Thanks for all the b'day wishes guys. I'm still getting them every day from Littlest Aussie, along with "Happy Mother's Day, Mum!". I guess it really is a happy mother's day every day!

PiP, I hate to sound naive, but what's a DSL?

Traceybee I'm glad that Sierra is doing as well as could be expected, and is playful too. That's always a good sign.

iME, wish I could have been at that concert. It sounded so good! And Billy as well? Lucky you, mate.

Hildy, I've watched almost every ep of The Apprentice, and was thrilled to see Omarosa fired last week (I nearly said voted out!). I was really getting annoyed with her. Now Heidi's gone.... I heard that they are going to show TAR here soon, so I'm looking out for it.

And Yogi you just being in Vermont will make it a better place!

What a darling that Littlest Aussie is, Aussie Girl! He loves his mom (mum?) so much, every day is Mother's Day to him. Sweet.

Well, today we must leave Vermont for the long drive back to the city. Yesterday, I spent the morning sitting on a boulder in the middle of a romping brook, today I will spend sitting in a car surrounded by traffic - heh. But I feel grateful for every single moment I had here in these green mountains. It was so good for all of us - most of all Little Yogi. He has been in real distress all this year. It's amazing that one week in the country, walking in the woods, fishing with his dad, playing fetch with his dog, has for the most part, brought back his sweet calm personality. I'm most grateful for that. Even without easily available Evian and DSL (high speed cable access for internet) this is a most healing place.

Thanks for the description of the concert, ImissEthan. What an excellent evening. I can't believe how many Sting concerts you have been to. Maybe you are Sting's soul mate? And Billy Joel thrown in? Wow. Another one of my favorites. It's such a shame about his drinking. I always blame it on Christy Brinkley, even though that is terribly unfair. He seemed to go downhill after she left him in that public way and ran off with the Tellerude land developer.

Off to pack... (After a great night of Reality television, I find myself rushing this morning. It was worth it. After Big Brother and TAR, the Apprentice was on CNBC, so I watched the first episode of that too! I got to hate Omorosa all over again.)

Hi all. in the dorms. oh it is dirty and I hate it. For all this money couldn't they vaccuum? Aussiegirl/PiP we have a visiting Australian professor: Christine Halse Ph.D of Univ of Western Sydney (education faculty). It is quite nice to listen to her speak.
In other news, I won the Fametracker Drawing! I never win anything. Color me shocked.Ok back to class

There was a time when a remark like that would have set my mind spinning into a daydream reverie, but that time has past. I was borderline obsessed with the man from Ghost in the Machine Police-era through his second solo album, as anyone who saw my bedroom walls at the time could attest. I didn't write him letters or anything, but I am thankful it was pre-internet era or else I would have wasted a great deal of time tracking him down, I'm sure.

Now I can more clearly see his pomposity and just appreciate his music and good looks.

Yogi I'm so glad that Vermont has had such a lovely effect on you all, especially little Yogi, doing all the things a boy loves to do. That's really great. Vermont seems to have such a healing effect that I hope you all get back there again really soon.

Ricci I haven't heard of that professor, which is surprising, as I am in contact with a lot of the education people here. Had to laugh though, when you said it was nice to hear her speak - did you mean the content or her accent? lol. And good for you, winning something. Now your luck will change.

iME I remember way back in the late 80's having a mad crush on Sting. His music was so good (I'm not so impressed with his later stuff). But in the 90's, whenever I saw him interviewed, something about him just came off not quite right, a little false. Maybe it was the pomposity, as you mentioned. Anyway, the Sting love died a little, though I still enjoy playing his old songs.

I'm with you on the dirty carpet issue, Ricci. Uck. What's worse than taking your shoes off in a hotel room, walking across the floor, and suddenly having your feet covered with dirt? (Must invest in a cheap pair of slippers...) I hope your having fun doing the dorm thing otherwise. Or at least getting that pesky dissertation taken care of. After all, there are reality television shows to watch and snark on. Best to put these little tasks behind us so that we can concentrate on what is really important.

A moment to appreciate Sting's good looks.... oh, and his music too. Unlike you and Aussie Girl, ImE, I've never heard him interviewed, so the illusion remains firmly in place. Best not to allow reality to interrupt a nice day dream... mmm.

Speaking of Ethan, missing or otherwise, does he remind anyone else of Cat Stevens? He has always reminded me of Cat Stevens, when Cat Stevens was a young man, that is.

I was always, and will always remain, a Stewart Copeland woman. His solo records suck toads, though. Back in my New Wave days, I drew a cartoon about Sting's ego and sent it to Trouser Press, the NYC grandaddy of rock fanzines. They sent me a free issue and a reject letter. Less than a year later, they folded. Coincidence?

