A little trip down memory lane...circa 2008

So, after watching Sex and the City 2 Friday night as I promised I would, I started to take a detour down memory lane as I was chatting with a friend at Cherry Creek Mall. We both reminisced my dating blunders and I told her that while I was thinking how funny and dramatically pathetic my latter single-hood was, I was a feeling not so right in sharing these stories now in this forum. Because, after all, I am married, happily! We had a little discussion, oh, for about 1 minute, and concluded that because it was inspired by SATC, and I was mostly single when I was watching SATC (except for this last movie), it would be okay for me to take a supervised detour down that road. For a very limited time. And because a few friends (married before me) always had the joy of vicariously enjoying my exploits (regardless of my temporal pleasure). Now, I can laugh about it and hopefully, my husband has a sense of humor.

So, I bring to you Memory Lane's newest and most recent addition before being shut down, the year 2008. 2008 included the Sausage Guy (seriously, this pertains to food, really!!!), Superman, and the Russian (and believe me, this Russian is no where as enticing as Carrie's Russian). There are a few others. I am going to enjoy the holiday tomorrow and I have some plans as long as Lidiya does not have her baby tomorrow. Look forward to a walk down memory lane this week! Bring a Diet Pepsi and a cupcake to the computer and have a few short reads!

Am I a visitor already?

After spending so much time getting acclimated to Florida, I felt a little odd coming back to Colorado. I did not really think about it till about a week before my arrival in Denver. Jeff told me that I may feel like I am out of place. I definitely feel out of place when I went to pick up my bags and Sarah and Kaya were there waiting for me, the traveller. Colorado is finally enjoying nice mid 70s weather and I can't even appreciate it since I have been going to the beach, tanning, and swimming every day in 85 degree weather. I knew weather would have its effect. Just being back in Colorado with out my own car or place to live obviously makes me feel out of place. I am so grateful I have a car to use on the weekdays and a place to live for the total three weeks that I will be here.

On the few occasions where I feel like a local, I am reminded that I live in Florida when someone at the store asks for my ID, or someone asks for my number. I am no longer a 720 person; I belong to 941. How odd is that? And that's coming from someone who had to accept a 720 area code who lived in 303 land for a long time! If it was not for a few favorite people in Colorado, I think I would still be enjoying the Florida sunshine! Maybe, THEY should be the visitors! I am heading back June 8. Is anybody coming with me?

Sex and The City

So, I am obsessed. Obsessed like a school child. I love SATC. I even tried to win two tickets to the movie. FB had me as a fan of SATC and I somehow signed up for an opportunity to have SJP call me on opening day. Oh my God, how high school. So I punched in the number that they said SJP would call for. How ridiculous do I feel to have "Sarah Jessica Parker" on my phone list? Really freaking ridiculous! But let's not stop there.   When I found out that I could read an easy cheesy brain candy kind of book, I felt lucky!Joy!! The Carrie Diaries was a fast read and a little introduction to the beginnings of Carrie Bradshaw before New York. It's kind of funny that I always was wondering about her beginnings as I related to her the most (we are all always a mixture of the four women) and she never really talks about her past at all. I read this book in about 2-3 sittings. I had to have a SATC fix before going this Friday to see SATC2!

So, what's the plan for Friday? Sarah and I (and maybe others, if they can escape for the event) are meeting up for dinner and a late show of SATC2. I am going to dress up the best I can and we are going to have a nice dinner and off to the races! I am even going to get the movie tickets early so they are not sold out! Thinking ahead...nothing will get between me and my four OTHER friends. See you then!

Learning Italian in my spare time or Why I love free iPhone apps

While I see how much joy the $15 MLB app has brought Jeff, I am not interested in the least little itty bitty bit in paying for apps if I can get useful ones for free. I have found some very useful ones that I use almost daily or weekly. My newest favorite finds are my two foreign language helpers. I have a translating program for free and an Italian study app. While it is not surprising to have a free translator (people use them all the time from the Internet to mislead people into actually thinking they know the language or if they want to engage in foreign foreplay with people on Facebook on other continents), it is a really easy app to have on the iPhone to just click on the icon and it goes right to the site. The other app is an Italian study site that is very basic (I am sure the one they want to charge customers for is much better and thorough). The basics are audio flash cards of 155 words and quizzes and flash cards set up to help you pronounce the word (and it will correctly pronounce when you are ready). I have a beginner's Italian textbook, but I haven't had a chance to delve into it, so exposure to Italian words in my spare time (waiting for a pedicure, for American Idol to start, during TV commercials) is a much better use of the wasted minutes, far better than smoking in my spare time.

These are the apps I have installed and I am searching for a scrabble app. You are supposed to rate them, I suppose. I will just rate them here:
*:haven't actually tried yet
**:okay (meaning if I don't use them in the next 60 days I will unintstall them)
***: very usable
****:I use it all the time

Facebook:*** (except I don't think I am fully utilizing iPhone's capability for FB)
Elle shopping guide:**
Lucky magazine: **
Pandora:****
IMBD(Independent Movie Database):****
WebMD:**
Southwest:***
Allrecipes:***
12-step:**
What's on?(TV schedule):**
Travelocity:**
Translator: * (I will keep it for when I go to Italy next year)
Free Tutorial by AccelaStudy(Italian):***
Zillow:*
Facebook **

New Recipes I've worked on while NOT smoking

So, I've decided that smoking was the same experience it was on December 31 and thus, my 25 day smoking habit in April came to an abrupt halt on April 30. I am happy that the 25 day blip on the radar was just that, a blip. I am so happy to be a non-smoker again. I have been baking cheap desserts for the whole month of May to obtain and justify very refined sugars (like eating  Betty Crocker cream cheese and classic chocolate frosting on cupcakes or right out of the tubs).  Fun-dip and Haribo gummy bears are part of my smoking cessation diet, but Jeff has been cutting me off from sugar around 11pm. 

Other than Betty Crocker invading my kitchen weekly, I am actually keeping true to my resolution to try a new recipe every week. I have made Shepard's Pie (using ground beef and a DIFFERENT recipe that I used for book club years ago), a BBQ sauce and ribs,  a new Alyssa-made concoction to marinade my stir fry (absolutely a zen creation, but tasty nonetheless). The stir fry marinade ingredients were not original by any means, but the quantities were invented on the spot using ginger (fresh off the root), soy sauce, and garlic and a dash of olive oil (I don't know, but EVOO invades most of my recipes somehow).  This cooking horizon is broad and open. I have a year to see how far I can push myself and test my creative juices. I also made a sesame noodle salad with my mother's recipe which turned out well and Jeff liked it as well.

It is fun to cook when you are not smoking for so many reasons:
1.The wonderful aromas are more enticing when you can actually smell them
2. and appreciate the taste!
3.You can actually get cooking and cleaning done faster when you don't have to take frequent smoke breaks.
4. It seems a bit cleaner to cook when you are not dealing with nasty butts (even if you are constantly cleaning your hands before and after smoking which brings me back to #3 with a vengeance!).
5. At least for me, I have an enhanced appetite when I am not smoking and the rewards are actually reaped!

Friends don't let friends cook and smoke!!! COOK, don't SMOKE!!!!