Move In Day!

So I have been up to my elbows in packing up Frick for college. Sorry about my absence.

A few things:

Yesterday was my 3rd wedding anniversary. I can't believe it has been three years because it feels like I have been with My Guy forever! We are so lucky to have found each other and I just want to say Happy Anniversary to the best husband, father and to one of the greatest men I know. 

I am currently in New York city about to embark on moving Frick into her dorm. I will then enjoy the rest of my Anniversary weekend with my husband and daughter in the Big Apple. (Frack had to stay home with his grandparents. Golf team practice has started) I will be absent from the bloggersphere from today, August 29, 2013 and will not be returning until Tuesday, September 3, 2013. 

Happy Labor Day bloggers! Make sure you BBQ all your summertime favorites and enjoy all the outdoor activities you can! 

O-h No Khlo! Say It Ain't So

I could hardly believe the news when I heard it this morning. 

Lamar Odom is a crack addict??? Stop it. Really? 

Word outta TMZ land is that Klohe Kardashian's hubby of 4 years, Lamar, has been riding the crack train pretty hard for a few years now and I can't beleve they kept it a secret for this long, but they did. When it comes to all things Kardashian, I have to admit to watching the show regularly, as it's a guilty pleasure I won't deny myself. It's completely mindless which makes it incredibly easy for me to step away from my own madness get lost into the madness of their lives. My Guy says they are responsible for the "dumbing down" of America, and I'd be hard pressed to argue with him. Still I watch the show because there is something uncannily engaging about this self-centered, self absorbed, rediculous bunch. 

Khloe was always my favorite because of her honest, in your face approach. When she married Lamar after meeting 4 weeks before, no one thought it would last. Khloe and Lamar beat the odds and became fan favorites in the process. I watched the now defunct series, "Khloe and Lamar"  and followed their first years as newlyeds. They seemed to have it all, but word now is Lamar had been battling the demons of drug use all the while. 

So comes today's report that I read on Sports Illustrated.com that Lamar has been missing for three days and feared to be on a crack-fuled drug binge. TMZ is reporting That Khloe threw Lamar out of their house on Wednesday when Lamar would not coorporate with a planned intervention. Apparently fed up with Lamar's drug use, Khloe gave her husband an ultimatum: Clean up or get out. Odom chose the latter and has not been in contact with anyone since. 

Such a shame, really. It would seem that they had a great marriage and life together, but everything is not always as it would seem. I wish them both strength and peace as they travel this ugly road ahead and Ii will hope for the best. Obnoxious or not, rich, spoiled, entitled, overbearing and any other adjective you can attach to the Kardashian moniker, this stuff is real. And stuff this real is hard and has a 50-50 chance of ending very badly. 

I don't  wish that kind of pain on anyone. 

Being A Big Girl

 And those are some big girl panties to fill!!

Happy Friday Bloggers! Have a great weekend and try not to deal with too much!

Peace!!

Snake Oil

So the strangest thing happened to me yesterday. A valued member of my inner circle told me that while out shopping, a woman working at the store, who she did not know, randomly asked her about her "friend who owns her own boutique". How did she know about this?, she was asked, to which she responded, "I'm a psychic." Without going into too much detail, it was confirmed that she was most probably referring to me. 

The "psychic/sales girl" produced her business card and informed my friend that she was available for home parties, of course, because life is sometimesone big sales pitch. Believe it or not, that's not the weird thing. The weird thing is that this swami/psychic/sales girl proceeded to tell my friend that the reason she asked about my business was that she wanted to tell me to get some....peppermint oil.

Peppermint oil?

She told my friend to tell me to put peppermint oil all over the top of my front door, on my body, on my wallet, in my bag and to carry it with me at all times. 

Really? Peppermint oil?

She said it brings money and good fortune. And before you ask, yes, I thought this to be very strange. But what I thought even stranger is that a couple of months ago, one of my BFF's gave me a bottle of peppermint oil as a gift....We had gone to Miami together in April and while we were on the plane she applied the pepperrmint oil to her neck. Being the complete product junkie that I am, I of course, inquired about the fresh smelling scent. My BFF told me that it relaxes the senses and that it's great for stress. I love any and all things peppermint, so I immediately applied it to my skin. I loved it and here's the thing...I have carried the roller ball bottle of peppermint oil in my bag ever since she gave it to me. 

Ok, so I know what you are thinking (I know you so well). She's a fraud, a Machiavellian scheister, a grifter and a swindler. It's highly possible and likely, but I'm not doing business with her. Heck, I didnt even meet her. Why did she bring up me? 

I'm a firm believer in psychic powers but I'm not stupid. I know how the grift works, but I also believe in messages from the universe and I can't help but think this is a message. Is the peppermint oils good, old fashioned snake oil? Probably. But what do I have to loose? 

