kyle+blog

The love that dares not speak its name. ( and you can blame my mother )

2012-01-31T11:48:00.002-05:00

The other day Freta sent me a link to a website that she thought I would enjoy, I clicked on it for a second, then filed it away for future reference. Only this morning did I get back to it .........

THE FOURCOURSEMEN

What!, you mean there is more to food in Athens than

Poss' and The Varsity

Let's start this off with saying that I am not an envious person, at all. The concept is just foreign to me, worlds happiest man - but, I NEED TO BE BEST FRIENDS WITH ALL OF THESE PEOPLE!!!

Just cut and pasted from their website, I sat here trying to condense it, re- work it, but this is close to perfect :

Damien and Randolph met in Athens, GA at the University of Georgia years ago and though they studied design, they always shared the common interests of food and wine. Through their conversations on these topics, the original idea of The FourCoursemen was created: a cooking show somehow involving young professional types, quick meals to impress a significant other, basic knowledge on food, wine pairings, entertaining… it was a long time ago; the details are fuzzy. But it was essentially the stuff they wanted to learn themselves. But at that time, The FourCoursemen idea was ultimately something the two put on the back burner. Damien moved to New York where he started his web design studio while Randy bounced between Atlanta and Athens doing freelance web developing.
Years later, Damien and Randy found themselves reconnecting back in Athens with a wealth of knowledge and ideas they had each acquired. Meanwhile, Damien built a house with an awesome kitchen and dining room which the two utilized as they began cooking together like they had years ago.In fall 2005, they met Patrick, who was cooking at the Grit* (a popular vegetarian restaurant), and invited him to cook dinner with them one Saturday night.
We remember something involving vermouth steamed oysters with roasted tomatoes and black truffle oil… The next time the three got together, Eddie, who was the pastry chef at Five &Ten at the time, came over to make dessert. Next, Matt, the head chef at Farm 255, joined in. And last but certainly not least, Nancy joined them to pair wines with the food. And the rest of the history grew from right then and there. Over glasses of wine and amazing food they agreed these dinners should continue and called it The FourCoursemen.
Over the next couple years, they invited friends and met each Saturday night at Damien’s house and experimented with food (and different types of Schnapps)…In 2007, one of our good friends suggested a move. We had become strong advocates of quality, local and sustainable food, and how to make that more accessible to our friends. We wanted to show people in our community that this type of cooking was (is?) something they could do themselves. So in Spring 2008 (five months after coercing our friends into helping us decorate, build tables, etc), we decided to open these dinners to the public and host them in a beautiful shotgun house with two big tables, one big stove, and one small dishwasher.
We’ve acquired a hostess (Erin) and a dishwasher (Noah) but everything else is pretty much the same. We’re a group of close friends who use sustainable ingredients to create meals with paired wines because we are passionate about food, wine, challenging ourselves and our community, and want others to share that passion. We host these five course dinners twice a month for 28 guests and, thanks to ya’ll, word has spread so we have the support to maintain this experiment of ours. So after all these years, we’re still going strong and can’t wait to see where this takes us…

What all that wonderfulness boils down too is : THE BEST FOOD PORN, EVER !!!
They do the MOST amazing dinners and take fantastic photos of them doing it. To say I am in love is a way, way understatement.
AND : reading farther, its also .. A TV SHOW ON THE COOKING CHANNEL ??!?

It will take you some time to get through this, it's not a quick look-see website. but SUCH fun. Im just horrified that I am coming to this party late and that they will stop or something...

* The GRIT has been there forever, one of these days remind me to tell you the story about THE GRIT, Me, Paul Weir, the mescaline, the soup and our very short careers as performance artists

children with white dogs.

2012-01-30T20:58:00.001-05:00

dinner

2012-01-30T20:16:00.002-05:00

Crispy Pork

Rice

Mixed Vegtables

Chicks for Rick

2012-01-30T15:43:00.005-05:00

WOMEN FOR SANTORUM

from JMG

The boys from old F-l-o-r-i-d-a.

2012-01-30T12:44:00.000-05:00

winning

Yes, I again, have been tres' slack in my commenting on/ covering the Florida GOP primary. If you go back to the last primary season, I am wall to wall, rip snortin' nothing but politics ( with some fashion and food thrown in ) . This year is just this awful race to the bottom of the Republican gene pool that just turns my stomach.
Let's see what happens tomorrow, if Mitt's Millions can overcome the all white anger of the panhandle..... We will pick it up there.

Right before his final walk as the reigning " Mr. Rochester Baseball "...

2012-01-30T12:32:00.001-05:00

Winter - not Winter - Winter - not Winter

2012-01-30T12:24:00.001-05:00

So, when Downton Abbey started last night, there was no snow, by the time it was over and we went out for our pre bedtime pee, there was lots! I didn't even know it was snowing. Still here this morning - but looking like it wont last long.

Koda LOVES it.

"Matthew's Day Off"

2012-01-30T12:21:00.000-05:00

today

2012-01-28T18:44:00.002-05:00

With all the melt off, run off, what ever,

THE falls of Honeoye Falls are very powerful.

Inside the Mendon Meadows Market, where they do not care if you take photos, but it is not really as much fun.

It's a very small little old fashion market, but for some reason

today they had a whole lot of coconut water !?!

AND, just the other day, Neil was saying that you never see old fashion tangerines anymore.. then here they were!

It stopped raining ( and now the wind is picking up like crazy ) so Koda and I decided to walk home from the store. Mendon at sunset.

Dear Ann and Callista

2012-01-28T16:20:00.001-05:00

I don't think you are ready.

WHAT a LOVELY day I had!

2012-01-27T23:06:00.003-05:00

An all day Indian Cooking class with my good pal Roja!

As we set out to feed all of the greater Honeoye Falls/Mendon Metropolitan area

Man, I learned SO MUCH, I just love days like this.

A long day, but I will try to pass on a couple of recipes/techniques
just to keep them fresh in my mind later on.

Ended the evening with Koda and Toebie having a nice visit.

The color of the sky as far as I can see is coal grey ( or cold gray )

2012-01-27T23:06:00.001-05:00

(quiver in my lip as if I may cry )

Just Yuck

Rain instead of snow.

Mud instead of nice clean white fluff.

We had that one year that Summer never came this far North

this could be the one with out Winter.

" How Nice! " , said all the folks that dont have a Winter.

No, we like it...

Truth to Power

2012-01-26T22:35:00.000-05:00

It's a family blog, we wont go into on how many levels I am in LOVE with Cory Booker .

dinner

2012-01-26T20:03:00.002-05:00

Chicken

Rice

Mixed Vegetables

Really, could anything be as much fun...

2012-01-26T15:50:00.001-05:00

as watching the hard core right wing of the GOP eat it's own ? Birthday, Christmas and 4th of July all at the same time. I may live blog the debate tonight from the red neck capital of the US, Jacksonville... We will just have to see where we are at the time. I know it is all the dull for you to read in non real time, but it is very healthy for my husband and dog for me to have a non verbal, or .... less verbal place to vent. If I do , it will just be under this heading.

for Jim

2012-01-26T13:13:00.002-05:00

JUST what he needs this morning .....

WORLD WIDE INSTANT HOMO HOLIDAY!!!

2012-01-26T13:01:00.001-05:00

NEW ABBA !!

per Rolling Stone via Tom Wofford : " ABBA have announced plans to reissue their final album, The Visitors, with a previously unreleased song on April 23rd. "From a Twinkling Star to a Passing Angel," a demo recorded around the time The Visitors was released in 1981, will be the first new ABBA recording released since the box set Thank You for the Music was issued in 1994.The new version of The Visitors will also include six previously released bonus tracks and a DVD featuring rare and unreleased footage from the Swedish pop band's archives, including their last-ever live performance on the BBC's Late Late Breakfast Show in December of 1982."

strange fruit, redux

2012-01-26T12:41:00.000-05:00

(This may be all disjointed , I wrote it quickly while angry, just let me vent. BUT, it is very important that you know all of these things that are slipping under the radar, news wise )
So much, so much... info over load.
I have been working this over and over in my head for the last week + or so. Pretty much ever since Newt went all atomic on Juan WIilliams the other night, causing him to win the South Carolina Primary. We all know that only African Americans use food stamps! ( and really how dare those lazy ass folks want to feed their children...).

