It's a group..no a gang..no no..a group.

So Derek and I joined a new motorcycle group. GWRRA - CA1M.

This translate to Gold Wing Road Riders Association - Calif, Region M for SB/Riv.
This was a hoot. There was about 60 riders there. All in cow gear. No I really can't explain here, it's something you have to experience. Afterwards we all went for a great ride (see pictures under my pics).

But I began to wonder...If I was in my 20's I'd officially be in a 'gang'! However, when you're in your 40's you're in a group.

Needless to say, great group of folks, lots of beautiful bikes and miles of open road :)
Moo!!!!

Showing off pictures!!

Posting here and there...and what was I saying?

I've been so busy at culinary school and working and posting on my culinary blog (shameless plug to make you read another one) http://lovescooking.blogspot.com that I have neglected this blog.

So pop on over to the other one now and then to keep track of me. (Always like to make sure my stalkers know exactly where I am at all times.)

On a side note...ever forget what you're going to say? No I mean really bad....like AS you're saying it? It's so frustrating....they're talking..you're thinking oh I have something really good to add to this convo, then you keep thinking about the laundry you need to do and you need to call back...oh! it's time for me to jump in with what I was thinking...and you open your mouth and start talking and instantly forget everything you were going to say. So rather than stop and say you forgot (because heaven forbid you look stupid) you keep talking. Of course you're talking about nothing, and they're looking at you like "Would you get to your point" at which you've now even forgotten the original topic. So you wrap it...Yep...you can lead a horse to water....You nod knowingly and walk away. They look at you like you're an idiot.

It's now 3:38AM...I just woke up out of dead sleep...I remembered what I was going to say.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

I got my new car!!! Hubby surprised me with this beauty on Friday. It's a 2006 Toyota Prius Hybrid. Yes it's a blue car..but it's so 'green' :) I'm averaging 43 MPG right now..yes 43!!! So to all you big SUV owners out there - I Sip, You Suck!

Holy Shit Here I go!

I am so terrified...but tomorrow (Thursday) I go to my new school to put money down.

I have to work full time and then if that isn't enough I've decided to go back to school - Culinary school. Which will be Mon - Fri from 6pm til 11:30pm in Los Angeles.

Gee....go to work at 8, work till 3:30, get into car, immediately hit traffic, sit in car, feel road rage build, put on music to calm rage, drive 2 hours to school, cook for 5 1/2 hours, get back in car for 2 hour ride home, hoping no traffic since it's so late, but getting traffic because some schmuck can't talk on his a cell phone and drive and crashes...and then come home shower and do it all again the next day!! WTF!?

It's only for 7 months..I can do this..right? RIGHT? 7 months..no life just work and school....it's only 7 months...it's not even a year....just 7 months....7...WTF?!

I'd say pray for me...but HA being an atheist that's not gonna help :D

Culinary School

Well I am considering going back to school - Culinary School to be exact. HHmm 'going back.' I guess that implies I've been before and that's not exactly true. I currently work in the IT field at a large real estate company.

We recently remodeled our kitchen as I started getting really into cooking. Now I have an opportunity to go to school and learn the techniques.

I think my biggest concern is I am soon to be 44 years old and going back to school at my age (not to mention I have to keep my full time job) sound taunting. Will I be successful? I guess that depends on what I plan on doing with it. I don't see myself being an executive chef. Mainly because it takes years to get into the field at a point where they (the restaurant) wants you handling everything. I'd like to be a personal chef and cook for people. Mainly for their dinner parties and such. I'd also like to teach others how to cook.

I havent' made a decision yet. I'm waiting for 3 signs. I think I've had 2. One was a song on the radio, by the Eagles. I hate the Eagles. To the point where I'll change the station or turn the radio off for what I believe to be the duration of the song. But for whatever reason I listened to this song and parts of the lyrics were like BAM listen up!