So if you walk into The Candy Bar and detect the heavenly scent of peppermint. Smile. 

You'll know exactly the reason.

Egg On Your Face

European women have been doing it for years.
We just marvel at their clear, poreless skin. I've found their secret and it's so simple.

Pure protein egg whites.

Egg whites apllied to the face as a facial have the power to firm loose and sagging facial skin on the face and neck and draw out impurities. Kala Farms Egg White Facial Soap, from Belgium is a European beauty staple. This gentle facial soap cleanses away impurities, soothes and firms the skin in a daily wash that leaves skin flawless.

This multi-tasking product can be used two ways:

1. As a gentle, daily facial wash that rinses away impurities that leaves skin glowing.
2. As a egg white facial. Lather up this rich bar and leave on face for 5-8 minutes. 

It's really that simple. 

A popular product at The Candy Bar, Belgium Egg White Soap is a favorite of my clients who report to love the scent and the way it leaves thier skin after washing. At $10.00 a bar, it's a natural, cost effective way to anti-age and a secret you'll want to share with your friends. 

Or maybe you won't want to share. It's that good, pure and gentle.

Whatever you decide, your secret is safe with me. 

 

Moments Of Madness

This story is very sad. It's not reported  here to gossip or point a finger at anyone. I share it becausre maybe someone will learn something. Maybe this madness will stop. Maybe no but maybe yes and that one maybe makes it all worthwhile.

Jared Remy, son of beloved Red Sox announcer and former player Jerry Remy, murdered his girlfriend in cold blood last Thursday. An enraged Jared stabbed Jennifer Martel several times in a struggle that went from inside the apartment they shared to the outdoor patio. Two of their neighbors tried to stop Jared from stabbing her to death outside their Waltham, MA apartment. Sources say they punched, kicked and screamed for him to stop, but his fury continued and didn't stop until she was dead.

Their 4 year old daughter was in the house at the time.

Herein lies the caveat:
Jared was arrested for assault and battery the Tuesday before the slaying,  for smashing Jennifer's head into a mirror. The DA released Jared Remy on his own recognizance. Today the fingers are pointing all over the Middlesex DA's office and they are firmly denying any wrong doing. The facts of this case are blinding: Jared has a long rap sheet filled with violence. Since 1998 Remy has 15 counts of violence, six if them assault and battery on three different women.

Now the community wants to know how this happened. Middlesex DA, Marian Ryan, is attempting to explain this away by saying the victim herself is the best judge of saftey.

“Everything we know, both from the research and from 
experience in doing these cases, is in the 
majority of these cases, the best assessor of safety is the victim herself,” Ryan told the Herald, referring to Jennifer Martel, the mother of Remy’s 4-year-old daughter. “Miss Martel was declining to extend the restraining order that had been issued the night before.” Ryan said.


I'm not a DA and I don't play one on TV, but I'm thinking this monster slipped through the cracks somehow. I understand that Jennifer didn't want to extend the restraining order, even I can see that she was scared. LOOK AT THE GUY!!! He looks like a bad guy and I don't say that to make you giggle. There is nothing funny about him or this. It's obvious to me that his guy has a roid/rage problem. He looks terrifying and most certainly is terrifying, but why did it take the senseless death of a young woman to solidify that?

Lots of people are saying lots of things about Jerry Remy, his father who is a very public figure here in Boston. Things like that's why Jared got away with it so many times before. If that is true then we all share in the blame for Jennifer's death. I find it hard to believe that Jerry Remy's name carries that much weight in the court system or that we hero worship ourselves into looking the other way, but the facts here are the facts. There is no way that monster should have been alowed to live with a woman, let alone a woman and a child. Their village failed. No one saw this coming? Maybe they were afraid of him too but this family breakdown is a cautionary tale.

Bottom line: If it looks like a bad guy, talks like a bad guy and walks like a bad guy, then it's a bad guy.
If only it were that simple. Jennifer would be alive today.

Burger Bonanza

Ever have a juicy, delectable burger that you find yourself craving the next day?  I have found the ultimate burger that has been my go-to BBQ staple this summer. I served it recently to some friends who said, "best burger ever!" and that's not the first time I have served them. 

The story goes like this:

My mom and dad were at a Lowes dept store, picking up some home improvement stuff. My dad was perusing the magazines at the checkout line and he found this recipe. On the way home they decided 

to buy the ingredients and try them. The next day mom was on the phone raving about these burgers. About a week later, my dad copied the recipe and gave it to me, without me even asking. Since they were so highly recommended, I made them later that week and they did not disappoint. 

Just in time for the labor day BBQ, I present you with the best burger recipe EVER!

You can thank me later...

Beef Burgers with Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onions

You will need:

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 Medium yellow onions, chopped about 2 cups

1 1/2  Lb. ground beef (preferably 85% Lean)

1 Tbs. chopped fresh Tarragon

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce (preferably Lea & Perrins)

4 oz. blue cheese crumbled (about 1cup)

4 Brioche or challah rolls, split

Heat a gas grill to medium high or prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire.

