Cyber Chocolate

Astronomical

2009-12-09T20:44:00.000-05:00

Okay, this works.

You Are Astronomy

This world is not enough for you... literally. You can't help but wonder about what else is out there.

You're the type of person who believes that anything is possible, and you'd like to prove it.

You are also quite philosophical. You spend a lot of time wondering about our place in the world, how the universe was started, and what the future holds.

You may not ever get all the answers you seek, and that's fine with you. Questioning is part of the journey.

What Field of Science Are You?

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

Had today off, but it was nasty most of the day -- it cleared up in time for the sun to set -- so I stayed home and watched the DVDs of my father's home movies (hubby had converted them from tapes to DVDs for me). A lot of memories there.

Feeling: blah

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: quizzes

Bag It

2009-12-07T23:45:00.002-05:00

Yeah, this sounds about right. ;)

You Are Unpretentious and Honest

You're quite happy with who you are, and you never pretend to be someone you're not.

You just act naturally. It's what works best for you, and you're comfortable with who you are.

You like people when they're just being themselves. Nothing turns you off more quickly than a phony.

You don't like it when other people want you to measure up to their standards. You should be enough as is.

The Handbag Test

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

Feeling: tired

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: quizzes

A Peek Inside

2009-12-06T23:46:00.000-05:00

Hubby and I got to go on behind-the-scenes tour of Citi Field, home of the Mets today. The team was doing this for full season ticket holders and it was quite fun. We got to go onto the field, into the dugout, and as you can see from this photo, into the Mets' locker room. The only thing missing was the Mets!

Baseball season can't come fast enough. I hope the Mets manage to field a better team this coming season, one that stays healthy.

Feeling: content

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: citifield

Triple Chocolate Mousse

2009-12-03T00:13:00.001-05:00

At the risk of turning this into a food blog, I present tonight's dessert: triple chocolate mousse at Veselka, a Ukrainian restaurant in New York's East Village. Before dessert, I had Chicken Kiev. I joined a couple of friends for dinner, for a pleasant evening. And the food was delicious.

Feeling: stuffed

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: chocolate

It's All About the Shopping

2009-11-28T15:05:00.001-05:00

As in the past few years, the New York Daily News has come up with some great shopping sites. Here are the ones that intrigued me.

Coupon Winner. A wide, searchable variety of thousands of retailers.
Prices and Coupons. Coupons and price comparisons, with categories.
Alice.com. Household basics, includes coupons and free shipping. The little browser icon is a blue rubber duckie, which is way cool.
IMShopping. A shopping question and answer site. Kinda cool.
Like.com. Visually search for what you want. Even if you don't find what you're looking for, it's fun to play on this site.
Modista.com. Another visual search site, for shoes and accessories. To say this sort of thing is addictive for people who enjoy shopping would be an understatement.
Polyvore.com. The Daily News writer likened this site to playing with Colorforms, and I agree! Use it to put together outfits.
UWantSavings.com. Closeouts. And you can sign up for weekly raffle and special offers.

Feeling: lethargic

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: shopping

For the Cold Times

2009-11-28T00:34:00.000-05:00

There's a bit of a chill tonight, and the wind is howling, so I figured some hot chocolate was in order.

Feeling: tired

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: chocolate

The Joys of Dark Chocolate Haagen Dazs

2009-11-26T21:49:00.000-05:00

The dark chocolate is on the left. You can see how much richer it is.

And this is the malted I made with the dark chocolate ice cream.

One of the yummiest, chocolate-iest malteds I've ever had. So, I'm thankful for Haagen Dazs Dark Chocolate ice cream, even if it's a limited edition.

I hope everyone who celebrates it had a great Thanksgiving.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: chocolate

Chocolate Heaven

2009-11-24T23:14:00.000-05:00

This limited edition Haagen Dazs Dark Chocolate Ice Cream is amazing. It's rich and creamy, almost fudgy, and much better than other of their rich chocolate (except the Mayan Chocolate which is my favorite) because it's so smooth. I never much cared for their Triple Chocolate because I didn't like the mixed texture with the fudge layer. I can't wait to try this in a malted, but I'm almost afraid it'll be too rich for that. I'll report back after I give it a try.

Feeling:

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: chocolate

Chocolate to Warm the Soul

2009-11-22T01:22:00.000-05:00

I usually have Swiss Miss Rich Hot Chocolate laced with a spoonful of Ghiradelli hot chocolate, but they were out of the Swiss Miss a few supermarket trips ago, so we got a box of Hershey's Special Dark Hot Cocoa Mix and it definitely doesn't need enhancement. I had it with a spoonful of Ghiradelli the other night and without the Ghiradelli tonight and it was just fine by itself, plus a couple of spoons of milk which I always add to hot chocolate mix for more creaminess.

There weren't too many packets in the box, so this will be used up sooner than a box of Swiss Miss would be, but it's well worth the expense. Just the thing a chocoholic needs on a cold night.

Feeling: satisfied

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: chocolate

Turning Off Anonymous Commenting

2009-11-17T09:18:00.000-05:00

I really hate doing this. One reason I moderate comments here is to allow anonymous commenting, but the amount of anonymous spam the last week or so is driving me nuts. I even turned of comments on an individual post from a couple of years ago that was getting the bulk of it, so now the comments are showing up for other older posts and I can't keep turning off comments on a post-by-post basis. It's just too time-consuming and tedious. So as of today, you'll need either a Blogger account or Open ID. Sorry.

Feeling: sad

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: comments

Notes from the Short Work Week

2009-11-14T13:59:00.001-05:00

I worked Thursday and today. Not much time and yet, nonsense happened.

First, I spent most of the time going through emails. And doing telephone reference. It's the latter that yielded the following bits of nonsense.

Thursday night, a patron calls and asks to register for the computer training program on Saturday. I've been away, so thought something new had been scheduled, but no, there's nothing. The rest is paraphrased and shortened from the original.
Me: Do you mean the one on Nov. 7? That was last Saturday.
She: Yes. The 7th. I'd like to register for it.
Me: It happened already.
She: So, can I register for it?
Me: We had it last week. It's over. We don't have another session scheduled, but we might in the future.
She: So I can't register for it?
Me: No.

(It's a longshot, but I've submitted the above to Not Always Right, one of my favorite blogs.)

And then, today, from one of our regulars, a pleasant woman who should've known better: "Don't mind me munching in your ear." Did she ask if I'd mind? No. She just said it. And did it. And I did mind. And it was hard to understand her over the munching. So. Very. Rude.

Feeling: in need of another vacation! :)

~~~o0o~~~
Technorati Tags: libraries

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