There is also this nut case birther of a judge in Georgia, Michael Malihi - who is demanding that President Barack Obama appear before him to prove that he was born in the United States or else he will not appear on the Georgia ballet this November , seriously, January of 2012, and the GOP in Georgia is still proudly running with the birther thing. What are you people thinking??!? ( huffpo story )
update : per the AJC :This waste of time case was heard today, no ruling

There is a movement in Tennessee to " whitewash " all of American history . The founding fathers did own slaves and all, but way to much is made of that and killing Indians and all.. really, all they were about was lowering taxes on the rich, that is where our focus should be. ( huffpo story )

The darling of all the college age GOP set these days, Ron Paul, standing in front of the stars and bars and droning on and on about how , well, I heard that the darkies should have just been happy as slaves. I'm sure he said something different, but I can only deal with what comes into my head. ( watch the video )

Pulling it all together, getting the one thread that could get me to print, and then, this morning, Governor Chris Christie, talking about the gays, not the blacks said this. A grown-up, I am going to assume educated man - the Governor of the 11th most populated state in the union said:
[ a little more background before we get to the jaw dropping quote. The New Jersey Legislature is just about to pass full out same sex marriage, and the Governor has said ( duh, he is a Republican ) that he will veto it, and that is should be on the ballot. The elected officals came back to him with no Americans civil rights should be put to the vote, the same argument that we always use , " what if African American civil rights had been put on the ballot in 1965" ,now you are mostly caught up )

"The fact of the matter is, I think people would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South. It was our political institutions that were holding things back. I don't think there's anything necessarily so special about this particular issue that it must be handled by a legislature. Why would that be? I don't understand how anybody could argue with letting the people decide this issue. Let's stop hiding behind this 'we don't put civil rights on the ballot' thing. Ya know, please. These folks would put anything on the ballot if they thought they could win." - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. ( per The Philadelphia Inquirer via JMG )

Why oh why did the good benevolent folks of Mississippi/ Alabama / Georgia /South Carolina et el, just line up and LET THE PEOPLE VOTE on Separate but equal, Jim Crow and voting rights. OH, wait.. .voting rights are in there you *&#$%!! dumb as a sack of hammers pos. He is my age, how can anyone who has been alive for as long as we have been NOT know their own history ??? This man wants to be President of Vice President ??? Yeah, I'm guessing they would have all been happy to vote and not go through this:

The Republican party has become nothing more than the Neo-Confederate party of the United States.

Where the funny things are

2012-01-26T11:10:00.001-05:00

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Daily Koda - Hazy Shade of Winter Edition

2012-01-25T16:16:00.002-05:00

The first good long walk we have had this year!

The last couple of days were way over 32º, with a little bit of rain.
This is by far the least snow I have seen since living here.

A neighbors little backyard pond is still frozen, just a shell

covered in light snow.

The swimming hole is ice free, but Koda did not swim.

Was just so nice be be outside again.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz Reads Gabrielle Giffords' Resignation Letter On...

2012-01-25T13:59:00.000-05:00

Something you will rarely hear /read me thinking, but hats off to Speaker Boehner for keeping it together during this , I was a big old puddle of tears - and I am no where near as emotional as he is.

Preppydämmerung

2012-01-25T12:46:00.002-05:00

oh my.

Wait, that was intense, let me type it again

Preppydämmerung.

( sort of one of those, "if you have to ask" moments ...)

Could just kick myself for missing this, but evendently it has happened before and could again. On January 12th WHIT STILLMAN hosted an online viewing of METROPOLITAN on something called Constellation.tv. It cost 3.99 and there was a q&a with Mr. Stillman, as well as a preview of his upcoming film
Damsels In Distress.
WIll just have to keep a cyber eye out!

Westminster introduces six new dog breeds

2012-01-25T01:25:00.000-05:00

Gallery | Westminster introduces six new dog breeds | ajc.com

President Obama Greets Gabby Giffords At SOTU

2012-01-24T22:56:00.000-05:00

speech smeech

2012-01-24T22:55:00.001-05:00

The First Lady was wearing a brilliant cobalt blue, twill cap sleeved dress from Los Angeles based designer Barbara Tfank's Spring '12 resort collection

I like it. Simple, tailored, what Mrs.Obama looks her best in. The boat neck framing her face, shoulders and famous arms. Love the jewel tone.

Surprising since the last time The First Lady wore Barbara Tfank, I was.... nonplussed.

Oscar! Oscar!! Oscar!!!

2012-01-24T21:00:00.001-05:00

THE MOVIES

in order

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS - My favorite movie of the year. We saw it so long ago, and have seen so many in the last couple of weeks, that I need to go and rent it again. It is in the faux Redbox across the street. But, come on, it had Scott and Zelda. Red meat to us here at the k+b. ( 148 million world wide )
THE ARTIST- I just loved it, and it was a very close decision as to which would be at #1. The tagline for the movie is " It's what you go to the movies for " and it so is. Yes, a silent film can be seen as gimmicky, but I didn't think so. Happy ending with cute dog.... ( 33 million world wide, but just went into wide release )
MONEYBALL - Brad v George this year, and Brad just ever so slimly eeked out the win. Baseball v rich folk family drama. ( 106 million world wide )
THE DESCENDANTS _ OK, you have to have the willing suspension of belief that a woman would bed hop with George Clooney at home. Very good supporting cast. I enjoyed this movie. ( 61 million world wide )
THE HELP- Somehow I avoided this bandwagon, I just did not like this movie as so so much as the rest of my facebook world did. Too shallow, too cartoony ( 205 million world wide,only 35 million of that foreign ).
THE TREE OF LIFE- " well yes, but is it art ? ". The big bang , some dinosaurs and life in baby boomer Texas. Then Sean Penn walks on a rocky beach... drugs would really help this one. ( 54 million world wide, only 13 million domestic )
HUGO - sigh. We just saw this today, as it got the most nominations this morning. Wow, what a HUGE disappointment. Like I do with every movie, I come home and dive into Rottentomatoes and read tons about a movie, the reverse of most folks, and I just had to wonder were we seeing the same movie ? I love film more than most. TMC is in my top five on the tv dial, and this supposed homage to .... true vintage cinema ? fell so flat with me. Listen, I teared up at some goofy preview of these whales stuck in some ice in Alaska, I am an emotional movie goer, and was just never brought into it. The 3-d was a waste... the kids got on my nerves and it was sooo to long , the first hour lost me completely. Just sort of a mess that the critics just LOVE to pieces. I really did not like The Tree of Life, but ranked it above Hugo, because it could have, and I wanted it to be SO much better. ( 83 million world wide )
WAR HORSE - you know I am afraid an animal gets hurt in this one.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - wait to rent it.

dinner

2012-01-24T20:27:00.004-05:00

Baked Rigatoni with Sausage.

Daily Koda

2012-01-24T20:25:00.002-05:00

This was taken a little after Five this afternoon, true dusk, and you can see how warm it has been over the last couple of days. All that white has turned to green, with little dots of snow slowly falling.

OSCAR! OSCAR!! OSCAR!!!

2012-01-24T09:26:00.002-05:00

BEST PICTURE:
(red = have not seen )

The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
The Tree of Life
War Horse
Moneyball

BEST ACTOR:

Demián Bichir - A Better Life
George Clooney - The Descendants
Jean Dujardi - The Artist
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt - Moneyball

BEST ACTRESS:

Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis - The Help
Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Nick Nolte - Warrior
Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Max von Sydow - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Bérénice Bejo - The Artist
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer - The Help.

BEST DIRECTOR:

The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants - Alexander Payne
Hugo - Martin Scorsese
Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen
The Tree of Life - Terrence Malick.

Just as important as who is in is,

What did they wear before ??

This years crop-o-actresses is not really full of your cutting edge types but we can hope for the best.

Best Actress

The trends have been all over this year on the RC's. Explosions of color or as always black. What award show was it last year when EVERYONE wore red??

All pretty safe here.

I loved Glen Close in this Armani , some didn't but I thought the structure really suited her.
Viola Davis was one of my best dressed, for over all look as much as dress.
Rooney Mara in Nina Ricci is a special case. She has totally knocked it out of the park at some of the red carpets for GWTGT, but toned it down some for the Golden Globes.[ LOOK at this TLo post of her in a red Valentino. It is shockingly beautiful ] She is rocking that crazy chick fringe and hopefully will just let her hair down for the big night. Her family is worth like all the money, they own all the sports teams in Pittsburg ( or did ) and I think.. and this could be very wrong, own the Super Bowl bound NY GIANTS. Big rich.. which does effect the way they dress....
It's Meryl Streep, and if she wants to wear an Alessandra Rich cowboy shirt and big comfy skirt with pockets she gets too. Are you the most acclaimed actress of possibly all time? Then sit down.
Was not crazy about Michelle in this blue/purple... seemed to weigh her down.