I also watched this Food Network special that featured the Sting/Styler personal chef, and was appalled. First Sting's wife ran this guy into the ground for the family meal - he couldn't say "boo" without input from the Mrs.. Then he was drafted to provide after-show snacks in Sting's dressing room. The chef laid out the most beautiful display of appetizers. The guests ooohed, ahhed and thanked him. Sting just walked up, lets out a bored "oh, food's here" and started eating. He had this attitude of "it's what I deserve". Grrr.


Wow. That image completely kills any lust I ever felt toward Ethan. Now that stupid "Moonshadow" song is going through my head. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Can you tell I was forcibly subjected to too much Cat when I was a teen?

traceybee, belated soothing thoughts sent to your family. I'm glad that kitty's at least more comfortable than before.

Anyway. Having a meh day, but hope to hit happy hour tonight with the husband. And the weather's just beautiful. Sunny and a little cool.. Just how I like it. Hope everyone else is doing just ducky...

Is it wrong that I'm not a big Sting fan? I really appreciate the music of the Police, but Sting always came off as rather pompous to me.

Suctionprints, I'm down with the meh day...I didn't get much sleep last night (long boring story of a long boring night) and am punchy & unfocused. I really need a switch to turn my brain off sometimes. And today could not go any slower. Must not pick nose to stay amused....must finish letters....also need to pee....

I'm so ashamed - I like Moonshadow. And Peace Train. And all that. I'm not worthy!

My day is insane. Not only have I got a desk covered with stuff to do, I have covered the desks of both my assistants. It's crazy!

The good news: It looks like I'm going to the wedding in The Land of It! A couple days in Rome and a couple in Abruzzi for the wedding. It's going to be wonderful. Also, one of my dear friends who lives in Florence is making arrangements so that Mr. Yogi and I can have a papal audience at his summer villa. I'm pleased because I really like this Pope very much. Mr. Yogi is very pleased in general.

The bad news: I've had several calls from the doctor. They are insisting I go get this damn stupid test with needles and breasts, etc. They want me to see a surgeon. I hated the doctor I saw so much. He was crude and harsh and nasty. Boo. I guess I'll have to do something. The doctor's office is definitely not supporting me in my avoidance.

I hate it when unpleasant things intrude on my contemplation of reality television stars and their look alikes...

yogi, you're in NYC, right? I have a great ob/gyn and would be happy to share her name with you. I'm sure she could recommend a specialist if you need one. Email me and good luck.

Yogi, I'm so glad that you will be at the wedding in Abruzzi. I know you wanted to be there, so that's great news. As for the other, not-so-good news, it's best to just get the tests over and done with. I know several people who had that test and everything turned out to be fine, so just look at it like that, and at least they won't keep bugging you with phone calls. And I think you should take iME's offer to get in touch with her ob/gyn for a recommendation to a specialist. That makes all the difference, and besides, why should you have to see a doctor who's nasty? You deserve better than that.

And hey, I've always thought that Ethan looks exactly like Cat used to - the image of him! And I too like Cat's music and still listen to it now and then.

Re Sting and his pomposity, suction, I have seen that in quite a few interviews now, and it really turned me off even buying his music. I mean, the guy is talented, gifted even, so why does he need to be like that? I love what he did re the rainforest issue, but after a while even that seemed to be for publicity rather than doing it from his heart, which I think he did at the beginning.

Aussiegirl I totally meant her accent. I could literally listen to her all day. When she wants us to wake up and answer a question she says, "Does anyone want to have a go at that?" love it! Sadly tomorrow is her last day. The South African prof is staying next week, but he is a bit more uptight than her.

Update - rug has finally been vacuumed. I am so relieved. We weren't going in the room until we couldn't stay awake any longer.

Big fat exam tomorrow. We are allotted 3 hours for it, but we can leave for home as soon as we are done...so...we will see how it goes.

Dear Yogi, please follow through with Dr advice and certainly change Docs if they are not to your liking.

OK finally. Lawyer-boy IS wonderful. He not only taped a bunch of shows for me like TAR and BB5, but he brought up my suitcase that I left at home. Yes. I left all of my clothing at home the first day. No. I have no idea how I managed to do that. The stress here is palpable so that is where I lay my blame.

Wheeww! Aussie Girl. I'm glad you still like Cat's music. I was feeling hopelessly out of it. Like you suctionprints I listened to lots of his music when I was a bopping teen, but I just loved him. I remember signing these weird petitions because there was some sort of rumour that he would come and play for the school that had the most signatures. It was odd.

