I came across this line while reading through “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home”:
“Not everything I do with my roast chicken is necessarily scientific,” Julia says. “For instance, I always give my bird a generous butter massage before I put it in the oven. Why? Because I think the chicken likes it–and, more important, I like to give it.”
Something about that made me laugh out loud. Talk about joie de vivre!
I’ve been away for a few months, but it’s been time well spent. I’ve been living, laughing, loving and…you guessed it…cooking. I’ve gained (a much needed) 20 pounds from a year ago. And I’ve learned not to be afraid of butter or cream.
My latest addiction: Holy Cow Cupcakes red velvet cupcakes. I swear there must be crack in them as I find myself thinking of them, craving one (OK, two or three) all of the time. Actually, it’s probably the European butter. Higher fat to water ratio. And we all know, fat tastes delicious!
Don’t even get me started on wine. I’m loving all of the big, bold reds that I’m having this winter. And nothing makes a special day more special than Champagne. Whenever I have one bottle, I always say there should be two. Duval-LeRoy is a recent find and I must admit that it tops Veuve Clicquot in my book.
This is a big week for me because on Friday I turn the big 4-0. Doesn’t seem possible. But, I’m spending all week celebrating in one way or another. I’m embracing it and enjoying the wisdom that a little age is (finally) bringing me. But that certainly doesn’t mean I ever intend to lose that child-like wonder that I have. I’m still going to ride shopping carts through the parking lot, fly kites and blow bubbles. As Julia says: “Life itself is the proper binge.”
Would you be willing to have horrible nightmares every night for a year if you would be rewarded with extraordinary wealth? Define extraordinary. It really depends on if the nightmares kept me up at night or not. It’s best not to mess around with my sleep.
What was the most recent movie that made you cry? Sounds silly, but Julie and Julia. I am so touched by the life-long love affair that Paul and Julia Child shared. Talk about passion in every sense of the word. Joie de vivre!
Would you rather be stranded on an island alone or with someone you hate? Oh, most certainly alone. I can handle that quite well. I’d go slowly (or perhaps quickly) crazy stuck with someone I hate.
1. My car does not fit my personality (and it is not a truck!).
2.I’m so ready for what is coming up next.
3. Lately, things seem to be incredibly crazy, but I’m keeping my focus on all of the good in my life.
4.In bed is one of my favorite ‘hiding’ places.
5. What happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas. (OK, I haven’t been in Vegas, but this is the first thing that came to mind._
6. Selling my house is not impossible!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to some wine,making chicken Marengo (Alice and Gertrude chicken), a bubble bath, tomorrow my plans include a bicycle ride and Sunday, I want to sleep in!
What is the first thing you notice about people? Teeth, hands and eyes. It’s just natural for me to zone in on the smile and therefore the teeth. Hands, good expressive hands, say so much about a person. And I can’t resist a sparkly pair of eyes.
What song always makes you happy when you hear it? Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. I’m smiling now just thinking of it.
What fashion trend do you just not get? Capri pants. Why in the world do I intentionally want to buy pants that are too short?
A blog. Oh yes, right. I remember now. I haven’t been very wordy lately. I think about a topic but then either I don’t get around to writing it down or I decide that it’s too personal or whatever. But all of this surface-y crap that I’ve been writing lately seems rather disingenuous and unauthentic. It’s not the “real me” (more on that another day) and it’s not the reason I started this blog several years ago.
I’ve been thinking about words that people use to describe their “plus one”… Significant other really bothers me. Does that mean that everyone else is insignificant? Also, it sounds so generic and sterile. Partner sounds as if we’re practicing law together and isn’t exactly warm and fuzzy either. Girlfriend makes me think that we’re in the 6th grade and we’re passing notes back and forth saying: Do you like me? Check yes or no. Wife? Well, I’m not married, although I can now write the words “married” and “wedding” without breaking out in hives. (Let’s just keep that between you and me for now.) That unto itself says a hell of a lot. But I digress. Lover? Well, that has a positive connotation to me as I take it as “one who loves” but I think that many people think of it in a more tawdry sense and therefore thinks that it sounds disposable.
I suppose it doesn’t really matter what word we choose to use because none of them can truly convey the full and complete meaning. Words are all that we have but sometimes they fail.
Juliet:
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
Courtesy of my dear 
