Dinner Club

The first dinner club met at Carbo's Diner. The exclusive site for food and fun that comes only by invitation.

Two of my foodie-friends and I take turns hosting a dinner at our homes. The host can select the menu, the theme and can invite a guest. I led the pack and it was upscale diner food with selections from the chef du jour.

Dinner began with a hearty beef stew and a shrimp and goat cheese salad. Followed by a chocolate cup with raspberries. Dinner was a selection of Pasta with a red or white sauce. Selections of vegetables, chicken, shrimp, sausage or meatballs. The fish selection was Talapia in a white cream with capers with choice of spinach, portabello cap or asparagus. Finally dessert was assorted cheese cakes or Fondue, or both. We did both. Top it with wine and laughter the recipe for success was followed and we all lasted about 4 hours in perfect heat.

By the way, this winter the dinner club would love to visit homes to see the holiday Christmas tree. We may sing a carol or two or none, honestly. If you decorate your home and want to show us some hospitality, just let me know. Also, if you are a closet foodie, or just enjoy eating, let me know and perhaps you can join the club some month.

Warnings ...

Over the past year, nearly anything you can put in your mouth or may have put in your mouth in error has caused death, illness or grave sickness if not distress from wonder what you like that you might touch that could be the end of you.

Well, this blog is not about those things which are making headlines these are observations I have made.

Yesterday after having lunch at El Azteca. I was attempting to pull out of my parking space when a 70 year old man was driving a black Avalanche was attempting to do the same. Obviously this thing (the truck) does not require a CDL, but perhaps it should. It took him at least ten minutes to back out of his parking space and it took him about five more minutes to get the damn thing to move forward and pull out on State Street. Well he got in the right hand lane only to stop all traffic because he wanted in the left lane. He had this opportunity when he pulled out of the parking lot, but he was ridiculous stupid. So all of a sudden he slams on the gas and pulls in front of a car and nearly wrecks. Then as the light turns green he sits there. If anyone has ever sat at that intersection, you know that only two cars get to cross over Spy Run or Lafayette or whatever that road is called at that point.

So if you see an old man driving a black Avalanche, slowly U Turn and get the hell out of his way. He should not have a license. His license should be recalled.

Then today at breakfast, as I was sitting alone reading my magazine, I heard how a child now has an aversion toward soy sauce. Seems that in their house, when the child did something that was not approved of by the parental units (and I use that term flippantly) the kid would be forced to drink soy sauce. The kid was not oriental so it was not a family tradition, but I can tell you, that if you hear of a young adult in fifteen years that attacks oriental buffets, his parents sat behind me at Sara's!

I am sure we all know that we are not to put toys in our mouth, especially the lead painted ones. We all know that the lettuce, nuts, ginger, meat, frozen items, dog food, coney sauce and most automobiles have been recalled. What I recall is there are more crazy people left on the planet than sane people. Heaven help us (and that does not echo the call for Kelty to be our leader, if that happens I will be EBay ordering lead based paint items). Hope they come in Swiss

Cake flavor!

See ya!

Great progress has been made for my 17 days in Italy. Last night, my friend and I reviewed the plans and everything appears to be just as we both hoped. It is a classy trip with tons of adventure and relaxation.

The trip consist of two cooking classes, three different hotels, seventeen days, lemoncello, olive oil, vineyard tours with a gourmet walking tour of Venice.

It is not jam packed every hour, we actually have time to do what we want and the best thing is we are not on a bus with blue hairs the entire trip. This is the longest vacation I have ever taken and that is exciting and almost scary too.

Clyde has not been informed he is not invited to this trip. I have to figure out what he is going to do with his 17 day vacation. He has his own restrictions, like he wants to sleep in bed with someone. He wants his tummy rubbed and he does enjoy a nice conversation from time to time. Oh, yes, and if he is scared he wants to know that everything is alright, or just put on some Enya.

Things I love ...

One of the greatest parts of Halloween is the fact that mini heath bar becomes available! As if they were not hard enough to begin with, I put them in the freezer and treat myself to a wonderful crunch.

