lots o' stuff

tomorrow is new years eve. another year gone by and another chance to start anew. my goals for the new year are pretty simple. i am going to finish things i start. i am going to make myself happy rather than worry about what others think. happiness starts with yourself. this is what i've come to learn. it sounds simple, but you really need to understand it. 

      

       

 i finally finished the book i was reading, "what is the what" by dave eggars. i want to encourage anybody and everybody to read it. it was written well and with a tenderness that was necessary in order to be able to swallow the harsh 

reality of the story of valentino achak deng, one of the lost boys of sudan. visit this website to learn more about the book as well as the inspiring people involved: www.valentinoachakdeng.org

i went to borders today and looked through this amazing textbook for the culinary institute of america. the reflective copper-like hardcover binding houses 1232 pages of information on the fundamentals of cooking and food. how exciting is that?! (shut up, renee.) anyway, it's $70 bucks, so i am holding off for now. but i have a feeling i will be owning that heavy baby soon. 

here are some pictures of a few holiday celebrations in the past month:

                my friend becky and me at the emiles salon christmas bash

renee, michelle, my mama, noor and me at noor's house 

to congratulate her and chris on their recent engagement! yay!

appetizers on christmas day and michelle in the background

goose hoping something will fall conveniently into his mouth

it will.

when i first drove by the museum of contemporary art detroit and saw this neon sign, relief washed over me. 

here's my portrait of mocad:

wal-mart is EVIL

i've never liked wal-mart. something about that place always gave me an ill feeling in the pit of my stomach. i was forced to shop there while i lived in florida for those four long years, oh i mean months, since it was basically the only place around town where you could get groceries and deodorant without going broke. 

since moving back, i have not stepped inside that florescent lit dungeon milling with blue smocked slaves unless i had to accompany a poor oblivious soul. 

this is an excerpt by jim hightower from the newsletter the hightower lowdown: 

"wal-mart is the world's biggest corporation, raking in $220 billion a year (bigger than the gdp [gross domestic product] of israel and ireland combined). the combined wealth of the waltons---the family that owns wal-mart---is over $100 billion. their average employee---and wal-mart employs more people than any other company on earth---makes $17,144 a year, and most have zero health benefits. the company has been hit with literally thousands of violations of workers' compensation, sex discrimination, and child-labor laws. it's response: 'unions have no place in wal-mart.' "

ban wal-mart. don't give in to their low prices. they're low because their not giving their employees squat. 

tomorrow's plea: save the polar bears. (i'm serious.)

merry christmas!

getting older, christmas makes me feel a mixture of emotions. i still love all the memories of when i was a kid spending christmas with my family. it was chaos since my siblings and cousins and i were all close in age and all very young at the same time! (i don't know how our parents stayed sane.) but it was a magical time. we believed in st. nick, we believed in reindeer in the sky, we believed that gifts under the tree on christmas morning were put there because we were good all year and a jolly fellow checked his list twice.

it's different now. christmas shopping has become the focus of the season. not by my choice, but because of evil and immoral commercialism. i love shopping for gifts for others, especially during this time of year with decorations flanking buildings and twinkling under lights, but i don't like the fact that you're assaulted with all things christmas before halloween even arrives. 

but, christmas will still hold a certain magic that nobody can extinguish. there is still an unexplainable enchantment that will always accompany the month of december. 

i hope you all feel the christmas spirit! 

the cousins on christmas eve 2006 

music is magic

some of you may already know that i am a big fan of many different types of music. (sorry, michelle, but i still don't like country pop. and hardcore rap.) lately, i've been really into the latest album by kenna "make sure they see my face." it's fantastic. kenna is an ethiopian born american artist and according to wikipedia.com, his music is a conglomeration of electronica, house, post rock, synth pop and alternative rock. i think he has elements of hip hop and r&b, too (even though i'm not a fan of the latter.) 

i mentioned to someone the other day that i feel like he goes where you want him to go, but then he takes you even further than you expected.

listening to his recent album just makes me feel happy..and it makes me wanna DANCE! 

