Peaches N Curry

Times They Are A'Changin

2009-10-12T10:19:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends, Loved Ones and any lurking Internet Strangers,

I have a difficult announcement to make. Blogger and Peaches N Curry have decided to separate. I know this is tough news to hear, but we want you to know is that this is not your fault, mmmkayy? Blogger and Peaches N Curry love you very much and we will always be here for you. It's just that we aren't getting along lately or truthfully, for a lot longer than that. Blogger is a demanding, canterkerous, photo erasing, inflexible wench. Consequently, I have become an emotionally absentee blogger failing to write posts or in any way spend quality time on this here blog. And that's not right. We all deserve better.

But there's something else you should know. I need to be honest here and just get it out there. So here goes...

I went looking outside of Blogger to meet my blogging needs. Yes, it's true. And that hurts you and I'm sorry. At first I was ashamed, but now I am proud of what my new partner and I have created. Ideally, it wouldn't have happened this way. But I hope that one day you will see that I too deserve happiness, freedom and the ability to easily post pictures without flying into a violent rage.

What Blogger and I had was great. But it couldn't last forever. Someone could have gotten hurt, namely our computer or an innocent, nearby kitty cat.

We hope you'll come and visit us at our new home when you feel the time is ready.

http://peachesandcurry.wordpress.com/

Love,
Peaches & Curry

p.s. My lawyers managed to score a sweet settlement and all our archives from this blog are on our new home as well.

Yall free free to stop by our new home at wordpress mmmkkayy??!!

Catch Up Blogging!

2009-10-04T09:26:00.060-04:00

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...there was this month called August, in the season of summer, where folks freely bared their arms and legs in the hopes of absorbing lots of vitamin D and wondered what it felt like to not sweat upon stepping outside.

And we went to the beach. And it was glorious. So here are some pictures for your delight and because I'm feeling rather nostalgic for summer weather in the midst of this lovely fall weekend. Don't misunderstand. I love fall just as much as summer. It's just that when summer ends you can look forward to the fall. But when falls ends, old man winter steps in.

And winter and I do not get along. It's a very dysfunctional relationship. This year we're going to try couples' counseling.

The last week in August Brother Bob and family headed down to Ocean Isle Beach and were kind enough to invite Somanna and I to tag along. Of course we said heck yea. A week at the beach with these three little dudes? It's kind of hard to pass up.

Even sister dearest Brittany got to come down and sneak in some quality beach and nephew time.

(By the way, I have no idea what the conversation was when this picture was taken but surely it was scandalous!)

From Ocean Isle Vacation 09

As I recall, we didn't do much at the beach except for the things one normally does at the beach.

We played in the sand.

From Ocean Isle Vacation 09

I tried to teach Bennett that it's ok to get down n dirty in the sand. It took a little convincing, as evidenced by his willful determination to pack the sand in "neatly."

From Ocean Isle Vacation 09

I don't know how successful that lesson was. But the boogie boarding lessons were a BIG hit. Check them out!

From Ocean Isle Vacation 09

Even little Bennett got in on the boogie board action. Look at him go! He's only 2 (almost 3)!!

Wheeeeee!!! "Umm excuse me Aunt Beth? It stopped. Now what?"

Wipeout!!

When we weren't out in the Ocean, we hit up the pool....which was freezing as it was covered in the shade most of the day.

Yyyouuuuu ssshooouulldd ggeettt inn Unccllee Shaloooott...the watterrrs fiiinneee. Promisssee!

Apparently children are immune to numbness and tingling because the cold water clearly did not slow these little guys down.

From Ocean Isle Vacation 09

Jacques who? I can't hear you because my voice sounds really loud inside my head now.

From Ocean Isle Vacation 09

Ok, I'm ready! Why are you laughing at me Aunt Beth?

My nephews are so talented. They get from moi.

Then again they are boys...and a bit weird sometimes. I can't take responsibility for weirdness, only cuteness and levitating skillz.

Which is why we're super excited that Bob & Rosie are having a GIRL this December!!!! Yes ladies and gents, After 5 nephews between my side and Somanna's side, there will finally be a NIECE!

Other beach activities we indulged in included some scenic bike riding and of course, sustainable nourishment.

From Ocean Isle Vacation 09

Summer has come and gone.
But pictures like this already have me excited for next beach season.

From Ocean Isle Vacation 09

After all, with a view like this how could you not?

From Ocean Isle Vacation 09

**Today's post was brought to you by the letter S and the number 3. Special thanks to Bob & Rosie for having us. We had a great time. And thanks to Brittany, who took the time to come hang out. And thanks most of all to Joe, Jack and Bennett for being so much fun and adorable as always.**

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-09-30T21:44:00.000-04:00

This Time Last Year

2009-09-27T22:16:00.000-04:00

we were busy doing this!

Let's seal this with a kiss!

We're pretty darn happy.

And so was everyone else!

No Word Wednesday

2009-09-09T21:10:00.003-04:00

A mental note...

2009-09-08T15:57:00.003-04:00

I really really need to start printing my photos. Especially you bro; use what your Nikon gave you!
(I also really really need to back up my photos. Posting on Flickr doesn't count.)

~Shaloot

Blogger oh Blogger

2009-09-03T18:16:00.013-04:00

Where for art thou Blogger?

Although I think it would be more accurate to ask writer, oh writer, where for art thou writer?

The answer to that question is complicated and so I'll just sum it up with a big fat "I don't know." So let's just hop back on this bandwagon with renewed gusto and soldier onwards and upwards shall we dear reader?

Let's begin with a story. Why? Because I love telling stories. It's what I do best. Homer and I would have made a great team. I could have totally livened up the Iliad with some much needed slang, humor and artistic dance interpretation.

Anyhoo Wednesday morning, as I ~~peeled out of~~, calmly backed out of our driveway I noticed some mo-nay laying in the street. As in bills. Well, who am I to pass up free money?

So I promptly put the shaggin wagon in park, hopped out, did a happy dance and gleefully counted FOUR WHOLE DOLLARS worth of profit. It's clearly going to be a good day when you start off finding four whole dollars lying the in middle of the street. It's even better than finding money in your coat pockets because it's sheer profit. (Thank you Econ 102!) I had never lost the money to begin with! Oh blessed day!

So I headed into work and informed my co-slaver, errah coworker Jenni that the reason for my incessant grinning at such an unholy hour of 8 a.m. directly resulted from my morning of my good fortune.

I then recounted my tale of how the Gods had shown me mercy this beautiful Wednesday morning and rewarded all my good Karma efforts of always returning the shopping carts to their place and using my turn signal, with a whopping four dollar tip just a-laying in the middle of the street, where chance, no fate, would have me come across this kind and generous act of the universe.

To which Jenni promptly replied with a dead pan face, "That was probably some poor kid's lunch money. Now some poor kid can't eat lunch because they dropped their lunch money and you picked it up."

I have never felt better about myself...*sigh.*

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-09-02T11:33:00.003-04:00

(N)WW is back and a little preview of an upcoming blog:

Happy Birthday Somanna!!

2009-08-19T21:22:00.022-04:00

To my better half both on this blog and in life,

Happy, Happy Birthday!!!

P.S. The Kittays wanted to tell you a little somethin, somethin:

They were a little disorganized at first. I had to be all disciplinarian on them and make them get it together....

Freckles kept wondering off because she felt that her left side was her good side and Marshall refused to trade...

But eventually with the help of some old fashioned bribery (cough, treats) they got it together ....sort of.

(Their sign says: Happee Berfday slave, err Daad. Luv Da kittays)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CURRY!!!

Love,

La Familia,

Beth, Freckles and Fatty Patty, err Marshall....

It's Official

2009-08-16T21:34:00.014-04:00

We are boring.

I'd love to say that we've been off traveling the globe, creating shenanigans and drinking merriment. But sadly, no. It's just been "go to work/gym/bed," and blahblahblah all the other fun stuff that comes with adulthood like, paying some property taxes, laundry, repairing broken toilets and feeding demanding kitties.

Don't be fooled. They make look quiet and peaceful, but I can assure you, they know how to manipulate things around here to their liking. Like coughing up a hairball twice near her toy because somebody (I don't know who) is not playing with her regularly.

The good news is, we have some shenanigans planned for the very near future starting with a trip to the beach with some super cute nephews.

Followed by camping debauchery in the mountains for Labor Day with some of these fine folks.

In the meantime, yall enjoy these last few days of summer and we'll try spice things up with a more regular posting schedule.

Peace Out Homies!

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-08-05T15:19:00.000-04:00

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-07-29T12:18:00.001-04:00

Happy Sunday

2009-07-26T11:44:00.004-04:00

We're expecting company starting today.

The good thing about having company is that it forces you to clean your house.

(Pause)

The bad thing about having company is that it forces you to clean your house.

I don't think I'm alone in this dilemma.

A Photo Essay.

2009-07-24T14:39:00.007-04:00

As they like to say in NYTimes or any other news publication. I'm a big fan of photo essays/photojournalism as it combines my interests in... photos and news. I'm a news junkie, though I can't stand TV news for some reason... probably because I think it's all bad. I'll make a plug here for a photo-news site, which regardless of your political leanings, you'll enjoy cause the photos are amazing. It's the Big Picture from Boston.com. I've never checked out what the rest of the site is, though I think it's mainly famous for the Big Picture section. Currently they have pics from the Tour de France and their war coverage is intense and graphic at times.

Anyways it is in this spirit I'm summing up our trip to DC over the 4th weekend in a photo essay form, since we all know who is strong point in the writing department of PeachesandCurry.com (actually the whole Wyche family is a strong point in the literature department!). Anyways earlier in blogger world I had described the fireworks, and this time round I'll share what else we did that weekend:

Well on the 3rd we (Peaches, Curry, Sudhir, Marina and Santosh) decided to do the touristy stuff. Correction: PeachesandCurry (how's that for 3rd person?!) decided and Marina and Sudhir were the gracious hosts with Santosh tagging along. So off we went to the Holocaust Museum... though we decided that due to the crowd we should try it some other time. That should have been an indication of what the rest of the day would be like. So we headed to the Mall for the first stop at the Washington Monument. Upon which arriving closer we found out the tickets were sold out to get to the top. It would have been neat to go all the way up there:

Last time I was in DC the WWII Memorial wasn't completed, so this was my first time. Along the walls they have these neat reliefs depicting different activities during the war period both on the home front and battlefields:

The park is divides into 2 sections: one area for the Pacific theater and the other for the Atlantic:

There is also this engraving, a section of one the most famous speeches in history:

We then made our way towards the Korean War Memorial, where I thought this was an interesting sight:

After that, it was to the Vietnam Memorial. Now I will say it was hard to note the impact of these wars/memorials with the insane crowds around us, but there were touching moments regardless of all the chatter around us:

It started to rain so we, along with a million people, headed into the Lincoln Memorial (probably the only Republican I care for):

The last straw for us was going to a museum. That to we decided on the Natural Sciences Museum. You know, stuff that kids would love. We must have been in there no more than 15 minutes. Caught a glimpse of the Hope Diamond and then bailed. Even the Pachyderm (I'll thank my bro for me knowing that word!) seemed annoyed:

After all that we were hungry. And so I was finally able to eat some Nando's Chicken! Really good stuff and this is the real finger lickin' good chicken! We have these back home in Zambia, so its a big pull for us "Zed ownes":

Anyways later that night we hit the hot spots in Georgetown, which made us Raleigh folk full jealous and wishing for the big city lights, sounds, and sights of a real big city. Of course, everything was packed. Of course. Saturday was the grill and fireworks day followed by a rocking house party where we got to catch up on some UNCA peeps and get our grove on. Dang that was a good party... Sunday was low key where we went and visited some family friends and later Beth caught up her old roomie, fabulous Tasha Daniels. Sudhir, Marina and I played ate some great Pakistani food from a hole in the wall and later played pool in their awesome condo building. Oh, the price of real estate quickly burst our (at least my) bubble of living a big fabulous city. Monday we left DC/North Va. and headed home for some rest.

One last photo blurb and that is next time if you find yourself trying to take photos with way too many people around, either take photos of the people themselves (called "Street" photography and something I'm not comfortable with yet but my bro has the hang of it) or take tight zoomed in photos of something specific. All the remaining photos will be posted on our Picasa gallery soon. Yes, there are more photos. There are always more.
Happy Friday everyone!
-S

No Word Wednesday

2009-07-22T18:37:00.005-04:00

There Is A Point To This Story

2009-07-16T09:30:00.004-04:00

So hang in there....