Thanks so much for the offer, ImissE. I do need a new doctor. But what I really need to do is figure out how I can get this thing done by a different surgeon without having to undergo a whole new mamagram and ultra sound. I'll have to see if 1 - the nasty doctor's office will give me my films and 2 - the new surgeon will use these instead of making me undergo new tests.

The weird thing is that I'm sure there is nothing wrong, everyone keeps telling me they are sure nothing is wrong. I can't quite figure out what is going on. This is the way the questions go:

Yogi's Question: So what exactly are you seeing?
Doctor's Answer: Don't know. It's probably a sist.
Yogi's Question: So what does that mean? Why do I need this test?
Doctor's Answer: Well, a sist is a sist. (Yogi's thought - what the fuck kind of an answer is that? Your mother should slap your face for that answer.) You need the test because it's standard. There's nothing wrong.

Ugh. Doctors. Hate 'em. Hate 'em. Hate 'em. I need to start googling about this.

I'm glad that they finally vacumed, Ricci. Yuck. I'm sorry that your dorm visit is not an opportunity to dance around in t-shirts and panties whilst singing along with old Madonna and Cindy Lauper tunes. I hope you get sprung from the place soon. And Mr. Ricci (are he and lawyer boy the same) sounds like a darling.

We went to see Spiderman 2 last night and it was awful. It's the first movie that Little Yogi ever hated, so it had to be pretty bad. I don't recommend it. I still want to see The Notebook, but it looks like I need to go alone. So sad.

yogi, it probably is a cyst, but they need to make sure. I loathe the medical profession (in general) as much as anyone, but if they didn't do the additional testing, and it wasn't a cyst, it would be malpractice. Unfortunately, many doctors don't communicate well. (One of my biggest beefs with the medical profession is their tendency to think of themselves as scientists instead of healers. And, frankly, they're usually not very good scientists.) Finding another doctor is an excellent idea.

And, Abruzzi! What fun!

MrBee and I are both Sting fans, too, but you guys are so right about his pomposity. And I can live a full and satisfying life without ever having to hear again about how yoga has made him able to extend sex for hours and hours.

In the immortal words of Kool Moe Dee, "Go see, go see th' doctor..."


Now, yogi, when did I ever give you the impression that I was "in it"? Full of "it", maybe.

Heh, we so disagree on the Spider-Man movie. I thought it was one of the best action movie sequels since "The Empire Strikes Back". I'm sorry you guys didn't enjoy it. Tell Little Yogi I loved "Dodgeball", though. Hee. Two hours of ball to the, uh, balls jokes. Hee. And ow.


The late Marty Feldman once said about comedy: "Humor is like sex. Those who do it, don't talk about it." Hehehehehehe.

Awww. I love this image! Girls just want to have fun, y'all! Ricci, just what is this class on? Is the content compelling, at least?

Speaking of girls and fun, that needle thing doesn't sound like it is, yogi. Yuck. However, perhaps you could motivate yourself to get the procedure done by dangling a massive jucy carrot of motivation in front of yourself for after the mission is accomplished. Something like a spa day, or a dinner at some very fancy NYC place (Restaurant Daniel? Is that one?) Or a trip to Abruzzi! How lovely! You certainly deserve such a treat.

Haven't seen Spiderman or Dodgeball, although I hear the latter is hilarious. I kind of want to see Before Sunset, which I've heard wonderful things about. On the other hand, my DVD of Jane Austen's Persuasion (1995 version, very very good) just arrived. Whee!

Is it wrong that I was thinking of dancing around in my girly stuff at work today?

Anyway, Ricci, sounds as though you're having quite the summer. Good luck on exams & all that. And enjoy escaping for some quality time.

Yogi, I'm going to be stern. Go get the test either from initial referral person or iMissEthan's person. Bring a teddy bear with you. Many women have this sort of procedure. No biggie. Then open a GIGANTIC bottle of wine, put your feet up & put on some Cindy Lauper. Ok? OK!

Thinking while you were at work of dancing in your girly stuff? Or, think of dancing in your glorious girly stuff while you are at work? There's a difference there, I think. *hee* Now I am thinking of ska prancing into her bosslady's office with a report, shaking her panty-clad sans-Nadine butt to "Girls Just Want to have Fun."

FYI, I bought CL's greatest hits CD last week, and it is super. Gawd, I love her.

OK, Friends at Meet Market, I made the appointment for Thursday at 12:15. I honestly couldn't and wouldn't have done it without your support. Even though the test is routine, I am petrified. I will just think of you all like I did the last time, and before you know it, it will be over and I'll know for a fact that it's all good.

And as a reward, Mr. Yogi is taking me to see The Notebook. Yeah!

