Name That Actor #3

The roles below were all played by the same actress. Who is it?

Tracy Flick (1999)

Elle Woods (2001)

Melanie Smooter (2002)

Susan/Ginormica (2009)

If you need a hint, the movies are Election, Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama, and Monsters vs. Aliens

Spared by the Grace of God

The other day I was sifting through some book boxes for donations and I found a BLACK WIDOW SPIDER on the lid of one of the boxes! My heart pounded so hard! I had been shaking the box lid and I'm lucky the darned thing didn't attack me.

God made those things seriously scary looking.

Now I'm askeered of digging around our garage.

Have you ever had a close encounter of the poisonous arachnid kind?

Happy Art Friday! Today I'm in an orchid mood. Still.

Remember Patrick Nagel (1945-1984)? He was very popular in the eighties. To the right is "Kristen." I remember loving his artwork a lot, even if I never bought anything. It was so slick and "hip," and everywhere you looked you saw his stuff. When I look at this it makes me think of Duran Duran, big hair, and sweat shirts with the collars ripped out so you could bare one shoulder. LOL

Now, back to that orchid thing...

The image to the left is a detail from "Pure Orchid," by thickblackoutline. It reminds me of Nagel's work, but I actually like it better. There's still a solitary woman with big hair. The lines are clean, the colors subtle and simple. But I love this woman's tattoos and that fact that she's not wearing any panties. And believe it or not, this is from a t-shirt design, of all things! Buy it here.

And have a no-panties weekend!

Thursday 3: Loving Gestures

Thursday 13 is too much. Here's my Thursday 3 instead.

I thought I'd blog about three things my loving husband did for me recently.

1. He took me to the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show! It was so much fun. I came home with two gorgeous plants that I hope won't die any time soon. I've managed to grow a flower stem on my one orchid, a feat here-to-fore never accomplished by me.

2. He brought me my warm fuzzy bathrobe yesterday morning when, still snuggled in bed, I mentioned that it was very cold in the bedroom.

3. He fixed the showerhead for me this morning when I said it had gone wonky on me.

What a guy! That's why I love him.

Shrimp Scampi Pizza

Shrimp Scampi Pizza

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 cloves garlic, 8 smashed and peeled and 4 finely chopped
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, trimmed
One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
2 pounds shrimp—peeled, deveined and chopped
Salt and pepper

1 baguette, split lengthwise and quartered crosswise

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Cook the smashed garlic until golden, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to a food processor; reserve the olive oil.

2. Add the parsley to the garlic in the food processor and pulse to finely chop; set aside 1/4 cup. Add the ricotta and parmesan to the food processor; pulse to combine.

3. Preheat the oven to 500°. In the same skillet, heat the reserved olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until opaque, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved 1/4 cup parsley-garlic mixture.

4. Spread the cheese mixture on the cut side of each piece of bread and arrange on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Spoon the shrimp mixture on top and sprinkle with more parmesan. Bake until the cheese is melted, 7 to 10 minutes.

Bagel Jerk

I work at Starbucks. Most of the time customers are really nice. Sometimes, they're...not. I can usually weather the idiots without getting upset. However, once in a while, someone rubs me the wrong way. Bagel Jerk, as I not-so-fondly refer to him as, is one of those people.

A guy comes in and says, "I want two plain bagels."

I say, "I'm sorry, we've sold out of plain bagels. All we have left are the cheese bagels."

He makes a face. "I don't like cheese bagels."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

He continues to complain about how he doesn't like cheese bagels and I tell him again that sometimes we sell out of stuff. He goes on to order several drinks and then he pays. A few customers later, I notice the bagel guy (he was still just a "guy" at that point) is still standing near my register.

"Are you waiting for something else, sir?" I ask.

"My bagels."

My jaw drops. "I thought you didn't want them."

"You mean after all that, you didn't get the bagels???" He looks incredulous and angry. That made two of us.

"I thought you said you didn't like cheese bagels."

"I still wanted them!" he declares, irate.

So, tensely we conduct another transaction, because obviously I didn't make him pay for the bagels when he ordered the first time. He gets his nasty cheese bagels and leaves.

Idiot. When you tell someone you don't like what they have, they're going to assume you don't want to order them. Now when he comes in, I always pray we're sold out of the plain bagels. LOL

Thing is, he came in again yesterday. I hear a little snippet of conversation at the register. I look up to see Bagel Jerk. He's, of course, asking about the plain bagels. Someone has cut all the ones in the case, He wants two bagels, uncut, toasted, with cream cheese, and some drinks. Samantha, who was taking his order, says, "Okay." She knows we have another bag of plain bagels, uncut, behind the counter. They finish the transaction. Then, another partner (at Starbucks we're all called partners) goes to make his bagels, and he says to her, "Oh, you have them uncut?"

