A "Nu" Celebration

Ah, November. The time of year for pumpkins, leaves to change color, Thanksgiving, families to gather and most important of all the uncorking of the new vintage of Beaujolais. That's right my friends, November marks the worldwide celebration of Le Beaujolais Nouveau.

I know, some of you may not know what this is. I'm shocked. How can this be possible? Since this is the season of peace and joy I'll let it slide and explain.

On the third Thursday of every November, France celebrates the uncorking of the new Beaujolais wine. The wine is only 6 weeks old and comes from the Burgundy region in France. Not only are there celebrations all throughout France but all throughout the world. This is where we benefit. Now, of course I would love to hop on a plane to France and celebrate this festival they way it should be but until that day comes I have to work with what I'm given.

The celebration made its way to San Diego where we caught up to it in the Gaslamp Quarter. Our favorite version of the Beaujolais Nouveau is from Georges Doboeuf. Lucky us! The celebration this year kicked off with a Nu Beau block party at the Gaslamp Museum Park . It was a circque celebration with musicians & performers.


We arrived at the Museum Park to pick up our "passports" and receive our first tasting of the new harvest. We knew we wouldn't be disappointed. This wine is always a hit and once again we were in love. As if I needed yet another reason to love France. I could have stayed here all night. Music, wine, stars. Mike's rumbling belly. Uh oh. Dinner. Ok, so maybe it was time to eat.

Our passports had a list of all restaurants participating in the event. Perfect. We decided on a place called Henry's Pub. I know, not very French but it was one of they places giving out complimentary tastings. This is most important in choosing a place. We have our priorities.

And then the unexpected happened. We were just in it for the wine, we weren't expecting a bonus. It's always interesting how things turn out. We don't go out much. We couldn't pass up an occasion like this. Mike had wanted to choose another restaurant. I insisted on this one.

We don't usually meet people when we go out. That has been one of our biggest complaints about living in San Diego. It's one of the reasons we're thinking about leaving. That's when it happens of course. You meet a nice person. Someone who's real. You don't meet many of those anymore. We met a person who clicked with us, someone you felt like you've known even though you just met. We had an great time. A fun time. Isn't that what it's all about?

We thought it would just be a night of new wine but it turned out to be a night of new friends. It definitely was a "nu" celebration after all. We can thank Georges. And France. Vive le France!

Me & Walt - We Believe

I am a professional dreamer. Always have been. My theory has always been that things have to happen to someone and I'm someone so why shouldn't they happen to me? I've never put a time frame on any of these dreams but I've always known at some point in my life that they would happen.

Sure, people are always going to try and stomp on a dream or two but I say never listen. If you listen to the naysayers you risk not believing that your dream can come true and take it from me - you never know what can happen. Dreams don't have to be over the top. They can be. Simple or outrageous. Dreams are what you want them to be. They are whatever each person believes in.

Let's start with a good one. Dean Koontz. I've mentioned him before. He's my book God. The author I've followed since childhood. Which brings me to dream #1 - to meet Dean Koontz. Of course this seemed like an impossibility. I lived in New York, he lived in California. He doesn't do much press. I didn't care.

Like I said, I'm a dreamer. I believe dreams come true. I was 10. Someday, I knew it would happen. Which brings me to dream # 2 - to live in California. Yes, I know, I want to live in many places but California was on my list. At 15, I'd read so many Koontz books and I knew I had to get to the West Coast. So many people told me it would never happen. Do you know what's worse than people telling me no? People stepping on my dreams and telling me no. I don't think so.

The dreams were a little bit out of order but along they came. I eventually did move to California. Dream # 2 came off the list. I knew I would do it. I knew I was closer to dream # 1 but I didn't realize how close until I drove home one day. Just 3 miles from our house I saw a sign. No, literally, I saw a sign. "Canine Companions - The Dean, Gerda & Trixie Koontz Campus".

Oh My God. I could barely contain my excitement. And then it happened. A notice in the local Starbucks announcing that rare book signing at the campus. Something I had waited my whole life for was finally going to happen. It was an unbelievable moment, one we captured on video and film. Dream # 1 finally came true.

I have so many dreams that have yet to be realized but I know they can come true. I think it's sad when people don't think dreams are attainable. It's like there isn't a point to reaching for the stars anymore and without dreams what do we have? Walt Disney had the fairy Godmother say it best - a dream is a wish your heart makes when you're fast asleep. Sometimes it does suck to wake up though, you don't have any singing mice who will iron your clothes.

