Thanks to Google and their Halloweenify app, I was able to create two really scary photos. Well that app and time on my hands, tsk, tsk.,
Anyway, I thought I would post them on my blog and on Facebook basically because I’m bored. I think I better get home and get my apartment ready to greet, no I mean scare the kids that dare to come trick or treating at our home.
YES It is Me
Nicky and Me – BOO!
Posted in Amuse-bouche du jour, FAMILY & FRIENDS | Tagged Halloween, horror films, scary photos | 1 Comment »
Sorry this is SOoooo late but Monday just sort of slipped by. However since the theme was Halloween Horror stories – that is very short stories, Six Words, No More, No Less and we still have a day or two before the spookiest day of the year, I think you all will forgive me for missing Monday!
Creepy Castle
Photo copied from http://www.ashtarcommandcrew.net
1. DARK!!! ….. can’t see a thi…. Eeeeeeeekkkkk! – Laura
2. Happy me, happy family, happy life – Lynne
3. Squeaking door…creaking floor… Shrieking me! – Laura
4. “Who’s there”? “Nobody” said the ghost! – Me
5. Hallow’s Eve, ghosts, goblins go begging – Me
6. WHOoooo!! “Just me”, I whimpered quietly.
And from the online community at SMITH magazine where the challenge went out to write a horror story in six words the following are the TOP SIX entries:
6. “All alone she heard her name” —@JDGDredd1050 (via Twitter)
5. “Thought it was a costume party.” —letitshine
4. “Candy gone. Tricksters coming. Lights out.” —Amy B. (via Facebook)
3. “Wore complicated costume. Impossible to pee.” —ChewyD2
2. “Sixteen candles on an unmarked grave.” —steelponypoet
And the top entry from SixContest #38 is…
1. “No signal. Landline dead. Phone rings….” —tcube
Nest week (and I’m following the SMITH magazine schedule) – let’s try SUM YOURSELF UP IN SIX WORDS. I don’t know whether this will be easy or hard but it ought to be interesting!!
Pretending to be me isn’t easy – Me
Posted in Six Word Memoirs | Tagged All Hallow's Eve, creaky floor, Ghosts, goblins, Halloween costume, squeaky door | 2 Comments »
A Tasty Morsel For Sure
October 28, 2014 is
National Chocolate Day
Today is National Chocolate Day! Just what you’ve been waiting for – a reason to eat more chocolate! Americans consume an average of 12 pounds per person per year. Do you help contribute to this staggering stat?
Valentine’s Day and Easter are two of the top holidays for buying chocolate, but you can’t forget about Christmas or Halloween! However, many will argue that chocolate is best enjoyed year-round.
To celebrate National Chocolate Day, enjoy some chocolate with each meal today! Try hot chocolate or chocolate donuts for breakfast. A fun lunch idea is to pair your favorite dish with a tall glass of chocolate milk. For dinner, try a traditional mole sauce, made with cocoa powder. Top it all off with a decadent chocolate dessert!
Give a friend a box of chocolates, try a new recipe using chocolate, or treat yourself to some! The above excerpt is courtesy of PUNCH BOWL.
Oh Take Me Awayyyyy
You notice I opted for dark chocolate because seriously is there any other kind? LOL LOL, that ought to provoke some responses! Milk Chocolate – Mmmm more like a pretender, solidified hot cocoa (American style not French). White chocolate? Don’t even go there; In case you didn’t know IT’S NOT EVEN CHOCOLATE!!!
I can see if I don’t stop writing this blog this morning, I’m going to be in trouble because right now some of the best brands of dark chocolate and the picture of their labels are swirling around in my head! Thinking of the sources too! Swiss, Belgian, French, not to mention the fabulous rebirth of small-batch hand-crafted chocolate (and other wonderful foods and drinks like coffee, bread and beer) that have sprung to life over the past decade or so. Some credit this resurgence to that horrible period of job lay-offs and downsizing and some think our salvation lies with a younger generation (X or Y?) who don’t want to don that corporate garb. Hallelujah to them I say!
