Wait..'mango' doesn't start with a 'J'!

Bad Alphabet

2008-12-11T14:36:27Z

I am making a bad alphabet.
This is what I have so far. Any suggestions?

A is for Aisle
B is for
C is for Czar
D is for
E is for Eisenhower
F is for
G is for Gnu
H is for
I is for Illegal
J is for Jalapenos
K is for Knowledge
L is for
M is for Mnemonic
N is for
O is for Oedipus
P is for Phlegm
Q is for Qatar
R is for
S is for Shoe
T is for Tsunami
U is for
V is for
W is for Writing
X is for
Y is for Yttrium
Z is for

Thanks!

Yay Xmas meme

2008-11-21T20:21:33Z

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper! I have a collection.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real if we can. this year I am leaving for the Turks and cacos the day after Christmas...so the tree at my folks house will have to do.
To compensate I have bought a three foot silver tinsel tree from Target...to go clashy-vintage for a year.

3. When do you put up the tree? Second week of December. It smells soooo good.

4. When do you take the tree down? Right after New Years.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, but I like it with Brandy in more then rum.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A stuffed Snowman who sings Frosty the Snowman. Also Teddy Ruxpin. I was OBSESSED with Teddy Ruxpin.

7. Clear or colored lights? Clear

8. Easiest person to buy for? My Mom. I have to stop myself from just picking things up as I go, otherwise my mom would end up wiht three hundred gifts and everyone else would get one thing.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Nope...but technically the weird cubist woodsen one at my folks house is mine...

10. Best Christmas gift you ever received? My knives. I don't think my folks have given me a cooking-related item I don't use everyday or at least every week.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A pink fuzzy sweater ala Clueless from my aunt while I was in my grudge phase.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Muppet Christmas Carol

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? All year on-and-off, hard-core September on. I like giving gifts.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes, its what Yankee Swaps are for!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Foie Gras on Christmas Eve, Whiskey Sours, Popeye's chocolate pound cake and Judy's rum cake.

16. Lights on the tree? Definitely.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Shepard's Pipe Carol, especially the James Gallway version

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I go to my folks house.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve with my folks friends, and nuclear fam on the morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Plastic...lots and lots of plastic...everywhere

23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Chestnut Puree

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Ukulele and a GMAT tutor

25. Who is most likely to respond to this? I think I'm late to this meme.

Sally Fourth

2008-10-16T17:24:01Z

I <3 the "New Delhi Monkey Gang"...I will be sad to see it change. http://tinyurl.com/ysr7rk

Taverna Kefi

2008-09-09T15:41:37Z

In July a new restaurant opened in my neighborhood. I didn’t really give much head since, as I have mentioned previously, I already had a neighborhood place I love. The Royal Mile Pub, my favorite neighborhood establishment, sits less then a block from my now favorite neighborhood restaurant, Taverna Kefi .

The place took over the old Sir Walter Raleigh building. Restaurants don’t seem to last long in this location. I hope this time Taverna Kefi will prove resilient.

The owner’s formerly owned Barnaby’s pub/sports bar on University Boulevard. I always meant to check the place out, but since it was in the strip I somehow never got there. Again, my obsession with the Pub superseded the need to explore more bars.

On Saturday evening late the girl, the boy and I headed to the Pub, saw it was full and trekked down the street to this new place. A coworker who is also from my neighborhood had recommended it. She encouraged me to try several of the appetizers, describing them as “tapas-like”. She seemed pleasantly surprised to have such a gustatory feast on our doorsteps and really encouraged me to visit. Well I was even more surprised when our decidedly un-“tapas-like” appetizers appeared!

In DC a lot of tapas ranges in prices from around $3-$10 a plate depending on the type of dish. Obviously a great scallop might bump it over the 10 mark, but most items fit neatly in this range and you can eat and share many of them. The Appetizers at Taverna Kefi, range from $5-$10 with one items, a dish for two at $16. But these appetizers are NOT tapas. They are generous portions and absolutely delicious.

For my supper I unwittingly chose 4 items off the list, thinking small plates would arrive.
My first dish was Horta. Horta is a cold dish of steamed dandelion greens with fried onions, lemon and olive oil. The dish is a lovely combination of the bitterness of the greens, bright tang of lemon and the crisp texture of the onions. I was in heaven.

Following that came two other dishes, Kolokythokeftetes, a hot dish of shredded zucchini patties mixed with mint, scallions and served with cool rich tzatziki, and Saganaki which is Kefalograviera cheese sprinkled with oregano and freshly squeezed lemon and served with tomato confit. Both dishes were excellent. There were four shredded zucchini patties as big as my palm. Kefalograviera cheese is a hard cheese. It comes out in a dish with a fine coating of breading just to get the nice browned layer on the top.

The tomato confit that comes with the cheese is to die for. I think it’s a mixture of cherry tomatoes and honey. They could can it and I eat it for breakfast everyday.

My last dish was the Pites which are stuffed pastry dough full of Spanakopita (spinach & feta), Tyropita (cheese), Prasopita (leek & feta). While all three were delicious the real stand out is the Prasopita.