Better than Cake

People love dessert. Those who say they don't are liars. I am not a liar. Dessert is amazing. Dessert is fabulous. It is why we eat dinner. We know what comes next. That's right. Dessert. One of the few perks of being an adult is that I can skip to dessert if I want. Sure, Mike sometimes frowns upon this but even he can be swayed. One look at the chocolaty goodness that lays ahead and who can resist? Here's where it gets tricky.

Don't get me wrong. I love a good brownie or a piece of chocolate cake just as much as the next person. Chocolate and I are friends. We always have been. But while others look forward to the moment when the bell rings signalling a fresh-out-of-the-oven confection, I've already had my moment. It was finished when the batter went into the stove, letting me know that there would be no more fingers to dip in the heavenly brown lake. Yes, I'm a batter lover. Nothing is more delicious than chocolate batter. Not even the cake, fresh from the oven, can compare.

As a child, my brother and I would fight over who got to lick the bowl and the spoon and the mixers. We wanted it all. My mother told us we would get sick. We never did. I grew up baking. Did I love baking or did I secretly love cleaning up my work? Hhmm. Now that is a good question. Even now, Mike can't stand when I eat the batter. He tells me every time that I'm going to get sick. It's the eggs, he insists. Salmonella. It makes me laugh. I'm not concerned. I lick away.

*Raw photos only.
I decided to try some vegan recipes. Something new, something different. Wait, what's this? Oh my God, it's brilliant is what it is! Thank you Chef Chloe. Vegan Cupcakes. And they're chocolate too! Which means....you guessed it. No eggs. No eggs means no worries of salmonella. Oh sweet batter here I come.


*The batter is AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS and that's the most important thing. However, the cupcakes just came out of the oven and even though I'm partial to the batter I will say these are the most delicious cupcakes I've ever eaten in my life.

For recipes, go to http://www.chefchloe.com/.

*To make it easier, here is the recipe:
Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes (I took out the strawberry part)
Makes 12 Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut milk (I used almond milk)
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 ½ cups hulled and sliced fresh strawberries
Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish
Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. Sift or whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the coconut milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and espresso powder until smooth.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix with a fork or small whisk.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners until each cup is 2/3 full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
5. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, slice off the top 1/3 of each cupcake and slather with frosting and sliced strawberries. Place the top of the cupcake back on top and add an additional bit of frosting and sliced strawberries. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.F
FrostingIngredients:
4 cups confectioners' sugar, preferably organic
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (refined coconut oil at room temperature OR vegan margarine will also work) - I used the vegan margarine.
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup water
Procedure:
1. Combine the confectioners' sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. With the mixer running, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until the desired buttercream consistency. NOTE: You probably will not use all the water. Simply add as needed while beating.

Hair Mutiny

I love my hair. There, I've said it. Now that I've gotten that out of the way I can continue. While I love my hair, I am not attached to my hair. I live in the moment. As in, I love my hair at this moment. What can I say, I get bored. With everything. Not many things are safe. I'm not one of those people who would rather lose a limb than cut their hair.

I've never understood that. I've seen women with hair that is so nasty, split ends on every strand, who refuse to take the scissors to their mane. I don't get it. What is this hair attachment? It's not like it won't grow back. I'm all for growing my hair. I'm also all for cutting it. It's something new, something different. Why be the same all the time?

I have a hair pattern. I like to grow it out and then cut it off. I'll try different styles and when I get bored, which is inevitable, I'll ride it out. Once my hair has out grown the old 'do I'll let it grow for a while, see where it goes. The grow and chop. That's how I roll. I've never had a problem with this pattern. No one has ever gotten in the way. Not even my husband. He's a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. He likes my hair any way I have it. Long, short, bangs (it was an accident), no bangs, whatever.

I decided over the summer that it was time. The chop was coming. My mom was visiting and I made my announcement over dinner. I had a mutiny on my hands. It was a full blown hair mutiny. The tag team of Mom & Mike was in full force. They told me that they weren't ready. It wasn't time, I couldn't cut my hair. I couldn't stop laughing. I'd never been opposed before (well, besides Pop-Pop Gram but grandmothers NEVER want you to cut your hair). For the first time, I was being vetoed. Maybe I wasn't fully ready. I conceded. I just went for the trim.