Which is truly ironic because I hate crunchy food. I don't eat garlic bread that is crunchy and other things that come from the oven and are hard. But the Heath Bar is a true delight all frozen and yummy for the tummy!

I am not really the house where kids go trick or treating. I live in the haunted retirement community known as the Hamlets, so if I receive one trick or treater it is because they really came to soap my windows. I don't give out Heath bars, I normally give out the big giant candy bars because I figure if you drove your ass all the way out here for a piece of candy, it should have been worth your drive.

What kind of candy do you love?

Things I hate ...

I was at a meeting yesterday and it reminded how much I cringe, nearly crawl out of my skin over the sound of Styrofoam. Perhaps this is my aversion to fast food. At one point in time, my fillet-o-fish came in, albeit, handsome blue one, but it was Styrofoam all the same.

I think I have gone as far to say that I am allergic to Styrofoam. It is like running fingers down a blackboard. This is an inherited trait, as one of my parents has the same allergy.

I have been happy to find hamburger is now packaged in a plastic roll rather than on a Styrofoam tray. It is those damn egg people who have not got it together yet for me. I still buy eggs, I have no choice but I put it in my cart like they are 12 mini grenades.

Perhaps this is why I do not drink coffee, because of the cups that most people serve it in. I am cautious when I buy anything that has to deal with Styrofoam, because they form an amoeba of it around the item when it is being shipped.

I hate more than just Styrofoam, some other time I will rant about another dislike.

So you call this dancing...

Okay, so I gave it a shot last night. Dancing with the Stars that is. One would think that I may enjoy a dancing show, I love music and I used to dance when I was in high school. However I made it through the first half hour of blah blah blah and then watched Jenni Garth dance with the guy who tried to out dance her rather than dance with her. I promptly turned it off.

I turned it on to see Marie Osmond, because she is coming to Fort Wayne in the spring for Tapestry! A Day for Women, an event that I am raising funds to support. However, I saw her for ten seconds walking down a staircase.

Perhaps the show is not that bad, but the music I heard was one step above Muzak in a rendition of a Billy Joel song. Then the announcer, who I think I saw on Hollywood Squares, said it will take three days for all the dancers to dance one time. Oh my word, I have no time for a three hour dance off, in slow motion.

I know this is a ratings hit, but I just could not sit through a single second more. My dancing shoes are hung up and I am out to dry on this network craze.

Pictures of us

Last night four of us attended the Junior League 70's party. We had great fun, these are the pictures of us before we left for the celebration. We had a great meal, danced to the music of the 70's but seemed like alot more 80's and we bid on some silent and live auction items. Amy and I dropped out of the Porta Viarta trip a bit early and it went for a great value. Who needs another week long vacation haha. We all had much fun and my voice is a tad weak today from the singing to the songs as I was dancing. Yes, if you were there, it was me who may have been a tad off key.

He never had anything to say ...

Another passing in the world of notables, Marcel Marceau, the worldly famous mime. He was 84.

With the famous white face paint, soft shoes and a battered hat topped with a red flower, Marceau played the entire range of human emotions onstage for more than 50 years, never uttering a word. Offstage, however, he was famously chatty. "Never get a mime talking. He won't stop," he once said. A French Jew, Marceau survived the Holocaust - and also worked with the French Resistance to protect Jewish children.

Too bad more people could not learn from him, silence in the word is more important than hearing the word.

I had a dream...

Well, this morning I woke up laughing to a dream I was having. Most of the times I do not remember the dreams I have, but this one was pretty vivid. The short version of the dream is that I am at a grocery store, standing near a table (which really should not be there, but it was) and Kathy Griffin (the person who denounced God over her Emmy statue) selling her world famous Kathy Griffin Fricken Chicken.