YEA! Not sure if I should chock it up to the threats of me dancin' nekkid, or the threat that you must do it, or everyone else's positive reinforcement, but YAY! And YEA!

Huzzah.

Good for you, Yogi! We hear you and affirm you. And when I come to NYC for TARCon, we'll all go out and drink a big fat bottle of bubbly in celebration. (It's looking good. I've got the seed planted in Mr. Hildy's brain, and am trying to rope BKB into it, too.)

Rope rope rope rope!

Good for You Yogi bear. You'll do just fine, and just think about your
reward afterwords. We are all pulling for you.
I'll be thinking of you. Good Luck

Good luck to you, Yogi. I think many if not most women have been through a round of "it's probably a cyst," including me, and it really, really, probably is. The way my doctor put it was that if it hadn't gone away on its own (which in my case it did), they'd do a test to "confirm" that it was a cyst. So maybe think of it that way -- they're just confirming for sure that that's what it is. I know it's really unsettling, though. Best of luck -- and by all means, get yourself a doc you like. Bad docs are no good, if only because they cause stress and unhappiness at times when you don't need it.

Glad to hear the appointment is made, Yogi. It will all be over before you know it, and then you can celebrate! We'll all be thinking of you and wishing you well. BTW, I thought your doctor's answer, "a cyst is a cyst" absolutely sucks. That's an appalling way of answering their patient's questions. But anyway, good for you for making the appointment and I'm sure that everything will be okay.

Ricci I'm amused that you like to listen to her accent! I used to get that in the US too. I never even knew I had an accent till I got over there. And of course, we know the truth now, don't we, I don't have an accent, you guys do! Anyway, all the very best for your exams, hope you do well. And glad the vacuuming has been done!

Hi Teena **waves**. Teena has become a friend of mine. Nice to see you here!

Yay for yogi for being brave and making the appointment. It sounds perfectly benign to me. You come back here and tell us the minute you get the results so we can all celebrate.

I'm with suctionprints on my Police crush - Stewart Copeland was sexy as hell. And I just pulled out my Cyndi Lauper CD the other day and bopped as I cleaned house. I saw her in concert lo these many years ago. Must be some kind of synchronicity going on here.

In home news, Mr. Lu has started his radiation treatments and is feeling fine so far (is only 10% done, so will probably be getting more fatigued and perhaps slightly irritated) and is sitting at his computer about 8 feet away from me as I'm sitting at mine (we are SUCH GEEKS). He's a completely lovable geek, though.

yogi, I'm so glad you made the appointment! I'm thinking nothing but good thoughts for you.

So this week, I saw my clientele go from way too many to handle to...one. But it's starting to pick up again. I've learned my lesson and am trying to stick with listing only stuff where there are plenty of other places like them to show people so I don't have 50 people fighting over one apartment and getting all huffy when I tell them that's all we had like it.

I did have one client where even though she didn't rent from me (she'd found a no-fee private listing on her own and the stuff I had wasn't as good of a deal), she told me she was sorry because she really enjoyed working with me and asked for a bunch of my cards for referrals. So that made me feel good at least.

Got cast in that play, but only as ensemble, which is kind of frustrating since I'm the only actual member of the theater company in it. But still, it'll be fun to do something again, and I look at it this way: I'll do my job well and be as professional as possible and that could lead to bigger roles in future things with other people in the production or who come to see it (that's how my career went in Chicago for the most part). Or, since I haven't read the script, it could be so awful that being in the background might be a blessing in disguise!

Oh--and on a completely random note, earlier in the week I found myself juggling two guys at a local gay bar...to a Nu Shooz medley, no less. I felt like I was in a gay late night John Hughes movie.

Hi everyone. And hi Dodo, nice to have you back again!

Yogi, thinking of you mate, sending hugs to you and also to Mr. Babalu.

Last night I went to a "Christmas in July" party. As you know, when it's Christmas here it's usually stinking hot, yet all the cards etc have snow scenes on them. Hell, it's so hot here then, Santa runs a real risk of getting heatstroke in that suit! So anyway, many Aussies have taken to having Christmas in July celebrations, when it is winter here, and we decided any excuse for a party....

Anyway, my friend who put it all together did a fabulous job. He had a long table, complete with white tablecloths, flowers and candles. He'd picked the flowers from his garden, and even dipped some leaves in olive oil to make them look like holly. He had a Christmas tree and Christmas lights, and bon bons on the table. For food, he'd made pork with crackling, lamb in pastry, chicken, turkey, ham, roast potatoes, pumpkin and peas and gravy. An absolute feast! For dessert, he'd made Christmas pudding, complete with sixpences in it (an old British tradition), with brandy butter, custard, pavlova and strawberries and cream! What a gastronomic experience! This man is a scientist, but he used to be a chef. He'd lit the fireplace, the champagne flowed freely all night and a great time was had by all 14 of us! It really was better than any Christmas dinner I've ever had. So now you know what "Christmas in July" in Australia is like! I took some pics, and if I can work out how to post a link, I will!

