Yearly Archives: 2011

Too soon?

I know this is ironic because I’m absolutely anti-Christmas in November. I like Christmas as much as the next person, but I hate that a holiday as wonderful as Thanksgiving gets completely skipped over and that Christmas decorations are out by Halloween. But I’m a big fan of getting the Christmas shopping done in November so that the holidays can actually be cherished and enjoyed, stress-free, when December rolls around. With that in mind, here’s my perfect world holiday wish list. Feel free to steal any of these goodies to add to your own wish list – they’re pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself :-)

Find them here

These Sorel Trivoli II Duck Boots in Chili Pepper (size 9 please!) are both adorable and functional. Sorel is the company that makes my amazing winter boots that are weatherproof and rated up to -25 degrees, so I know their stuff is quality. It rains like crazy in Cincinnati and I’m over having soggy, wet, cold socks and smelly sneakers every time it rains. I have been desperate for a pair of rain boots for at least five years now and I’m vowing that this will be the year I finally get them.

Find them here

My lack of a decent pair of rain shoes is the primary reason why these awesome women’s Puma Voltaic 3’s in limestone grey/heliotrope/white (size 8.5, if you were wondering) are on my list. I’ve ownd a pair of Puma Voltaics for over two years and they are the most comfortable pair of sneakers in existence. I love them to bits because they are so versatile – I can wear them to strike sets, teach dance, chase a wayward kid down the hall, go to work, and run errands. Alas, I wore them to Alaska because I was dumb and didn’t buy a respectable pair of rain boots, so they got soaked with rain and stinky wet sled dog slush on our dog sledding excursion, and ever since they’ve not only become sponges when it rains, but they also stink to high hell. I’ve tried everything to restore them to their original minty fresh condition (proof: they’re coated in baking soda and sitting in the freezer at this very moment) but to no avail. Onward and upward, I say!

Find them here and here

Because of the work that I do, I live in jeans and khakis – things that can be dressed up or down and can go anywhere. Also because of the work that I do, I rarely have extra cash with which to purchase jeans and khakis. I’m in love with Ann Taylor Loft’s denim – they’re a high quality product but, more importantly, they fit me so well! And I’m definitely due for some new jeans. I have my eye on a pair of the modern wide leg trousers, the modern boot cut, and straight leg jeans too! I’m also thinking that Gap’s Perfect Fit Khakis would be an excellent replacement for my sister’s hand-me-down khakis from over three years ago that I’m still wearing.

Find it here

Have you seen my purse lately? It’s disgusting. I paid all of $30 for it (and I guarantee that’s the most cash I’ve ever spent on a purse in my life) and have used it every day for 2.5 years straight. Falling apart is too kind. It’s positively shredded to bits. You know it’s bad when your husband actually comments on how shabby it looks. I don’t own multiple handbags and I don’t change out my purse to match my outfit (uh, who has time for that nonsense?) So I need a good, solid, classic bag that will hold up for several years to come and that I can wear with absolutely everything, like this Maddox Small Workbag from Fossil in Emerald Green. It’s the perfect size without being too large or too small, the cross-body style is totally convenient, and as Ted says, since green goes with nothing, it goes with everything – and it’s my favorite color. Typically, I’d be totally wary about spending that much dough on a purse (that’s a lie – I still am wary), but I have a watch and a checkbook wallet from Fossil, both of which I’ve used nearly daily for 8+ years, so I know their stuff holds up to the tests of time and torture.

Find it here

But given that that old wallet has seen better (read: cleaner) days, I think it’s time to update the old wallet to something a little more sweet and snazzy. Like this awesome Owl checkbook wallet, also from Fossil. LOVE it.

Find them here and here

Ted hates it when I wear “froofy, girly shit” in my hair, which obviously means I need these because they’re adorable, and I love them, and it’s an easy, cheap, and subtle way for me to look and feel a little more put together and a little less like a hooligan who wears sweat pants to work everyday. Ted would be mortified and my third graders would be super impressed…two birds, one stone. I love froofy, girly shit in my hair.

Find it here

This deliciousness is a chai tea blend from Teavana. And it is heaven in a cup. Heaven, I tell you! There’s a Teavana store at our Kenwood Mall and every time we’re in the area I have to stop in because they offer free samples of their hot chai tea and it makes me oh-so-happy. It’s mildly spicy, a little sweet, really flavorful, and so cheerful and relaxing. I would love to have a real cup of it instead of just a sip.

Find it here

 My dream list concludes with a Cincinnati Ballet Flex Pass so that I can take adult jazz, ballet, and rhythm and motion classes whenever I can work them into my schedule.

