Away in her manger

Shana decorated the tree on Wednesday, then left. That was a first. Off to sleep in her new place, leaving us alone with a twinkling pine and three star-struck cats. Even the dog that would scrounge around, eating through boxed and wrapped chocolate gifts brought home from the office wasn't here anymore. What's Christmasy about that? But tonight, after a mother/daughter movie, the kid followed me home. Cuddled on the sofa for dinner, The Santa Clause and some country Christmas songs show. The Ho Ho Ho is back. 

Arcadia Holiday Reunion

Showed up with my hot date to a sea of faces from the past, including by BFF from second grade. We remembered the slumber parties, my rec room, the panty hose for Junior Assembly, the cool mom that would let us play dress up and the other one that wouldn't (they're still not speaking), and all the years in between. As so many seem to fade away, it was fun to come full circle and add back the long ago to the present, mingling on a beautiful, some of us will never leave, Arizona night.  

Segal's Spectacular Spicy Sausage and Spinach Soup

Even with the wind knocked out of him, the man's a perfectionist. Solid. Thorough. Hand-picking appropriately sized spinach leaves, carefully slicing thin sausage rounds, then halving those, except for the every-now-and-then thicker chunks to tide over the chef. Sautéing, marrying the flavors, adding broth, then noodles, slowly heating to a boil, testing. All for a bowl of soup. That's how it's always been. Thoughtful. Logical. Look it up. Mmmm, it's good. Worth the effort.

Indigo Swing

Johnny Boyd and the Indigo Swing at the Fat Cat Ballroom (no bar in the place, so, of course, we Arcadians had to buy beer to drink in the parking lot - just like the good old days!) before watching Johnny B swing his stuff. Fun, fun.

Book Club - No book, but a Limo!

Twas the night of book club
And all through the town
The ladies went scurrying
Watching Christmas lights full blown

Starting at Louise's
Arugula pesto and Brie
Old friends and new
White elephants under tree

Piled fourteen in limo
Out into the night
Mini me crowd in front
Keeping the downers upright

Passed Little Baby Jesus
Our most precious tradition
Thanks, "I love us"
With never a condition

Cruised to The Coach House
To raise a cup
With all the red above
Looked like Santa threw up

Rolled back to base
Leaving smiling donkeys behind
Until next year
When back in limo we'll climb

"Hold hands and close your eyes."

If it weren't for the cactus and big SUVs out front, it could have passed for a rainy, winter night in Paris. Sidled up to Eddie's bar with big red bows and the coolest bartender in town as the girls gossiped over some vino before hitting the art-filled streets on a it-finally-feels-like-summer's-over night.

12/12/12

How about THAT for a birthday?

Skipping work and taking Shawn the birthday boy down to Bondurant for a few hours around the track.

Crafeteria

First Friday Fun sidling up to the bar at St. Francis,
then perusing away at frances vintage,
with a nightcap at Kitchen 56

Movie Madness - Silver Lining Playbook

Whoa, just when you thought you were the crazy one in the family, everything changes.

The Two-Door Two-Step

I traded the mom sedan for a tiny two-door a few months ago, figuring my days carting around a gaggle of girls, with their muddy soccer cleats and purple softball bats, were over. The first Civic excursion was a summer trip to Pinetop with a sidekick that pops to the top of Camelback Mountain every morning, so she had no problema squeezing into my small, sweet ride as all four cylinders chugged up the big hill. We've had nights on the town since, with four grown-up passengers, not a rolling backpack or bag of Goldfish crackers in sight, that went well, too. But on an excursion last week, with two out of four ladies on the injured list, I was wishing for a mini-van. The tall one with the unbendable ankle cast needed shotgun, leaving the one with a new fixed-up knee to maneuver into the back. It wasn't pretty. Like a game of Twister, everybody called out instructions to both in order to avoid further damage - left foot here, butt first, head down, bend lower, watch out, push the seat back, need some ibuprophen? We all finally made it in and as I drove by the two SUVs parked in front of my house, I wondered why we didn't take somebody else's car. We made our way down the 51 to The Windsor and my prayers were answered when I scored a parking spot right up front, thankfully avoiding a ten minute valet audience while we unraveled ourselves, one backwards, a-la Winnie The Pooh, from the car, until we are all cracking up.

Dear SUV in front of my house, "eat your heart out."

