Macaroons

Macaroons - heavenly jewels of goodness

I absolutely love french macaroons. I say "french" macaroons because most Americans think macaroons are those shredded coconut bundles - those are good as well, but not nearly as delicious as the french versions. I first discovered macaroons a few years ago, not in Paris (which I have yet to visit), but at Nomi Restaurant at the Chicago Park Hyatt. They were the creation of Sandro Gamba, former chef and Suzanne Imaz former pastry chef of Nomi. As the above images show, macaroons come in array of colors. Brown for chocolate, green for pistachio, pink for strawberry... Now I'm not sure what flavor blue is - I'm sure it's not blue raspberry. The french would never be so uncouth to do that. I know if I did try a blue macaroon, it wouldn't stain my tongue and mouth a neon blue. The chocolate version is the very best. As soon as you bite into a chocolate macaroon, the crisp meringue slowly melts in your mouth and then the soft gooey center with the intense chocolate flavor awakens all your senses and brings immediate joy. As most of my friends know, I'm a pretty decent baker, so I thought it would be more economical to try making these delights at home and have them more readily available instead of the pricier option of having to dine at Nomi to get my fix. My baking repertoire includes delicate chiffon cakes, three tier chocolate cakes with chocolate ganache filling, flan, pumpkin roll cakes, chocolate souffle cakes etc... so I thought I could add macaroons to the list. Just like my mom is known for her almond biscottis and raspberry log jam cookies and others are known for their salsas and jellies to give away as gifts, I was determined to be known for my homemade macaroons and delight friends and family with these scrumptious offerings. So, I started to research recipes and techniques. I have a fairly large cookbook library with a concentration of dessert books. I turned to the French masters: Francois Payard, Jacques Torres, and Pierre Herme, but in the end I chose the French Cookie Book's recipe for macaroons. The French Cookie Book is a bible of every type of french cookie you could think of and every version and variety thereafter. My friend Liz and I have always been successful with recipes from this cookbook, so I had high hopes. After my try of baking macaroons, I know why they are so pricey and why it's difficult to find a bakery that makes them - they are very labor intensive. First of all, it calls for a lot of equipment: newsprint paper, pastry bags and tubes, food processor, double boiler, sieve... The recipe has 10 steps - which sounds fairly easy, but when each step is a paragraph long, it gets pretty complicated fairly fast. For example, Step 7: Bake 1 sheet at a time. After 1 minute, at 450 F, reduce the temperature to 375, place an empty baking sheet underneath the sheet of cookies, and continue baking, using a wooden spatula to hold the oven door ajar, until the tops of the cookies are glossy and dry to the touch while the inside are still soft, about 8 to 10 minutes longer. Step 8: Lift the baking sheet of cookies off the empty baking sheet and take it to the sink. Pour cold water (about 1/2 cup per baking sheet) between the newsprint paper and the baking sheet (tilting the baking sheet so that the water runs over the entire surface and drains thoroughly into the sink) to steam the cookies off the paper. Then place the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool. Did you get all that?! And although I followed the 10 steps exactly as written, I was sad (and exhausted) that my macaroons were inedible. Instead of melt in your mouth meringue, I got a grainy texture, like sand had gotten into the batter. And instead of an intense chocolate gooey filling, I got a lumpy not so chocolaty center. So, I guess I won't be the master of macaroons and will have to dine at Nomi to get my delights or even better take a trip to Paris and find these heavenly treats at every patisserie around the corner.

Discovered my latest love...PAPAYA!

All these BEAUTIFUL things can be found at PAPAYA!

eeny, meeny, miny, moe

gemma comas photography for amy atlas events

Hot Cocoa in the Air

Starbucks Salted Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate

I ran downstairs to get my morning cup of Starbucks and they were giving away samples of their new hot chocolate concoction - Salted Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate. YUM-O! The flavor tasted like a chocolate covered pretzel, but the texture was a soothing warm cocoa, cool soft whip cream and to top it off, a gooey salted caramel ooozed all over the top! The sample was a perfect size. I don't think I would be able to drink a tall version - possibly a short, but definitely not a tall.