One of my friends is shopping at the store also and she bumps the table which has a pitcher of ice tea on it on to me. For some reason I fall to the ground and Kathy Griffin asked if I would like some of her world famous Kathy Grifin Fricken Chicken and my friend, who ran the cart into the table said no for me and laughed to say that I was as all wet and couldn't eat her fricken chicken. Kathy then says that we should be comedians and then storms away.

Now, this is when I wake up because I thought it was funny, but now I really wonder what it all means. I did have chicken to eat last night, so that seems very obvious, and Kathy has been in the news alot so that could be the tie in there, beyond that my dream remains a mystery.

Match Game ...

It may have been called "Match Game" because your answer was supposed to match a celebrity answer, but really it had to do with the smoking on the show. This was one of those memories I have, growing up Carbo, about the show that was a staple in my formative years.

There were no Veggies Tales or Hanna Montana when I grew up, no, I had Brett Somers. She passed away last week and it is kinda sad to see someone go who was so flippant, fun and carefree. She made the show, for me at least.

She was the wife of Jack Klugman, who was famous for his role as Quincy M.D. In the summer of 2003, she appeared in a one-woman cabaret show, "An Evening with Brett Somers," which she wrote and co-produced. She continued to perform after being diagnosed with cancer.

So, we raise our glass to Brett Somers and the end of the smoking era on network television. She will be missed, at least on the Game Show Network and for this guy who found her fun and irreverent.

000000000000000_00000000000000000
00000000000000___0000000000000000
0000000000000_____000000000000000
000000000000_______00000000000000
00000000000_________0000000000000
0____________________________0000
000________CARBO_________ 000000 0
0000 ___________________ 00000000 0
000000_________________000000000 0
00000_________0_________00000000 0
0000_______0000000_______0000000 0
000_____0000000000000_____000000 0
00___0000000000000000000___00000 0
0_0000000000000000000000000_0000

My slice of the American Pie...

Tonight some friends are going to a 70's party hosted by the Junior League.

This is not going to be your ordinary pearls, gloves and big ole hat party that some may have stereotyped the Junior League to be ... but I can tell you that some of my favorite cookbooks come from Junior Leagues across the country. Anyway, this is a blue jeans-themed fun raiser that not only raises money through admission to the event, it also has a silent and live auction.

I am not planning to get really duded up for the event, but I do plan on having a great time. My friend since I was in the third grade will accompany me along with another friend and his girl friend. Should be fun, and I am sure I will have more stories to share. Who knows, I may find that the 70's were much more fun than the 80's.

Falling down

Somehow fall will arrive without me being prepared. I am one who has always loved fall, but I thought summer just begun so my life has flipped like a children's book with the pictures in the corner. You know the book, that you hold and flip the pages and it tells a story.

I did the flip book in my mind of all things that have happened this summer and I do now realize that each day was packed with some great moment. I am glad to have the office painted, my guest bedroom is painted, I have attended Michigan football games, I attended concerts, I went to an art fair, I have been to the Barr Street Market and bought my two ears of corn, had a limo ride that was awesome, learned how to cook Indian food, held a wine tasting on the floor of my living room, I walked in a parade, I attended festivals (and took out small loans to do so), I was the co-chair of a community's capital campaign, this should also say that I had great dinners with friends and family too.

Though the summer passed me by, it is not without tons of memories and exciting times. I am hoping my fall is just as exciting. What is happening in your flip picture book in your mind?

CBS still has one has-been left

As of lately all the CBS anchors of the evening news have made headlines, except Connie Chung. Katie can not beat reruns of M*A*S*H, Dan Rather is suing for being released from his contract over a year ago, Walter Cronkite will return to television at the age of 91. Poor Connie, she could not get her name in the news if she would have been riding shot gun with O.J. Simpson.

Speaking of O.J. it really should not surprise me that in our land of the free that he is free on bond. You have to figure if our local aspiring politician can be out within seconds that O.J. would be also. Of course, both are not guilty and of course I would not tip my hand to say that there has been anything to point that the wall of bars should be the new vogue for them, but if you take out the sarcasm you will find my true belief.

