March 2, 2009

• *10THINGS/FEB*

  10 THINGS THAT GOT ME THRU FEBRUARY
  I'll be the first to admit that February was not the easiest month to endure.  Unrelenting winter blues, sub-arctic temps, post-Presidential excitement lull, continued economic hell-in-a-handbasket, Rihanna & Chris Brown, Bernie Madoff, Octo-mom, ChristiaNaomi CampBale, and hardly any new "Gossip Girls."  Craziness all around!  Well, I still managed to pull together a list of goodies that guided me thru the month -- some you share, some you don't, and some that are too hot to handle.  I've discovered it's a therapeutic approach to life, doing it one month --and 10 good things-- at a time.  Onwith!

  
  10).  STREET FIGHTER IV FOR PS3
  My childhood arcade favorite never seems to go away.  My brother, cousin and I spent millions of hours and quarters on SF2 in our teen years, and now it's back with a ramped up new edition for 2009.  Playing at my brother's house on PS3, we've been relishing the classic Capcom game all over again, with new characters, new mysteries to unlock, and robust new graphics.  The result: boyish victory glee, adult agony of defeat, and thumbs rubbed raw.  And to keep things gay, I'm still hopelessly devoted to using Chun-Li.  That upside-down helicopter kick is still ferocious!
   
  

  
  9).  LOST
  Whenever I gush about "Lost" to someone who never
  watches it, I always immediately regret doing so.  Not because they
  respond with that annoying "What's it about?" bullshit, but because I feel sorry for them that
  they never discovered one of television's most brilliant, mysterious,
  nuanced, thrilling shows.  "Lost" is a full-time emotional and cerebral
  investment.  I've watched every episode and tried to follow everything
  as clearly as I can....yet I still can't have a coherent conversation
  about it with anyone.  This season, it's fifth and penultimate (next
  season it ends), the plot truly does thicken as the Oceanic Six
  actually return to the island to save those they left behind.  The
  events are unfolding quicker than ever, past mysteries are starting to
  make sense(ish) now, and the journey continues to be just as thrilling
  as whatever the destination may be.  

  8).  ST. IVES SWISS VANILLA LOTION
  I go thru body lotion like Paula Deen goes thru butter.  I don't necessarily choose a lotion by brand, price, or effectiveness.  I choose by scent.  And my absolute favorite is VANILLA.  Those fuckers at Suave discontinued by vanilla flavor twice, and now St. Ives is all I have.  I smooth it on, head to toe, after each evening's shower, and several times a day on my hands and face.  The cool creamy consistency is like smearing vanilla pudding or custard cream on your skin.  The best thing about it is, when the vanilla reacts with your body chemistry, you smell like fresh baked cookies right from the oven.  Now you know the secret to my irresistibility.

  7).  THE BOYS OF IDOL
  Danny Gokey.  Adam Lambert.  Kris Allen. 
  Half of the Top 12 are in place, and as far as I'm concerned, there's
  no need to fill the other half.  Danny shined with "Hero" in an
  otherwise atrocious week for 11 others, proving that
  guys-singing-Mariah equals Idol gold.  Adam Lambert proved he can sing
  anything and can easily go the Chris Daughtry route of not needing to
  win to succeed.  And Kris Allen, well, he's vital eye candy for the
  next several months, I hope.  One of these guys (Danny or Adam) will be the
  next Idol.  Unless it's Allison Iraheta.  (um, or someone else). 
  

  6).  "MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU"
  First things first: our lives would
  suck without Kelly Clarkson.  Her last CD netted one meager single
  "Never Again" in 2007, which barely made a dent on the charts and in
  our hearts (and thereby allowing Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry to surpass
  her as Idol's biggest successes).  Now she's back in a huge way with
  another instant love anthem.  "My Life Would Suck Without You" has the
  infectious girl-rock hooks of "Since U Been Gone" and the feel-good girlish optimism of
  "Breakaway."  If it's not currently the most played tune on the radio, it shall be.  I'm sure of that just as I'm sure it will easily be the #1
  song for all of 2009. 

  5).  BRAVO TV 
  *(warning:  Top Chef winner is mentioned below, so skip if you haven't watched yet)*
  Pop quiz:  What is my dream career in life right now?
  a).  Top Chef
  b).  Millionaire Matchmaker
  c).  Real Housewife
  d).  ALL OF THE ABOVE!
  Clearly
  the answer is d)., and clearly I'm halfway there thanks to my devotion
  to Bravo's February triumvirate of tasty/zesty/feisty shows.  With TOP
  CHEF, my joy is not in who wins in the finale (clearly.  Hosea?!), but
  rather in the delicious journey.  I literally pause, slow-mo, and
  rewind as they describe and present the dishes, and I make sure I don't
  miss every detail of each menu, all the dish components, and all foodie
  terms like sous-vide, gastrique, and pot de creme.  Patti Stanger
  lights the MILLIONAIRE MATCHMAKER on fi-ah with her vicious jabs at
  slutty women, asshole men, and sometimes, her own staff.  I live for
  incendiary Patti-speak!  She's a matchmaking nazi with a heart of
  gold.  And even the worst of the REAL HOUSEWIVES series, OC, was
  watchable, thanks to the Gretchen/Tamra/Vicki hatelationship.  And now
  the NY Housewives are hitting it out of the park right from the
  get-go.  Like Bethenny said about getting Alex's cold shoulder:  "I
  laughed, I cried, it was better than 'Cats,' I'm outta here."   March
  is gonna be REAL kakakiller!!!

