Oh, my

Well, it's really been a long time since I put a keyboard to use on this blog. So much has happened ... so much time has passed. I am looking forward to creating new memories and, hopefully, sharing them here.

Howl-o-ween 2013

Well, another Hallowe'en come and gone. Another Samhain ... And another win-win for the Pacino Dog!

The three of us won "Best Dog and Owner Combo" at the Battery Park City Dogs Halloween Parade and Costume Contest : ) This makes it the fourth win in a row for Pacino -- and two out of four for yours truly, as I have only competed with him twice. ; ) So hooray for Sir Prancealot (Pacino) in his shiny finery, for Queen Guinevere (moi), and for the Squire (Mr Lion), replete with coconuts straight out of Monty Python and The Holy Grail. LOL

Check us out on the Battery Park City Dogs official webpage. There are a few snapshots of us. The first one is in the upper left-hand corner. Yep, that's me looking overjoyed at hearing our names called out as the winner. Someone else "tied" with us, technically, but clearly we were the best in show. A-hem. Nice to share the kudos though. Sharing the love is cool.
http://www.bpcdogs.org/

That time of year

Mid-November in New York. I remember when it was consistently cold outdoors by this time. Today it's barely 40º, but by Saturday the thermometer will climb again to near 60º. I have a sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, and I am feeling a bit less than my sparkly self. I just want to stay in, lie down, keep warm, take a very hot bath, drink tea/hot chocolate, and read or watch movies ... or Sleepy Hollow. ; ) Allergies seems to be worse now, too. So I guess in addition to the inconsistent weather pattern and inadvertently ingesting some foods to which I am allergic (read: not merely sensitive to, but allergic), the seasonal and environmental allergies are kicking me, and it's all contributing to this reaction by my immune system. With the falling leaves comes not only a lovely spectacle, but a higher accumulation of mold. And while I am grateful for indoor heating, it also brings an increase in household dust and Goddess knows what else. Even after cleaning the apartment three times already this week, it's still dusty in here. Again, gratitude, gratitude, gratitude. I do have a warm, comfortable apartment with more than decent amenities, hot water, etc., a high definition television, Mac computer, iPad, and iPhone, warm clothing, food in the fridge, and then some. I really am a lucky person. So yeah, I feel a bit "yucky" but I have the privilege to be endowed and blessed with so much more than the average person on this Good Green Earth. 

Okay, so what was this post really about anyway? LOL. As I see it, the closer we get to the day of "Thanksgiving," I am again taking inventory of all the wonderful things I have ... all the wonderful things I have that I really am thankful for everyday of my life. Even an overactive immune system. Just a little alarm going off to remind me to take better care of the sacred vessel that houses my divine light and soul. 

Leaves changing colors in South Cove, Battery Park City

Just in time for Halloween!

Ah, lookie what landed into our home yesterday ... thanks to an amazing 50% off sale on the Criterion Collection webpage :) www.criterion.com/‎

Veronica Lake & Fredric March star in this 1940s classic

I love me a good witch. Personally, I am a more than a bit "over" the old hag image that clings to them. The Wicked Witch of the West with her nasty, ill-looking pea green face scaring the Beelzebub out of me notwithstanding, these magical ladies have been a fascination since I was a little girl. I adored Sabrina, the Good Witch and Wendy cartoons. Although she wasn't technically a witch, Jeannie was a favorite. And then, of course, there's Samantha (Sam) Stephens and her riotous clan of magic makers. I cannot express enough how I wanted to be Samantha. And at times, I was even more keen on being Serena because she just loved to have fun and be mischievous ... simply because she could. Heck, yeah! Years later my interest in Veronica Lake led me to "I Married a Witch." What can I say? I was smitten ... or rather bewitched.  It is based on the book The Passionate Witch, by Thorne Smith. The plot is very simple and so is the manner of film making that brought it to life. Who cares about that? In any case, it's good enough for Criterion Collection! 'Nuff said. Miss Lake is what you want and you boy, oh, boy do you get her in all her wavy-hair-cascading over her eye in that sultry way. In short, she's one damn sexy bruja! It's said that the film actually did go on to inspire the creator of "Bewitched." So, it comes full-circle for me. LOL. Oh, allegedly, he was also inspired by the play, then film, "Bell, Book and Candle." (Hey, Kim (née Marilyn) Novak is no slouch! She's super sultry as the beguiling Gillian in it. But that's more of a Christmas movie for me, and thus, I more than likely will blog about it then).  If you've seen either of these films, you can clearly notice the connections. Incidentally, the complete "Bewitched" series is forthcoming on DVD. Yay.

