Al fresco dining in SFe? No thanks!

Whenever I come to a land-locked state, such as New Mexico, I crave seafood. For example, I don't think I have eaten anything except seafood since I arrived in Santa Fe. Last night I had the most wonderful crab cakes at Coyote Cafe. I also had a fabulous French 75 at Coyote Cafe, which has become my cocktail of choice lately. Thanks to daughter Sweetness for introducing me to French 75s.

The weather while we have been here is terrific. Clear and crisp during the day and so cold at night. We definitely came here the right week since the weather next week in Santa Fe is supposed to be super cold. On Wednesday the high will be 28 degrees and the low will be 7 degrees. Can you say brrrrrrr? In comparison, the weather next week in Houston is supposed to be near 80 degrees.

Today I'm celebrating a day of shopping with Mr. B. I bought two fabulous jackets at Origins. Some of the items in Origins I don't care for, especially the ones that are $1,000+. Today there was a great sale. Everything is possible with sales.

Mr B and I are enjoying the winter weather in Santa Fe. The high temperature today was 48 degrees and it will be about 27 degrees tonight. Today when we were walking around was cold in the shade yet very pleasant in the sun. Very little snow is on the ground, but very visible in "them there mountains."

Of all the years that we've been coming to Santa Fe the high altitude has never bothered me, until yesterday. I'm having a really hard time walking without getting out of breath. Yesterday I had a long nap and I had another one this afternoon. I like it better when I can hop, skip and jump whenever and wherever I want.

Today I'm celebrating my 21st wedding anniversary to Mr B. In a few minutes we're going to have dinner at Coyote Cafe, which is one of our favorite restaurants in Santa Fe. Here's to 21 more years of marriage and dinners at Coyote Cafe.

Our first experience with iPic movie theater was so fun. We arrive, find seats in the bar area, and order some cocktails while we wait to be seated in the theater. The bar area is hopping and the music is toe-tapping. About 20 minutes before the movie starts, we enter the small theater and find our seats ... cocktails in hand.

There are two seats in a "pod" along with a cocktail table. A waiter takes our dinner order (tenderloin sliders, barbecue chicken mini pizza, and sweet potato fries). Next someone offers us popcorn. Waiting for the movie to begin I start playing with buttons and find the ones that bring up the foot rest and recline the seat back. I'm in heaven.

Today I'm celebrating peace and quiet. Mr. B went to work. I'm not sure where the McZams took TLC. Right now it's just Rose and me in the house. She, of course, is napping. I just finished watching women's ice skating on television while snacking on a bowl of queso and chips. It doesn't get much better than this on a Sunday afternoon.

Brrrrrr, it's cold outside. I also like to keep it cold inside, much to the dismay of Mr. B. He sits in the house wearing a blanket while I'm in a short sleeve shirt under the ceiling fan. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my temperature gauge is out-of-whack.

Last night we watched the latest Mission Impossible movie. Although the movie was probably better on the big screen, I rented it from Red Box. It was pretty good for a Tom Cruise flick. I did think it was a little long (just over two hours). The mandatory car and motorcycle chases could have been shorter. There were some humorous moments in the movie when it seemed to poke fun of its aging star.

Today I'm celebrating iPic. Mr. B and I are having a new movie experience at the movie theater that has food, adult beverages and lounge (reclined) seating. If I could go in my pajamas and have a blanket the experience would be perfect.

Marathon man

This could be an afternoon when I leave the house to get a cup of Menchies frozen yogurt. There's one about eight blocks from the house. Someday I'm going to put TLP in his stroller and walk to Menchies for a sweet treat. I think he would like it, also.

Do people get a sweet tooth when they get older? My grandmother, who was a terrific cook and baker, made really sweet desserts the older she got. She also made jellies that got sweeter and sweeter. My dad seemed to like sweets more the older he got. I'm the same way.

Today I'm celebrating the long corridor in our house between the front door and the kitchen. TLP has been running from the front door to the kitchen most of the day, with a plastic spoon in one hand and a telephone in the other. He stops only to push buttons. On the dishwasher. On the front-loading washing machine. On the cable box. And on the disc player. He has very busy little fingers today!

More Italian food

Monday night lasagna followed by
Tuesday night spaghetti. Ciao bello.

