Cyber Chocolate

Vacation Officially Over

2009-11-10T22:41:00.000-05:00

Today's my last official day of vacation. I spent the morning getting my annual mammogram. All is well on that uh, front. Then I came home and cleaned. Ah, the joy that is my life.

Tomorrow is a federal holiday, so not a work day. Thursday, I return to the grind of the workplace.

To tide us over, some fun stuff. I think I need some of the geeky goodness showcased on this site. The Ctrl, Alt, and Del pillows are my favs. Found on The Presurfer.

Purses that look like book covers. Found on Boing Boing.

Feeling: tired

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: links

We All Scream for Ice Cream

2009-11-05T23:22:00.002-05:00

Chocolate ice scream, that is. In California, I tried these two brands for the first time: Dreyers and Sheer Bliss.

Sheer Bliss is a bit high end and comes in tins. My cousin and I decided we had to try ice cream that comes in a tin, and a nice tin it is. The ice cream isn't overly rich, but it is chocolatey and smooth, with a nice, creamy consistency. It had more of a dark chocolate taste than most chocolate ice creams I've had, which makes sense because the flavor is actually dark chocolate.

I'd heard about Dreyers, and might've tasted it once before, but don't recall offhand. Hubby and I found it in a food court in the outlet mall in Las Vegas and I had to have a scoop in a cup. Nothing fancy, and this ice cream doesn't need any enhancement. It's rich, creamy, and very chocolatey. A pleasure to eat.

I also had the pleasure of having a cup of Ben & Jerry's chocolate ice cream while shopping in California, so, along with all the chocolate desserts and the visit to Ethel M's chocolate factory, it was a very chocolicious trip.

Annual Philadelphia Miniaturia dollhouse minis show this weekend. I expect to spend some $$$. :)

Feeling: chocolicious

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: chocolate ice cream

A Week in Vegas and California with Food

2009-11-04T13:24:00.000-05:00

10/25: Fly to Las Vegas with hubby, buffet dinner in one of the hotels.

10/26: Hubby and I go on Hoover Dam tour, ending with a stop at Ethel M's Chocolate Factory, one free sample. Yummy dark chocolate. Note the e on the two remaining pieces. It's a rather smooth flavor, not too bitter, melts nicely. I'd eat more. Much more.

Hubby and I went to see Jersey Boys and thoroughly enjoyed it. Dinner followed at Canter's Deli in one of the hotels, then a trip to the top of the Paris Hotel's Eiffel Tower (a weird experience right there). It's about 1/2 the height of the real one in Paris, France and offers a great view of the city. At night, it's especially pretty.

10/27: I indulged in a full massage. Ah..... Hubby and I went shopping at an outlet mall. After a quick dinner, we saw Penn & Teller (we'd seen them 3 times in the '80s), then drove to downtown Las Vegas which I much preferred to the Strip (which is technically in Paradise, Nevada. It was wonderfully lit up and the main street has a canopy with a light show. It's probably dingy during the day, but it's magical at night.

10/28: I fly to Los Angeles to visit my cousins while my hubby stays in Las Vegas. A couple of friends join him there. I have dinner at an Italian restaurant with the cousin I'm staying with (M) and her brother and his wife. These are my mother's cousins. I had ravioli and we had these cute meringue ghosts and I had some of this chocolate cake for dessert.

The ghosts were light and yummy and the cake was rich and yummy.

10/29: M and I went to the Grove shopping area. We had a yummy lunch at Morrell's (I had a meat sandwich), then shopped a bit and walked around. The Farmers' Market is there and I hadn't seen it since my family went to California in 1969 for one of my cousin's Bar Mitzvah. The area sure looks different now. One vendor selling pumpkins got into the Halloween spirit.

After, we had dinner with one of M's cousins and his wife, at another Italian restaurant. I had veal piccata this time. Back at M's house, we watched an episode of Nip and Tuck she'd TIVO'ed.

10/30: In the morning, M and I went to a small park run by the US Park Service near her home to walk her dog. They have a couple of ponds, one of which had a nice sized flock of ducks! I, of course, took pictures. After, M took me to Beverly Hills where we lunched at Nate and Al's Deli. I had the requisite corned beef on seedless rye and kasha varneskes (bowtie pasta), the latter which was almost as good as my grandmother used to make, but there were too many onions. Still, very tasty.