Melt the butter in a 12 inch skillet over medium low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until golden and soft; about 20 minutes; reduce the heat to low if the onions begin to brown too quickly. 

Meanwhile in a large bowl, thoroughly mix the beef, tarragon, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce with your hands. Form the mixture into four 1/2 inch thick patties.

Oil the grill grate. grill the burgers, covered, for 3 minutes. flip the burgers and top with the cheese. Cover and continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a burger registers 130 degrees F for medium rare; about 4 minutes more or 145 degrees F for medium, about 6 minutes more. 

When the burgers are nearly done, toast the rolls cut side down on the grill until browned and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the burgers in the rolls, topped with the caramelized onions.

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/beef-burgers-with-blue-cheese-caramelized-onions.aspx

Little Lord Fauntleroy

Its been a royally crappy week bloggers, so I am ready for the weekend. 

This time it's Frack and believe me when I say that boy is pushing every button! Nothing I can't handle, but I forgot about this stage. I often wonder how the hell I made it through Frick?  Here's some humor to kick off the weekend and pray for me bloggers!  I need all the patience and grace I can get.

One night a teenage girl brought her new boyfriend home to meet her parents, and they were appalled by his appearance: leather jacket, motorcycle boots, tattoos and pierced nose.

Later, the parents pulled their daughter aside and confessed their concern. "Dear," said the mother diplomatically, "he doesn't seem very nice."

"Oh please, Mom," replied the daughter, "if he wasn't nice, why would he be doing 500 hours of community service?"

http://www.basicjokes.com/djoke.php?id=1120

"Rat a tat tat, Whitey."

Steven Davis, the brother of Debra Davis, who the jurors were hung in her murder, reacts after yestereday's verdict. 

The verdict is in. As anticlimactic as the announcement that the Bulger jury had reached a verdict yesterday;  it is, in fact, big local history in the making and bears mention here.

Is  it the bombshell that we expected? No. It wasn't. 

But nineteen people who will no longer have a voice were finally given the chance to tell their story. Maybe their families will find peace in the verdict, maybe they won't. 

Was justice served?

I think there will always differing opinions when it comes to justice being served. If we look at it academically, the split verdict breaks down this way:

Bulger was found guilty of 11 of the 19 murders

2 counts of  racketeering, 

3 counts of conspiracy to commit  murder 

7 extortion counts

1 drug count

6 money laundering counts

Of the eight murders he was not found guilty of , the jury was  hung on only the murder of Debra Davis his ex partner's beautiful, young girlfriend. Her brother, a fixture on the trial daily, vowed to avenge his his sister's death urging prosecutors to persue state murder charges. "It's not over for me until I am in the ground, " he said. 

Bulger will be sentenced on Nov 13 in a process that is expected to take several days. His attorney's say they will appeal on the immunity claim. It's a long shot, but Bulger's got nothing else to do. He faces a life sentence plus. Somewhere, through all the BS there has to be some justice in that, right? The 84 year old gangster will never be a free man and most likely will die while incarcerated. Some of the victims family members, when asked by the press what they thought of the verdict outside the courthouse yesterday said he already "got away with it", walking around a free man for all of his life, only to spend his last days in prison. 

For those of us who spent our lives in Boston, living the legend of Whitey and his thugs,  some of our lives being affected dramatically by Whitey and his thugs, it's  somewhat of a rip off. Had we been able to see the trial; actually see the man that is Whitey Bulger with our own eyes, and seen the courtroom expletive laced exchanges between Bulger and his former partners, Kevin Weeks and Steven Flemmi, we might have had a different feeling about all of this. I guess we will have to wait until 60 Minutes, 48 Hours or Barbara Walters gets the interview. Only then will we get a bit of closure and a small sense of knowing exactly who this monster is. 

Or should I say RAT. 

Like when it was all over yesterday and Bulger was being led out of the courtroom, a woman yelled out, "Rat a tat tat, Whitey!" 

You can bet that captured on tape, it would have been a sound bite that would have stuck like glue to the rat. 

He's Bringing Sexy Back

So I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the Justin Timberlake/Jay-Z concert at Fenway park last night. It's Frick's birthday and we went with a couple of friend of hers and a couple of friends of mine. It was SPECTACULAR! I was very impressed with both artists and the music was great. 

While there I noticed a few things I thought interesting:

The crowd was eclectic! Lots of women and men in my age demo and lots of people in Frick's demo.

There were plenty of couples, which was interesting, to say the least. I would have thought it would have been more of a "chicks" thing, dripping with young women. Not the case at all.