100 strangers

yesterday evening i met up with a friend of mine who i had not seen since the 8th grade. she lives in san francisco but we keep in touch through myspace. i walked into the bean & leaf in royal oak and i saw her talking to a guy with an impressive camera. i joined their conversation and learned that he is participating in a photography project called 100 strangers. www.100strangers.com

he wanted us to be his #1 and #2 strangers. if you'd like to check out the photos, go to his flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/auberon/2126392072/in/photostream

little miss suzy homemaker

here's a good idea for holiday gifts that are fun to make and pretty easy. i will not take credit for it, though. i saw tyler florence make homemade hot cocoa mix and homemade marshmallows on the food network and decided i needed to make it. 

i'm hosting and cooking for a dinner party tonight for some friends, so i thought this would be a perfect favor for them to take home: a christmas mug w/ the homemade cocoa and marshmallows each in a cellophane bag. i will wrap the entire mug w/ more cellophane and tie a candy cane to it and a name tag in place of a name place card. 

i went ahead and made the cocoa and marshmallows the night before last and finished everything yesterday. (the marshmallows need to set overnight.) 

here's the recipe for the cocoa mix. i tried it according to the directions and it's really good but SUPER sweet.

tyler florence's hot cocoa mix:

(makes 4 servings)

3/4 cup powdered milk

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. take the bittersweet chocolate and roughly chop it up to give a chunky but consistent size. mix well with a wooden spoon and then store in a dry airtight container. to make the hot chocolate, simply add 1 cup of water per 1/2 cup of cocoa mix. heat in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring with a whisk. heat until hot, but do not boil, about 6-7 minutes. serve w/ marshmallows. (recipe to follow.)

tyler florence's homemade marshmallows: 

3 tablespoons (3 packets) powdered gelatin

2 cups cold water

2 cups sugar

2 egg whites

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting pan and marshmallows

butter, for greasing pan

in a medium sized saucepan, soak the gelatin in the cold water. after the gelatin has softened, approximately 10 minutes, add the regular sugar and then gently dissolve over low heat, approx. 8 minutes. remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. 

in a mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks and then fold in confectioners' sugar. (btw, it took me a while to beat it until stiff peaks formed. it was pretty cool, though. the egg whites are clear and small in portion and after 10 or 12 minutes of beating it, it becomes white and thick!) while the mixer is on low, slowly pour in the cooled gelatin mixture. increase the speed and beat until white and thick. the volume should double in size and should form between soft and firm peaks. 

line an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with high sides with foil, grease slightly with butter, and coat with confectioners' sugar. alternatively, you can use a baking sheet, but the marshmallows will not be as tall. pour marshmallow mixture in and top with more sifted confectioners' sugar. leave out overnight or for at least 3 hours. the marshmallow should be light and spongy when set. 

loosen marshmallow from edges of tray and invert onto a large cutting board. peel off foil and use a large knife to cute the marshmallows into cubes. dredge each piece in confectioners' sugar. 

the marshmallows covered in sugar and ready for eating

the cocoa mix and marshmallows in their respective bags

i love food...

...especially when i'm dining with people i love! i had dinner last night with my coworkers and friends hanan, samia and jeff. (unfortunately carolyn couldn't make it.) i know i'm fortunate to work for and with people i respect so much and people who love the art of food! we went to the new mgm grand downtown and had an amazing dinner at the new michael mina restaurant, saltwater. walking in, i was immediately in awe. my eyes went up to the mosaic tile ceiling (imported from italy and assembled in las vegas) and the enormous king arthur-esque light fixtures. reflections from candles bounced about the large dining room with the help of textured glass columns and mirrors placed with purpose. it all felt very tranquil and fluid, like an underwater scene, which was suiting since it is a seafood restaurant. 

our meal was incredible. i mean, really incredible. we started off with not one, but two amuses-bouche. (amuse-bouche is a french term which literally translates to "mouth amuser" and is usually a bite size course before an appetizer or meal.) one was a small cylinder about an inch and a half high that had different layers: a potato pancake, raw tuna, creme fraiche, and caviar. it was delicious and i don't even care for caviar! then came the most delectable little morsel. it was a small ball of crabmeat covered in sesame seeds and sitting in a shallow puddle of a sweet asian vinaigrette. seriously, i need to hunt down that recipe. it was such a tease! 

