Representing my favorite teams in my office! I am reserving room on the right for when the Dodgers win the World Series (Let's Go Dodgers!) Baseball was always my favorite sport. I still love it, but boy am I missing the excitement of Hockey already. I love my new pennant of the Kings - those toothless smiles, the beards...so much to be proud of!
I was married into being a Rams fan - I will admit. I did attend a game in 1994 against the LA Raiders, of all teams. I think there was a stabbing and whole lot of fights. Seriously. But when they moved to St Louis, I just kinda followed them because there were no other LA Football teams and I refused to follow the Raiders. Thankfully they moved to Oakland I think that next year. The most fun I've had being a Rams "fan" were attending games in San Francisco against the 49ers. I loved how many Rams fans were tailgating! It was so awesome - especially when we won! These days I am a FANTASY Football fan. This will be my 4th season managing "First & Girl" - hoping to have learned a lot of hard lessons the past few years and come out with the perpetual trophy this year! Our draft is already next month and before I know it, my Sundays, Monday nights and Thursday nights will be my favorite parts of the week! I think I will have to make a "Fantasy Football" Category soon...I feel it coming... In case you're wondering why I have so many notes on my bulletin boards, I work for a University for the Undergraduate Associated Students. I know I have mentioned how much I love my job, and they are the reason why. Whenever they graduate a part of me gets sad - but I have my memories of them all around my office. What you see here is just one wall. There are reminders everywhere of students I have become close to in the past. Each unique, wonderful, driven, talented and ever so smart. I am lucky to be in the midst of such high achieving young individuals. It fills my heart with joy. Now....Dodgers you better win in Colorado! Don't lose your recent MOJO! Beat the COCKY ROCKIES! Finally, Happy Independence Day! “You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.” — Erma Bombeck
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I have always been drawn to animation (is that a pun?) and it just grows more fascinating with each year. The technology amazes me. The capability of the creators to still use their talents and being able to take it to a whole new level is more than exciting. I love the story behind this piece. Cells becoming humans, the innocence of youth, the wonderment of young adulthood and finally realizing true love. It's simply beautiful. I cannot stop watching it so I thought I'd share it with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Happy Friday ~ Ames ♥ I was looking through some of the texts I received recently from my youngest son Kyle (soon to be 15) and came across these two he sent me. I think he's trying to tell me something. He's got quite a sense of humor!
Hmmm I wonder where I can get that glass??? LOL I haven't been to the beach in such a long time. I love the water. I love any body of water. Ocean, Lake, River, Pool...it doesn't matter to me. When I first watched Sleepless in Seattle, I was so jealous of his home on the water. A quaint little house, with a nice wrap around deck right there on the water in the bay. How perfect is that.
My family in Minnesota mostly live on Lake front property. It's so beautiful. Mornings are especially gorgeous. When I visited my Aunt and Uncle one fourth of July, I woke early just as the sun had come up. My Aunt had bought me this small seat like raft which was tied to the Dock with a long rope. I went out and floated in that raft for hours. As I floated, a turtle swam by and a Mother and her ducklings swam by...I was in my glory. When I was in Hawaii, I sat on the beach just outside our condo and brought a loaf of bread with me. I fed the sand crabs as they popped out of their holes in the sand. They'd come up and literally grab the bread out of my fingers and crab walk sideways back to their hole and vanish. I could do that all day. The water was so beautiful, the sunshine so warm on my body, there's nothing like it. Another favorite of mine is Lake Mead. I've only been once, but it was breathtaking. My parents rented a houseboat and we each brought a couple with us. Our friends brought a Seadoo and I took it out one morning. The lake was as smooth as glass. I rode the Seadoo into canyons too narrow for boats. I would drift really slow and it was so quiet. It was so beautiful. I know I keep using the word beautiful, but to me, that's what water and scenery is. I take it all in. The sights, the smells, the sounds, the feel of the air and the sunshine. I feel so peaceful in those moments. Right now, I am wishing I was at the beach. Preferably a private beach where I was able to sit under a Palapa and sip ice cold Chardonnay all day long. Listening to the waves crash, the sound of the seagulls flying by and conversing with my man next to me. Hmmm I am thinking somewhere like Cabo San Lucas or perhaps the Bahamas. Oh and now that I am thinking Bahamas, what about staying in one of those private bungalows on the water. A glass section of the floor where I can watch the sea life under me. Now we're talking. A girl can dream, can't she? LET'S GO