the floods on the news, in Australia. Then it finally hit me, how close were the floods to my friend Ló? I looked at the postcards:

Queensland, then I googled Australia flooding, Queensland. Shit. I feel like such a jerk now. I am not really thoughtless, just clueless. At least that is what I keep telling myself. My niece says I am extremely self-centered. My niece is a bitch just like her mother. That is being kind.

Now I am worried about not hearing from Ló. It has been 8 days since she e-mailed me. I sincerely hope that the reason she hasn’t e-mailed me is she hasn’t had access to a computer, not anything extremely worse. But I keep thinking maybe she got swept away. I’ll never know if that happened since the only way I have of contacting her is by e-mail.

The self-hate has begun.