 So, there she is – my perfect world holiday wish list. Well, this list, a sugar glider, and world peace, really. What’s on your list?

Last night we treated ourselves to date night. Ted spent hours at home hanging pictures, working on some stuff around the apartment, and trying to get our wayward printer to work since he had the day off for Veteran’s Day. I worked at the museum where there were approximately 1 billion people, a full parking lot, and then the credit card machines went down. It was fabulous. I was frusterated trying to work out Christmas flights with my work schedule, Ted was frusterated with a printer with a mind of its own, so we decided to put our troubles behind us and enjoy an evening out together. Luckily for us we have free movie passes from a movie we went to see a few months ago that stopped working at the end of the film, and two Groupon deals that expire soon. We opted to head to Eastgate mall for 3 rounds of glow-in-the-dark black light lunar mini golf and dinner at O’Charley’s. Lunar golf was fun and free because of the Groupon and then I sunk my ball into the prize winning hole at the end of the game and won us another free round for a future visit. Score! In the mall they had a group selling baby sugar bears (aka sugar gliders), which we learned are marsupials and have hair instead of fur so they are hypo-allergenic and dander free, so we played with them for a while and we absolutely fell in love! Finally, an animal Ted likes too that we could actually own because he played with it, then rubbed his eyes and he isn’t allergic to them! After our sugar bear fix we enjoyed a leisurely meal of burger and fries (Ted) and steak and broccoli (me) at O’Charley’s before heading home and into bed by 10:30. Yes, we’re lame. But we didn’t think about work or flights even once so it was just perfect. Some days you really do just need to go out, relax and have a good time. How was your Friday night? As wild and crazy as ours?

A little truth for your Tuesday morning.

Have a good one!

I know this has, traditionally, been my Thursday topic of discussion, but today warrants an Open Letters post like woah.

**

Dear City of Cincinnati,

To whom may I address the bill for the $17 car wash I just had done when one of your nasty concrete trucks in a shabbily-assembled highway construction zone sprayed the entirety of my vehicle with a thick layer of gray concrete backwash? I am not impressed, but I am willing to forgive as, I assume, you will be reimbursing this expense. I accept checks.

Sincerely,

Not Made of Money

**

Dear Inventor of the Child-Sized Shopping Cart at Grocery Stores Across America,

Worst. Invention. Ever.

Sincerely,

The League of Respectable Citizens Who Destest Being Crashed Into, Delayed in Every Aisle, or Run Over by a No Less Than Three Maniacal Four-Year-Olds at Kroger on Monday Mornings

**

Dear Mothers of Manical Four-Year-Olds Who Give Their Kids a Missel-Sized Shopping Cart to Run Amuck with at Kroger on Monday Mornings,

FOR REAL?

Sincerely,

The Rest of Civilization is Not Amused by your Poor Parenting

**

Dear Girls to Whom I Teach Musical Theatre on Mondays,

If we could have just one class period wherein you do not attempt to beat the tar out of each other, I would be eternally grateful. Also, though I think you’re all swell little humans and I enjoy our time together, your listening skills are kind of sub-par, in the deepest sense of the word. May I kindly ask who raised you?

Sincerely,

It’s Not Your Fault that You’re a Product of Your Enviornment, But I Still Love You Anyways

**

Dear Homemade Applesauce,

Thank you for being so delicious on a day when I need you so.

Sincerely,

Your Maker

**

You know what I love about French Onion Soup?

It forces you sit down for half an hour, relax, and simply enjoy your meal.

Anyone can wolf down a slice of pizza in two minutes, scarf a burger in five, inhale a panini in seven, or devour a salad in ten. But if you’ve ever had a bowl of French onion soup, piping hot from beneath the broiler, bread soggy, cheese bubbling, broth hissing, and steam rising, you know that unless you possess super powers and an awesome resistance to burning the crap out of the roof of your mouth, you have to take it slow. You have to blow on each and every spoonful then sip cautiously, taking in the aroma and savoring the complex flavors of the onions, beef broth, wine, worcestershire sauce, french bread, and provolone as they blend together to form that sweet, buttery flavor.

I didn’t used to like French onion soup. I distinctly remembering groaning when I’d learn it was front and center on the dinner menu. I think it’s an acquired taste. And I’m still not in the mood for it all the time, but the two or three times a year that I do have a taste for it, I find that I enjoy it tremendously, and not just for the taste alone (although sometime after college I did, thankfully, acquire the taste for it. But don’t hold your breath on the blue cheese or brussel sprouts, mom and dad!)