After a week and a half absence, I headed back to the gym Monday night to get a much needed endorphin fix.

Maybe yall are normal.

Maybe you do not posses genetic predispositions to Wyche moodiness that I so luckily posses, along with the Wyche/Britt genes for high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and breast cancer. What can I say? I'm a real hit at the doctor's office.

But alas, I need my endorphins mentally as much as my love handles need the cardio. And so, I trekked to the gym Monday, donned my defiantly non-stylish work out gear, grabbed a magazine prominently featuring some skinny b*tch in a swimsuit for motivation and set out to do a little running on the tread mill.

For once, the gym wasn't too crowded. I guess all the singletons had dates or something because the gym seemed noticeably void of pheromones and complicated mating rituals featuring testosterone strutting males in cut off tanks and gads of giggling girls, high on estrogen and cropped yoga pants.

Since I had my pick of treadmills , I opted for end treadmill on the far right, near the water fountain (in case of impending death), in front of the mirrors ( it helps to see the legs jiggle, to give you that extra push) and in front the mat / freestyle-workout-area (so I can count the more motivated people doing sit ups and push ups. Listen Elmer, treadmills are berry, berry, boring. )

And naturally like any normal person, I made sure to choose a treadmill that did not have neighbors directly on either side. Because it's always a bit awkward when you're in a public space, with room to spare mind you, and someone comes along and plops down right next to ya. i.e. on the bus, in line at the store.

We've all been there. It's a bit a alarming and makes you secretly curse the freak who doesn't understand societal norms, the concept of personal space or your inner desire to become a recluse.

So I began my treadmill journey only to discover that the treadmill I had so carefully and strategically chosen to journey through hell with (cough, three miles) whined worse than a cat in heat.

So I did what any other rational, intelligent person would do.

I jacked the volume on my iPod to a level that would surely make any good parent cringe, while debating which attribute I valued more: thinness or hearing.

After enduring two minutes of permanent hearing loss, I reconsidered my decision and in an act of love, decided instead to forgo the perfect treadmill spot, so that I can hear Somanna in our future rest home when we're old.

Or at least hear him in our well into our fifties. Whichever comes first.

After having spent so much time the first go round determining the best treadmill, and having walked for a total of 3 minutes, I was too tired to fight the good fight and decided to step not one, but two treadmills down to my left and resume my self induced torture on lucky treadmill El Numero Tres.

(I had to skip El Numero Dos treadmill because it lacked a magazine rack. Priorities people, priorities. )

And so I resumed my running on Treadmill Tres with renewed resolve and slight hesitation.

Hesitation you ask? Why what ever for?

Well, see there were only two downsides to Treadmill El Numero Tres.

Primero, it was not in front of the mirrors, a fact I could easily get over given that I look more like a Moose galloping than a graceful Elk when running. But the real downside was that El Numero Tres Treadmill had a neighbor to its immediate left.

Could I be that person who so brazenly and awkwardly invades someone else's personal space?

Why, yes I can and yes I did. All because I did not want to walk any further to begin my gym workout.

I hope you pause for a moment and consider the irony of that last sentence. Laziness is actually a very powerful and motivating force.

Not long after getting back to a-running, I noticed that I was really working up a sweat.

"Ha! Take that ice cream! I shall purge thee from the thy body!" I cheered to myself. Except that when I glanced down I noticed that the left side of my treadmill had lots of sweat droplets and my right side noticeably, did not.

"That's vierd," I thought to myself in a distinctly Goldmember accent.

And folks, herein lies the dramatic conclusion to this whole sordid tale:

My neighbor was a SWEATER.

Lawd have mercy, I chose the treadmill next to "A Sweater." No, not the pullover, cardigan kind. I mean the kind of person who sweats like an addict in rehab, a prostitute in church, hell like Governor Sanford in church (or in an Argentinian night club.)

As this stranger (with whom I was becoming far too intimate with) ran, his electrolytes abandoned ship with such fervor and gusto that they covered half of my treadmill and consequently, my left arm and leg, in their grimy, damp, stinky wake! Can I just take a moment to say, EEWWWWW!!!!!! How gross is that?!?!?!!

Seriously, the right half of my treadmill was a dull ash gray...the left side? A dark, shiny sea of coal colored slate. Fan-friggin-tastic.

I battled waves of nausea with each onslaught of droplets as I clung to the right side of my treadmill. I briefly considered throwing up if only to appear hard core and gain brownie points with the gym staff. But then I remembered that vomit leaves your breath stinking something fierce and opted to keep my lunch down.

Meanwhile, I had to keep turning my head decidedly to the right (as if I'm about to turn right....except NOT. Because I'm on a treadmill.) rather than watch the sweat-shower this one man freak show produced.

When I wasn't turning my head a sheer 90 degrees from the rest of my body, my gaze fell to my feet where it took great concentration and skill to place one foot literally in front of the other, since Sweater Man had cut my two foot running space in half. All this drama in the first six to eight minutes of my intended 30 minute-ish run.

"No worries," I told myself, "Surely if the man is sweating this much, he must be nearing the end of his run."

In case you were wondering, he wasn't. Not in the slightest.

After 15 minutes of enduring Sweater Man's organic ocean spray mist and my own awkward cock eyed galloping, I decided that Monday should be a weights day and not a running day.

Except that as I entered my final homestretch of two minutes, Sweater Man finished.

And walked away. And didn't wipe down his treadmill.

And so the moral of this endless tale of rambling is that your mama was right.

Stay Away From Strangers!

Especially men on treadmills.

AND ALWAYS WIPE DOWN THE GYM EQUIPMENT FIRST AND WHEN YOU LEAVE.

I hope have spared at least one of you.

The End.

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-07-15T12:05:00.000-04:00

The 1st Rule of Fireworks...

2009-07-09T20:35:00.002-04:00

Is something I totally did not think about. Esp. when having the chance to view them in the Nation's capital. I mean, this is suppose to the mother of all July 4th fireworks, right? Our plan was to hang out at my friend Sudhir's work place. Which happens to be a military base, called Fort McNair:

View Larger Map

So as you can see above, it's right along the Washington Channel with a view of the Washington Monument (in the upper left of the map). It was a great day. We basically lied our way in and setup camp along the water, near the bottom of the base. We grilled some burgers and sausages (not hot dogs) and had the usual sides and hit some beers and wine. The weather was nice and overcast, and I was ready.
How ready? I had a tripod, though I actually forgot my tripod by the front door when leaving so I went bought the cheapest one at Best Buy with the full intention of returning it. Which I did, and got my money back. I also had my cable release for the camera, which is what you use to trip the shutter without touching the camera so as to not shake it. I did not bring my big zoom lens because it's heavy and I figured I'd be quite close to the fireworks so it's not really needed.
Anyways, we get all set, and off they go. From afar. Quite afar really... no matter though, right? You can still enjoy the colors and I can always crop down!
Oh, wait that 1st rule; don't be downwind from fireworks. Yep, we basically got a smoke show. With lights. Though honestly towards the end the wind did shift away but I think we were all surprised at how... small it all looked. I'm also blaming it on the economy. It didn't really seem all that balls-out (best expression ever, first heard when Steve Ansari was describing an 80 year old's birthday party)... maybe there is some truth in my denial.
Oh well. But it was a good location, cause there was no crowd and just the 8 of us hung out all day and got a good buzz going. It really was a great day, and hat's off to Sudhir for hooking us up! How the heck were we really going to know the direction of the wind?! As Beth and I say "now we know".
Now you bet I have to go back, and this time I'll be a little closer!

Stay tuned as I describe other portions of our trip! Hope everyone had a good 4th!
-Shaloot (who else?)

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-07-08T07:56:00.001-04:00

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-07-01T07:30:00.003-04:00

Courtesy of Julie's awesome garden:

A Tail of Two Kittehs

2009-06-27T14:33:00.008-04:00

Exhibit A: Freckles, the Queen Kitteh:

She loves that toy. She'll either bring the toy to me or come and meow/whine wherever I am and make me follow her to it. She's been this way as long as we can remember and I'm always impressed at how high she jumps, even though she's 6 years old! On the hardwood floors she likes to go in circles and have her legs skidding underneath her as she tries to get a grip.

And then we have exhibit B: Marshall.

The Fat Bastard. He pretty much demolishes his food whenever it's kept out and I can't make him play with the toy the way I can with Freckles. He usually puts in maybe 2 to 3 "jumps" (as in he raises up on his hind legs) before he chickens out. He does like to hide in waiting to pounce on it, but by then Freckles comes into the picture and plays with the toy... relegating him to the sideline... and probably back towards the food bowl.

Did I mention Freckles is the Queen cat?

I don't know why this was posted, I should have worked on describing my trip to the Art Museum or Big Boss Brewery. Maybe tomorrow.

-Shaloot

Technical Difficulties...

2009-06-22T11:13:00.002-04:00

If you're reading this blog using Firefox, then everything still looks... well, peachy. If you view this on Internet Explorer then it's a hot mess. Not sure why, but if anyone has any ideas let us know! No idea how it looks on Safari or Chrome...

Either way, it's back to the drawing board later tonight to see what the heck is going on...

-Shaloot

Race For The Cure!

2009-06-21T11:54:00.047-04:00

Saturday (13 June) I ran my first official 5k for the NC Triangle Susan G. Komen chapter's Race For the Cure.

This is a major life accomplishment here people. I mean first of all, I woke up BEFORE 10 a.m on a Saturday.

Then I went running.

Like outside. In the heat and stuff.

And I would brag more, except that when you get lapped by a cancer survivor, it kind of shuts you up. Not that that happened or anything. Purely theoretical.

Actually, we had a really great time. And by we, I mean, Jenni, my co-slave, err co-worker, and Somanna, my personal photographer /dishwasher / husband.

Here we are pre-race, fairly dry and not stinky, a subtle detail Somanna greatly appreciated.

They gave us real number bibs! Like real racers Pinocchio!!

This is the largest 5K in all of Nawth Cacklakcy, with over 25,000 people running throughout the morning's several races.

On your mark, Get Set, GO!

And we're off!

And Jenni's already lapping me....fabulous!

It was really an inspiring day. Here are some pictures Somanna snapped while I huffed and puffed my way through downtown Raleigh in 88 degree heat and that lovely Southern humidity.

(This one says " Big or Small, We Save Them All.")

Finally, the finish line was in sight!

.
Not that I'm looking at the finish line in this picture. Look this occurred pre-10 a.m. Let's be thankful my limbs functioned. Asking them to coordinate with my head is a bit much.

Also, I love how the woman in black is tearing it up. And I am so decidedly, NOT.

Run Girl, Run! Don't worry about me, I'll make it! (I just wanted to boost her self esteem and let her feel like she really beat me. I'm a do-gooder like that.)

Hello Paparazzi!

Hurray! I made it in 34:39, not bad for a first time trotter.

Here's Jenni finishing strong with Santa Clause, I mean "noble anonymous citizen."

Her time was 38:00, a very good time considering I gave her a week's notice to prepare.

While I had prepared for the race portion of the day, I had not prepared for the more emotional elements of the day.

Every time a cancer survivor crossed the line, her name was announced over the PA system and how long she had been a survivor. Lots of folks wore "In memory of" and and "In Celebration Of" banners. I saw a little boy, maybe five years old who had written himself in that classic kid writing, "In celebration of my mommy." I lost it on that one.

Perhaps more shocking were how common the all pink t-shirts were denoting a cancer survivor. How young these women are. I only donated money to the cause this year. However next year I hope to raise money because it's such a good cause and because I know three special women who deserve my efforts.

And I have to run in under 30 minutes. I love goal setting!

Under Construction

2009-06-20T18:50:00.003-04:00

As you can see, we're under construction here at Peaches and Curry. Forgive the mess, but this is a crash course in website management for moi.

I'm failing miserably, in case you couldn't already tell.

Unfortunately, a social engagement requires that I a.) shower and b.) leave this mess for all to see on the interwebs. As if crushing my confidence wasn't enough, now the blogger Gods must humiliate me by exposing lack of know how for all to see.

I shall resume the noble fight tomorrow after consuming some much needed beverages.

Have a great Saturday!

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-06-17T12:45:00.001-04:00

What Did He Say?

2009-06-13T13:24:00.005-04:00

Thursday night, Somanna and I got wrapped up in a documentary on PBS entitled "The Natural History of The Chicken."

