The Dangers of Living on the Third Coast

Dennis, Jerry. The Living Great Lakes. New York, NY: Thomas Dunne Books, 2003. p. 101

For Love Or German Engineering?

Actually I'm quite certain it's love considering I'm not actually car shopping. I am furniture shopping though, which is fun and immensly less expensive than a brand new car and quite frankly I'm tired of picking that bleeping comforter off the floor every morning! Besides we have to get all the clothes into one room now and I might, horror of horrors, have to finally share a closet! [Shock! Gasp! Arg!] Or we could just purchase a wardrobe and in my free time I could check out Narnia...

Honestly, I wish I had some really solid news to report upon my pregnant-ness, but it's too early to say whether it's a boy or a girl yet. What I can tell you is that I will not be going to Medieval Congress as Baby M (because it's going to be an M name either way) is going to be born around April 30th. Honestly, it just hasn't been the same going to a bar or coffee shop and getting a Shirley Temple or a Decaf Latte. I also am missing actual brie cheese (not pasturized), sushi, lunch meat, diet coke, and gin. Pretty much in that order too. For some reason the smell of wine is not exactly enticing right now. I have yet to gain weight, but have gone up one pant size already and for the last few days I thought I was in serious trouble until I realized that I'm not loosing anything, that's just the baby kicking (which incidently is really weird feeling and unfortunately frequent).

All in all, I and Baby M are fine and everyone from family to work seems to be super excited, especally from work which is much more than I expected considering the last time anyone at my place of employment was pregnant was twenty some years ago. Everyone has been very supportive, even Baby Puppy who's taken to snuggling like it's an olympic sport. After all, he was the first one to figure out I was pregnant. He knew before I knew and began snuggling then. I tell you, I'm the object of a snuggling marathon! Baby Puppy accepted my husband, I'm sure he'll accept Baby M with a little coaching and equal lap space time.

Calling All Pregnant Contributors to This Blog!!!

You know who you are.

The rest of the Margarita Girls would like an update on your belly... and particularly on the newest addition to the Margarita family residing there. We're excited for you!!! So spill it!!! I foresee a slew of terribly inappropriate baby onesies in your future... boobarella's good at those.

I will try my damnedest to ensure that these find a way to your child's feet:

For Wingal

Two Things...

First, though very early, Happy Halloween!!!!



I'd like to pretend that the four of us are hanging out together this Friday, like so:



Second, I'm just two posts away from my 100th post over there on my blog, and I'm trying to figure out what should be the topic of that momentous occasion. Suggestions welcome.

The Wine I am Drinking

On Saturday, we had the lovely Amanda over for an amazing dinner of brie soup, fresh bread, and salad. First off, I am sorry I did not take a picture of the soup when it was served to us. The Chef out did himself on this soup, truly. And Wingal missed it. For what? Family that she has not seen in 15 years, Obama and Bill Clinton? jeeze....

Anyway, what did we drink with it?

Dâo's 2007 Cabriz - Colheita Seleccionada Branco ($11) was a nice recommendation by the wine guy that is my mom's cousin Peter's doppelganger. It wasn't too fruity that it would compete with the brie soup, but not too flowery that it would be over powered. With a nice mellow flavor, this one is a blend of a bunch of grapes I have never heard of. Seriously, I think people make up the grapes they say are in some wines. Granted I know what a Niagara grape tastes like and also know that wines made form said grape taste like a north bound red line on a early Sunday morning smells, but that is neither here nor there. This is a blend of Malvasia Fina, Cerceal, and the local Bical and Encruzado grapes. Or so I am told. I thought Encruzado was a revolutionary....crazy Portuguese.

Award Shows

I am an award show junkie. I love watching the Oscars, the Grammys, Cable Ace awards, all of them really. That being said, I have seen some pretty cool stuff on live TV. I saw Jethro Tull win the first "Best Heavy Metal" Grammy. I watched Barbara Streisand have to read Eminem's name off for "Best Original Song" and not choke on her own spittal. I saw the fights on the Source awards.

But somehow, somewhere I missed this all together. Live from the Grammys in 1994:

CFL
(a call for labels)
PSSWR 2009

Gendered Drinking at the End of the Decade

Location: TBA
Dates: TBA

My Turn!!

This song is by Muse. It's called "Hysteria" and can be found on their "Absolution" CD. In addition to me just absolutely loving the band, I'm practically addicted to this song...

...because it makes me want to get nastynaughtyraunchy with a boy and drive super fast in my car.

And yes, possibly both at the same time...

also, loving her....

The Wine that I am Drinking

Someday, Wingal and I will get the stuff up that we had at mini-psswr.

But tonight, oh ladies, I found a new house wine:


Niel Joubert's 2005 Pinotage ($11.25) is just...just...yummy. Pinotage is a viticultural cross of the Pinot Noir grape and the Cinsault grape. It's a deep red color, not too dry, and meaty. But with a nose of bananas of all things. The label told me this I thought it was lying. Then I smelled it. Yeah, bananas. But serioulsy good. We had it with pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon/chocolate frosting.

love her

JENNY!!!! It's Your Birthday, It's Your Birthday...