DODGERS! (CLAP, CLAP, CLAPCLAPCLAP!) YES! LA beat San Diego on Saturday AND Sunday! We're climbing back to the top where we belong! Only 4 games behind SF ~ We will get there in no time! San Diego was crawling with Dodger fans! All up and down the Gaslamp Quarter, Dodger fans were everywhere! We decided to have some margaritas at Dick's Last Resort on the patio. What a riot that place is! Our waiter was wearing pink fairy wings, a pink tutu and carried a wand. He was hysterical! They are pretty clever too. The drink menu didn't have any prices on them. I know we could have asked, but didn't really care so we each ordered their EL MUCHO PESOS MARGARITA. Come to find out they were $26.50 each! That's MUCHO PESOS INDEED LOL! They were good tho. We also ordered two REDHEADED SLUTS. If you haven't had those, try them sometime. The shot, I mean. At the table next to us there was a couple sitting next to each other, perhaps in their 50's. Dick's is known for putting these obnoxious paper "hats" with hysterically rude sayings on them on their guests. This couple's waitress puts one on the guy that says "Hi, my name is Chunks" - his wife was cracking up, being he was a bit "Chunky". Next the waitress puts one on the wife that says "I'm blowing Chunks tonight"...OMG LOL! The husband was dying with laughter as were the rest of us. The waitress says "I've got your back, Chunks!" It's that kind of place. I love it. We walked to Petco Park and got our seats - which were AMAZING!!!!! We got there just as batting practice was ending. I didn't get my Andre Ethier baseball signed but I got to see him close up which was just as incredible. I don't know what it is about him but he just makes me weak in the knees. Dang. It was a fun game, with a lot of Dodger fans in attendance. I'd be willing to bet the ratio was 70/30 Dodger fans at 70%. It almost felt like being at Dodger Stadium "Let's Go Dodgers" chant was constant. Cheers from the crowd when we scored. High Fives when a great play was made. It was awesome. During the game the grounds crew came out to do their thing. The Usher song "Yeah" comes on and 3 of the ground crew start dancing! I apologize for the quality of the video but I still wanted to be able to share it with you. It was great - I just love people who know how to have fun!!! After the game we decide to walk back to the hotel. We stayed at the Marriott Marquis & Marina hotel. It was a beautiful hotel! We wanted the Omni, but it was booked way in advance and now I know why - that's where the Dodgers stay. We head to the lobby bar at our hotel and get some drinks. As we drank we looked around the room. Just then I notice a huge dark skinned guy with a small entourage with him. I said to my husband "I think that's Yasiel Puig..." he says no, it's not. Hmmm. I think to myself, it sure looks like him. Finally I said, "I really think that's him!" So my husband goes over there and looks back at me and says, "yeah, it's him!" - but, he was only there for about 5 minutes, then left. It was just cool to see him outside of the stadium.
My pics from the day are posted here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_carrizosa/sets/72157644915245059/ ~ Viva Los Doyers! I love my job. I love working with Undergraduate Associated Students. I love that I have such a long list of memories with so many who have come through my office over the years. Ashley has been with us as an Accounting Assistant for 2 years. Today was her last day before moving on with her life. She was sweet enough to bring me flowers and wrote me this terrific, heartfelt card. So many students come and go...and some leave lasting impressions in my life. Ash is one of them. I'll miss you so much Ashley!
Ahhhhh...my latest addiction. The Jucy Lucy. Yes, if you're in the know, it's spelled that way. Not Juicy. Because I am also addicted to the Food Network, The Cooking Channel and anything in relation to cooking, I see this burger being made constantly. I just had to try one. That was about 2 months ago. Now it has become a regular in our house. I don't miss a regular cheeseburger at all. I need the oozy, gooey, delicious volcano of hot melted cheese in the middle of my burger. It's so easy too, once you get the hang of it. We've had some fails, but now that we got the hang of it - it's the best ever. I highly recommend you try it at least once. I'm a Wisconsin born girl so cheese is my life. This fits the bill for me every time. Yum. Since it's Friday and I feel like it, I'm adding a short slide show of food we have made. If anyone would like a recipe, just leave a comment. TGIF Everyone! What an amazing night for Clayton Kershaw! I was asleep on the couch (since I can't watch the Dodger games!) and my husband wakes me up and says "You have to see this! Kershaw is pitching a no hitter so far! This is history in the making!" I immediately woke up and jumped to my feet anticipating each new pitch. Still a little delirious from the sudden wake up, I didn't notice what channel was showing this as it happened, but I am grateful for it! Sure enough, it happens. The look on his face, watching his adorable Wife in the stands, the team rushing out to congratulate him, the fans cheering as we do best, the Powerade Shower, the bubbles, his humble thank you to the fans...Priceless. I love being a Dodger fan. I love it so damn much!
