Olympic Fever

Overheard in The Twitterverse:

FUNNY OLYMPIC TWEETS ‏@OLYMPICFUNNYS

Women's #Beachvolleyball - Tits and arse for the whole family

“Water polo is by far the most bad ass physically demanding game played in a silly hat.” (Danny Zuker)

Slate : NBC ran promo for @TodayShow interview w/"gold winner" Missy Franklin right before airing her race: http://t.co/v91Do7U4 #NBCFail

FUNNY OLYMPIC TWEETS ‏@OLYMPICFUNNYS

Roll on 4:30 women's gymnastics final praying for a nip slip or a flap flash ;) on a serious note good luck #teamGB

"Hey, When do the Olympics start? I haven't seen anything on it." @JimGaffigan

Fried Green Dreams

I had a dream about Fried Green Tomatoes last night.

Bizarre? Yes, I'm aware of the absurdity, but it still happened.

I think it was stuck in my subconscious because I was reading an article in one of my food magazines last week about Fried Green Tomato sandwiches. I was thinking about the fact that even though I have never had a fried green tomato, I crave them.

This is what I know about Fried Green Tomatoes:

• It was one of my favorite movies. It stars Mary Louise Parker and Mary Stuart Masterson, Kathy Bates and the late, great Jessica Tandy. It's one of those movies that when it comes on I have to stop what I'm doing and watch it. It was the first time I had ever heard of Fried Green Tomatoes and I have been curious about them ever since. 

• They are a southern thing. Who the hell came up with this recipe? Leave it to the Southerners to fry up a tomato that's not ripe and make it  delectable. I know only Frick and I would try them in my family, but I think I will make them sometime soon. I bet they are just as good cold as they are warm, too. 

So in honor of my fried green dreams, I searched the internet for a good recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes and came up with this one from AllRecipes.com:

Best Fried Green Tomatoes (how could I go wrong?)

Ingredients

• 4 large green tomatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Discard the ends.
2. Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.
3. In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels.

Ode To Fried Clams

Fried clams, you make my knees go weak.
You manage to ruin my perfect diet streak.

Your presence is like kryptonite.
Why even bother to put up a fight?

Sitting in Cape Cod, you are all I see,
Your golden goodness grabs hold of me.

Oh how you look and taste!
Of your numerous deliciousness, I could never waste.

You bring on the summer joy,
And leave me giddy like a wee, small boy.

Was it worth it? Yes! Although it won't be pretty.
Cuz what comes next is kinda shi*ty...

Happy Weekend Bloggers! Go out and get your fried clam on!

Sad Or Smokin'? You Decide.

So in trolling the interwebs I come across this video that has me totally perplexed. I'm not sure if this is sad or smokin' hot.  

Check out this old dude in the middle of a hot happening Vegas pool party bash.

My first thought was "you gotta be kidding me". My second thought, "Dude is workin' it though."

Is this sad? Or Smokin'? You decide.

Good Grief America

So the other day, the cable guy came to my house to update my cable boxes. While he was there he checked the DVR service by recording a random program. When I checked later, I noticed that he had recorded the new afternoon program from Good Morning America called, "Good Afternoon America". I was psyched because I was curious about it so I sat down to watch it.


 Being a loyal GMA viewer, this new program, featuring Lara Spencer and Josh Elliot, I thought would be a younger, hipper, extension of the Good Morning America format I have become accustomed to. Boy was I disappointed! 


 I couldn't believe what I watched. To put it bluntly: it was stupid TV. It was all about fluff. Jammed with celebrity gossip, segments about flirting at work, hair tips for frizzy hair and celebrity interviews and even a game called "Marry, Ditch, Kill." which everyone knows is just a PG rated version of the "Marry, F*ck, Kill" game. It was ridiculous. 


Now I know what you are thinking.You're thinking that someone like me would love this new format, right? Wrong. I like a bit of fluff sprinkled in with my news and smart interviews, but this? This is embarrassing. Lara Spencer navigates the fluff quite beautifully, which speaks more to her professionalism than her ease with the subject matter, but poor Josh Elliot. I think even he knows that this is borderline silly. He looks like a fish out of water. 