Tomorrow night, Mr. B and I are going to a fundraising event at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. I enjoy attending this event every year. Mr. B and I have a collection of fun glasses that are given to attendees. This year's title is Margarita Madness, so I'm sure there will be fabulous handmade margarita glasses, tasty margaritas, and lots of good people watching.

I have a fabulous pair of shoes to wear to Margarita Madness. I bought the shoes in Santa Fe a number of years ago and haven't worn them that often. They are hand tooled leather made in the 1930s. When I realized they were my size I had to buy them, regardless of the ridiculous price.

Today I'm celebrating a good night's sleep. I was awake most of last night and the night before, so I slept most of today. I have to break this pattern. By the time I'm up and moving most of the day is gone. Instead of sleeping most of the day, I should be using the time to create all the wonderful items I want to make.

Lasagna

Last night I had two or three bouts of heavy coughing. I finally realized that if I sat up my coughing would stop, so that's what I did until about 5 a.m. From 2-5 a.m. I watched reruns of White Collar. I enjoyed that series when it was on the air, but don't remember the three shows I saw last night. Did I miss them or is my memory failing?

It never fails that as soon as I start the dishwasher I find more dirty dishes around the house. The same thing happens when I wash clothes. I think I have everything washed and then I find a sock or dirty dish towel hidden somewhere.

Today I'm celebrating lasagna. We ate it last night for dinner. From the pic-of-the-day, TLP liked his dinner, although the sauce seems to clash with his rosy cheeks.

Every year a group of women I went to high school with get together for lunch, always on MLK day and usually in New Braunsfels. Yesterday, in anticipation of making the 2.5-3 hour drive to New Braunsfels for the mini reunion, I washed my favorite jeans and Mr. B filled my car with gas. I even thought about making the drive without drinking Diet Coke, which is usually a must but no longer available since I gave it up. I got google map ready on my iPad and looked at the restaurant menu to see what I wanted for lunch. I was excited about going! Sadly, I over slept and didn't make it to New Braunsfels. I'm so bummed.

There have been so many commercials on television for mac and cheese today. If Mr. B liked it, homemade mac and cheese would be on the menu for dinner.

Today I'm celebrating babies. Since it's MLK day, Dr. Mc is off work and so is her friend Courtney (they both work for the government). Courtney came for a visit, along with her son sweet baby James. He is 10 months old and, as my nickname for him implies, sweet.

There are currently so many movies that we want to see. Among others, we haven't seen the new Star Wars movie. How can that be?

I scratch my head when reading sentences written by people who think they are writers, but have no idea of how to present a clear message or make a point. Believe me, there is an art to being a good writer, and the person who wrote the following sentence hasn't developed the appropriate skills: "Those one-on-one moments where we have the ability to reconcile each of our needs, perceptions and values on a personal level are what ultimately lead to a sense of calm in the marketplace, not the other way around." What? 

Today I'm celebrating Sunday morning time with TLP. Mr. B and I can't believe how fast he is changing. This morning while we were chatting with him, I noticed that his face is changing from baby to little boy. Slow down little boy. There is plenty of time for you to grow up.

WOW. I didn't realize that I haven't posted since Monday. I went the doctor on Monday and found out I had bronchitis. After five days on medication and bed rest I'm feeling so much better. Dr. Mc and TLP also went to the doctor.  She has a ear infection and he has a cold. Everyone is now on the mend.

Last  night Mr. B and I went to an art opening and then to dinner. We tried three different places. Each had an hour wait and no place to sit at the bar, so we went back to our standby. Mr. B can always eat a plate of short ribs over risotto at La Griglia.

Today I'm celebrating John Robert's first birthday. He is the son of my Goddaughter. There were so many kids at the party, which had a Game of Thrones theme. Although I have never seen the program, I was able to find a great costume for TLP at Big Blue Whale, a toy store in my neighborhood. He was adorable, even after he took off his headpiece.

Being a grammar nerd is one of my proudest titles. Unfortunately, grammar as I was taught is disappearing before my very eyes. Last week I wrote about how the distinction between that and who is going away. Today The Washington Post reported that the American Dialect Society has declared the singular "they" as Word of the Year.

Singular they, which The Post officially adopted in its 2015 Style Guide, is already a common habit in American speech. An example given by The Post: "Everyone wants their cat to succeed." In the sentence, "everyone" is singular and "they" is also treated as singular. The way I was taught, the sentence would have been, "Everyone wants his or her cat to succeed." In this sentence, "everyone" is used with "his or her" because are both singular pronouns.