A Sprite, A Rosebud and A Snowflake

All that glitters is gold! I got one of the last tickets today to see Snow Queen, where the Stern Sisters stole the show!

Art Walk

Artsy, fartsy time with Shana, Laurel and Jaye - Herb Boxed it on the patio, then toured the cool galleries and shops, toured the hippest bar, Kelly's, thanks to Shana, found some great stuff and can't stop thinking about Jennyfer Stratman and wondering what it would take to get her to be my friend and let me store some of her pieces in my house.

"She Spent The Season Counting Raindrops"

Movie Madness - Anna Karenina

All the world's a stage. Wait, that's Shakespeare. But check out this Tolstoy classic for the stage scenes alone. Incredible. Marry the older, rich guy, then throw it all away for some hot young thing. Same story, different ball gowns.

Thanks

Thankful for my little turkey, Shana. I hope she, along with her ilk, will make this world a more yummy, peaceful place.

Book Club - Flight Behavior

Soup night at Ronnie's on this Thanksgiving Eve - sort of like the Monarch butterflies in the book (pre-climate change), for reasons unknown to non-butterflies, we keep returning month after month

Pinkalicious

I thought Sugar Bowl lost its wonder decades ago, so I couldn't help but smile when a little girl walked in with her grandmother today and exclaimed, "Whoa! Why is everything so pinkalicious?" Sitting there with Amy, I remembered all the times we were there with our grandmother, surrounded by tea sandwiches, sundaes and Family Circus cartoons, not a sushi bar in sight, and wondered why everything wasn't so pinkalicious anymore.

Vroom vroom

Houston, we have a problem. Austin is on FIRE!!

My guy Lewis WON! So far, we're two-for-two whenever I show up to cheer.

A weekend with a few laughs at Esther's Follies

Stopped by San Antonio to see The Alamo.

Remember?

Did a little Riverwalking..

Movie Madness - A Late Quartet

Life's messy, hard to keep in tune...

T Time

Getting Tucson withdrawal symptoms following May graduation, so we're heading south so Little Wildcat can check out Homecoming, Dr. Everythingwillbealright can get in some medical learnin' and  I get to lounge by a pool and read a book.

Whhaaat'?

Maybe it's all those Cyndi Lauper concerts I went to back in the 80s, but I can't hear anymore. Neither can anybody I hang out with. It's a constant stream of Whats?, Huhs? and doing the smile-and-nods as we secretly try to piece together the charades audio version of auto-correct. What'd he say? ...sounds like? ...starts with a B? Beiber! Justin Beiber!! Sometimes I miss stuff because it's too embarrassing to ask for a repeat. My main conversationalist, Shawn, has got it even worse than me. Lots more concerts back in the day, head-phoned XBox, iPods, shooting things out in the desert and years of playing war games with the US Navy, and we've got issues. The other day we were side-by-side toothbrushing and I asked him about the buzzing lightbulb above one of the sinks. I was really trying to get him to reach up there and take it out. He said, "What buzzing?" "That buzzing," I answered, pointing up. He shook his head. I stopped talking and waited a couple of seconds. "That! Hear that?"  "No," shaking head some more, "it must be a frequency I can't hear."

"Ha! I bet you wish everything I said came out in that frequency! Right?"

Right?

Hello...?

Scorpio Soiree(s)

Whew! So many Scorpios!
Took a couple of weeks to get them all in
Happy Hour at Downside Risk
Bubbly at Vincent's Market and
Sunset at Rita's Kitchen for Jaye, Jilly-B and Laurel
Owe a drink to Lisa all the way out in Tennessee :)
And total Sex And The City Old Town fnb fete tonight for Amy Si and Kathy

Happy, Happy, Happy to all the Ladies!!!

Cheers!

Surrounded by a bunch of recent college grads just clocked-out from their new corporate jobs, "I Voted" stickers still fresh from their first national election, we snuggled up on the couch for a Presidential Political Pizza Party and were stunned by the lights as the channel-surfing, iPad, iPhone, and lap-top hi-tech images spat out numbers adding up to another four years of staying out of new wars, cooling down our planet, teaching real science, giving everybody at the table what's fair and protecting the five precious girls on my couch (and lots more like them). While it would be interesting to be eating oatmeal with Rove, Adelson, Scalia and the Koch Klan in a few hours, I'd rather cozy up to Nate Silver and David Plouffe for a "did-you-really-know-it-all-along?" latte review when the sun comes up on what I'm sure will be a beautiful day. As I cleared away the last of the empty Blue Moon bottles, I said a silent toast to the young ladies on the couch. This one's for you.