We will do the movies themselves later on.

Moon River - Breakfast at Tiffany's

2012-01-23T23:26:00.000-05:00

RIP ENNUI

2012-01-23T12:22:00.000-05:00

Remember the Eighties?

A little " fuck art let's dance " and "Oh, why bother Reagan is just going to kill us all anyway ? " - good times for sure... and as long gone as Linda Evans shoulder pads! Replaced with:

( hat tip to the OH so NOT jaded Dr. Tinkler )

No, the irony of posting this on a blog is not lost on me.... I'm just too fearful, self loathing and bored with it all to care. Now, where is my flock of seagulls wig... Love plus one.

1948

2012-01-22T23:58:00.001-05:00

CHURCH

2012-01-22T18:12:00.001-05:00

St. Johns Episcopal

Honeoye Falls, New York

tis the season

Annual meeting, pot luck

more desserts came in

Ok, I had some sort of major brain fart and doubled this. This is only about a half of it .I told the people there to take some of this home - no one did, It's a Yankee thing. So, I gave a very large tupperware bowl of it to the non verbal contractor, and there is still A LOT of it left in the refrigerator. As I posted on the facebook, unless you are feeding like 300 8th grade boys, do not double this.

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

• 1 stick ( a quarter cup) Butter
• 1 LARGE GREEN PEPPER ( CHOPPED )
• 1 LARGE ONION ( CHOPPED)
• 3 CUPS CHOPPED COOKED CHICKEN
• 2 ( 10 OZ) CANS DICED TOMATOES WITH GREEN CHILIES –DRAINED( I USE ROTEL)
• 2 (4.5 OZ) JARS SLICED MUSHROOMS -DRAINED
• 1 (15 OZ) CAN ENGLISH PEAS -DRAINED ( I really like the peas in this, and do not see why you could not use two cans...)
• 1 (15 OZ) CAN CHICKEN BROTH
• 1 (10.75 OZ) CAN CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP
• 1 (10.75 OZ) CAN CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP
• 1 ( 3.8 OZ) CAN SLICED BLACK OLIVES (DRAINED)
• 1 TEASPOON SALT
• 1 TEASPOON BLACK PEPPER
• 2 (8 OZ) PACKAGES SHREDDED SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE
• 2 ( 7 OZ) PACKAGES VERMICELLI BROKEN INTO 2 INCH PIECES COOKED AND DRAINED ( I dont really know what this means, .. because a box of vermicelli is not 7oz... I just two regular boxes)
PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREESLIGHTLY GREASE A 4 QT BAKING DISH
IN A LARGE DUTCH OVEN, OVER MEDIUM HEAT,MELT BUTTER – ADD PEPPER AND ONION AND COOK APPROX 5 MINUTES OR UNTIL TENDER. STIR IN CHICKEN, TOMATOES ,MUSHROOMS, PEAS,BROTH,SOUP,OLIVES,SALT AND PEPPER UNTIL COMBINED. ADD CHEESE, STIRRING UNTIL MELTED. ADD VERMICELLI, TOSS GENTLY T0 COMBINE. SPOON INTO PREPARED DISH- BAKE FOR 30 MINUTES OR UNTIL HOT AND BUBBLY.

USA! USA!! USA!!!

2012-01-21T23:06:00.002-05:00

From A.Sullivan :

Daily Koda

2012-01-21T17:55:00.004-05:00

with cross country skiers across the street

and me with my favorite hat.

taste great, less filling

2012-01-21T13:08:00.000-05:00

GO YOU HAIRY DAWGS

QUICK! Name EMORY's MACSOT

HOW BIG TIME SPORTS ATE COLLEGE LIFE

by Laura Pappano

special to the NYT

The eternal debate, or at least on the pages of the New York Times, I'm guessing not so much in the Athens Banner-Hearld, The Columbus Dispatch or the Boise Statesman. How much is too much when it comes to big time college sports, and what the hell are you going to do about all ALL that money.

Read, let's have a discussion.

dinner ( last night )

2012-01-21T12:21:00.003-05:00

Grits and Gravy

Grits and Grillades

Stufato di manzo con polenta

What ever, it was perfect for a cold Winter's night!

January

2012-01-21T12:16:00.001-05:00

Winter was slow to get here

but settling in for the season now

Koda, who loves everything, really loves

the cold and snow

running, rolling, jumping

plop

dinner Thursday, and not for us

2012-01-20T00:41:00.002-05:00

Gluten Free

Sodium Free

Fat Free

Boneless Pork Chops

w/ oregano and black pepper

Sweet Potatoes

w/ orange and ginger

plain as plain can be brown rice

Steamed Broccoli

Spiced Stewed Apples

Our good pal John of John and John, got a pig valve in his heart or something.

John #1 already has the Celiacs, and now this.

So, we took them dinner out to the big house. Sadly, I forgot Koda's leash so he did not get to walk around the farm, which he so loves.

Both of them , and their three lovely Corgi's seemed to be doing well, although I did think the house a little busy for some one who is supposed to be convalescing, so we were in and out.

Apple has a Frothy problem!

2012-01-20T00:20:00.000-05:00

AND, he wears sweater vests!

The Final Four Debate ( this time with swingers! )

2012-01-19T20:15:00.000-05:00

Am I up for this ?
Im well and all, just don't know if I have the spirit for jumping into this cesspool again... Ill start - if I get too far behind or over whelmed , Ill just stop.

THE FINAL FOUR

THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM

8:05 -CNN has been the worst about starting these damn things off like they were some sort of wrasslin' match. Now some pretty Citadel boys singing, there are worse things

8:07 - Frothy plays that IOWA card -

8:10 - Newty serves up John Kings head on a platter about the affair. AND doubles down...

8:12 - A CHRISTIAN OFF!

8:13 - everyone is covering for him... what the hell? wait for it : IT"S THE MEDIA's FAULT! Jon King is rolling right along... water off a ducks back

Fourteen minutes on Newt's dick.

8:20 - Does Mitt know that he is fighting for his life tonight? He is mumbling on like the dull ass drone he is. Oh, wait - " Capitalism and freedom make this country strong! stop the fucking presses."
8:23 - Frothy is standing tall. He got a new haircut. Hey! He wants to cut taxes.. there is something fresh.
8:25 - THE GI BILL YOU IDIOT! holy bat shit, Ron Paul just said the government did nothing for the GI's that came home post WWII.

This really is not as much fun with only the four, they are getting to talk too long. Everyone loves the veterans, blah, blah, blah. Now Frothy, FUCK YOU - he wants RETURNING VETS to go out and get their own insurance.... aka : vouchers. Frothy just lied through his Christian teeth.

FROM ANDREW 8.31 pm. Santorum issues a disgusting charge that the commander-in-chief chose to slash defense spending because he doesn't care about veterans. Have there been cuts in the VA? But the depth with which they hate the president is truly striking. Romney's stark lies about defense spending in the last debate have become more generalized then. By the way: here's what's happened to defense spending over the last few decades:

8:28 - Mitt waves the flag - in South Carolina. shock.
8:32 King asks a very good question about health care, Mitt flubs it. FREEDOM!

8:34 - Newt is so vile. They will all kick your college grad kids off your insurance, but will have JOBS for your kids so they will leave your house, or something
8:35 Frothy is attacking Mitt! LOVE IT. Romney care is wrong! There are sick and dying on the streets of Boston ! Everyone is attacking Mitt.
8:40 - Newt just ripped open his shirt to reveal an S.

8:41- Im going to get a snack, yall are on your own for a bit.
8:49 - Im back, and they are back from a break. Question one : " Hey Frothy, Newty says you suck, what do you think ? ". The Frothy / Newt battle, OMG! Newt could explode at any minute. Newty responds, Yes, I may be crazy, but you love it! Frothy takes the gloves off! NEWTY was booted from Congress.... Mitt is loving this

8:55- Romney is just not a player in this tonight ! HA!
8:57 - Mitt : "Newt , I read the Reagan Diary, you are mentioned only once, and he thought you were a joke - My Dad was mentioned once as well!
SNAP!