Is this what ABC thinks women at home want to watch? Do they think the average American stay at home woman is dumb? Or do they want to make her that way? Because this is quite literally the dumbing down of America.

Teen Mantras

 So a friend sent this to me over the weekend, and I loved the whole message. Even if you don't have teens, these are worth reading and sharing.

1. Yes, your freshman year counts towards your GPA for college entrance. Screw it up and you’ll work for crap wages your whole life. 

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2. No means NO. In every possible circumstance.

 

3. Join every sport, every club, every after school activity no matter what the cost. It’s cheaper than bail.

4. Repeat after me: I am never in that much of a hurry…I am never in that much of a hurry. Now say that every time you get behind the wheel. It will save your life and that of your best friend in the seat next to you.

5. Don’t smoke pot. It ruins your

 short term memory. (Did I already say that?)

6. Don’t ever get a credit card. Ever. You earn it or you live without it.

7. If I yell at you, it’s because I love you. And also, because you pissed me off. To avoid the latter, stop being an idiot.

8. Make a vivid picture inside your head of every great moment of your childhood. You’ll need those to get through adulthood.

9. Make snow angels as often as possible.

10. Stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

11. Be always benevolent. Yes, that’s a word. Look it up.

12. Call me for a ride even if you are so drunk you barely know my number. I’ll probably be mad for a while but I’ll respect you for calling and I won’t kill you. Riding with someone who is drinking will.

13. Be a leader, not a follower. Unless you are doing stupid things, then follow the kid with the highest GPA.

14. Love your siblings, even when you don’t like them. Some day you will be trying to get them to take care of me in my old age. If they are mad at you, you are stuck with me.

15. I’ve been there, done that on more things than you can imagine. I’m not stupid and I know what you are doing. I was once you (times ten).

16. Work hard at everything you do. Anything worth doing is worth doing your best at.

17. Cover it. (Enough said.)

18. When I tell you to clean your room, do not point at my messy room and raise your eyebrows. I’m trying to raise you to be better than me.

19. Learn to type; to budget; and to pray. All are equally important.

20. Never be sedentary. Some day soon you will no longer be able to move like that. Enjoy it.

Weekend Respite

Happy Friday Bloggers!
I'm up and off early to a fabulous island off the coast of Massachusetts for a weekend of R&R.

You all have a good weekend too! I hope the weather and the company you keep are both spectacular.

Catch you on Monday and kick back and enjoy the view this weekend.

Peace.

Stop It....

Really? Honey, no way. Poor kid.

 Everyone had a great time at the party. Especially Rex the dog.

This is a huge win in my book. My kids would be pumped! 
Unfortunately I'm not that cool. Sorry Frick and Frack. 

C'mon now, this is funny...

I'm still laughing at this one...Bwahahahahaha!!

I had to make this one big so you could see it. From babes...truth. Children learn what they live.

Today's Special: Designer Boo Boo's

I'll admit it. I'm a label snob.

Yup, I will actually spend more on an item because the label's name constitutes a price increase. I also value great designs and high quality, but that's a post for another day. Today's post is about Band-aids.

So being the label snob that I am, imagine my delight when taking a band-aid out of my non-nondescript Band-aid box yesterday to find that it was not any regular Band-aid, but a colorful and cute Cynthia Rowley designer Band-aid. I had just given my finger the WORST paper cut, ever. Not really, but in a box filled with 70 Band-aid brand Band-aids what are the chances that I would pull out one of the 10 bonus Cynthia Rowley Designer Band-aids that were inside?

Pretty good, because that's exactly what I did and I gotta tell you, I love them! I wrapped the colorful, second from the left design above around my pointer finger on my right hand and everybody had a comment.

"Oh, is that a new ring?'

"What's that? It's so cool."

