Out Like a Lamb...

A soft, sunny , happy one at that....

Dinner

Chicken , Jasmine Rice, Broccoli, Salad.... the beat goes on

WHEW!

That was a close one!

Silly old AL GORE out scaring folks about the who-ha that is this " Global Warming" silliness! Dragging up all those foolish scientific facts ( what ever!) when all he had to do was read the King James version of The Bible!:

Meet Representative John Simkus. I fully support Mr. Simkus' right to believe what ever he wants too... ( would love to question him about those dinosaurs he is talking about ...) BUT gentle readers: HE IS ON THE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES THAT ARE DEALING WITH GLOBAL WARMING!!!

• Energy and Commerce Committee
  
• Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee
• Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials

A Test....

This is a little bit of a soft ball post... 

And I am sure the exact same one is going up all over the world:

The Melbourne ( Australia) Catholic Church has confirmed it is following Vatican recommendations to test would-be priests to ensure they are not gay.

Which Christian Louboutin shoe would update this classic Chanel suit:

Total , TOTAL trick question, any man who could even comprehend -  or for that matter read in full - this question, is a little bit gay. ( the answer is The Pink Python -  you would be surprised how often that is the  case in my life - yes, the plain black  low heel pump would work, but the task was to  UPDATE...)

So, a real  ( and very easy ) question:

Bjorn Ulvaus is to Agnetha Faltskag as Anni-Frid Lyngstad is to:

a) Fredrik Reinfeldt

b) Dag Hammarskjold

c) Benny Andersson

d) Peter Sarsgaard

He's baaaaaaak.......

Rested, tan and according to his new overlords, SIN FREE!
Our old pal NEWTIE roared back onto the scene this week, becoming of all things, A ROMAN CATHOLIC! Along with that new found morality and liturgy, comes a fresh new start! 

“From a Catholic point of view, Newt’s sins no longer exist—they’ve been absolved. He’s made a fresh start in life. So Newt will continue to sin and confess but there aren’t going to be a lot of Catholics who will hold that against him. They understand why being a Catholic makes a difference.”

Leave your first wife as she lay dying? Not a problem!

Cheat on  wife #2 with an intern, while impeaching the President for the exact same thing? GONE!

 Wife , number THREE! ( the holy sanctity of marriage and all) a good fish on Friday Catholic.... SWITCH

Speaker Gingrich there are not THAT many Catholics in Pennsylvania, and 2012 is a long way away. 

" How many wives have you had, Newt?"

From the more than just a little bit scary file:

( and he is just so darn cute...)

Back on track

ZZZZZZZZZ.......
big salad , grilled chicken... this it it for a while...

sure, sure, sure...

Georgia has the huge explosion of color in the Spring, Nothing can compare:

But, when it is pitch black dark and minus 7 degrees at 4:30 and snow on the ground for 5 months out of the year, THIS gets you pretty darn excited:

It was very nice today, almost wore shorts to go walking!

CAMEROOOOON!

I think it was the lack of a season of PROJECT RUNWAY that has me a little TOO obsessed with Miss Bebe here. I just wish I could stop saying the word so much.... 

CAMEROOOON!

Women AND Catholics ?????

U.K. May Change Monarchy Marriage Rules

Really, just an excuse to post this pic and type the word: Primogeniture.

A BIG FRIDAY NIGHT....

I am pretty sure there have been times in my life when a BIG FRIDAY NIGHT was more than a big honkin' plate of very spicy CHICKEN CURRY :

And the latest James Bond movie from Netflix:

The curry is not 100% on the health plan that we have been on, but really, the coconut milk is the only thing close to bad in it , the rest is just veggies and spices... but I did eat a lot of it, well, all of it..( big FRIDAY NIGHT and all...).

As for our old pal Bond, James Bond.... well.. he needs Soviets! Or someone... I am not exactly sure who the bad guys were in this movie. I mean , it was good.. but , a little bit TOO physical. James Bond is NOT Wolverine, at least he used to not be. I did enjoy this movie. I like James Bond movies, always have. But its not just James fighting, it was the way he did it... beating the bad guys in a tux and his shaken, not stirred martini..

AND GADGETS! Everyone likes for 007 to have the laser watch or the super car or , at the time ,the jet pack, that's what James Bond does. This one all the gadgets were , way cool, computer stuff back at MI6 head quarters.. BUT, we see that sort of thing on CNN every afternoon. Daniel Craig is still ALL the fun to look at, but just a tiny bit more script time , next time. 

Dinner...

Ham steak, mashed sweet potato, brussels sprouts, jumbo salad

Mika and Barbara started it....

Blame Joe.my.god. for this one today:

George V Barack

now, on with your day....

No, I am the King of all Wild things...

I always planned on going as MAX for Halloween... maybe this  year ....

A little Sendak triva!

 This pic is from ANGELS IN AMERICA ( the wonderful HBO MOVIE) Three ole rabbis outside or a funeral: Name them:

( sorry it's not bigger...) 

It's 1) Tony Kushner

2) Meryl Streep

and!

3) Maurice Sendak !!

Cherry Picking Your Outrage.

One man or woman standing in the way of the peoples business.

When it is a judge overturning the will of the people, be it an elected body or a referendum, they are ACTIVIST JUDGES. You know, the bane of all that in good and holy, taking us down the road to hell faster and faster, good intentions to the right and left...