8:59 - A question from the audience : WHEN WILL YOU RELEASE YOUR TAX RETURNS ? [ruh-roh ] The question was not out of the guys mouth before Newty shouted AN HOUR AGO!! ( tee hee )
THE PRESIDENT HAS PLAYED 90 ROUNDS OF GOLF WITH MILLIONS OUT OF WORK!, said Mitt .

RECORDING PROJECT RUNWAY

9:06 - Mitt just said he did not inherit any money at all... he made it all, we will all have to look into that.

9:07 - Jesus H Christ , how freaking nuts and bad are Newt and Mitt is Frothy is sounding sane.
9:11 - I'm loosing interest - damn, seriously, these are four BAD candidates. SOPA - and Newt does not think that Hollywood generates any money for this country. Looks like we are all against it today - ONE DAY WITH OUT WIKIPEDIA and the world changes!
9:15 - break time for them

An hour and fifteen min in and the question for South Carolina republicans is : " do you want a guy that introduced Romeycare into Mass or a true asshole ??? Romney has looked BAD tonight, he laughs and smiles at all the wrong times, seriously, why does he keep doing this?? But, in my opinion, which means nothing Newt is so... nasty he is by far the most un-electable. Frothy hides it well UNTIL he is in front of a hard core religious crowd, then he goes all " we brought the dead baby home ". Like I have said before, not only would I not want Newt to be my President, I would not want him sitting on my furniture.

9:23 - What would y'all have done differently so far into the campaign. Please, there is only one answer : GET JEB BUSH TO RUN.
9:26 - something about Mexicans.... I hear Charlie Brown's teacher.

Just like the SOUTHERN STRATEGY gave the GOP the South for many generations, this hard core anti Hispanic stand will give the Southwest ( and Florida ? ) to the Democrats for generations. Frothy is having a good night tonight... just laying low and letting Mitts and Newty spank it out.

9:34 - still with the Mexicans..... wah wah wah. " rounding up grandmothers". Paul finally gets a hit with the folks bring the troops home and put them on the boarder.
9:35 - ABORTION! yes..... Cause you know, Newty has been ALL over Mitts because he personally has killed like 16 , 17 babies, just for sport.. everyone knows this. NOT before attacking CNN One more time. Mitts tells us he hates abortion, the horrible Massachusetts Courts ( evil! ) stuck in the pro abortion stuff. Frothy steps up, and slaps Mitts as well, then he gave the microphone a blow job, no idea why....This battle is over, the pro choice folk have lost... just how far right do they want to take this ?? zzzzzzzz.....this is the most we have talked on anything at all, and its a total moot point ( unless you are a Roman Catholic ) King skips Ron Paul on the topic and crowd goes nuts...
Andrew Sullivan says I am missing something : "9.40 pm. And now the last brutal death throe as Newt savages Romney on abortion. Mitt responds by using the phrase "scintilla of truth." And then he has to get in the weeds of his abortion record. Every minute he speaks about this in this forum he loses votes.Then he says this: "Now is not the time to question someone's words."Really? In a presidential primary? When on earth would be the right time to question someone's words. Tha arrogance there is striking. "I'm not used to defending myself against attacks on my character." Again: really? Hasn't that been the continuing thread of his entire career?Then Santorum picks Romney's Christianist carcass clean. Romney does his best to defend himself - but this was a very very rough patch."
SERIOUSLY TONS OF TIME ON FUCKING ABORTION..... no one says a word., King asks Newty is he is a whore and the place explodes...

9:53 - winding down. They all get to say something... puppies, rainbows. Newt is talking about PRINCIPLES... today, right now,
Newt is saying that only he has the PRINCIPLES to be elected President. ( threw up in my own mouth )
MITT goes all TEBOW on the South Carolina crowd. Holy fucking shit, he just all but said "the Negros are coming to take your white money.". Why did Mitt even do this tonight, he sucked.....
Frothy is saying something.... global warming! where have you been?!?. Throwing up his working class-ness. IF , and thank you God for not making me - a Republican in South Carolina, I would vote for the Froth man : " I AM THE NEXT REAGAN!.
ANOTHER ONE NEXT TUESDAY IN JACKSONVILLE!!

The winner tonight:

Sh!t the Dowager Countess Says

2012-01-19T12:24:00.000-05:00

The Pink Dollar and Strange Bedfellows

2012-01-19T11:17:00.003-05:00

My Albany pal and state senator JIM ALESI was one of the GOP votes that crossed over and gave New York the Marriage Equality, much to the horror and dismay to the water boys for the Vatican, NOM, who came down all fire and brimstony on him.. blah, blah, we will crush you, blah.A funny thing happened on the way to re-election. From this mornings Rochester Democratandchronicle :
"State Sen. James Alesi, the first Republican in his chamber to voice his support for gay marriage, raised more than four times as much money in the last six months as he did during a comparable period two years ago, boosted by gay marriage supporters from around the country." ( THE REST )
Once you have the gays.....

He does have lovely hair

BUT, there was this sort of lost there in the middle of the article: "Among the 11 donors to contribute the maximum of $16,800 were well-known gay marriage supporters, including billionaire Paul Singer and several of his family members, including one in London, England; billionaire conservative and businessman David Koch and his wife; and New York City hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb. WHAAAA ??, one of the two guys FUNDING the whole teaparty/wehateobama meme is maxed out on a man that gave NY gay marriage??

Strange bedfellows indeed!
Now, I do not know yet if I will vote for Jim Alesi in the fall, all the gays are supposed to fall lock step into line and vote for him, thanks for the vote and all, but Yellow Dog Kyle may have an issue with that.... but New York is going through a re-districting , so don't even know if I will get the chance, if it is close I will vote for him, but if not... If he is running away with it, LIKE HE ALWAYS DOES, I will vote my straight [pun intended] ticket.

A brush with Bulldog Greatness!

2012-01-19T02:04:00.002-05:00

LOOK WHO WAS ON DEDEE'S FLIGHT THIS MORNING!

Vince wearing a BULLDOG not a SMOKEY!

Dinner ( Wednesday Night )

2012-01-19T01:57:00.002-05:00

Chicken in a lemony glaze

New Potatoes

Brussel Sprouts

MOVIE MANIA

2012-01-19T01:55:00.001-05:00

The Annual Pre Oscar get-all-you-movies-in Marathon has been on!

MONEYBALL -B+ I'm betting a little too inside baseball for most,but I really enjoyed the movie. I also liked it as " a film" , it's artsy!
THE HELP B-/C+ The most talked about movie of the Fall was sort of just lost on me. Too cartoony, too " black and white " .... and I just missed the entire point. Some lovely acting, and not a bad movie at all.. just too " fluffy" for the subject matter.
COWBOYS AND ALIENS : B It was fun... good premise. The dog lives.
THE IRON LADY : It's Streep. Acting is A+++, seriously, it is a teaching moment for every actor and actress on the planet, but its a B- of a movie at best. I think you would need to know A LOT about late 20th century Britain to understand the movie at all. It is NOT a straight forward bio pic ,but one you should see, because it should lead to her next Oscar.
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATOO : A parts of it watched with my had over my eyes A-. The only person on the planet not to have read the books, I went in not really knowing a thing. DO NOT FUCK WITH THAT GIRL, seriously. Came home in went way into the world of the Millennium trilogy, and will read the other two books. I sort of figured it out, but not really.. did not seem as long as it was, where as THE IRON LADY seemed much longer! I say I will read the next two books, but if they turn out to be as scary and graphic as this one, I wont make it through.
THE ARTIST on FRIDAY!

The OSCAR nominations come out next week.

It was a dark and stormy night

2012-01-19T01:28:00.001-05:00

The crazy Winter rolls on, this time with a mid January [very rare ] thaw!, Zero to like 40 in a day:

AND THEN!

Back down to the deep freeze today, with some HURRICANE FORCE winds last ( Tuesday ) night! Really gusts of 75+. This is our pals John Clinton and Michaels back yard up in Rochester!

Very odd Winter, indeed!