After watching the news last night where the benefits of dark chocolate were extolled for regaining one’s memory, I may have to rethink my current attempt to diet and indulge is some very, very dark chocolate today. Thinking 70-75% cacao, oh yeah! You can hold a square in your mouth, let it rest on your tongue and it will melt oh so slowly….. You have to resist the urge to chew it, which is hard I know but so rewarding if you don’t !
Did I ever tell you about my experience at The Chocoholic’s ate Bar at the Hyatt Regency in Hawaii? OMG it will have to be for another time. The whole experience was mind-blowing for a chocoholic like me!
What’s your favorite kind of chocolate? What brand(s) do you prefer? Are you a milk chocolate lover? It’s okay to admit it even if the rest of us dark chocolate lovers think you’re misguided lol lol.
Posted in Amuse-bouche du jour, BY THE WAY, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday | Tagged Belgian chocolate, cacao, chocoholics, Chocolate, dark chocolate, Hyatt Regency, memory, milk chocolate | 2 Comments »
Do you know what a hack is? It’s a nickname for cab driver, it’s chopping away at something as in hacking. I believe there are few more definitions BUT the explanation for today’s blog goes something like this: A Hack is an appropriate application of ingenuity.
Look at these 9 ingenious ways you can save space or in other words add space to your home. Apparently I’m 1 short of Thursday’s Top Ten lol. These ingenious ideas have been excerpted from the PURE WOW web site.
1. Let Your Makeup Stand Up
Pretty Ingenious
Leave it to the inventive folks at Quirky to come up with a silicon grid that grips any and all tubular products. The vertical orientation not only saves space but also keeps your brushes clean.
Zen Cosmetics ($15)
2.Use Magnetic Knife Racks for Grooming Tools
Another brilliant idea from our good friends the Swedes: a big ole magnet. Load it up with metal bobby pins, tweezers, clippers and such. But mount it somewhere secluded (inside a drawer or cabinet), so your cuticle pusher isn’t in your face on a daily basis.
Ikea ($13)
3. Make a Place for Your Towels
Got Hang Ups?
Don’t waste precious wall space when your towels can nestle right outside the shower curtain with a double rod. (Important to note: You’ll need a masonry drill bit if you’re installing in tile.)Bed Bath & Beyond ($40)
4. Hang Your Hair Dryer
Don’t be an idiot and waste a whole drawer on something that’s literally built to be hung. Adhere a hotel-style fixture next to the mirror for easy access. (And maybe consider a dryer upgrade if you’re still slinging a purple Conair from ’99.)
5. Extend Your Countertop
Up, up and away
Useful little risers like this are especially handy if you share a sink with a significant other.
Kmart ($15)
6. Lift Up Your Spray Bottles
Don’t Get Hung Up
When it comes to teeny bathrooms, levels are your best friends. Create one for your cleaners by hanging them from a small shower rod. Just make sure the rod can withstand the weight. (Screw mounts are best, and the hardware store can trim the rod to fit.)
Home Depot ($6)
7. Re-purpose Spice Racks for Beauty Products
In more “you should be hanging that” news, free up space in an overflowing medicine cabinet by shelving your more infrequently used items. Just be careful to maintain a clean and streamlined look–and don’t clutter up your walls with erratic colors.
Ikea ($4)
8. Swap a Vanity Tray for a Cake Stand
L’Occitane hand cream deserves a sweet display. But that tiny single tray you’re using isn’t doing you any favors. Double the amount you can store simply by switching it for tiered server plates. (Pro tip: Go vintage to preserve the dainty vibe.)
Etsy ($45)
9. Take Advantage of Higher Elevations
Look UP!
That extra foot between your door frame and the ceiling? Use it or lose it. Install a shelf to store extra necessities (like spare T.P. and guest towels).
