Ad Astra Per Aspera

Every generation has moments of I-remember-exactly-where-I-was-when-(something monumental witnessed by masses)-happened. It's usually something awful. And our lives are long; there are a number of these moments referenced.

The one-ring-to-rule-them-all will be 9/11. At least, I hope that's mine, because I can't imagine anything worse, and I don't want to. Before 9/11 there were only two in my life: the O.J. verdict and the Challenger.

For O.J., I was in study hall and my class listened to the verdict being read on the radio. Crickets.

The Challenger was more traumatic. I was little. As in, it's one of my first memories. I remember my mom's excitement because a teacher was going up and how that was different and important.  It seemed as if she had hope that one day she might go into space. 

We watched the launch live in my parent's bedroom. My neck craned up to see the TV on top of the dresser. There was fire, but to me, the whole launch was fiery so I thought nothing of it. Tears streamed down my mom's face, her hand over her mouth. The TV was turned off soon after. I still remember her face.  

On the 25th anniversay of the Challenger launch, I want to take a moment to remember...send out a prayer to the families and friends of those who were lost. 

Michael J. Smith
Dick Scobee
Ronald McNair
Ellison Onizuka
Christa McAuliffe
Gregory Jarvis
Judith Resnik

Ad astra per aspera.

The Dilemma

No, no, not that Vince Vaughn/Kevin James movie that nobody is watching. But, speaking of that, come on Hollywood!  This is a comedy about relationships. That would mean it's a "chick flick." And as a chick who this film is targeted at, I get Vince Vaughn and Kevin James as eye candy? Yuck. This is not what women want. And if we drag our boyfriends or husbands along they get Jennifer Connelly and Winona Ryder. So not fair. 

I'm ranting about a different dilemma. I've seen two adds in the last few weeks for the show "What Would You Do?" It's one of those hidden camera shows that tests the social conscience of America. I think they used to do shows about topics that were a little thought provoking. Like, someone's significant other is being a little too aggressive/violent towards them in Central Park. What would you do? Call the cops, or keep on jogging? And the audience would sit at home thinking, "I definitely would have called the cops." Inevitably, more bystanders choose to ignore the situation as most people actually would do. Sad, but true.

I think this show has run out of ideas. Recently the promo was revolving around the topic of gold diggers. An elderly gentleman sits at a bar with his hot-young-blonde-thing date. He goes to the bathroom and she thinks out loud, "God, I hope he just dies." What would you do? Hilarious, but not a moral dilemma. If you are old and dating a 20-year-old and think they're with you because you are soul mates, you are delusional and probably have much larger problems than a gold digging girlfriend. I hope you have a good lawyer. Couldn't half of Hollywood be on this "What Would You Do?" The next time I see an older man with a young woman I should do the socially conscious thing and fill the man in, you know, for his own good. I'd probably get the cops called on me.

I just saw a promo for the episode that's on tonight. A surly customer harasses a waitress. What would you do? Okay, this is what a Manager is for. Any worker getting harassed anywhere just needs to say, "Let me get my Manager."  Manager either appeases customer or politely asks him to leave. It is his/her job to handle the situation, not the waiter/waitress.

Just because it's a reality show doesn't mean suspension of disbelief and logic go out the window. Even reality shows have to hold some truth to draw an audience.

Dine LA, Finally

Last night Hubs and I took advantage of Dine LA, which takes place for two weeks every year in January. Participating restaurants offer three course dinners for $34 or $44. It's one of those things we always read about right before the holidays, then forget about it, then remember. "When was that, again?" "Aw, it ended yesterday.  Grrrrrr."

This year we stayed on top of it. We decided to go to Waterloo & City, a fairly new restaurant in Culver City, so we trekked over to the West Side. It's a strange place to walk inside. It seems sophisticated and fancy with black painted wood and silver platters hanging on the walls. But something was off and we figured it out. The chairs are the same chairs as Cracker Barrel. Yeah, they're painted black, but even in dim candle lighting they're still Cracker Barrel chairs. Ugh.