Dinner ( Wednesday Night )

2012-01-19T01:03:00.002-05:00

It always happens when I leave the new Southern Living in the bathroom. TMI, yes... but the truth. Neil finds the most Wednesday night church casserole and wants it for dinner :

SKILLET CHICKEN POT PIE

CHICKEN PIE FILLING

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups frozen cubed hash browns
1 cup matchstick carrots
1 cup frozen small sweet peas
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

PASTRY CRUST

1 (14.1-oz.) package refrigerated piecrusts1 egg whitePreparation1. Prepare Filling: Preheat oven to 350°.
Melt 1/3 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add all-purpose flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add chicken broth and milk, and cook, whisking constantly, 6 to 7 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and stir in Creole seasoning.2. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion and mushrooms, and sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken, next 4 ingredients, and sauce.3. Prepare Crust: Place 1 piecrust in a lightly greased 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Spoon chicken mixture over piecrust, and top with remaining piecrust.4. Whisk egg white until foamy; brush top of piecrust with egg white. Cut 4 to 5 slits in top of pie for steam to escape.5. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

It's very good, very filling. Not spicy enough for me, so if I make it again, and really, this would feed a lot of people, so I will make it again, I'll add... garlic, salt, pepper... red pepper? Just a little more flavor.

Sunday March 25th

2012-01-17T17:05:00.002-05:00

The little city that could ( maybe )

2012-01-17T10:36:00.001-05:00

The Grey Lady pays ROCHESTER a visit.
above the fold, front page!

Despite Long Slide by Kodak, Company Town Avoids Decay

Its very rare to hear people talking about the past here, not like Atlanta at all.( or maybe that is not like the South at all ). Where as my real hometown exploded up and out, my adopted one turned very much inward, seeming at times to be almost in mourning for something- just out of the corner of your eye, something they just cant talk about, Miss Havisham of a town. This area must have just been freaking Shang-ra-la in the 40's, 50's and 60's. Generations of full employment to a MOST benevolent of companies. A chicken in every pot and a pony ride for all the kiddies.

ROCHESTER — In what was once the ultimate company town, virtually everyone has a trove of bright Kodak moments.They were plucked from the personal memories immortalized on the film made here, the bountiful jobs that allowed children to follow their parents into Kodak’s secure embrace, the seemingly endless largess that once allowed the company’s founder, George Eastman, to provide dental care at little or no cost to every child in town.Now, with Eastman Kodak’s stock price below $1 and talk of bankruptcy inescapable, people here are pondering a thought as unimaginable as New Orleans without the French Quarter or New York without the Yankees — Rochester after the calamitous fall of the company Eastman founded in 1880. It feels like the wrenching culmination of a slide over decades, during which Kodak’s employment in Rochester plummeted from 62,000 in the 1980s to less than 7,000 now. Still, for this city in western New York, the picture that emerges, like a predigital photograph coming to life in a darkroom, is not a simple tale of Rust Belt decay.
Rochester has been a job-growth leader in the state in recent years. In 1980, total employment in the Rochester metropolitan area was 414,400. In 2010, it was 503,200. New businesses have been seeded by Kodak’s skilled work force, a reminder that a corporation’s fall can leave behind not just scars but also things to build upon. ( THE REST )

One just jaw dropping fact from the story : "Rochester’s troubles go beyond Kodak. Xerox and Bausch & Lomb have shed thousands of jobs as well. Twenty-five years ago, the three companies employed 60 percent of Rochester’s work force. Today, it is 6 percent." Other American cities/areas have lost industries... South Carolina's fabric industry, or steel in the mid west, but I can't think of anything this localized, at all.

But the point of the article is that Rochester is NOT Detroit or any of the hard core rust belt towns, its done the best with what it has... a very ROCHESTAIRAN sort of world view.

GOLDEN GLOBES 2012

2012-01-16T19:29:00.002-05:00

Sorry I am late with this ( and WTF, blogger just changed my interface... so bear with me on this one ), but lets just jump right in.

Gathering at red carpet central ( aka Dahn's house ) we hunkered in early for the b - starts who hit the run way early.

The WB fruit dip that I made on NYE, this time with a LOT of candied ginger added. Box ginger snaps not as good as the ones from Trader Joes or World Market.

Warm fingerling potatoes with a lemony horseradishy sour cream dip

this went fast

meat and cheese!

art heart dip from Wegmans

Crispy salty country ham in one plate of eggs

Bartender David

Happy Happy Joy Joy as Scott and Lisa joined us for the night.

They were very brave little troopers as this was way WAY outside

their plane of reference.

Enough with the food,

lets get to the fashion.

Wait no longer this year, like MISS COLLARD GREEN 2012, We have a tie for
BEST best dressed at the 2012 Golden Globes.
In no order, it was a tie :
Viola Davis in Emilio Pucci

Love LOVE the color against her skin tone, love the fit, love the scarf/train thing
make up, accessories... just hit it out of the park. This was close to her night, and she was dressed the part

Stacy Keibler
yeah, I have no idea either aka:
Mrs George Clooney de jour
in Valentino

But Kyle! you went off last year on these pretty young things going all Calvin Kline
minimalistic!, and now this? but, when she turns around , there is the interest, along with the little bust detail, the length, actual jewelry! - that and the arm candy on her right, makes this a stunning look.

THE RUNNERS UP

Charlize Theron

in Christian Dior.

Flawless. Yes, they pay her - and they are so getting their money's worth!

Diane Lane

aka Barbra's step daughter in law

in Reem Acra

Aging better than anyone in Hollywood and looking damn good doing it,

beautiful dress and old Hollywood glamour!

Helen Mirren in Badgley Mischka

in a season when the feathers and flounce were so so over done

Dame Mirren shows the lessers how it is done, again

just plain beautiful.

Natalie Portman in Lanvin

A new fresh silhouette, first RC post baby, love the red with the pink

just a beautiful all around look.

Sofia Vergara in Vera Wang.

Yes, it is way too much, but this fit and its movement were a sight to behold.

" when you got it, flaunt it "

WE ARE BUT MORTALS

there for we do not get to stand in judgement of these two.
Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace.
When walking the bodice of this dress seemed too stiff, too unforgiving, but it was not a dress made for moving, that fleeting second of real time , this was a look for the ages, in a still photo it is just more proof that it is her world, the rest of us just live in in.
Tilda Swinton in Haider Ackermann
For once Ms Swinton was not the only capital F Fashion on the red carpet, but she looks like no one else, ever - and we love her for it.

SAD COLORLESS BLOBS 2012 EDITION

no need for names, just pity and the hope that this trend goes away soon.

THE WORST
and her court

Jessica Biel in Elie Saab Couture

WHAT ?!?
omg! I can see Laura Ingalls Wilder's underpants
and she had a total third boob when she was presenting.
horrible, horrible, horrible

Amanda Peet in Marc Jacobs

"no one at the 6th grade cotillion would dance with me!
I told you my dress looked like a cake"

Claire Danes in J. Mendel

This is not so horrible, at all, I just thought everyone else
over praised it

Elle MacPherson in Zac Posen

not so bad in this photo, but horrible on tv... too too too much, hair, boobs, dress , Claudia...

Michelle Williams in Jason Wu
As much as we hate to put Harry's good pal on the list, we just can not let this eek bye. Maybe live it was better, but seems too heavy and grandma's divan for the RC. And if you have a pixie, commit to the pixie, sort of hate the head band.

walking in a winter wonderland

2012-01-14T22:50:00.000-05:00

As I write this at 10:27 pm, it's 9 degrees, no idea how low it will go. We still have to go for one more walk. NO complaining at all... we missed a good half of Winter this year.
Two different walks here, am and afternoon, the sunset is the break. You can just see how different the snow looks during the day.

We ran into Koda's very good pal Teddy, and they had a great romp. Im not sure how long yall are going to get white dog in snow photos, but for now they are still new , and for most of you this is the only big Winter yall will see.

Second Christmas

2012-01-14T11:48:00.001-05:00

Being MOST true to form, Neil and I stopped our mail while we were in ATL for the holidays, but did not go over and pick it up/start it back until the 9th or 10th. They gave us the big white post office basket with the letters etc, and one big box. Thinking it was just one of Neil's many late night amazon buys, I did not even look at it until we got home and it was for me!

Opened it up to two lovely wrapped boxes, one for each of us from my dear darling NYC BFF Harry. The gay scream that came about one minute later, I am sure, registered on the richter scale. Inside was the official book from the MET's ALEXANDER McQUEEN : SAVAGE BEAUTY

which was there for a most brief time this past spring and summer.

Such a wonderful gift from a very special friend, just made my new year!

A zillion thank-you's to Harry!