I promise, we really are in our twenties.

Here were our favorite lines from the documentary:

"Now one of 'em is gonna walk away alive. And the other is gonna walk away dead."
(In reference to cock fighting.)

And in reference to a chicken who lived despite having it's head cut off,

"I don't know why he kept on living. I don't know if he just had that will to live or if he was so dumb of an animal he didn't realize his head was cut off."

Priceless my friends, priceless.

Caketastrophe

2009-06-10T20:07:00.021-04:00

Hmmm.....Hoooo.......

errrr...I, no wait. Hmmm....Last weekend, we...no, that's lame.

errr...hmmm. *fingers tapping the keyboard*

Doo do de da dee.

Is that a Billy Mays infomercial on TV? Oh wait, FOCUS Beth. Focus!

Ssssiiiiggghhh.

I hope you sense the depths of my writer's block right now. And the tiredness that has temporarily settled in my bones because I am whipped. I think I might have overdone it here lately.

In fact, I know I overdid it because I bombed a cake. And I have never, EVER bombed a cake.

Fried chicken?

Check! Twice in fact. Boo Ya!!

Breaded eggplant Parmesan?

Roger that cap'n.

Cakes, brownies, cookies? NEVER.

In fact, I always smugly congratulated myself at how easily I took to baking because it calls for Martha Stewart's attention to detail married to Kung Fu Panda's precision. Lucky for me, I happen to be fluent in OCD and Karate Kid.

Baking proved easy.

But apparently not foolproof, because somehow I made a perfectly tasty cake that just fell apart faster than a Britney Spears meltdown.

They say the proof is in the pudding. Well ladies and gents, here's the proof in the cake.

It is arguably the ugliest, most mangled cake you've ever seen, but at least it tastes good. Oh well. Whaddayagonnado? I figure if Mother Nature makes mistakes (albinos, hermaphrodites.....snakes) then a mangled (but tasty!) cake counts for something!

Here's hoping I get my blogging and baking mojo back soon. Yall have a good Thursday.

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-06-10T08:19:00.003-04:00

Music Video Thursday

2009-06-04T20:27:00.003-04:00

Here are two of my favorite leading ladies.

Mmm, musical deliciousness. Sigh....

p.s. Real blog post coming this weekend. Promise. Cross my heart and all that jazz.

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-06-03T11:32:00.000-04:00

Music Video Thursday

2009-05-28T20:55:00.003-04:00

Today you get one of my all time favorite songs. She's a lady that needs no introduction. Just pure unabashed worship.

I give you, Nina Simone.

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-05-27T18:18:00.004-04:00

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Broadcast...

2009-05-24T08:45:00.005-04:00

Remember those White Chocolate Sour Cream Amaretto cupcakes?

And remember how I posted the recipe for the cupcakes and the frosting here in cyberspace?

Well, I recently made these bad boys again for our annual beach trip and this time I made the frosting myself. (Last time I used a co-worker's left over frosting.) Turns out milk is NOT an acceptable substitute. Stick with the half and half. Trust me. Major difference. And while we're amending things, I think the vanilla extract gives a sweeter taste than the almond extract. Just saying.

That's all.

Carry on then.

Twitter Dee Dee and Twitter Dah Dah

2009-05-22T09:37:00.002-04:00

I don't do Twitter. But if I did, here are my hypothetical tweets or twits (or whatever they're called...)

Eating salads proves to be inherently messy and I'm getting lazier with my salad manners. Should I care about the various bits of leaves and carrots dangling from my mouth while in the presence of co-workers?
Why are Jon & Kate Plus Crazy on the cover of every magazine? I am tired of them. And so is the rest of America.
Remember the Bane of My Existence? Well it has returned. With a vengeance! But I shall conquer it once more! Because I am a woman in possession of two opposable thumbs, so hear me roar!
I recently met someone who flat out refuses to read. Anything. No magazines, newspapers, Internet, blogs, Playboy, books, books on tape, CD covers. Nothing, Nada, ZERO. I asked "Are you a vacation reader?" No. "Are you a once in a blue moon reader?" Never. "Are you a closet reader?" The door is wide open and there ain't no shelves for books. He said "I don't read. Period. I don't find it beneficial." To which I thought, thank ya Jesus I live in a republic and not a straight out democracy. Because that.is.scary.
Summertime makes me very happy. VERY happy. It's all the vitamin D. I could never overdose on it.
Twitter really suits the random minded (like myself) or the bored ...(also ...like myself.) This is why it must be avoided. I draw the line at you Twitter. But at least it will give Ashton Kutcher and me something to talk about now besides Oprah.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend Yall!

Music Video Thursday

2009-05-21T08:52:00.001-04:00

This lovely little clip is from the epic Bollywood film Jodhaa Akbar starring Somanna's fantasy wife Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan, another big Bollywood star. Musical powerhouse A. R. Rahman, from Slumdog Millionaire, composed the soundtrack for this film as well, which offers no surprise given his musical genius.

I haven't seen Jodhaa Akbar yet, but Somanna played this song for me and I am absolutely in love with it. I find it very calming and a great antidote to stressful days. Seriously, just play it a few times on a rough day. It will soothe your soul.

This scene depicts the moments before the two protagonists wed, as the holy men sing a song to praise Allah. You can learn more about movie here. Or just add it on to your Netflix Queue like moi! Who doesn't need a good ancient love story on a rainy weekend or ho hum weeknight?

Enjoy the lovely music and Happy Thursday!

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-05-20T12:46:00.003-04:00

Catch Up Blogging

2009-05-17T13:35:00.003-04:00

So we have some long overdue blogging. Forgive us, but life has been busy in a super fun way. So let's jump right in shall we?

Once upon a time, all the way back in early April, there was this holiday called Easter. With rabbits, eggs and Crucifixions, oh my! We headed to Staunton, Virginia to visit the family and good times of course ensued. The weather was a wee bit chilly, so that kept us indoors a bit more than we would have liked. But the dreary weather didn't stop this wee one from braving the elements.

My self esteem took a beating when I realized that a 2 1/2 year old can outlast me in cold weather. I am totally screwed if Survivor ever took an Artic theme.

Anyhoo, on Saturday, Bob Andrew, Somanna and I ventured into Harrisonburg to dine at Taste of Thai, which specializes in seriously fabulous Thai food. I hope the pictures will convey what words, sadly, cannot.

Bros before Ho's!

My Favorite Curry:)

Andrew drove us to Harrisonburg with his new permit skillz in the new-to-my-rents Lincoln town car. I opted to sit in the front passenger seat, trying my darndest to look as young as possible, quite a challenge when you are riding in the AARP's official mode of transportation.

Hey there little guy, I'm gonna need to see some identification if you want that Senior Citizen discount!

And since I opted to sit up front, it thus became my responsibility to supervise Andrew's driving. I actually had a tough time with this because a.) Andrew's a good driver and b.) that town car is one smooooth ride. Bob & Somanna passed out five minutes after we got on the interstate. Meanwhile I'm peeling my eyelids back Joan Rivers style trying to stay awake. Thanks for the support fellas!

After we returned from our scrumptious meal, we lounged around and shot the breeze. Later on we watched Bolt, a super cute and very funny animated film. Sunday we went to church and afterwards celebrated Elder Bob's birthday with some homemade carrot cake.

In case you were wondering, uh YES, it was as good as it looks!

Overall, we had a nice relaxing trip and it's always fun to hang with la familia.

Plus Bob & Rosie shared with us, rather Joe shared with us, that they are indeed knocked up so for those of you counting that's baby # 4 and we are all hoping for a girl! Because believe me, they have run out of boy names that they can agree on.

Congrats yall and yay for babies!! (from other people! Yay!!)

Music Video Thursday

2009-05-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

I long to be a Bollywood Extra. I could totally rock out these moves. Somanna gets mad when he sees me practicing, but I tell him to be grateful his wife is so embracing of his culture.

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-05-06T08:33:00.001-04:00

Aging & Crankiness

2009-05-03T10:16:00.021-04:00

Age-induced crankiness has been rearing its wrinkled head lately.

Por Ejemplo, Saturday I called up the lovely ladies at Bare Minerals to inform them that while I love their product, I have enough to last me until the Messiah cometh and therefore I would like to cancel my reoccurring shipments and just order when I run out.

The following absurdity, I mean conversation ensued:

Sales Lady: Thank you Ms. Witch for calling. I have your account pulled up and see that you are already scheduled to receive a shipment every six months, which means your next shipment is not scheduled until August 2009. Now six months is our maximum limit.

Me: Yes, I saw that online. Which is why I'm calling you because really I don't think I'm going to run out before then, so I'd rather just cancel it and order when I run out.

SL: I see. And do you use the product everyday?

Me: Yes, I do. But I really have enough.

SL: (in a quiet, condescending tone) And how much coverage do you use?

Me: Well I'm not as ugly as I sound, so I like to think it doesn't take that much.

SL: Oooohh, so you use a light coverage? A more "natural" approach?

Me: Yes. And I detect your skepticism there Tammy Faye.

SL: Hmmm. (pause) Well, you do receive 20% off your purchase as a club member and if you were to cancel, you would lose that discount.

Me: (exasperation setting in) That's fine.

SL: Aww are you sure? Because that would that quadruple your price and you wouldn't be able to continue receiving your discount.

Me: Yes, I understand this concept. I am quite familiar with it actually. I believe its called a sale. But no thank you.

SL: (ignoring my futile refusal) One way for you to maintain your club membership status would be when you receive a package, simply mark it as return to sender and we will refund all charges because we do back our product with a money back guarantee for all purchases. Then you would not receive another installment until February 2010.

Me: That sounds like a lot of work. Really I just want to cancel this. When I run out, and if I've managed to recover from this call which is highly ticking me off, you'll still get my business.

SL: Do you wear any other make up? Eye make up or lip wear?

Me: No, I prefer to frighten small children. Thank you, but I'm not interested. I just want to cancel this.

SL: Oh ok, no problem Ms. Wykee, I'll be sure to get your request processed. Now do you have a skin care routine?

Me: Seriously? NO. I do not. I am an unabashed hippy and vanity is evil multi-billion dollar industry that exploits the environment, while devastating Western white girls self-esteem.
(guilty pause)
I prefer Estee Lauder.

SL:And are you happy with their product?

Me: No, my face swells in horrid red whelps. But once the redness fades, I like to think of it as "at home Botox." Listen, can I just cancel this? I really have to go.

SL: Oh yes Ms. Wysh. I canceled your order several moments ago.

(I swear I could hear her blinking over the phone. Crickets chirped while I reminded myself to count to ten, in Spanish, so that my blood pressure would subside. I also tried to smile in a Wednesday Addams sort of way, so as to avoid future wrinkles which will inevitably require more of this beauty product to cover up. And thus more of these ridiculous conversations.)

SL: Would you like your confirmation number?

Me: (in my best Bea Arthur growl impersonation) Yes.

SL: Ok well here it is: d0mba8s*. Thanks for calling!

Bitch!

A Hodgepodge Post

2009-04-30T21:26:00.042-04:00

Some recent observations:

1.) My obsession with food continues to grow. I not only walk around most of the time physically hungry, but lately I find myself mentally hungry. I want to know more about how food works, where it comes from, how you cook it, how you grow it, how it interacts with our bodies, how it tastes. I don't know much about these things, which when you really think about it, is downright bizarre isn't it? I eat food everyday and yet I don't even know where it comes from or how it is made? Hence, my recent reads, which you can check out here, here or here.

This obsession strikes me as both a bit odd and yet a natural progression. I've always had a "healthy appetite" in the colloquial sense. (Translation: I happily stuff my face.) But "healthy" in the dietary or environmental sense? Psshaawww. This has been a more recent undertaking.
But I'm learning that
a.) it's more do-able than you think
b.) more fun
c.) food tastes better!

And that is really all I'm after: Deliciousness 3.5x's a day.

2.) Having a kitchen larger than your dorm room closet is much more conducive to cooking at home. So that's what I've been doing more of: cooking. And I need all the practice I can get. One day I plan to do a post on kitchen disasters because I have a higher than average percentage, trust me. All highly comical.

3.) The world of cooking shares several commonalities with the world of fashion. Snobbery is abundant, trends rampant and common sense hit or miss. There's whole lot of Ego in the kitchen and I'm not referring to the waffles.