For appetizers, I got the Potted Pork and Truffle Parfait with Brioche. There's a charcuterie revolution going on in LA right now. Meat in tube form thinly sliced is everywhere. Meat in a jar is en vogue. It's been fun to compare. This pork was creamy and perfectly smooth spread on the brioche. But it wasn't packed with flavor. I think the brioche overpowered the pork, but the texture was so good that I ate three toast-fulls of it.

Hubs got the Blood Cake with a Fried Egg. Our waitress described it as a flourless cake made of blood sausage and it was the perfect description. A cake made out of sausage. With an egg. It was excellent, and so rich. Tony Bourdain would love it.

For the main course. I ordered the Meat Pie with Bone Marrow. The pie was fine. Tomato-ey. Nothing special. After eating the pork parfait, the bone marrow fell flat. But the potato puree was delicious. I think there was a stick of butter in there.

Hubs did a better job of ordering by choosing the House Merguez and Lamb Shoulder, which seemed to be a Moroccan inspired stew. The sausage was delicious, the lamb falling-apart tender, and the stew had a nice little kick and was perfectly seasoned.  I was not expecting a dish like this from an English restaurant.

Finally dessert. This was the best course for both of us. We shared the Sticky Toffee Pudding and the Doughnuts.

The Doughnuts were my favorite. They didn't taste like a Krispy Kreme, they were more like what I would imagine the best funnel cake in the world tasking like. They were decadent and utterly satisfying. Still salivating over them today.

All in all, Waterloo & City was good. Three courses for $34 was a sweet deal. The ambiance wasn't my favorite, but I would consider going back for more charcuterie and dessert.

Da Bears

Ouch!  I hurted myself.  Maybe.  Yes?

Well, it's about that time in the football season when once ever four years (if we're lucky) Chicagoans put all our faith in a quarterback that we don't particularly like and pray to Jesus that he can make it through the conference championship game only throwing a couple interceptions and getting sacked less than five times (though I now live in L.A., I will always be a Chicago sports fan).

Four years ago it was Rex Grossman.  And even though his perfectly plucked eyebrows freaked me out a little, I liked the guy.  Was he the greatest quarterback?  Hell no.  But I think that the team (especially the spectacular defense we had that year) and all of Chicago handed him all of their hope and faith and it elevated his game to a place where he was able to make it to the Superbowl.  And that was enough for Chicago.  Well, it was enough for me, at least.  And it was enough for the Bears' owners until Sexy Rexy had an unfortunate follow-up season and his ass got traded.  Ah, so is the life of a Chicago quarterback.

This year, we have Jay I-just-love-getting-sacked Cutler.  I refer to him as Creepy Veneers for obvious reasons.  The most telling tale I've seen about CV was in Green Bay a few weeks back when they were whomping us and there was an injury timeout.  This is a tense time for everyone, a good time to take a few minutes, catch your breath, and chat with teammates.  You know, keep it light.  CV was chatting and laughing with a Packers player, a former teammate on the Broncos.  This is the only time I've seen CV smile and talk to another player, and it wasn't even a current teammate.  I firmly believe this is because everyone on the Bears hates him.  I don't know why they hate him (maybe the scary teeth and the frat-fat jowls?) but they do.

I don't think this year's team wanted CV within ten feet of their hope and faith and they sure as hell didn't give it to him.  You could feel it on the field every week.  And then today, all of a sudden, his knee was hurt.  Even though there was no incident to replay.  CV, I know you don't seem like the brightest crayon in the box, so maybe you didn't know that winning this game meant you would get to play in the Superbowl.  The SUPERBOWL.  That's like going to the World Series in baseball.

I don't wish you injury, Creepy Veneers, but I hope you are actually hurt.  Chicago wants a quarterback they can love.  Right now you are walking (limping) the fine line between dislike and hate.  It looked like you gave up on your team at your home field.  I hope that's not true.

Can we please, please just make Brian Urlacher quarterback next year?  Chicago knows he can do it.

I Do Not Want to Be Your Friend

Hey, put those claws away!

Facebook is a fascinating place.  People I partied with in high school are all married with children.  It's a little surreal. 

I befriend almost everyone who Friend Requests me, as long as I know who you are.  Hell, some people I've never had a conversation with.  I'm not very discriminating.