This morning I see a report from TMZ on twitter that GASP! The star from Boy Meets World "Topanga" Danielle Fishel LEFT THE DODGER GAME EARLY and missed Clayton's NO-NO! I had to laugh as I read people's comments "Who cares" "So what if she left early" "Why is this a headline?" then I got in Dodger fan Gangster mode (LOL)... You NEVER, EVER, EVER leave a Dodger game early! Too many great things have happened late in the game! I'll tell you one experience I'll never forget. It was April 21st, 2007 on a wonderful Saturday night. The Dodgers were playing the Pirates. The Dodgers were down 3-2 going into the 7th inning. No runs were scored in the 7th or the 8th innings. During those two innings, people started to leave. Bottom of the 9th came and still 3-2 Pirates. More people were leaving. From my seat I could see into the parking lot and there were a lot of cars heading out. We all know the horrible parking lot situation when leaving the games, but come on people! You're here to watch the game! What's the rush on a Saturday night? Anyway, Valdez scores to tie the game. The crowd roars and I watched as the "fans" walking to their cars stopped in their tracks and turned to listen to the crowd. We head into extra innings. Pirates don't score. Bottom of the 10th. Pierre, Kent and Gonzalez are all on base. Russell Martin is up. 1 out, 2-2 pitch and he hits a walk-off grand slam to win the game 7-3! Oh it was one of the best games I ever saw live!!!! Those "fans" that left early just missed out on his first ever walk-off grand slam. What a shame. When the Dodgers are down and it's nearing the end of the game, I always say "The Dodgers are the best comer-backers! Just wait!!!!" and so many great things have happened. Another moment I'll never forget was the 4 straight and Nomar walk-off! You NEVER give up. And you NEVER, EVER, EVER leave a Dodger game early. I am getting super excited for Saturday. I get to see my Dodgers play in San Diego. I love, love, LOVE Dodger Stadium and forever will, but Petco Park is pretty amazing too. It's a gorgeous ball park. The fans aren't like us Dodger fans and believe me, when we're there, we make our presence known. I get the stares and glares from Padre fans but I don't care. I will cheer for my boys as loud and as proud as if I were at Chavez Ravine! I am especially excited about this game because of 2 things: First, I am sitting 5 rows behind the Dodger DUGOUT! Oh yes, I will be there nice and early to try and get a pic with Andre or at least his autograph! I'll have my camera with it's super zoom lens with me so I can capture the night. Second, it's "Beat LA" T-shirt day - LOL! I will have my sharpie handy so I can scribble on top "San Diego Can't". I'll wave it up in the air for all to see and piss them off! We're going to win. We better. LOL! I received a package in the mail at work yesterday from my dear ol' Dad. Inside was the most adorable little Andre Ethier limited edition LEGO! I'm a HUGE Andre Ethier fan, as he well knows and I never knew these little guys existed! So receiving this unexpected gift made my day! Since I had never seen these sports LEGOS before I looked up the website: http://www.oyosportstoys.com/ to check it out. They have the entire KINGS Stanley Cup Champions collection! Each player! Each character likeliness! They have a ZAMBONI! I was as giddy as a little girl on Christmas morning. I LOVE things like this...unique, adorable little trinkets that represent your teams or passions. Oh my, where are my manners? I forgot to say "CONGRATULATIONS KINGS FANS! WE DID IT! WE BELIEVED AND WE CAME THROUGH SHINING AS CHAMPIONS ONCE AGAIN!" This playoff series BY FAR was one of the most exciting playoffs I have ever watched! I know everyone has their lucky charms when in the playoffs, mine was a little pink post-it on my office door that simply said #GoKingsGo. Now I have it stuck to my Kings Rally Towel as to always remind me of the excitement, the passion, the camaraderie and the pride we Kings fans have. Now you have to see this adorable video of the OYOs in action.... I have to admit, having the Kings in the Playoffs has helped