Tallahasse Chow Down!

My sister and her husband Harry, live in Tallahassee which is the capital of Florida and is inland. I still find it hard to get my head around living inland in Florida but that's where the capital is and my sister (let's call her Joanne cause her name is Joanne) is Staff Director for the Florida House of Representatives Appropriations Committee. Sounds high falutin and it is- she is very talented and very hard working. She worked for Jeb Bush when he was the governor but that is a whole other story.  Her hours are insane when the House is in session which is from January to May, every year. So it is often difficult to get together with her since our busy work times are reversed. Or to put it another way "she" is off-kilter. She misses us (can you blame her?) and has been encouraging me & Mr. L to visit her relatively-new house (though it may be 2 years old) by telling me I will have my own deluxe room (ok, I thought that was a given) and an ensuite bathroom (YES that is the ticket- I love an ensuite not having one at home).  As my Mom (who also lives in Florida, in North Palm Beach which is 7 driving hours away) was going to visit my sister for Thanksgiving, Mr. L and I decided to  fly down so we could see everybody in one fell swoop. My sister is, (as are Harry and my Mom) a ton of fun so good times (and food as you will see below) are ahead! Joanne is heavy into food preparation mode.  She has been texting to our cell phone - and since it does belong to Mr. L, they had an exchange come ca:

DAY 1

John, I am going to make you fantastic waffles from scratch one morning! Was going to call this weekend but was really sick. Better now. What else should I cook for you guys ? Brisket? Apple pie, quiche, bread pudding, pan seared salmon?

Mr. L:

My emotions are all over the place.  Sorry to hear you were sick, but so happy about the waffles.  Brisket would be yummy, and I can easily join in Harry’s  joy about bread pudding.  Easily.

Joanne :

Done deal! I will also get some quality sausage to go with those waffles. And the brisket will be served in a bed of mashed potatoes, whipped with heavy cream of course.

Mr. L:

You know how to live!

Joanne:

And some candied carrots ( to make it all healthy).

DAY2

Joanne:

Splurged on some good wine for us!

Me:

B here (so she would know it was me)  Yay! What did you get?

Joanne :

Wine.

Me:

What wine?

I knew it was wine- you said that!

Joanne:

I know, just being silly. Chalk hill 2010 estate red, 92 point rating.

Me:

Yum! I just bought a flask for drinking while walking!

Joanne :

Time for some self examination?

Me:

Nah. You?

Joanne:

No, I don't drink and walk.

Me:

  I don't either..... Yet.

It's cold up here- a shot of booze helps keep ya going.

McCabe and Mrs Miller!

Joanne:

??? Who??

Me:

Robert Altman movie- Warren Beatty dies in the snow. I don't want that to happen to me!

Joanne:

No, for sure not. I am also making fab meat sauce for lasagna for when you are here. Lots of red pepper, mushroom. Lasagna will feature smoked provolone and whole milk ricotta.

It's bubbling now-- The meat sauce that is.

Me:

Whoa sounds hot hot hot! Do you use hot pepper?

Joanne :

No the red pepper is sweet, not hot. But there is hot Italian sausage in there (and ground beef a course).

Me:

Sounds fab. Cook on McDuff!

Joanne:

Bought apples for Apple pie too and other good stuff.

Me:

Yeesh, I'm going to have to start dieting now. 

DAY 3:

Joanne :

Gianormous 40 lbs 5 cheese lasagna prepped and in freezer for next weekend.... Check.

Me:

Yikes- 40 pounds!!!  DO YOU MIND!! Are you insane? I"ll answer that - yes. There are only 5 of us.

Joanne :

Ok, well I didn't weigh it...but it's big, meaty and cheesy!

Me:

Ya like I said I'm commencing to diet immediately.

Joanne:

Good idea.  And no whining while you are down here. And I will feed my brother-in- law as I see fit....meaning a lot. You starve the poor boy.

And so it goes. The last part is so not true. Mr. L eats what he wants but, man, is he going to be over the moon to have my sister feed him.

P.S. Mom just called me to see if I wanted her to buy me coffee at Costco.(I drink Starbucks French Roast which they sell at Costco for $25 for 2/12 lbs- such a deal)!  Me: Mom we have a Costco here. Mom: Really? Do you want anything? They have beautiful cashmere. Me: They have cashmere at Costco?? Mom: No at Steinmart.