That was months ago. This time I was ready. I looked at my hair. It was in need of a fix. I know it's before the holidays and technically I should wait until after but I'm feeling the itch. The chop is coming. I made my appointment and I started my pitch. I told Mike that this was it. The time had come. Nah, it's just not time. Mike apparently was still not ready.

Now I'm confused. He's never been attached. He told me it's only because it's not time. With a line like that I could only laugh. I ended up only getting a few inches cut. Went for the "healthy" look. But I can't hold out much longer. There's only so much holding off I can do for the tag team. I called the other half of the duo on the way home. Told her I'd cut off my hair. She didn't think I was funny.

I asked Mike what was up with him and my mom and their new obsession with my hair. He smiled. The scary part isn't the hair obsession. It's the tag team. I'm not liking this two against one thing they've got going. It seems to happen quite a lot. Started with the little things. I thought it was cute. If only I would have know what it was going to turn into....hair mutiny.

Flying High

The day had finally arrived. My circus debut was here. I was going to be a trapeze artist. Well, sort of. Leave out the artist part. After months of seeing other people flying through the air, seeing ads online, in the paper, in magazines, practically everywhere, taunting me, teasing, I couldn't take it anymore. I'd had enough. It was my time to fly. What made the day even more special was the great deal I got through the website buywithme.com. What's better than a dream? A dream on sale!

I arrived at the Del Mar Fairgrounds where the Circus Fund is located. I was so excited. Our class was going to be full today. Eight people to a class. We were told to arrive early so I did. Apparently I was the only one that got the memo. I'm getting a little antsy when I see them. One, two, three. Oh sh*t. Four, five. Are you kidding me? Where's the hidden camera? This must be some sort of joke. Six, seven. Yup, that's the last of the little buggers. Kids. All of them. My class is filled with kids. It seems that the class today was a children's birthday party. And me. The lone adult. Whoopee! Things are looking up. Well, I guess they will be soon, huh?

I looked on the bright side. I'm bigger. I get to go first. All the time. Plus, a few kids got scared and bowed out. Ok, I'll admit, the kids actually weren't that bad after all. Shhh, don't tell anyone. Some were even kinda cute. I practically ran up the ladder for my first jump. I was pretty excited. It was just a basic "banana" jump. Jump, hang like a banana, let go, land. Of course, being the first jump and all, I was a little nervous but it was fan-tab-ulous. I couldn't wait for the next part - the hang and back flip. This was where it got tricky. You actually had to work it now.
Back up I went.

For anyone that is worried that they'll be too nervous - you are so busy concentrating on what you have to do that you don't have time to be nervous. You have to pay attention to everything. If you miss your cue, it's over and back down you go. I had the knees up and over the bar. Swinging the arms, got that. I got a little lost when it came to the back flip. Apparently I was over-thinking and acting too much like an athlete (so I was told). I was working up too much swing on the legs. Patience is what I need. Crap. They didn't realize I don't have much of that.

Back in line I went. I had to get this part down before I could move on to the next portion - the catch. But damn, now I had to get to the end of the line. Waiting for the kids was the hardest part. If it were up to me, I would have kept going over and over again. Sharing is still something I'm not a fan of. Whew, I took my second turn at the back-flip and got it. When it comes to athletics, I need to perfect it. Why can't I be like that with everything in life? Moving on to the catch.

This was by far the most fun of all three sections. Of course by this time the line was short. Most of the kids were scared away by this one. Why? Who knows but it was a huge benefit to me. Send up the guinea pig. That would be me. I flew up the ladder. I was raring to go. I grabbed the bar and off I went. Timing had to be perfect for this one. If you missed any of your cues, you would most likely miss the hands of your "catcher" and then you would have to jump down onto the net. Where's the fun in that? I made my catch. I'm feeling great. Then I get off the net and am told I should be faster with my "legs up" next time. Faster? Ugh. Do you know how hard it is to get those legs up on the bar by this point? But hey, I can't disappoint. I'm going up for round 2.

It was my final act of the day. I had to make it perfect. Be quicker. Get those legs up fast. I was tired, it had been almost 2 hours but I had to make it work. I jumped up, heard my cue, legs up, arms off the bar, reached out and caught. Whew! Throw back, landed on the net. Perfect. I'm told that this was much better, great job. Ahhh. I can relax. I'm liking this circus thing. For two solid hours I had not a care in the world. My mind was free of worry. All I was focused on was flying through the air on the trapeze, completing the tasks that I was given. My goal was accomplished. To have fun. Maybe joining the circus isn't such a bad thing after all.