Sexy was in the air. Beside the great show, we had an interesting show going on right in front of us. Three young, handsome guys and two girls in the row in front of us. You couldn't help but notice that they were feeling sexy. Very sexy. There was a lot of bumping and grinding going on and a lot of "tonsil hockey" and swapping of partners. So here we are trying to enjoy the concert, but the show in front of us was unavoidable. Being much older than the people in front of us, I tried to focus my attention on the stage but Frick and her friends were mesmerized by the side show. They were horrified and kept commenting on the logistics of what was taking place in the row before us. I guess I'm lucky I raised her right, and after the show the girls involved beat a hasty retreat. It was then that we asked the boys if they had decided which one of the two they would take home? "No matter," the boys replied. "We have a deal. Whoever scores tonight will no doubt share the wealth with all of us." What the hell? 

Ok and yes he really did say that. I'm just grateful it wasn't Frick and her friends in that row.

Justin and Jay-Z put on a killer show and Justin played at least three instruments during his sets.I had no idea that the former Boy Bander was so talented. While Justin danced and sang, Jay-Z came out and rapped during his set, but he seem tired. Kind of like I was tired at that point. Then we googled his age and I immediately knew why. Jay-Z is in my age demo. Hell yes he's tired! We're old...compared to the others. 

All in, it was a great night and something I truly enjoyed doing with my daughter. They superstars commented that this was the best crowd of the entire tour, which made the place erupt! 

But, I bet they say that in all the city's they travel to. 

Jammin' With Jimmy

Happy Friday peeps!

Since I'm Slow Jammin' the weekend with Jimmy, I thought I'd take the hottest jam of the summer and view it "Jimmy" style. His band The Roots is amazing and considering they are all using children's instruments this version still rocks!

Enjoy and have a great weekend bloggers and try not to blurr too many lines.

Slow Jammin The Weekend With Jimmy...

I'm rounding out the weekend with one of my very faves: Jimmy Fallon.

This is brilliant, hilarious and just plain awesome, so enjoy! And watch to the end cuz Jimmy got mad swagger!!

Working Girl

A husband comes home to find his wife with her suitcases packed in the living room. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" he says. "I'm going to Las Vegas. You can earn $400 for a blow job there, and I figured that I might as well earn money for what I do to you free."

 The husband thinks for a moment, goes upstairs, and comes back down, with his suitcase packed as well. "Where do you think you going?" the wife asks. "I'm coming with you...I want to see how you survive on $800 a year!!!" 

source: http://www.jokes4us.com/dirtyjokes/shortdirtyjokes.html

Take Your Syringe And Go Home

So while I was in New York City this weekend, (sorry about missing blogging) all the talk was about The Roid Man. New York Yankees big third baseman, who is an even bigger problem, was handed a big suspension by MLB yesterday for failing mandatory drug tests. Rodriguez was suspended from baseball along with 12 other major and minor leaguers for testing positive for PED's and for their ties to Biogenesis of America, an anti-aging clinic in Florida a proven distributor of steroids to athletes. 

There is no question that in this day and age of professional sports, pro athletes abuse PED's to get ahead. The news papers are littered with stories about the down fall of sports heros everyday. So the question remains, is he a moron???

Did he not learn anything from former teammate Roger Clemens rediculous denial of proven PED use or the media circus that followed that debacle. The taint that follows the once invincible "Rocket Man" most definitely enters the room before Clemens does. And no matter how hard he tries, he will forever be dubbed a cheater. He can't shake it and he never will. 

So if A-Rod is indeed the moron we know he is, and he didn't get it with them, he's stil got McGuire, Sousa, Manny Ramirez and countless others all going down in history with and asterisk next to their name. The black mark of the MLB, an asterisk. Maybe the Roid man believes he is in good company. 

He was quoted last night as saying, "if I don't fight for my career, no one else will." 

Yes Alex, because there was NO ONE, not one in New York that was willing to defend you. The general consensus was, "take your lies and get lost." 

True blue Red Sox fan or not, I have to agree.

I Was Just Thinking....Test your Legalese

With the Whitey Bulger trial coming to a close, today it was reported that the Bulger defense team submitted several photos of the gangster throughout his life in Boston. The question everyone wants answered is this:

Will Bulger take the stand?

In a trial that sizzled at times and fizzled at times, the highlight being an f-bomb laden exchange between his two former crime partners from the defense table, I have to ask what's really at stake here? We know the guy is corrupt and dangerous. We also know that he's NEVER going to get out of jail; so why take the stand? Why now? Insiders say he's fighting for his reputation.? He's fighting for a reputation that he's a gangster with morals who wouldn't kill a woman and that he was never a rat. That John Connelly tampered with informat files to make it look that way. It seems a moot point.

I pose this question to you:

With today's submission of photos, do you think the Bulger defense is preparing for Whitey to take the stand? If so, what is their strategy?

And,
If you were the defense what would be your strategy at this point?

Discuss...