  4).  SUSHI ROLLS
  For years growing up my mom made her own sushi rolls.  For years she's been buying me sushi wrappers, and I keep giving them back to her.  Then one day I watched Giada DiLaurentiis do an episode wrapping sushi, and I thought, if that culinary princess can do it, then so can this (wanna-be) culinary princess!  And so I did.  I roll mine with scrambled egg, cucumber, crabstick, and avocado.  It's satisfying to make, and so fresh and refreshing to eat.  I haven't perfected my technique yet, so I do get the occasional ripped wrapper, ingredients busting out the sides, and butchered cutting job.  But I just eat my mistakes.  If only we could eat all of life's mistakes. 
  

  
  3).  BAREFOOT CONTESSA
  I've ditched every show on the Food
  Network except for one.  Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay....go away.  Barefoot
  Contessa is all I need to tantalize my taste buds and instill cooking
  confidence in me.  Ina Garten consistently wows with her impeccable
  taste, effortless technique, and relatable regality.  The opening theme
  song makes me giddy every time because I know I'm in for some critical
  Back to Basics lessons (making pie crust, making vinaigrette, roasting chicken), French flair by way of the Hamptons, and the urge to recreate
  everything she makes.  After every episode, I go to www.foodtv.com to
  search and bookmark her recipes.  On my queue are:  Bay scallop gratin, Portabello mushroom lasagne, Oven-fried chicken, Ribollita soup, and Eggplant gratin.

  
  2).  SHOWDOWN AT THE OSCARS
  As glitzy and wholesome at this year's
  Oscars were, it was pretty damn boring without a snarky host and
  celeb-slamming comedy.  (Would someone please book Tina Fey or Ben
  Stiller for next year?).  THANK GOD THEN for the mega-celeb face-off
  that has been 4 years in the making:  THE JENN/BRANGELINA SHOWDOWN! 
  The set up:  Brad and Angelina, both nominated at the same time and
  would no doubt show up; Jenn out to prove she can conquer emotional
  stability following her year end box-office conquering with "Marley
  & Me."  They would be sitting front and center in the audience; 
  She would come out on stage confident and uncaring.  WRONG!  Firstly,
  pairing Jenn up with Jack Black was laughable and tragic.  What, was
  Danny Devito not available?  Jenn could've saved face by requesting the
  arm of Daniel Craig.  But nothing could save her from her dour stage
  demeanor, tepid joke delivery, and that awful un-Rachel hair with the dykey braid.  When the
  camera gave us Brangelina, looking resplendent and gracious in the
  audience, it was a TKO for J.Aniston.  The glare from Angelina's
  emeralds could not hide Jenn's glare from the stage.  The occasion was
  too big for her, and she crumbled silently.  It was heart-wrenching
  (and thrilling!!!) to watch.  I love this shit!

  (BONUS: The other saving grace of Oscar nite was where and with whom we spent it:  with our friends Bob & Todd at their apt.  They hosted us and cooked a beautiful vietnamese meal of mango salad and ginger chicken, and a blueberry pie a la mode dessert.  Gorgeous to look at and devour.  Thanks again my dears!)
  
  

  1).  FRIDAY FROLICS WITH MY BFF
  February is the month that I finally
  reconnected with my BFF, Linda, in a major way:  face to face, slap to slap, plate to
  plate, cackle to cackle.  We spent a few months tending to big personal
  life/lifestyle/family/career/age changes.  And at last, it was time to hook
  up again to compare notes on our lives in our early 30's.  What we
  concluded is: our 20's were all about play; our 30's are making us pay.  But we have relevant perspective on our lives now, and we can still have a little fun!  Our Friday gettogethers are instant classics:  lobster-roll lunch at FRED'S AT BARNEYS NEW YORK and marvelous Indian at CHOLA, shopping, Tasti-D-Lite, "Confessions of a Shopaholic," and just plain gallivanting around Manhattan while everyone else is dying at work on a Friday.  We discuss/review/evaluate everything happening in our lives, with our friends and families, in the news, in television, in Hollywood and the tabloids, and on Facebook (where a lot of shit goes down).  We fill our time with as much cackling and frolic as possible without breaking the law.  Fridays just became all kinds of fierce! 
  
  (Chola on 58th bet. 2nd & 3rd Ave, where Gossip Girl often spots J & L)

  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
  BONUS:
  THINGS I HATED IN FEB
  3).  "Heroes."  If they canceled this show now, I wouldn't be very upset.  I want to still love it, but they're making it very hard to. 
  2).  Bailout/Stimulus.  If I never hear these words again, it'll be too soon. 
  1).  Octo-mom.  Just octo-go-away already. 

  • 11:23 pm
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