A little early, perhaps, but I've got a busy couple of days ahead of me, so I just wanted to post my tribute to Jennifer June DeJongh... another year older as of 9 October.

Happy Birthday, Jenny. If I could, I'd give you



The best of both worlds, really... cake AND shoes.

Or, if dreams really could come true, I'd wish you:



Particularly the raining shoes, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind the new car.

I can't say that the gift is in the mail yet; however, it's in the works and will likely hit the USPS at some time in the next week. Finishing touches, you know, and more auditory material to drive Raphael crazy for awhile.

If I were there, we would share



...at LEAST that many of them...

And we'd likely share many more



But until we meet again, know that I'm wishing you a big fat HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

And I love you.

The Wine I Am Drinking. And Drinking. And Drinking.

I am currently drinking (and am very nearly drunk on as well because the chili is taking a godawful amount of time to be ready) the delightful 2006 Folie a Deux Menage a Trois, a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet. We initially bought this wine for the funny name (while visiting my grandmother - of course) and return to it regularly. For the funny name. And also for the very decent price (regularly about twelve dollars and usually on sale at Safeway for about nine). But mainly for its absolutely yummy deliciousness. Pardon my ignorance of wine-speak.

"Carmelized peaches!" Raphael declared tonight. "Tastes like autumn! I'm a Menage a Trois kind of guy!" Not being much of a wine describer myself and also being a little tipsy, I can personally say that this seems fairly accurate - as I am sitting here enjoying my Menage a Trois, I am experiencing a taste sensation that includes a bright, fruity sort of flavor and something sort of burned and caramelly at the end. All of this could be based on a psychological reaction to Raphael's intital comments, of course, so take from this what you will. In any case, this is a gorgeously lush and yummy wine that is best served with a dinner of grocery-store-roasted chicken, salad, and homemade cookies with small-town Massachusetts-grocery-store-brand-ice cream in your grandmother's poorly-lit kitchen. And also everywhere else.

Anyway, I'm a fan.

Shelve this for a later post...

I'm busy with work and school and heading to NY to help Dad for a few days, so remind me later to write a full post about this later:

On the train and on the platforms lately I have seen a new and disturbing ad. It's Triple H, from the WWE. That in itself is not disturbing. He's not too bad to look at. If you squint. What is disturbing are the size of his nipples. Holy Mary-Mother-of-Pearl! Like large reddish nubby dinner plates.

Anyway, I'll extrapolate on that later when I have more time. Also, I'll try to get you all a picture.

Planting earworms.

with that being said...I give you WHITESNAKE:

And here I go again on my own
Goin down the only road Ive ever known,
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
'cos I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams

And here I go again on my own
Goin down the only road I've ever known,
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
An I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time...

Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Hey guys? Good news! I'm officially getting the opportunity to be Indian! Or, technically, Persian.

My father received a very unexpected phone call yesterday. MyFriendFarah's mother, very bashful, asked my dad if I was home. He explained to her that no, I was still working in St. Louis, but that I would be home in November and December for the holidays.

"Oh..." she said, obviously embarrassed. "Well... I was calling because.... well..."

Long story short, she couldn't work on arranged marriages for her own daughters, so now she's working on one for me!

He's the son of some of their very dearest friends, he's working on his Masters (Dad, God love him, can't remember in what), and he's 6 foot 4. They just adore him, apparently, and I know how much they adore me. I suppose this was a natural next step in the process. Anyway, I'm supposed to call her in the next couple of days.

Why it never occurred to me to become Indian, I'll never know... but how rockin' would it be to have a white-people arranged marriage?! Now, THAT's one for the grandkids!

"I want to have its babies..."

said Wingal of the braised lamb shank and the Commander Riker wine.

PSSWR for Two

Not to rub it in (well, actually, maybe to rub it in a little), but Boobarella is taking a runaway train--possibly one that's never coming back--to visit Wingal for an extended weekend. And she's having Bully Hill ship libations to Wingal's new and improved door. There will be drinking on the futon, drinking on the new KSoFF, drinking on the balcony, and drinking out at the Missouri wineries. And when there isn't any drinking going on, there's a real possibility that there will be sleeping, eating (bacon!), and non-furniture shopping (i.e. shopping for the sake of flirting with the salesman). If there's a God there may also be socializing with Adonis if it can possibly be arranged (Wingal's working on that project tomorrow).

It's just going to be a kick-ass weekend. And oh how I wish the other Margarita Girls could be here too!

Boobarella's going to take and post pictures of the new Wingal abode on the blog. We will write a couple entertaining entries. And we've discussed the possibility of t-shirts. It's going to be a very unproductive weekend.

YAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!

The Funniest Thing Larry has Ever Said.

One of the headlines on CNN.com today was: "Queen: World watching McCain, Obama"

I said to Larry, "Please let that be Elizabeth II and not Brian May & Co."

and Larry replied, "Well, if Kiss can save Santa, maybe Queen can save the Election."

God-bless him. that is the funniest thing he has ever said.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2625785963793054974