Then my husband and I were at a bar we like to hang out in. Enjoying our martini's and appetizers. Who walks in? Well no one we knew or you'd know, but a person wearing a chef's coat that says on the sleeve "Culinary Arts School". Hello?!?! I have never seen a coat like that from one of the culinary schools. My husband and I just looked at each other like WTH?!

So wondering what the third sign will be. Might be something that says don't go. Who knows...I do have concerns because I have a 16 year old daughter who won't have me around as much. And I remember all too well being 16 with a new license. You trust your kids 90%. It's that extra 10% that scares the hell out of me.

That's my predictament. Now I just keep thinking and I'll make a decision here soon. Might wait till she goes back to school. But if I go I'll keep a journal here. Not that any of you really care but it's good therapy for me :) And after all..it's all about me :)

Well my husband and I got a new motorcycle. We've had several in the past but it's been a few years since our last one.

Hubby is a great rider and gets certified yearly, partly because of his job.

But the experience is wonderful.

First if you have never ridden on the back of a motorcycle, please when you do make sure you're riding with an experience rider. It'll make the ride much more enjoyable.

I would say the neatest thing about being on a bike is the view. You can see all around you. Smells are another matter. Last week we went for a ride and in the course of about a quarter of a mile it was "Wow! Smell the orange blossoms? Oh my god what is that smell?!??! It smells like someone just drove thru a pile of dog shit! Yum! I smell BBQ! Good god it's a dead skunk. Fresh Bread!? You don't get this type of thing in car. More often than not the filters keep out a lot of odors. And at times be very grateful for those filters.

There is a sort of camaraderie while riding on a bike. You'll pass other riders and wave at each other. Well except when you pass the kids on the crotch rockets. (For those that don't know what a crotch rocket is; it is one of those bikes that you lean low over the front and when they come to stop the design of the bike is such that they can only touch the ground with their toes. Also called sport bike. Very comical to watch. My all time favorite are the inexperience riders that put both feet down when they come to a stop.) But I digress. When you see other riders you?ll find they are friendly and very social creatures. They love to show off their bikes and talk about them.

Our next venture will be to join a motorcycle club and go on rides. These can be anywhere from 2 hours to a weekend. (Oh heaven help my buns on those long rides)

The mighty Colosseum! Hard to believe that that 50,000 people would come here for performances which more often than not included the slaying of many animals. Contary to popular belief the gladiators did NOT fight here. We've all seen the movies where the gladiators fight, one falls and the emperor gives a thumbs up or down. That happened in the ruins and arenas around the colosseum not inside. 

This beautiful hall is in the Vatican. This is one of the main halls leading towards the Sistine Chapel.  

These were the ruins near the Colosseum in Rome. Hard to believe these things are over 2000 years old and still standing. 

Rome Bound!

WooHoo we're leaving in 2 days to go to Rome!! I knew making it to our 20th wedding anniversary would pay off!

I'll post some pictures when we get home :)

Interesting Experience

Ok so let me describe my outfit. I am wearing a nice blouse a long full skirt, goes to my ankles, and short boots.So I have the need to visit the ladies room. Nothing exciting there... Well except there is a knack to holding this much material and ensuring that nothing falls in while one does their business.

Without being too graphic I finish my business and stand up, flush, smooth the skirt out and feel this horendous tug at the back of my skirt.

In the 'slow motion moves' of a person in a car wreck I slowly turn around and see my skirt being sucked down into the vortex of a commercial toilet, all the while a surpressed scream is trying to get out of "Oh Sh**" (which now that I think back was a very appropriate word..)

Needless to say I was able to tug the fabric out of the toilet, just in the nick of time as it had started to backup which caused even more water to get on my skirt.Yes the mental image just keeps getting better doesn't it?

I get out of the stall, as 2 agents are walking in. And what do they see? A tall red headed woman exiting the stall with a dripping skirt that I'm trying to hold up and get over to the sink to rinse out. Of course they look at my face and it looks like I was crying, but at this point I'm laughing so hard I can barely see. So skirt is rinsed, bum is damp, pride is bruised and I'm heading home to change clothes.