Finally, Ms. Spears has been informed she can not do drugs around her child. Really? She can't do drugs around her child? I thought there were laws already in place that prohibit her from doing drugs PERIOD. This is what kills me about our land of the free, we have laws that are to protect us from the freaks and villains yet some are entertaining us and others are running for mayoral positions. We wonder why no one watches the network news, it is not Katie's fault, (directly), we are just fed up with the imbalance of the wealth or fame of some and the cautiousness not to offend.

If I offended, guess what, I really don't care ... I am not running for office nor have I lied to grand jury.

Speeedddddddddupppppppssss!

If you have ever been to Jefferson Point, you may notice that during the summer they install speed bumps near Rave and other higher anticipated traffic areas to help keep drivers in check.

I have come to the very quick conclusion that drivers in Fort Wayne think speed bumps actually mean speed up. As they approach the bump they speed up and forget the pedestrians have the right away.

I am sure that the drivers just think that their cars won't make it over these large bumps so they have to feed the care more gas. However, I really think drivers have no clue the rules of the road.

Next time you are at Jefferson Point, don't park near the speed ups, you could get hit.

It is just an honor ...

As I age at rapid speed, I have seen some things change that have lead to great surprise. Take for example the award programs. One week, we are talking about how fat Brittney Spears was as she sang a song. I can remember award shows where not one word was said about Aretha Franklin's weight. Trust me there are 7 Brittney's to 1 Aretha.

Award shows were filled with words like 'blessing to work with this crew", "the most amazing ensemble", "I love to go to work with the cast", "they are like family", "I can't believe I get paid to do something I love so much". Now as you watch it is "Fck U Bush", "War is killing our children", "we live in a horrible nation"...

I wonder when those who were hired to entertain us became political analyst. I liked it when the same people I watched on television for humor and comedy were not the same people who were challenging nations to become better or do better. I fear that some day when I go to Kroger's that I am going to hand my Kroger Plus Card to the cashier and she will say, "you know that every one will die at the hands of Bush". There are people who just should not speak out and it has nothing to do with freedom of speech. It is just respect, which in America we have lost it, just like the Sopranos lost the Emmys!

Mopping up the Irish!

Well, it only took the third time to be the luck the Wolverines needed to defeat a football team. It happened to be the luck of the Irish that they secured their third consecutive lost this season.

It was a chilly day in Ann Arbor yesterday. It hovered about 50 degrees but while in the stands it felt very warm as I was surrounded by over 110,000 people. The smashing success brought back the hope that Michigan football was not dead and for those who were wearing the "Fire Carr" shirts did not seem as determined to had him his AARP card and his pink slip.

This game also signifies that fall is here and we are holding hands with winter. This morning it is 40 degrees and even Clyde said it was just abrupt of a weather change. So, today I am going to rotate my summer favorites for my fall flannels. Hope you make the most of the crisp day.

We are the Limo people ...

Last night, two of my friends were celebrating birthdays so I decided we were going to live it up in style! A friend of mine helped contact the invitees. Our plan was to meet at Eddie Merlot's at 7:30 p.m. celebrate over a beverage and the limo would pick us up.

My drink was a Pineapple Upside down Martini. Trust me one is all you need to have a reoccurring sugar coma. If you are going to go, this just may be the drink you would want to sip all night. Our limo arrived and we all scurried into it. I should pause to say that this adventure was probably more of an event for my ego than it was for the two birthday people. Why? Well, six sexy women and me. We could have just drove around the Jefferson Point parking lot for four hours and I think it would have been a success in my book!

The limo was taking us to a mystery destination. The further north we drove the more confused and inquisitive the gang became. Thank goodness no motion sickness or just any kind of sickness because we drove almost an hour. All we could do was drink a couple bottles of champagne, and a couple bottle of vodka. The hell of it all, forced to drink! The adventure did not seem so long after all. We arrived at Caruso's in Angola.