What about when it is a Governor? Can we on the left get all fired up over an activist Governor? ( from Pam's House Blend) :

"Vermont Governor Jim Douglas announced at a special press confernce this afternoon that he will veto the marriage bill when it reaches his desk. The Governor has a long standing policy of not issuing veto threats but said that he did so in this case because he feels the issue is a distraction, it's unclear whether or not supporters will have the 100 votes needed to overide."

A distraction? Really ? Hey, then I know a great way to make it go away.... BY MAKING IT GO AWAY..sign the damn bill, and move on. And why? If he needs some political cover he can just claim he is doing to peoples will. ("  I hate the sodomites, but those darn liberals over in the house and senate.....") Mr. Douglas is the rarest of the rare these days, a walking do-do bird: A New England Republican....HOPEFULLY, soon to be , like the do-do, extinct!

Arnold did the exact same thing in California. The House and Senate in California passed a full out marriage equality bill TWICE, and ARNIE, vetoed it. Sure, sure, sure, I am all for some separation of powers and checks and balances and all, but in this case its my side that is losing, so I get to whine a little bit. Yes, it is his constitutional right to veto it, but is it the right thing to do? If it is the same as civil unions ( which Vermont was the first state in the country to allow) then what difference does the word make?

NOW, is Mr. Douglas ready for the coming distraction  of a WHOLE lot of PINK DOLLARED skiers going over to New Hampshire or here to New York come next winter......

 Actions have consequences.

Lunch...

This is really Neil's... I had the exact same thing, sans Tuna ( made with olive oil may0..) and crackers.

It's life on the edge , here in Mendon.......

Spring?

Trees are just starting to get little tiny buds....

The very last of the swamp ice.... still hanging around.. but it was really cold the last couple of nights

Winter hangs on for a while in lower Ontario.

Dinner...

Creole Pork Chop, Spicy Black Beans, Brown Rice, Peas and Carrots.... This was yummy!

Koda and I have a bone to pick....

Our latest pet peeve is ( are?) people who are out walking their dogs on the trail who DO NOT let their dogs say hello, do their sniffy thing.. be dogs! Koda just gets all upset.. he always thinks it's him. Does a real number on his self esteem... takes a squirrel or rabbit ( or bird or leaf, or breeze..) coming along to get his mind back on our walk.

A SPAT

" handbags at twenty paces!"

As a rule, I , for the most part, always agree with the boys over on the Project Rungay. 

( they have A LOT of free time, from what I can tell.. if possible, more than me...)

BUT, they went off on my REESE today for what she wore to the opening of her new cartoon movie : Monsters V Aliens

So, I put it to the astute readers of the kyle+blog: REESE, IN OR OUT?

I love it, I mean, come on, it's for a SPACE movie. She looks young, fresh... great legs, fantastic shoes.... 

Dinner

Pork Loin with a Mustard Sauce, Jasmine Rice, Clementine Scented Carrots and a Jumbo Salad.

Early Spring Day

Two down ?

Forty-Eight to go.

Vermont's Senate has approved a bill legalizing same sex marriages.

The bill passed late Monday afternoon, by a vote of 26 to 4.

It now heads to the house where Speaker Shap Smith says he expects debate to begin Tuesday. He also says he expects the measure to breeze through the house.
  Governor Jim Douglas does not support same sex marriages, but he won't say whether he plans to veto the bill.
   If approved, Vermont would become the second state in the nation, along with Massachusetts, to legalilze same sex marriage.

A little Tommy Dorsey to celebrate!

BRING Chief Noc-A- Homa HOME!

Ex-Braves mascot Chief Noc-A-Homa talks tepee

Won't ever happen....  could NOT be anymore un-pc, and a little bit racist... but a nice homage to my childhood.

re-do do-over deux...

Those plucky little gays out in California are at it again.... demanding their civil rights and all.. bless their little hearts : 

 From the AP ,"The sponsors of a second ballot measure seeking to repeal California’s ban on same-sex marriage have been cleared to start collecting signatures.The secretary of state on Friday gave the group Yes on Equality until August 17 to collect the nearly 700,000 signatures needed to qualify its initiative for the 2010 ballot.If approved by voters, the group’s proposed constitutional amendment would rescind Proposition 8, which passed last November. The California Supreme Court is expected to rule any time on legal challenges to the voter-approved"

So, in 2010 marriage equality passes this time , hooray!  Everyone is on the same playing field!! This makes those crabby,uncaffeinated folks over in UTAH mad, mad, mad. So, they fire up their troops, or just have a lot more babies to vote.. and get it repealed... God is good! Two years later Maria Shriver and Ru Paul spear head a get out the vote campaign and its back on the books: RAINBOW WARRIORS 2  - Joseph Smith and his clique 2, TIE BALLGAME... this goes on until 2074, when everyone who writhed on the golden calf is dead and everyone gets to the promise land of no one giving a fuzzy rats ass about so called GAY MARRIAGE... they just call it MARRIAGE.

Beautiful Day..

still a little on the chilly side.. but bright and sunny...

The Clermont

From todays AJC's Peach Buzz :

" Actors Woody Harrelson, in town shooting the movie “Zombieland,” and Bill Murray, here working on the film “Get Low,” have both been spotted taking in the, um, sights at the Clermont Lounge.We hear from sources at the legendary Ponce de Leon Avenue exotic dancing landmark that Murray was enjoying two popular beverages at the infamous dive bar: Pabst Blue Ribbons and bargain whiskey from the bartender’s well rack.
Alas, we’ve been unable to confirm whether Murray or Harrelson have as yet been treated to a poetry reading/lap dance from Blondie, the club’s most famous dancer."