Alex Papachristidis, Interior Designer
Home of jewelry designer Fruzsina Keehn
Elle Decor November 2006

This stunning bedroom is my absolute dream bedroom. I have a copy of this issue of Elle Decor magazine and I don't keep it with my other zillions of magazines stacked on the floor of my bedroom. I'm afraid it might mistakenly be thrown out or somehow get lost. So, it is kept in my important document desk drawer where my passport, car title, and birth certificate are stored. Trust me if I had a fireproof safe, this issue of Elle Decor would be in it. This photo only shows half of the two page spread that appeared in the magazine. I adore everything in this bedroom from the beautiful 19th century German commode (which you cannot see very well in this picture), to the floor sweeping gray taffeta drapes, the pair of 19th century French gilt wood mirrors, and the antique Venetian chandelier. The room incorporates my favorite colors: gray, white and gold - so classic and elegant. Every so often, my eyes will come across another beautifully designed bedroom that is completely different than this one - vibrant green, pale blue or a soothing taupe with more contemporary furniture and finishing touches. And for a split second, I think maybe I want my dream bedroom to look like that instead of the Alex Papachristidis' creation. But once I open to page 180, complete happiness and desire overcomes me and I instantly know that this is the most perfect and beautiful bedroom.

I'm Lovin'....

Makanyane Safari Lodge
what a room with a view
a little startling to wake up to, but awesome

the classic beauty of Audrey Tautou

sevan bicacki ring

Ajia Hotel Istanbul

KARA by kara ross
flower cuff

darcy dining chair
can't go wrong with gorgeous & classic
anthropologie

beth lauren
poppy earring
moonstone & gold - just the right combo

sevi's pull along marajah
so beyond adorable - I need to get one for my nieces

November 5th

I haven't quite yet decided if I should take off Wednesday November 5th from work. As we all know, November 5th is the day after the Presidential election. If Obama & Biden were to lose, I will be extremely depressed and rather be immersed in work (drowning myself in beer) than be around my staunch Republican family and listen to their cheers of victory and hails of glory. Now, if Obama & Biden were to win, I want to be at home. No, not to rub into the face of my Republican family, but to watch all the news coverage of this historical event. What to do, what to do....

I do know that on election night, I will be filled with anxiety and stressed out, so I have a hotel room on E. Superior St. reserved. I need to be far far away from any family Republican commentary and snide remarks. So, if you're passionate about Obama & Biden winning and need to get away from some Republicans, you're welcome to come join me and watch all the news coverage and hopefully Obama's victory.