"Yes."

Somewhat surprised, he says, "Oh. Well, I really want mine cut and toasted, but I just wanted to see what you would say."

So, he was freakin' TESTING us to see if we'd lie about whether we had them uncut or not. Like maybe we'd sell him the bagels and THEN say, belatedly that we didn't have them uncut after he'd already paid.

Like I said, Bagel JERK.

Nail Biting Time

I finally finished my novella, Fit To Be Tied, and submitted it to Samhain. The deadline wasn't until April 1, but believe it or not, I finished early. The good news is that they will notify all the authors by April 15th. So I don't really have that long to wait. Here's a blurby thing:

Ten years ago, Sadie thought Max was a scrawny, hopeless nerd. She even said so to his face in front of the student body.

Today, Max is still a little nerdy but in a “My, Clark Kent, what broad shoulders you have!” way. And when she ends up as his temporary house guest, she discovers a lot more about the new him. He’s amusingly fastidious, independently wealthy, and most importantly, able to make her wet with little more than a commanding stare.

There’s just one thing she still needs to find out...what the heck is behind that black door—his bedroom door—the one he asked her not to open?

Oh, and I have a new analysis/review of this week's Woman's World story up on my WW blog. :)

Artist: Brooks Salzwedel

Happy Art Friday! Brooks Salzwedel lives in my town, Los Angeles. He works with graphite, tape and resin.

This is Untitled #2. These trees are so graceful, like dancers moving so slowly you can't catch their movements.

This second is called Evening.

To me, these are like visual meditation. If you'd like to see more of Salzwedel's work, go to his website. Have a peaceful weekend. :)

Thursday 3: Aspirations

Thursday 13 is too much. Here's my Thursday 3 instead.

We all dream of being something interesting when we grow up. Here are three possibilities I considered.

1. A model - I dreamed of being Phoebe Cates. I subscribed to Seventeen magazine and SO wanted to be her (even if I didn't think she was a very good actress.) There's not much call for short models, though.

2. Stewardess - Back when they called them stewardesses, too! I loved the trashy book Coffee, Tea, or Me! I wanted to live that jet-setter life, traveling, meeting rich men, and dig those boots! Unfortunately, I was too short for that, too. Have to be able to reach those overhead compartments, I suppose.

3. A Professional Figure Skater - Peggy Fleming (right) and Dorothy Hamill (wanted her hair, too) Ekaterina Gordeeva were so graceful. I, on the other hand, am not particularly athletic.

What did you want to be?

Two Choices #3: Italian or Mexican?

The other day when my son was marketing with me, I said he could get some cans of soup and you'd think he'd died and gone to heaven. He adores soup. Just this afternoon he snaked the can of Italian Wedding Soup I had gotten to try myself. Now I'll have to buy it again, but he did say it was really good. (He also loves meatballs, so he considers meatballs IN soup to be culinary perfection.)

Now, I have had albondigas soup, which is Mexican and very yummy. I like the bits of rice that are usually embedded in the little meatballs.

So, if given the choice, which would you eat, the albondigas (left) or the Italian Wedding (right)?

Speedy Layered Chicken Enchilada Pie

Speedy Layered Chicken Enchilada Pie

1 (11.5 ounce) package Old El Paso(R) Flour Tortillas for Burritos (I used corn tortillas)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup uncooked instant white rice
8 ounces shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (I used more cheese the second time I made it! Probably 12 oz.)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained, rinsed
1 (19 ounce) can red enchilada Sauce
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup chunky salsa
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
Reduced fat sour cream (optional)
Chopped green onions (optional)
I added black olives, too.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9-inch round (2-quart) glass baking dish or casserole with nonstick cooking spray. Cut 5 of the tortillas in half. Cut remaining tortillas into 2 1/2-inch-wide strips. In large bowl, combine chicken, rice, 1 cup of the cheese, beans and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce; mix well.

Layer 4 tortilla halves in bottom of sprayed baking dish. Top with 1/4 cup enchilada sauce and half of the chicken mixture. Top with 2 tortilla halves; fill in empty spaces with 3 tortilla strips. Spoon corn over tortillas. Spread salsa over corn. Layer with 2 tortilla halves and 3 strips. Top with remaining half of chicken mixture. Continue layering with remaining 2 tortilla halves and strips, enchilada sauce, cheese and 2 tablespoons green onions.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated and cheese is melted. Cool 5 minutes. Top with sour cream and green onions.

Yield: 6 servings

This is YUMMY!!!! It's also super easy and quick to make if you have the chicken already cooked, leftover, even!

Smiling Eyes

It's Monday. Go to my Woman's World Style blog for the analysis of this week's story.