For any k+blog readers who are not aware of what exactly this place is... it's sort of the very last dive bar left in Atlanta.. and a place ,where by location or cheapness , a whole lot of gay men, and hipster types ,  go to watch heroin addicted middle age ( or older ) ladies sort of strip, I don't think they get all the way nekkid... but I really was only there for Miss Blondie's Poetry readings. It is sort of the bar you end up at. I think B. Day's or Susan's bachelorette party ended up there.. could be wrong on that one, too....

Yes, an odd mix, but seems to work. It has been in Atlanta for ever.... 

DO NOT WATCH THIS IF YOU ARE OF A DELICATE NATURE:

( but its pretty darn funny...)

Made the mistake of going to ATLANTA TIME MACHINE to find this pick... half an hour later, I am back... I would wait till a rainy day if you have never been....

Dinner....

yawn.... I'm over talapia, glad that was the last of it. I do like cooking it this way, sort of steamed over onions/garlic... ( anything really... I have done it all Asian with lots of ginger and spices.. you could do sort of a southwest.. anything.. helps to have a tagine..) 

I am just tired of it. Going back to salmon.

I do miss cooking, I mean, all we are eating is grilled ( or steamed.. ) fish and grilled chicken with some rice and steamed veggies. Health, health, health for the Mendon Gym-bunnies, but , not really any cooking. I have a deep seated need to deep fry something.

Alex gets a haircut....

Movie Round-up

One there and one here.

There: THE WATCHMEN.

Pretty sure , well a little sure, that I was not the target audience, cause, it was just all a little lost on me.  I didn't hate it, well, I didn't hate all of it.. hated a lot of it. Loved the fact that some poor sch'mo had to sit and do giant CGI blue penis for day after day after day.. I found that a little amusing. I liked the back story.. HATED THE VIOLENCE... I mean, what will the end of this sort of thing be, in all seriousness.... if they just have to keep topping themselves over and over.. what will the end be. I know it was not a romantic comedy.. and it was a dark dark comic book movie and all... but, again, what will the end of this be? Parts of it I did like.. could have lived with out seeing it.. won't ever rent it.

hmmmm... cost a LOT to make and has not made it back yet...

Here: RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

Was totally the target audience. Love it, thought it was a little bit too long, ..but really love it. Very Altman-esque. ( TULIPS DEAD ?!?) I was surprised to read that there was a script, but I really bet it was just guide lines. Has that sort of post modern hand held camera thing that sometimes drives me crazy ( MILK) but here really adds to the story, because the entire movie is one wedding weekend.

On that topic, movies and tv NEVER get weddings right. Weddings are a mess, family and friends that have sooo much back story and history and such that the whole things are complex! Film weddings are clean cut, with only the principals there.. no parents, or grandparents or step parents or drunk cousins or bad dates. This one really gets all that and MUCH MUCH more... Very interesting music... some surprise Robyn Hitchcock. 

If you like a sort of free form flowing movie , watch this. I would have LOVED to have been at this wedding.. and the food looked good too...

All my green monsters are in Boston...

I am NOT an envious person, at all. I know for a fact that there is plenty of goodness and such in the universe to go around, so I am not one to covet, THAT SAID: 

I am over the top jealous of the fact that Alexis is going to have a WALK IN REFRIGERATOR in her zillion dollar multi floor new apartment in New York City. N ow, all the love to Miss A.. just a little teary here....

Spring comes , early

Had to get up early early early today , this first day of Spring, to get Neil downtown to the train station. Spring comes in with a little light dusting of snow..... 

anybody want to guess the year?

I don't even know all these people....the kid ( and I do mean kid..) in Purple is D.J. And depending on your point of view something really good OR really bad happened to him later on this night...( Jane.. if he speaks of that, and you know he does, we all hope you were kind...)

MAN.. this one is REALLY taking some brain cells... two Dunaway sisters, Dixon, me, Jimmy.. IS that Ricky standing up?? Is that Bruce in the red shirt???

Pure kitchen porn....

and why she is now, and will always be, a goddess: 

A new tour of Martha's kitchen ( the one in Bedford...)

Spring is trying its best...

Another one of those odd days when it is warmer way up here than , way down there. When I took the pups out this AM it was almost balmy! Nothing even close to blooming yet.. I know that ATL is in it's crescendo of color... a ways off for us.

and now a little thunder storm..

Dinner....

Very Irish Cannellini beans and Chorizo. Brown rice, big salad..... ( it was a green plate)

Koda Swims in the River Shannon

On St. Pat's!

The O'bama's Celebrate!

It's St. Patrick's Day and White House fountains are flowing green for the first time, by order of the First Lady. Erin-go-sleeveless!

bad kyle....

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S and all!

There exists this over the top funny photo of moopah central all gathered in front of the pawn shop in 1990, back when the B'head parade was still sort of small and the pawn shop/five paces was ground zero for St. Patty's day. Ever the captilist Amy had set up a photo booth, all shamrocked out, 5 bucks a Polaroid. Real sure that money went for beer that night. Lots of ex's and such in the pic ( even little baby Marie and her head..) BUT, I can not find it... so:

Dinner

Tilapia, cooked with onions, tomatoes and garlic. Brown rice and broccoli.

blacksmiths, whale oil lamps, high button shoes....