My $.02 on the $639 Billion Bankruptcy

With the news of Lehman Brothers filing bankruptcy, the biggest bankruptcy in history, I could barely concentrate at work today. They are calling the collapse of Lehman Brothers the "Armageddon" of the financial market. Every moment I had available at work today, I was on WSJ.com, NYTIMES.com or CNN.com. Interested in the news not because I had any financial stakes, but because the failure of another major financial institution is just one more key indicator of the fragile state our economy is in. Over the weekend, the Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Barnanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson called an urgent meeting at New York's Federal Reserve branch to meet with thirty Wall Street Executives to discuss the critical state of Lehman Brothers and the financial impact of its demise. I would have loved to be a fly on that conference room wall. Having majored in Economics in college, every time the Federal Reserve gets involved, or in this instance with Lehman, not involved, I'm right there following the news. Like Edith Wharton is to a Literary student or Picasso is to a Art History student, Alan Greenspan, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, was my revered one. With the news of Lehman Brothers, Alan Greenspan was interviewed on This Week with George Stephanopolous. I found one of his statements very puzzling. He said that the probability of the U.S. escaping a recession is less than 50%. And other economists are backing his statement. The increase or decrease rate of the economy's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is an indicator of whether we're in a recession or not. And since the GDP rose by 3.3% in the second quarter of this year, that is being used as evidence that we are not in a recession. But still, are we not in a recession right now? Yes, I know, who am I to question the Alan Greenspan and other notable economists, but hey, this girl still needs clarification. I do have some ammo on my side. In last week's issue of the The Economist, it stated that the way we define a recession creates a lot of confusion - "the standard definition of recession needs rethinking." So, let's look at the other factors: number of foreclosed homes continues to sky-rocket; cost of gas and food at an all time high, rate of unemployment increasing every month (and now Lehman Brothers' 25,000 employees are jobless); the government bail-out and demise of Bear Stearns, Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae; Merrill Lynch being saved by Bank of America; and AIG, Washington Mutual and U.S. automakers in serious financial trouble. The financials woes of all those major investment firms, banks and companies will only trickle down to the rest of us. Maybe the reason why the Federal Reserve, economists and the government are saying that we are not in a recession is because they want to restore our confidence in the financial system and not have us do anything rash like cash in our 401k or withdraw all our money from banks and stick it under our mattresses. So, once we are in a recession, what's the solution? In the interview, Alan Greenspan said the only way to end a recession in this situation, is to stabilize the real estate market. How do you stabilize the market with no end in sight of foreclosures and in this case in Chicago, an over supply of condominiums with one mega complex being built on every corner?

Well, I'm going to stop now. I can go on and on with comments and questions. Maybe it's a good thing I ended up in the ad industry promoting beer. There isn't too much to question about beer.

p.s.
I chose the picture above because all the news coverage today were showing last night's footage of former employees carrying boxes of their belongings and putting them into the trunks of all the waiting limos. One last question, if you just lost your job and your stock in the company is now worthless, do you think it's a good idea to be spending your money on hiring a limousine to pick up your belongings?

Maybe you should be spending it on beer. No point of having the "recession" hurt the beer industry.

Hee Haw, but no Coco Chanel

A rainy flooded Saturday is keeping me in tonight. All week, I've been cringing every time I see that commercial of Shirley MacLaine portraying Coco Chanel in another awful Lifetime movie. It's on right now and I could only stand a glance of it. Shirley MacLaine, Steel Magnolia Ouiser, as Coco Chanel, revolutionary goddess of french couture? Shirley MacLaine is more suited to portray Minnie Pearl on Hee Haw days than Coco Chanel. Couldn't Lifetime make somewhat of an effort casting Coco Chanel with more of a convincing and not so quintessential American accented actor? I understand Lifetime would never be able to entice the likes of Juliette Binoche or Audrey Tautou but how about Carole Bouquet? (okay, I know Carole Bouquet wouldn't even appear on Lifetime either, but how about anyone who would portray some authenticity.) For such a big production any thought or effort, Lifetime? I know they think having an Oscar-winning actress would draw in viewers. Hmm, well-known actor creating a bad movie or lesser-known actor creating a good movie. Yes, we know what you chose Lifetime. Blasphemy I say.

Patrick Demarchelier

I love Patrick Demarchelier's photographs.
I think we need to take a fieldtrip to Paris to check out his show.

Eternal Sunshine

if you found yourself at the end of a relationship and couldn't move forward
because of all the memories of the two of you together,
would you ever want to erase those memories?
would you want to forget that person?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my favorite movies. I came across a copy of it in my room when I was looking for another DVD. It still has it's plastic wrapping on it. I think I bought this as soon as it came out on DVD, but I have yet to watch it again since the time I saw it in the movie theater. As many of my friends know, I don't like going to see sad movies. Back in the day, my friends and I had a usual routine for choosing a movie - looked through the paper, someone read aloud all the movies that were playing and then I asked after each, is it sad? I don't know how on earth they ever got me to see Eternal Sunshine. It was so sad, but it was so good. I have never cried so much in the theater as much I did when I saw this movie. I came out of the theater with bloodshot eyes, mascara running, stuffed up nose - not a pretty sight. Then you may wonder if that movie was so good and sad then why miss out on other sad good movies? My answer - this movie drained me enough emotionally to last a decade. So, the next time I will be ready to watch another sad movie or unwrap this copy of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind will be in 2014.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Row - Jon Brion