If you aren't lucky to be in possession of a BluRay player,  have no worries. "I Married a Witch" is on Hulu -- regular Hulu! No need for membership or forking out any dough. I watched it there two years in a row on Halloween. Hee-hee. Now I can see it in its full high definition glory. I am so looking forward to a a good witchy watching night soon!
 

Veronica is the prettiest, sexiest witch ever! -- Sorry Sam

Yummmmm ...

Ume Shiso rolls (or in this case, the last one). Yep, they were so tasty. They are made with ume, a  pickled plum paste, and shiso, or more commonly known in English as perilla (Latin name, Perilla frutescens), which is in the mint family, Lamiaceae.  If you haven't tried them, please do. But be warned. It's a bit sour, a bit salty. But oh-so-yummmmmmy. I like experiencing all flavors to a degree, and this satisfies my desire for a taste of something that's a little bit briny and puckering. And with the dark pink color, they look so pretty on your plate (of course, this photo doesn't really do justice to it). Not all Japanese restaurants offer it.  That's probably because most customers here in the US would find the taste "weird." If your local restaurant doesn't have it on the menu, ask the wait staff if it's possible for it to be made for you. In my opinion, it's worth the effort! : )

What I am reading ...

I am currently enjoying this fun and frothy tome penned by the accomplished author, P.C. Cast.

Smart girls do like their "trashy" books, too! Although I wouldn't toss this one in with the trash necessarily. Sure it has its hot and heavy moments, but within its pages there are many words of wisdom to be had. That's what I love about P.C. Cast. You're not only being entertained, but you're also being uplifted. 
Nutshell synopsis: Venus mentors a mortal woman named Pea in Tulsa, OK but ends up being helped by her in turn. Of course there's a lil' bit more to it. ;)

So, grab yourself a copy at:

 http://www.amazon.com/Goddess-Love-Summoning-Novel-ebook/dp/B000TO0T7Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380763619&sr=1-1&keywords=goddess+of+love (or at your local booksellers, if you're so lucky to have one)

Pour yourself a bit of heavenly vino, find a comfy spot, and enjoy!

Oh, and incidentally, check out this webpage:
http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/
(Not too fond of the "b" word -- even though I shamefully use it occasionally -- but this is a cool site!)

Ah, Manhattan, Manhattan! How I love thee.

Ahhhh ... nothing like going away for a spell to realize how much you really do love home. Last week I spent a handful of days in San Diego. I have to say that although I enjoyed the weather and the people (who are super-friendly, by the way), I just couldn't connect with the land. I usually have an easy time peeling away the layers of superficiality of wherever I am visiting, easily accessing the essence, the spirit. Sadly, it was not happening this time. Suffice it to say, it was not a love connection. I spent time with some very nice people, enjoying their company, but I could not shake the feeling of homesickness. Not to mention, I actually did feel physically unwell ... Miss Flow being in town and all. Okay so perhaps that is just T.M.I., but we're all grown-ups here. Or at least I hope we are. I am used to taking it very easy on those days, especially during times like this one that are extra "heavy." I just was not comfortable with myself. I felt drained, out of sorts, and even a bit like I had vertigo, which was probably also accountable to environmental allergies. Of course my immune system probably found something else in the air that it just did not like. LOL.

I got back home early Saturday morning, after flying back overnight. I managed about three winks of sleep on the friendly confines of Jet Blue, then I had a two-and-half hour ride back home to lower Manhattan from JFK. No, it wouldn't normally take that long in the wee hours of a weekend day. But since I took the Super Shuttle back home, I had to go with it. Luckily, I sat next to a nice older gent with whom I had a very pleasant, and at times witty, chat about all sorts of things. It was really what I needed. It made the trip seem faster.  When I got home, I was reunited with my sweet little guy, Pacino, the most adorable min-pin in the world. I missed him so very much. Mr Lion was home, too, cooking himself brekkie. I didn't even mind the smell of the frying turkey bacon. I was just sooooo grateful to be back in the comfort of our home. It was all a sight for sore eyes ... which, incidentally, finally got to close for a good four hours of sleep. Yay.

