March 31, 2009

• *10THINGS/MAR*

  10 THINGS THAT MADE MARCH MAGICAL

   
  10).  CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES
  For a friend’s birthday, I decided to give the gift of decadence. 
  Wait…scratch that.   I MADE the gift of decadence.  I made a huge
  platter of chocolate covered strawberries.  Inspired by my hubby’s
  impressive Valentine’s Day chocovered strawberries, I wanted to try
  making them myself.  AND HOW EASY IT WAS!  Here’s how: 
  - Melt semi-sweet chips in microwave for 1 min.  Stir, and chips will continue melting.
  - Dip strawberries into chocolate and lay out on wax paper.
  - Refrigerate
  
  This required less work than baking cookies, although I made a huge kitchen mess with countless bowls, chocolate smears, and over-nuked burnt chips.  Next time will go much smoother.  I also wasn’t too thrilled with the turnout of individual pieces, as I experimented with drizzling and designs.  But all laid out together and presented to the guests…GORGEOUS to see, GORGEOUS to eat, TRIUMPHANT to make. 

  9).  LADY GAGA
  Lady Gaga gagot us thru the dead of winter with her
  inescapably groovy “Just Dance” and now with “Pokerface,” which is
  shaping up to be equally satisfying aural sex.  Most people liken her
  to Christina Aguilera, but I like to think of her
  as the reincarnation of Samantha Fox, the late 80′s platinum-haired
  brit chick who gave us “I Wanna Have Some Fun” and “Naughty Girls Need
  Love Too.”  But that’s a whole other reminisc-entry.  Lady Gaga is two
  music videos in and by now we’re used to her wacky-cutesy dance
  moves/wigs/leotards/glitter/fishnets/struts.  But she’s fresh, I like
  her, and she’s just the right end-of-the-decade musical force to take us
  into 2010 and beyond. 

  8).  DR. MANHATTAN IN “WATCHMEN”
  I wanted to love “Watchmen,” I really did.  But after 2 hrs and 40 mins, the only impression I left the theatre with was that of Dr. Manhattan’s, um, big blue schlong.  Yes, he bares it all….not in one scene, not in two scenes, or even three.  In just about every scene he’s in!  The movie was rather a letdown to me.  This rowdy band of superheroes was overhyped and underwhelming, and left me not wanting more.  Dr. Manhattan, however, is worthy of a movie all to himself.  And not just because his penis had a starring role.
  

  7).  SAWYER ON “LOST”
  Season
  after season, the dramatic and emotional core of “LOST” has been either
  Jack, Kate, Locke or Ben.  But in this mid-season, that onus has
  shifted over to Sawyer.  No longer the brooding wise-cracking renegade
  castaway you sometimes wanna bitchslap, Sawyer has been anchoring more
  than his share of the island saga, ever since he chose to jump out of the helicopter and missing his chance of being the Oceanic Seventh.  His recent monologue to Horace explaining if 3 years is
  long enough to get over someone you loved, was achingly heart-tugging,
  brilliantly followed by his face-to-face island reunion with Kate only
  moments later.  He’s now leader of the pack and yet another exciting shift of events on TV’s best show.  Josh Holloway has been turning in consistently
  Emmy-worthy scenes in season 5, and I hope he finally gets his breakout
  Supporting Actor nom. 

  6).  FABULOUS XANGA FRIEND ENCOUNTER
  In this day and age, a internet-encounter that doesn’t result in Chris Hanson walking into the kitchen and saying “Sir, you’re on Dateline NBC…” is a good thing.  That’s why it was a really great thing when I finally got a chance to meet up in person with long-time xanga friend from Cali, Darlene (aka Daydreamer33) this month when she visited NYC for her 30th birthday.  I met up with Darlene and her husband for a quickie meet-and-greet over hot chocolate decadence at Max Brenner Chocolate Shop.  A xanga friendship forged over mutual food/home decor/food/American Idol/food obsessions, translated fabulously in real life.  We garrulous gals gabbed and giggled effortlessly as if we’d been friends forever separated merely by a little time and distance. 
  