Lacuna Inc.

when I'm ready to have a dog again, I want this one

and I will name him goliath

Sidedown for Obama

This weekend don't miss

Explora Patagonia

It looks too beautiful to be real.

Singing, Screaming and Crying

There are three things you can always depend on when watching Filipino television: you will always see and unfortunately always hear very bad singing, some screaming and lots of crying. Sometimes it's happening all at the same time. A few months ago, my mother made a very big mistake. She decided to order not one but TWO Filipino channels from our digital cable provider. She had very good intentions. My father, who is in ill health and unable to leave the house, was addicted to QVC and HSN. And as a result of this addiction, we have a shitload of crap in the house. So my mom's "great" idea was to get him addicted to Filipino television and how well did she succeed. We no longer have deliveries of crap, but now we have noise pollution and it's in stereo. My father will have his bedroom TV on with one Filipino channel while he has the other Filipino channel on in the kitchen. And of course, the volume is very loud. Filipinos L-O-V-E to sing whether they have any talent or not. They have no shame because I honestly think they ALL really believe they can sing. My relatives certainly think they can. Almost all of their households have karaoke machines. On every Christmas Eve growing up, my cousins, siblings and I were all shoved onto a makeshift stage with a stage light beaming down on us, microphone in hand and was forced to sing Christmas carols, Stacy Lattisaw's Love on a Two Way Street, the theme song from Ice Castles or any other god awful song from the '70s or '80s. Thank goodness my parents realized early on that my siblings and I really lacked the talent.

Now getting back to Filipino television. I got used to the screaming and crying on the filipino soap operas, but the singing on so called "talent" shows or even by Filipino "stars"- it's just so bad. And on many occassions, my father would call me into his bedroom or the kitchen and tell me to watch this Filipino and hear how well he or she sings. One time, I actually volunteered to walk over to check the TV out because I honestly thought the girl singing was part of a comedy act. Surely, this couldn't be real. But it was.

Last evening, after coming home from a night out, the same routine occurred. This time it was my mom who called me into the bedroom to check out the latest Filipino "star." I was tired and just wanted to appease her, so I watched and to my great surprise, there was actually a great filipina singer. This time the singing came from a talented 15 year old girl named Charice Pempengco, the screaming was from the audience and the crying came from Oprah Winfrey.

So, Charice Pempengco, you show the world and all those pina girls back home what a real Filipino singer sounds like.

Charice on Oprah (video removed from You Tube for copyright infringement)
And check her out again on Oprah this Tuesday, 9/9.

Charice on Korea's Star King

sad good-bye to summer, but hello to fall

I'm a fall season person, but this year I am very sad that summer is over. It was the most perfect summer weather that I could ever remember - barely ever hot and humid. But, as summer says good-bye and the days get shorter and the weather gets cooler, there are a few fall things I look forward to:

10. no mosquitoes, flies or wasps

9. jack-o-lanterns

8. cool crisp nights and wrapping yourself in a down comforter

7. butternut squash, acorn squash, sweet potatoes

6. fall clothes - nubby boucle jackets, supersoft cotton cords, cashmere sweaters

5. the brilliant colors of fall leaves

4. caramel apples

3. Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade - I know, but I've loved watching this parade on TV since I was a child. I was so sad when Woody Woodpecker was retired. He was a staple in the parade. Why was he retired? The pecker was too big. Seriously. After a woman was injured in 1997 by the Cat in the Hat, balloons could could no longer be larger than 70 ft high, 78 ft long and 40 ft wide and therefore Woody Woodpecker, Cat in the Hat and the Pink Panther bid farewell. Why can't they make Woody smaller and bring him back?! (don't say it.)

