Pbenjay's Blog

So Many Flavors So Little Time

June 27, 2010 by pbenjay

Ice Cream is my favorite food, YES it is. When I was very young, I thought a boiled Maine lobster was my favorite meal and then for the longest time pasta in various incarnations and sauces would have been my answer. But now, through years of therapy, intensive inward analysis, a 12 step program and past life therapy – I NOW KNOW that given a choice of picking only one food you could eat – it would be ice cream!

Ice cream is the perfect food – not the egg, not a banana. “It fills up my senses” – and I mean that literally. When you lick an ice cream cone or taste that first spoonful, a whole world of pleasurable sensations opens up for you; the ice cream is COLD, it chills your cheeks, clears your head and soothes your throat. It’s creamy and soft and that makes it a truly sensual experience, It’s sweet and therefore satisfying and energizing at the same time. AND the last bite tastes just as good as the first one!!! I think the fact that I was born on the cusp of Taurus pretty much explains where all that comes from; even the simplest of astrological sign descriptions will reveal that those born under the sign of the bull are a luxury loving, sensual group surrounding themselves with velvets, good music, comfortable furnishings and good food. Taurus is the astrological Sign which is known for its sensitivity to sensual experiences provided through the five physical senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound – and its appreciation for the pleasures and comforts of life.

AND under the sign of the twins, Castor and Pollux Geminis are quick, clever, impulsive, restless, changeable and highly intellectual. They crave novelty and variety, and grow bored easily. I think that explains the conflict, the paralyzing indecision, the interminable changing of the mind, and the overwhelming burden of having to choose just ONE flavor – it’s so hard except when you go to Day’s Ice Cream and they, understanding the true nature of an addiction, will gladly provide two flavors in any size cup.

That’s the prologue to what follows; I LOVE: Peanut Butter Moose Tracks, Toasted Coconut Almond Fudge, Banana Fudge, Ben and Jerry’s New York Super Fudge, Chubby Hubby, Mr. Goody, Orange Creamsicle, Cookie Dough, Strawberry, Green Tea, Red Bean, Peanut Butter Twist, Butter Pecan, Mint Chocolate Chip, Peppermint, Peach, Vanilla, Chocolate, Mud Pie, Coffee, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Toasted Coconut, Chunky Monkey, Pistachio, Cherry Garcia, Jamocha Almond Fudge, Eggnog, Pumpkin, Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Orange Pineapple, Sweet Cream, Snickers, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Truffle, Chocolate Brownie Fudge and and AND I think the list is LONGER, similar to the words of Buzz Lightyear, “To infinity and beyond”.

When You Just Can't Make Up Your Mind

Posted in BY THE WAY | Tagged Day's Ice Cream, Gemini, Taurus | 7 Comments »

Dear God!! It’s Only a Stroller

June 26, 2010 by pbenjay

We’re going to the Zoo! It seemed like a great plan; Finny got up early and had some of her waffle which was her choice over eggs. Finally I had to resort to paper and pen bribery to get her to eat one more piece and then like any other good Grandma, Gigi said,”All Done”.

My plan was to get her dressed up in one her new outfits and last night Finny had already made her choice – it seems she wants to wear her strawberry shirt and polka dot skirt. The girl has a mind of her own. Well she’s not dressed yet because she has been coloring, taking her Aurora princess doll for a ride in the stroller and now she has moved stroller, doll and herself over to the red wagon. Oh and apparently she found a drum along the way. She’s amusing herself while I clean up.

I knew it would be best if we went this morning so we could be back in time for a nap (and she slept until 7:45am). Chiara told me how to get to the Fairmount at Copley Plaza where the FREE bus would pick us up and take us to the Zoo. Plan was to put her in the stroller. A HA!! I remembered how exasperating and crazy it was when we were in NYC with Finny and her stroller and it was time to get on the bus. OMG panic-stricken – I couldn’t get the damn thing to close up. I thought it was an umbrella stroller, an umbroller stroller is what I used to have when Chiara was little. The ubroller stroller was a godsend! Spread the handles it was open, step on the frame it was closed. Lightweight, colorful and ever so portable you could actually hang one over your arm while you were packing or unpacking the car or the kid from the car for that matter.

: SIMPLE UMBRELLA STROLLER

BUT NO…. that’s not what Finley has! Her stroller is bigger, heavier, safer no doubt, and of course much more difficult for anyone over the age of 40 to figure out. Believe me I am not unfamiliar with apparatus, putting together bikes, barbeque grills and anything else that my first husband couldn’t seem to master. Who can ever forget staying up on Christmas Eve till 3am putting together something he bought for Joel un-assembled!!! Ok so I digress a little 🙂

The best thing to do was to practice closing it before we got to Copley Plaza and make a jackass out of myself. Much better to be a jackass in private, don’t you agree? Okay, so I pushed the lower cross bars with my foot, I stepped on the pedal-like thing on the right side, I put the brakes on and off. I looked at it from the front, got down and examined the whole lower part of it and COULD NOT make the damn thing close. I called Peter! Didn’t he remember how he closed it last time? Ha ha ha, remember? I’m asking the man who asks me what day it is!!! By this time, even with the air-conditioning on, I was beginning to sweat. I cursed the stroller which by the way now joined several other pieces of equipment in this house which have been sworn at. Did I ever tell you about the time, Peter, myself, my ex-husband and the in-laws (that makes 5 adults) could NOT figure out how to turn on or off or change a station on the TV here? Hey it doesn’t even look like a TV with its several black boxes, one of which is an X box of course! Well more digression, but it is somewhat amusing don’t you think? The dishwasher has flush buttons with itsy bitsy writing on a black panel on the edge of the door – oh yeah, that’s easy and convenient!! I do know how to work the garbage disposal, at least they haven’t gone hi-tech with that.