Now, someone who was actively hostile towards me in high school wants to be my Friend.  This annoys me on many levels.  I hadn't thought about this person in quite some time, and there her cruel face was, taunting me.  I've moved on.  I don't want to be reminded.  I certainly don't want daily updates on what she's doing and how she's feeling.  And why would she want any connection to me?  She clearly did not like me when we were acquainted.

I truly wish this person nothing but the best.  I hope she has a wonderful life filled with love and blessings.  But, no, you will not be my Facebook Friend, have access to personal photos and my random spoutings if you, among other things, were quoted in my high school newspaper saying not-so-subtly that you were going to steal my boyfriend when I went away to college.  No, thank you.

That's just the kind of Facebook Friend I am.

First 5K

I accomplished the first of my New Years Resolutions yesterday, and it felt great.  Well, it didn't feel so great when I woke up at 5:30 in the morning and drove to Venice before the sun came up.  But once I parked and trekked to the starting line and pinned my number on, it was pretty cool.

I ran the entire 3.1 miles, which was my goal.  I never felt tempted to walk, as I often do in my workouts.  I didn't feel completely exhausted when I finished, and I'm not really even sore today.  So, yea!  My body is getting stronger! 

There's another 5K in March that Hubs wants to try.  It's hilly, so that's a little scary.  But I'm going to keep running and see.  Maybe a year from now I'll be running 10Ks.  You never know.

Golden Globes

Who cares who won?  It's all about who wore what and who looked best!

Some years it seems like everyone wears black, black, and more black.  I hate it.  Famous Ladies, we all know that black makes you look slimmer.  But you are already super-thin.  There is no need to look slimmer.  Wear color!  And this year, almost everyone did.  I was quivering with joy while watching the red carpet show.  

My top five of the evening (in no particular order):

Catherine Zeta Jones

With her husband getting all the press for his cancer recovery, CZJ knew she would be silently smiling from the sidelines all night, but she said all she needed to in that gorgeous green gown.  Can I please touch it?  It looks so soft and bumpy.

Claire Danes

When I saw this dress I knew it was Calvin Klein (and I am no fashion expert).  Clean lines, crisp, and elegant.  And the color!  Little girls are supposed to love pink and then grow out of it, but the older I get, the more I love pink.  The pairing of the simple dress with the hot color was perfect.  And I'm glad she won.  It's been a long time since Angela Chase has been up on that stage and she gave a great acceptance speech.

Lea Michele

Still riding the pink train.  I don't know, there's something about this that I love.  It's feminine and flowy, yet structured. Normally I don't love this kind of dress.  I think it's the pink.

Jane Lynch

I usually hate black at awards show, but I do love me some black with shiny.  I love how it shimmers as opposed to sparkles.  And the collar is unique and flattering.  Age appropriate and completely modern.  Jane nailed it.

Melissa Leo

Again, a black dress that I loved!  Sparkles galore!  Melissa looked amazing on the red carpet and on the stage.  I swear, this dress took ten years off of her.  The sleeves were the only unique touch this one needed and they made the dress special and spectacular.

I can't wait for the Oscars!

Belize

One year ago today, this is where I was, honeymooning in Belize.

We stayed at the Coco Plum Beach Resort, which is a tiny resort on the Coco Plum Caye.  The food wasn't amazing, but it was good.  The cabana we stayed in was comfortable and private and the Caye was incredibly low-key.  At the end of the week, there was only one other couple on the island besides Hubs and me. 

The resort was perfect for privacy.

Everyday we were taken to the Belize Barrier Reef a few miles away, it's the second largest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef.  The snorkeling was amazing, and the water was crystal clear and warm.  We saw fish all the colors of the rainbow, rays, starfish, an eel, and a lobster.  We took amazing underwater photos, but all the photos tragically erased during the flight home.  I'm still recovering from the loss.  I will never, ever buy another Vivitar product.

We hiked Mayan ruins in Xanantunich:


Iguana on the Ruins



The stars in Belize are unlike stars I've seen anywhere.  The night sky there was a blanket of stars.  It was beautiful and unexpected.  I can't wait to go to another part of the world with a night sky of that intensity.