I know I can just sit at the table and breathe, and eat slowly, and talk, and sip wine, and laugh between bites while I wait for it to cool. I know there’s nothing else I really can be doing but enjoying good food or the pleasure of good company while I blow on the broth or scrape melted cheese off the spoon with my teeth.

I am thankful to have taken the hour and a half break to cook up and eat a small batch of this soup tonight. I may have a lot going on and life gets busy, but that’s no excuse to not savor a tasty meal. And I’m grateful to be reminded of that every once in a while.

Today I am spending my entire morning and a sweet chunk of the early afternoon, before I run off to dramatically influence young minds and teach them how to dance like Seuss’ Whos and Horton the Elephant at job #4 and get trained to work holiday junction at job #1, in a Starbucks across the street from the place I’m paying a crap-ton of money to replace a leaking axel, install new front brakes and roaters, do a transmission flush, brake fluid flush, coolant flush, power steering flush, and install and align four new tires. Like I said, crap-ton of money. If you didn’t know already, I have a huge love affair with my Buick. The Buck is always worth it, despite the fact that we have approximately zero-and-a-half dollars with which to repair it. Ted’s truck is also acting up and with the onset of cold weather has apparently decided that starting is negotiable, so we are going to be sharing one vehicle (2 people, 5 jobs on all opposite ends of the city, insane theatre schedules that last until all hours of the night – what could possibly go wrong?) until we can afford to repair his truck in about 8.3 years. So since we’ll be relying solely on the Buick (or “the Buck” as he has been fondly nicknamed) for the next several months and since winter is so quickly approaching, this $1,700 car repair was a necessary evil. Hence why I am cooped up in a Starbucks for six hours. I will be treating myself to the ever-loving holy grail of burritos at Chipotle for lunch. I feel it is deserved after a full day of anxiously waiting around to spend a crap-ton of money and then working for another five hours after that.

What else have we been up to besides emptying our pockets, you ask?

Saturday night was the “bring your wife” Knights of Columbus dinner at Uno’s Chicago Grill. Ted is a first degree knight, but Ted works about 80 hours a week and, clearly, hasn’t had much time with which to get involved with the knights here in Cincinnati. Our friend Nick is also a knight so Nick and Linda invited us to “bring your wife” night so we could meet some other knights and enjoy some human interaction for a change (socialization – what a novel concept!). So Ted took me out to dinner, which was a great unexpected surprise! We ate delicious gourmet pizza and desserts, enjoyed conversation with a lot of other nice, funny couples and, three hours later, left after having ourselves a grand old time. We should socialize more often.

On Sunday night both CCM and ETC had the good sense to close Coram Boy and Ghost-Writeron the same day, so Ted and I had simultaneous double strike nights at our respective theatres from 3:30 p.m. until ?? (strikes are usually scheduled until midnight). So we carpooled to work, struck sets and lights, and ripped apart lumber like wild banchees. Remember, we both paid a university thousands upon thousands of dollars to teach us how to do this and to give us that coveted degree in theatre. Life is funny, isn’t it?

For Halloween Monday I was the life of the party – waking up at 6 a.m. to get my oil changed, learning what was wrong with the Buck and just how broke this was going to make us, running errands, cleaning, laundry, cooking – you know, typical party animal shenanigans that accompany a young adult’s day off. We, sadly, had no trick-or-treaters, although we now live in an apartment so I guess I didn’t really expect any. Instead of entertaining the young’uns at our door we snacked on tasty candy, Halloween orange creme stuffed Oreos, popcorn, and apple cider while watching Rocky Horror and Hocus Pocus – two outrageously appropriate Halloween flicks. I also decided that I shall be a gargoyle for Halloween next year and I will go out and find trick-or-treaters to force candy upon if they do not come to us on their own accord. Overall, we enjoyed a really nice, relaxing Halloween Eve together at home, just us and our cavities.

Yesterday we worked. I taught a choreographed dance-off to “Thriller” to 20 kids playing zombies and monkeys at an elementary school, worked on zombie and dog costumes for said children, built a garden scene with burlap, silk plants and a wire-cutter at the theatre, and went to the first rehearsal of this world premiere production of Snow White. Just another day, but I’m thankful that these tasks make up my day rather than accounting or insurance sales (both of which I would be terrible at, btw) and that somebody actually pays me to do these fun, if not somewhat crazy, things. And it is pretty rad to be involved with so many world premieres, regional premieres, new works, living playwrights, and edgy shows.