From the Nothing exceeds like excess file :

2012-01-14T11:16:00.001-05:00

The John Smoltz estate is on the market:

CLICK HERE FOR A TOUR

Stunning, amenity-filled, double gated, estate on 22 acres including pool/spa; waterfalls & waterslide; separate tennis & basketball courts; 18 hole golf course; separate baseball & football fields; stocked fishing pond and jogging trail*Home exceeds expectations for both entertaining & quality with three finished levels of extensive custom craftsmanship; au par suite; studio apt; 8 car garage; and magnificent views of the estate property from all corners of the home*Closely located to schools of excellence, both private & public*24/7 Security Camera Monitoring.

Just the thing for a family on the go, and can be yours for a cool

7,200,000.

Which really ( really ) is not a crazy amount for 22 acres in North Fulton .

and not John Smoltz, but of the era, and once I read the story about this house in the AJC this morning, I could not stop saying " chicks did the long ball "

Suddenly Winter

2012-01-13T11:08:00.000-05:00

What a Difference a Day Makes

( listen to this one, if only to dip into the sanctified waters

of Dinah Washington for a couple of minutes )

A whole lot of photos of a white dog in the snow!
sign me up.

They said it was coming, and sure enough. Pretty darn happy here, this should have happened on October 13th, not January. It's cold! and not really all that much snow at all for Lower Ontario/ Upstate New York, but WINDY - and the snow is more of little ice bb's that HURT , a lot to your face and hands, when you forget your gloves.

We were out for about a half an hour, then Koda was ready to come back into the warm house.

it's 2012

2012-01-13T02:35:00.003-05:00

Renault Twingo Big Day VA

2012-01-13T02:15:00.000-05:00

Wegmans - Pittsford, New York - 7:15ish pm

2012-01-12T23:52:00.005-05:00

We are expecting our first " big " snow storm of the year tonight and tomorrow.

son of PAINT UPDATE

2012-01-12T23:52:00.004-05:00

ummmm, fail.

The whole point of this was , change is good. My kitchen and sort of keeping room type thing has been this bright yellow ( with a bright aqua celling, - yes, really ) for a long time now. New year - new paint!
So, I had this image of going RED with Khaki! Sounds easy, right? This was my first attempt, SAFFRON and BASKETRY. Looked red and khaki in the Home Depot, looked burnt orange and grey on my wall ( BUT I do need to say, it has dried to a pretty close to khaki ) I knew that a bloomed saffron tread was this perfect orangy - well, SAFFRON color... it was just the odd lights in the store.

The problem is I have the color red in my head . The exact color would be a new pair of bright red wide wale cords that have been washed four times... that is the exact red that I want, along with the exact tint of a pair of DUCKHEAD khakis, made in Winder in 1982. I want my room to be the color of pants from my past, and am having a hard time doing it. I went with the first one of these today, Geranium. The others are firecracker, Maine Lobster and California Poppy. I am thinking I am going to try Maine Lobster on my wall before I make the big decision.

This is today on the left, yesterday on the right

The darker of the khakis is TOFFEE BAR, it is way to dark, but the Geranium is growing on me , as is the basketry. MUCH more to come, miles to go before we sleep.

scratching my head

2012-01-12T23:51:00.010-05:00

So, the other day, maybe a week ago - Koda and I were out on the trail and this lovely couple with a dog about Koda's size were coming towards us . A pretty long way before they got to us, their dog did its business over on the side of the trail, really on the edge of the woods, as dogs are , well, supposed to do.

Now we are out in the serious woods, nothing but horse farms around us for a few miles....... and this lady bent over and picked up dogs leavings, put them in a bag and tied the bag in a knot .

Ok, I am pretty good about picking up Koda's messes IF they are in someones yard or if in the Summer he poops out where the wee kids play little league, but out on the trail, in the woods, where LOTS of animals are taking care of things, this lady pics up the poop .

BUT

She then laid the bag down on the side of the trail.... where it still is. The poop would have long since been rained away or what ever it is that happens to poop, but the bag will be there for how long?

Just an odd thing.

January Rain

2012-01-12T23:51:00.008-05:00

Should not be happening this time of year....

Daily Koda

2012-01-12T23:51:00.007-05:00

Out and about today

before the rain set in.

Look at all this green - we will

be coming back to this tomorrow.

Koda as Narcissus

paint update

2012-01-10T23:52:00.005-05:00

As of today, this is what we are going to go with, outer part of the kitchen, where the table etc is, red walls, tan ceiling, the kitchen tan walls, red ceiling.. you know, unless it has too much of a Carrie feel to it. The colors are not red and tan, but SAFFRON for the red, and BASKETRY for the tan.
We only got sample sizes, to make sure.

a bone to pick or " what the hell, AJC, do you think its 1977 ? "

2012-01-10T11:54:00.002-05:00

Zipping along doing the reading that all of yall are too busy to do: JMG, HUFFPO, NYT, TLo, newspaper, newspaper etc landing on this mornings AJC.

I'll zoom in

sigh.

( the story )

I'm guessing that is not Jon Hamm in full , if poor mans, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence drag.

The story is the folks at The Advocate have an annual ranking of the " gayest cities in America ". Last year " the GayTL" ranked #1 in the 100% unscientific ,made up poll, this year, it's down to #9. Living where I live , where there are MANY more horses than people, Atlanta comes across at the gay mecca that it is. Happily so. So, nine , one, twenty... I just want everyone to be happy.

The question is who is it, sitting in downtown Atlanta ( is the AJC where it always was, or has it like everything else in Atlanta moved ? ) - drone working on the front page layout, a lgbt story comes up , and lazy person goes to fabulous, but trite, drag queen? This is the papers image of lgbt America 2012 ??

really?

Why not go with Colorado Congressman Jarred Polis and his partner Marlon Reis and their beautiful new baby CJ ?

or Ellen and Portia ? everyone loves them

or the much decorated just retired Air Force Lt.Col

Victor Fehrenbach ? He looks pretty damn gay to me.

Maybe you were going for something more local, I can understand that. Atlanta story needs some Atlanta gays.

Local and a tad racy, Mr. Atlanta Eagle and Cub,

this is damn gay!

OR from the exact pride parade that you got your stock drag queen photo :

My good pal Chip leading his Clemson lgbt alumni group down Peachtree, pretty damn gay AND pretty damn local, this would have been a great shot for your story.

How about the good folks at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, again, right there on Peachtree Street, all rainbowed out and gay as .... well, as gay as anything in the 9th gayest city in America.

Come on AJC, you can do better.

UPDATE : I had a very nice email exchange with the lovely writer of the story George Mathis III, who did not ,it turns out, pick the photo, but agreed with me that the photo was not appropriate and will have a word with the person that chose it.

play date

2012-01-09T23:43:00.003-05:00

Again with the weather.

A broken record. When it does hit,

and there is a whole lot of winter left,

we will all be in shock

Your daily Toebie

Koda came home and slept all evening and night.

and now for something you NEVER thought you would see on the k+b

2012-01-09T23:38:00.001-05:00

pile o poop

2012-01-09T16:31:00.000-05:00

Blah, blah, blah... There is new dagger laden book out about the Obama White house that claims all this stuff about them. ( Michelle killed Vince Foster ). One of the most far fetched story is about ... a Halloween party, really.
The steaming pile of shit that is Rush Limbaugh ( and really that is an insult to steaming piles of shit ) is latching on to this like it was his last bottle of Oxycontin.

From Huffpo : "The Obamas," by New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor, has already prompted a fierce response from the White House to its stories of infighting between Michelle Obama and her husband's staff. But the media has latched onto another story in the book. Kantor alleges that the White House deliberately downplayed a lavish, Tim Burton-designed Halloween party held in 2009 so as not to appear out of touch with economically struggling voters.Though they did not mention the details of the party in official briefings at the time, the White House has pushed back on this story as well, saying that the news of the party was mentioned in a Tennessee paper and on a Johnny Depp fan website.
Limbaugh, though, said he agreed with those who saw an aura of secrecy around the event. He also said the media was complicit in covering it up."No way the press didn't know about this," he said. "If we didn't know about this, what else is going on in there that we didn't know about... that the press knows about but is choosing not to report?"
Limbaugh also raised the subject of slavery and Jim Crow when he analyzed the Obamas' behavior in office. He said that the couple viewed their tenure as an opportunity to "live high on the hog," and that the idea that they were "owed this because of what's been done to us and our ancestors" was "part of" their thinking."

Vile.

RULE , BRITANNIA

2012-01-09T00:40:00.001-05:00

This just sort of had to happen. The start of season two of Downton Abbey, and ABFAB on the BBC America led me right down a rabbit hole of Desert Island Discs.
Kyle's BBC problem.