Upon arriving to the restaurant, the fear I had was that they closed at 9pm on a Friday and we were not arriving until 9:30 pm. So I rush into the joint and tell them, we are the limo people who called and asked if you would stay open? Well, not sure if it was my good looks, my eagerness or the fact that we were the limo people, but we got a table. We literally drank the bar out of alcohol. No more cranberry juice, no Malibu, no flavored vodka. I did say that if they needed cranberry juice we had some outside in the limo. I just got a look. Guess I was not as adorable as I thought haha. We were told that the grill was turned off so all we could have was pizza. Well, she did not have to pause as we ordered three pizzas, a sausage roll and two of the messiest platters of bread sticks any hangover could request. We laughed and told stories and somehow our nappy headed asses needed to get back in the limo to go to our next destination.

Our next stop was Club Soda, but before we could get there, we needed to jam to 80's dance music, sing with Gloria Gaynor and rolled down the window to speak WORD with the brutha's. Well, somethings sound better at the time than they do this morning. Though no confrontation or phone numbers given, wait, yes! there was a phone number slipped down the cleavage of one of our curvy women. We did arrive at our last destination on the Limo People adventure.

At Club Soda we ordered more martinis and toasted one final time to the great fun that friends can bring when brought together. It was a classy evening that did allow one of the birthday girls to go home with an apple, a honey bear, a phone number and we all shared a great evening together.

No writing ...

I will be taking a few days off from blogging but I will be back by Saturday.

Tonight is the Indian cooking class, final in the series.

I have an exciting Friday night planned and I will share pictures.

Saturday is the Michigan vs Notre Dame game (ugh)

Sign o' the times!

City Council has determined that signs need to go! Too much of anything is bad. Smoking, eating, drinking, and now reading. I guess I can understand, in our community few road signs are in Spanish and this has caused a huge uproar. Only if we would have printed every sign in two languages!

The determination - NO SIGNS along our roadsides! So if you are running for office, or you are having a craft bazaar, which is just bizarre, or selling signs or trying to find your lost dog you need to just get over it, because signs are NO MORE.

It is disappointing for those companies that are having a sale, like going out of business signs like Kay's Merchandise (yes, I think some of the signs are still around). If you want to go Garage Sale-ing, you will just have to bring along a psychic, because they will not be posted either at the entrance of additions. Also, if you are hoping to lose 150 pounds in 15 days, you will never know what number to call.

Have a dumpy car that you are needing to sell? Well, that one guy who would have bought it for cash won't know you want to sell it.

Soon you will be able to drive through our city and have no idea what is going on, who is doing what, what is for sale and what is coming up. Actually, this begins phase one of the Kelty administration. Oops! This must be a really bad sign from his God.

We all cried a tear ...

It may have been the Indian's maize that began the tears, but it was Michigan's maize and blue that kept them flowing.

Yesterday I attended the Michigan/Oregon football in Ann Arbor. After coming off a highly unpredictable lost against Dolly Parton's Appalachian State football team, the Wolverines should have been pumped up to take over the field and stuff the Ducks.

Well my friend and I sat in the near-riot state of football woes as the Ducks attacked the fledgling football team under the poor direction of Lloyd Carr. The sky was dark grey through part of it, as if the Heavens above were warning us that the light may not shine.

I turned to a buddy and said "If Bo is in heaven, and there is a God, then lightening will strike and call this game." He said to me, "Bo is not in heaven". Oops.

Well the game ended and the score was like 90 to 1 or something. We had dinner at a nice restaurant shared good conversation and realized there is a tomorrow, but I wonder if there will be one for Lloyd Carr.

Fort Wayne in 1 year under Kelty!

With CBS premiering a show called "Kid's Nation" only has given rise to the Kelty philosophy. Have you checked out his myspace? He has 51 friends, which that part sounds about right. I doubt he is lying or not tell the truth on that matter. The list highly tilts to the youth. Which, I understand, myspace is more youth driven but trust me they need to be able to get out and vote.

I have always floated through politics supporting good ideas and good values. I am beyond struggling to support the idea that his approach is like putting a bag over a bottle of Arbor Mist and saying that is it a 72 oz Gulp. True, it is a gulp, but it is not THE GULP.