Vows

One year ago today I married Hubs.  In celebration of that wonderful day, I'm posting our vows.  We wanted to write our own vows to make it personal, but we wanted a traditional feel at the same time.  So we wrote vows that our minister (Hubs' Dad) read and we recited.   Plus, I knew if the two of us wrote separate vows to read to each other, Hubs would totally kick my ass in the sentamentality department.

We added a lot of personal touches to our wedding, but writing the vows together was my favorite part.  One Sunday afternoon in November we sat down at the kitchen table, looked at traditional vows, and discussed what we liked and disliked.  We came up with vows that worked for us.  And isn't that what a marraige is all about?  Here are the vows he made to me:

Lisa, I give myself to you, to be your husband.

I promise to love you with an open heart, to cherish you for the person you are, and appreciate you in new ways as we grow and change.

I promise to be faithful to you, to be honest and truthful, to honor and respect you, always.

I promise to listen to you and encourage you.

All of these things I promise, whether we are at our best or at our worst, in joy and in sorrow, when it’s easy and when it’s hard, as long as we both shall live.

Revision Fear

I'm writing the first draft of my screenplay.  I'm pushing through.  At times, it seems like I've hit the wall and it's impossible to go on, but I keep pushing.  And pretty soon, I only have three scenes left.  Then two.  Then one.  The first draft is done!  And it's good!  Crack out the champagne.  Take deep, joyous breaths of relief.  Satisfactorily set the script aside, while someone, usually Hubs, reads it and gives constructive criticism.  Let the script sit for a week.  Maybe two or three.

During this sitting time, with almost every screenplay I write, a dark cloud of doubt begins to hover over me.  What if when I reread this first draft it sucks?  I know it didn't suck when I was writing it.  I'm not lacking in the confidence department.  I think it's essential for a writer to believe in himself.  How else are you going to handle all the rejection that's going to come along? 

But despite my confidence, I have an almost debilitating fear that when I read the script again it will be terrible, I will hate it, and fixing it will be a chore not worth completing.  This leads to the draft sitting longer, and the fear further developing.  Of course, when I actually swallow my dread and force myself to read it, the script is always fine.  Yeah, sure, it has problems.  It's a first draft.  But the dialogue is snappy.  The structure is semi-sound.  I smiled when reading some of the scenes.  I remember how good finishing that scene felt.  Why, oh why, was I so afraid that rereading you was going to make myself question my dreams of becoming a paid screenwriter?

I don't know. 

Maybe I should set a shorter time span between finishing the first draft and starting the second.  I like to have a little distance from the script so I can hopefully be more objective, but this approach seems to be backfiring.  I think I need to set an exact date to start my second draft when I finish the first draft.  I'm going to try that with my next feature.

Olive Pasta

This recipe was inspired by a tapas plate I had last summer during my fabulous birthday meal at The Bazaar by Jose Andreas.  The restaurant is beautiful inside.  Sophisticated whimsy is how I would describe it.  The menu is filled with innovative and traditional tapas.  Cotton candy foie gras?  It shouldn't work, but it does. 

Cotton Candy Foie Gras

My favorite tapas that we had was the "Olives" which are both traditional and modern.  The traditional olives arrive in a tin, just an unassuming, pimiento stuffed olive with an anchovy fillet, lemon zest, and basil on top.  The modern olive is olive juice that has undergone molecular gastronomical magic and looks like an unassuming olive sitting on the spoon.  When you eat it the juice explodes in your mouth.  It's pretty cool.

Olives & Scallops in Romesco

But I still liked the traditional olive better.  The saltiness of the olive and anchovy,  the brightness of the pimiento, the slight acid of the lemon, the sweetness of the basil.  All simple ingredients combined to create the perfect bite of food.  Such simplicity is inspiring.  So I decided to borrow their delicious combination to turn it into a pasta dish that has become one of Hubs' favorites.

