Feh!

Hurricane Ernesto turned out to be a fluffer.


Ernesto pictured in pink.
NOAA Image from 8/30/06

Ernesto? What a dumb name for a hurricane. Still, after 8 hurricanes striking Florida in the last 2 years, I hope the down-graded Ernesto is the worst storm we see this season. Hardly noticed he is here.

The Flaurella's powerful red aura reigns supreme.
.

I Have an Aura. Whatever.

It turns out I have an aura.
I am not suprised that it is red, like wine.

Your Aura is Red

You have a high level of emotion and anxiety. This can mean passion, but it usually means rage. Sometimes, you don't take these emotions out on others, you just use them as motivation - and it works! The purpose of your life: embracing all the wonders of the life, lots of travels, and tons of adventures, much laughter. Famous reds include: Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Jennifer Lopez, Margaret Thatcher. Careers for you to try: Dancer, Boxer, Surgeon, Hippy Dippy Weather Chick

What Color Is Your Aura?

I don't write these little blog fiillers
but I'm not above using one when I have nothing else.

Will let you know about my date with Ernesto in 24 to 36 hours.

Temporarily Laid To Rest

Dear Addicts,
Sorry, work is keeping me busy and I can't find time to blog. I'm not complaining -- being this busy in August is great. I'll be back blogging again, ASAP. In the meantime, we have a hurricane that is supposed to get here late Wednesday or Thursday morning. I dunno. I don't think this one will be such a big deal. It's hard to get worried about a storm named "Ernesto."


Walking in The Boneyard

Back soon!

Enough of Summer, Puh-LEEZE

I can't believe it is only Wednesday. This has been a sorry-ass week and it seems like it should be Saturday. Nothing specifically horrible, just totally and generally sucky. W4D and I are both working too hard and under pressure and we are trying to get adjusted to having the kidlet back home for a semester after four years of an empty nest. Plus, it finally feels like August and I abhor summer. It's just plain effin' sucky.

The only civilized part of the day lately is our cocktail hour. I make sure I get some relief between 6:00 and 7:30 pm before I whip up dinner. I've decided life without martini's is too dreadful to bear. I also always have fresh flowers in the house. There are some things I refuse to do without and flowers, cocktails and tasty munchies in a civilized manner must be included in my daily routine. It helps me to put up with the bull-crap I endure every day. W4D has come to expect it, too. Seems we can get through all the bull shit and fluff all the assholes all day long if we know that we will have an hour or two of a more gentle time together in the evening before dinner.

Cocktails last night were vodka martini's
with smoked oyster canapés.
The flowers are red and gold gladiolus.



Smoked Oysters on English water biscuits
with roasted peppers, the best virgin olive oil
and fresh lemon oregano from my herb pot.



I can't remember what dinner was.
I bet it was good.
.

MIA Again

Apologies for not being here as often as usual. Since I went vamping, I've been working like a fiend to get caught up with work. Two of my micro web sites have been featured in magazines this month and it's keeping me really busy. I am particularly pleased that In Style magazine lists our Just Charmed site as a "Wise Buy in Web Shopping" for vintage charm bracelets. I went out bought the magazine. It's huge!

Now I just have to find time to read it.

I've browsed through the first 130 pages over the last four days and there are more than 600 pages in the big September issue. I was sipping my pomegranate and citron vodka cocktail and looking at the magazine when I came to a six page spread on DKNY fall fashions. W4D was sitting beside me at the island in the kitchen and I could see him looking at the DKNY in the photos that was painted on the city streets (pages 90 - 96 if you have the magazine).

I told him that if he knew what DKNY stood for that I would do whatever he wanted right there in the kitchen. He wagged his eyebrows and went into deep thought.

D K N Y D K N Y D K N Y

Now mind you, he is looking fashion ads. After about a minute of contemplation he announced,

"Don't Knock New York!"

I married a genius.


Pomegranate cocktail - sort of sweet and tart at the same time
PAMA is the brand name of the liquer.
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Naked Women Cooking Fish?

I can help you blog searchers with things like Sparkletini, the fastest way to chill white wine, diamond slippers, cork wreaths, vamping (amazing how many people are searching "vamping") and muffin jokes but the best search hit I had all week was the one for "naked women cooking fish." Golly. I don't even remember telling you about that. And, Flaurella is still puzzled as to why anyone would want a 1.5 ounce bottle of Bombay Sapphire. Jeeze! Go for the 1.75 litre bottle!

