Flip-flops in NY (Babytease)

No Sugar and LOST!

No sugar, or substitute, all day long.  It was easier than I thought it would be, once I put my mind to it.  I need to do this more often.

LOST is back, finally.  We have been so excited about this.  I really want to buy Season 3.  To think that there will only be 7 or 8 episodes.  I've heard two different things now.  I've never been too crazy about Matthew Fox, but after seeing him in "We Are Marshall" I was so impressed with his performance.  The "Fast Forward" episode was also good acting on his part.  Vantage Point looks pretty good.  I don't know how much acting he will be doing in Speed Racer...  I LOVE THIS SHOW.  I miss my other shows, but this one is still my favorite of all time.

Sugar Fast for one day

Thursday, Jan 31, I am going on a sugar strike.  I am no nutritionist, but I am going to cut out as much sugar as possible.  This is including my diet soda, Crystal Light, and desserts and candy of any kind.  I heard on Oprah the other day that my hair loss could be due to too much sugar, which could be turning to testosterone at my age, which then causes facial hair and hair loss!  Now, I know this could not be what is happening to me, but I really do consume way too much sugar each day.  I only drink one glass of diet soda a day, and no regular soda for years now.  No juice due to allergies, but I do drink Crystal Light, but it is just so sweet tasting so I water it down.  This is the only way I can drink water - but not tomorrow.  Just plain water for me.  I need to stop my sugar craving.  Forget about craving, addiction.  I am allergic to chocolate and would never eat it until I found out about five years ago that I was allergic to it.  Crazy how the brain works, huh?  I found out about most of my allergies just a few years ago and have been able to work around most of my medical problems since, getting off medications.  But I've increased my sugar intake.  I have also developed a belly that I never had, no matter how over weight I always was.  I have made realization about my age, my body, hormones and so on, but there are things I won't accept.  I know I can act on some of these.  So I hope you can wish me luck tomorrow.

Today's Breakfast

Tablecloth from Walmart $5.67, Four pack of blac napkins $5.98, Candles $2.99 each, Candle holders on sale at Pottery Barn $7.98 each, Shells mostly free from the ocean, Cake stand from Michael's on sale for $3.99,

Breakfast made by my son... Priceless

He made scrambled eggs with Keilbasa (spelling?) and toast.  And there were left over, homemade blueberry muffins he toasted up also.  We have Crystal Light Lemonade now instead of juice these days.

That's my boy.  I was busy ironing that tablecloth and those napkins.  Though you couldn't tell.  That's probably the reason why I hate to iron, as soon as you do, it gets wrinkled again.

Diane Lane & Colin Hanks

I heard an announcer say a critic gave this movie a comparison to 'Silence of the Lambs'... Yes, that would sum it up.  I actually did the same thing in the theater on Tuesday.  I like Diane Lane, she was very believeable.  If you want to compare Colin Hanks to his dad, don't bother.  They are two different people, two different actors.  And if you are into the cyber aspect, you will really like this.  So now, do you remember how scary Silence of the Lambs was?  Well, the yuckiness of this movie will make up for it.  So get ready.

Untraceable

   

Crate & Barrel

I received the C&B catalog about a week ago and spotted this little gem.  I wanted it right away.  I've seen chefs on TV use them, and I hate chopping herbs.  I always find one or two things, but resist because I don't like to pay for shipping in case I have to return something.  There is also a C&B about three blocks away from work. 

 

Yesterday on the way home from work I decided to go in and buy it.

It gets dark about 4:30 everyday right now.  Can you believe the amount of free papers here on the corner?  They give away two of them at the subway stations each weekday morning.  The Village Voice is free in Manhattan.  Anyway, back to my new toy.  I found it right away, and controlled myself by not buying anything else.  I use my mini-chopper to make my sofrito, but this will be perfect for Cilantro and Chives and other herbs I use often.

Taxes and Pastrami

Where I work 9 to 5 they usually give us our W-2s very early in January.  Years ago I got into the habit of taking my taxes to get worked on as early as possible because I needed my return money right away that year.  Well, I found out the earlier you send in your paperwork, the faster they send you your return checks.  I love the direct-deposit aspect too.  No waiting for a check in the snail mail.  I love when money just appears in my account!  What a great surprise, even when you know it's coming. I find if I send my taxes in January, I usually will get my money in 3 to 4 weeks.  My friends are sitting and waiting for months because they waited until March and April!