Of course by now, you know we didn’t go to the Zoo! And if you ask me what we did do specifically I would be at a loss to tell you. All I know is that by 11:30 we were both finally dressed, the bed was made, the poopy diaper was changed for the 2nd time and I figured I deserved some Starbucks. So off we went to Starbucks where once again, like any good Grandma, I let Finny pick out something for herself since I was getting a Grande Americano. She opted for organic chocolate milk – GOOD CHOICE!

My Nemesis

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

FAB FOTO FRIDAY-ART is Where You Find it!

June 24, 2010 by pbenjay

I like to showcase photographs that depict a subject, a place, an attitude, an event…this week I’m pleased to feature some pictures that are what I call “arty photos”. Art is Where You Find It – The Jersey Shore. Well I’m not explaining this very well so let’s have the pictures speak for themselves.

no lifeguard, Ocean Beach, yellow flag means caution

No Life Guard on Duty - CAUTION

Flying a kite, green kite, Ocean Grove, kite flying

Go Fly A Kite

Sand Script

Escaped

Under the Boardwalk

Box Office at Dawn

Mussel Beach

All of the photographs are Courtesy of Murray Head

Posted in Ha-P 2 B in OG | Tagged Asbury Prak, boardwalk, kite, mussels | Leave a Comment »

What Did You Do to Stay Cool Yesterday?

June 24, 2010 by pbenjay

It hit 93 degrees yesterday (Wednesday) in New York City. What did you do to stay cool? I went to the office and it was pretty cool there – Finley Ray went to Rhode Island to visit Auntie Kerry.

Testing the waters

Me and My Shadow

Posted in Finley Ray | Tagged Finley Ray, Kerry | 2 Comments »

Conspiracy Theory Wednesday-The SNIPER’S NEST

June 23, 2010 by pbenjay

This is the 4th installment in the detailing of a conspiracy theory about the assassination of President Kennedy.

CROSSFIRE

Thirty minutes after the assassination, Dallas Police found what they assumed to be a sniper’s nest – boxes piled high around a sixth floor window in the easternmost corner of the Texas School Book Depository (TSBD). Three spent shells lay neatly on the floor in front of the window. Twenty minutes later a rifle, identified in a sworn affidavit by Dallas Police as a 7.65mm German Mauser, was found under a pile of books in another corner of the sixth floor. The next day the rifle was re-identified as a 6.5mm Italian Mannlicher-Carcano that ballistically matched the three shells.

Of the 138 witnesses to the assassination later asked to testify as to where the shots came from, 32 said they came from the TSBD to the right rear of the President, while 58 named the grassy knoll above and to the right front of the limousine as the source of the shots. Most of the other 48 witnesses heard shots from both directions. In addition, many smelled gun-powder near the picket fence on the grassy knoll. Police and bystanders rushed up the embankment toward the knoll. Fresh footprints were seen behind the picket fence. The first Dallas policeman to reach the parking lot above the knoll encountered a sloppily dressed man standing by a car, who produced Secret Service credentials. The Secret Service later denied any knowledge of this “agent“.

At 2:30pm a man was brought into police headquarters under suspicion of killing a police officer. His name was Lee Harvey Oswald, an employee of the TSBD, whose manager, Roy Truly, had last seen him two minutes after the assassination, drinking a Coke outside the second floor lunchroom.

The Sniper's Nest

Posted in Conspiracy Theory Wednesday | Tagged grassy knoll, Mannicher-Carcano, Texas School Book Depository, TSBD | Leave a Comment »

Six-Word Memoirs Monday-one day later

June 22, 2010 by pbenjay

I happened to be reading or rather leafing through the latest edition of the AARP magazine. OH GOD what a revelation! And I put in writing!! Anyway, I came across a page entitled Six-Word Memoirs. This particular page featured Six-Word Memoirs/Cheating Death. They were great, really clever. I discovered there’s something called The Six-Word Memoir Project and I googled the term and found out that Larry Smith founded the project which is based on a literary legend. As the story goes, Ernest Hemingway was once asked to write a story in six words. His response:

“For Sale: Baby Shoes, never worn”.

The editors of Smith magazine challenged writers to craft their own six-word memoirs, and got some interesting results. Most of them sound kinda like crosses between a personal ad and a haiku… Larry and co-author, Rachel Ferschleiser also have a new book coming out; It All Changed in an Instant.