Aussiegirl Sounds like a great party. Your description made me hungry. LOL
Xmas is my favorite holiday. I'm just a big kid at heart. I"m one of those people that has to shake the box,and try to figure out what the present is. Drives my mother
crazy.

hope everyone is having a great weekend

Thanks so much for the words of encouragement, Meet Marketers. I ended up scheduling my apointment with a surgeon as I have three whatever-s to check out, and I wanted to make sure that whoever did it has a steady hand. I'm also hoping that because she is a woman, she is not a nasty jerk. I'm bringing all you all into the room with me on Thursday - y'all are great!

I love Cindy Lauper! I saw her at MSG when she opened for Cher last year, and she was fabulous. What a show. Lots of dancing, though everyone I saw had their pants on, I'm sure there were lots of flashbacks to the days of dancing around the room in t-shirts and panties. It's what we do!

I agree with Teena, Aussie Girl, your Christmas in July dinner sounds wonderful. Talk about abundance! Wow. I have never heard of serving so many meat dishes. Was it a buffet? He must have cooked for days. Tell me about the lamb in crust. Was it a leg? Did you carve it at the table? I bet it was gorgeous!! When I went to summer camp, we used to have a Christmas in July party. I still have some of the gifts that I received from friends for the festivities. We used to decopage phrases from magazines and such onto wooden boxes and things. I have a small wooden stool that someone made for me when I was 17. I has the phrase "welcome to the wide-eyed, wonderful world of mascara." Funny.

I'm so glad to hear that the rope is being put into action as we speak, Hildy. I'll chant the "rope, rope, rope" mantra right along with skagirl. You must come to TARcon! Remember, even if BKB can't make it (and I hope she can, because, wow, even more fun), but even if she can't, you have other friends here who would love to have you here to dance and Yak, Yak, Yak with!

Congratulations on the role, Last Dodo! You must let us know all about it so we can come "support the team".

Ooooh, Hildy, I own that DVD of Persuasion, and I really enjoy it. Only thing missing is Colin Firth without his shirt. Oh wait, wrong story. This past week, I am watching the DVDs of Upstairs Downstairs. It's probably the most amazing dramatic show ever made for television. Though it was made in the early '70s, it examines an outrageous array of experiences centered around a single household including the servants (downstairs) and the masters (upstairs). I am only on season two and there has already been every sort of sex examined both inside and outside social and economic class, age group, gender, plus a nice visit to flagellation. But because we see none of it, all is revealed through the excellent acting. It's just a great, great drama. I highly recommend it. Unless you are an action adventure person, in which case, I don't.

I finished reading all six of the Tales of the City books while I was in Vermont, and next on my netflix list is the DVDs of that. What a great, great story that was. I thought the last three books, which many hated, were even better than the first. Thanks for the recommendation, Hildy. Anyone else read them?

Yogi, yes, it was a buffet. He had done most of the cooking on the day itself, and all the flower arrangements and decorations the day before. As for the lamb, I have no idea how he cooked it, but it was not carved at the table, it was somehow cooked whole in this delicious pastry. I must get the recipe. I forgot to add that along with the vegetables previously mentioned, he had made cauliflower with a cheese sauce too. What a feast! And what a man! It was such a lovely night. We've all nominated him to do the same when the real Christmas comes.

I'll be there in the room with you Yogi on Thursday (well, Friday here), as I'm sure we all will. I'm glad you have a female surgeon - generally, they seem to understand better women's bodies. Funny, that!

Me too! I saw her at the Park West in Chicago in 1993 and it was one of my favorite concerts ever. She'd just stop the show dead in between each song to sign autographs and talk to us and answer questions and it felt a lot more like hanging out with a friend than a formal concert. My favorite story she told was about how when she first stopped having big hits and selling a lot of albums, she became really depressed and "considered jumping out a thirty story window. But I didn't. Wanna know why? Cause I knew, if I jumped out that thirty story window, the next day, all the headlines would say, 'GIRL THAT JUST WANTED TO HAVE FUN DIDN'T'."

Hee!

If you get that recipe, I would love to see it, Aussie Girl. It sounds impressive and delicious. I can't believe he cooked all that in one day! He must have more than one oven. What a host! I want to come to the next feast - Heh. It would be worth the trip, plus we could then Yak (in the Hildy, not Skagirl, sense of the word.)