4.) I made my first omelet ever this week! On a whim and in an effort to use up some of the goodies in our fridge, I threw together some of the fresh eggs from my dad's chickens (another post) with some onions, tomatoes, spinach, and of course, cheese. Shaloot said it was purty good. (His jaw dropped when he found me cooking up bacon. I believe his exact words were "Did hell freeze over or did I miss an American holiday that I knew nothing about?")

Of course, there's always room for improvement, but I am rather proud since I can't stand eggs. I hear you already, how do you not like eggs? I just......don't. Never have.

According to my birth mother, eggs were fed to me....once. And promptly ended up back on her shirt. A couple more cycles of that and she got the hint. I do not like eggs Sam I am. But girl pass me the ham!

5.) Cupcakes are DA BOMB! Especially White Chocolate Sour Cream Amaretto Cupcakes!

A co-worker of mine recently made these delicious little bad boys for a baby shower at work and I knew instantly that I had to have this recipe. So I geared up to labor (get it?!) and make cupcakes from scratch for my friend Elise's baby shower, only to get the recipe and find that it calls for pre-made cake mix!

Are ya friggin kiddin me? Cupcakes that taste that good and I don't have to sift flour, sugar and baking soda? Sign me and my carpal tunnel wrists up!

And I'm signing you up by giving you the recipe below. Enjoy and be sure let your ego soak in all those compliments you'll get when you make these!

White Chocolate Amaretto Sour Cream Cake:
1 box French Vanilla Cake Mix
1 box white chocolate instant pudding
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teasp. salt
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup amaretto
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sour cream
1 teasp. pure vanilla extract
1 teasp. almond extract

Now here are the directions:
Take all those ingredients and Mix them in big-ass bowl. Then turn on your mixer while jamming out to some classic '80's tunes on your Pandora station (musical style optional).
Then pour the batter into your cupcake pans, filling about 3/4 of the way.
Bake at 350 for about 15 mins or so.

For the Frosting:
3 sticks of butter (oh you know its gonna be good!)
1/2 cup of Crisco (my arteries shudder, but it tastes so good!)
(1) 2 lb bag of powdered sugar
6-8 Tbsp Milk (or half-n-half....if you're completely abandoning your diet)
2 tsp. vanilla (or almond) extract.

Combine butter and Crisco with vanilla and mix well. Add half bag of powdered sugar and 3 tbsp of milk. Mix until thoroughly blended. Add remaining sugar and 3 tbsp of milk. Mix until thoroughly blended. Test for consistency. If it's really thick, add more milk (up to 8 tbsp.) This can be refrigerated until ready to ice cupcakes.

Happy Baking!

Music Video Thursday

2009-04-30T09:00:00.002-04:00

A more mature person might find this highly annoying.

But I'm not there yet.

A real post is on the way, I promise. Girl Scout's Honor! (or something). And it includes cupcakes, baby showers, furniture make overs and an Easter Recap. (You know that holiday that was like a month ago?)

So Stay Tuned!!

A little preview of an upcoming blog post...

2009-04-29T09:05:00.000-04:00

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-04-22T13:14:00.002-04:00

P is for Pasta. P is for Perfection!

2009-04-18T19:40:00.058-04:00

Sister Dearest Brittany visited us recently and ever so tactfully made the following observation:
"Yall sure do eat a lot of pasta."

Why yes. Yes, we do eat a lot of pasta. If any of you suffer from carb-o-phobia, forgive me while I snort and roll my eyes. Because we all know that a diet rich in saturated fat, grease and meats is sure to keep your ticker running tip top. Riiiigghhhttt. If there was ever a money making scheme, the Atkins diet most certainly takes the cake, quite literally. (Unless you count Scientology, but that's a whole other post!)

Anyhoo, here in the Wyche-Muthanna, Muthanna-Wyche, Wythanna (just giving it a little test run...) Household, we're big, big fans of da pasta.

And here's why:

1.) It's yummy, filling and relatively healthy. (We get the whole wheat kind. Thanks Biggest Loser!)

2.) It's cheap.

3.) Versatility! Pasta provides the perfect canvas. Dress up it up with veggies, or meat, or both. Make it the main course. Make it a hearty side dish. Throw it in a soup. Have it light and flavorful or creamy and indulgent. Stuff it, toss it, bake it, stir fry it. Pair it with a variety of sauces: pestos, cream based sauces, tomato based sauces. Or serve it naked underneath some other culinary masterpiece. Go Asian! Go Italian! Go Italian-American! Heck go Mexican! The pastabillities are endless!

4.) Pasta es El-cheapo.

5.) It comes in fun and different shapes. I have a particular fondness for Rotini and the super cute squiggles. Rotini seems rather girly doesn't it? Whereas Linguine comes off a little bit transgendered depending on how it's prepared. However, lasagna with meat sauce seems very masculine, no? How do foods and styles of cooking reflect gender? Hmmm, I smell a Master's thesis coming on!

6.) Did I mention it was cheap? Just wanted to make that point.

7.) It is easy-peasy to cook. Most versions have more or less, the same instructions: Boil water. Add Salt. Add pasta. Drain. DONE.

8.) It is cheap. Hello! We are in a down economy people!

9.) Pasta frequently hooks up with Cheese. And we all know that Cheese, Chocolate and Sex are what make life worth living. 'Nuff said.

10.) Finally, Pasta screams comfort food. It's warm, nourishing and can be as complicated or as easy as you feel like making it. And for those busy weeknights when you find your energy low, hunger high and time nonexistent, nothing makes you feel more rewarded, more accomplished than serving a home cooked, heaping bowl full o' pasta, made just the way you like it.

Stuffed Shells with Spinach & Ricotta Cheese

Pasta with Eggplant Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

Itiza Spaghetti and Da Meatballs!

And so our love affair with pasta shall continue for many happy, yummy years to come.

Happy Pasta Eats to you & yours!

For My Inner Dorkus

2009-04-16T21:50:00.009-04:00

Today marks the 50th anniversary of William Strunk and E.B. White's Elements of Style, aka the writer's Bible. If you didn't use this book in college, well then I must scoff in literary snobbery and superiority.

And if you didn't have Dr. Mitchell beating the passive voice out of you (which this blog is littered in) then consider yourself blissfully unaware of your own ignorance. Because once you understand the concept, it will HAUNT YOUR WRITING FOREVER EVEN IN EMAILS AT WORK WHERE YOU'RE JUST ASKING FOR TIME OFF!!

Sorry, just had to get that out.

NPR had a super clever write up / commentary about this momentous anniversary. I highly recommend that you Check it out.

Now is the time fellow English snobs. We must get to work. There is much to do and a finite amount of red ink.

Grammarians and Dorks Unite!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-09T22:48:00.006-04:00

We're off to Staunton, VA this weekend to visit the family, including some super cute nephews.

Hope you have as much fun on your Easter weekend as these little fellas.

Enjoy and Happy Weekend!

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-04-08T09:34:00.002-04:00

Let Me Introduce You To My Little Friend

2009-04-04T20:09:00.017-04:00

The Apple Corer & Slicer:

I really wish I had thought of this first because it has revolutionized my world.

Plus, I would be a gazillionaire, which is not a bad gig I hear.

Let's examine the magic up close shall we?

Step 1: Place apple on stable surface/ cutting board/ your leg if you're driving (no judgment here.)

Sidenote: I don't have a picture of this step because a.) I'm lazy and b.) my photographer flew the coop tonight to view some un-American sport called "soccer" or something. As if that version of football could ever trump March Madness. I mean really where are his priorities? Sigh, the trials and tribulations for being in an "intercultural relationship.")

Anyhoo...

Step B: Next you want to place the world's best invention on top of said apple, as demonstrated below:

It's important to line up the circle around the core.

Just sayin...

Finally, for Step Tres: Using all your muscular might, press the apple slicer straight down to the cutting board!

And Voila! Your apple has been sliced and cored all at the same time!

It's a miracle, I tell ya.

Plus if you're OCD like me, you'll squeal in delight at how evenly matched the slices of your apples are.

Or maybe you'll clap your hands too because now your apple resembles synchronized swimmers and suddenly you're transported back to your childhood where you spent hours in the pool trying to emulate those capped beauties whose red lipstick and thick mascara oddly enough never smeared despite the wet environment.

Or maybe not and you'll just eat your apple like normal people. But I left normalcy a long time ago. It was rather dull.

Word Wednesday

2009-04-01T09:38:00.002-04:00

Here is the photo as usual:

But you'll notice I'm typing words. Why? Beth had a great idea for a April's fool post but then we decided against it incase fate/luck/God decided the joke was on us. What was it? Well it's sort of along the lines where Beth's ma chuckled to herself (and her family) when she found out Aunt Helen was preggers with Eric... who is just a few months older than Andrew... so you can see why we didn't go ahead with the "prank".

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

2009-03-27T23:08:00.003-04:00

Somanna reminded me that today marked 6 months of wedded bliss, so in honor of that I felt this little gem of a video was appropriate.

Enjoy!

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-03-25T08:15:00.000-04:00

Shovel Ready Projects

2009-03-22T23:15:00.003-04:00

A quick marital exchange:

Beth: "I don't know what my problem is." (sighs).

Somanna, without missing a beat and very matter of factly, " I don't know what your problem is either."

Beth:"The correct answer is 'you don't have a problem .' You're perfect."

Commence digging.

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-03-18T21:16:00.000-04:00

We're Not in Kansas Anymore Toto

2009-03-16T21:52:00.019-04:00

Apparently, we now live in Seattle.

It has been rainy and cold, cold and rainy for almost a week straight. I can't handle it. My S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) syndrome already maxed out back in February.

This had led to desperate measures. See below:

Cookies. Cookies and more cookies.

I will regret these cabin fever induced decisions in approximatley eight weeks when I attempt to strap wiggly flesh into a binding apparatus of clothing commonly referred to as a "bathing suit."

Cookies are then followed by an absurd amount of dance/ techno / hip hop music in an effort to burn calories by increasing the amount of blood flow to my ears.

Dear Reader, Can I introduce you to my new friend and lova, Lady Gaga?

Watch Out Now!

Next Halloween, you just might catch me in a blue leotard dancing out on my deck with the neighbor's dogs.

I've already got the wig.

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-03-11T19:32:00.000-04:00

The Bane of My Existence

2009-03-08T15:49:00.010-04:00

The EVIL Sock Basket:

The EVIL sock basket that makes you late for work, school and anywhere else you have to be that requires closed toed shoes and punctuality. Not to mention it steals on average three socks per usage.

Satan has a special room in Hades with all our missing socks, I'm certain of it.

The EVIL sock basket held hostage so many, many, many of my childhood mornings as my family attempted to wade through the mounds of socks to locate the sole match to a lone sock that would complete one's outfit for the day and thus release us from its time stealing grip.

I swore I would not repeat such a grotesque inefficiency.

And yet here it is in my own home.

My parents must love this thing called bitter irony. My life seems to be full of it, much to their amusement.

But isn't that what kids are for? Small scale slavery and entertainment?

Exercise The Demons!

2009-03-07T13:57:00.032-05:00

Today I woke up and like so many other Saturdays contemplated going to the gym. Only this time I actually went. Hurray!

I personally believe that if you work out Friday, Saturday or Sunday, you burn twice the calories. Think of it as extra credit. It's nice to know that the laws of physics, biology, and exercise science (Hey! It's a real major!) do things like that for us flabby humans. It gives a little extra incentive. Kind of like a coupon.

So in an effort to maximize my caloric burn, and offset those 2 rounds of french fries I ate earlier this week and the oatmeal raisin cookies I baked up last Sunday that we've been devouring, I mean responsibly nibbling, I headed out to the gym to catch a spinning class.

Except that I got there late and by then all the seats had all been taken by those do good Saturday overachievers. Suckers.

Whatever. I had my iPod with me, so Lady Gaga and I tore up the treadmill, along with Britney, Beyonce and JLO, to sweat it out for about 45 minutes. Then it was time to hit up the next class scheduled called "PowerFlow."

I know, what exactly is Powerflow?

It would be nice, not to mention an example of clear communication, if the physical fitness world would actually title classes so that it gives some true indication to what the class is actually about, rather than just slap the sexy, trendy "it" words together.

"PowerFlow: A class designed to rapidly accelerate your body's detox process through the combination of core movements and high dosages of laxatives."

Or

"PowerFlow: Get those hearts pumping with our intense cardio circuit training combined with electric impulses sure to get you moving your fastest."

Nah, it was more like accelerated Yoga or Pilate's or Yoglates (see, another trendy fitness jargon). And I pretty much suck at all of those things.