ANYWAY : Prime Minister David Cameron

went with a little bit of R.E.M.

( as did J.K. Rowling! )

French & Saunders Madonna Interview

2012-01-08T23:19:00.001-05:00

Just for tonights BBC America starting ABFAB.

Just listen......

Strange bedfellows

2012-01-08T02:03:00.000-05:00

the song

tonight, tonight, won't be just any night......(2)

2012-01-08T00:45:00.000-05:00

Even the NYT is fired up!

The G-O-P and The P-I-L-L.

2012-01-08T00:14:00.005-05:00

( grumble, grumble, grumble )

Oh to be monkey drunk on free green shots at Good Friends on Bourbon Street celebrating the Saints victory tonight, but no, here I sit, doing the job of the main stream media.

You did not just watch the two hours of minor hell that was the latest GOP DEBATE. , you were doing something fun. I mean, even if you are a dyed in the wool, hard core Republican that could not have been pleasurable or even interesting. I believe in round two of the questions the topics turned to social issues... abortion, gay rights and dear God in heaven CONTRACEPTION. ( long time readers of the k+b knew this was coming ) Rick " Frothy Mix " Santorum is ALL OVER THE PLACE saying how horrible it is for a woman to use contraception. Yes, in a few interviews he says that he would not vote to ban it, but those are old interviews. Frothy is the water boy for the Vatican these days, and those non sexual folks want MORE CATHOLIC BABIES. From Salon.com : "

Here is an actual Rick Santorum quote: "One of the things I will talk about, that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country." And also, "Many of the Christian faith have said, well, that's okay, contraception is okay. It's not okay. It's a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be." These comments were not dug up from some bygone moment of ideological purity, before dreams of a presidential campaign. He said them in October.

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Stick with me here. The guy who may have won Iowa or lost by EIGHT VOTES is all over the internet /news media etc, lamenting the horrors of BIRTH CONTROL and that states should have the right to ban it! So, the moderator, George Stephanopolous asks Mitt Romney about it. PERFECTLY LOGICAL AND EXPECTED.

From the LA TIMES : " It was an exchange reminiscent of Abbott and Costello’s famous Who’s on First routine. George Stephanopoulos repeatedly asked Mitt Romney about whether he thinks that states have the right to ban contraception, and Romney repeatedly replied that he had no idea why Stephanopoulos would ask such a question. In fact, Stephanopoulos was prodding Romney about whether he believes there is a constitutional right to privacy as the U.S. Supreme Court has found in two landmark cases, 1973’s Roe vs. Wade, and 1965’s Griswold vs. Connecticut , which found that states do not have the right to ban contraception. In that case, the court cited a right to “marital privacy.”
In recent days, Rick Santorum has raised Griswold on the campaign trail in New Hampshire. He believes Griswold and Roe were incorrectly decided by the Supreme Court because, in his view, the Constitution does not contain a privacy right. But when Stephanopoulos asked Romney about this issue, Romney seemed to have absolutely no idea what he was talking about. “George, this is an unusual topic that you’re raising,” Romney said. “States have the right to ban contraception? I can’t imagine that states would want to ban contraception. If I were a governor or a legislator in a state, I would totally oppose any effort to ban contraception. So you’re asking -- given the fact that there’s no state that wants to do so -- you are asking could it constitutionally be done? We could we could ask our constitutionalist here,” said Romney, gesturing to Ron Paul. The audience erupted in laughter and applause.

Slow down there haircut. On October 20th of last year you , Governor Romney went on the Mike Huckabee Hee Haw Hour on Fox News and were asked about the coming Novermber 8th PERSONHOOD amendment vote in Mississippi. A huge big government law that would ban almost all hormonal birth control that state. Basicly banning CONTRACEPTION." Huckabee asked Romney, "Would you have supported the constitutional amendment that would have established the definition of life at conception?" Romney answered, "Absolutely."
Mississippi folks, deep in the heart of Dixie! Hell yes, Mitt Romney was for this, because how can this fail in Mississippi, like if failed in liberal Colorado. The amendment went down HARD in Mississippi with close to 60% of voters saying stay the hell out of my bedroom. In the question tonight, Romney was a deer in pretend headlights when it came to the Griswold case.....

These guys really need to learn that once they say something on tv that it does not go away.Then we get this from HUFFPO : "

Romney Adviser: Stephanopoulos Has 'Strange Obsession' With Contraception

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Mitt Romney pushed back against debate moderator George Stephanopoulos over repeated questions about whether he believes states have a right to ban contraception, calling it "an unusual topic" to raise.
In the spin room after the candidates filed out, Romney senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom told reporters that Stephanopoulos had a "strange obsession with the subject of contraception." "No candidate on stage has proposed cracking down on contraception," Fehrnstrom continued. "No state is looking at it. The only person for whom it's an issue is George Stephanopoulos. You should ask him about it."
No slimebag : Mitt and Frothy have proposed it and Mississippi and Colorado have voted on it. We read you dumb fuck.

Socially liberal New Hampshire one answer, Fox News another.....

I have a dream

2012-01-07T22:40:00.000-05:00

Neil is wandering around The Mall tonight. I had issues with this statue when I first saw it, in daylight. This photo makes it just look amazing.

fail

2012-01-07T22:17:00.003-05:00

THE ZILLIONTH GOP DEBATE

Lived Blogged

I tried. I wrote and wrote and wrote, my stubby little fingers just a blur on the keyboard. But, I just cant do it.

The whole concept is just too much of a circus. Mitt, Froth , Newty and Tex get to say ANYTHING they want and Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos just do not have the time - or the moxey - to call them out on it. Mitt is a Harvard Law graduate yet has no knowledge of Conn v Griswold ?? OR that the state or Mississippi JUST last November voted to try and ban most all contraceptives.( and Gov. Romney told Huckabee that he "absolutely supported the effort "). Frothy is for states rights, but will take away my health insurance... He wants to dissolve all same sex marriages. I really was doing a great job of keeping up until thrice married Newt went off , was allowed to go off on some lengthy tangent on how the poor christians in the United States are MUCH MORE discriminated against than gays are. REALLY, he said this , was proud of saying this... said it with convection, and was allowed to say it....

So, I just quit.

I have been all the slack covering this GOP primary season, I know. I hope to get into it soon.

At least I started hating Mitt Romney tonight, that is something.

Today -n- Yesterday

2012-01-07T20:56:00.003-05:00

This morning

A year ago

The totally non-verbal, non vampire contractor was here all day

Even more shirtsleevy today than yesterday.

This is getting just crazy.

Michael Stipe and Patti Smith perform,"Wichita Lineman"

2012-01-07T16:50:00.001-05:00

From ~~Lewis~~ Michael the Bear

still Absolutely Fabulous

2012-01-06T16:45:00.000-05:00

From todays NYT

Absolutely Fabulous 20th Anniversary Specials Joanna Lumley, left, and Jennifer Saunders are back as Pats and Eddy on BBC America and Logo on Sunday night at 10, Eastern and Pacific times; 9, Central time. Already leaked on the web, both are funny, the second one screamingly so.

It's a big day in Mendon

2012-01-06T13:32:00.000-05:00

An old house has old gas lines!

So, we are getting a new one.

They just take a little plastic hose and run it inside the old

pipe.

but it takes three holes

Total shirt sleeve day, not a hint of ice or

snow anywhere. Most odd Winter.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

2012-01-05T19:17:00.001-05:00

Martha, yesterday, getting her daiquiri on
in the Bahamas

MARTHA STEWART SHOW TO COME TO AN END

It's not really that horrible, matter of fact, she might get out of the dead end deal that she went into with the Hallmark Channel.

seems like old times

2012-01-05T16:19:00.000-05:00

Neil and Myrte at the airport this morning......

The Canada Party - Election 2012

2012-01-05T15:54:00.001-05:00

It's cute political bear day here at the k+b

Is this Heaven ?

2012-01-05T11:40:00.000-05:00

Muffy is killing me

2012-01-05T02:17:00.000-05:00

Obsessed is not really that bad of a word.

( the sweater is 32 years old )

dinner Wednesday

2012-01-05T01:11:00.000-05:00

A welcome back home dinner over at Dahn and David's with Myrte in town for one more night!

Yummy soup and an Italian bread salad

Morning in Mendon

2012-01-05T01:07:00.000-05:00

A very happy little dog Wednesday morning.

Koda was just unbelievably good on this trip.