Heh. I remember my one Christmas down there. It was "unseasonably cold" in Sydney, only 75 degrees! We swam and had a barbeque, which pretty much blew our minds coming from Upper Michigan where we average about 250 inches of snow a year.

As for the cards...I smell an entrepreneurial opportunity for someone... Why not a series of tropical Christmas card designs? I always loved that one ad (forget what it's for) in the US with Santa on holiday wearing a lei and an Hawaiian shirt.

Someone asked me if I wanted to go see Cyndi, and as much as I like her as a person and performer, it becomes a long, long night when you only like three of her songs... Who I want to see now is Kylie...

I've seen Cindy twice - once when she was 43 months pregnant, opening for Tina Turner in the middle of summer and then two years ago w/ Cher (2? I think). Awesome both times. I forget how many of her songs I really liked.

Yogi! I just finished the first "Tales of the City" and plan to get the rest - great reads.

I had something else to say and forgot...drat....

Hi everyone!! Yogi you brave, brave girl!! And I really think it was a very good idea to switch to a woman doctor. Not that men doctors aren't as compassionate (sometimes, when you're lucky enough to find one), but it's just easier to relate to a woman.

Quite a few years ago I found a lump in my breast and I had to have the tests, "just to make sure". I was absolutely terrified (my mom had breast cancer, so I feared the worst). It turned out to be some kind of fibrous cyst from too much caffeine, so the worst thing that happened to me was that I had to stop drinking 2 - 3 pots of coffee a day, severely limit my intake of chocolate and caffeinated sodas, etc. Anyway, we'll all be there with you when the dreadful day comes, and if it turns out to be caffeine-related like mine, I'll be there to commiserate with you! Really, the one cup of coffee a day isn't so bad, but to have to give up chocolate!! Booooooo!!!!!

Dodo, I'm so excited for you! And I'm willing to bet, just like you said, you might be "discovered" by some big-time producer or director and then we'll be seeing you on Broadway!! I'm so happy for you, congratulations!

Re: Cindy Lauper - when my daughter was about 2 years old we had a video of one of her concerts. My daughter just LOVED IT!! She would watch and listen to it, over and over. I'll bet she knew every word to every song on that tape. And I must admit, that even though I got a little tired of it, Cindy Lauper puts on an excellent concert! She's so energetic and so positive, and her audience seems to be having such a fantastic time! What's not to love?! I'm glad to hear she's still rockin'!

Re: Christmas in July - I don't see why we can't have our own "virtual" party right here at the Meet Market! I'll cook the turkey (surprisingly enough, my holiday turkeys always turn out wonderful!), but we'll have to get Princess Peachy to provide the lamb in pastry. I've never had lamb and have no clue how to cook it. And I'm sure we could persuade Yogi to pull something wonderful out of the pic-i-nic basket. Something chocolate please!!

Have a great week everyone!!

Okay Yogi, Birdlady, here's what he said about lamb in pastry:

Precook Virginia roast of lamb (deboned top of leg, no fat), insert garlic slivers and coat with mint jelly and fresh rosemary...medium cooked.
Next day wrap in puff pastry and wash with egg and milk. 30 mins in a hot oven to heat meat and brown pastry.

I used to cook legs of lamb, I'd cook it first for awhile, then coat it with a mixture of breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley and I can't think of the other ingredient. It's called Beef Wellington here, anyone know the missing ingredient? Hildy? It was bloody delicious, I think I'll invite Tom Cruise around for Sunday Roast. That's a joke that any Aussie lurkers will get, but if any of you over there want to know, I'll tell you next post.

suction, you can occasionally buy Chrissie Cards with a tropical scene on them, but the snow scenes are far more common. And 75 degrees in Sydney at Christmas is cold. I once heard this song, an Aussie take of Christmas in the middle of a blistering hot summer, and it was sung to the tune of Jingle Bells, but I can't remember it all. It went something like this:

"Dashing thru the bush
in a rusty Holden ute.
Kicking up the dust,
Esky in the boot"

It was hilarious and true blue classic Aussie. BTW, a Holden ute is a type of car here, like what you call a pickup truck, and the boot means the back where you store stuff - I forget what you call that. I'll see if I can get the words.

BTW, who do you mean by "Kylie"? Please don't tell me it's our very own Minogue! Is she well known there now? We call her "The Singing Budgie" here, and people often make fun of her, but in a nice way, I guess. Aussies have a habit of taking the mickey out of people, all in fun, you know.

And dear Yogi you are hereby cordially invited to attend our next feast. all of you are! I would love to sit and YAK, YAK, YAK! That's one of my favourite things to do!