So today after work I went to my favorite person to do my taxes.  She's been doing them for about 12 years.  My son doesn't have a babysitter any longer because he's 15, so I don't get the credit, but my person has all my info in her computer and whips my stuff out in a jiffy.  I love it because I don't need an appointment and there was no waiting because it's so early.  Tonight she even told me "You are always my first client, every year now."  We chit-chat, which she doesn't get to do with most other people.

THEN, Scott and I went to Katz's Deli for dinner.  When my mom first moved us up to NY from Tampa , my uncle took us to eat there.  I had never had food like that.  Tonight Scott and I shared a Pastrami on Italian bread with two kinds of dill pickles and fries.  What a meal!  We shared the one meal and I left food on my plate.  The sandwich is soooo big, you just can't believe it.  I didn't take any pics because I don't normally take my camera to work.  I'm going to start doing that again.

It's located on East Houston Street, on the corner of Ludlow Street (The new Lower East Side).  Russ & Daughters is on the next block, going to the right (West).  I got this pic from Wikipedia.  Where the crane is to the left, Katz's lost their parking garage and now there is a very tall, brand new building.   But it doesn't take away from the flavor of the food.

New Name

I'm having some difficulty deciding on a new name for my blog.  I called my old blog "Baby Tease" from my Baby T-Shirt making days.  I haven't made a T-shirt in so long and indulge in so many other crafts.  I also blog about other things and wanted to name my blog something closer to me than a craft that isn't about me anymore.  A color wouldn't describe me.  My ethnicity only really comes through in my cooking or when I speak in that language. 

I love crafting, but my life has been cluttered with crap for the last six to eight months and I haven't been able to finish a project.  It's very depressing.  My niece was pregnant.  I was crocheting her son a blanket and pillow and had to stop because of my migraines.  That was very defeating.  I'm home right now because of a migraine.  I am the luckiest woman in the world because I have a 15 year old son that knows what I am going through and helps when I feel like this.  He's in school right now, so I'll be able to rest and relax today, and he will fix something for dinner tonight.  In the meantime I'll feel guilty for not getting anything done in the apartment after being home all day long.  Migraines suck.  It also sucks to want to craft and not be able to.

Back to my dilema.  There are so many things that I love, but would I name my blog after them?  I don't think so.  I love the beach and shells, and going to Florida for vacation, but I live in NYC.  I wish I had a cottage or a bungalow with a room to sew and craft in, but I live in a small apartment, with not a whole lot of space for mess.  Books.  I love to read.  Regency, Victorian times, mostly stories with heroines.  Murder mysteries.  But I wouldn't name my blog about that.  Cooking?  I love to cook, and I want to learn how to bake this year.  That is my goal for 2008.  Slowly I want to acquire a few more implements and I'll have two or three signature dishes, would you call them?  I want a fudge recipe, and a cookie or two, and a cake.  My own recipes.  I watch FoodNetwork and rework the recipes all of the time.

I can't come up with anything now.  I don't want anything silly.  I'm not a silly person.  It's hard for me to describe myself.  And then my name is so common, especially on these blogs!  Kim.  But from my name you can't tell my mother is Puerto Rican, or at least her parents were.  In my blog I combine all of my interests, including film and my friends and family - and my love of the holidays.

Oh, and it never snowed.  It rained all night long, thank goodness.

Jalissa's Birthday

My friend Wendy celebrated her daughter's 15th birthday at Bubba Gump Shrimp in Times Square.  Tourist trap, but that's what her daughter wanted.  We had a great time, and she had a ball.  Great food, better friends, what more could a girl want?

   

HP and the Half-Blood Prince

Here's a sneak peak I found:

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Got my laptop back!

I am so relieved to get my computer back.  I still feel so bad about losing so much before, but I am going to be real careful now.  I was still able to use my work computer, but it's not the same.  I missed this thing so much.  It was not there when I really wanted it. I haven't downloaded my Xmas pics yet.  Boy am I glad I made a habit of putting everything on CD before deleting it from my camera. So at least I didn't lose all of them.

It's been so warm in NY the past couple of days.  It feels wonderful!  Last week it was in the teens and twenties.  I'm sure it will be like that again soon, probably in a couple of days.  In the meantime, we are all enjoying the break.

So now I'm off to putting all of my bells and whistles back in my computer... later!