"What do you mean it's a Cynthia Rowley Band-Aid?"

Who knew that a designer Band-Aid could cause such a stir? I loved it too. I made for the perfect accessory with my fashion forward life and I was sorry to see it lying on the floor of my shower this morning, non-sticky and beaten down into submission.

I can report that my paper cut is healing quite nicely at this point which means that my designer friend did exactly what it was supposed to do. In the meantime, I think I will pick up a solo box of 20 Designer Band-aids for my next cut or gash emergency.

One can never underestimate the power of looking and feeling good, and one could also make an argument that some people just never grow up entirely. Either way, this box of designer delights ensures that I don't have to.

Get Lost

So now I aggravated.

I'm aggravated because some schmuck seems content on spamming my comments section and I want it to stop. NOW.

Who ever and what ever it is that your are trying to get across, it ain't working for you on this blog. So cut the crap! And cut it out now.

Or you'll have to deal with not only me but my little friend here too.

Take a hike weirdo.

Olympic Haute Coture

So everybody knows by now that the US Olympic team's brand new Olympic uniforms were unveiled recently to a whole lot of criticism. Seems the Ralph Lauren designs were not very popular for a few reasons. Some people felt that the French beret was decidedly "un-American", but the real flap came over the fact that the 1000 plus team uniforms were made in China. US Soccer player Heather Mitts and US Fencing Champion Tim Morehouse modeled the uniforms on the Today show, and judging by the public's reaction, you'd have thought that these two were committing some kind of evil crime.

Here's my take:

• since the uniforms were unveiled, every would-bee politician has a public opinion on this matter and of course, it's a great way to gain political credence to be on the right side of an unpopular issue. 
•  Ralph Lauren donated the uniforms, so isn't there some Olympic Uniform Committee that has final say over his designs? And for that matter, didn't they ask about manufacturing? Seems the checks and balancing system is neither checking or balancing anything.
• What I have learned is this: Practically nothing is made in this country when it comes to garments. Many industry insiders side with Lauren when it comes to this issue, but agree that he should have understood the sensitivity people feel about "Made In The USA".
• Since only about 1000 uniforms were created, it's surprising that the job was outsourced to begin with. "The globalization of manufacturing" in this country is nothing new, and certainly not new when it comes to Olympic Uniforms. Until 2008,  the Canadian apparel company Roots designed their unis and I'm not remembering a controversy of this magnitude. Ralph Lauren has already publicly announced that he's committed to making the 2014 Team uniforms in America. 
• The Olympic team is privately funded. A statement  from the Olympic Committee released recently has said, "Unlike most Olympic teams around the world, the U.S. Olympic Team is privately funded and we're grateful for the support of our sponsors," the committee said. "We're proud of our partnership with Ralph Lauren, an iconic American company."

OK, so Ralph Lauren made a huge blunder when he had the Olympic duds made in China. I think he's well aware of the "sensitivity" at this point and the bad PR it has caused his brand. Many fashion insiders confirm that garments just aren't created in this country a fact that is sad, but true. 

I say let this be the first step in changing the industry and the world.

And tell all those media grabbing politicians to "lighten up, Francis".

Dear God

A broke blonde decides to ask God for help. “Dear Lord,” she prays, “if I don’t get some cash, I’m gonna lose everything. Please let me win the lottery.”

Lottery night comes, but the blonde doesn’t win. She prays even harder, saying, “God, why have you forsaken me? My children are starving. Please just let me win this once.”

Suddenly there is a blinding flash of light, and the blonde hears God speak.

“Sweetheart, work with me on this,” he says. “Buy a ticket.”

Kraft-y

So there's a HUGE bru-ha-ha going on here with the Patriots head poobah, Bob Kraft. Seems Mr. Kraft, he of the flawless PR, known in pro football and business circles as a King Midas of sorts, has until yesterday been literally untouchable. His organization, The New England Patriots, are one of the most successful NFL organizations in the league and Kraft has been credited with turning the Patriots into NFL gold.

