Strange Happenings on the 6th Floor

The parking garage at my office (which I fondly refer to as 'The Deathtrap' - drive through it once and you'll see why) is an interesting place. It's a nice little petri dish of people for people watching and oh, do I love to people watch. You can sit me down on the Strip in Vegas and I'm happy for hours. I can even make up entire stories about people, which takes people watching to a whole new level. But I digress. Edward Cullen parks near me on the 6th floor of the parking garage. I park up that high so as to stay away from other cars and avoid door dings on my pretty Benz. Edward parks up there because he's cool like that. I call him Edward because, like the Twilight character, he's young, he has the rumpled, just rolled out of bed look and he wears some pretty edgy clothes. His black military style jacket is my fave. He kind of looks like Nutcracker Vampire Boy in it. The thing that fascinates me is Edward's car. On first inspection, it's just a late model, silver Volkswagen sedan. But if you watch, there are some weird goings on here. During Christmas there were two plates in the rear window ledge covered in foil. Something that his Grandma sent home with him and he forgot to take inside and put in the frig? That's an easy explanation, you say. Except they stayed there, in the car for about three weeks!! Ewwww. Now his back seat is full of blankets and quilts. And today I left the office around 4:00 and Edward was walking back inside, hair duly rumpled (well...isn't it always). I wondered if he'd been napping in his car. Is there something hidden underneath? Is he living in his car? Did he finally eat the food under the foil? And the most important question...why do I care??? I have no idea. Up soon - the 'my life's a party and I want to share my music' dude.

The Cure for PMS

This was actually discovered by myself and my BFF Miss Pamela on a weekend spent on Mustang Island many, many moons ago. I have absolutely no scientific proof that it works, but I still swear by it. I don't remember which of us was truly suffering that weekend, but I think it was Pam and I was just crabby because my Xman was there. So, here ya go! The reason that this has eluded medical science is because it is a combination of several things: One Aleve pill One large Strawberry daiquiri (you could probably substitute another cocktail, but make sure it's choc full of sugar and liquor) Two or Three pieces of good quality chocolate Nacho Cheese Doritos (Spicy or Regular) A shoulder/neck massage Repeat as needed. Be sure to save receipts for medical tax deduction. Seriously....it works!

Sunshine Chicken Salad

You can make this pretty enough for a Ladies Luncheon with a little extra effort. It's delicious and different and NO COOKING REQUIRED! I make this for the girls for 'Divas Do Dallas' weekend each summer. Sunshine Chicken Salad 1- 8 oz pkg cream cheese (I use lowfat) 1 c. mayo 2 tsp. curry powder 1 rotisserie chicken (or 6 cups of shredded chicken) 1-8 oz can of crushed pineapple 2/3 c. dried cranberries 1 c. chopped roasted almonds Sea salt and white pepper to taste Tear up the rotisserie chicken. (this is good therapy, too). In a medium bowl whisk together softened cream cheese, mayo, curry powder, salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in shredded chicken, drained pineapple and cranberries. You can top with almonds and serve or.... Spoon mixture into a plastic wrap lined 8" round cake pan, cover and chill for 8 hours or overnight. Invert onto a pretty plate or a pedestal cake stand. Gently press almonds into the sides and top of the salad. Garnish with grapes, berries, sliced mango, sliced peaches, edible flowers, whatever! Serve with crackers or pita bread.

Long Eyelashes - almost free!

You've seen the ads for prescriptions eyelash serums and eyelash extensions. I just haven't had the inclination to go there. One day, right before Christmas, I was loitering at Macy's (waiting around to pick up Chloe from something) and I wandered over to the Benefit cosmetics counter. I needed something, I don't remember what. The Benefit girls must have been bored because they started trying cosmetics on me and the discussion turned to mascara. "I like waterproof mascara because I don't end up with raccoon eyes", I said. (What I didn't add was that I use the cheap stuff, Maybellene-gasp) The Benefit girls then informed me that waterproof mascara ruins your eyelashes, makes them brittle and they break off and, one of them added "If you stop using it and use regular mascara for a few months, I guarantee you that your lashes will be much, much longer". Well, guess what?? It worked. I also rub a tiny amount of moisturizer into them at night along with moisturizing my face. Check it out: (yes I have on mascara here, but they are much longer. Should've done a before pic)

NYC (Part 5) - Food, Friends and I'll have what she's having

The array of food in NYC is amazing. We didn't eat fancy, as we had blown our budget on show tickets, but it was all delicious! I cook a lot at home, so it just makes me happy to have someone else cook for me. Plus, I love the diners and the fact that you can get anything off this huge menu at anytime day or night just puts a smile on my face. I'm not a food snob. I like what I like and I don't care. We ate at a little deli across the street from our hotel and I got a Greek salad and a glass of wine at midnight. Happy! Belle had cheesecake for breakfast one day. Vacation rocks. Giant Belgian Waffle Greek Omelette - spinach and feta, my fave One afternoon, we met up with a friend of mine who lives in Brooklyn. John was kind enough to come over and meet us. John and I have been internet friends thru the Isla Mujeres boards for many years and have missed each other by a day or two on the island, so it was really fun to finally meet him in person! Two other Isla board friends who live in Connecticut were unable to meet up with us. Ann was busy and JoAnne had broken her foot. It would have been fun to get us all together. John and me in front of Katz's Deli John met up with us at a bar called 'Lucky Jack's' and had a drink, then headed over to Katz's Deli. Katz's touts itself as New Yorks Oldest (since 1888!) and best deli and it's on Houston street, which they pronounce 'HOW-sten', the silly Yanks. Silly or not, these guys know how to make a sandwich! First, the proper protocol: When you walk into Katz's you are handed a ticket. Then you order food, drinks, etc at different counters and they add it to your ticket. DON'T LOSE YOUR TICKET!! If you do, it's a $50 charge to get out! Even if you don't order or pay, keep the blank ticket. Thankfully, John warned us about this. So we went in and split up. John ordered sandwiches, Pam got the fries, Belle and I were sent on beer duty. Laura got a table. We sat right next to the table where Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal sat in the famous 'I'll have what she's having' scene in When Harry Met Sally. The sandwiches were amazing!! The meat was perfectly spiced, juicy and to die for. The pickles were outstanding and the fries were crispy perfection. A pitcher of cold beer to wash it down and great company made this lunch the best meal of our trip. Jerry Lewis is one of the many celebs who's picture graces the walls. the tickets! Dont' lose the tickets!!! Look! We still look like supermodels even after all that food After lunch, John took us on a walking tour through the East Village. He told us about the history of the area and we ended up at Washington Square Park. It was a beautiful day, not too cold. We hung out at Washington Square Park for a little bit and then John walked us to a subway station. He swiped us all through the turnstile with his card and directed us to the proper train, explaining to us what stop we needed to go to. What a great guy! This is Santos, who we met at a hot dog restaurant one night after theater. We had hot dogs and fresh papaya juice or mango juice and fries. $4.99. Santos explains the difference between men and women in this short video: Cindy was our waitress on our last night. We ate at a restaurant/bar across from our hotel. It was about midnight and there were a lot of drunk people, so it was pretty funny. We saw a guy with his fly unzipped and we saw two groups of guys getting bounced for fighting. We'd seen West Side Story that night, so we asked if they were the Sharks and the Jets. They actually laughed! Anyway, Cindy will now sing for you, she was adorable: Bye Bye, NYC! I love you and I'll see you again soon!!!