Ikea ($23)
Posted in Thursday's Top Ten | Tagged cake stand, hair dryer, magnetic knife rackpice rack upcycle, make up stand, spray bottles, towel racks, vanity tray | Leave a Comment »
The Lunatics Are Running The Asylum!
And that my friends pretty much sums up the rather thin interpretation of Edgar Allen Poe’s THE SYSTEM OF DOCTOR TARR AND MR. FETHER as transformed into a screenplay and made into the movie, STONEHEARST ASYLUM.
We’re talking killer cast here; Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley, Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, and Sophie Kennedy Clark. The real crime here is the script. The film is loosely based on Poe’s short story but fails to instill the thriller aspects Poe so aptly imbedded in his tales. Here we have a very over-the-top set design, seriously could you get any more shrouded-in-fog Gothic than the monstrous castle known as Stonehearst Asylum. This particular asylum was the closet and shelf where famous and wealthy families hid away their unstable family members; meaning there were your garden variety of hysterics, depressives, incurable homosexuals and homicidal murderers.
Dr. Edward Newgate, a recent Oxford graduate arrives at the gates of Stonehearst only to be greeted by three gun-toting, unshaven, unwashed, gap toothed crazies. Any normal person would have turned and fled but our sincere Dr. Newgate ventures forth, eager to gain some clinical experience so he might complete his training as an Alienist. I would say within the first 10 minutes of the film the audience is quite aware that indeed the lunatics are running the asylum”.
As with every thriller, one can expect twists and turns, unfortunately, the film is very predictable and the characters although bravely embraced by the likes of Kingsley and Caine, are merely clones we’ve seen before. Without making this into a real spoiler, let me point out that the lack of dimension and character development is best exemplified by the scenes between Sturgess and Beckinsale are repeats of the first scene. He wants to take her away, he wants to take her away, he wants to take her away.
It’s saddening to think such stellar performers as Kingsley and Caine are reduced to acting in a film clearly destined to achieve DVD status before the year runs out. I’m not holding out much hope for Michael Caine in the upcoming movie Interstellar because he is billed below Matthew McConaughy and Ann Hathaway and in fact, there isn’t even a character noted next to his name. Maybe he’s a narrator; That would be fine, I love his voice.
If you like mild thrillers, not much gore, and seeing a great cast go to waste, then you should go see Stonehearst Asylum but if you’re more inclined to spend that $35.oo (2 adult tickets in NYC) on something more substantial, then I suggest you wait a while and rent it!
Posted in From My Point of View - Personal commentary on Movies and Books | Tagged asylums, Ben Kingsley, depressives, deviants, gothic, hysterics, Jim Sturgess, kate beckinsale, lunatics, Michael Caine | Leave a Comment »
Red, Green and Black Lentils
BEANS – Yes lentils are beans and they are not only good for you, they taste good too! This dish can be ready in about 25 minutes. Goat cheese and lentils make a particularly good pairing; the little earthy-sweet legumes love a salty-unami complement (that’s why you so often see them paired with sausage and other cured pork products), and goat cheese fits the bill. Here the combination is especially cozy, as the goat cheese melts into the warm lentils, bathing them in a creamy dressing. This delightful recipe comes from Martha Rose Shulman of The New York Times.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups/14 ounces green, brown, black lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 small or 1/2 large onion, halved
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
Salt
1/4 cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup broth from the lentils
3-4 ounces goat cheese (to taste), crumbled
Black pepper
2 cups wild or baby arugula
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium pot, combine lentils, onion, two of the garlic cloves and the bay leaf with 6 cups water. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Add salt to taste, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 25 minutes, until lentils are cooked through but sill have some texture (they should not be mushy). Taste and adjust salt.’
Using tongs, remove onion and bay leaf. (you may cook lentils up to four days ahead and store in the refrigerator Bring back to a simmer and proceed with recipe).
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together vinegar, remaining garlic, salt to taste and olive oil. Set aside.