Please check out their amazing menu!

The waitstaff was patient as the girl and I waited for the boy’s arrival, and attentive. They calmly repeated the specials once he arrived and smiled the whole time. One of the owners helped walk us through the menu when she came to check on our table.

We took half of the food we ordered home with us because we simply ordered too much and it was real treat to eat on Sunday. This place is humongous and will be a great place to bring large groups. They even have a special dessert, which can be requested before you come because it’s a trifle for ay least 6 people!

So call me if you want to go to Taverna Kefi! I’m in! http://www.tavernakefi.com/

Visual Meme (thanks lady!)

2008-08-15T20:44:55Z

hunh...

killer_mango @ 2008-08-15T11:34:00

2008-08-15T15:36:30Z

I am going to see Michael Buble on October 1st in Bmore with The Boy and Mr. and Mrs. Kwas.

YAY!!!! Also my lunch today is an arugula, green leaf, Feta, Gorgonzola, blueberry, mandarin orange salad with Raspberry vinaigrette dressing. I forgot to top with pecans....sigh

YAY!

Mia Familia

2008-07-15T17:29:48Z

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

killer_mango @ 2008-06-06T15:18:00

2008-06-06T19:18:12Z

DC is now and has been for around a week clouded by that thin ever present veil of haze that hangs in the air like ineffectual mosquito netting for the duration of the warmest months. It must be summer.

killer_mango @ 2008-04-15T10:06:00

2008-04-15T14:06:57Z

I just went from being busy to being ridiculous-I-think-I'm-going-to-cry-busy in about 10 minutes.

Snow

2008-01-15T17:17:05Z

Its snowing. Thats what I keep telling myself.

In reality it is a flurry, like tiny dust particles glinting and swirling past my window.

But I tell myself its snowing, because I have mint cocoa in my hands and an oil heater under my desk.

On one side of my desk is a stack of RFPs waiting to find out if I will submit a proposal.

But I tell myself its snowing.

grrr..arrrgh

2007-06-13T20:27:04Z

http://myelvesaredifferent.blogspot.com/2007/05/blog-like-its-end-of-world-bliteotw.html

Right. Take car. Go to mum's. Grab Mum, Da, and Liz, go to the Royal Mile Pub, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over. How's that for a slice of fried gold?

Heros

2007-06-05T17:34:56Z

Yesterday was rough. But today there are only 8 people in my office. They are nice and it is breezy out so I decided, why go wandering willy-nilly for lunch? I organized a big order of salads and pizzas for the group and went and got it. I was a hero for an hour.

I like being a hero.

killer_mango @ 2007-05-23T13:49:00

2007-05-23T17:50:09Z

Scary easter Candy

2007-03-29T18:14:21Z

Behold! The four horseman of the apocalypse!

http://mfrost.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/03/26/peeps.jpg

Leaving, on a jet plane...

2007-03-28T19:43:49Z

I am going on an airplane tomorrow. I am very excited. I will be off to St. Louis to see my gal pal. Going to see her fiancee's show. I just can't wait. Needed to share!

Yay!

Almost over!

2007-03-22T20:12:24Z

Its Thursday!!!

killer_mango @ 2007-03-13T13:48:00

2007-03-13T17:48:18Z

My room mate made me do it:

Your results:
You are Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)

Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)		85%
Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)		80%
Inara Serra (Companion)		65%
Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic)		65%
Jayne Cobb (Mercenary)		60%
Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)		55%
Wash (Ship Pilot)		55%
Derrial Book (Shepherd)		40%
Alliance		30%
River (Stowaway)		25%
A Reaver (Cannibal)		5%

You are good at fixing things.
You are usually cheerful.
You appreciate being treated
with delicacy and specialness.

Click here to take the "Which Serenity character am I?" quiz...

Jury duty

2007-03-09T16:32:40Z

I am not serving on a jury. I find this mildly sad. I'm not doing anything particularly engrossing at work at the moment, so the timeing is not bad at all. It is a responsibility that women in the United States have not had for very long. At times like these, where we find ourselves at war, trying to bolster a democratic process in other nations in the world, my right to be considered a "peer" in order to make a judgement about the breaking of our laws feels like a gift. Its a good thing, our trial of your peers attempt. I kind of regret not being able to sit in on the process. I know its not exciting or glamorous, or even paying, but it is a chance to learn more about the system, uphold laws, or find out more about things that I think are unjust. Its a tricky system that I have never really been exposed to.

Hmm.

hmm

2007-03-09T15:54:51Z

You scored as Postmodernist. Postmodernism is the belief in complete open interpretation. You see the universe as a collection of information with varying ways of putting it together. There is no absolute truth for you; even the most hardened facts are open to interpretation. Meaning relies on context and even the language you use to describe things should be subject to analysis.