Then M, a friend of hers, and I went to see "Law Abiding Citizen" because M is a big Jamie Foxx fan. The movie was gory, but not as bad as the reviews had led me to believe. Implausible, but that works okay for movies like this which are somewhat reality-based fantasies. However, I figured out what was going on fairly easily, was annoyed by a bit in the beginning (why the hell does someone so smart open the door without checking who is outside?!), and couldn't quite figure out how he was doing things. Dinner at Mr. Cecil's Ribs followed, but I had a hamburger and fries, which were very good.

10/31: I had lunch with my cousin R and his wife. I hadn't seen her in 23 years, soon after they'd gotten married, so it was a real treat. My aunt (R's mother) joined us for lunch in yet another Italian restaurant, Tiramisu, (no pic of the meal -- I had pizza -- but it was the best of the Italian meals so far), then my aunt went home and R, his wife (also an M!), and I went to the newer of the two Getty museums. We had a great day enjoying the museum itself (gorgeous, very open architecture, with a garden) and the exhibits. We were especially taken with the Irving Penn photography exhibit Small Trades, haunting b&w images of people who toiled in all manner of jobs, mostly unglamorous ones and using a platinum printing technique. There's also a hardcover book. R and I are both into photography, so being able to see this exhibit, which ends in January, was good timing. We went to dinner after at a deli with a broad menu and I had Belgian Waffles for a change of pace.

It was great to be able to spend so much time with my cousin. His family moved to California when I was 2, and we've seen each other no more than a dozen times since then, so this was special. And his wife is warm and wonderful.

11/1: Went to M's brother's house (he's also an M, so we'll call him M2 although he's older than M). M2 and I went shopping at Universal City's CityWalk and had lunch at Wolfgang Puck's there.Yup, more Italian food. This time I had one of the best 4 cheese macaroni and cheese meals I've ever had. We did some shopping, then his wife, E, and I went for hamburgers while M2 stayed home (he has back problems, was tired, and is a vegetarian) at Mo's.

11/2: M picked me up at M2's house and drove me to the airport where I met up with hubby who came in from Las Vegas an hour before I did. And I owe it all to the little earplugs to the right. These Earplanes (tested by the US Navy) made flying possible for me again. I was having so much trouble with me ears when I last flew in 1986, even with the pill I was taking to help with the pressure, that I stopped going on trips that required plane travel. I wish someone had told me about these earlier. I had some discomfort and itching, mostly on the trip home which might be because I ended up inserting them too late for the descent (which was 20 minutes past the recommended 1 hour before landing), but nothing like the sharp pains I used to get in the back of my ears.

Feeling: mellow

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: vacation

All Trips Must Come to an End

2009-11-03T16:56:00.000-05:00

I don't get jet lagged going west, but coming back east is murder. I was not in any way tired last night and ended up staying up til 4:30 am. I think I ended up getting 4 or 5 hours of sleep when I finally got to bed.

Now I'm watching taped shows from while I was away. I'm currently watching last week's Halloween episode of Castle. Not only does Nathan Fillion still look good dressed as Mal Reynolds of Firefly, there was some neat dialogue between Castle and his daughter where she reminds him there are no cows in space when he says he's a space cowboy, which refers to the confusion about Firefly when it aired. And when she asked didn't he wear that five years ago, I actually laughed. So good. And a few notes of the Firefly theme were a nice touch! Oh, and his Buffy reference was nice, too, because he guested on that show as a really evil preacher, the guy responsible for Xander losing his eye. Very cool all around.

The trip was wonderful and I'm still on vacation. No work for another week plus! There will be some chocolicious posts coming up.

Feeling: jet lagged

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: tv

Today's Action

2009-10-31T01:38:00.001-04:00

Took a walk with my cousin and her dog at a very nice park near her house. It's a nature center where they conduct class visits. And there's a duck pond!

Then we had lunch in Beverly Hills (a corned beef sandwich in a nice, old, Jewish deli), and went to the movies with a friend of hers. We saw Law Abiding Citizen because my cousin likes Jamie Foxx. It's not as bad as some of the reviews I saw said it was, but it wasn't good, either. It was fairly predictable and gory and implausible, but I don't hold implausibility against a movie if it's entertaining. This one was borderline in that regard. There were some nice bits, especially the intricacies of the villain's scheming, and I enjoyed seeing Bruck McGill and Colm Meany in supporting roles, but Jamie Foxx seemed too generic in the role. I was expecting a bit more fire from him, I guess.