What is that defining moment when we go "Huh"?

I hear it a lot from people to indicate so many things.

Huh...

I just figured this out. (Praise me)
Would you look at that (Do you see what I see or should I stop taking these meds?)
I didn't know that (But I'll pretend that I've kind of heard of it so as to not to appear to stupid)
Huh as in I'm agreeing with you and nodding (But I have no idea why I'm doing this)
I've never heard of that before (I'm stalling because I don't want to deal with you and pretend I'm going to do research on your question and then I'll get back to you at my convienence.)

I didn't make a New Years resolution again this year. I find they just set us up for disappointment. Although I am trying to eat better. Well by better I mean only eat half the big bag of Lays Salt and Vinegar chips instead of the whole thing.

Intelligent Design

Well since this blog IS where it all began I feel I must share...

In the Beginning -

INTELLIGENT DESIGNby PAUL RUDNICKIssue of 2005-09-26

Day No. 1And the Lord God said, “Let there be light,” and lo, there was light. But then the Lord God said, “Wait, what if I make it a sort of rosy, sunset-at-the-beach, filtered half-light, so that everything else I design will look younger?”“I’m loving that,” said Buddha. “It’s new.”“You should design a restaurant,” added Allah.

Day No. 2:“Today,” the Lord God said, “let’s do land.” And lo, there was land.“Well, it’s really not just land,” noted Vishnu. “You’ve got mountains and valleys and—is that lava?”“It’s not a single statement,” said the Lord God. “I want it to say, ‘Yes, this is land, but it’s not afraid to ooze.’ ”“It’s really a backdrop, a sort of blank canvas,” put in Apollo. “It’s, like, minimalism, only with scale.”“But—brown?” Buddha asked.“Brown with infinite variations,” said the Lord God. “Taupe, ochre, burnt umber—they’re called earth tones.”“I wasn’t criticizing,” said Buddha. “I was just noticing.”

Day No. 3:“Just to make everyone happy,” said the Lord God, “today I’m thinking oceans, for contrast.”“It’s wet, it’s deep, yet it’s frothy; it’s design without dogma,” said Buddha, approvingly.“Now, there’s movement,” agreed Allah. “It’s not just ‘Hi, I’m a planet—no splashing.’ ”“But are those ice caps?” inquired Thor. “Is this a coherent vision, or a highball?”“I can do ice caps if I want to,” sniffed the Lord God.“It’s about a mood,” said the Angel Moroni, supportively.“Thank you,” said the Lord God.

Day No. 4:“One word,” said the Lord God. “Landscaping. But I want it to look natural, as if it all somehow just happened.”“Do rain forests,” suggested a primitive tribal god, who was known only as a clicking noise.“Rain forests here,” decreed the Lord God. “And deserts there. For a spa feeling.”“Which is fresh, but let’s give it glow,” said Buddha. “Polished stones and bamboo, with a soothing trickle of something.”“I know where you’re going,” said the Lord God. “But why am I seeing scented candles and a signature body wash?”“Shut up,” said Buddha.“You shut up,” said the Lord God.“It’s all about the mix,” Allah declared in a calming voice. “Now let’s look at some swatches.”

Day No. 5:“I’d like to design some creatures of the sea,” the Lord God said. “Sleek but not slick.”“Yes, yes, and more yes—it’s a total gills moment,” said Apollo. “But what if you added wings?”“Fussy,” whispered Buddha to Zeus. “Why not epaulets and a sash?”“Legs,” said Allah. “Now let’s do legs.”“Are we already doing dining-room tables?” asked the Lord God, confused.“No, design some creatures with legs,” said Allah. So the Lord God, nodding, designed an ostrich.“First draft,” everyone agreed, and so the Lord God designed an alligator.“There’s gonna be a waiting list,” Zeus murmured appreciatively.“Now do puppies!” pleaded Vishnu. “And kitties!”“Ooooo!” all the gods cooed. Then, feeling a bit embarrassed, Zeus ventured, “Design something more practical, like a horse or a mule.”“What about a koala?” asked the Lord God.“Much better,” Zeus declared, cuddling the furry little animal. “I’m going to call him Buttons.”