The class consisted of all women of course, because while men might be attracted to the word power, I'm sure the word flow scared them off for reasons immature and otherwise. Not to mention the sight of several women carrying their bright pink flowered yoga mats into the classroom.

It's hard to maintain masculinity, much less dignity, while quivering over a Hello Kitty yoga mat in a downward dog position. So fellas, while I wish you were more evolved, I certainly understand.

Because it was ME trembling over that stupid pink mat in a downward dog position. Pouring sweat no less.

The class began simply enough, deceiving me into believing that I could perhaps do this class.

Take a deep breath in. Now exhale out.

Uh, check. Had that down for awhile now. I can even do it in my sleep!

Now, reach towards the sky as you exhale.

Sure, no problem.

Now gently bend over and touch your toes.

Wow, I really need a pedicure. Kinda frightening really.

Bend your knees slightly.

Hmm, might want to shave my legs more than once a month too. OMG, is that why the pedicure lady always winces when she sees me?

Now, stand back up, slowly.

I like this class. Instructor Homegirl keeps using nice words like "slowly" and "gently."

So we did that few more times. With some leaning to the left and then, you guessed it, to the right. Which totally affirmed my self esteem as I nailed those movements every.single.time. Boo Yah! Pre-school totally paid off Mama!

Then just as I was feeling very powerful and very flow-y with the sequence of breathing and touching my toes, Instructor Homegirl, who looks normal and not absurdly fit, decided to show us that she is in fact, absurdly fit and a contortionist to boot.

Now, we're going to do standing split.

I'm sorry, excuse me. A wha? A Split? Hmm, that's generally a bad word in my book. Okay Instructor Homegirl if you say so....

Bend over touch your toes. Then lift your left leg as high in the air as you can. Have a slight bend in your right knee, but try to keep the right leg as straight as possible. You want be as vertical as possible. So think of it as a split in the air.

WTF? This class did not advertise itself as Acrobatics 101! Why do I need to learn how to do a split in the air? Is this going to improve my love life? If so, Instructor Homegirl you are kinky!

Nonetheless, I hoisted my leg ever so NON-gracefully into our new pose. Ok, not so bad I thought. Convinced I was rocking out this pose, I checked myself in the mirror only to discover my 12 mile long leg was quivering lower than the other ladies. Bleh.

And while I was evaluating my pose against the other ladies in the class, I also noticed that they all subscribe to the "I must look cute at the gym philosophy." Every last one of them had on cute yoga pants and coordinated tops. Some of them even coordinated the colors of their outfit with their mat for crying out loud. As if my self esteem wasn't plummeting faster than my leg was rising in the air, now I was hit with the realization that not only am I the sweaty, long-limbed, clumsy oaf in the class, but also the unfashionable one too. Fabulous.

Oh well. My standard work out apparel has been and remains a loose t-shirt and gym shorts. It has been that way since 6th grade basketball practice and frankly, I don't plan on changing it now. Sorry sisters, but my ponytail will never be as tamed as yours, my sweat delicate, nor my work out gear stylish. Suck it.

After we mastered the air split on both sides, we then moved into a Warrior III pose. We never did the I or II poses, so maybe I'm safe to assume this is a more advanced class? Yes, I AM safe to assume this because it will help me pick my self esteem back up off the floor.

In the Warrior III pose you stand on one leg, with both arms and your other leg extended straight out. Basically balancing on one leg to make the letter T with your body. Only it isn't nearly as fun as when the Sesame Street kids make letters with their bodies, because they get to lie on the floor, while I had to balance on my one leg like a circus freak. Also, I am not entirely sure how this pose relates to warfare, because if any warrior went into battle like this, I don't see how they could have possibly survived with their eyes cast towards the ground.

After we battled with our Warrior Pose, Instructor Homegirl then showed us our full sequence of movements: Bend over, touch your toes, Squat into a chair position, remain squatted, stand on your tiptoes, raise up with hands towards the ceiling and stand, then bend over, do a standing split, then into warrior pose, bring knee in 4 times, extend final leg out, HOLD FOR ETERNITY, and then slowly stand upright.

Got that?

Yea, me neither. Oh and you do it fast and it is supposed to be smooth, i.e. don't crinkle up your yoga mat fool or flail your arms about to maintain your balance and suck it up if your quads are burning and don't forget your breathing. Because after we've done this like 12 times on each side, we've got a whole new sequence of movements that involves muscles only used in this class and labor.

Now, if you'll excuse me I'm all powered and flowed out. Hopefully , these chocolate chip cookies will remedy the situation. Namaste yall!

The Weekend is Almost Here!

2009-03-05T22:20:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday!

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-03-04T17:15:00.001-05:00

Another Birthday Shout Out

2009-02-27T18:18:00.007-05:00

Happy 29th Birthday to our main man Steve-O!

Showing the ladies... something?

From Scott and Erin Adam's Wedding

Making his point...

From Scott and Erin Adam's Wedding

Happy Birthday Steve-o!

From Spring Break 08!

I am Surrounded by Penises

2009-02-27T17:49:00.004-05:00

Nephew # 5 arrived today across the pond in Norway. A bit early, but everyone is doing well. And what a cutie! You can see the little man here. Enjoy!

On a side note, I've determined that this means Somanna and I are destined to have a gaggle of girls when our time comes (just hold your horses yall. It ain't happening just yet!)

And maybe one boy.

Named Theo.

And we shall change our names to The Huxtables. Awesomeness.

CONGRATULATIONS to Big Bro, Tone and & Alex as they welcome a new little one into their home. We're so excited for you!!

Vote With Your Fork! (or why we're starting a garden....)

2009-02-26T22:08:00.007-05:00

At the risk of exposing my inner dork, I must confess that I recently spent some time lurking on PBS' website (um hello? I went to a liberal arts school remember?) and ran across this little gem of a Bill Moyers Special. It is a bit longer than say the Whitney Houston Star Spangled Banner video, but hopefully I don't have to explain that it involves an issue of far weightier substance: your health.

So please take the time to check it out, even if it means you have to pause and come back to it. The special is broken down into two video segments, each highly informative and engaging. Put it on your Outlook calendar, set up a reminder on your blackberry, use an ancient object known as a "pencil" to write down a reminder on your post it pad, chisel it into a stone tablet, whatever it takes. Just please watch. I beseech you, implore you, beg of you even.

Sigh, I hate begging.

Unless it gets me what I want.

And then I find it a highly useful skill.

Watch.This.Special!

Thanks:)

And when you're done, let us know what you think!

Now I have to go research seeds and things. Watch out Mother Earth! Err on second thought Mother Earth can seriously kick my arse any day, best not to talk too much smack...:)

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-02-25T22:33:00.006-05:00

Things I Don't Understand

2009-02-22T21:26:00.002-05:00

1.) Why Taylor Swift is a.) famous or b.) associated with the word talent

2.) Quantum Physics

3.) Why Miley Cyrus got invited to the Oscars

4.) Panty hose

5.) Physics in general if I'm honest

6.) Scientology

7.) Cheeze Wiz

8.) Gwen Stefani's song Bananas.

9.) Why my family prefers to discuss the rules of grammar over dinner

10.) How I could let a whole weekend almost get by without a blog post. Hmm will try to do better...

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-02-18T12:47:00.000-05:00

Cop Out

2009-02-16T14:05:00.005-05:00

Ok, so this is a cop out of a post. But my Dad sent the following column via email and I thought it was pretty damn funny. Like tears rolling down my face kind, trying not to snort funny. Aaagghh isn't that the best kind?

So being the saintly person that I am , I felt 'twas my duty to share the laughter with all of yall (yes, that is correct Southern grammar).

You can read Dave Barry's hilarious column here.

Enjoy!

(p.s. If you are of age, be sure to schedule your check up today! We at Peaches N Curry support your ongoing efforts to protect and maintain your good health. Thanks, The Management.)

Supah Bowl Follow Up

2009-02-15T18:41:00.000-05:00

As some of you may recall, (or not because you have better things to do with your time than keep up with celebrities) I was very excited to hear Jennifer Hudson's take on the Star Spangled Banner for this year's Super Bowl.

I have even done you the favor of posting a video of her performance right below this very paragraph. Check it out for yourself. What do you think?

I think Ms. Hudson did a very nice job indeed. But sadly, it was not the home run (err touchdown?) I secretly hoped for.

Whitney, the crown remains safely yours.

Now, Whitney please schedule your come back before I hit 40 and look even more ridiculous singing along to I Wanna Dance and One Moment in Time than already I do now. I'm just sayin....

Lord Forgive Us, We Know Not What We Eat

2009-02-14T12:45:00.003-05:00

So Somanna and I ventured out of the norm last weekend and actually spent more than $20 on a meal that wasn't Mexican food.

I know. I hear your collective gasps. Here, take a moment. It's OK. It took us a while to recover too.

OK, moving on. SO! Like I said, we ventured out into the great unknown of downtown Raleigh to try out a little somethin' somethin' new. And YALL, we hit the ball out of the park.

Where did we go? Here. Here is where I left my heart.

The restaurant has an interesting concept. They serve their food in tapas size portions, but the menu isn't exclusively Spanish cuisine. The restaurant fails to even hint at Spanish decor. In fact, aside from the lone paella dish listed on the menu, I can't find a lick of Spanish influence. So why do they opt to serve you tapas style? I can only assume that it is an ironically arrogant and deliberate ploy to get you to buy more food, because they know their food tastes so damn good that one sampling will simply not suffice neither your taste buds or their egos.

But let me be up front.

The tapas size dishes offer you a great opportunity to try out lots of flavors and dishes. This is great for your taste buds. This is not so great for your wallet as these mini meals still carry the average full size price.

But hhuuunnnneeeeyy, I'm telling you. The minute that food hits your mouth. Lawd, have mercy. You will sell your soul for more. I realize I risk over hyping this place, only to have you try it and leave mildly, or even grossly, disappointed. That possibility concerns me. But not near as much as the thought of you not takin' a gamble and trusting my belly approved judgment.

This food is GOOD yall. Like so good, you just want to suck on the flavor before your stomach reaches up and snatches it from your tongue good. For realz.

So let's get down to it shall we?

First up: tempura asparagus with sauteed red peppers, sesame seeds drizzled with an Asian ginger / soy sauce. I vowed to Somanna right then and there that one day I will own a deep fryer so that I can make this at home. Because after eating ass-spa-rag-us (as Somanna lovingly refers to it) this way, I doubt that I can go back.

Crisp, crunchy asparagus with the perfect balance of sweet and salty thanks to the red peppers and the ginger / soy sauce. It was Zen on a plate. Ying and Yang. Whatever far Eastern symbolism of balance you want to call it. It was on my plate. And I ate it. And suddenly I was one with Nirvana. And life was good.

As I sat in Nirvana, contemplating how easily world peace could be achieved if we all just had a little more love in our lives and warm deliciousness in our tummies, a dark angel ( cough, waitress) descended. And lo, she brought with her the gift of tostadas.

Braised Short Rib Tostadas to be precise. Shredded beef, tender and moist and oh-so-perfectly succulent. Topped with a fiery chipotle sauce stacked on top a crisp bed of lettuce and pico de gallo. Accompanied by salsa verde or "green salsa" as dorky gringos call it. Vegetarians / Flexitarians be forewarned: this beef is sinfuly good and capable of destroying your willpower. STAY AWAY! (But be a lamb and pass your temptation on over to the guilty red meat lovin' Hindu and his vegetarian wanna be wife. Preesh.)

After our less than well mannered fall from Zen-like grace to the lowly depths of unabashed red meat worship, we figured we might as well round out our sinful ways and throw in some pork just to make sure that our entry to Hades was not only guaranteed, but hastily expedited.

And so with our devil may care attitude, we brazenly ordered the Grilled Andouille Sausage. Mmmm. Perfectly grilled, not too spicy, but enough kick to make your tongue wiggle.

It was yummy. Especially when you dipped it in the creamy roasted corn sauce they served it with. That was yummy too.

But ya know what was even better?

The roasted Roma tomato dipped in the roast corn sauce coupled with with a bite of the jalapeno and cheddar cheese corn pudding. Mmmm, Come to Mama! This last dish marked a distinct contrast to our first two with its warm, subtle flavors that let the food speak for itself.