Even after the Great Butternut Squash Soup Fail of 2011, I’ve been trying to really cash in on fall recipes as much as I can. For Halloween I made grilled and seasoned pork chops with homemade applesauce, mashed potatoes and green beans. Last night I made grilled turkey breast, cheddar and granny smith apple quesadillas served with corn and beans. I’ve done homemade applesauce twice now and it’s so good that I can’t stand not having a batch in the fridge. On the dock for the next few weeks are salmon burgers, beef stew, homemade pumpkin ravioli with apple cider broth, roasted vegetables and goat cheese, another crockpot of chili, French onion soup, and a some other dishes with pumpkins, apples, sweet potatoes, and more. I’m striving to take advantage of fresh, local, seasonal produce in my cooking as much as possible and to get creative with my dishes – much to Ted’s total horror. Ted’s never been all that adventurous of a dude when it comes to trying creative foods, so The Great Butternut Squash Soup Fail of 2011 kind of pushed him over the edge and has permanently scarred him. I was a twinge offended by his reaction to the spoonful I force-fed until I actually tried to the soup for myself. It’s scarred me as well, because I have an acorn squash at home waiting to be used and I can’t bring myself to try anything festive with it for fear of round 2 of utter squash failure.

Anyone want to post their favorite festive fall recipe in the comments below…or send me a check for $1,700. Your call. If you’ve read this far, A) Congratulations on being such a trooper and B) I’m expecting either a recipe or a check.

For all these reasons, can you see why we both could use a legitimate day off, not a dinky half day, but a real day off to traipse through a corn maze at a farm, carve a pumpkin, watch some football, jump in the leaves, go shopping, see a movie and hang out with other human beings for cocktails and appetizers? Yep. I can smell it now. But I think we’ll have to wait until Thanksgiving for that one.

P.S. Don’t forget – check or recipe! I’ve got a tracker on this thing and I’m not afraid to hunt you down.

Got you with that title, didn’t I?

One of the perks of working in the theatre is that you can enjoy qaulity entertainment several nights a week for free.

Between the two of us working at two different theatres that boast multi-show seasons, plus the free tickets that theatres tend to exchange with other area theatres for their employees and actors, and the connections we have to friends who work for other area theatres and dance companies, we are in a constant rotation of shows, so we’re really never at a loss for a good performance, if we’re in the mood to see one. And sometimes we’re obligated to see them. But really the biggest hinderance in our case isn’t the cost since we’re, very luckily, not paying $42 a ticket per show, it’s the fact that we just simply don’t have enough time or energy to hit them all. But we try to hit the ones we are required to see, and the ones that sound the most appealing, if we can make it happen schedule-wise – an even mix. Both CCM and ETC opted for a little more spooktastic of productions given that October is Halloween month. I could use some variety in my life, and both productions were regional premieres and fairly new works, so fine by me!

On Thursday night after work we traipsed up to Mt. Admas, a totally gorgeous area of town we’d love to live in, to try out City View Tavern, which Cincinnati Magazine rates as the #1 burger in Cincy, and then we stopped for an ice cream at Baskin Robbins and finished out our night seeing Coram Boy at CCM. On Friday night we dined at an authentic Mexican restarant in downtown that recieved rave reviews from our co-workers and then sat in on both the regular production and understudy intern performance of Ghost-Writer at ETC.

City View Tavern is this tiny little hole-in-the-wall tavern near the top of Mt. Adams, which is at the top of one of seven hills of Cincinnati. You drive up a series of long and winding streets, past the monestary, that snake up the mountain. Nestled in a residential area on a ridiculously narrow one-way street on a steep hillside is City View Tavern. It’s tiny but clean and charming, has a sweet little bar with a small selection of beers and a few liquors, a handful of tables inside (but no table-side service, bar only), a menu with five items (all burgers), a pool table, and no music blaring on the stereo, but the bartender has a slew of board games you can play at your table. The real draws are the burgers, which were indeed very good (we ordered the Big Ted Delux – the name was coincidental, but totally appreciated. The vegetarian version was called Big Ted No Ted), and the phenomenal views of Cincinnati. I can totally picture us steaking claim to one of the patio tables out in the back on a warm summer’s eve, ordering a round of beers and burgers, and widdling away a few hours enjoying a warm sunset view and playing scrabble. It was good stuff! Hole-in-the-walls usually are.