  5).  “FLIGHTLESS BIRD AMERICAN MOUTH” FROM “TWILIGHT”
  I finally
  watched “Twilight” and succumbed to the fuss.  The movie was less of
  the overhyped teenage catnip I was prepared for, and more of the
  heart-achingly forbidden love story set to the backdrop of good old
  fashioned vampirism.  This song “Flightless Bird American Mouth”
  by Iron & Wine (some old dude with a big beard), which plays over a
  gentle scene in the end, is bewitching and sublime.  I first heard it
  several months ago when the band played it on Jay Leno, and I
  downloaded it.  Now having seen the movie and its placement in the
  film, it’s perfectly befitting.  As for the meaning of the song
  title, who the hell knows.

  4).  LOBSTER ROLL AT PEARL OYSTER BAR
  
  Now, I haven’t had every relevant lobster roll in the city, but I finally had a chance to have Pearl Oyster Bar’s wondrous version thanks to my lobstergal Linda on the most recent installment of our legendary ladies-that-lunch Fridays.  It beats the ones offered at BLT Fish’s (too small and inconsistent), Fred’s @ Barney’s (too little mayo; bad bread choice in thick multi-grain slices), and Lure Fishbar (so long ago I don’t even remember).  I’ve yet to have the fabled rolls at Mary’s Fishcamp or Mermaid Inn, but for now, Pearl Oyster Bar’s is my frontrunner.  Paired with delectable shoestring fries, the dish was perfection.

  3).  KLONDIKE BARS
  What would you do for a Klondike bar? 
  Well, I’d do anything.  ANYTHING.  My childhood favorite is back in
  my freezer after a long unexplained absence.  Why have I not Klondike’d
  for so long?!  It’s the simplest thing: vanilla ice cream coated in
  chocolate.  But the chocolate has a little something extra, like a hint of caramel/honey that is purely delicious.  I’ve been living off these this month.  My favorite scenario:  late at night curled up on the couch in my pj’s with a blanky over my lap watching “Damages” and chowing down on a luscious Klondike.  It’s heaven I tell ya.  
  

  2).  “PLANET EARTH”
  I have been ADDICTED to Discovery Channel’s 11-part “Planet Earth” series from 2007.  Deep down I believe we’re all suckers for National
  Geographics type shows, and “Planet Earth” unveils our world more
  stunningly than ever before.  The thematic episodes explore “Deep
  Ocean,” “Forests,” “Deserts” etc, showing us breathtaking topography
  and flora/fauna that we’ll never get to see in our lifetime.  Three
  episodes air every Sunday night.  My favorite so far has been
  “Mountains.”  I have no further words to describe.  Justwatchit.

  1).  MY NEPHEW TYLER
   
  Cuter than a chocolate covered strawberry.  More scrumptious than a lobster roll.  Melts your heart faster than a Klondike bar in my mouth.  My brother’s little boy is my bundle of joy as well.  This past month Tyler turned 6 months, and it’s half a year that went by lighting fast in the grand scheme of it all.  I relish my weekly visits to Queens to spend time and play with the fun happy little guy.  Tyler’s unexpected two-weeks-early birth was truly a gift for me personally, because it occurred exactly one day after one of the most dreadful events of my life.  That made no sense to most of you reading this, and it’s not worth delving into.  But my point here is, Tyler is my little miracle.

  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
  
  B O N U S :
  
  THINGS THAT MADE MY MARCH CRAPPY:
  3).  March Madness.  So sick of hearing about this.  AS IF I CARE ABOUT BASEBALL?  FOOTBALL?  BASKETBALL?
  2).  Scott MacIntyre on “Idol.”  The worst still around.  AS IF I CARE THAT HE’S BLIND?
  1).  Natasha Richardson tragedy.  Need I say more?

  • 1:09 am
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