I hope I look this good in a bikini when I'm 63!
Sorry for the light posting of late. Crazy month, which I'll definitely post about soon.
Happy Friday.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Yay books!
Breaking news from fellow blogger and book nerd Risa:
Dallas - well, the metroplex - is about to get a new independent bookstore. Legacy Books, located in The Shops at Legacy in Plano, will be the largest independent bookstore built in the US in years - 24,000 sf of book-reading fun.
"All you hear about is independent bookstores going under," said Teri Tanner, managing partner of Legacy Books. "Well, we are opening one."
Ms. Tanner – a Tyler native whose retail experience includes both big nationwide book chains – was working with Borders a few years ago when it considered a location at the Shops at Legacy.
Borders ultimately decided not to do the deal, but Ms. Tanner couldn't get the site out of her mind.
"This is a great niche location in Plano," she said. "The demographics are great, and this is a place where people like to hang out."
****
Legacy Books plans to offer the expected magazines, books and coffee bar, plus an area for cooking demonstrations and a separate Wi-Fi bar.
The store, now under construction, will be done in a modern style designed by Dallas architect Morrison Seifert Murphy, which also did the new One Arts Plaza tower in downtown's Arts District.
The interior plans show an open space with floating staircases, bright-colored fixtures and large windows.
****
"We're planning on having 100,000 titles," [Ms. Tanner] said.
Avin Mark Domnitz, chief executive of the American Booksellers Association, said while other independents are opening around the country, Legacy Books is the largest in memory.
It's set to open in "late summer." I'm thinking a fieldtrip will be in order. Here's the whole story.
Dallas - well, the metroplex - is about to get a new independent bookstore. Legacy Books, located in The Shops at Legacy in Plano, will be the largest independent bookstore built in the US in years - 24,000 sf of book-reading fun.
"All you hear about is independent bookstores going under," said Teri Tanner, managing partner of Legacy Books. "Well, we are opening one."
Ms. Tanner – a Tyler native whose retail experience includes both big nationwide book chains – was working with Borders a few years ago when it considered a location at the Shops at Legacy.
Borders ultimately decided not to do the deal, but Ms. Tanner couldn't get the site out of her mind.
"This is a great niche location in Plano," she said. "The demographics are great, and this is a place where people like to hang out."
****
Legacy Books plans to offer the expected magazines, books and coffee bar, plus an area for cooking demonstrations and a separate Wi-Fi bar.
The store, now under construction, will be done in a modern style designed by Dallas architect Morrison Seifert Murphy, which also did the new One Arts Plaza tower in downtown's Arts District.
The interior plans show an open space with floating staircases, bright-colored fixtures and large windows.
****
"We're planning on having 100,000 titles," [Ms. Tanner] said.
Avin Mark Domnitz, chief executive of the American Booksellers Association, said while other independents are opening around the country, Legacy Books is the largest in memory.
It's set to open in "late summer." I'm thinking a fieldtrip will be in order. Here's the whole story.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Born
I heard this song on a rerun of Bones a couple weeks ago, and can't get enough of it. The artist is Over the Rhine, the song is Born. I recommend the whole album, plus some. (click on the green link at the bottom to hear the whole song)
A while back I posted on the disappearance of honey bees. Here's up update of this most serious situation.
Guilty pleasures
So I was doing my usual morning routine of checking out the entertainment section of Huffington Post when I saw this headline: "Tori Spelling Reality Show a Surprise Ratings Hit." According to the article, Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood is a hit among women ages 18-49. Oh man, do I feel validated.
I don't watch reality TV. I've never seen The Bachelor, or American Idol, or Survivor, or any of those silly shows. But I have to admit that I am fascinated by Tori and Dean. I started watching when they moved to Fallbrook to open their B&B; I followed every second of her first pregnancy, and now her second; and I'm loving the whole house hunt they're doing now. Before this show I had very little regard for Tori Spelling, and thought I would watch the show much as one watches a train wreck. And now I have such affection for her! I mean, she may be Tori Spelling, but she's just like me! Ok, maybe not just like me, but she is much more normal that I had expected. She has her insecurities just like the rest of us. She struggles to be a good wife and mother. In short, she's human.
And it turns out I'm not alone. So there you go, I've admitted to one seriously guilty pleasure, and I feel pretty good.