I love my family!

Sons of Anarchy

Being a serial series consumer, I have now moved on to Sons of Anarchy, which is a series about motorcycle gang club (they absolutely insist on being referred to as a club) in the fictional town of Charming, (ya I know) in southern California. If you are watching the show you will hear reference to "Samcrow" over and over and you know they are referring to the club by the context, but if you are like me you won't know why- so here's the dope (no not me- I mean the lowdown). It is an acronym  for Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original or SAMCRO. Best to know this right out of the gate.

here is their cute logo

ya this is better

These outlaws have protective feelings for Charming and although they do run guns, have a porno operation, noise pollute by pack riding their Harleys up and down the street- (a very cool yet scary sight), severely beat up and even kill people- they also clamp down on drug dealing and prostitution, have Sunday dinners and run community events like annual fundraisers at the local school - kinda like the Haddasa bazaar. The president is Clay Morrow and the vp is his step son Jax Teller whose father was previously married to Clay's wife, Gemma before he died. Yes, intriguing. In fact there is some suggestion of a Hamlet theme in case you are trying to justify watching this violent soap opera. I don't bother.

Of course there is the whole host of MC guys (as distinguished from the McGuys (no space) those who work at McDonalds) with adorable nicknames like Piney (pronounced PINE-ee - one of the original founders), Tig (black curly hair and blue eyes, soul patch, little beard and not bothered by doing it with corpses- do you mind!), Chibs (he's an Irish lad with a serious scar), Juice ( he's got a Mowhawk and lovely smile -well they all do really), Opie, (always brooding, long beard and watch cap), and Half Sack- (so named because he only has one testicle.)

Tig, Bobby, Piney, Jax, ,Juice, Otto (he's inside), Opie and Chibs- quite the crew

The bestest and most handsomest is Jax, the lead, played by British actor Charlie Hunnam and watching him is worth the price of admission.

Jackson Teller- heir apparent 

In fact I have to admit after 3 episodes I called my sister, who lives in the US of A and complained about her S of A recommendation saying that I couldn't connect with any of the characters-- didn't like them even-- and she was aghast  "No- what about Jax- you gotta love Jax- even if he is a viscous criminal- when I see him beating up on someone I say- why can't he be beating up on me!"  I sort of get that.

I'm now at the penultimate episode of Season 2, and am good and truly hooked and have deep affection for all of the club members.

They certainly have enough affection for each other- there must be 4 or 5 hugging moments in every episode. Do you mind! What is with all the hugging? While there is traditional type hugging between a chick and a guy, the most hugging going on is guy on guy- it is bro hugging and they are wearing their kuttes (their leather jackets with the sleeves cut off- a really good look and sound because they do the hug and pat, pat, on the leather - sounds manly).

why can't Jax be bro-hugging me?

There are also many times in each show where one character will ask another "You Ok?"  which person will respond either "Yeah"  (even though they typically have criminal angst) or "No man, I'm not Ok." (which shows they are opening up a bit about their criminal angst).

Of course in  the mix is the bad cop, good cop gig, the Feds- The ATFs, the rival gangs- the Mayans (Mexican), the One-Niners, (an African American street gang) a meth dealing white supremacist named Darby, the IRA and the Chinese mafia Lin Triad- and that is just so far!

Part of the running theme is Jax's reading of his dead father's manifesto which poses whether the club has to go down this way or maybe there could be another way which causes Jax to question the club and even himself. Also Jax's old lady is a "docta"-  a surgeon actually (lucky too cause she and her trusty first aid kit are often on call)- pretty establishment- when it starts but.. I'll say no more.

We are constantly reminded that the club is a family and sometimes a member is requested to "take one for the club"-and it ends up being mostly weird sexual favours. I guess that is part of being in a family.

Also the background songs (and there are many per show) are outstanding and Episode Titles as in BB are worth noting.  Highly recommended if only for gawking at the pretty boy.

Dessert Wine Disaster

So I had volunteered to buy the dessert wines for our next wine club meeting even though I was vaguely aware that the dessert wines cost 9 million dollars for a piddling amount of wine. True story. Kate said she already had a Sauterne so all I needed to get was an ice wine, a Vin Santo and a Hungarian Tokaji. Good thing too cause this bottle of ice wine was $24.99 for 200 mls.,

unusual because it is a cabernet franc and red grapes

this santo was on sale for the $29.99

and this tokaji had to be hunted down by our wonderful wine consultant Lidia, and  imported into our town's LCBO, (pronounced "lick bow" according to E), and set me back a whopping $45.99.

this one comes in its own little box but still

aint they pretty

Not for the faint of heart or wallet.