2. NFL Football season - I'm so excited the NFL season started TONIGHT, Redskins vs. NY Giants. Bears vs. Colts on Sunday!

1. THANKSGIVING the best holiday ever - no hassle or stress of buying presents; just family, friends, food and a four day weekend!

Coverage of the RNC

As mom always says, if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.

exhaustive thoughts, empty mouth.

Sorry, mom, just one thing to say in observation of the RNC:
Lots of white hair, blonde hair, pearl necklaces, cowboy hats, and barely, I mean barely, a speck of color or diversity - yeah, that represents the United States of America?

Not a very Rear Window moment

I spent most of Labor Day weekend hanging out on a River North balcony. One evening, as my friends and I sat and listened to the sounds of the city, I was hoping to catch views out of a Alfred Hitchcock movie, Rear Window. Okay, not exactly, I didn't want a murder to happen, but I thought I would be able to get some interesting views of Labor Day celebrations. To my surprise, with the beautiful weather and all the balconies delight, I could not even find one fascinating sight. Instead, the only excitement we got was a rat running across the street, which I didn't even get to see. I just heard my friends say, in a matter of fact way, "Look, there's a rat running" and by the time I looked, it had disappeared underneath a car.

Really?

With the breaking news of Sarah Palin being chosen as John McCain's running mate, political analysts and correspondents continue to say that she will attract indecisive Hillary supporters - really? No, I mean, really?? You've pretty much insulted the intelligence of all those Hillary supporters. Do you really think they will choose a candidate based on gender only and nothing in regards to the issues? Of the little information that we know about Sarah Palin, she's at the TOTAL opposite end of the spectrum to Hillary Clinton. It has been said that she's more conservative than John McCain, strongly supports drilling for oil in ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), is a pro-lifer, and a supporter and member of the NRA. So yes, that all makes sense that Hillary Clinton supporters will flock over to the John McCain/Sarah Palin ticket.

When one sees clearly, he can inspire many to attain the true dreams we so desire.

Seize the moment, Barack the vote.

Eye Candy

Christian Louboutin Armadillo Striped Satin d'Orsay

someday...

W Maldives

I want to be there, right now.

Jewel tone living room, Domino Magazine

Italian leather bound Merriam Webster's Dictionary at Graphic Image
I would stop using spell check if I had any one of those dictionaries.

Cathy Waterman "branch" ring

oh, so pretty

whew, sigh of relief

I was nervously anticipating Hillary Clinton's speech at tonight's DNC program. I thought we'd be reliving that awful moment during the primaries where she should have conceded, but instead, gave a selfish speech to fight on to become the Democratic presidential nominee. That speech ended up being the "crack in the glass ceiling" that divided the Democratic party. But tonight, I was relieved to hear her say in the beginning of her speech (the fourth sentence), " a proud supporter of Barack Obama." She gave a powerful and electrifying speech and directed crucial comments to her supporters to unite the party and elect Barack Obama for President. The best part of her speech was when she asked, "Were you in this campaign just for me?" I think that question struck hard with her supporters and hopefully that will make them realize that we to need move forward as a united party and get Barack Obama elected in November. Now, I just have to wait and hear what Bill has to say tomorrow night.

okay, Caroline and Teddy Kennedy's speeches made-up for Nancy's.

Quick note while watching DNC

I'm so disappointed with Nancy Pelosi's speech at the DNC. It sounded like she was addressing school children. Barack Obama is R-I-G-H-T (pause for audience to repeat) and John McCain is W-R-O-N-G (pause for audience to repeat). Is Officer Friendly making a visit to school - Listening to your parents is R-I-G-H-T, talking to strangers is W-R-O-N-G.

We needed better opening remarks than that.