with the sting of not being able to watch the Dodgers a little. A little. I am really pissed off about this whole Time Warner Cable crap. I am blaming the Dodgers Organization just as much. I understand it is a business decision, but with out the support of their fans, where would they be? I listen to the games as much as I can, follow their every move on twitter, but it's just not the same. I am an hour and half drive away from Dodger Stadium. If it was a hop, skip and a jump from where I live or work, I'd not complain one bit because I'd be going to my fair share of games. I attended Opening Day. I am attending a game in San Diego where I am sitting 5 rows behind the Dodger Dugout (Holy MAN I cannot WAIT for that game!). I do what I can to watch my boys in blue. But it feels like a right has been taken from me to be able to watch them on TV unless we PAY. We pay enough already! The greed of these companies/organizations just kills me. I googled "I need my Dodgers" and found this site in regards to Direct TV, who is my provider. After reading the article, I am a little calmer. Doesn't mean I'm ok with it. I guess I just have to do what everyone else does and "Keep Calm and Think Blue" anyway. http://directvpromise.com/sportsnet-la-update/ Last time I blogged the Kings were going into game 7 against the Blackhawks. What a wrack of nerves THAT was! But lo and behold, as the Kings do best, they won Game 7! Let me paint the scenario for you of my experience that day. It was Sunday, and I was up early cooking brunch for 2 of my favorite College Students I have worked with. The day was splendid, as we chatted and drank a sweet, yet highly spiked, champagne punch. There was plenty of food; Baked Cinnamon French Toast, Cheese and Shredded Beef Enchiladas, Spicy Breakfast Potatoes, Fresh Fruit, Pastries, Spicy Deviled Eggs and more. In case you were wondering. Since we had so much food, my oldest Son's Best Friends came over and they all ate too. Funny thing about that is, my Son had to go to work and his friends stayed to watch the game with us. I wasn't too happy about it because as I may have mentioned before, his best friend is a Hawks Fan. On top of that, after we lost game 6 I happened to walk passed the laundry room and saw his hat sitting on the dryer. BLASPHEMY! I immediately picked it up and took it outside and threw it on the fire pit. That night I texted him and said "THIS is going up in FLAMES!" but being the sweet Mom I am, I told him I'd hold off until game 7 was over. It was now time for the game. The four of us divided, two for Kings and two for Hawks. I was practically beating poor Michael when the Hawks scored. All of a sudden, my Son comes walking through the door to our surprise and right then Toffoli Scores!!!! It was just the karma we needed for the Kings to win! Sure enough Martinez scores in OT and we head into the Stanley Cup FINALS! My husband, son and I were literally jumping up and down in a circle of hugs until my big butt hits the big screen and it falls off the TV stand! The screen goes blank and the guys pick it up and plug it all back in. The picture comes back on as the Kings are still celebrating their success. We immediately go back to jumping up and down cheering for our beloved Kings. Present day. The series against the Rangers is 3-1. We are home. We are STRONG. We are going to be STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS again for the second time in three years! I BELIEVE! I was actually glad they didn't win in NY. I can only imagine the vibe, the electricity, the pure passions and excitement inside Staples Center tonight! I will be watching, pacing the floor, holding my breath, screaming during every goal scored and moaning for every goal missed. I love this game. Long Live the Los Angeles KINGS!!!! The Kings celebrate following their overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. Defenseman Alec Martinez scored the winning goal in the extra frame to push the Kings to their second Stanley Cup Final appearance in three years. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 8 minutes left in the 3rd period....