In an effort to balance out our deliciously sinful meal with some New Age focus on health and omega 3's, we selected the oven roasted mahi mahi served with smoked Gouda potato Au gratin, drizzled in a red pepper and caper relish to do the job. And once again we found ourselves in a food induced euphoria as the fish exploded with freshness and brain power savvy molecules in our heads. Luckily, the cheesy potatoes brought us back down to earth and all its comforts.

As we savored our final dish of the evening, we mentally prepared ourselves to return to our Monkish ways of not eating out and fighting our addiction to dead flesh. It was a sobering moment ( as was, ahem, the bill.)

So please. Come and visit us, so that corruption may reign once more.

To paraphrase St. Augustine, Lord give me dietary discipline, but not yet!

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-02-11T20:58:00.001-05:00

Tonight's Movie Choices Are:

2009-02-07T20:53:00.004-05:00

City Slickers

And

Brokeback Mountain.

Somanna wasn't too happy with my interpretation of choosing a "Western."

I say Giddy Up Partner!

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-02-04T20:29:00.000-05:00

Time lapse photography...

2009-02-03T19:54:00.002-05:00

Our lil' point and shoot has this feature where I can set it to take a photo every x-minutes for y-repetitions. Though I can and will never make something like this... (I thought I moved around in my sleep..)

Enjoy!

Supah Bowl!

2009-01-29T21:37:00.020-05:00

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals.

We are rooting for the Steelers big time over here. But before we dive into the game, we must first rouse our patriotism with the singing of the USA's national anthem. This year Tampa Bay will have Jennifer Hudson sing. I am very anxious to hear her killer voice tackle The Star Spangled Banner. (I'm just hoping she doesn't go too Christina on me with all the oohs and yea's celebs like to throw in there.)

The national anthem is actually a really tough song to sing. I should know. Seeing as how I don't really sing. But singers tell me that it is a hard song to sing and Lord knows, we've all been at "X" sporting event and some poor, eager soul botched it all up. And it isn't just the little beauty queen runner ups in small Southern towns who botch it up, either. Famous folks mutilate the national anthem far too often. (Um , Sheryl Crow, Michael Bolton. Not that I expected much from the latter. Still one would think that as an American Citizen and paid professional, he would at least know the words.)

Anyways, The Star Spangled Banner is a tough song. And on top of that everyone knows what it is supposed to sound like. Plus you are, like, honoring your country and everything.

So like, there is a lot of pressure and stuff and stuff.

Despite the pressure, some folks can just deliver. Like these here folks below.

And lo, I give you...

Beth's Favorite Famous Person Versions of The Star Spangled Banner:

Whew that was a long list title!

(Disclaimer Alert: This is a famous person only list. But if I were to remove that restriction, my sister-in-law Rosie would definitely make the list because she can wail on the national anthem and then some. Take that Francis Scott Key!)

And the Honorable Mention goes to: Jimi Hendrix for rockin it on his git-tar. But since he technically didn't sing the anthem, I feel somewhat guilty putting him on this list. Nonetheless, his version definitely merits big ups.

#3: Marvin Gay circa 1983- Why choose this version? Because suffice to say that only Marvin Gay could sing a tune penned in 1814 about war fare that makes you want to (dare I say it) get it on.

(It's odd to be aroused at the thought of the rocket's red glare. Although they did give proof through the night...but I digress.)

Moving on, #2: The Dixie Chicks circa 2003. Their harmony drips all over the song and is quite simply, amazing. But then again they are amazing. I *heart* the Dixie Chicks!

And finally, # El Numero Uno: We know her. We remember her. We eagerly await her comeback.
Whitney Houston. Circa 1991. I just don't know that this version can be beat. Too bad Whitney can't beat her Bobby Brown / crack habit. Sigh. I miss Whitney...

Jennifer Honey, this is what you are up against. If anyone can do it, I think it might be you. Good luck!

The Age Old Question

2009-01-26T20:25:00.014-05:00

What’s for supper?

My, my, my. How I used to probably annoy my poor mother with this question. Now I get to annoy myself silly with it.

This question elicits a great deal of emotion from me. It excites me to think of the endless yummy possibilities for what will be my final meal of the day. Perhaps if I lived in Espana, what’s for lunch (or: ¿Qué es para almorzar?) would be the more exciting question, as lunch time is traditionally the Spaniards' big meal of the day. But sadly, I don’t live in beautiful Espana. Nope, I live here. And here, I get to focus all my food energy on supper. Breakfast can be slim, lunch can be drab, but please don’t make me eat a weak supper.

While this questions makes me salivate more than one probably should, it also elicits a weary dread. Especially Mondays through Fridays. Don’t get me wrong I am fascinated with (ok, obsessed really) eating, food and cooking. I don’t profess to have talent, but I do love to cook. Just in a leisurely sort of way.

But let’s face it. The weeknight meal is a challenge. I don’t care what Rachel Ray says. Inevitably, as the week progresses, suppertime becomes more like battle time. My senses and stomach yearn for pleasurable, warm fulfillment. My mind and limbs yearn for ease and minimal effort. (My wallet simply yearns for no take out orders.)

Thus, an enraging debate ensues that goes a little something like this:

Mmmmm, I bought all the ingredients for chicken tetrazzini this weekend. I should make that tonight! I am soo good planning out all our meals in advance. I even thoughtfully put the chicken in the fridge last night to thaw out. Go me, I rock! This is going to taste awesome. Now let me just go get the recipe...

Whaattt?? I don’t remember this recipe having this many steps on Saturday. It looked so easy then. Crap. I should have cooked the chicken yesterday, so that I can have one less step today. Oh well, next time I will be more prepared. I’m so excited! Yummy, warm, cheesy pasta goodness. In my tummy. And it’s cold outside. Which makes it extra yummy. This dish also has mushrooms and peas. I love mushrooms and peas! I am like, sooo healthy. All it took was that one article in the SELF magazine and I have totally transformed myself into a health nut. Look at me! Cooking with real vegetables. I rock!

Ugh, wait I don’t have any mushrooms. How did I forget those? They were on my list. Crap. I really don’t want to go to the store. Double crap. Somanna just pulled up, so I can’t make him, err, ask him to go to the store. I hate going to the store. Especially for just.one.thing.

It’s ok though! Substitute!

Right-O. So it won’t be completely by the recipe, but that’s ok. That’s what real cooks do anyways. They adapt. They’re flexible. They make do with what is in their pantry. Brilliant! Food Network should hire me. I am a genius!

Except, err, our pantry has …..black beans, taco seasoning and cereal. The fridge has lemons and celery? How old is that celery? Oh Sweet Heavens. Ok. That won’t work. Geez, now I feel guilty for wasting the celery. I had total intentions of eating it in lieu of chips and salsa as part of my "get healthy 2009 plan." I don’t think black beans will exactly substitute for mushrooms. Hmmm, I wish I didn't keep thinking about that silly cereal staring me in the face. It would leave approximately 1.5 bowls and 2 spoons to load into the dishwasher. And it is already after 7 ....

NO! I will persevere! I will forge through and cook this scrumptious, healthy meal to please da hubby, my inner health nut and my inner hippie, not to mention my depraved taste buds and stomach. I’ve read all the books. Eat at home, cook more, eat green things = better for your waist, wallet and the earth. Yes! We will act out our own social protest right here in this very kitchen! Big food industry with all your pollutants and chemicals, be damned! Fast food chains with all your fat and salt, suck it! I just have to pysch myself up, that’s all. I can do it! I CAN DO IT!! Ok, first let’s just assemble all the ingredients and get this socially protestin' badass tetrazzini show on the road!

Holy Guacamole Batman! There are just way too many dishes here: a pot to boil the chicken, a pot to boil the pasta, a casserole dish, a cutting board, a mixing bowl, utensils. And don't forget the standard two plates + two forks + two glasses by the time we actually get to eating, which according to the recipe is roughly about 45 to 55 minutes away..... assuming I don't mess up, which is probable as I feel hunger pains rendering my mind delirious. I wish Somanna would quit giving me dirty looks that say “I cannot believe you would make me clean up that many dishes on a weeknight at 9:00?” I mean after all, I am cooking him dinner. And he knows how my feminist ovaries feel about that.

Well I've assembled everything. Just have to dive in now and chop up the onions and garlic.

Grrr. I loathe chopping.

What's that Somanna? American Idol has already started?

Aww, the hell with it. Cereal it is then.

Suck it up Senses. Your culinary delight awaits you on the weekend…..

Oh, Oh Oh Oh...The White Stuff!

2009-01-24T14:53:00.072-05:00

We've got the White Stuff Baby...
You're the reason why I write this blog.

Oh, Oh, Oh-oh-oh, The White Stuff

All that I needed was a day off ......from dumb worrrrkkkk!
And all that I wanted was yooouuuu......you made all .....the schools close!

(Now cross your arms and swing your legs. Admit it! You know this routine by heart!!)

Ok, I feel your skin cringing and your eyeballs twitching, so I will stop my lyrical genius mid-inspiration. But before you go knocking New Kids on The Block, just remember they gave us Mark Wahlberg, ok? So just..... Hang Tough.

I kid, I kid! Ok, ok I'll stop. Don't close your browser yet!

We've got pictures of snow. Real snow, like 6 whole inches in Eastern NC. And the pictures have captions!! Please stay!

Whew, I thought I had lost you there for a minute. It took a lot of exclamation marks to keep you here!

So on Tuesday, Inauguration Day, we woke up to SNOW. Like several inches worth; 6 to be precise. Which is apparently enough of a winter storm that the Governor of NC had to declare a state of emergency! (I hear you Norwegians laughing, along with other Northern folk. Just think of me next time you are shoveling your driveway, cursing the long winter.)

But let's not banter. The snow is only here for a little while and it's so pretty.

So let's reminiscence with a montage of pictures, shall we?

Although, I cannot promise there won't be more 80's flashbacks. I'm just in that kind of mood.

But I'll try. For all our sakes.

Oohh what's this? The Diesel Monster is silent?! No wait, he tried to crank this noisy beast for a solid 10 mins at 7 am and then let it "warm up" for another 10 minutes. Sshh Diesel Monster!! I'm trying to hear the snow fall dangit! It's supposed to be peacefull!

I'm twacking rabbits. Be bery bery quiet Diesel Monstwer!

Take that Elmer Fudd: Six Inches! See, I'm honest. Plus the only jokes I can think of for this caption are entirely inappropriate. Get your head out of the gutter! My grandmother reads this yall.

Somanna took a walk in the wee hours of the morning, while it was still snowing, so that he could play with his camera toy. I stayed in because snow day = laaaazzzyyy day. Except when you are in college, when snow day = shots + sledding = good times. Until classes are NOT cancelled the next day and you still have to turn in your paper that you wrote hung over.

What?!?!! No that story didn't really happen Mama, honest! Here look at our lovely Christmas tree! It is just so gorgeous, isn't it?!

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto.
Nope, it's definitely Narnia.

Hmm, I think the Witch went by in her sleigh. Careful, she will turn you into stone!
Which reminds me, I have got to finish that series...

Shut the *#$% up. I am not going outside.

Do I look impressed?
Now let's get back to serving me and my needs...

Later in the day, we ventured out and about, as the Canadians say, for a big, long walk. So that you guessed it, Somanna could take more photos.

Sometimes he lets me take the "little camera." Let's see if you can guess who took which photos.

Documenting the property line...

Documenting that Beth needs new kicks.....

Somanna's artsy fartsy pics...

And then mine...

See it's up to me to balance his high brow ways. It's a responsibility I take very seriously.

The man in action.

Snow Beast in action.

This road is briefly clear long enough to get a shot.
Apparently snow in the South = get your redneck on. Everyone thrusts their car into four wheel drive and suddenly they are qualified to handle icy roads at break neck speeds. That is why I stay home like a conspiracy theorist loony.

And then we headed home. Where I busted out my early 90's techno hits while I did laundry.

He is one lucky husband!
The End.

January 20, 2009

2009-01-20T09:17:00.010-05:00

Change is gonna come! Hallelujah!

If you don't recognize the more famous individuals sprinkled throughout this video, it is high time to hit the history books.

"The struggle of humanity against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting," Milan Kundera.

Today is not just a victory for African-Americans. It is a victory for every single one of us, no matter who you voted for. America has stepped that much closer to our creed. "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny," said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Our past is as woven into our present as it is our future. To try to escape any of it, is impossible and moreover, frighteningly dangerous. Rather we must confront our past, face its grip on our present and from there work towards fulfilling completely the democratic promise of this country.

Today our hope is renewed.

Happy Inauguration Day!