Election Time

or erection time? This past weekend while I was watching the latest presidential election coverage, I noticed there were an endless number of commercials on erectile dysfunction. I know more about the side effects of viagra, cialis, and levitra than I do about Joe Biden. When I saw the 30th commercial of "viva viagra" I changed the channel only to find a women's commercial on boniva, the Rx drug for osteoporosis. All I could imagine are poor hunchback women who are going to be pounced upon by these viagracialislevitra induced men.

Triumph at Account Status

This YouTube video was played at our account status meeting earlier this week. Ummm, not quite sure why - maybe to put some laughter and energy in the room on an early Monday morning? I thought it was funny, but puzzled looks and nervous giggles made it obvious that some were uncomfortable. I can see a few of us watching this on a laptop in someone's cube, but projected on a large screen and viewed by a room of 30? Maybe it was a sans starbucks decision.

Triumph at Westminster III

Three little moments

There are three "little" moments in my life that I regret. I say "little" because trust me, after you read them, you'll wonder why they bother me so much. I'm sure I have more substantial guilty moments, but it's most likely I have subconsciously buried those away. (And for those who knew me in high school, I've never regretted any of those Marillac moments - those were "classic," fun, and rebellious times.) But these three moments resurface every once in awhile and cause me to relive that regretful moment.

They are in order from regretful to most regretful:

3. cordless phone

During my college years, I went to visit a friend at a school in Minnesota. After a very long night of drinking at a local bar with her and some other friends, we called for a taxi from a public pay phone. Over an hour had passed and still no taxi had arrived. Conversation came to a lull, and we were tired and bored. I began fiddling through my purse just so that I could have something to do instead of just sitting there. My friend saw this tiny little pocket scissor in my purse and started to make fun of it. She asked, "what could you possibly cut with this dinky dull little scissor?" It was tiny, about 2 inches in length. She continued to poke fun of it. And after having quite a few drinks that night, I felt that I had to defend my pocket scissor. So, I told her that it could cut lots of things: besides paper, it could cut cardboard, plastic, and any cloth material. Of course, I had never tried cutting any of those things with those scissors. Defending the little scissor just made her laugh even more. I grew more irritated, so I said, "watch, I can cut this metal and wire." And I began to cut the wire cord that connected the receiver to the public phone. No, they were not impressed. And they were not amused. All I heard was, "oh, great, now we can't even call back the cab company to find out when our taxi is coming." Guilt, shame and embarrassment came over me. I've never destroyed public property before that moment, or ever since then. In the current world of iphones and blackberrys, it's a rarity that you see a public phone these days, which is a good thing, so I'm not reminded of that dumb moment very often.

2. paper trail, paper chase

Once a month I go see my acupuncturist and before each appointment, I go to the ladies' room. I've learned the hard way that when you have a full bladder, it's no fun trying to carefully squirm around while being a human pin cushion.