So a few weekends a go while visiting Meg and Phil in Buffalo, we made a trip  to the premium wine store there. It was high on our agenda of must dos. And for good reason. It is a warehouse - a veritable warehouse full of delicious wine

hallelujah!

- imagine choir of angels. I was like a kid in a candy store and then I spied them- boxed Hungarian Tokaja for $30.00- OMG! what a deal! what a discount! what a glorious day! -yes choir of angels again!  At .5 litres I could buy 3 and import them back to Canada- maybe give them as Christmas gifts or  drink one on our 35th anniversary or something big. Just to make sure, I had Phil double check the import regs for booze on his cell so we knew we wouldn't run a foul of the law. Which is very bad to do don'tcha know. Mr. Lovely was excited about a bottle of Amaroni that he bought at a substantial discount too.   I also bought some Hendricks gin which I planned to leave with the kids for them to bring over at a later date and one for Phil so he could drink it for his BDAY. What could be wrong? I love this place.

So at the border crossing, there was a bit of wait and it was getting a bit trying. But not as much as having to answer all the questions by the customs official - like exactly how much wine did we have ( which we painstaking explained -  I had three .5 litre bottles , Mr. Lovely also had 1.5 litres, so we were within our personal limit) and when we have left the country etc. But it was about to get a lot more trying, cause guess what? We had not been out of the country long enough- we had to be out 48 hours and we were short of that. That meant we had to stop at the cashier hut and ante up for duty and taxes a grand total of $85.00. We didn't know that amount before we went in or we might have tried another strategy. &^%$#&* Do you mind! That wiped out our discount entirely and cost us more than it would have in Canada. What a Bummer with a capital B. I was  trying hard to b lovely but really I was b sad.
When I told Meg this saga she said "Mom this story broke my heart. You should have come back and left them at our house." Shoulda for sure.  Live and learn- check all the regs! Yeesh.

Wine Appreciation

So I'm a member of a wine club which meets on the first Tuesday of every month. And no, this is not a club where we just get together and booze it up, (though I am not agin that either), but a serious, sophisticated, genteel club hosted by my good friend Kate, (who is sometimes serious but always sophisticated and genteel), and who sets out an elegant table come ca (meaning "lika dis" in French cept I can't find the little accent thingy to go on the bottom of the c. I'm using French because the French wines are so prevalent and because French is classy):

Bread (one gluten free) and cheese are always on offer too

In this lovely environment we can watch and follow along one of the 24 lectures in this course by the Teaching Company- The Great Courses, (you betcha), The Everyday Guide to Wine, presented by Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan who is a master of wine (of whom there are only 26 in America so it's pretty darn impressive). Because it is interactive we get to smell and taste the wines she is lecturing about as we go.  I, for one, would not be in a wine club that didn't have this essential feature. A different person volunteers to bring the wines for each meeting.

The promo to the course includes this build up:

"Many wine drinkers say they are overwhelmed by the varieties of wine available (no kidding) or they know the wines they like to drink (for me cheap is key) but yearn ( "yearn"- really that's a bit much, but flowery language is part of it) for the opportunity to learn more about them."

In the first lecture we discovered the 5 S's of fully tasting wine: seeing, swirling, sniffing, sipping and savouring. Who knew? I was used to just seeing and downing.  I have now learned that this is bad and doesn't allow me to fully appreciate the wine.

In the lecture on Chardonnays, we experienced the "buttery, creamy" taste of oaked chardonnays vs the citrus flavours of the "naked" ones, learned about the oaking process (oak barrels -yup that's the ticket) and also that Chablis, from the Burgundy region of France is also a chardonnay (which is a grape variety by the way).