The internets were all abuzz about the amount of snow here

Not very much at all, but it was cold

He loved it

The Road Home

2012-01-05T00:44:00.002-05:00

The sun comes up over the giant peach!

We drove home a different way, and I loved it! I am pretty sure that we will go this way most of the time. The weather on the Great Lakes was n-a-s-t-y, so I looked at a map and found us a new way home!. All the way up and through SC, NC and Virginia, not Ohio, Penn and then into New York from the south, not the west... No lake effect snow at all! A tiny bit of snow in one little stretch of road, somewhere, and we must have gotten behind a salt truck, there was some traffic, but that was it
After the short sleeved and barefooted holidays, we woke up to a home like 22 in Winder Tuesday morning... by the time we were in the Southern Tier of New York we were looking at -4. Welcome Home!

while you were out.....

2012-01-05T00:00:00.002-05:00

I blog, there for I am.
( I so wanted this to be posted on Wednesday, but hit post at the stroke of midnight! )

I enjoy this. I have no idea who really reads my little art project.... some days the numbers on here are a little bit shockingly high, other days, not so much. I show up on some pretty odd searches. So, no real excuse as to why I took the tiny vacation, goodness knows I was SURROUNDED by Apple products, and could have been here.....

But, I am back , and there is no place like home. Let's dig in to the things we missed!

NEW YEAR'S EVE

For most of our entire trip the weather was just off the charts beautiful, not
going to say it was the MOST Christmasy ever, but a lovely May in Mendon.

WBHS in the HOUSE!
or
Good God, these people drink.

For the second year in a row NYE was held at the lovely John's Creek home of my dear old pals Angela and Binky. A wonderful dinner and much much good fellowship. Now, the local Neighborhood Association was probably not happy with the Mothers Finest led fireworks extravaganza, but you can take the folks out of Barrow County......

Many thanks to the Howell Horsma's for the lovely evening.

NEW YEAR"S DAY '12

(let's go out with a bang! )

My Favorite Party of the Year!

Back at the Day-Lawson's where they have NO KITCHEN! Susan and Paul have the ability to cook.. Beth has a tiny microwave and no sink.. and yet we got like 40 people fed. Talk about your loaves and fishes!

This is it..... well there was a big ass refridgator

and LOOK what was put out

Ham, ravishing rice, collards, black eyed peas, okra and tomatoes, mac-n-cheese, eggplant w/clams, ambrosia, and something with cranberries. This may be the most beautiful picture I have ever taken

Koda had a lovely time!

feel the Moopah love

( click for larger pics )

NYE '11

2011-12-31T15:16:00.001-05:00

New Years Eve and all. Profound and profane, or neither. Have spent the day cooking for tomorrow, doors open to what would be a June day in Mendon. Koda and his boy Reid in and out on whims or the hint of rabbits, radio blaring ( I am a demographic in Atlanta ). Reid found a box of 2000 New Years Eve hats-n-such... We did all see the millennium in at this house, seems like such a very long time ago.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy night... like I said ,back to full blogging strength in just a few days. We are off to blow up John's Creek in a few.

no man's land

2011-12-30T23:43:00.002-05:00

Time and space have for all practical reason lost all meaning. No real idea of what day of the week it is, yes, that is not really anything new. Blending together into one gooey mass of love and friendship. Blogging has been hens teeth like, but... we will be back FULL FORCE in the new year. 2012 is going to be the year of the k+b.

Koda enjoying the Dunwoody Nature Center

Koda enjoying all the myriad of delights that is

Gwinette County.

Steve Mosley makes the best country fried steak I have ever had

This is a brandy Alexander, my very first

Dana enjoying the same cocktail, well, not the exact same, she had her own glass

I understand that Winter has at last come to the Finger Lakes...

so you folks up there don't even want to hear about the weather

in Georgia

TURNS out that Little Baby Frangelico is A) no longer a baby and B) not named Little Baby Frangelico, but Bailey, and she is a delightful child.

It takes a village to raise a child , and three smart grown up folks to get Brenda on a plane back to LA.

The Miss Collard Green2012 pageant ended in a first ever TIE!

Wouldn't be a visit home without it

2011-12-27T18:24:00.000-05:00

The day after the day after.

2011-12-27T17:02:00.001-05:00

Had a merry one.

Keeping in line with my last few outings, I did not take good photos at all. Can't really blame it on drink this go round. Our annual visit to Winder was lovely .Partial family photo above....

just click to see all....

More to come if anyone else sends me pics.

Have Yourself a Merry Little....

2011-12-24T23:52:00.036-05:00

A little Christmas Eve blogging.... makes the season right.. or is that bright?

As always I am sorry for the lapses in blogging, things here in the big city move so much faster than in bucolic Mendon. A few of the highlights of what y'all have missed.

My new favorite people with their giant
dreidel bear and many menorahs!
You can all but smell the latkes and kugel
as you ride by.

It isn't Christmas until you have visited Richardson's 5&10!

A 14 year old's birthday dinner
at the
HAPPY SUMO!

Breaking in the so new Lovell-Spencer

Kitchen that is not yet quite finished

with cake ( which comes with a soon to get too funny story )

Many photos of its fabulousness to come!

Apple Store,
Perimeter Mall
December 23erd
twoish

The perfect tree , ON
December 23erd!

A parking place in the Virginia Highlands
on
Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve Lunch
at
George's

Yuletide Koda!

The Annual Posting

We are off to Wireless Winder for a few days in the morning, loads of photos will be taken
but who knows when they will make it to the k+b.

I very much hope everyone has a most safe and joyful Christmas.
Seriously, stop stressing over things.
Step out of the mundane and enjoy the season.
It's late on Christmas Eve, you will forgive my
pretense :

" The world only spins forward, we will be citizens,
the time has come.
Bye now.
You are fabulous, each and every one,
and I bless you.
MORE LIFE;
The great work begins......."

It's Beginning

2011-12-22T22:31:00.001-05:00

to me at least.

Susan and Paul have a few..

My and Steve's house in College Park was surrounded by

cameillas, just every color. The whole neighborhood was.

I used to bring arm loads into the house.

and Koda watches me leave for somewhere...

White House Christmas Card

2011-12-21T17:21:00.000-05:00

Just perfect, really.

someone thinks it odd.

A dog and his boy

2011-12-21T17:04:00.002-05:00

please have snow and mistletoe....

2011-12-21T16:56:00.000-05:00

Up and out, as ready as I was gonna be by like 2:00am, but still could not sleep. Six thirty came early, we were on the road by 8:30.

AMAZING! not a snow flake or a hint of ice from Ontario OR Eire! This was a first.....

A VERY Special welcome to Ohio!

NOW its Christmas....

Stopped in Lexington, Ky to have a quick dinner with our pals Ross and David. Here we learn the age old question, how many gay Episcopalians does it take to change a head lamp?

Look where we had dinner!

OK, then it was dark out and nothing much happened from Lexington to Dunwoody. MSNBC on Sirius, hit a little bit of rain once we came into Georgia, but all in all the best Winter trip down ever, other than the ticket. The 18 hours just flew by!

La Vie Boheme From RENT

2011-12-18T17:32:00.001-05:00

Vaclav Havel, Dissident Playwright Who Led Czechoslovakia, Dead at 75
By DAN BILEFSKY and JANE PERLEZ of the New York Times
Published: December 18, 2011
Vaclav Havel, the Czech writer and dissident whose eloquent dissections of Communist rule helped to destroy it in revolutions that brought down the Berlin Wall and swept Havel himself into power, died on Sunday. He was 75. ( the rest )
and this is the first place my warped brain went :

best darn broken record ever

2011-12-18T15:22:00.000-05:00

The weather - or lack there of - is still what everyone is talking about. Just hoping it stays for a little while longer.

This is our SIXTEEN year old trail pal. She gets around just fine.... It is getting a little bit cold for her.

Neil put up the burlap to hopefully keep the deer from munching on our hedge this Winter.

Koda was not at all sure about it.

all I want for Christmas...

2011-12-18T15:11:00.000-05:00

Turns out he is not a vampire at all!

LOOK, CEILING!

Thinking about changing up the colors....... but not sure as to what. All decisions for the new year.

judge me, I don't care.

2011-12-17T11:34:00.001-05:00

OK, I did not have the patchoulied pressed hair older sister/cool aunt. My 70's were all Dixiefied and Edgar Winter Band. SO.. the fact that GLEE brought me to this not something I'm proud of, but still happy I got here. Best ear worm I've had in a LONG time.