Place a strainer over a bowl and carefully drain lentils, reserving 1/4 cup of the broth. Return lentils to the pot. Whisk reserved broth into the dressing, then stir dressing into lentils. Add goat cheese and stir until it has melted into the lentils. Season to taste with pepper. Stir in herbs.
Line a platter, salad plates or bowls with arugula. Top the arugula with lentils. Serve warm.
Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday | Tagged arugula, black lentils, goat cheese, green lentils, red lentils, warm salad | Leave a Comment »
I am loving the replies and responses I’m getting from a couple of faithful followers! This is such a good brain game – although I believe Smith Magazine does not consider this project a game! Their (Smith Magazine) website is an encyclopedia of Six Word Memoirs. They have categories, contests, archives and more. After I publish our reader’s memoirs, I thought I would post a few from their Best Six Word Memoirs of the Week.
Falling Leaves
1. Falling leaves make for slippery roads – Susan
2. Ghost!? Kidding!….Ummm What was thaaat? – Laura
3. Guests brought pot, hostess couldn’t stir – Me
4. Enough with the campaign adverts already! – Susan
5. I am addicted to my I-Pad – Lynne
6. Trying to empty freezer for cookies – Susan
7. Beginning to look lots like Halloween – Susan
8. High last night, hung over today – Me
And so from the experts (their contributors) at Smith Magazine, here are some of the memoirs deemed best of the week:
1. Let toddler take you for a walk
2. Give all grudges a proper burial
3. Seeing familiar milestones in changing landscapes
4. Inhaling this moment : My favorite drug!
5. Practice being bored, it builds character
Aren’t those great? I strongly suggest visiting the web site, people from all over the world sign in and send in Memoirs!
Our challenge for next week is HALLOWEN HORROR STORIES IN SIX WORDS! But of course if you’d rather send in a random thought or act or anything else, you know it’s fine with me and will be published the following week!
Oh Horrors!
Posted in Six Word Memoirs | Tagged autumn, Halloween, Hollywood, leaves, pot, Six Word Memoirs, Six-Word memoir, slippery roads, Smith Magazine, stoned, Susan | 3 Comments »
You scream, we all scream ice cream! Clearly one of my favorite childhood rhymes and knowing my passion for ice cream, I must be a case of arrested development.
In case you’re wondering I do know how to spell fatty, however this particular ice cream treat reminded me of the past few years fad-obsession with bacon and this year’s fad – it’s got to be salted to be good (read sea salted dark chocolate, salted caramel everything including Starbucks!).
So what we have here is: A waffle cup with sampler trio (whiskey fudge rebellion, drunk and salty caramel, and maple bacon) sprinkled with candied pecans.
OMG
Luca & Bosco is an ice cream and dessert company based in NYC. They strive to make people happy through food – my kind of people! Their ice cream has integrity, and is made from all natural ingredients, organic whenever possible, less sweet and packed with flavor – one taste and you will know the difference. They’re seriously talking about a deliciousness to make your eyes roll back because it tastes so good.
Run by co-founders Catherine Oddenino and Ruthie Vishlitzky, Luca & Bosco’s mission is to bring deliciousness to people’s lives one scoop at a time.
Catherine is the mom of Luca, a 5 pound, white Maltese. Ruthie is the mom of Bosco, a chocolate Lab. They are the inspiration for the name and the reason we make ice cream cone shaped dog biscuits. We don’t want our canine friends to be left out of the ice cream fun.
Wow!! I have to take a trip down to the Lower East Side to stop in for a taste of some of the unusual and distinct ice cream flavors offered at Luca & Bosco. Although today’s feature is the waffle cup sampler with a trio of fantabulous ice creams, Luca & Bosco have such exotic flavors as: Carmelized Banana, Chocolate Brownie Chunk, Goat Cheese, Milky Tea, Rosemary Olive Oil, and Earl Grey with Chocolate Freckles. On second thought maybe I shouldn’t even consider a visit. I might go into sugar shock!
Luca & Bosco is located at 120 Essex St. New York, NY.