Olive Pasta

3 red peppers
1 head of garlic
1 lb. penne or fusilli (I use whole wheat because that's how I roll)
2 T EVOO + 1 tsp. for garlic
1 2 oz. tin of anchovies in olive oil
1 tsp. crushed red pepper (I like it spicy, use less if you don't)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 c. white wine (I use sauvignon blanc)
2 cups of olives, roughly chopped (I go to Whole Foods and get a mix of everything that's pitted from the olive bar)
1 lemon, zested
A handful of parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper
20 leaves of basil, cut into chiffonade (optional)

You can buy a jar of roasted peppers in the store to save time, but I like roasting my own.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees for roasting red peppers and garlic.  Cut off top of garlic head.  Rub with a little EVOO and salt and pepper.  Wrap garlic in double layer of aluminum foil.  Set on a cookie sheet with the three red peppers.  Roast peppers for 8-10 minutes on all four sides until soft and parts of skin are blackened.  When peppers are cooked, place them in a large bowl.  Cover and let cool.  Peel off skin and remove stems and seeds.  Either puree peppers or cut into slices.  Squeeze cooled garlic cloves from skin.

Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente.  Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat EVOO over med-high heat.  Add roasted garlic cloves and anchovies (don't include the oil from the tin), breaking them up as they cook, for at least 5 min, until anchovies are a paste.  All the fishiness will be cooked out.

Add crushed red pepper and Italian seasoning.  Cook for 5 min.

Add wine.  Cook for 2 min. until wine cooks down by half.  Add red peppers, olives, and lemon zest.  Salt & pepper to taste.  Cook for five minutes for flavors to meld.  Remove from heat and add parsley and the juice from half a lemon.

Toss pasta with sauce to combine.  Add reserved pasta water to thin sauce to desired consistency.  Top with basil or more parsley.

Enjoy.

Museum & Dinner

I've lived in L.A. long enough that it is truly embarrassing and shameful that I have never been to a museum here.  So, last week, Hubs and I ventured across town to LACMA.  After 5pm, the museum is free for L.A. County residents, adding further embarrassment for having never been there.

We only made it through a few of the buildings before close, but we saw some great pieces.  Here were my two favorites:



"Balloon Dog" by Jeff Koons


Thought process as I saw Balloon Dog:  "Look at the Balloon Dog!  I love art museums.  Why did I wait so long to come here?"

Joan Miro - I didn't write down the title

There was also a great William Eggleston exhibit going on.  I think I could look at his photographs every day and be inspired.

After the museum we went to The Foundry on Melrose.  Although I don't think Chef Eric Greenspan has made it to "Top Chef" guest status yet, I'm sure he will be there in the foreseeable future.  He's becoming a regular on The Food Network and I immediately recognized him when we were seated.  He even checked in on us at one point, very nice PR.

We sat inside because it was windy and cold out, and we had a prime seat right in front of the open kitchen.

We ordered an appetizer of Tater Tots.  The restaurant was dim, and I only brought the point & shoot so I had to use the flash, aka the photos are crap.  But I will post them anyways.

Blurry Tots

These were awesome.  Incredibly crispy outside, incredibly creamy inside.  This is my favorite kind of food.  When we go back, I will order these.

The Foundry is known for its grilled cheese, so we had to try it.  Was it delicious?  Yes, and the walnut raisin bread was the best part.  Was is the best grilled cheese I've ever had?  I don't know.  Grilled cheese scares the hell out of me, actually, and I rarely order it.  Anything with that much cheese and butter is going to taste good.  So it's the other components that have to set it apart from the average grilled cheese.  In this case, the raisin walnut bread did that.  I can't name a better grilled cheese offhand, but I refuse to believe that this is the best grilled cheese ever.  And it looked a little sad on the plate, so I didn't even take a photo of it.

We shared an entree of duck confit.

This was really good.  There were chestnuts, brussels sprouts, apples, and a not-too-sweet sauce.  Oh, yeah, and a perfect duck leg.  Thoroughly enjoyed it. 

And then for dessert we had the doughnuts. 

The portion was small.  Not that I wanted or needed more food, but I was surprised that there were only 3 little balls when the dessert cost $9.  In comparison, the tots cost $5 and there were 10 of them.  And they tasted better.  All other portions were solid for their price.  The good news: the doughnuts came with a ginger whipped cream that was lovely.  But I wouldn't order them again.

All in all, it was a delicious, romantic meal.  There were so many delicious looking items on the menu.  I look forward to going back, having more tots, and trying a new entree and dessert.