Dinner was at a ribs place with a varied menu, so I had a yummy hamburger and fries. Now I'm stuffed. I've eaten so much this trip I'm sure I've gained weight, so I'll be dieting when I get home for sure.

Feeling: stuffed

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: movies

Another Quickie Update

2009-10-30T01:47:00.001-04:00

For some reason I can't fathom, Blogger isn't fully loading on my cousin's computer. Or rather, the New Post window comes up with half the features missing and an error message. It's just another internet annoyance about this trip.

Anyway, we went to the Grove mall and had a yummy lunch and did some shopping and walking around. I saw the old Farmers' Market, now 75 years strong. I'd been there in 1969 and recognized it despite all the new things built up around it (it's by the Grove outdoor mall).

Dinner was with a couple of other cousins in a nice Italian restaurant and I had Veal Picata and we all shared dessert: a chocolate chip bar heated, with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. Photos will be posted after I'm home because I need my own computer for that and the netbook can't connect to my cousin's network.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: vacation

Posting Might be Sporadic

2009-10-29T02:58:00.001-04:00

I'm on my cousin's PC because my netbook can't access her network. And the internet connection is slow and annoying, so more than a quickie update might be delayed til I get home.

Yesterday, I had a massage -- so nice -- then we went to an outlet mall, walked around the Vegas strip, saw Penn and Teller, then went walking around Downtown Las Vegas.

Today (well, technically yesterday, making the above the day before), I flew to the Los Angeles area to visit relatives for a few days.

Feeling: content

~~~o0o~~~

Viva Las Vegas!

2009-10-27T16:42:00.000-04:00

Had this yummy chocolate cupcake in the airport while waiting for flight to Las Vegas.

So far, hubby and I went on a Hoover Dam tour (conducted by a "dam guide." Yes, that apparently is a running gag there. Then we saw Jersey Boys at night which was truly wonderful and now has me wanting to read up on Frankie Valli and the history of the Four Seasons.

Had a massage this morning, and we'll see Penn and Teller tonight. We've seen them before, a few times, but not in many years, so we're looking forward to seeing them.

And that's today's update!
Feeling: relaxed

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: vacation

We're Off!

2009-10-24T23:30:00.002-04:00

V A C A T I O N !, originally uploaded by ShellyS.

Well, tomorrow, but I wanted to get this posted before we leave. I'm in the middle of the pre-trip excitement/anxiety. Excitement from anticipation of new adventures. Anxiety from the fear I've forgotten something.

I used to just pack for trips. Now I have to charge batteries: for the cellphone, netbook, camera, Kindle... and there are all the cables/chargers to remember to bring. When/how did life get so complicated? So... techie? ;)

Posting until I'm home will depend on wifi connections, but I'm sure I'll be able to post something, even if it has to wait til I get to my cousin's and use her computer.

See ya!

Feeling: excited/anxious

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: vacation

V A C A T I O N

2009-10-22T23:15:00.000-04:00

I am now officially on vacation for the next 3 -- count 'em, 3 -- weeks! Let's have a WhooHoo!

Feeling: happy

~~~o0o~~~

A Fortunate Answer

2009-10-19T11:44:00.000-04:00

Because I love Beef and Brocdoli

You Are Beef and Broccoli

You are a smart, no nonsense type of person. You are very low maintenance compared to most people.

You are often thinking of everyone else but yourself. You feel the most comfortable when you are putting yourself last.

You tend to order quickly yet carefully from the menu of life. You don't have a lot of time to agonize over decisions.

By doing the best you can in each moment, you've done pretty well in life. People truly respect and admire you.

What Kind of Chinese Food Are You?

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

It sure looks yummy.

Feeling: stressed

Countdown to Vacation: 4 days

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: quizzes

Concert Season

2009-10-18T01:59:00.000-04:00

Last night, hubby and I saw America at the Nokia Theater and tonight we saw three acts at Westbury: The Turtles, Felix Cavaliere's Rascals, and Tommy James and the Shondells.

No pics from the America concert, but I got shots at Westbury.

The Turtles

Felix Cavaliere

Tommy James.