we went on to order appetizers: foie gras, tuna tartare, butter poached lobster crepe and organic field greens with the most fantastic caramelized boucheron cheese. i usually love foie gras, but after learning how it's acquired (i will spare you the details) i had trouble eating it. the other dishes were fantastic. (just get used to me saying this.) we also ordered east and west coast oysters. (which i never realized are different. actually, i never really gave it too much thought.) i'm pretty sure i've had oysters before but i could not remember. the thought of swallowing something raw which once lived a questionable existence inside a shell underneath gallons and gallons of water may put some people off. but, not me, i'm a gabriel. right chrissy? they were strange and succulent. but, i did not get aroused...aren't they supposed to be an aphrodisiac? weird.

by the time our actual individual meals came, we were sluggishly putting our forks to our mouths. i was so stuffed, but my phylo dusted dover sole with a dungeness crab brandade, horseradish, braised red cabbage and dijon sauce was pleading with me to eat it. so i did. i tried to anyway. i am actually salivating at the thought of my leftovers miraculously materializing before me. our desserts were, of course, fantastic. what's not to love about molten chocolate cake and cinnamon ice cream? what about pumpkin spice cake with panacotta and cinnamon foam? how about a treat of bite size chocolate truffles covered in crackled rice conveniently speared on a stick? mmmmmm......

sadly, our meal ended. but to make ourselves feel better, we played the slots! i played the 2 cent slots and won 90 dollars! 

                                                            

hanan enjoying her meal.
 

jeff having a great time in his new shirt.

samia rockin' a great necklace.

hey, michiganders...

...remember last winter? and the one before that? and before that? and so on? yeah, it's winter. we get snow. get over it. stop freakin' talking about it. and DRIVE like a normal person! 

funny pictures

i had a pretty chill night. i stayed at home and did a bunch of things. i also had a chance to pull out our box of old photos. oh man. some of those were hilarious. what were we thinking seemed to be the question of the evening. 

this picture makes me laugh every time i look at it. we are about to explode. really. i have crumbs on my lips. i'm very full. can't you tell? poor cliff was wearing 8-12 month shirt when he was clearly ready for a 2t. 

i'm going to start posting old pictures once i connect my scanner that has been busy collecting dust. 

okay, time to get into bed and read and then sleep to enya. what? i like her. 

vaca, anyone?

i really want to go somewhere. i am most inspired when i get out of my box called farmington hills. it's especially helpful when it takes an airplane to get to where i'm going. i love airports...i love wondering what people's stories are. i want to know where they're going and why. i have to have the window seat. what is the point of being 30,000 feet up in the air and not being able to look out the window? also, i read in mary roach's "stiff" that the worst seat in the airplane is the aisle seat. in the case of a plane crash, the pressure inside the cabin goes haywire and all the overhead compartments pop open and everything falls out. so...if you're ever in that situation, get down on the floor and make your way to the exit row as quickly as possible. 

ok. i just went from loving airports to giving survival tricks. sorry. sorry renee. :)

the picture i posted is a picture i took from an airplane above denali, alaska. that was one of the most amazing vacations i've been on. some of you may know, renee, farah, sherri, michelle and i raised money for the leukemia and lymphoma society and went to anchorage, alaska to run/walk a half marathon. that's 13.1 miles. i ran it and let me tell you...that was the hardest thing i've put my body through thus far in my life. i probably felt every emotion i could in that two and a half hours..elation, happiness, boredom, frustration, hurt, sympathy, fear, etc., etc..but at the end, i felt proud. then i felt hunger. 

another cool thing: we went during the summer solstice, so it was light out 24 hours a day. at midnight, the sun looked like it was setting, but it never did. there were heavy duty drapes in the hotel room so that you could fall asleep despite the bright sky. 

okay, so where to next? 

cousins & the best of friends

renee and i have spent the past two days together and i've had so much fun. i've always appreciated the fact that i come from such a warm and loving family. renee, you've been through so much, yet you continue to be loving, selfless and kind. 

we've come a long way since you used to beat me up when we were younger (although i can't remember it..i must've blocked such traumatic memories). i wanted to be just as cool as you. you loved n.k.o.t.b. and cyndi lauper, so naturally so did i. you got a perm..i begged but never got one. (thank god) i LOVED your hand-me-downs. your pink tracker was the coolest car on the road..i mean, who has a pink car? (aside from that weird pepto bismol colored ford taurus station wagon i always see around farmington hills)

renee, stay strong. love you. 

always.