And this: "GIRL THAT JUST WANTED TO HAVE FUN, DIDN'T" made my day, Dodo! Thanks.

Birdlady I'll make some pavlova for this party, mate, but I'll get my friend to do the lamb.

ska have you remembered what you wanted to say? Waiting, waiting....

None other! If my copy of "Fever" was an LP instead of the CD it is, it would be worn out. And her concert special (which I saw on the Trio network here) was campily fabulous.

Heh, I remember "Sunday Roasts" and "eskies". I ate so many legs of lamb that I thought i was going to start baaaing. And one of my worst trips in a Holden was when Dad drove our 1958 Holden sedan home from Port Macquarie (sp?) to Sydney after a holiday. We normally jammed seven people (!!!) in there with little problem, but this time I had a 6" ring of second degree burns around my tummy after a too-long day in the sun. Owwwwww-eeeeeeee.

No idea what else I was going to say yesterday, dahling.

We are having some crazy wind & rain, however, and it's a little freaky out. At least it has cooled somewhat. Huzzah!

Glad you all are enjoying the Tales of the City books. I'm looking for something lighthearted to read myself, as I'll be taking off on vacation for two weeks starting Saturday. We're going up to my family's cabin in NH, which is, shall we say, rustic. No DSL. Hell, we're barely beyond having a party line. (We had one in my youth, as I recall.)
Frantically scrabbling around trying to get things taken care of here. We shall see. Dinner with BKB tonight, which will be fun. We can plan for TARCon (Which, by the way, I want to come to regardless whether or not BKB can attend. It's just that it's easier to sell this trip to my husband if there's a Trip with Old Friend (and BKB is VERY old) quality to it. Either that or it needs to be a business trip.)
By the way, AussieGirl, beef Wellington is generally a beef tenderloin covered with either pate de foie gras or duxelles (a fancy mushroom paste) of some sort and then surrounded by puff pastry and then baked. It's very yummy and decadent.

Right, the missing ingredient - lemon juice, as far as I can recall. But I like Hildy's version of Beef Wellington even better! Sounds yummy.

suction, you spelled Port Macquarie right. And ouch! I know that sunburned kind of feeling. A bit of history on Kylie, FYI: she first became known here mid to late 80's as an actress in a soap opera called "Neighbours". I think she was only about 17 at the time, (and not very talented as an actress, to be honest). Then she took off for England, released a record and became HUGE there. Many people here could not believe her popularity over there and make fun of "The Singing Budgie". I guess she's all right, I've never been a fan of hers, and I get tired of seeing her in almost pornographic poses to sell her music, but she's always wanted to crack the US market, and now she has.

Well, 'allo 'allo, it's Bastille Day (here) so I'm going to eat my croissant I got from the patisserie this morning. I promise to stay away from the guillotine. Chop, chop!!

Allons enfants de la patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé !

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity tous les citoyens du monde!
Happy Bastille Day! It is also my Wedding Anniversary! So much to celebrate.

I just came home from a two day buy visit to Washington D.C. Little Yogi and I took the train, which was excellent, and stayed with my sister and her family, which was also very excellent. I potted plants, ran errands, and cooked at my sisters, but we managed to steal a bit of time to take Little Yogi's photo in front of the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial, which I had not seen before. It was wonderful to be back in DC. My family has many, many generations of history there, so mostly my sister and I enjoyed revisiting some very, very happy memories.

I always made Beef Wellington with the Hildy method. Very rich. And though Beef Wellington is good, but perhaps we should begin a discussion of Napoleans?


Oh those were the days, suctionprints, my friend. I once put ten!!! count 'em, 10 people in a Porshe! Insanity! But so much fun.


I feel quite certain that Mr. Hildy would agree that the business of fun is critical too! But since there is lots of business to do in NYC, I'm sure you will think of something. Plus, tell BKB to get her old self - heh, don't hit me BKB - to NYC, for heaven's sake!

I am dying to talk to someone about the Tales of the City, skagirl. I have the six books in a two book omnibus. Would you like to borrow? I will want them back when you are finished, but I would be so happy to share. Then we could discuss over cheese sandwiches.

Great to see you, birdlady! I'll toast you with my single cup of decaf coffee, usually my only one of the day. I'm hoping that it will all be over soon with just a memory of some slight discomfort, just as your sweet self suggests.

Enjoy the day, tous les citoyens du monde!

Yogi I may need to borrow the second volume - I think I have access to the first few books. And after the wedding this weekend, I will be in the right state of mind for making plans for grilled cheese :)

Hee, saw this article and thought, "When stalking goes awry."