I heart Kitchen Aid!

2009-01-17T21:25:00.010-05:00

Come To Daddy:

Now.

Come To Mama!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go make love to, err use my new toys.

**Big ups to both our big brothers and their lovely wives for their fabulous gift giving skillz! Thank you!!**

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-01-14T16:40:00.001-05:00

The camera geek in me... or is it "I"??

2009-01-12T14:35:00.003-05:00

So I participate quite reguarly... ok fine, very reguarly in an online forum for Pentax users, and last month we got this project started where one person was going to ship his old Pentax K1000 camera to different forum members. The plan was each member was going to take 2 shots and then pass it along. We also have to take a photo of the camera (with the film tab shown) as a sort of proof that we received it... in one piece. It started out in California, near L.A. and came to Cary, NC and then onto me (no shipping cost for that lucky user) and then I sent it along to upstate NY. Its going to hang around that area for a little bit, and then making its way through the mid-west finally back to owner.
Along the way the film is going to run out and one member has agreed to load/donate a new roll for this project. Once it gets to the owner he will develop the roll, scan the photos and share the images that we took. So in this day and age when we are so used to instant gratification, its different to wait for a bit to see what images were taken, esp. your own since I somewhat can't remember what I ended up taking.
The K1000 is a completely manual film camera, of which I own a copy as well, and it requires the user to set the exposure manually. So hopefully no one is going to have a under/over exposed image to share (knowing my luck, guess who it will be?)! Anyways here is the google maps I've made to track it along with the photo of the camera each person has taken. Hopefully in a couple of weeks this map will have many more zig-zag lines across it!

View Larger Map

God Bless the Scots

2009-01-10T20:15:00.039-05:00

Happy New Year!

We rang in 2009 by attending a family oyster roast at my grandmother's house in Columbus County, Nawth Caralina. Columbus County is in fact the only county in the whole entire US of A named after the famed lost explorer. So there. You have a new fun fact to throw in at your next cocktail party.

I'm only here to share the wealth of knowledge.

I hope you like seafood because if you don't, I'm not entirely sure these photos will convert you. Admittedly, seafood is not the most visually appealing food, but it is tasty. And it requires a "hands on / all hands on deck / any hand extremity related cliches" approach.

"The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell." Andrew Carnegie

The term oyster roast, as best I can figure, stems from the days of yore when folks used to dig a big pit, often on the beach, throw in some coals and then place the oysters directly on the heat source to cook them. Along the way, someone figured out that steaming them is a heck of a lot easier than digging a big hole in the ground. But the name sure stuck and today folks in the low country still call it an oyster roast, even though by all technical accounts oysters are more often than not, steamed.

Steamed.

And then hacked open with tiny daggers.

And then gobbled down with homemade cocktail sauce or squeeze of lemon, if that suits your fancy.

"He was a bold man that first eat an oyster." Jonathan Swift

Oysters have long been considered a delicacy. When roasted, they have a slightly salty taste and a moderately fleshy texture. Despite their appearance, oysters do not feel slimy at all. Unless eaten on the half shell. (In which case, well duh, what did you expect.)

Either way these mollusks draw a definitive line in the sand: Ya either love 'em or hate 'em.

After cooking enough oysters to feed a small Roman Army, we headed inside to watch the ball drop in NYC's Times Square, followed by a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne. A song, which cannot possibly be understood sober, much less after consuming several celebratory drinks. I even googled the lyrics to this old folk tune, in part for this post, and in part as a determined effort to learn this song once and for all. But that attempt only left me with a big WTF expression on my face (sorry, parental units. But I gotta be real here.)

Nonetheless, we clumsily chimed in on the first and last lines of the song, mumbled our way through the middle like everyone else in the world (except the Scots) and ended it with a big Happy New Year! So mission accomplished.

Waiting for the New Year is awfully tiring on the little guy.

New Year's Day began with you guessed it, more eats! Our celebratory feast included black eyed peas (to bring good luck) served with rice, a dish commonly referred to as Hoppin' John in the dirty South. Also served were collard greens (for financial prosperity) cooked with ham hock (for, ironically enough, good health.)

At the risk of permanently ostracizing myself from the South (and lest we forget, possible financial ruin) I must confess I do not par take in the bitter collard greens. No siree. No ma'am.

I do not like green collards and ham, Sam I am.

I will not eat them in a house.
I will not eat them with a mouse.
I will not eat them here or there.
I will not eat them anywhere!

You get the point.

But that's OK, because it left more for Brittany, who loves her some collards greens. To the point that my parents' told her when she was little, and dependent upon them for truth and honesty and sustenance, (you know, little things like that,) that all greens were collards. And so little Brittany would literally scarf down my parents' lies, while I shook my head in shame at this monstrosity. But do not fret dear readers! Brittany survived, to only be slightly embarrassed at this story.

That was told, like 100 times in the course of 48 hours.

In front of her boyfriend no less.

And now I'm posting it on the intrawebs.

Good times :-)
She's a tough one, that Brittany. Maybe it was the spinach or were they collards?....but I digress.

Surely you didn't think that was the only food we had did you?

Silly readers! Portion control is for wimps!

My uncle Dick also made a mean vegetarian chili.

Granted, I realize that last sentence is arguably an oxymoron. But seriously this chili was.that.good. And once I get the recipe I promise to post it. Girl Scouts honor. (or something, I don't know. I didn't get into girl scouts. But it sounds honest, so in the meantime I'll just borrow this phrase.)

So we ate. We visited. We conquered the couch.

And then we headed home where we had some super cute visitors until Saturday.

Hurray for Aunt Beth! She rocks!!

Joe is teaching Bennett the fine art of carpentry skills. I plan on employing these laddies to remodel my house once they hit their physical prime of oh, about 19. And since I will be their elder and a relative, I can get away with paying them menial wages.

Hey, paparazzi! I'm on to you!

Angels. Bless 'em.

And that sums up our end to 2008 and the beginning to 2009.

2008 was monumental for us, for which we are very thankful and blessed.

But it also left us a little tired.

So here is to a healthy, relaxed, tasty, prosperous and FUN 2009!

(No) Word Wednesday

2009-01-07T18:52:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-29T18:52:00.033-05:00

and Happy New Year! But is it too late to talk about Christmas? Or the tree we got at the farmer's market? Of course not!

So like I said, we headed to the good ole farmer's market. There were a lot of trees from numerous farms, which was a bit surprising and overwhelming at first. It was great though because good deals could be had and it afforded me the chance to haggle a bit, not to mention everything smelled fantastic!

Anyways after about 20 minutes of checking out the trees, we decided to make a choice, since after awhile, they all look the same and we were in danger of pine-peeping (photography pun alert!) the trees.

So here is Beth giving the seal of approval on our choice:

Our tree hailed from Ashe County, woohoo Western N.C.!

The tree was tied to the top of our jalopy wagon by the lumberjack.

Shucks, I miss my beard!

And here I am giving the tree my seal of approval too!

So back to house to put the tree up and then decorate it with ornaments, lights, ribbon, of which we previously had none. (We also got an amazing wreath from the farmer's market, but I can't seem to find the photo anywhere!)

After numerous trips to the store, kind gifts from friends and one boss, the tree finally was ready!

The view from outside:

We played host this year, and had Beth's grandmother, her sister Brittany, her parents and younger bro Andrew over for Christmas and the weekend. It was great to have the house filled with people, although the cats disagree with us on that!

Our main event was Christmas Day lunch, where we started out with spinach stuffed mushrooms topped with cheese, followed by a pear and walnut salad with mustard vinaigrette and blue cheese:

The main course was broiled salmon with garlic lemon pepper crust:

With sides of mashed potato gratin with goat cheese, garlic and scallions:

and steamed fresh asparagus sprinkled with Parmesan cheese:

For dinner, we had honey baked ham, sweet potato casserole, brown rice and stuffing. Of course, the rest of the weekend was spent eating leftovers of all of above.

And wouldn't you know it, after all the preparation and build up, it was all over with too quickly! Luckily, we had New Year's to look forward to, as we were headed to Whiteville for the big family oyster roast!

More on that to follow, hope everyone had a good holiday!

Nothing says Christmas like the Movies

2008-12-23T19:54:00.016-05:00

For some reason this year, I've struggled to get into the Holiday spirit. Maybe it's because the calendar sneakily ambushed me and suddenly I found myself less than 7 days from the BIG day with not a preparation in sight. (Ok, not entirely true...we had the tree up...mostly decorated, but not finished.) Or perhaps it was due the unseasonal warm weather last week that killed my Christmas Buzz. But most most likely, my Grinchness is probably rooted in the bitter fact that I only get Christmas Day off.

Whatever my excuse, I am breaking clean from my Bah Humbug ways and with that said, I am determined to lift my spirits into a holiday frenzy no matter what. Scrooge be damned. This is Christmas. So with that determination set forth, I am hitting up the telly whilst I wrap my presents, basking in the glow of Hollywood's Christmas delights and relishing in holiday nostalgia.

And lo, I give you

Beth's Top Ten Christmas Movies

10.) All those claymation movies....Rudolph, Frosty, The Year Without A Santa Clause, and the like. Since these movies are made out of clay, I figure I can lump them together....You're welcome for the deliberate pun.

9.) The Santa Claus starring Tim Allen. OK, so maybe it's a tad on the predictable side. And maybe it reeks of the '90's, both in terms of fashion and it's choice lead actor. But you know what? That kid is super cute and the slapstick is pretty decent. So yes, I defend this movie for making my list because trust me, there are alot worse Christmas movies out there people (Fred Clause Vince Vaughn, really?) Maybe I wouldn't buy it, but if its on TV, I am secretly excited.

8.) The Nightmare Before Christmas. Is it a Halloween movie? A Christmas movie? I couldn't tell ya, but for this list's purposes it is now officially dubbed a Christmas movie.. I secretly suspect it's a commercial golden egg, as the story line hits up all the major commercial holidays, thus justifying this movie's prominent display year round. Either way I love it for Tim Burton's updated venture into claymation. Plus it's a musical, something I'll get to in a moment.

7.) The Muppet's Christmas Carol Who doesn't love Kermit and Miss Piggy singing along with all the their Muppet friends, while telling this classic Charles Dickens' tale. My childhood love for the Muppets instilled a deep and unabashed love of musicals, much to Somanna's dismay on road trips.

6.) ELF Somanna thoroughly disagrees with me on this one. But that's why it's my list, not his. If you are feeling down this holiday season, just remember the this Elven Rule: "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." And if that doesn't work watch the scene where Will Ferrell finds out Santa is coming!

5.) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation We all know it and love it despite having the lines memorized. We acknowledge that funnier movies and actors have come along since Chevy Chase's hey day, but the Holiday season wouldn't feel right without a visit from the Griswold's and Cousin Eddie.

p.s. let's all take a moment to reflect on the career trajectory of Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Reflect and give thanks that she found Seinfeld ....and a straightening iron.

4.) Home Alone This was the second movie I ever saw in a theater and at 10 years old, this film convinced me that Macaulay Culkin's comedic genius should earn him nothing short of an Oscar. Good thing they didn't give it to him, the fame screwed him up enough. But nonetheless, this movie is time tested, gut grabbing, slap your knee stick funny. If you haven't seen it in awhile, watch it again because if you don't laugh out loud at this movie, you might not be human.

3.) A Charlie Brown Christmas Linus tells Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about and Snoopy is adorable as always. It just isn't a holiday without the Peanuts.

2.) How The Grinch Stole Christmas You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch! The cartoon version of Dr. Seuss's classic is the only way to go. And I'm betting that song is stuck in your head now isn't it? So I'll save you the effort and post the lyrics here. Merry Christmas!

1.) A Christmas Story "You'll shoot your eye out kid!" I triple dawg dare you to tell me there is a better Christmas movie than this one.

"But I heard him exclaim ere he drove out of sight, Happy Christmas to All and All a Good Night!"

Slow day at work + business speed internet =...

2008-12-20T15:10:00.006-05:00

Wedding pictures!... I know I know there are plenty of pics from it by all you wonderful people, but Heather has gotten some amazing shots of you folks! Worth a look see! The albums are on Beth's Picasa site, so when you have that slow day at work (that's why I was able to get them up, and the fact that bandwidth and speed is better!) check 'em out! Oh, and not all 1600 plus pics are up, there is a reason Heather took several shots of the same thing, I was surprised how difficult it is for us to coordinate our eyes to be open and looking at the camera... no problems with people smiling though!