I really am a sweet girl...just not when it comes to my sports. See you for game 7. I'm so sad.... I know I am not the only Kings fan out there still in absolute shock the Kings didn't win last night. This was one of the most INTENSE games I have ever watched EVER. The first overtime seemed like it was never ending with each team having equal chances to score. I was standing in my living room with my hands covering my face in sheer agony, thinking after each shot it was going in! I can't say they didn't try. I believe they went over 8 minutes non stop without any whistle blows. The ferocity of each team, one wanting to close it up and the other in desperate attempt to keep it going, was so exhilarating, so admirable and SO FUCKING AWESOME! On a dorky note, I couldn't help but blurt outloud "a lil dab" when the announcers said Oduya's name. LOL!!! Maybe it was the wine talking. My Son gave me a Kings rally towel he got at the game in LA on Monday along with a Kings 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs pin. It's proudly affixed to a wall in my office. It's going to happen. I BELIEVE! #GoKingsGo What a game! I am still in awe of the awesome comeback to win 6-2! The Blackhawks CRUMBLED after the Kings tied the game! Carter with the Hat Trick??? Unfreaking believable! The game was so exciting I think I am still clenching my teeth and screaming on the inside! Now I can't wait till Saturday! I think part of it had to do with the presence of The Great One in the audience. The Kings needed to show him what they're made of! #GoKingsGo! By the way, did you know the nick name "The Great One" was bestowed upon Wayne Gretzky when he was only 10 years old??? I can thank Dan Patrick for having him on the show yesterday. It was a great interview! AND my beloved Dodgers won too! I swear I love being an LA sportsfan! Puigapalooza is still going strong! A-Gon is a beast and the team as a whole just gets better and better. I absolutely adore Puig's hugging...lol I bet he's a big ol' teddy bear! Game #2 tonight everyone! Another step closer to the cup! I'm not even worried they lost game #1...heck, they can even lose another game - because they are THE KINGS and they WILL FIGHT for their spot in the Stanley Cup Finals! The Kings played a hell of a game Sunday - and with little rest and travel on top of that! I think they'll come out on fire tonight!
I totally dig this shirt - (you can get one here: http://teamlastore.com/collections/kings-2014-playoffs/products/los-angeles-kings-pluck-chicago-t-shirt ) It's so clever! Anywho, I truly believe what ever team wins this series will win the cup. Go Kings GO! Ah macaroni salad. I can't say I have always admired the creamy concoction, but as I've gotten older it's appeal has grown. I don't have a recipe, but I can share what I put into mine that makes it where each savory, spicy, crunchy bite leaves you wanting more. Ingredients: small elbow macaroni, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, red onion, peas, cucumber (seeds removed), pepperoncini, Best Foods Mayo, apple cider vinegar, pepperoncini liquid, plenty of salt, pepper & cayenne. All vegetables diced and add all of the rest of the ingredients to taste. Key is to let it refrigerate for at least a couple of hours to allow the flavors to marry. Bon Appetite! Do you believe in The Grays? I never have, but watching movies that claim to be based on true events about these beings makes me really wonder. Last night I watched "Dark Skies" http://www.allmovie.com/movie/dark-skies-v572437. A movie based on a family being visited by "The Grays" as they call them. I don't scare easily, and love me some creepy movies, but this one made me scream out loud! More than once! It was a good movie, in my opinion, even though it didn't get good critic ratings. The end was actually unpredictable and surprised me. Another movie that absolutely TERRIFIED me, was "Fire in the Sky" http://www.allmovie.com/movie/fire-in-the-sky-v17400. Again, it didn't get good critic ratings, but it was a great movie in my opinion. The part that really scared me were the scenes where Travis Walton is recalling his abduction. What happens to him scared me so bad I was speechless with tears running down my face. There were actual witnesses to his abduction in 1975. Then there's the movie "Signs" http://www.allmovie.com/movie/signs-v263250 which I believe most people watched because of the success of M. Night Shyamalan and it starred Mel Gibson and Juaquin Phoenix. The scene where there is a "Gray" being spotted in Mexico by children at a birthday party made me jump out of my chair. The little hairs on my body stood straight up as I watched it over and over. Another great movie on visits from aliens. "Swing away Merrill...Merrill swing away." My curiosity lies in the fact that almost all of the alleged alien sightings resemble