A Chablis,  a Jacobs Creek and our favourite, a  Tawse 2010

Kate had splurged on the Tawes which was rated a 93 and here's why:

Tawse 2010 Robyn's Block Chardonnay 

If you can't read all that, suffice it to say it is very laudatory- (and a bit racy if the truth be told) and teaches us some excellent phrases to use when drinking a fantastic wine or even a mediocre wine that you want to pump up by the use of language. I'm sure you can use the words  " on the palate, oh my! " this tour de force is a shining beacon for", "an opulent, vivacious wine", "it's lavish and weighty",  "...flavours that are persistent yet beautifully elegant and build in intensity in the mouth"(do you mind!) over and over but be careful with the descriptions of flavours cause they are grape specific.

The women in the club are great-intelligent, fun and lively. The evening is educational, (I am the only one who doesn't take notes cause I think I can remember the relevant stuff but not so much- I can't even remember simple things like what "crisp" means and what a "long finish" is) and always a good time. Of course it is- do you see the three wine glasses set out per person?  How can it not be?

I recommend the video version and like a good wine - it is best enjoyed this way- with friends.

She's a Homewrecker or Another Dark Corner of the Internet

I read with real dismay about the online "burn" site exposing women (with pictures and everything) who get involved with married men. On this website slighted women are encouraged to tell their stories, upload photos and provide the full names and the state in which the "homewrecker" lives. Take a look if you dare, but I warn you it aint pretty.

www.shesahomewrecker.com

Here is their cute little tag:



These look like funky shoes that I might even buy if you could walk on the devil heels

Shouldn't it be more like this:

Now this is a wrecked home

I know that "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" (by playwright William Congreve who lived  between 1670-1729 and who also wrote ironically enough, "you must not kiss and tell") but Do you mind? Has it come to this? This is very uncool and not helpful to anybody!

While I'm sure that having a cheating spouse is extremely painful, and I feel for people who are suffering, grieving their loss, and working their way through a marital betrayal cause it has got to be heart wrenching, placing the blame on the party who doesn't even live in the home and even (some) absolving the hapless spouse, or just going very public with this very private "affair" doesn't make things better or even make anybody feel better at the end of the day. Seriously, it takes two to tango and the person who has the most responsibility is the cheating spouse themselves not the other party, (hey that's just my opinion, man- ya the Big Lebowski again). As the author of the article Emma Woolley correctly says: "Men aren't helpless when faced with temptation, they're adults who decide how to conduct themselves."  I also think that, sometimes, not always, but sometimes the "innocent" spouse needs to look harder at her role in all of it. I mean if a person is straying maybe, just maybe there is a reason.  Or maybe the guy is just a scum bag but I'm thinking that sometimes there is some blame all round.

Also I get that venting to family and friends and throwing around cuss words and descriptions like skank, tramp and whore is fun, (and even cathartic) but posting this stuff, c'mon-this is not the way to go- it diminishes the postor (oh wait- they get to remain anonymous) more than the postee. No, it just aint right.

Apparently the guys are going to get their turn cause there is going to be a He's a Homewrecker website too but I'm guessing it's not gonna get the same hits. Just guessing.

Give it Up, Mr. Mayor.

I know Rob Ford is an easy target right now- oh wait- do you think maybe he always was. And I'm sure this comment will be made many times over (in private at least) if it hasn't already been made in the 7 pages on him and his alleged seedy dealings in the Globe and Mail today but do you mind! Does Rob Ford really need more candy? Doesn't he know it's bad for your health? Oh wait- do we think crack cocaine is healthy?

Mayor Ford's' bodyguard does not look happy

Here he is trick or treating last night.

Marcus Gee wrote an excellent article this morning calling for the mayor's resignation. In the article he confirms that the police are in possession of "the video"- like "Cher" (how did she get to own that  name anyway) it doesn't even need an explanation- everybody knows about this video, the one Ford denied ever existed that allegedly shows him smoking crack cocaine.  There is apparently more damning evidence. Marcus states "It's hard to see how Mr. Ford can explain his way out of this even if he tried."  Which he is not doing. He is very closed lipped about this. For somebody who is obviously good at opening his mouth for some purposes, (just saying), he is pretty darn good at keeping his mouth shut about anything to do with "the video". Marcus goes on to query" How does he explain the suspicious packages Mr. Lisi (who is accused of drug offences and extortion) left for him in his car." Extra lunch perhaps?
I know that was a cheap shot, but Mr. Ford isn't really doing much to help his image or the city of Toronto right now. It's not even funny anymore- it is just embarrassing. Maybe it's time to give some stuff up, Mr. Mayor?