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is going web-only. 

The Rocky Mountain News is gone all together.

Many more, including some of the oldest , most awarded newspapers in the country, are teetering on the edge of going out of business.  It's just too sad, and more than a little disturbing. That said, I do not read the local Rochester newspaper. A little bit of not caring, and not having any real access, but it is also a bad paper.. or at least a bad website. It also went to that smaller size of newspapers that I just can not get used to . Part of newspaper reading is tactile for me. I like the sound and feel of a newspaper, the ritual. But I for the most part , only read online now. So, it is a little bit my fault. 

I used to have to drive a long way to get the Sunday New York Times back in pre-net days, and read the Atlanta paper pretty often, epically during football season, and I think my parents get like four newspapers, so I do have the history. Just don't do it now.

One thing that I have not heard anyone talk about is the overall group think of a newspaper. Everyone in a city or community pretty much getting the exact same information, doing with it what they will, wrapping a fish, or agreeing whole heatedly. At least there was some general sense of " us" With the web, you create your own universe. Where does most of what you read, news-wise for free on the internets come from??...

 I am sure that radio and tv sounded the death knell of newspapers in the day, and plenty survived, maybe, hopefully this time as well.

I knew yall would miss it!

Dinner.

I didn't post last night, It was just me and I had boring old grilled chicken on a big salad, and SURE ENOUGH! , someone wanted to know. The kyle+blog is getting out there!

Tonight: Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder (spicy!) White Rice ( with a little of the pork juice and hot sauce...) and Peas. Big Salad. Diet Orange Crush....

Koda watches from his spot....( Used to be Miss Daisy's spot..)

Rod and Tippi come to Mendon, New York....

sleep....

Nice of him to stop by.......

It's a beautiful day....

Blue skies, sunny, sunny, sunny.. a little chilly. A gem for Upstate N.Y. this time of year....

Can Not, Will Not, Won't ....

Like Notre Dame Football.... just keep saying it , over and over. 

BUT: Nate Montana  will follow his father's path to Notre Dame as a walk-on.

First it's the name... Nate Montana ?? then its ... well... everything.

Dinner

Not mine.

Not even exactly sure whose dinner it is. Neil took the pic at some restaurant he is eating at in Washington, D.C. tonight. I see a lobster and what looks like paella. I was a little bad in on my own tonight and had a much larger bowl of that whole wheat, fish oil, health conscious pasta than I should have, but needed that " carb hug" on this cold late Winters night.

Times are a changin'....

OK . so the Westboro Freaks show up at the University of Chicago this past Monday, spewing their vileness . What a great country we live in that filth like these " people" have the right to do what they do, seriously. So, they are there with their all-hate-all-the-time dog and pony show.... 

When the Alphi Delph Phi Fraternity gives them a special welcome.  Straight Frat boys are changing! Their banner says : NO tolerance for Intolerance. I am going with, if Fraternity boys are coming out to support the gays..... the battle is much closer to being won.

( some house too !)

L'Chaim!

My local Wegman's has a BIG Kosher section all year long, and a HUGE passover section. It's a Brighton thing! Found this today, and just cracked me up:Genesis Ale... " Our First Brew"....
Messiah Bold... " The beer you have been waiting for"....

Didn't it rain , Children...

It's been raining for days and days up here, NOT that I am complaining, I know there is drought all over. But, a little bit of drying out would be nice.



which led me too.......

I ❤ this sort of thing...

The Twentieth Century Limited.

The train from New York City to Chicago,  "The Century was an express passenger train operated by the New York Central nightly from New York to Chicago. From 1938 until the last run in 1968"

"If leaving from New York, you departed at 6 p.m. and arrived the next morning in Chicago at 8:45 a.m. Settling in for the evening, after boarding the Century in downtown Manhattan, you enjoyed cocktails in the observation car, dinner with views of the Hudson, a good night sleep and then with breakfast in bed or in the dining car."

All romantic and well dressed... seriously, I love this sort of thing. A very fun little diversion from Newyorksocialdiary.

The Menu:

Dinner

Lemon Pepper Flounder, Whole grain, omega plus, etc. spaghetti w/ olive oil and garlic,  broccoli, big kitchen sink salad

Happy Purim!

One of my favorite holidays !

"Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination". Evidently, saved by lovely shortbread cookies, alcohol and nun's costumes, ( or Santa... they all love the Santa...)

How über Jew Madonna-n-boytoy spend the holiday. The headline alone is worth taking this link.......

PRUNE HAMANTASCHEN

Fruit Filling:

3/4 cup pitted prunes
1/3 cup seedless raisins
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup shelled walnuts
1/4 apple with peel
Juice and rind of 1/4 lemon
2 tablespoons sugar

Dough
2/3 cup pareve margarine or butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 to 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Dash of salt

1. To make the filling, simmer the prunes and raisins together in the water, covered, for 15 minutes or until the prunes are softened but still firm.

2. Add the nuts, then put the mixture through a grinder or chop in a food processor with the apple. Add the lemon juice
and rind and sugar and mix well.

3. To make the dough, cream the margarine or butter with the sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and continue creaming until smooth. A food processor is great for this.

4. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Process until a ball of dough is formed.