each other. They look like The Grays. If they do exist, and so many have seen them, why aren't there photos or video of them? In this day and age, the technology we have is literally at our fingertips. One can use their cell phone in a matter of seconds to capture these beings. Unless, perhaps, they are too terrified and in shock to do so. Game 7??? Game 7??? GAME SEVEN!!!! I don't know how much more I can take! My tummy has been hurting for 2 days and now I am starting to think it's NERVES. The worst part? We have tickets to see Journey & Steve Miller at the Hollywood Bowl tomorrow night so I can't even WATCH it! If we weren't going with friends, I'd try and sell the concert tickets then buy tickets to game 7! Maybe it's a sign. Maybe I am not meant to watch game 7. I can't afford to have a heart attack! The Kings played SO hard last night! They were hungry for Duck, big time! And it proved the needed win. I love how aggressive they were, either trying to score or defending Quick. My adrenaline goes into overdrive. I can only imagine how they feel themselves! Let's hope I'll be writing about our first win against the Blackhawks on Monday! (Crossing fingers, toes, legs, arms, eyes....LOL) As I was watching the Kings, I was following the Dodgers on Twitter. I couldn't believe my eyes when I grabbed my phone and it said "6-0 Marlins" in the SECOND? Holy crap. What happened? Maholm?" Did Maholm happen? Vin Scully tweeted "If you're a Dodger fan and missed the second inning, good for you." Then they score another 6 in the 4th? OMG...I can't deal. I put my phone away and waited until it was over to check the final score. 13-3. At least Puigapalooza is still going strong with 14 games in a row. Atta boy, Yasi. I know the Dodger's aren't going to win them all, it's a long, long, LONG season. But I don't like the ass whoppin. DodgersNation tweeted this morning "Let's forget what happened last night. Arizona this weekend. #LetsSwim." LMAO! That made me truly forget the horrible game last night and reflect on the glorious win in Arizona watching the Dodgers jump in the D'Backs pool like a bunch of rowdy little boys. One of the best Dodger memories I'll have for a long time to come. Tony is the biggest slime ball since Juan Pablo. Just sayin. One of the sweet things in life being a true fan of your team, through good times and bad (Frankrupt anyone?), is watching a legend in the making. Yes, Yasiel Puig. Vin's "Wild Horse", our super-human phenomena. With an arm like Superman, speed like, well, Dee Gordon, and a pure muscle machine of power at bat, he's every baseball fan's dream come true. He appears kind, funny and a real team player. It took a while, and he's still growing up, but he's come a long way in under a year. I have to admit, I haven't been following the whole ordeal over Yasiel's defection from Cuba much. My biggest fear is something happening that will cut his brilliant career short. Without knowing all of the details, and I am sure it's not anything similar, but being blindsided by the Aaron Hernandez case (yes, he was on my Fantasy Football Team!) was enough shock. I wish Yasiel Puig a long, healthy, kick-ass career...especially as a Dodger. GO KINGS GO: On to the next topic. Dare I say it? Game 6 of the Kings vs Ducks game tonight. Holy SMOKES am I going to be a nervous wreck watching it! Monday night, my die-hard Kings fan son and his 2 buddies were watching it with my husband and I. I happened to notice Jacob was wearing his Dustin Brown Jersey. Uh-oh. When the Kings were in the Sharks series, he wore his Drew Doughty jersey when they won the series. As the game got to 4-1 he ran upstairs and came back down as swift as lightning with his Doughty jersey on. My husband yells "What are you DOING? That's BAD LUCK! You're MESSING WITH THEIR MOJO!!!" and I jumped in, as the protective and loving wonderful mother I am (LOL) and said "No, I was uneasy this whole time he was wearing his Brown jersey! He is doing the RIGHT THING!" So we watch. 4-2. 4-3. Yes...come on...Kopitar, DO SOMETHING FOR PETE'S SAKE!!!! Well, you know the rest. Who is Pete, anyway? So. My son works tonight. I have a feeling there will be no jersey wearing, no lucky Carter shirt, no nothing of superstition of any kind. If all's fair, we'll get this home ice "advantage" win tonight. Let's pretend we're on Duck Dynasty, sport a "playoff beard" and kill those irritating Ducks. I love how ladylike I am. PENNY DREADFUL: OH. MY. GOD. Here I thought FARGO was my new saving grace for my twisted need of a bizarre, unusual, delightfully creepy, sinfully wicked drama to watch. For me, the pilot is EVERYTHING. It has to have suspenseful, sort of eerie opening credits. Dexter, Six Feet Under and Carnivàle were some of my favorites. Penny Dreadful has an awesome opening credit. It also has to contain enough suspense, action, drama and horror to really grab my attention. Oh yes, Penny Dreadful, from what I saw in the first episode is my cup of "tea" (that turns to blood and spills over onto the floor metaphorically speaking). I don't want to divulge any specifics. The element of surprise is very crucial here. And I guarantee, you'll be hooked from the very first episode. As I talked about the comparison of Aaron Hernandez with my fear of losing Puig, such is the like of this show. Penny Dreadful seems to have the same qualities Carnivàle had. That show was so weird, so creepy, so intense, so sick, so evil...it was my favorite of all time. Even more so than Dexter. Just as it was getting SO GOOD, the show abruptly ended after two seasons. WHAT THE FUCK? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! WHY? is what I was ranting for weeks after the show ended and wasn't renewed. It was THAT good. Get a life, right? I have to tell you, if you have time on your hands and know up front that it is only 2 seasons long...watch it. You won't regret it. Even though it leaves you wanting SO much more, you'll be lucky to have known the likes of Samson, Ben, Brother Justin, Sofie and Jonesy, to name just a small few. I hope Penny Dreadful lasts a long time. I need my guilty pleasures. And shows like this are just the perfect kind. I was surprised yesterday by my Son Kyle with this clever handmade card for Mother's Day (MoTHRS Day, rather.) LOL ~ but his words are so wonderful, witty and TRUE. My favorite part "So Dad can't be a jerk" - So my husband says "Why am I always the jerk?" We said "Because you ARE!" LOL! I was woken up briefly and swiftly by my oldest Son Jacob, who squeezed me tight and said "Happy Mother's Day Mama! I love you!" as he was leaving for work around 11ish. I fell back asleep and woke up at 1:00 pm! When I woke back up, it was to the smell of roasted jalapenos, onions, tomatoes and garlic. My husband was making his roasted homemade salsa. When I came downstairs there was a Happy Mother's Day balloon, a Pandora gift bag and my beautiful card. Inside the gift bag was this elegant "limited edition" Pandora charm in a gorgeous ceramic holder. My gift from my boys. My Pandora charm bracelet is so full now - I can barely put it on. But I love what each charm represents and who they are from. My day was relaxing, calm, quiet. The Chardonnay was flowing, the wind was blowing and it was a perfect Mother's Day. I am not much of a beef eater, but braised short ribs are my absolute favorite. I was craving them and my husband was home Friday so he agreed to make some (With Cabernet Sauvignon, beef broth, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, jalapenos & habaneros)! I had been seeing a lot of dishes lately on The Food Network that contained polenta. I've never had polenta and wanted to see what I may or may not have been missing out on. As I browsed google images for braised short ribs with polenta, I noticed it was a common pairing. Friday night's dinner was going to be just that. However, when I made the polenta and tasted it, I was completely disappointed. The texture and the flavor were not what I had been expecting at all. My husband tasted it and said the same thing - YUCK. So we ended up eating the braised short ribs on their own. I am also not much of a left over eater. No one in our house is. But the short ribs were SO good - I couldn't let them go to waste. I decided to reheat the short ribs in their original juices then strained them over a sauce pan leaving the deliciously spicy au jus. I removed the bones, any chunks of carrot & celery that remained and spooned generous portions of the short ribs on a freshly baked baguette. I topped it with cheddar and pepper jack cheese then broiled it until it melted. The end result was a fantastic braised short rib dip that was to die for! This will now become a regular dish in our house! In keeping up with superstitions, I had to make another blog post with a cute "Go Kings Go" cartoon. I love that we're leading the series 2-0. Now that we're at home, The Kings have even more momentum and desire to win for the fans (and the organization, of course!) Watching game 2 was awesome. The Kings fans chanting GO KINGS GO over the Duck fans was awesome once again. Quick was in exceptional form. He never ceases to amaze me with his skill. "You know why they call him Quick? Cuz he Quick!" is what we say in our house all of the time. Damn he's an amazing Goalie! Game #3 is in a little over 7 hours...how I wish I was going to Staples Center. But best believe I'll be watching from home. Thank goodness the LA Kings franchise didn't sell out to SportsNet LA like the Dodgers did! Let's do this again Kings! #GoKingsGo |
AuthorFinding therapy through writing, self-reflection and the pursuit of what defines me. Categories
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