Blog on a Much Needed Vacation

Rain, rain go away

You know those email quizzes often called "get to know your friends"? I love those. I always have loved them. Obviously I only play with people I already know, usually close friends who could already name four places I have worked in my life. Anyway, I made one up of my own this week and played with some super six in Sacramento (well, two of us are Sacramento ex-pats, but that's beside the point). One of the less riveting questions was "do you like the rainy season"?

Note: if you leave on the East Coast or South - in California, it typically doesn't rain from from April to December or so, hence rain is not a form of precipitation here, it's a season.

As you can imagine, the rainy season often leads to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and most of us answered some form of no. I liked Jen Sweeney's answer best: "I miss the real thunderstorms that I used to love living back east. This gray and drizzle is lame."

Check out the view from/of our foggy window today. Lame.

Moving on...

I started another three-day weekend yesterday and could give myself a gold star for how productive I've been. No one besides me cares about that, though, so I'll share a recipe for some quick comfort food you might also enjoy. I got the original recipe from Real Simple, so click here if you want a printable version.

Creamy Rigatoni with Broccoli and Brie

1 pound rigatoni
2 heads steamed broccoli florets, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (Note: the original recipe calls for 1 head, but I think the more veggies the better)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
8 oz. Brie (with rind), cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper


Cook the pasta normally, drain and return to the pot. Add the steamed broccoli, pine nuts, Brie, 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Stir until the chesse melts, then serve. Really good, takes only about 25 minutes and serves 4-6.


So glad this bat boy has kept himself busy today, too!

Three-day weekend bliss

February may be the shortest month of the year (though not by much in 2008), it's also the month with the most three-day weekends - at least for me. This was the second of four long weekends in a row for me, and I enjoyed almost every minute of it.

What made it so enjoyable?

1. The TV. It's no secret Brian and I have always been TV people (hence a substantial portion of our income), but this thing is awesome. I particularly enjoyed watching saliva drip off a Syracuse player's mouthpiece on Saturday. Ok, maybe not that so much...but you get the picture.

2. Movies that aren't on demand. Until this weekend, I think the last movie I saw in the theater was either Knocked Up or Dreamgirls (both of which are already off demand, so you know how long ago that was). Brian took me to see Definitely, Maybe on Sunday (four thumbs up - we both liked it). And today I finally saw Juno today (only two thumbs up because I went alone).

3. Long walks. I'm telling you, the walk to the GG Bridge never gets old for me as long as you can see it. When it's too foggy to see, then yeah, not so great. We had three days of beautiful weather this weekend, so I enjoyed every inch, everyday.

4. Tulips. My absolute favorite. And check out the new vase courtesy of Bonnie, the holiday fairy.

5. Watching Brian play baseball. Ok, so out of his 4.5 hours of practice this weekend, I only watched about 15 minutes. In that time, he got a base hit, so I think that counts plenty. Anyway, it's good to see him doing something he loves so much, even if he overdoes it. Apparently the only parts of his body that aren't sore are his biceps, triceps and face. There's always next weekend.

Producers and blogs don't mix?

Ever notice how Brian never writes? He always says it's a conflict with work. Now, if he were to get on here and write something like, "I have the greatest wife. Not only did she get me my dream gift of a 46" Sony Bravia LCD TV for Valentine's Day, but she's also beautiful, smart and funny," I doubt anyone would care (except me). I can see how if he were to pontificate about politics, the state of the news media, or other controversial subjects, it could be different.


From Thursday's New York Times:


CNN Producer Says He Was Fired for Blogging
By Sewell Chan


Should journalists be permitted to maintain personal — and highly opinionated — blogs on their own time? Chez Pazienza, a senior producer for CNN’s “American Morning,” says the network fired him on Tuesday on the grounds that he violated its standards for journalists through his blog, Deus Ex Malcontent.


Mr. Pazienza announced that he had been fired through — what else — a blog post on Wednesday. “What was the reason for my abrupt and untimely dismissal?” he wrote. “You’re reading it. More to come soon.”


Click here to read the full text.

Brian Neal...in HD

Brian's reaction to his Valentine's Day gift, a 46-inch Sony Bravia LCD TV. So surprised!

Cheers and jeers

My good friend from college, Courtney, recently wrote a cheers and jeers blog posting, and I loved it. What a simple way to be opinionated. So I'm copying.

Cheers
- Courtney's blog - very fun, maybe a little frivolous. Fashion? Haven't made that connection yet, but speaking of which...

- J. Crew City-Fit Stretch Chino Cafe Capri. I had a pair last spring/summer and wore them all the time. Just bought 2 new pairs. The only downside: my black pair tended to fade, so they might be a one-season wonder. Also, I don't recommend drying for the same reason. Plus Brian shrunk mine (thus making it easier to justify buying another pair of black this weekend).

- Union Street Papery. This is where I ordered the invitations for Emily's baby shower. It's also where I found a card for my friend Paula with a photo of Bill and Hillary Clinton and a note about getting better with age. Hilarious!

- Democratic nominees for President. I voted in the primary, and it's becoming increasingly clear that the nominee will not be decided for a while. That's ok. I will fully support either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, whoever wins the nomination from the party.

- Frozen fruit. I'm really into all varieties right now. Currently mangoes are my favorite. The mixed berries, peaches and strawberries are also quite good. Kind of like eating a lot of mini popsicles but with vitamins.

- Project Runway. I particularly enjoy Chris (left) and Christian (right). Loved when they were partners on the Avant Garde challenge. Divalicious!









Jeers
- See yesterday's blog post. So far, no progress on the ghetto fab lamp rig.

- Feeling the need to check the windows of my car every time I walk by now.

- The writers' strike. I know it looks like it's coming to a close, with the union rank voting on it tomorrow. I'll believe it when I see a new episode of Grey's Anatomy. The only show keeping me interested at all is Project Runway.

- Speaking of which - SPOILER ALERT - as I was checking out Bravotv.com for photos of Chris and Christian, I came across the final collection photos of all the designers showing in Bryant Park. Now why would they do that? We still have a few more weeks! I won't tell you who's there, but if you want to see, click here.

Ghetto fabulous

We live in a beautiful old Victorian house in one of the prettiest neighborhoods in the city, and it really bugs me when our landlords and/or their maintenance staff cheap out in repairing things gone wrong. After several calls about the burned out bulb in the main hall light, the maintenance crew finally came. Supposedly someone is coming tomorrow to actually replace the bulb (the fixture is pretty high up). Check out the quick fix/eyesore we've had to look at in the meantime.


Ghetto!