The next day we went to the East Village and visited Enz's vintage-style boutique (http://www.enzsnyc.com/). We had lunch at Quintessence (http://www.raw-q.com/) on East 10th, feasting on yummy raw goodness. They served us so much that I had leftovers. Sweet! Afterward we popped into Live Live (http://www.live-live.com/) next door. No, that's not a typo ;) Live (as in Live Free) and Live (as in Live from New York). From there we took a quick walk to Alphabet City and revisited El Jardín del Paraíso (http://evpcnyc.org/eljardin/) on 5th and Avenue C. We haven't been there in years, not since the filming of "The Garden of Eddie." Memories ... Then we sauntered up two blocks to Zum Schneider (http://www.zumschneider.com/) so that Mr Lion could have a real Deutsch bier and we could experience an authentic Oktoberfest celebration in the city. Finally it was then back home for us for some relaxing.

Since I experienced two time changes so close together, my sleep has been off. I fell asleep at a good time, but by 4:00 a.m. I was wide awake. Grrr. LOL. I didn't fall asleep again until after 8:00 a.m., waking up again at 11:30. Whoa! That threw me for a loop. LOL. But I was so grateful to get more shut-eye. Basically I did nothing much of the day. Just rested and rested some more. But I did some wifey-type of work around the apartment -- a quick vacuuming, dusting, and bathroom clean-up. The place was too dusty and my eyes were itching something fierce. Mind you, the last time it was vacuumed was last Tuesday. It's unbelievable how much crud accumulates in less than a week. Oh, and Pacino has conjunctivitis in both of his eyes, so I thought it was extra important to make sure that the flat was made spiffy.  And I prepared dinner -- cooked fish (for the Lion Man), broccoli (for us both), and salad for me. Señor Leon made socca (or fainá, depending on your preference) because I asked him to. Yum, yum.

Ha, here I am on Monday (9/30) in bed -- in the middle of the afternoon! -- catching up on some rest! No make-up, little sleep, but blissful. 

This morning (Oct 1st) -- C'est moi encore, enjoying a very rare cup of coffee -- caffeinated, no less! Pre-maquillage ... yes, I did apply some mascara and color to my cheeks and lips later today.

This morning, I woke up very early again. I fell asleep last night after midnight and awakened at 5:00 a.m. Unfortunately, I didn't find my way back to sleep. But I made do. I had a good day getting back into the swing of things -- a little bit anyway. I was feeling extra happiness and serenity being back. I walked up to TriBeCa and did some necessary shopping. Lot Less (http://www.lot-less.com/locations.html) proved to be fruitful -- I got a cutesy pair of headphones. I didn't really care that they are cutesy, but I desperately needed a pair in this style. The ear buds are made of a silicone-like type of plastic so that they rest softly inside my ears. So important! Somehow my favorite pair found an unhappy and untimely end on the plane. Don't ask. (See, that's why I learned my lesson long ago and never buy expensive headphones. The ones for $2.99 are okee-doke by me!) And I got several pairs of gorgeous tights -- some fishnets, some lace, one solid black. Then it was to Bed Bath and Beyond for household necessities -- dishwasher powder, Barkeeper's Friend, and two three-pack of pillar candles, which were just $2.99 each. Score! LOL. Walking up the Esplanade back home, I reveled in the Hudson River at my side, marveling at the wonderful sight of the sun glistening on the water and Lady Liberty in the harbor. My happiness and my love for the city intensified at that moment. Nothing and no one could break that enchantment.  I worked on some projects when I returned home, and then I prepared myself some dinnah while listening to the smooth sounds of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles. I got a brand new double CD, still shrink wrapped, at Housing Works thrift store today for only a buck. I dined solo as the Lion Man had to put in a few extra hours at the office. Now it's time for bed.

So when it comes down to it, I really do love New York. New York, New York it's a helluva town. New York, it's a heckuva state. Glad to be back in the Empire State and the greatest city anyplace.

October 1st -- Sunset as seen from the Esplanade. Glorious.