hatton vs. mayweather

i was surprised this evening when i actually enjoyed watching a boxing match. my cousin, cliff, was so pumped up to see ricky hatton fight floyd mayweather, jr. that it soon became infectious. i couldn't take my eyes off these guys who were mercilessly throwing and landing punches. oh and i have to be a little dork for a second and say that i was excited to see jude law, david beckham, gwen stefani and will ferrell in the audience among other (less important) celebrities. :)

i was disappointed when mayweather won. he's too cocky and had the most ridiculous boxing outfit on. who wears fur shorts and fringe rimmed shoes? i was rooting for the underdog, the brit. what a surprise, huh? 

nana and jidoo

i miss my grandpa joe and grandma mary. i miss their house which is amazingly frozen in time. (in 1978 to be exact.) even though i sometimes grudgingly did it, i miss taking my grandma to the local publix for free coffee and a tour of what meats were on sale. i miss listening to my grandpa's stories of kings and presidents bowing at his feet and a subterranean museum in the house (it's a ranch. without a basement.) 

i feel like a trip to jacksonville, florida is in order. 

new career path

                                                                            i think i may get into professional face painting.

i had a blast painting those little cheeks at the starfish christmas party last saturday. it was cool cuz they wanted christmas trees, candy canes, snowmen...but then little milton and his brother threw me off a bit. they wanted batman and spiderman. i stared at them for a few seconds. then:

me: um, are you sure you don't want a pretty candy cane?

milton: i want spiderman.

milton's brother: i want batman.

me: uh. ok. 

i proceeded to paint what i thought resembled batman, but turned out to look like my fat black cat penelope. i showed it to him in the mirror and he seemed happy, so hey, cool. milton's turn was next. this time i was only going to paint spiderman's face. i mean, how can i mess that up? so, i went ahead and tried my hardest to paint a superhero with the watery cheap substance. when i finished, i handed him the mirror. he looked at it as if someone had promised him candy but presented him with raisins. i felt bad, but seriously, i don't know the first thing about the anatomical structure of marvel comic characters. he got up and i gave him a balloon almost as an apology. 

later, someone overheard milton's brother telling milton: "your spiderman ain't got no legs." 

goonies never say die!

okay, fine. i stand corrected. "specially" is indeed a word. just don't use it anywhere near my blog. 

chris, i completely and totally know EXACTLY what you are talking about regarding the "the dancing princesses" movie that is part of "faerie tale theatre" tv series hosted by shelly duvall between 1982 and 1987. wow. that brought back a flood of memories. here are a few more t.v. shows and movies that i remember from my childhood:

1. hugga bunch

2. here comes santa claus (a french christmas movie involving a child eating ogre who terrified me)

3. return to oz

4. pinwheel (so much better than sesame street)

5. little house on the prairie (faking sick from school and watching episodes of this show was the best)

6. of course, the goonies.

hmmm...what else? 

 

nail polish and paperback novels

i am typing with wet nails the color of malaga wine (thank you, o.p.i., for your never ending supply of ridiculous names for nail polish) and reflecting upon the easy day i've had. i spent lots of time w/ family and friends and watched my favorite show (project runway, woop woop). i read. i drew. i made jewelry. i played w/ my kitty cats. and it was all perfect. except...except....IT'S SO COLD! damn you, christopher pierre, for waking up everyday to sunny skies and mild temperatures. 

o.k. i'm over it.

i am currently reading an excellent book called "what is the what: the autobiography of valentino achak" by dave eggers. it tells the story of valentino, one of the lost boys of sudan who fled his homeland on foot when their civil war broke out. i'm only a third into the book, but i'm finding it very well written and told simply, but with eloquence. it beats the book i recently finished which so many people recommended. don't waste your time on reading "water for elephants" by sara gruen. it kind of pissed me off and continues to do so the more i think about it. there were points (a few too many) where i felt like i was reading a script for a cheesy lifetime movie. i thought the characters were unrealistic and the circumstances too convenient. also, i HATE reading or seeing anything that has to do with poor treatment of animals. this story takes place in a circus so there was a lot of that going on. grrr.

p.s. dina, i have myspacer friends and i'm still technically one, so take it back, biatch.

hi, my name is marie and i like pickles.

finally! i've created a blog just for you, renee! just kidding. sorta. i'm deleting my myspace (so two years ago) and i'm writing my own blog instead. sooo, what's up people? how does this work? i just write about anything? is anybody reading this?