I don't watch reality TV. I've never seen The Bachelor, or American Idol, or Survivor, or any of those silly shows. But I have to admit that I am fascinated by Tori and Dean. I started watching when they moved to Fallbrook to open their B&B; I followed every second of her first pregnancy, and now her second; and I'm loving the whole house hunt they're doing now. Before this show I had very little regard for Tori Spelling, and thought I would watch the show much as one watches a train wreck. And now I have such affection for her! I mean, she may be Tori Spelling, but she's just like me! Ok, maybe not just like me, but she is much more normal that I had expected. She has her insecurities just like the rest of us. She struggles to be a good wife and mother. In short, she's human.
And it turns out I'm not alone. So there you go, I've admitted to one seriously guilty pleasure, and I feel pretty good.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
McDonald's: Helping Gays Eradicate Sand One Grain at a Time
Chris Kelly cracks me up.
There are billions and billions of reasons to hate McDonald's. They took the McRib away, for one, and that burns. (Sometimes I almost wish I'd never loved it at all.) There's at least one good reason to like McDonald's: They're being boycotted by the American Family Association.
What did McDonald's do to cross the AFA, its president, Donald Wildmon, and -- by extension -- Jesus (R-Nz.)? They donated $20,000 to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. McDonald's' revenue runs about five billion dollars a quarter, so you can see their profound commitment to destroying the family through sodomy.
Read the rest here.
There are billions and billions of reasons to hate McDonald's. They took the McRib away, for one, and that burns. (Sometimes I almost wish I'd never loved it at all.) There's at least one good reason to like McDonald's: They're being boycotted by the American Family Association.
What did McDonald's do to cross the AFA, its president, Donald Wildmon, and -- by extension -- Jesus (R-Nz.)? They donated $20,000 to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. McDonald's' revenue runs about five billion dollars a quarter, so you can see their profound commitment to destroying the family through sodomy.
Read the rest here.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Charlie Palmer
We had an amazing dinner last night - courtesy of my generous father-in-law - at the newly opened Charlie Palmer at the Joule Hotel downtown. Two thumbs way up.
The food was divine - I started with a decadent ricotta tortellini plate and had the pork chop for my main course. The sides of brussels sprouts and garlic-flavored mushrooms were perfect. My dining companions had a tomato salad (hold the salmonella) and scallops to start, and roasted chicken and bison steak for their entrees. We all loved our choices. All meals are served a la carte. The wine was, no surprise, absolutely wonderful (my father-in-law knows how to choose them!), and the wine list is electronic, presented on a menu-sized screen that you can scroll through.
The setting is equally wonderful. The decor is very different but quite interesting. The Joule Hotel is very, very cool, very swanky. The building was built in 1927 and the owner has carefully restored it. After dinner we got a tour of the hotel, including the pool, located on the 10th floor overlooking downtown Dallas. I could've spent all evening out there - it was so beautiful.
The hotel is Dallas's only true designer hotel, and it has partnered with Neiman Marcus, its next door neighboor. There is a button on the phones in all the rooms that dials directly to Neiman's. Every girl's dream.
Not all the rooms are finished yet, and they are still working on construction of the exclusive club on the lower level - members and hotel guests only. Very Dallas.
All in all, it was a great experience. We will definitely be going back for special occasions, and maybe even an overnight stay, and swim, in the hotel!
The food was divine - I started with a decadent ricotta tortellini plate and had the pork chop for my main course. The sides of brussels sprouts and garlic-flavored mushrooms were perfect. My dining companions had a tomato salad (hold the salmonella) and scallops to start, and roasted chicken and bison steak for their entrees. We all loved our choices. All meals are served a la carte. The wine was, no surprise, absolutely wonderful (my father-in-law knows how to choose them!), and the wine list is electronic, presented on a menu-sized screen that you can scroll through.
The setting is equally wonderful. The decor is very different but quite interesting. The Joule Hotel is very, very cool, very swanky. The building was built in 1927 and the owner has carefully restored it. After dinner we got a tour of the hotel, including the pool, located on the 10th floor overlooking downtown Dallas. I could've spent all evening out there - it was so beautiful.
The hotel is Dallas's only true designer hotel, and it has partnered with Neiman Marcus, its next door neighboor. There is a button on the phones in all the rooms that dials directly to Neiman's. Every girl's dream.
Not all the rooms are finished yet, and they are still working on construction of the exclusive club on the lower level - members and hotel guests only. Very Dallas.
All in all, it was a great experience. We will definitely be going back for special occasions, and maybe even an overnight stay, and swim, in the hotel!