All the while, Mr. Kraft and his family have been a public relations dream. His wife of 47 years, Myra, a well known and respected philanthropist, passed away last July after a valiant battle with cancer. At 71, Bob public mourned the "love of his life" and the 2011-2012 Patriots dedicated their season to their matriarch, Myra Kraft. Coverage of Myra's funeral was streaming live on almost every Boston news organization. Bottom line, if you are a Pat's fan, you mourned too.

So was it a surprise when Mr. Kraft was seen at a recent Celtics game squiring a 32 year old aspiring actor named Ricki Lander?

The answer to that question lies in your tolerance level for a proper period of mourning. Who's to say what's mournfully acceptable? And who really cares what their relationship is? Kraft publicly declared his young attendant a "pal" and that was enough for me.

That was all fine and well until yesterday.

That's when Bob Kraft "regretfully" joined the ranks of the creepy and the Kraft-y, although I'm sure this was "never his intention". A video with Ricki and Bobby (see what I did there?) was leaked to the press and instantly went mega viral. She in a bikini, and Bob in a casual sweater, can be seen reading lines from what is thought to be parts of the script from the upcoming Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson movie called "The Interns". Word has it that Kraft intended the video audition for his "pal" to be seen by Vince Vaughn's eyes only but when something is just not right, and it's caught on film, it always jumps up to bite you in the proverbial ass. Doesn't it?

The video has since been removed by Fox, claiming ownership of it's content, and I did not see it, but plenty of people did and the reviews were not exactly stellar. I can only speculate at this point what the fallout will be, but  I do know that Mr. Kraft immediately released a statement to the press using the words "intention" and "regretfully" which is never a good thing.


“I tried to help Ricki prepare an audition tape for an upcoming Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson comedy by reading Wilson’s lines,” Kraft said in a statement from the team. “I never intended that it would be made public and I regret that it has. I think we can all agree that Owen Wilson has nothing to worry about. I am going to stick to my day job.” 



At most, his intended humor serves to relay the message, "lighten up" people, I'm human, too.

You Know You've Been In Uganda When...

Overheard in the car ride home from the airport:

• First question out of his mouth: "Who won the NBA finals?" That's my boy.

• "It's weird to driving in a car." Not only a car, but one that has the steering wheel on the "other" side.

• "I can't wait to take a shower. I haven't taken one for a long, long time." This is a miracle, considering I could hardly get Frack to take one regularly, even when the shower is about 6 steps from his bed. 

• "Are you hungry?" I asked him. "No, mom. The airplane food was so good!"

• "I wrote in my journal every day." You could have knocked me over with a feather. We had the biggest fight over including a small, wire bound notebook in his backpack. "I'll never use it," he said before he left.

• "The best part of the entire trip was when we got to play in an actual soccer game with the kids from the school we were at, against another team from another school. The entire village came to watch the match. We were like super stars." Frack reported that the people in the village they were in LOVE white people because they don't get to see them very often. "And I scored the only goal," he added with a smile. 

• "Yes, mom. I will get a buzz cut tomorrow." Again, shock. This kid is the same kid who could barely see out from under the shaggy bangs that covered his eyes. We had royal battles over hair cuts for picture day, his job and semi-formal dances. If I knew all I had to do was send him to Africa for three weeks...I will happily take him for the world's most expensive haircut today.

• "We talked a lot about our families. I told the group that my mom undoubtedly had our itinerary taped to the refrigerator door and was telling everyone what we were doing every day." he said. Well, it wasn't taped to the fridge...exactly. 

• "First thing I'm doing tomorrow is going to McDonald's and then to see Spiderman,"  he said. And it was then that I knew that my boy was home. Safe, and exactly where he belongs. 

How Do You Sleep?

My mom always said I could fall asleep on a picket fence, and she would be right.