5. Chill for 2 to 3 hours, or overnight.

6. Taking one fourth of the dough, roll out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut into 2 1/2-inch circles. With your finger, brush water around the rim of the circle. Drop 1 teaspoon of filling in the center. Then bring the
dough around the filling and press 3 ends together.

7. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven on a well-greased cookie sheet for 10 to 15 minutes or until the tips are golden.

Yield: 36 cookies (P) with margarine; (D) with butter

Source: Jewish Cooking in America Joan Nathan

I LOVE JOHN LEWIS

This man was my congressman for years and years.
DAMN, but I was lucky.
"It is unfortunate that a segment of our society fails to see that we all should be treated like human beings, that we all are citizens of the United States of America. I've taken the position and I've long held this position that I fought too long and too hard against discrimination base on race and color not to stand up and speak out against discrimination based on sexual orientation. It doesn't matter if someone is gay or straight or whether someone believes in a different philosophy or different religion. We're one people, we're one family, and we're one house. There is not any room in American society for discrimination based on sexual orientation. It doesn't matter whether someone is gay or happens to be lesbian or transsexual. We're one people; we're one family, the American family.
You call it what you want, discrimination is discrimination and we have to speak up and speak out against discrimination. You have too many people in this society saying they're against same-sex marriage. If people fall in love and want to get married, it is their business. Martin Luther King Jr. used to say races don't fall in love in love and get married; individuals fall in love and get married. So if two men or two women want to fall in love and get married it's their business. Some people say it is a threat to the institution of marriage, and some of these people who go around saying that same sex marriage is a threat to the institution of marriage, which marriage or what marriage are they talking about? Some of these same individuals have had several marriages and I don't think individuals that happen to be gay are a threat to anybody's marriage. Love is love. It is better to love than to hate, it is better to be together than to be divided."

Wouldn't really be a Tuesday with out it.....

A little bitter angry gay man activity! ( could just be the allergies typing...)

Your California marriage update: According to all the folk-in-the-know, the Golden State Supremes WILL uphold the   homophobic ignorant bible thumping bigots  voters there in California and claim that they were half drunk when they said that Marriage Equality was in the state constitution. BUT, those that were married while that could be , can stay that way, but those that want to now, can not.... Sure , that makes sense... That was then, this is now. 

Fine. Marriage Equally will be back on the ballot in two years .. and I guess if the court has anything to do with it, EVERY two years from now till everyone now over 40 now is dead. ( a little old testament dessert wandering! ) A little confusing, but.. the people MUST know what's best! Gay people must not be American citizens .. or California citizens. Some of those same voters don't even see them as humans, and the Courts SHOULD listen to these voters! Indeed.

Everyone netflix Milk this week, and when its over , just think of this lovely California citzen, and be happy that in this country, HIS rights are being upheld!

Glory, Glory.... Obama Style.....

That minx Terence Moore , sports columnist for the AJC , is just out there getting all our hopes up! Letting go with the rumor/dream, that First Brother-in-law, Coach Craig Robinson... COULD be interested in coming to coach those rudderless Basketball Dawgs in Athens.

I'm sure its just a pipe dream, Coach Robinson will only be in his second year as a BEAVER, BUT... how fun to see Sasha and Malia, all red and blacked and BARKING!

I.w.t.b.o.t., I.w.t.w.o.t.

Even here, in the depths of almost Canada , it happens:

Rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal.... all in a few Alliums!

With the glory of the coming Spring, also comes .. Kyle's allergies to everything that has ever even thought about blooming! Thats why you got no supper pics last night, it was canned soup and grilled cheese on the sofa in front of the tv! Just going to power through it today and back to Jim's house.

Dinner

Life without butter! 

In the past I would have coated this lovely bird with butter, this one just has a light massage of olive oil. Then salt, pepper, old bay and some cajun seasoning. Turned out fantastic, really , this is as no fuss no muss of a Roasted Chicken as I have ever done. Juicy inside, crispy well seasoned skin. No brining, no dry rubbing, no this , no that. Clean chicken, hot oven, life is good. Ubiquitous brown rice, ( hey, we had POTATOES! last night!) some spicy Swiss chard.

going to the chapel....

I got this from myex-exandrew this morning, but lets visit it together:

Church: Florists Should Be Allowed To Say No To Gay Weddings

The gays in Connecticut can get married. ( The gays in New York can get married there too, and it counts! ) Now the oh so clean handed Catholic Church as worried sick that some Florists in the Nutmeg State may have to do the horrible horrible thing of making some money in a horrible economy by selling flowers to the gays.....

Really?

Now I totally support white people NOT having to rent to black or Asian people, I mean come on. And God knows you don't have to rent to couples that have icky little rug rats in tow,  but come on denying the diesel dyke couple down the street their dream of the all white Calla lily, stephanotis and hydrangea full out spray on the alter.. that is just going to far.

1. There are FOUR non gay florists in the entire state of Connecticut, and one of them has a gay son. The only one who would care, Mary Pat, is behind on her mortgage, ( her husband lost his job...) will be happy to have the money.
2. There are hungry babies in the world Mr. Catholic Church.. pull your head out of your ass.

HURRY UP.....

now, now, now, now, now, now, now, yesterday......

"President Obama has been in office for SEVEN weeks, why , why, WHY, has he not fixed the economy yet?!? "  ( why-o-why, do I watch Fox news Sunday.....)