We’re all articulate and intelligent here, right?? So I’m inviting you to submit your own Six-Word Memoirs in any category. AARP has invited its readers to share a Six-Word story about their worst mistake and they’ll publish some of the best – so will !!!

Here is my Six-Word Memoir about a worst mistake although the error’s not mine. The oil spreads, fish are dead

Posted in Six Word Memoirs | Tagged AARP, Larry Smith, Six-Word memoir | 4 Comments »

Tasty Tidbits Tuesday – Summer Pasta

June 22, 2010 by pbenjay

The fruit stands, vegetable stands and Farmer’s Markets are about to burst with the glorious bounty of summer gardens. I am enthralled with the vegetables and fruits of summer!!! It is one of my great joys to go to Matt’s Vegetable stand in Belmar, NJ and load up on Jersey Tomatoes, Jersey Corn, zucchini, yellow squash, plums, peaches, spaghetti squash, YOU NAME IT, THEY GOT IT! As usual I digress…well not really, after all today’s dish is made with the vegetables of the summer season!

SUMMER PASTA – Buon Appettito!

10 oz whole grain spaghetti

2 TBS sliced green onions

1TBS olive oil

1 1/2 cups assorted veggies (squash, asparagus,carrots,mushrooms, snap peas, spinach etc)

1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes – drained and snipped into pieces

2 cups assorted tomatoes; grape tomatoes quartered, fresh tomatoes chopped and seeded

1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth

1/4 cup pitted Kalamatra olives

1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese.

2 TBS fresh basil snipped

Cook pasta – drain and return to pot. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the green onion in hot oil over med. heat for about a minute. Stir in the vegetables and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook covered for 5 minutes, stirring once. Stir in fresh tomatoes and broth and olives. Cook for approximately 45 seconds. Spoon the tomato mixture over the pasta – toss gently. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and the basil.

Summer Pasta

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, We Called It Macaroni (Pasta recipes) | Tagged Summer Pasta | 6 Comments »

Abu Dabu Do

June 21, 2010 by pbenjay

Wellllll I went to see Sex and the City2 and it was 2 long, 2 dumb, 2 short on plot, 2 predictable, and 2 cartoonish.

If this site was Rotten Tomatoes I would give it 3 rotten tomatoes which by the way is pretty close to what the movie has gotten on that site. As of tonight, Sex and the City2 has received 150 rotten tomatoes out of 179 reviews. I knew that it had been getting bad reviews but I really did want to see it. I DID enjoy the first movie and well I did hope that this one would be somewhat good. NOT!

It was too long, it dragged in places, the clothes that Carrie wore throughout the first part of the movie were ugly, Mario Cantone was totally wasted in the movie – I don’t mean he was wasted, I mean his talent was wasted. He had the most inane lines, what a disappointment! The wedding scene was so over the top gay that it was a cartoon.

When the show was on, the characters almost seemed believable; maybe because at that time, I had my daughter Chiara living with me and she and her entourage looked the part, dressed the part and partied the part! BUT in the movie tonight I felt like I was watching a cast of reality show contestants; there was Carrie and Mr. Big as the hip New York childless couple, Miranda as the smart control freak, more lawyer than lover and mother, Charlotte the obessive by the rules girl, feeling guilty because she thinks she’s supposed to feel guilty and of course Samantha the over-sexed going over the hill 4th. Samantha was probably the most caricatured character of them all. The woman who loved to love men on the show was now portrayed as an aging, hormone junkie who sits at her desk with her panties around her ankles, rubbing cream into her V Jay Jay! There is nothing attractive about a crude mouthed menopausal nymphomaniac (nymphomania is a mental illness).

Now if the movie was supposed to be a spoof, a comical satirical view of not so young single women who mostly were not single anymore, then you could overlook the over the top portrayals – but it wasn’t that kind of movie. It took itself much more seriously than that. Carrie and Mr. Big reveled in their special two-ness, their just me and you-ness.

As far as a fashion statement, I thought the clothes worn by the girls when they were in Abu Dhabi were wild and interesting and for the most part flattering. AND I guess we can expect to see that four leaf clover necklace on every pre-teenage girl in the coming months.

Sex and the City2, Carrie Bradshaw, new york city, sarah jessica parker

Carrie's Four Leaf Clover necklace

My advice – wait till it comes out on DVD and rent it. It’s not worth the price of a ticket (at least not here in New York City).

Posted in BY THE WAY, From My Point of View - Personal commentary on Movies and Books | Tagged Abu Dhabi, Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte, Mario Cantone, Miranda, nymphomaniac, Samantha, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City2 | 2 Comments »

It’s Father’s Day!

June 20, 2010 by pbenjay

I always think of my Dad on Father’s Day. I miss him and on this day, my thoughts have been about how much he was a part of my life. However, this blog is not about what was but rather what is. This morning it gave me great pleasure to send a Happy Father’s Day greeting to my son-in-law Tom, who is a terrific Dad. It is such a joy to see Finny’s face light up and hear her shout out “Daddy, Daddy” when he comes home from work or has been gone for a while. She truly has his heart and she’s his little princess. Here are a few photos of Finny and her Daddy taken over the past 22 months.