Shopping For My 20th Reunion

Ooh, Momma did some damage in the stores today. I'm not fond of shopping and only go out about twice a year but when I do, I bring back the motherload.

Today started with a visit to my hair dresser for highlights. She then proceeded to blow my hair out perfectly straight. WILD. I kept glancing in the mirror, trying to figure out who I reminded myself of and then it hit me: my sister. We look absolutely nothing alike but with the poker straight hair (sorry, sis) there was actually a resemblance. I'd love to keep the straight hair but it would involve about $80 worth of product and 45 minutes manual labor, daily, to make it happen. I get bored waiting the two minutes for the hot water for my tea to boil, so it's probably not going to happen.

I proceeded to the stores (slowly, blowing straight hair out of my eyes) and paid a visit to Black & White. Found a top that may work for dress-up night although I'm concerned it looks like I'm trying a little too hard. Gold lame doesn't go out of style, does it? (You think I'm kidding...)

On to Ann Taylor where I found a pair of white silk pants that may go with the top but even if they don't, they were on sale and make my ass look fabulous. Sold!

Then to Paparazzi. Overpriced, but I love this store. It's unique clothing that stands out. I found an adorable top, jeans, and earrings for Friday's bar-casual night.

Thank God that's over. I was not looking forward to a week of shopping and I think I got everything I need in under three hours. Sweet.

Now I just need a headband to get this stringy straight hair out of my face. =)

Vegetable Curry In A Crockpot. (You heard me--CROCKPOT.)

Yeah, I'm crockpotting today. Soaking some veggies for 7 hours and hoping it turns out edible.

There were crockpot incidents along the way. The first being that my crockpot (which is my mom's orange crockpot from many, many years ago. The handle is broken off so I have to use pliers to turn the settings from low to high to off, but great sentimental value) wasn't big enough for the recipe. But I was dumping veggies in as I went - chopped onion, chick peas, 4 cups butternut squash, red pepper, etc. and it wasn't until I got to the second to last ingredient that I realized it wasn't going to all fit. So I dumped everything into a big bowl and tried to take out even proportions of each veggie so it would all still balance in the end.

This never happens on Rachel Ray's show. (Then again, Rachel probably also doesn't hack a butternut squash to pieces like it's the golden girl in some horror flick.)

So now... we wait. I'm resisting the urge to stir the crockpot. That's the whole point of crockpotting--you put it in and walk away. But maybe just one stir. Just to make sure things are cooking evenly.

If this doesn't work out, no worries. I made a chilled mango noodle salad last night that was supposed to serve 4, but the Asian rice expanded when cooked and I could feed half of Asia with the leftovers I've got in my fridge.

I'll probably get offered my own cooking show in the near future. "Dena's Kitchen Disasters and How to Fix Them." Stay tuned.

Lucy's Favorite Game

When I came home yesterday from my run in Greensboro, I asked Blair what he'd done with his morning.

"Oh, little of this, little of that," he said. "I straightened the house, got on the computer, read the paper and--oh yeah--played with Lucy."

This was news. Lucy is not really a playful cat. She's more of a "feed me now" type critter.

"What did you play?" I asked.

"We played her favorite game of "Just try to pet me, you rat bastard," said Blair.

I cracked up. That in fact is Lucy's favorite game. She meows and meows at us to pet her, but when we sit on the floor with the brush, she inches just out of our reach, so we end up chasing her around the room an inch at a time, trying to comb her.

Lucy wandered into the room. "Did you play with Daddy?" I asked her. "Did you win?"

She threw me a bored look. I always win, it said. Now how about a little mid-morning snack?

That's our girl.

Back When I Was A Kid...

Lazing around the house this morning, overcast sky, Blair and I decided to drive into town (C'mon Ma--round up the young'uns. We'e a headin' to the big city!) and see Hancock.

Having decided this, Blair hopped online and called out the five theatres where the movie was playing, along with times. He also read some posted reviews out loud to me.

"What did we do before the Internet?" I asked. It seems so long ago when one had to--gasp!-call the theatre to hear the movies and their times. And you would sit on the phone for five minutes while happy pre-recorded movie man listed the times for every other movie on the planet. That's if you were lucky enough to get through. Often you were put on hold because everyone else was also calling in to see what movies were playing.

As far as early reviews, your only options were the critics (and you can't believe a word they say), or friends who had already seen the movie.

The matinee price today was $6.25. I'm going to age myself but I can remember being young and my cousin and I freaking out because movie prices had finally hit a dollar. That's back in the day when I'd go to see a movie I liked several times. I saw the original Star Wars seven times in the theatre in 1977, which was nothing compared to my cousin Andy who I think saw it something like 18 times in two weeks. These days it would be cheaper to fly the producer in for a private in-home screening versus paying to see it 18 times in the theatre.

That's supposing a movie is ever made I'd care to see 18 times. I'm tired of my summer movie options being limited by the viewing demographics of 13-year-old boys who apparently grow bored if a car or building isn't blown up every five seconds.

Crotchety? You betcha. Cause in MY day, young 'uns, they knew how to make a movie...