America was wonderful, performing a nice variety of their hits and not hits for over 90 minutes. They're one of my favorite "classic" bands, not "oldies" (as they put it). Seeing them perform is more like hanging out with friends who sing and play instruments rather than sitting in an audience.

The Turtles were, well... The Turtles. They're manic and funny and thoroughly entertaining. They once performed with Frank Zappa and now usually work some hard rock into the mix.

Felix Cavaliere is a fine singer and great musician who seems to put his whole self into his music. He puts on a great show.

Tommy James and the guys currently the Shondells also put on a great show. Tommy's a wonderful showman and singer. He has a book coming out: Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells, about the music industry back when payola was the norm. Tonight, he sang a song he hadn't performed in 42 years: Little Latin Lupe Lu. I know it from the Righteous Brothers (Bill Medley wrote it) and Tommy sang it with another song I can't recall now (memory? what memory?) and did a bang up job with it. It's a fun song, good to dance to and singalong with. I couldn't tell how many other people besides me were singing along, but it was a lot fewer than his other songs. It was nice hearing him do something different, too.

If not for having to work today (well, now, technically yesterday/Saturday) and being dead tired all day, it was a perfect couple of days.

Feeling: tired

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: concerts

Too Tired to Blog

2009-10-15T23:24:00.000-04:00

Been too tired to do much of anything. Looking forward to my fall vacation in 10 days. Every time I start to feel energetic and start getting stuff done, work gets super stressful and I end up vegging when I get home. And I want to freshen this blog up a bit, even if it's just to get the template in line with Blogger's page elements layout and to clean stuff out of the sidebar. Once upon a time, I got very caught up on all the fun things one can stick in a sidebar, but as with a lot of things, many of them have lost their appeal for me.

Think I'll go find some chocolate. :)

Feeling: tired

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: miscellany

Musical Seasons

2009-10-11T01:34:00.000-04:00

Hubby and I went to see Frankie Valli and the 4 sexy guys who are now the Four Seasons. A good show, as usual, but I could've done without the brief political interlude to introduce a song called "Harmony." The sentiment is nice, that we should all just get along, in harmony. But when he talked about the message we send to the world about how divisive we are and that we should all get behind our leaders and if we don't like them, to just vote them out next election so misses the point of a democracy. The message we send to the world is that we can have dissent here and no one is arrested or killed for it (well, not officially, because we do know that some people do get violent in their disagreements with people) as long as no laws are broken. Our Constitution allows freedom of speech and that includes disagreeing with the people in office. We have that right and our country has survived for more than 200 years despite our disharmony. That's the message we send out to the world. I don't usually get political here, but Valli's comments really bugged me. He should just stick to singing. He was in fine voice.

Hubby and I could've done without the lame comic who opened for Frankie Valli. We've seen the guy for a few years now (he and Frankie are friends) and the jokes are well beyond stale by now. They weren't really funny the first time we heard them, either.

Feeling: tired

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: concerts

New Addition

2009-10-09T23:30:00.000-04:00

Her name is Ruby (for no particular reason other than I like the name) and she's an HP netbook, much more convenient for travel than a heavier and larger laptop.

On the TV front, Stargate Universe and the season premiere of Sanctuary rocked tonight.

Feeling: stressed

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: netbooks

Chocolate Power

2009-10-08T01:53:00.000-04:00

Chocolate fuel? Seems to me to be a waste, but if it can help the planet, it might be worth it.

Feeling: tired

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: chocolate

Touching Second

2009-10-04T23:45:00.000-04:00

Hubby and I went to the last Mets game of the season, a nice 4-0 shutout that reminded us that the season held so much promise before everything fell apart. After, we got to walk around the field with hundreds of other people. Here I step on second base. And now, in our usual refrain, "wait til next year!"

Feeling: happy and relieved and eager for next year

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: mets

Close Enough

2009-10-02T10:40:00.000-04:00

You Are Most at Home in the Living Room

You're the type of person who always feels relaxed at home. In many ways, it's where you're at your best.

You love to chill out at home. You are not the biggest homebody in the world, but you appreciate the time you spend there.

There's nothing like having a few friends over to watch a movie or just talk in your living room.

You are proud of the home you've created, and you love to share it with others.

What Room Are You Most At Home In?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

I would have said "den."