Something about wrapping himself in the cloth of Mother Teresa and proclaiming to be our next Pope, rather Mayor, very much bothers me. Running the city of Fort Wayne is not the same as putting money in the collection basket, flipping pancakes, holding Palm leaves and driving with the In God We Trust license plate. Trust me, when negotiating to bring a large corporation to town, it will be a very small likelihood the question of faith, guidance and Sunday service hours will come up in the economic development of our community.

Everyone believes in something, passionately. Whether religion, principles or Swiss Cakes, something burns the fire from within. Believe me, that if I was running for Mayor, the last thing anyone will want to know is how many Swiss Cakes I eat or what church I visit on Sunday. The important facts would be the vision of securing jobs, cleaning up the city, being fiscally responsibility with the high taxes and how to promote the city.

So I pause and wonder why all we have heard on TV, radio and internet sights is how religious he is. For some votes, this will be important while others may question why every conversation has to state religion. I am beyond my breaking point of being force fed religion as my staple to a better Fort Wayne. By the way I don't eat Swiss Cakes every day, that would just be irresponsible, for God sakes.

This is what I learned ...

Sometimes you learn something when you least expect it. Well, while I was at my Indian Vegetarian cooking class, I learned the cure for the upset stomach. I know it is not like we unveiled the cure for cancer, but this is rewarding just the same.

Take the spice "HING" and mix it with water.

Then rub it around your belly button. The paste will relieve the stomach's pain.

I am not sure if you can rub it on the pain in the ass in the office next to you, but give it a try. If it works, we should bottle it and make our fortune.

Not exactly but close

Last night was my first of two cooking classes on Indian Vegetarian cooking. It was taught at Elmhurst High School. First let me begin by saying that if you signed the petition that said NO to air condition being put into the school system you should be shot with an arrow. I want to tell you I felt as if I was in India! My sweat was sweating!



Anyway two other friends attended with me and we had a great time we learned to make a rice that had bay leaves (which I guess you can eat, but my grandmother had said they would slice your throat on the way down), cloves, and some other spices. This was the foundation for the main course which consisted of chick peas and many spices.

Can I go back to how damn hot it was in the room? I even opened the freezer door praying that it could cool the room or just me. We did have a fan that was for the room but we pretty much dominated it. So when our instructor was asking about hot in flavor, I thought lady bring it on, it can not be more hot than this room. And I was correct, the spice of the food never was as hot as the room.

Anyway, the final class is next Wednesday and I am looking forward to it. I am going to bring my own ice bucket to stay cool. In the mean time, I am going to Taj Mahal for more Indian food.

Pick a day, any day...

Well, now that fall has come and grabbed us by the nappy hair on our heads, I find my calendar to look like a sudoku maze. Every Saturday between now and November had something etched in stone, or stone like. Football, dancing, eating...

My Sundays remain open for the most part, because I am still observing Lent by not going to church. I gave it up, but I forgot to find out when I need to start it. It has been seven years now. But for a more religious moment I am going to Savannah in November to celebrate the saints holiday. Yes, the haunted pub crawl is calling (perhaps echoing) my name. So a very good friend and I are taking to the sky and flying our broom down to celebrate Halloween weekend in the most haunted city! We are also picking up a cooking class or two just for fun.

The big holiday open house, MEXICarbO, is December 1 and everyone who knows this is the largest party of the year! (Borrowed from my former friends at Marshall Fields, God rest their soul!) The prep and planning is in high gear. My peeps and colleagues are working also to help make this the biggest bash on any December 1st in America's history. If you have not been invited but think you may want to be included, just drop me a message and perhaps you can join the festivities.

Most exciting, confirmation on Italy. Back on the books for April. I have locked in a travel companion and we are confirming dates with the travel agency to match up the cooking classes so really, the days are unfolding with fun activities.

Tomorrow is a cooking class on Indian Vegetarian with two of my lady friends! These are the two foodies in my life that inspire! Stay tuned, book early or just read what Carbo is doing and live through me.