Americans want things now, faster than now, we want things before we know we want them, if we have to wait ( WAIT ?!? w.t.f.?...) till we want it, we don't .. want it. Maybe there is nothing wrong with this, from what all the talking heads are saying, it is what makes us Americans. "Everything will be back to a 2007 hunky-dorieness , if ONLY everyone would go take out a Best Buy credit card and get a bigger flat screen tv."

No time to call you on the phone or send off a fast Email, I can text you.... which saves me time to text other people to tell them that I am texting you.... all while playing a video game and listening to the latest downloaded music, while driving a car, fast. ( to go sit in a coffee shop and text one friend while talking to another...)

On a MUCH more personal speedy story... 

I am plodding along, doing the best I can to lose the weight that I gained back , after I lost all this weight. Eating all the healthy, going to Jim's house every other day, walking with Koda a few miles a day. Slow and steady wins the race. It is NOT a whole lot of fun. BUT, I know of two guys, who are NOT that much bigger than me who are going in for surgery, going under the knife, because they need to be thin, well not Walrus sized... NOW NOW NOW. I could have done that.... and I DO NOT know these two guys medical story or ability to move or what ever. But , isn't not eating the bag of Doritos and walking around the block better than : a) not being able to drink beer again !!! and b) major invasive surgery??  ( must have it NOW!)

Let's face it, I have never really been all hopped up on the now... hell, I am still dealing with yesterday . But , it just seems to me, that we , as a nation are hyper concerned with the new-next-now approach to living, and missing the whole point. But what do I know, I spent some time typing this out, when I could have just twittered....

Dinner and a Movie....

Big Saturday night here in Mendon. Monsoon of a rain came through, we were in a pile on the sofa with two dogs and two snuggies watching  : AUSTRALIA

I liked it. Neil loved it. The rest of the world, not so much....at least in the U.S. where it was just a bomb. It is quirky, it is Baz Lurhmann. It's also a wonderful historical love story.. AND, the funny, cool, odd, happy ( HAPPY ) part is that Hugh Jackman , the lead actor is the main sex symbol, not the actress.. if anything he plays down Nicole's " sexiness" in order to play up Hugh's. Netflix it if only for the water scene and the dance scene. Hugh, Hugh, Hugh.....

As Canadian as possible, at the moment...

Canada v USA in the World Baseball Classic!

What a good ballgame! So much fun to see a huge rowdy crowd inside the Rogers Center  just on the other side of the lake. 

Such a good baseball game, just what was needed for a rainy Upstate New York Saturday afternoon. I was a little bit torn, you know, being the die hard patriot that I am. Justin Morneau , who played here for a while, was on Team Canada, and this Very cute new find Russell Martin. 

But Youkilis and Chipper, along with my stand by favorite Brian McCann  ruled the day. 

Yet another touch of spring on the day we spring forward....

The First!

If you blow this pic up, you can see a quick flash of spring! ↑
lots of folks out on the trail today...
Koda decided to push the season a little bit.. at least it was ice free:

March 6th, 2009

72 %

President Obama's popularity rating in a Newsweek Poll today. Who gives a flying rats patootie what the jellyfish like GOP thinks or says. The American people ARE behind our President. 

Leadership is a shocking thing, after such a vacuum.

вновь устанавливать

OK, so the Government is a gazillion dollars in debt, bigger numbers than I can ever wrap my pretty little head around. They spend all that money, AND:

GENEVA—Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opened her first extended talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by giving him a present meant to symbolize the Obama administration’s vow to “press the reset button” on U.S.-Russia relations.
She handed a palm-sized box wrapped with a bow. Lavrov opened it and pulled out the gift: a red button on a black base with a Russian word peregruzka printed on top. 

“We worked hard to get the right Russian word. Do you think we got it?” Clinton asked.
“You got it wrong,” Lavrov said.
Instead of "reset," Lavrov said the word on the box meant “overcharge.”

Clinton and Lavrov laughed.

Clinton laughed and some slob of an interpretar  at the State Dept. was boxing up their desk. So I , for free, typed in English to Russian in google, then reset... Got that word in the header, you know, for free. Would have saved a little big of money.

Dinner

Asian inspired Salmon with some matchstick vegetables,  spicy baby bok choy, jasmine rice ( see I am breaking out of my rut,  It was not plain brown rice!) 

Sic'him Earl!

Karma is a law in Hinduism which maintains that every act done, no matter how insignificant, will eventually return to the doer with equal impact. Good will be returned with good; evil with evil.
On his radio show Friday, Rush Limbaugh suggested that Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) would be dead by the time health care reform legislation passes. "Before it's all over, it'll be called the Ted Kennedy memorial health care bill," the talk show host says

Mr Limbaugh... chained to a BIG ole rock ( BIG....) , that Prometheian Eagle coming daily to feast on that liver... with a huge pile of Oxy, just out of reach.....

T.G.I.F.

( taking it on faith that it is , indeed a Friday....)

LOOK: at 9:10 this morning it was EIGHT degrees warmer in MENDON than it was in WINDER..... odd, and ... a little bit scary, in that " ah-hell-who-needs-polar bears" sort of way.....

Speaking of big Winder, why in 1980 was I not cool enough to be a big THE JAM fan? Instead of wandering the halls all Pinked and Greened, I could have been all slick and cool in some pegged black jeans :

APRIL 28TH, 2009

MARRIAGE EQUALITY DAY in ALBANY....