Artist: Patrick Dougherty

Happy Art Friday, friends! Today I'm featuring the awesome (literally!) work of Patrick Dougherty. He works with saplings on a grand scale. This first piece is called Just Around the Corner, and it's installed at the University of Southern Indiana. Don't you just want to wander inside and, I don't know, sit in the dark? LOL

This next piece has the BEST title: Doin The Locomotion. More proof that titles of artwork can really increase the enjoyment/understanding of art.

Finally, my favorite. Na Hale 'o waiawi (Wild Dwellings Built From Strawberry Guava) The super cool part is that this can be seen at the Contemporary Art Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii, and I'M GOING THERE IN JANUARY!!! Gotta love time share exchanges.
If you'd like to view more of Dougherty's work visit his website. Or there's this neat video showing how he built one of his piece on a storefront on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Thursday 3: $1000 Spree

The real meme is to do Thursday 13, a list of any 13 things you want. I only do three. Sue me.

If I had an extra thousand dollars to spend, here's what I'd get:

1. The Wii game system ($250)


2. The Wii Fit ($100)


3. The Kindle 2 ($400)





I'd even have $250 left over.


What would you buy?

Going In Reverse

I'll admit that I'm not the most tech savvy person on the planet. (I'm not even close, actually.) (Stop snickering!)

Here is evidence. I just learned yesterday that when I'm surfing the web, I don't have to click on the "back" button on the window if I want to go back to the window I had open before. I can hit BACKSPACE on my keyboard!!! OMG!

I'm so excited about this discovery that I don't mind looking like an idiot by admitting I didn't know this.

Are you a fellow/former non-backspace key surfer, like me? Did you know about this?

Cinematic Tag

It's a game I couldn't resist. Here's how to play:

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions or going to my favorite movies list on my profile!
6. Tag 10 people who you especially want to answer and/or post their own list.
7. Anyone can play, even if you're not tagged.

1. "I liked it when she stabbed herself, Your Majesty."
2. "Fraulein, is it to be at every meal, or merely at dinnertime, that you intend on leading us all through this rare and wonderful new world of... indigestion? "
3. "You won my bet? You presumptuous insect, I won it."
4. "Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof. "
5. "Ah, good morning. Can I interest you in some nipples of Venus?"
6. "In case I forget to tell you later, I had a really good time tonight."
7. "Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star, or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it"
8. "Master, I could be wrong, but that might not be the best way to win the girl's affections."
9. "Then cutting your hair was a total waste. There's no way I can go to camp with pierced ears and come home without them. I mean, come on. Get real."
10. "Just tell me one thing, Burke. You're going out there to destroy them, right? Not to study. Not to bring back. But to wipe them out."

Any guesses as to these movies?

Tagged: Robin B., Dana B., Paige T., Inez K., Evie B., Eden B., Lucie S., Anna E., Keira R., Ber-Jenn

Out of the Blue!

I won an Eppie Award!!! EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Connection, is a professional organization that holds annual awards to recognize "outstanding achievement in electronic publishing." There are a lot of categories. This year I entered my book, A Wolf at Her Door, in the Paranormal Erotic Romance category. There were eighty other books entered in that category. Out of that eighty, eight finalled. Out of that eight, mine WON!!!

I really didn't expect to win because paranormal fans usually like their paranormal dark and disturbing. Werewolf heroes are typically brooding, tortured. My Adam was not either of these things. He was just a nice, albeit very sexy guy, who happened to be a wolf shifter. No one was trying to get him with silver bullets or wipe out his clan, of which he would, of course, be the alpha. Nor was he trying to protect the heroine from dark forces.

So, after getting the news this morning, I felt like I was walking taller all day, but I realized that was an illusion when, at the market, I still could not reach the soup I wanted on the top shelf. LOL

After you go buy the Eppie Award Winning book, A Wolf at Her Door, (LOL) do check out this week's Woman's World story analysis/review on my other blog.

Artist: Raymond M. Nelson

Happy Art Friday! Isn't this a beautiful piece? This is hand-blown glass and believe it or not, it's a SINK! Can you imagine? It's so beautiful that it seems wrong to spit your toothpaste in it. LOL To me, part of it looks like stylized sheet music. If only I had the type of house and decor that would merit such a piece.

Anyway, this guy does other gorgeous things with glass. Check out his website if you'd like to see more. Have a glorious weekend!

Thursday 3: Pass the Kleenex

My CP and good friend D'Anne can attest to the fact that I don't cry often. She might even say that crying more often might be beneficial to me. Perhaps. :) Here are the last three times I cried.