Posted in Amuse-bouche du jour, I Scream For Ice Cream, New York Speaks, Only in New York | Tagged Bacon, candied pecans, Ice cream, Lower East Side, salted caramel, Starbucks, waffle dish cone, whiskey fudge | Leave a Comment »
It’s not every day that you get to meet a mysterious silent film star! I was lucky enough to meet the beautiful and mysterious Belle De l’ombre. Believe it or not she actually lives here in New York City in some very posh surroundings. But of course that’s only fitting for such a raven beauty. Her name is as beautiful as she is and it translates to Beauty Of The Shadows! She is a true movie star from the silent film era and as you can see from this photo she carries herself as the star she is. With a little bit of luck and research I was able to obtain some footage from one of Belle’s many films. Take a look for yourself and I’m sure you’ll agree this little Glamour Puss is as elegant and mysterious as her name implies.
http://kokovoko.net/bandw.html
Beauty of the Shadows
Posted in Amuse-bouche du jour, Fab Fotos, FAMILY & FRIENDS, New York Speaks | Tagged Belle, Black cat, feline, New York City | Leave a Comment »
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TOP TEN SCARY MOVIES – It IS Halloween After All
October 30, 2014 by pbenjay
This year, more so than previous years, it seems like every movie channel is trying to out-scare the other. I walked into the bedroom the other night and my husband was watching God knows what and as I glanced at the screen I said, “Dear God, what are you watching?” I really don’t like horror movies and even some thrillers; It would have to be very obviously tongue-in-cheek or so outrageous you know it could never happen and therefore no reason to be scared. My problem is whatever the really bad scene is in any movie, that’s the one that creeps into my consciousness just before I try to go to sleep. And getting back to the TV screen it was a shot of several people being hanged! Geez!
Well there are certainly a lot more than anybody’s top 10 films created to scare the heck out of you, so please feel free to comment and add a few of your own!!!!
Reagan My Sweet
1. THE EXORCIST – This one had me so frightened (it didn’t help being Catholic) that for 2 nights I slept with every light on, I threw the Ouija Board in a dumpster in town AND called a priest friend of mine and asked him to come and bless the house (knowing he couldn’t really perform an exorcism).
2. Silence of the Lambs – Another really tough one for me. Anthony Hopkins was SO sinister he was real.
3. ROSEMARY’S BABY – I had read the book and thought that was hand-shakingly scary for me and the movie practically followed the book word for word!
4. THE SHINING – Jack Nicholson on a good day can be scary and in The Shining he was downright horrifying. The soundtrack added a tremendous amount of adrenalin-rushing fear to the film. Who can forget Jack at the locked door of the bathroom saying, ” Wendy, I’m home”.
5. Alien – OMG when the thing was coming out of the stomach…oh well I think I left the room after that part!
6. BLAIR WITCH PROJECT – A movie that reminds us that sometimes the things that scare us the most are the ones we can’t see. I was exhausted after watching this!
7. WAIT UNTIL DARK – This thriller is scary and doesn’t fall into the horror movie category at all. The tenseness is palpable. The silence terrifying and you absolutely feel her fear!
8. THE OMEN – Wow! Even the dog knew there was something wrong with this kid. The toppling shaft of steel nearly killed me too.
9. PSYCHO – Oh sure, it’s been replayed so many times in so many ways that we can laugh at it BUT when it first debuted – You have to admit you were scared. Shower anyone?
10. NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET – A low-budget film that messes with your mind big time! What is real and what is imaginary?
And there are so many more crossing the boundaries of thriller to horror to sci-fi – They all scare the bejesus out of me!
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Posted in From My Point of View - Personal commentary on Movies and Books, Thursday's Top Ten | Tagged Alien, Blair Witch Project, Exorcist, Halloween, Jack Nicholson, Nightmare on Elm St., Psycho, Rosemary's Baby, scary movies, Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Wait Until Dark | 2 Comments »