We went last year, LOTS pf people, we got in a really good meeting with our GOP State Senator. THIS year we are taking some BIG GUNS with us....

I  am thinking my sign this year is going to be:

" WHICH PART OF EQUAL DON'T YOU GET , DUMBASS ?" (  no more Mr Nice Gay ) .. or you know " respect our love" or " love makes a family"....... 

Dinner

Yes, I am in a rut, BUT, really... it's chicken or fish, a veggie and a little bit of starch. I love rice, ( brown ) could, and do, eat it every day, and just swap out the vegetable. Tonight is some stewed yellow squash.

I fell off my health wagon yesterday, but right back on today, WHICH used to be my problem. " Well , I was bad yesterday, so I should just eat a half a gallon of ice cream today...." 

baby steps.

Not Spring Yet.....

But getting there.There was a friendly black lab on the trail. 
There is a Robin some where in this pic. A sure sign of things to come!
Lots of folks out on the trail today

Carla was ROBBED!

 Stupid , stupid Top Chef! 

Not only was cute RICH NOT on camera anywhere near enough, BUT they end up NOT giving Carla the Fan Favorite award! ( could be my fault, I did vote several times for Rich, but he asked so sweetly!) They give it to the Italian guy! Wrong, wrong,wrong. I need to start a movement to get Carla her own TV show. 

America NEEDS the love ! 

HOOTIE!

making the sausage....

A quiz to start of the day!

The United States is :     ⃤ 1)  A Democracy ( A democracy in which the power to govern lies directly in the hands of the people rather than being exercised through their representatives. )

                                                     ⃤ 2) A Republic (A political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them.)

  From the LA Times : "The California Supreme Court will hear arguments today on whether Proposition 8, the anti-gay-marriage initiative, should be upheld and, if so, whether the marriages of an estimated 18,000 same-sex couples should remain valid. During a three-hour televised hearing this morning, the San Francisco-based high court will examine whether the November ballot measure was an impermissible constitutional revision or a more limited constitutional amendment.
The court will need to decide the fate of existing same-sex marriages only if it is prepared to uphold Proposition 8, which many legal analysts believe is likely. The justices’ questions to lawyers often reveal how the court is leaning. Legal analysts will be carefully watching Chief Justice Ronald M. George, whose vote often determines whether the conservative or more liberal wing of the court prevails."

  

The core of what they will be deciding is if the November ballot initiative was a revision or an amendment to the California Constitution. If it was an amendment , then it needs 3/4 of the California house to be on the ballot, AND both the California state senate and house have voted to OVERTURN prop 8. Its all very legalese and complex , but at the core it is as always about ARE gays and lesbians equal citizens. 

Ken Star (!) will be the anti gay marriage voice in the court today.What is the role of the court in the United States of America, and Can a simple majority overturn them? Big questions, and not just on glbt (...... bt.....) issues.

Let's take a little trip down back story lane:

In January of 1961 two of the bravest Americans that have ever lived entered the University of Georgia. :Charlayne Hunter ( now Gualt) and Hamilton Holmes. They caused riots all over Athens. Dear God in Heaven, there were black people on campus. The Supreme Court had just six years earlier ( SIX YEARS?? ) ruled that Miss Gault and Mr Hamilton had the Civil right to attend UGA.  (And lets just add, ended up being two of UGA's most distinguished alumni.) BUT, lets say that the not so distinguished citizens of my great home state would have had the right to VOTE on whether Miss Hunter and Mr Holmes COULD go , what would that outcome have been....

The right wing screams that there is no comparison between race and being gay. " You don't have to be gay". But since this is MY point of reference , it is what I have to go by. What in 2009, is equal? 

I do hope that the pro marriage-equality folks out in California are prepared for the reaction if they do win this , it will be FIERCE, BUT, no reason to try and hold back the tide of justice and equality. Do you think that it was easy for Mrs Hunter- Gault and Dr. Holmes?

Dinner

Ham, Spanish Rice, Green Beans, Salad.

Not as healthy as we have been being, but we needed a treat.

I mean , they did kill Jesus.....

Christians everywhere can rejoice! 

No longer do you have to put that damned Jew salt in your food. 

 

From Examiner.com :"Retired barber Joe Godlewski says he was inspired by television chefs who repeatedly recommended kosher salt in recipes. "I said, 'What the heck's the matter with Christian salt?'" Godlewski said, sipping a beer in the living room of his home in unincorporated Cresaptown, a western Maryland mountain community.
Rabbi Sholem Fishbane, kosher administrator for the Chicago Rabbinical Council, said marketing Christian salt as an alternative to kosher salt reflects, at best, ignorance about Jewish dietary laws. He said all salt is inherently kosher because it occurs naturally and requires little or no processing.
If the salt takes off, Godlewski plans an entire line of Christian-branded foods, including rye bread, bagels and pickles."

Expect some good Christian Kreplach, Hamentashen and noodle koogle to be in your right wing frozen foods section later this Spring.

Noodle Koogle:

6 eggs
1/2 pt. sour cream
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. broad egg noodles
1/4 lb. butter, melted
Raisins to taste
Pinch of salt (while boiling noodles)
Boil and drain noodles. Combine and mix eggs, sour cream, sugar and cinnamon. Add other ingredients. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake in 9 x 13 inch pan at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Spank!