(Thankfully no pro pics of the kegstand kraziness... the guilty party, you know who you are!)
-Cheers!

"Is your house on fire Clark? No, Aunt Bethany. Those are Christmas Lights"

2008-12-20T12:06:00.010-05:00

It may be an annoying 61 degrees here in NC (my apologies to all those Yankees battling snowstorms and ice, but it is hard to get into the Christmas spirit while I sweat in my Christmas sweater.) But we nonetheless battled through the "elements" of semi-sunny skies and warm temps to get the house all decked out.

Check it out! Trust me, we are already a big hit in the neighborhood (and with the power company.)

Sike!

That's not our house, but you already knew that. But oddly it does make you feel more Christmas-y, doesn't it? Now we're off to start our Christmas shopping. I'm fairly sure tacky and procrastination are complimentary traits.

p.s. The title of this post is for all the movie buffs out there. First one to guess right wins a little somethin-somethin'.

(No) Word Wednesday

2008-12-17T13:19:00.002-05:00

Taken in Coorg.

Memo to All the Daddy's Out There

2008-12-13T15:01:00.003-05:00

I fully expect to see Jeff and Paul doing this in a few years with their little girls!

Thanksgiving Part II!

2008-12-10T23:29:00.005-05:00

I bet you didn't think we could possibly eat more did you? HA! You were wrong. Do not test our eating skillz people! Somanna is a human garbage disposal and I come from a long and proud family of food connoisseurs.

So whilst we were in the burgh de Pitt, we swung by Sewickley's newest burrito joint: Azul

We kicked off our meal with guacamole and chips. The guacamole destroyed my willpower with its most excellent flavor, a proper balance of red onion and cilantro with a hint of lime.

Somanna ordered the chicken burrito, wet which means it comes with salsa, sour cream and holy guacamole Batman! I ordered the steak burrito and Bob ordered the pulled pork, both wet of course. Who eats burritos without sour cream and guac, dieters aside, I ask you?

Nice job catching my grubby fingers hitting the chips there Somanna!

As you can also see, Somanna sampled the Bohemia cerveza and found it a little heavy and bitter, but still a tasty accompaniment to his meal.

Bob advised us to order the salsa verde (green salsa) as it was far superior to the salsa rojo (red salsa). And right he was, but we had to try both of course. The California style burritos were excellent, stuffed with rice, beans and grilled veggies. And with Azul being less than 10 minutes from Bob's house, it is dangerously close.

And hey the local artwork on the wall even caught our attention:

Zihuatanejo, Mexico is where we ~~collasped~~, err honeymooned after the wedding.

Best of all, we had leftovers which we gladly dropped off at Brittany's as we rolled down the highway back to NC.

As for our weight gain, don't worry. I've have managed to coerce the commitment of my husband, sister and younger brother in doing our first 5k in February. Muahahaha! At this point I think Andrew is in the lead, as he is the only one that's actually been training thanks to his track star lifestyle.

Stayed tuned folks: Holiday Merriment is upon us and you don't want to miss our first attempts at Griswald style decorating!

It's Thanksgiving Charlie Brown!

2008-12-10T20:50:00.004-05:00

Well despite this post's tardiness, here it is nonetheless.

For el dia de turkey, mi esposo y moi headed north to Pittsburgh to converge on my brother's house with the rest of the family (minus Brittany, who had to work. Bah Humbug! But she was with us in spirit and thus spared the annual holiday weight gain.)

All in all, Bob & Rosie hosted ten extra peoples, plus their five and they did it in their trademark smoothness. Maybe if I give them a shout out here, they will write a book on the art of hosting and will give me a shout out for repeated guest perfection. One can hope...

I could bore you with details of our trip, but let's cut to it shall we? After all, the whole point of Thanksgiving is to gorge oneself on endless amounts of food right?

So here is the purrty Turkey that Rosie cooked this year. And believe me, it was as tasty as it looks! Not only that, the table was gorgeous enough to make Martha Stewart drool. Big ups to Rosie! She was rocking the domestic front!

Now here is where I would put a picture of the spread, but apparently my personal photographer was busy doing something else and slackin on his duties. Tsk , tsk.

(If Shaloot makes it back to the stairs on the right, he regains his super human powers by which he can hurl small children onto fluffy couches with great might.)

So instead I give you the beautiful setting in which we feasted with little self control.

You ain't got nothing on Rosie, Martha!

But do not fret my dear reader (it's a little early to assume we have more than one of you at this point.) But we.ate. good. And eat we did.

For starters, there were 3 kinds of stuffing to suit your fancy: crab stuffing, oyster stuffing and veggie stuffing.

And of course there was brown rice (a Wyche staple) gravy, sweet potato casserole with pecan topping (My favorite!!), asparagus casserole, jalapeno cornbread, salty ham ( a MacKenzie staple, I think), roasted green beans, cranberry sauce straight from the can (Erin, I'm right there with you honey!) as well as the freshly made kind.

And for dessert we had pumpkin pie and raspberry crumble.

And ice cream. To go with the pie of course. Duh.

And Aunt Margaret's Mexican dip on Friday. And FRESH fried oysters on Friday too.

And smoked salmon....and chex snack mix, which we kountrily refer to as "Trash."

And I'm going to stop because suddenly I'm self conscious both about the size of this food list and that I lovingly shovel "trash" into my mouth and never questioned this title until I had to write it out. Hmmm.....

So yes, we all gained weight. And before you even ask I'm going to go ahead and bite the bullet and acknowledge, that yes, there were NO mashed potatoes. I know it's like American sacrilege or something.

I can't speak for the MacKenzies, but the Wyches have always been rice folks. We have brown rice, red rice, yellow rice, white rice with gravy, and Jesus loves them all, plus all the little children of the world. Maybe that's why I ended up marrying an Indian man....with all my rice lovin ways, curry was bound to enter the menu rotation at some point.

So when we weren't eating, we were hangin out w/ the family, maximizing our weight gain by being as sedentary as possible. Somanna and I finally managed to watch Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Yea, I know it came out like in 2000 or something, but you know what? Our netflix queue is absurdly long and we're a little behind, alright? So just back off! That Planet Earth series is a LOT OF FRIGGIN DISCS ok?!!

But we finally saw it and now we can truly sleep at night knowing Jack is reunited with his beloved Black Pearl. I of course was relieved to have uninterrupted viewing of Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. So it's all good,(except for Kiera Knightly's acting, but we still love her for her amazing abs don't we?)

And when we weren't busy doing all that , it was time to play with the three cutest boys in 'Merica. So now I give you what you have hopefully been chasing all this time: a barrage of photos of The Wyche Boys.

Joe. ....Bob's own personal Mini me.

Mac n Cheese + dinosaur pj's = childhood bliss.

Jackers is really the sweet one of the bunch, but apparently he is not feeling the camera love on this one!

Sweet Jack

Wasss up! Bennett rockin the stripes and trying on Shaloot's kicks.

(They are playing the latest Gameboy contraption which is called a PSP or something...I don't know ...it made me feel way old and inept at technology. Great self esteem booster when a six year old rolls his eyes at you because duh, its sooo easy Aunt Beth.)

"I would never misbehave Aunt Beth, look how cute and sweet I am?"

"See?"......Flirt!

P.S. they now refer to Shaloot as Uncle Shaloot. Very cute and something to be thankful for indeed.

(the b&w picks were made on film by Shaloot's old skool camera, the Pentax K1000. Check out the other shots on his flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shaloot/sets/72157610578095695/detail/ )

Nice plug there Somanna.....

(No) Word Wednesday

2008-12-10T14:59:00.001-05:00

Going to post a random photo to get through the mid-week hump! Enjoy!
ps- its a hint about the next post...

City of Steel!

2008-12-02T21:51:00.001-05:00

Is that even correct? Anyways as you know we took a trip up to Pittsburgh for the Thanksgiving weekend and apart from hanging with the family and eating the food (which will talked about by Beth) we got to see Jeff and Christine's new baby girl! She was born on the Wednesday before, so a great Thanksgiving they certainly had!

Jeff with his baby girl:

and her proud mama:

We're so happy for them and think that they will be wonderful parents! It's going to be great watching her grow and tugging at their heart strings!
We also got up with Santosh on Saturday and we met in his borough of Squirrel Hill and started the cold day with some warm, spicy Thai food! It is seriously good and we believe him when he says its the best in Pittsburgh... heck its the best we've had! We started with chicken satay:

We then had a green curry dish and panang curry with fried and white rice washed down with Thai iced-tea. Well Santosh and Beth had it... I'm not a fan of tea that's cold:

After warming up we took a quick trip to check in the sites. First up we went up to Mt. Washington and for the infamous view (though from a different perspective):

The Heinz field, home of the Steelers:

and we went hunting for the ice-rink Santosh stumbled across couple of days ago:

Pittsburgh is a neat city, lots of history and character, definitely worth checking out in more detail... that means getting to walk around and take more pics! But dang it gets cold up there...
-S

Reeecap!

2008-11-24T19:25:00.000-05:00

Well what a year this has been so far... so a quick recap since I'm not going to specifically blog about it all but here is whats up so far; we started the year in Raleigh, Beth got a new job, I went to India in Feb after being away for 8 years (!) and got to see my lil' nephew Alex for the first time in Norway (photos at picasaweb.google.com/shaloot), we got engaged in March (!), I got a new job which involves zero traveling (woohoo!), we bought a house, I drove a nascar, my whole family came to stay with us... cause we got married (!!) which was fantastic and went on honeymoon (picasaweb.google.com/beth.wyche) which was much needed and now we are catching our breath! phew! And the year is still not over!

Ok and here we are starting this blog... which might end up being quite random... but thats the beauty of them innt? Beth has mentioned how this blog got started below but maybe our blog might try and have a few receipes thrown in and talking about food we eating or cooking or beer I'm drinking (thank you Erin and Scott: http://hungrytimestwo.blogspot.com/) or maybe going a little political at times (thank you Becky: http://mtngirl27.blogspot.com/) or musing about the weather (thank you Julie: http://oldmarrieds.blogspot.com/)... though Becky and Julie have some neat gardening tips which I am going to put to use soon... or maybe the books we're reading and enjoying, ala Brittany-dearest: http://www.bitteramalgamations.com/. So yes, I'm copying others, hey it worked for me in school, so I ain't stopping now... and I will thrown in some stuff about photography, and hopefully inspire some of you to pick up your camera and go beyond the "Auto" mode... I'm no expert (that will be my bro: www.chittiappa.com) but I'd like to think I can help... oh, and all of you I just gave a shout-out, y'all better put this on your favorites/bookmarks (yay Firefox users) cause we sure as heck have you!

Ok, thats enough... I guess big thing this week is the Thanksgiving holiday, so hopefully you all have a good holiday, safe travels, happy eating/drinking and all that jazz... we're going up to Pittsburgh which I'm super excited about!

pic of the post:

Bienvenidos!

2008-11-03T21:09:00.000-05:00

Somanna and I are bored.

And since we don't argue over the laptop enough as it is, we decided to up the ante by creating a blog.

Plus he takes lots of photos and needs me to write witty captions.

We really don't know what the hell we're doing, but we hope that by us making internet fools of ourselves we'll manage to give everyone a good chuckle....or maybe even the occasional snort on a good day.

Yall come back now ya hear!

From Mehican Honeymoon!

Peaches N Curry

Times They Are A'Changin

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This Time Last Year

No Word Wednesday

A mental note...

Blogger oh Blogger

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Happy Birthday Somanna!!

It's Official

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Happy Sunday

A Photo Essay.

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There Is A Point To This Story

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The 1st Rule of Fireworks...

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A Tail of Two Kittehs

Technical Difficulties...

Race For The Cure!

Under Construction

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Caketastrophe

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We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Broadcast...

Twitter Dee Dee and Twitter Dah Dah

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A Hodgepodge Post

Music Video Thursday

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P is for Pasta. P is for Perfection!

For My Inner Dorkus

Happy Easter!

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Time Flies When You're Having Fun

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The Bane of My Existence

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Things I Don't Understand

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Cop Out

Supah Bowl Follow Up

Lord Forgive Us, We Know Not What We Eat

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Tonight's Movie Choices Are:

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Time lapse photography...

Supah Bowl!

The Age Old Question

Oh, Oh Oh Oh...The White Stuff!

January 20, 2009

I *heart* Kitchen Aid!

(No) Word Wednesday

I heart Kitchen Aid!