Day No. 6:“Today I’m really going out there,” said the Lord God. “And I know it won’t be popular at first, and you’re all gonna be saying, ‘Earth to Lord God,’ but in a few million years it’s going to be timeless. I’m going to design a man.”And everyone looked upon the man that the Lord God designed.“It has your eyes,” Zeus told the Lord God.“Does it stack?” inquired Allah.“It has a naïve, folk-artsy, I-made-it-myself vibe,” said Buddha. The Inca sun god, however, only scoffed. “Been there. Evolution,” he said. “It’s called a shaved monkey.”“I like it,” protested Buddha. “But it can’t work a strapless dress.” Everyone agreed on this point, so the Lord God announced, “Well, what if I give it nice round breasts and lose the *****?”“Yes,” the gods said immediately.“Now it’s intelligent,” said Aphrodite.“But what if I made it blond?” giggled the Lord God.“And what if I made you a booming offscreen voice in a lot of bad movies?” asked Aphrodite.

Day No. 7:“You know, I’m really feeling good about this whole intelligent-design deal,” said the Lord God. “But do you think that I could redo it, keeping the quality but making it at a price point we could all live with?”“I’m not sure,” said Buddha. “You mean, what if you designed a really basic, no-frills planet? Like, do the man and the woman really need all those toes?”“Hello!” said the Lord God. “Clean lines, no moving parts, functional but fun. Three bright, happy, wash ’n’ go colors.”“Swedish meets Japanese, with maybe a Platinum Collector’s Edition for the geeks,” Buddha decided.“Done,” said the Lord God. “Now let’s start thinking about Pluto. What if everything on Pluto was brushed aluminum?”“You mean, let’s do Neptune again?” said Buddha.

Who needs Exercise when this happens...

Well the alarm went off at 5:15am instead of 6:15 that got my heart going. But not as much as hitting what I thought was the snooze, but turned out to be the off button. I found this out at 7am when my daughter woke me up.

We have to be out the door at 7:20 to get her to school on time.

Rush to the shower, jump in before waiting for the water to warm up, this gets the blood pumping as you shiver uncontrollably. Get out of shower, end up in a position that only advance yoga instructors can do while reaching for the towel. Dry self off vigorously (my cardio). Get the iron heated up for clothes, run (not walk) back to the bathroom and start on makeup, run back to iron, iron vigorously, run back to bathroom...that's a mile right? Get dressed while trying to apply makeup. Run to bedroom, grab jewlery, run to bathroom and brush teeth. Spit, rinse, grab purse, keys, yell at kid "Let's go!!" and make a mad dash to the car.Breathe in....exhale..and let the day begin.

Supper Club

Ok I've decided to join or form a 'Supper Club'. So here's how it works...

Find a group of people in your area that love cooking as much as you do. Form a club. Set up meetings, get together, cook and eat.

Ok so maybe that's the nutshell version. I heard about these groups on the Food Network and then logged onto www.cookinglight.com and found a whole new world of "Foodies". That's what we call ourselves...Foodies...

Foodie n : a person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment (especially good food and drink)

Now I find it more interesting that a dictionary would have a definition already of a foodie. This poses the question of who makes up these words and do they submit them to ...well let's see..who would they..do we have a "dictionary council"? Who is it that decides what words will make it into a dictionary...but I degress...

I am really looking forward to this experience. I think it's going to be a great way to meet new people and learn new things. Face it...food is a great way conversation starter.

I'll post more about my first meeting and the results. Stay Tuned!

This is the beautiful Rain Forest in Costa Rica. All I can say is Wow!