Everyone should know by now how much I love MORNING JOE. Seriously, it is The Today Show for People who Drink. ( or are drinking at 7:30 am) It's a GOOD source of news, balanced commentary, and sometimes.. INSANELY FUNNY!. Off the charts, roll on the floor, " no they are not doing that on TV......"

This morning Joe and Mika et el, SPANKED Michael Steel over the whole genuflecting to  the all mighty Rush, King of the Right.

I cant figure out how to embed it, so please, just follow this LINK. ( Its a huffpo story)

Dinner

sunny, sunny, sunny

BUT COLD!

Crazy, beautiful day, brilliant blue sky, not a cloud to be found, not a flake of snow to be found on the ground, ( there is a little left over ice...) a perfect Spring day... except its freezing, freezing, freezing COLD ! 

Freaky!

Y.E.S.

I am having a bad case of Spring-itis . It's going to struggle to get up to double digits temp wise today, so I am watching the YES network ( The New York Yankees Network) of a replay of a VERY hot Summers day game between the Yankees and the Expos (r.i.p.) from 7-18-1999. ( It is David Cone's Perfect Game) I watch old Mets games or old Yankees games all the time, I like having baseball on in the background when I am doing stuff, makes me happy. 

When they flashed the date I thought to myself... " wow, 1999... those were the days". Come on, no war, no depression, Hillary was still going to be President.

 Have I lived long enough to have a "good old days" ?

Happy 3-3-09 !

oh, the weather outside is....

Freaking Cold!

The rest of the East Coast got the big ole snow storm, we got the back end of the front and the temps fell like a stone ( or citi stock) . A happy heavy, damp SEVEN degrees outside. I am thinking its a Sofa bound TMC day. 

(unrelated item: someone can make a mint with a natural fiber SNUGGIE.. They are giant static beasts)

when worlds collide...

No George Pal here, but HEIDI! 

It seems that the fantastic dress that Mrs Obama wore for her official portrait, has been worn before! The Duchesses' best gal pal Mrs Seal wore it at this years Prime Time Emmy Awards. Who knew it was long! I love it even more. Looks a little bit different on the Pride of Bavaria, but come on Michele is holding her on with a 6'2" blond goddess!

Michelle is buying her own cloths, and something with this fit, this basic - can become MANY garments with accessories

 I need to find out if the First Lady can " borrow " things. I think she can.. ( and you know, The Obama's have a buddy with LOTS of stuff)

Dinner

Very Spicy Chicken over big salad...

OK , Kyle, what is up with expecting us to look at what you have for dinner every night?

Especially since you are eating so darn dull these days! You , the readers of the kyle+blog, are keeping me honest. I WANT POP TARTS, I WANT ICE CREAM, I WANT PIZZA. I want to lie in front of the tv and drown myself in carbohydrates! But, I am eating very spicy chicken over a big salad.

When we go over to Jim's house to use all his equipment, the walkie thing has how many calories you are burning.. it takes me more than a little bit of work to burn off like 400. So, you the dear readers of the k+b are going to keep me on the .... straight and narrow.

hmmmm, things that make you go,,,

John Roberts, and his Court.

Great hair,but way way too right for me!, or IS he?

The backstory: In 1962 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Public School children could not be lead in prayer by a teacher/principal, etc. That pesky old church and state thing. Cry me a river right wing, pray all you want in church, stay out of ANYTHING public. ( The Justices upheld this in 2000, as well... Students themselves could not use a school provided loud speaker to prey to one another)

Flash forward to today! The Supreme Court refused to hear a case today about school prayer, because THEY ALREADY HAVE.  There was this ace jock football coach in East Brunswick, New Jersey, who used to lead his team in prayer. He was told to stop, so, he let a student lead the prayer while he just went to one knee and bowed his head, but did not pray. He was told to stop... and sued. ( give to Caesar what is Caesars....)

Lower court said, " sure! let him pray to Jesus with his football babies, what does it harm" The next court sent that ruling packing ... since you know it was UNCONSTITUTIONAL. The Coach was going to take -  it- all - the - way.

Come on, its a right wing court!  Scalia! Thomas and Roberts! oh, my! The coach will have his Christian Bible out on that field in no time.....oooops, the Court put a stop to it. Wow, upheld the Constitution and all. Play football on the football field, pray at church. Wow.. what else could this court overthrow?

Dinner

Pork Chop, Arugula and Orzo Salad, Green Beans with Anchovies

Dunwoody Checks In!

From the Lovell-Spencers!

More pics of the Great Snow of '09 !

These from my parents in Winder...





and this report from intrepid mother B.Day:

"I’ve never done this before, but in the snow on the way back from the kids’ Waffle House this morning, we stopped for milk. And Cokes. And hot chocolate. And a huge store-bought lasagna and already-made garlic bread. (We had plenty of beer already.)
And all I’ve done for the past four hours is mull cider, clean up after spilt hot chocolate, cook grilled cheese sandwiches, provide socks for gloves, put wet clothes in the dryer and find dry ones for an endless stream of 11-year-old and 14-year-old boys. Finally have them all sitting warm and dry in front of movies

The first pics of the Georgia Snow....

This from Chez' Ryckeley

In like a lamb....

Beautiful day here, cold , but all sunny and bright. No real snow, patches of ice , but that is it. So, Atlanta has more snow on the ground right now than Mendon does! Hopefully pictures  of the rare Southern snow to follow.