On a plane, give me five minutes after we have ascended, and I'm out. In a car, especially if I'm in the backseat; good night Candy. I've even been know to fall asleep at a late night party on the sofa of someone's home. Pop in a movie after 9pm and you can bet on the fact that by the end of it, I will be out cold. Most nights I'm in bed by 10 and gone until 6 the next morning, but lately I've been waking up at 3 am, unable to fall back asleep. And it's for a while, like a few hours.

Yes, I've got a lot on mind, and the thoughts keep racing throughout the night, but when I wake at 3am and the moonlight hits my pillow just so, I begin to think about getting up and starting the day. This keeps happening and I'm wondering why.

My friends tell me this happens to them too. "It's our age", they say, and about half have started taking sleeping pills. Almost all of the ones who report to be taking sleeping pills tell me that they now need them to fall asleep. No thanks. I've got enough problems and I don't need to add sleeping pills to that list, but when it's 3am and your eyes are almost glued open, a little Tylenol PM doesn't seem to be a bad thing? Is it?

I exercise, I try to eat right, I don't drink too much caffeine because I am not a coffee drinker but I do drink tea, so why the sudden changes in my sleeping habits? When I go to bed at night, I fall asleep, no problem. But now the stress of worrying about waking up at 3am makes me a bit anxious before bed.

So what is the solution? And how long until I decide this is a true problem? As I said, it's only been a few weeks of this and not every night.

I guess the real question is, how well do you sleep, bloggers?

The Silence Is Deafening

It was one hell of a week, and I feel like I have been on vacation forever. Not that that's a bad thing, but it's slowly back to the drawing board today.

How was your week bloggers?

A few observations:

• Ray Allen signing with the Miami Heat for 3 million LESS than what the Celtics offered was like a knife going straight through my heart. I feel terrible and every time he hits that crucial outside shot wearing a Heat uniform I will feel the pain of that deal.

• Being back is great but being away is better. Food tastes better when you are away. Your clothes somehow look better and the time spent with family doesn't get any better when you are all away from your own surroundings. Believe it or not there was no drama! There were even a few miracles. How about that?

• A true sign of summer here in Boston; Adam Sandler and his crew have been out and about filming the movie, "Grown Ups 2", The always gracious Sandler poses with local kids for pictures and his crew and cast bring Hollywood  $$$ to the city. Last year they filmed this years, "That's My Boy" in our own sleepy little Cape Cod town. I have yet to see it. Anyone out there see it yet? 

• Frack comes home tomorrow night from Africa!! I can't wait to see his little face.Nuf said.

• The weather? I can't say enough. It has been glorious and summer in New England is truly a beautiful thing. Years ago, I met an old woman on the beach. She was sitting next to me and we struck up a conversation. She was fascinating. We talked about a lot of topics, kids, family, life, literature and world events. I really enjoyed talking to her. I told her I was divorced and I summarized my awful divorce for her, but told her that I was lucky to have found someone new to love.(this was before I got married) When we had packed up to leave, she left a note on the windshield of my car thanking me for the lovely conversation and she left me with something I never forgot. She wrote. "A life without love is like a year without summer." I often think of her when I am sitting at the beach. 

• Why is it that a hot dog tastes better at a hot summertime BBQ than any other place in the world? Well, it maybe better in Fenway Park, but that's in the summer too! A hot dog with mustard is quite possibly the summer's most perfect food. That, and some juicy watermelon. Then there's a S'more on a beach fire under the starry sky. Ahh, these glorious days of summer are truly a joy.

• Today, being the first day back to normal after a week, will be great. I still have that vacation glow and life's little problems won't seem so bad. I can't say the same for tomorrow, but for now I still have today. 

Summer Break

Hey Bloggers! That long awaited summer vacation time is finally here!

Time to pack it up and take off to a fabulous destination for some much needed rest and relaxation. The Daily Dandy will be out of office from today, Monday July 2, 2012 to Monday, July 9th, 2012. 


Until then, you'll just have to trudge on in the bloggersphere without me. Be well bloggers, and take care of each other while I'm gone. I'll catch you on the flip side.

Make sure to wear plenty of sunscreen! Peace!