*If you want information on how you can join the circus and live in the Southern California area, go to http://www.circusfund.org/.

Shoe Heaven

I love shoes. There. I've said it. I'm not ashamed. Well, that's not true. I am ashamed of one thing - my closet is not big enough for me to adequately spread out my little beauties. Sadly, they must be lined up on top of one another, neatly of course, in order to make room for more. Oh the horror.

I dream of the day when they can be free to lounge about on the upper echelons of my walk-in. Until then, they must make do with their shared space. I don't plan on taking down the room-for-rent sign anytime soon.

Always on the lookout for a great shoe bargain, I stumbled into heaven when I found DSW (that's Designer Shoe Warehouse for you non-shoe aficionados). Not only do they carry shoes for men and women but they have every type of shoe you can imagine and here's the best part....you get rewarded for shopping. Are you kidding me? What genius came up with this idea?

I was hooked from the beginning. I signed up and I was good to go. Every time I bring home another tenant I earn points on my rewards card. No other shoe store is doing that. Every time I hit a certain amount of points, I get a gift certificate in the mail for more shoes.

Yes, there is a down side. The husband. I've gotten him hooked on the shoes too. Now when I get my rewards I have to share. Sharing rewards is not as much fun but it's what I have to do. I get a pair, he gets a pair. Apparently I'm told this is called being fair. Sure. For him. Doesn't help me towards my goal of reaching Imelda Marcos-like proportions but I guess I'll have to make it work for now.

*Actual photo

About a year ago I became a luxe member at DSW. This means extra rewards and more gift certificates. It's brilliant. It's better. Sometimes it's harder to attain. You have to reach your goal each year by December 31st. I was worried. My deadline was approaching and we had just bought 3 more pairs of shoes.

I thought we were done and this should have put us to my goal. It didn't. I was confused. I had received a statement in the mail and it gave one amount yet online gave another. How was I to reach my goal??

I thought I'd write to corporate to help clear my confusion. I just wanted clarification. That's it. Nothing more. I needed to know what I needed to reach my goal. I was getting desperate. I had to keep my luxe status for 2011. I got back my response. They apologized for the confusion. They valued my luxe membership very much and didn't want to lose it. They added the remained points that I needed and made sure I remained luxe. I'M LUXE FOR 2011. There must have been a mix-up with my points. I'm not questioning. I'm loving. Loving DSW.

Jealousy isn't my thing unless you have the purse I want....

What's the deal with jealous people? I'm not talking the jealous-over-your-possessions type of person. I'm talking the jealous-over-your-man or the jealous-over-your-friend kind of person. Seriously, what the hell is that? No one is trying to steal your man. No one is trying to steal your friend. We've all got our own people and even if we didn't, we're not out to get yours. Get over it and get over yourself.

I have never been the jealous type. At least not with people. You are more likely to see me drooling over your purse before you see me get all crazy over my man. Talk to him all you want. Call him up to hang out. Go for it. I think it's great. The most important thing to me has always been having all of my friends be friends and get along. This includes my husband. I do not need to be the glue that holds them all together. This can be exhausting. Please, talk amongst yourselves. Amuse yourselves. Sure, it's great to be together and have fun but we can also be apart and have fun too.

This also applies to my friends. I am not possessive. I do not need to stake my claim on my friends. When at a party or get-together, I do not feel the need to constantly announce that a person is my best friend. Why do people do this? It makes me want to stand up and shout really? Are they? Thanks for clearing that up buddy. I'll be sure to back off now since I know they are taken. I didn't think people still did this. I thought once we left high school all that sh*t was over. Apparently not.

I am a secure person. I know people aren't out to "steal" my friends or my husband. I just don't think that way. I am also very independent and strong willed. For the sake of friendship, I have learned to keep tabs on my inner mean girl and have dealt with the insecure jealous friend claimstakers. I'm not going to say it's easy. Being naturally nice isn't hard but forcing that....well, we're talking Academy Award winning performance here. I can't promise that it will last forever. Especially when you have to deal with the occasional comment here and there.

Like I said, jealous people are the worst. Insecure and they like to try and get those digs in. Oh the irony. I can play the game and I can play it well. Too well. It makes me smile just thinking about it. Remember, when you say I'm from New York it's not an insult. It's a compliment of the highest form.