The pool on the 10th floor
Charlie Palmer
The hotel lobby
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Adventure on!
My J41's finally arrived yesterday, and even though I only wore them for a few minutes before I had to change for dinner, they're already my new favorite shoes. They are super comfortable, super cute, and will be the perfect casual footwear for my summer travels.
Here are the cuties:
Mine are the "Aquarius" in tan/sky blue, but they have tons of different styles and colors. They're environmentally friendly, too - J41 products are made with 100% recycled and recyclable packaging, and all outsoles are constructed with partially recycled rubber.
I got mine at Piperlime.com, but you can find them on lots of different sites - just Google "J41 shoes." This style fits very true to size; the vegan style fit me a little smaller.
They're so great that my husband is upset they don't make this particular style in men's!
And no, they did not pay me to write this...
I will definitely be packing these for our trip to Portland!
Credit where credit is due! The fabulous Maggie introduced me to these; she has them too. And now so does my mom. C'mon, you know you want some too...
Here are the cuties:
Mine are the "Aquarius" in tan/sky blue, but they have tons of different styles and colors. They're environmentally friendly, too - J41 products are made with 100% recycled and recyclable packaging, and all outsoles are constructed with partially recycled rubber.
I got mine at Piperlime.com, but you can find them on lots of different sites - just Google "J41 shoes." This style fits very true to size; the vegan style fit me a little smaller.
They're so great that my husband is upset they don't make this particular style in men's!
And no, they did not pay me to write this...
I will definitely be packing these for our trip to Portland!
Credit where credit is due! The fabulous Maggie introduced me to these; she has them too. And now so does my mom. C'mon, you know you want some too...
Just call me Martha
This recipe was in yesterday's DMN, and it looks so yummy that I thought I'd share it with you.
Mediterranean Seven-Layer Dip from Devin Alexander
Here's a Mediterranean spin on Mexican-flavored seven layer dip that is served with tortillas. It's just as tasty, but much lighter. Three tablespoons of dip have only 41 calories and 2 grams of fat. Be sure to use garlic hummus with only about 3 grams of fat per 2-tablespoon serving.
1 cup garlic-flavored hummus
1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint
1 1/3 cups seeded and finely chopped cucumbers
1 1/3 cups seeded and finely chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
Pinch salt
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3 ounces reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives (about 8 olives)
6 (about 6 ½-inch-diameter) whole-wheat pita circles, lightly toasted and cut into wedges
Spoon hummus into a 6-cup glass bowl, spreading evenly with a spatula to make one layer. Mix yogurt with cumin and mint in a small bowl; pour evenly over hummus and smooth with the back of a spoon to form a second layer. Sprinkle evenly with cucumbers. Mix tomatoes, parsley, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a medium bowl. Sprinkle tomato mixture over cucumbers, followed by red onion, feta and olives.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 to 6 hours. Serve with 1/3 pita triangles for dipping. Makes about 31/2 cups dip, about 18 servings.
PER SERVING: Calories 97 Fat 3 g Sodium 270 mg Carbohydrates 15 g Protein 5 g
Enjoy!
Mediterranean Seven-Layer Dip from Devin Alexander
Here's a Mediterranean spin on Mexican-flavored seven layer dip that is served with tortillas. It's just as tasty, but much lighter. Three tablespoons of dip have only 41 calories and 2 grams of fat. Be sure to use garlic hummus with only about 3 grams of fat per 2-tablespoon serving.
1 cup garlic-flavored hummus
1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint
1 1/3 cups seeded and finely chopped cucumbers
1 1/3 cups seeded and finely chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
Pinch salt
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3 ounces reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives (about 8 olives)
6 (about 6 ½-inch-diameter) whole-wheat pita circles, lightly toasted and cut into wedges
Spoon hummus into a 6-cup glass bowl, spreading evenly with a spatula to make one layer. Mix yogurt with cumin and mint in a small bowl; pour evenly over hummus and smooth with the back of a spoon to form a second layer. Sprinkle evenly with cucumbers. Mix tomatoes, parsley, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a medium bowl. Sprinkle tomato mixture over cucumbers, followed by red onion, feta and olives.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 to 6 hours. Serve with 1/3 pita triangles for dipping. Makes about 31/2 cups dip, about 18 servings.
PER SERVING: Calories 97 Fat 3 g Sodium 270 mg Carbohydrates 15 g Protein 5 g
Enjoy!
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