All good things come to a end...

Today a couple historical figures have ended. One is the famous "At the sound of the tone" telephone operator who gave us the time and temperature. She has been pink slipped into oblivion. For over seventy years this service has been around to help the time clueless or worried mothers know about the daily chill by simply dialing a telephone.

Locally, historical figure Bob Seivers has passed away. He provided over seventy years of his voice on the airwaves. He gave hope to lost animals being reunited with their owners. He made sure the Little Red Barn, on the farm, was kept in great order. He even crushed a few aspiring radio DJ's the hope that someday they, too, could be him. But nobody could Bob!

It is an end of an era for both time, temperature and talent. We won't forget the impact either voice had in our own lives.

Read'em and weep

Over my life span I have had five roommates full time and there have been extended guests too, but realistically I have lived with five people. What they all could tell you (except for the one that is not alive) is that when I read a magazine and find something interesting I have to share it. Quirky? Yes, but it just seems like I am just sharing very important information, in true, I am just sharing something interesting to me. Since Carbo is living alone and loving it, I thought I would share a few facts with you today.

The percentage of Brits who think a woman can prevent pregnancy if she jumps up and down immediately after sex is ... 33%. (Now that I know this, it will be very helpful if someone breaks out in some MaryLou Retton moment following a special moment!)

Reports state that eating a clove of garlic a day will prevent a heart attack. (It also will stop the first fact from even being an option)

The percentage of Icelandic population that believe "elves" definitely exists .... 10%. (The word is elves not Elvis, who truly does exist, yet today)

Fallen holidays not everyone takes full advantage of: February 25 National Pancake Day, August 9 National underwear day, September 15 is National Apple Day. (Talk to your human resource manager to lobby for at least one of these days off work.)

People who drink 2.5 cans of soda are three times more likely to be depressed and anxious compared to those who do not consume as much.

If you walk into a home and the chairs have their backs toward the entrance, this would mean the home owner is very private. (So, if you do go and find this most likely you invited yourself over or just showed up at their door.)

A person who has visible collections of post cards, matchbooks and tickets stubs is an adventurous and sensations seeker.

So, this is what you have missed by not living with Carbo! For the record, I have chairs that face every direction and I don't drink soda. No one has ever jumped up and down after sex and I have ticket stubs in visible eye sight in my home!

Recipe

Last night, I had an impromptu dinner for a friend and we caught up on life and travel. I made a dessert off the top of my head that turned out pretty decent and I thought I would share the recipe as I made it.

2 Red pears and 2 green pears cut in half (from top to bottom). Place in a flat container pouring a cup of Cognac atop of them, the juice of one orange squeezed by hand (and that small surface cut you have, yeah, you will notice it big time) and 3/4 tub of crumbled maytag bleu cheese. Put a lid on it and let is sit for about an hour in the refrigerator. When it is time to have dessert, in a large pan melt a 1/2 stick of butter. Keep on a medium to medium high heat and place the exposed side of the pear onto the pan. Pour the contents into the pan also. Add 1/2 cup of brown sugar and continue to move the liquids and cook them down until you make carmel. This process will take about 15 minutes or 20 but when it is a rich brown carmel you know you have made the dessert. Place pear on plate, with a dab of ice cream and enjoy Pears ala Carbo.

Okay, so I lied....

I think I may have said now that I have my jukebox, I don't have any other "things" I need or want. Well, it only took about four minutes to realize that was a total lie.

When we went to Ann Arbor this summer, I fell in love with this one piece of art and realized that I am going to have to get it. I went back a couple times to the booth and debated should I or shouldn't I?

Well the shouldn't I won out but I have emailed the artists and looked at the picture like it was the Holy Grail, but since I am not religious, I looked at the picture like it was a giant Swiss Cake! So as time lapses I just know that I will eventually breakdown and make this purchase. Why shouldn't I just seems such a lame question haha.

(Oh, the symbol is "Fire")