</td>

Existentialist

69%

Postmodernist

69%

Cultural Creative

63%

Idealist

50%

Materialist

44%

Romanticist

38%

Modernist

38%

Fundamentalist

25%

What is Your World View?
created with QuizFarm.com

ups and downs

2007-03-06T18:04:41Z

After a successful weokr week of many hours and late nights I retunred to work on monday only to find my computer had decided to just give up. After months of other problems, finally my email client decided it needed a fresh start. That was almost the last straw. The last straw came later on in the day when the computer refused to save anything. Word, photoshop, indesign. You name it...it refused to save it.

So now I have a spiffy new computer for a week. Then I get a spiffy old computer.

But the day was not a total wash. In fact my marketing director started to teach me to skateboard. It was way way cool to watch him do tricks on the crappy $10 board I bought at target. It was awesome. Now all I need is to remeber my helmet and away I go.

Oh, my cell phone fell in the sink sunday night while i was washing dishes so if anyone has tried to call me...I may or may not be getting the messeges...new phone on the way.

And now back to searching the net for the awesomest retainer case I can...(I love you r_ness)

Short

2007-02-26T14:29:50Z

The shorts nominated for Oscars this year were really great. If you have a chance you should see them. Especially The Danish Poet which is absolutely beautiful.

killer_mango @ 2007-02-21T19:55:00

2007-02-21T21:55:21Z

In related news, my car is mostly only superficially damaged. The bracket connecting the muffler to the engine, cracked, but thats it. I may go to Subaru for a more extensive work up.

But from what I've been told by my star witness, the other car was not looking so hot. Apparently he'd bumped me hard enough to dent his front bumper pretty badly, crush part of his hood, crack one headlight, and bend the hood up.

I'm still shocked this guy drove away.

I am grateful for my Subaru. And my roommate.

Hit-and-Run

2007-02-21T20:37:18Z

Basically I'm breaking down here for no reason.

Last night at 6:30 I was turning onto Amherst with the left turn signal from University. I was going towards the metro to pick up my roommate.
Anyway, someone was trying to make a left into the pet hospital, behind them was a ride on bus, behind them was the car in front of me...then me...and I stopped and we couldn't get around because someone was parked on the right side and no one could get passed the bus.
3 seconds after I stopped the guys behind me hit me.
My head hit my head rest but I felt fine, just resigned and annoyed. So he puts on his blinker to get over and I put mine on. At this point the person had made the turn into the pet hospital and the bus had moved on, traffic was now driving around us on the right, so I couldn't move over.
Once they stopped coming, I moved to the right. I was dazed, and reached down for a pen. By the time I sat up the other car was gone. I waited for a few moments trying to figure out if maybe they just pulled further down Amherst or what had happened. Then someone knocked on my window and gave me the plate number of the guy that hit me, and his info, and explained, "Nope, they just completely drove off"

It took me three tries to write down the license number he gave me. So I pulled further down Amherst hoping maybe they'd just pulled into the metro lot (they had not), and then I called the police. And hour later they came, I told them everything I know etc. The two officers were really great and terribly attractive, which I will admit did a lot for my mental state because while I have been rear-ended before, I have certainly never had a hit-and-run, and grokking the situation was difficult for me. And then my roommate and I went home. She had generously walked over to Pho Hiep Ho and bought us the dinner we had meant to get and then bought me a purple gorilla. His name is Ferdinand and he is sitting on my desk.

So the gist is I'm sore between my shoulder blades and around my shoulders at the bottom of my neck. I think its just tension. My car has a bunch of scrapes on the bumper, and something is wrong whit the muffler as it no longer muffles anything. It makes my whole car vibrate. I left it over with Butch at midway garage to assess damage as to weather I need to go through my insurance agency or not.

I slept horribly last night. I still have this damn cough, and now I'm breaking down for no good reason.

Also I'd like to just go but my cars in the shop, so I can't leave work to get lunch, and I don't want to go sit in the kitchen with everyone, because I'm just out of it and weird.

I just feel broken.

So yeah, that’s it.

(This next bit is written an hour or so later, after having obtained food, and ice cream, celebrating the 50 degree weather outside)

On the up side, my evening plans consist of going home and baking my personal witness to the crime some cookies, and then calling and asking if I might have his address so as to mail them. This guy was so great folks. He was calm, and patient with me, obviously on his way home, but stopped long enough to memorize plates and give them to me, along with his contact info.
I am very grateful for this person who was so generous with his time and patience. It was the happy surprise.

The accident could have been worse. But for me the “hit and run” portion of the scenario makes me feel incredibly violated. I guess this violation is what is so alarming to my system right now.

Mmmm tasty

2007-02-20T17:58:54Z

In my Baci candy this morning, I found this loverly turn of phrase in several languages.
I think the Italian says it best...but the english is not far behind:

Il piacere e un peccato, ma il peccato e un piacere.

Please is a sin but sinning is a pleasure.

Mmmmm tasty sin.

Tee hee

killer_mango @ 2007-02-16T13:46:00

2007-02-16T18:48:42Z

Its always worse, somewhere else.
http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/conditions.php

As of this post, -11.2°F, 298° (NW), 0.3 mph. But Check out those 24 hour high wind speed. 124 mph anyone?

Mwah, think warm and toasty thoughts.