BTW, I watched David Letterman's show, as usual, last night and listened to his tale of being extorted over affairs he had with female staffers. The front page headline of the Daily News calls this a shocker. They devoted pages to it. Why would anyone be shocked that a man in showbiz had sex with people who worked for him? Surprised, maybe, but shocked? It's the 21st Century. Nothing like that should be much of a shock, anymore. What was shocking was that someone thought Letterman would pay $2 million to keep quiet about it, given how Letterman has demonstrated over the years that he will report criminal acts or threats against him.

Feeling: stressed

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: quizzes

Breaking the Fast

2009-09-29T12:43:00.000-04:00

Dinner and Dessert from last night.

Feeling: still stuffed

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: food

A Quiz Because I Don't Have Much to Say

2009-09-29T10:39:00.002-04:00

You Crave a Cultural Adventure

Life has gotten a bit routine for you lately, and you'd like to broaden your perspective.

You want to learn and grow from your adventure. You want to know the place you visit as well as your home town.

You are an open minded and curious traveler. You're all about immersing yourself in local customs, no matter how foreign they are.

Whenever you're in a new place, you try to speak the language, eat the food, and meet the locals. After all, that's what traveling is all about!

What Kind of Adventure Do You Crave?

Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

Feeling: bloated (too much to eat at break fast at my sister's last night)

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: quizzes

Posting Malaise

2009-09-24T23:30:00.000-04:00

I probably should just snare some more of my Question of the Day answers from Facebook, because I'm so out of it this week, I can't think of what to blog about.

NCIS season opener was awesome, and NCIS LA started well, but I liked the pilot 2-parter from NCIS last season. The Mentalist and CSI were both good tonight, House's 2-hour opener was amazing and a tour de force for actor Hugh Laurie. Heroes was entertaining, too. How I Met Your Mother hasn't lost any of its charm or humor and remains my favorite comedy of recent years.

The weather has been mostly lovely this week and work has been stressful, which is the new norm. I was able to find replacements, a size smaller, for my corduroy pants that no longer fit.

Had doctor appointment yesterday to have my thyroid levels checked. And that pretty much catches everything up. Life here at Chez Shelly is rather boring. ;)

Feeling: blah ;)

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: miscellany

Lazy Person's Blog Post

2009-09-21T22:26:00.000-04:00

You Are Driven and Focused

You view people with optimism. You have many meaningful relationships in your life.

You had more conflict with your mother than your father. Your relationship with her was healthy but challenging.

You deal with stress in a fairly normal way. Stress presents a struggle for you, but you're usually able to neutralize your emotions.

You are the type of person who knows how to get a lot done. However, sometimes you can't help but get overwhelmed by life.

The Inkblot Test

Blogthings: We'll Tell You The Truth... Someone Has To!

On the TV front, How I Met Your Mother returned in grand, hilarious style and so far, Castle is entertaining. I'll watch the recorded Heroes and House later.

Feeling: full

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: quizzes

Color My Name White

2009-09-20T13:55:00.000-04:00

Well, the honesty part is right. Some of the rest, too. But then, there's probably something right and something wrong for everyone for each color.

Your Name is White

Your name tells people that you have good intentions and a pure heart. You try to always speak the truth.

You are happy to step back and let other people shine. You don't seek attention or acclaim.

People see you as someone who is generous and ethical. You can be counted on to do the right thing.

You are bright and clear headed. You can offer a fresh perspective, especially when other people are in a rut.

What Color Is Your Name?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

Feeling: busy

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: quizzes

A Walk Along the River

2009-09-19T00:36:00.000-04:00

Jeero, Ox, and I went to Roosevelt Island today. I went to have lunch with a friend who works there and after, I walked along the East River and took a lot of pictures. It was such a beautiful day. At night, hubby and I went to watch the Mets lose.

Feeling: content

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: New York City

Yumminess

2009-09-16T00:30:00.000-04:00

The things I do for my art. I purposefully dished up some chocolate ice cream and stuck in a Pepperidge Farm chocolate Pirouette wafer stick, broken into 2 pieces, just to take a photo of the concoction. Then, photo taken, I ate the contents of the dish. All so I could show you the versatility of the Pirouettes. Yum.

These cookies and cupcakes look so yummy, and fun, too.

Feeling: stressed

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: chocolate