So, here's the story. My acupuncturist's office is in a very large mix-use building: condos for the old and rich, doctor's offices, grocery store, restaurant, and many other little shops. The ladies room is on the first floor, along a very very long hallway with a few little stores situated on each side of the hallway. One afternoon, right before my appointment, I was in the washroom and had walked out of a bathroom stall. As I approached the sink with my hands stretched out ready to wash, I stopped in my tracks. I saw a woman drying her hands by the paper towel dispenser. She had a trail of toilet paper coming out of her pants. The paper trailed out of her pants and reached about halfway down the back of her thigh. At the same time, another woman came out of a stall and gave me a strange look because I was just standing there and she was probably thinking, "eeew gross, she's one of those who doesn't wash her hands afterwards." The woman with the paper trail was headed for the door. I was torn - do I walk away from the sink and approach the paper trail lady to let her know? But if I walked away from the sink without washing, I would be stigmatized as one of those people. Ahhhhhhh, need to make a decision. (Mind you, all of this is occurring within seconds. And I am a slow decision maker. It takes me many minutes of contemplation to decide between very fine, fine or medium point when purchasing a ballpoint pen). So, I quickly washed my hands, grabbed a paper towel and hoped that I would catch the woman and quietly tell her about her paper trail. I opened the door and looked both directions to figure out which way she went. She had made it half way down that long long hallway. She was walking fast, which made that little white tail of hers wag back and forth in the air. Ahhhhhhh, how am I going to catch her in my darn 3 ½" wedge sandals? And so the paper chase began. I took off and walked/ran as best as I could in my wedges. I got lots of crazy looks for trying to run in those heels. All of a sudden, I lost sight of the paper trail lady. She had turned the corner by the elevators. I finally made it around the corner and was hoping she was standing there, alone, waiting for an elevator. But no. There was no paper trail lady in sight. She either made it out the doors into the city streets or she was on an elevator. I just hoped she was in the elevator and caught a reflection of her white tail in the mirrored walls of the elevator. I know karma is coming to get me and that is why I will always double and triple check my rear in the mirror before I leave a washroom.

1. his last ride

I am not the most patient driver out there. Yes, I admit I will tailgate people at times and I will weave in and out of traffic lanes. One time I even had a man drive up next to me and with a kind concerned face, he slowly lowered his hand to signal me to slow down my driving. Well, what I'm about to tell you is not one of my best moments. This happened quite a few years ago and I still remember it well and still feel sad and regretful.

I was driving north on the Edens Expressway in the far left lane on a busy weekend afternoon. And of course, in front of me was a car going 55 mph. I drove for a little bit behind this car, hoping he would change lanes. But he did not . He continued at his slow speed, so I decided to tailgate, to give him the hint that you should not go 55 on the far left lane. The man did not appreciate me tailgating him so he slowed down to 45 mph. Hello, 45 mph in the far left lane?! I was very irritated at this point and I could not change lanes because there was a black car next to me and after that car there was another one closely trailing behind. I decided that after the black car passed me, I would make a quick lane change and cut off the car behind the black one. So, I made my quick move to the middle lane and my heart raced a little because that was a close squeeze. All of sudden I realized who I had cut off. Right in front of me is a hearse - I had cut in front of the grieving family of the dead person in front of me!! In front of me is a hearse with a coffin, behind me is a black limousine with the grieving family, and behind the black limousine was a procession of cars with their waving funeral flags. I just screamed - "oh, no, oh my god!" I couldn't change lanes because the dumb 45 mph car was to the left of me (probably getting a good laugh) and to the right of me was one of those megabus. So, out of embarrassment and sorrow, I just scrunched down in my seat and lowered my head as low as I could, kept driving, and kept screaming, "oh, no!" I could not change lanes and it felt like I was in the funeral procession for 20 miles, but in reality it was probably a half of a mile. The megabus finally passed me up and I quickly changed lanes and took the next exit off the expressway so that I wouldn't have to face the looks of the grieving family and friends. That night and many nights after that, I said a little prayer asking forgiveness for intruding on his last ride to his final destination.

in a city, there's a home, and in the home is a girl, and in this girl are some dreams and in these dreams she lives a life and in this life she dreams no more

All I want...

is a room to sleep in

wheatleigh

and a bathe to bathe in

one devonshire gardens

The New Kid

I feel like the new kid on the first day at school - kids gathered at the playground staring and talking about the kid that just arrived. Writing my first post, I imagine the eyes of bloggers and all other world-wide web users just staring me down. I've wanted to create a blog for awhile, but I've been quite hesistant to do so. Why? I cannot totally pinpoint the hesitancy, but a part of me has this strange idea that bloggers are an exclusive society with knowledge of proper blogger etiquette that I'm unaware of. Or maybe I'm just waiting for a welcoming committee, an intiation process, a rite of passage or an infomercial to convince me to finally create a blog. Well, as you can see, here I am. The new kid has just arrived.