I’ll come clean here. I was really intrigued by the storyline of Coram Boy, which is why we put in for the comp tickets. It sounded so interesting! But I also knew it was nicknamed the dead baby play and had heard the tales of gory CCM production meetings discussing the burial pit onstage, and the baby they’d made that moves and cries and then (at least in early rehearsals, they toned it down a lot by the time it reached the stage) was supposed to die a pretty gruesome on-stage death. Given all that uplifting information about this epic three-hour production, I was having second thoughts about if I was in the mood for something so long and dreary on an otherwise relaxing Thursday night. But my interest, thankfully, got the better of me. The play was first performed on the London stage in 2005 and this was its regional premiere, and the plot did sound really, really good! So we went. And it was awesome. It was dark, a period piece, but it had many moments of humor and joy. It was intriguing and kept you on the edge of your seat, just waiting to see what would happen next. It was perfect for Halloween, but not at all scary. Asthetically, there were some truly beautiful moments onstage where the costumes and lights and colors and props and fog and music all blended together to form completely lovely pictures. I found the acting to be good and the roles great, meaty roles for actors and actresses looking to sink their teeth into a something new. The show also features a good deal of music and some singing (though it is not a musical) and the Cincinnati Children’s Choir played a pretty large role in the production. Cute kids! And those three hours that I’d thought would be long and exhausting pretty much flew by in no time – lots of “ah ha!” moments and unexpected, riveting, twists and turns. It would make a great novel! I won’t waste time detailing the plot to you, but I would recommend reading more about it here and here. Don’t let the nickname turn you off. It was an excellent production and I’d put it right up there with the top three shows I’ve seen at CCM: Evita, Coram Boy, and Rent.

Friday night after work we left the car parked at the theatre and took a brisk walk downtown to Taqueria Mercado for some Mexican eats. We’d heard the rumor that this place was authentic, but I’m a tex-mex expert and hold Mexican food to high standards. I wasn’t disappointed! It was delicious. The chips were hot, cripsy and flaky, the salsa teeming with cumin and a spicy aftertaste, the cheese was creamy and authentic Mexican, and they used a ton of cilantro! The flavors were to die for. Ted downed a burrito as big as his face and I had two small quesadillas – shrimp and steak. We’ll definitely frequent Taqueria Mercado in the future. Just like being back in Texas!

Ghost-Writer was a completely different experience than I had envisioned. For starters, it was only an hour-and-a-half long with no intermission – a far cry from Thursday night’s 3-hour epic production. I’d read the play previously, several weeks ago, and from that read garnished an idea in my head about what everything would look and sound like. Perhaps this isn’t the best method, but I like reading plays and when you’re working on a study guide and curriculum standards for it, you kind of have to read the play ahead of tme. I enjoyed the play and I thought the actors put a neat spin on things, playing them in a way that I hadn’t even thought about, which was cool. But I also really enjoyed reading the play and, being that it is a play about books and authors, reading it brought a certain level of understanding and intimacy to the work. The concept of the play, if you’ve never heard of it, is a very interesting one and based on a true story, which is even neater. It follows a renowned author and the brainy female typist he hires to types his novels as he dictates them through a nearly twenty year relationship. After the author dies his typist continues to type his last novel until its completion, claiming the words are his words but told through her fingers, leading the audience to determine whether she finishes writing the book, or if his ghost finishes the book through her. Clever stuff. It’s at the end of its run today, as is Coram Boy, but they’re work checking out if a they’re coming to a theatre near you – support local theatre!

I could get used to dinner and a play a few times a month :-) Luckily, we can! Now if only the dinners were free too…maybe I should become a food blogger too? Feed the habit, so to speak.

I have to tell you how funky Ohio weather is! It’s still October and we woke up with a hearty layer of snow white frost on the grass, roofs, trees, and vehicles this morning. I’m still of the solid opinion that October is far too early to have to use an ice scraper (just as I am also of the solid opinion that Christmas music and decorations should not start rearing their metallic and shiny heads until December 1st, at the absolute earliest), but clearly, this isn’t my call. Regardless, today it looked like winter out. It was cold and foggy and white. Then as soon as I crossed the state line into Kentucky on my way to work, it was suddenly, magically fall again. The river between Ohio and Kentucky was glassy and calm with thick spirals of steam hanging off the water, the sun was shining bright golden orange and the trees were absolutly ablaze with the brightest fall colors I’ve seen all season. Not a hint of frost to be found. Purely gorgeous. It was like two completely different worlds seperated only by an abstract state line.

I’m not ready for it to be winter yet. Not at all. I quite enjoy fall and could bask in its glory for another three months, enjoying spiced cider and bonfires and pumpkins and leaves until the cows come home. But apparently it’s time for me to haul my winter wardrobe out of storage anyway. Boo.

At least in these parts we see some glorious sunrises and sunsets in the late fall and early winter!