Usually, I like what I cook. I have a good palate and combine flavors well. While this dish wasn't truly awful, it just didn't float my boat. I grilled salmon and served it with penne pasta in a sauce made of butter, cream and parmesan cheese, colored with some leftover broccoli, some red sweet pepper and edamame. I didn't like the cream sauce with fish. Blame my father, he would never eat anything dairy on the same table with fish. I must have inherited the cream doesn't go with fish gene from him. We love edamame as a snack, hot or cold, but I didn't like it with fish or with pasta, to say nothing of in cream sauce.

Therefore, I warn you, do NOT try this dish at home. Blecch.

Salmon with penne in cream sauce w/
edamame, baby spinach and tomatoes
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She Likes the Long Ones

The Lubricator and I drove down to a little mountain town for supplies and decided to walk the outdoor flea market. He had been fishing a few times and wasn't catching anything. I would have used canned corn (is that legal bait?) but the Lube was using a little spinner and it wasn't catching any fish. He wanted to look for some wiggle worm lures.

While I was across the aisle admiring piggy pot holders and little gingham dresses so your dish detergent bottles don't have to sit on the counter naked, I saw W4D browsing a table run by two middle aged women. Their booth was loaded with fishing lures and baggies of plastic worms in all colors and sizes. The Lube had a bag of long black worms with blue sparkles in one hand and a bag of short motor oil worms with purple sparkles in the other. He called me over and held both out.

"Flaurella, do you prefer a long one or a short one?"

I rolled my eyes at the ladies behind the table and we all smirked and then cracked up. None of us could believe that a man had actually voiced that question. I was laughing so hard I had to walk away. W4D just stood there with a confused look on his face wondering why I didn't answer his question.

When I got around to opening the bag of "worms," two days later this is what I found:



Creepy Bait

I gather W4D was planning on catching some really large fish. These creepy salamander lures are 8 inches long. At least he knows what size I like.
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The Top Two

The two best things about going primitive vamping are:

1. Getting away
2. Coming home

Getting away from phones, TV, electronics that beep at you and getting back to nature is so peaceful. It's fun to depend upon your skills to make a camp and get along with a bare minimum of creature comforts. We used a single butane burner, one pot, a skillet, tin foil, the cooler, the tent, air mattress, a battery fan, a Coleman double mantle gas and a Coleman battery lantern. Paper plates make good tinder. We always eat well when camping. I can cook just about anything over a campfire since I cook at home with a gas stove or outside on the grill whenever possible.


Corn roasted in the husks in the coals


No Beanie Weenies for Flaurella

We take a thermometer camping. I like to know if I am hot or cold so I can complain about it. How would I know how long to whine about the weather without a little thermometer? Fortunately, at the higher wooded altitudes where we were, it was in the upper 50's to low 60's at night and in the daytime, the temp would get up to the low to mid eighties in the sunshine. Balmy! We didn't get a drop of rain. W4D insisted on campfires at night but we didn't have one burning 24/7 like we do during fall or spring trips.


Campfire for cooking and for ambiance

And yes, we did have our usual cocktail hour. We sat our chairs in the creek or straddled and used the cross log for a table. The Flaurella does not give up her late afternoon martini's and nibbles, no matter the location.


Sipping toonies in the creek

Still, returning to all the creature comforts we take for granted felt good. The electronic toys, computers, the microwave, fridge, soft chairs, cozy bed, air conditioner -- ah, the luxury of it all! I think what I missed most was being able to Google. The Lube says I Google at least 30 - 50 times every day. I've gotten so used to having the largest library in the world at my fingertips and being able to get info or an instant answer to any question with a few key strokes that I really missed my Google. I could have looked up the names of the butterflies and flowers and trees that I didn't know. I could have pulled up satellite maps and more. If W4D can bring his cell, maybe I will bring a laptop next time. In fact, it may be time to start looking at RV's. Getting up from that air mattress in the middle of the night isn't as easy as it used to be. We had great fun but it was good to come home again. So how come today, I wish I was still in the mountains with my feet in that ice cold branch that ran through our camp?


Cold mountain branch water
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And The Beat Goes On

We're home and trying to get back into the proverbial groove. I'll get caught up on comments and maybe tell you a little about Vamping soon.


6032 feet above sea level where the air is cool!

Tonight, we were watching the tube and saw that commercial for the World Trade Center film. The catch phrase was, "Every generation has its defining moment."

Me: What would you say is the defining moment of our generation?

W4D: (without a second'shesitation) Kennedy getting killed.

Me: Yes, that's probably it.

W4D: That, or man walking on the moon.

Me: Both of those are excellent choices. The first thing that came to my mind was Kent State.

W4D: The Kennedy assassination profoundly affected me. You know, many days, I am working and I can still hear those drums.

Me: Are you sure you aren't just hung over?