Or "milles-feuilles," as they're called in France. I got myself corrected in a patisserie in Ste-Mere-Eglise over that one. Whatever, they're awesome. So are croissants, and I'm craving one right now.

Just want to inform you guys that I've seen my first side-of-the-bus ad for the Minnesota State Fair. Exotic chickens! Artwork made of seeds! Baby animals! Food-on-a-stick! Heads of dairy princesses carved out of butter! Fried pickles! Enormous vegetables! And, of course, the always-popular members of the fried sugar family - mini donuts, deep-fried candy bars, deep-fried Twinkies, and deep-fried Oreos!

God, I love the Fair.

Yogi bear Just wanted to say that I'm thinking of you tomorrow. You'll be just fine. Everything will work out. Have some fun at your show afterwords. I hope you enjoy.

A big hello to all the twopers out there..Thank god it's almost friday.

Aussiegirl I hope your little aussies are behaving them selves today for you.

hildy I checked out the Phil site today and everyone is talking about his jeans.

and all i can say is It makes me miss my Peachy. where's my Peachy? No fair

Ok enough ranting from me.

everyone have a good one

Alright, what are "Napoleans"? I mean, I know who Napolean is, but you have me stumped here.

T Bee speaking of fairs, the local fair is on here this weekend. We went last year, and had a wonderful time, so we're going again on Saturday or Sunday. The kids love the rides, and I love all the food! You forgot to mention fairy floss. Or as you call it, cotton candy. Pink. Only pink. Mmmmm....

Yeah Teena the little sprogs are behaving themselves, though yesterday I had to threaten to put one in one room and the other in another room. They start off playing, and within a minute or two there's screaming and hitting etc. The 3 year old gets particularly aggressive, hitting and punching his 11 year old brother, who is so gentle and sensitive that he sits there and takes it. When I ask him why he doesn't fight back, he says "But I might hurt him if I do, mum". I don't know why the youngest is so aggressive, we're not like that with him at all, but he loves fighting, even play fighting.

Glad you and little Yogi enjoyed yourself in DC, Yogi. It's a great place. Will be thinking of you tomorrow, and sending good thoughts and prayers your way.

Aussie, "Napoleons" or "milles-feuilles" are a kind of French pastry. They're made with many layers of puff pastry alternated with a custard-like filling. There's usually a thin frosting on top of the pastry. (I don't know if you speak French, but "milles-feuilles" means "thousand leaves" and refers to the many layers of thin, thin pastry.) I tried to find an image to link to, but couldn't find a good one.

ETA: I'll be thinking of you today, yogi!

Yogi good luck with everything
Aussie hope the wee ones simmer down.
Tracey enjoy the fair! Eat something fried for me!

I'm off this afternoon to the wedding I'm in down in DC. Very excited that for the first time in a long time, I'm travelling properly and not like a poor student - taking the train, not the cheap bus; using a good suitcase instead of a soft bag; staying in a hotel instead of on a couch. Yea.

Unfortunately, I forgot that when you stay in a hotel you have to bring everything (no, "Ooops, forgot toothpaste, can I borrow?" even though I'm staying with a friend in the room) and triple check the list...my roommate hid in his room when he saw the array of plastic bags (multiple sizes, naturally) and the List. Two pages typed, plus the list I made for the Bridesmaids of the "Emergency Kit" we need on hand for Saturday (everything from anti-cha-cha-cha pills to bandaids to waterproof mascara to make up remover pads for touch ups). It's scary how much crap I'm bringing, but only like a few items of clothing - I have more shoes with me than bottoms (just shorts & a skirt I'm wearing as Friday eve is one dress, and Saturday is another). The thing I'm most excited about is the mini-fan - the hand-held ones which run on batteries - I figure it will be 204 degrees and that way make up won't melt.

ETA: This is the most anal-rentitive post ever posted.

Good thoughts headed your way today, yogi.

Thanks so much, y'all. I have about two minutes, but I wanted to check in with y'all, and I'm so very, very glad I did!

You are totally a woman after my own heart, skagirl. I actually type out my shopping list and menus every week. Believe it or not, the shopping list is organized to follow the order of each individual store I visit. It's almost shameful how organized I am, and yet? Someone has to be the one who always has a comb and a safety pin in their bag! Have a great trip to DC. I'm sure the wedding will be totally fun and memorable.

Mille feuilles. Yum. Tracey Bee, you should have a job describing food. You are very good at it.

By the way, Hildy, I highly recommend the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. They are very, very, very funny. And everyone falls in love with one or two of the Emerson men. I hope your holiday is fabulous! No DSL! It's a hard life we live! Heh~!