1. Saturday, Feb. 27: My Cousin Warren passed away last week. He was 57 and I loved him a lot. He was a force of nature--jovial, cuddly in a fierce sort of way, larger than life, a big Chinese teddy bear. If you saw the King and I movie, remember the scene where all the princes and princesses are being introduced to Anna? There's one last prince that scurries in late right between Yul Brynner's legs. THAT was my Cousin Warren. :) 'Course, he wasn't big then. Rest in peace, Cuz.

2. Two weeks ago: I was watching a performance of Honk, Jr., a middle school play my son was in. The little girl who played "Ida" the mother duck made me cry as her character cried over what she thought was the dead body of her duckling.

3. Last month: my son hurt my feelings when he told my husband he'd rather go skiing than see a production Phantom of the Opera, after I'd spent two hours on the Internet trying to find good, cheap seats that wouldn't break our bank account.

So, D'Anne! Three times in the past month. Are you proud of me???

We're All "Special"

We all have talents.

I can put a cherry stem my mouth and tie it in a knot.

What is a particular talent that you have? Something people might not know you can do.

70 Best Pictures

After watching the Oscars last week, I got curious about how many of the Best Pictures I've seen. So, here's the tally: 38. Bold means I've seen it. A "+" means a liked it. A "-" means I didn't.

+ 2008 - “Slumdog Millionaire”
+ 2007 - “No Country for Old Men”
+ 2006 - “The Departed”
- 2005 - “Crash”
- 2004 - “Million Dollar Baby”
+ 2003 - “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”
+ 2002 - “Chicago”
- 2001 - “A Beautiful Mind”
+ 2000 - “Gladiator”
- 1999 - “American Beauty”
+ 1998 - “Shakespeare in Love”
+ 1997 - “Titanic”
- 1996 - “The English Patient”
+ 1995 - “Braveheart”
+ 1994 - “Forrest Gump”
+ 1993 - “Shindler's List”
+ 1992 - “Unforgiven”
+ 1991 - “The Silence of the Lambs”
+ 1990 - “Dances with Wolves”
+ 1989 - “Driving Miss Daisy”
+ 1988 - “Rain Man”
- 1987 - “The Last Emperor”
1986 - “Platoon”
- 1985 - “Out of Africa”
+ 1984 - “Amadeus”
- 1983 - “Terms of Endearment”
+1982 - “Gandhi”
1981 - “Chariots of Fire”
1980 - “Ordinary People”
1979 - “Kramer vs. Kramer”
1978 - “The Deer Hunter”
1977 - “Annie Hall”
+ 1976 - “Rocky”
1975 - “One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest”
1974 - “The Godfather Part II”
+ 1973 - “The Sting”
1972 - “The Godfather”
1971 - “The French Connection”
1970 - “Patton”
1969 - “Midnight Cowboy”
+ 1968 - “Oliver!”
1967 - “In the Heat of the Night”
1966 - “A Man for All Seasons”
+ 1965 - “The Sound of Music”
+ 1964 - “My Fair Lady”
1963 - “Tom Jones”
1962 - “Lawrence of Arabia”
+ 1961 - “West Side Story”
1960 - “The Apartment”
+ 1959 - “Ben-Hur”
+ 1958 - “Gigi”
+ 1957 - “The Bridge on the River Kwai”
+ 1956 - “Around the World in 80 Days”
1955 - “Marty”
1954 - “On the Waterfront”
1953 - “From Here to Eternity”
1952 - “The Greatest Show on Earth”
+ 1951 - “An American in Paris”
1950 - “All about Eve”
1949 - “All the Kings Men”
1948 - “Hamlet”
1947 - “Gentleman's Agreement”
1946 - “The Best Years of Our Lives”
1945 - “The Lost Weekend”
1944 - “Going My Way”
1943 - “Casablanca”
1942 - “Mrs. Miniver”
1941 - “How Green Was My Valley”
1940 - “Rebecca”
+ 1939 - “Gone with the Wind”
1938 - “You Can't Take It with You”
1937 - “The Life of Emile Zola”
1936 - “The Great Ziegfeld”
1935 - “Mutiny on the Bounty”
1934 - “It Happened One Night”
1932/1933 - “Cavalcade”
1931/1932 - “Grand Hotel”
1930/1931 - “Cimarron”
1929/1930 - “All Quiet on the Western Front”
1928/1929 - “The Broadway Melody”
1927/1928 - “Wings”

I was surprised by how many I'd seen. Of all of them, the one movie I could probably watch over and over and not be bored would be Shakespeare in Love. It totally violates my deep-seated need to have a happily ever after ending, but there you go.

How many have you seen? Which was your favorite?

Change of Plans

Bop over to my Woman's World Style Blog to read a review/analysis of the February 23rd story by Randy Taylor-Irwin.