Today I'm celebrating good grammar. My creative writing mind would have written the sentence this way: "Cat owners want their furry feline friends to succeed." So much better. On second thought, I never would have written a sentence about cats succeeding. It's an absurd thought. And now, I apologize to all my cat-loving friends.

Stretchy pants

TLP is so popular that he has to go incognito to the grocery store

I took one for the family this afternoon and headed to the grocery store to get chili fixin's. It was obvious that the Texans weren't playing because the grocery store and parking lot were outrageously crowded. Now Dr. Mc and I are watching the fashion parade for the Golden Globe Awards while waiting for dinner time.

I wonder if any other man have Mr. B's ritual preparation before taking shirts to the cleaners? He has spent much of the afternoon going through his shirts with a bottle of prewash. He looks for stains and then sprays spots. Sometimes he can be such a girl. Don't get me started on his shoe maintenance.

Today I'm celebrating a Sunday evening filled with so much television to watch. Golden Globes. Downton Abbey. Good Wife (new episode). All while enjoying homemade chili.

Elvis' birthday

Photo from Elvis' FB page.

When we were in Sonoma and Napa last summer, we purchased several cases of wine. I've been putting off drinking any of them because I wanted to serve them on a special occasion. Mr. B convinced me that I should threat myself, and so I opened a bottle tonight. Delicious!

We've all been passing around a cold, over and over again. Yesterday I woke up with a terrible sinus infection. My sinuses are better today although I think I have another cold. I thought catching colds would only happen when TLP went to pre-school. I guess I was wrong. I think the five of us (Mr. B, Dr. Mc, Big Daddy Nick, TLP and I) need to be separated for about a week so we can get rid of the colds. I'd like my sabbatical to take place in Santa Fe.

Today I'm celebrating what would have been The King's birthday. I can't image Elvis as a crusty 81 year-old man. Perhaps he would have done pelvic thrusts while holding onto his walker. Not a good image.

Proper word usage

Looking forward to visiting Santa Fe at the end
of January. This photo is from 2010, I think.

I try to keep my grammar scrutiny to a minimum, but sometimes the urge to edit what's written is just too much. I can't control myself and I have to jump on my soap box. A case in point is today's topic: that vs. who.

The quick and dirty rule I remember is to use who when referring to a person and that when referring to an object. This is the rule. Period. The End. Close the door. Or so I thought. I looked in the American Heritage Dictionary today and read, much to my horror, that it's entirely acceptable to write the man that wanted to talk to you, or the man who wanted to talk to you. What? I feel as if I've been stabbed in the heart. This statement is clearly a liberal plot to subvert what I've always known to be true and absolute. 

Today I'm celebrating good grammar. At some future point I'll also provide a refresher on which vs. that, so stay tuned.

Five days sans Diet Coke

TLP has this cute thing he does when he likes the way something tastes. He will throw his head back and say, with pursed lips, "mmmmmm." He is so cute when he does this that I do it back to him and he will do it back to me. Such a little character.

More people need to tell the POTUS that guns are not the problem and stiffer background checks will not solve the problem of gun violence. It is completely naive to believe that violent and deadly crimes will be removed by removing guns. The tightening of gun rules is having no impact in Illinois, where he lived before moving to DC.

Today I'm celebrating five days without a Diet Coke. Since I'm not working it's easier not to drink them.

Happy New Year!

Mr. B, TLP and I had a terrific NYE. We partied well past 8:00 p.m., then tried to get TLP to go to sleep. He must have known it was a big evening because he didn't want to close his eyes.

After TLP went to sleep, Mr. B and I continued to drink champagne and watched the recent version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Henry Cavill (CIA agent Napoleon Solo) and Armie Hammer (KGB operative Illya Kuryakin) were great in the movie. Director Guy Ritchie did a wonderful job presenting the early1960s-styled film. I loved the costumes worn by the two females. And the music was also excellent. The movie got two thumbs up from The Pettits.

Today I'm celebrating New Year's Day 2016. After dinner last night, Mr. B, TLP and I went to the grocery store to get a roast and black-eyed peas, along with fixin's for cole slaw and corn bread. Yummy way to celebrate New Year's Day.