Let's Go, O!

Movie Madness - Sessions

Wow - poignant film, inspiring true story, perfect cast, funny, worth slipping out of work for...

Love Poem To No One In Particular

Let me touch you with my words

for my hands lie limp as empty gloves

Let my words stroke your hair

Slide down your back and tickle your belly

Ignore my wishes and stubbornly refuse to carry out my

quietest desires

Let my words enter your mind bearing torches

Mark O'Brien

He Built That

Front and center - right where Old Wildcat belongs.

Movie Madness - Smashed

Book Club - People

Must be that the rest of us are braid-dead lately, too, since this month's book club selection was any old edition of People Magazine. We surround the bonfire anyway at Camp Leslie for some s'mores, some birthday cake, and lots of other sweet, sweet DD treats. 

Spamalot

Always look on the bright side of life!

even when it's easier said than done...

Clinton - Carmona!

WOW!!! What a night. Thousands of like-minded souls gathered HERE in Tempe to cheer for Carmona and welcome back rock star Clinton to ASU. He spoke of the old 1996 rally, which helped make him the first Democrat in a long time to carry Arizona. He went on and on (check out video) in a clear, simple, example-filled way, describing why we need a man like Carmona serving in D.C. He talked about youth - what it's like to have more yesterdays than tomorrows and how important it is not to waste a minute. Even Kevin Johnson (my all-time fave Sun from back in the glory days, sorry, Charlie) flew in from Sacramento to get us all hyped up after the cool Jimmy Eat World performance. After a tough week in the polls, it was good to be out and about with those who think fair and balanced should refer to our government, not some fake news station. Pre-rally, I caught up with some day-drinkin' sistahs (and one fella) for a little wine and, after covering all the usual topics, we sunk into politics, a scary place to go with this birther crowd. I had to scoot out early for my date with Bill, and felt bad for leaving my one fellow blue-girl-in-a-red state amiga to take one for the team all by herself. But all was not lost - the table next to us paid for her drinks! A toast to liberal values, they said! Make fun of Arizona all you want, but tonight it was Home Sweet Home.

House Call

Took Dr. Everythingwillbealright down the street for a little House call, finally getting over to the terrific new restaurant opened by local chef extraordinaire, Matt Carter. We saw him whip up something at Phoenix Cooks last month, love his other places, Mission and Zinc, and now we're in trouble again. Yum. Welcome to the neighborhood.

Movie Madness - Oranges

The perfect sweet, juicy snack for a long-lunch Monday.

The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs

It's a good thing Shawn accidentally left his skinny new iPhone 5 at home, because by the time we left the Herberger today, we were feeling pretty guilty about our obsession with all things Apple. Besides being a hilarious journey through the life and times of Steve Jobs, we were reminded just how brutal working conditions are in China at the Foxconn factory, pushing young, intelligent employees to the brink (literally, dozens have jumped off the top of the building) so we can have the newest and shiniest toy the minute it is released at a fairly low cost while Apple rakes in the profits.

Read more about the performance by Mike Daisy.

Caving to corporate greed, shipping jobs overseas, eliminating safety regulations and labor laws doesn't seem like the way a cool vegan hippie from California would have imagined selling his wares in the beginning, but that's what happened. Hopefully, with continued press, things will change. I read today about a first-ever, above the minimum wage, 25% pay increase for Foxconn workers. Next, maybe the rest of us will demand some changes and be able to go back to the blinders-on, larger than life (even in death) idol-worshipping of the good 'ol days.

First Friday

Left the Scottsdale bubble and hit the barstools at Portland's for a pre-art drink, catching up with the gals and running into friends from the 'hood before heading to Legend City Studios (not the beloved Legend City from my youth)

where we saw some awe-inspiring art, mingled with the artists, including Maggie's groovy niece, Diomira,

who did this to her back today (OMG - never would have seen that at the original Legend City) before strolling down Roosevelt Row where art, boutiques, kettle corn and the ten o'clock Zombie Parade capped off a fun night.

Whoa...who were those two guys?

Early voting starts 10/11 - Vote (in person is best)

Movie Madness - Unforgivable

Kept the Pine Party going with a trip to Venice. Cool movie, if you can keep up.

Downton Divas

Fun weekend up in the pines with some of the warm ones.