One More Again

It's official! I registered. Cant turn back now. Yuengling at the finish line isnt bad incentive either. I didnt register with a charity partner, so for now it is all about me and the running. I'll keep the 2 of your that keep up with this blog posted.

Bonefish Grill

I started with hot baked bread with homemade pesto. Then I followed with the Chilean Sea Bass with Jasmine Rice and steamed green beans. I sipped on Chateau Ste. Michelle, Riesling. Michael had the Mussels Josephine to start. Then he followed with the Mahi Mahi with Jasmine Rice and asparagus. We both left stuffed and Laurel (our server) packaged my to go box (with the cutest hand drawn fish bone illustrations on it) and thanked us for coming. She asked us to come again.

Laurel, we will definitely be back. Check them out if you can. http://www.bonefishgrill.com

The Holiday Spirit

I'm not into it this year....sigh. But I don't think the rest of the world around me is either. I signed up for the Secret Pal Gift Exchange at work. My pal hasn't done very well. The office Holiday Potluck has gone up...only 3 people have signed up. Jess and I went to the mall yesterday and it was empty. Seriously, no one was in any of the stores! No one was in line to see Santa!

One bright spot was that Stacy hosted her holiday party! What a blast! I didn't stay long, but she had a great crowd. Stacy has always had the ability to befriend a wide range of people. I mean everyone from grade school to retirement home. A representative from each group was in attendance at her party. The food was great and the music was fun. I loved it!

Today, I am going to try and continue the momentum that Stacy began. I am going to have lunch with Michael at Bonefish Grille. Afterwards, I am going to see if I can find some mistletoe.

Dreams Realized

Went to Indy this weekend and saw Danny. I am happy to report that he is happy and doing well. He has settled in well with his girlfriend. Their new home is cute and rather cozy. One thing that struck me during my visit is that Danny is happy as a lark. He is happy because he is living and he is living well. Living well does not mean that he is swimming in money (although in this economy he isnt doing badly). He is living well because he is happy by simply being and doing what he loves to do. So many people can only dream of being so lucky.

I promised to return soon for another visit. I've already worked it out. I'll be back when it isnt so cold.

La Tosca!

Black Friday seemed like the best time to go and check out the newest rage at the Baltimore's Inner Harbor Pratt Street Pavillion. Tara's birthday was the appropriate occasion. Reservations were set for 7:30 pm, although the place was almost empty, so I am sure that whenever we all arrived would have been alright.

Our party began at the bar. Almost everyone (except me) took advantage of the 1/2 price Sangria special. I am not a fan of sangria, but I am a fan of Moscatel, so I got a glass. As usual...yummo! BTW: In the name of full disclosure, I must disclose that I had 3 glasses of Sweet Espumoso de Moscatel Flare N/V, Valencia.

When we decided that we had started the party just right, we were seated and the tapas began to arrive at the table. Pan de Ajo (garlic bread) and Ensalada de Espinacas, Almendras y Queso Cabrales (Spinach Salad with almonds and Cabrales cheese) were the bomb. I am sorry to report that the menu kind of went down hill after that. Well, no, the chicken in wine sauce was awesome, too. I am not a fan of fried food, so the eggplant was not cool. Also the potatoes with garlic mayonnaise would have been alright, if it didn't arrive cold. The other guest raved about the calamari and the shrimp (which were gigantic), but I don't eat shellfish. We were all full by the time the meatballs in marina sauce arrived at our table (I did manage to taste one and I've had better), so I am not sure what we would have done had we ordered Paella. Of course, La Tosca is known around these parts for its paella and that is what we didn't get to taste...ironic, huh?

The bartender (William) knew his stock, but lacked mixing knowledge. I felt kind of bad that we had to send the White Russian back...twice. I don't think Will ever got it right, so we ordered more Sangria. The decor was nice. I like that we were able to overlook the water. I am not sure if we would have been listening to New Aged chant music if we were in a tapas bar in Spain, but one never knows.

I wont say don't try La Tosca. It is understandable if you use them as a substitute if you want Spanish food and just can gather the funds together to fly to Spain. Just know that you wont have awesome food. But that is so it goes, sometimes, when you try to brand a people and its cuisine.

Here is there link: http://www.latascausa.com/index.cfm

The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

The person that first said that should've been given some sort of prize, as that is the most authentic saying out there. Thanksgiving 2008 will go down in the history books as a good time.

What changed? The Venue. We were all at Paulette and Sam's house. Another change? We were the adults and we had the kids (well some of us had kids). What else was different is that we had different hairstyles, varying degrees of body sizes, new jobs, new stories & gossip to tell. Complaints flew about the Halftime Show.

Now you may ask, what things were the same? Dinner began at 3. The first guest arrived at 3:25 with the usual "explanations" and the last guest arrived as I was leaving (can you imagine?). I swore that, "this is my last time planning anything for you people." We still laughed our assess off. We ate until we were literally going to bust (I might add that Paulette and I outdid ourselves...smile). Daddy still managed to monopolized the ears of one poor guest (whose name I never got) with his usual: religion and politics. The kids screamed and laughed and tattle-tailed (kinda like we did when we were there ages). We pulled out out Tupperware containers and aluminum foil. Michael got the ham bone. We planned how we were gonna spend Christmas.

Thanksgiving 2008 was a success. Indeed, there is a God.

Taking Risks

I don't like to take risks. The "Go Big or Go Home" people of the world scare the hell out of me. My question is why take the risk? The answer is simply that you can't enjoy the rewards of success unless you put yourself out there. So here goes:

1. My older sister and I are the hosts.
2. I have written & put the invitations in the mail.
3. My sister is in charge of securing the venue.
4. We both planned the menu.
5. Adult games, rules for conversation, kids circle & game room complete.
6. The time is set for 2:30 pm
7. RSVP dates have been set.
8. My older sister and I have prayed.

Thanksgiving 2008 is now in the hands of God.

And So...

It has finally hit me that I can only control my actions and that I can not control the actions of others. Did you say, "Duh"? I mean in my head I knew this, but I didnt really know it until it hit me while I was running past South River Colony this morning during the Cold Turkey 10K. I was running and I heard another runner tell her running partner (I will assume a friend), "Honey, you can only control your own feet. Another person cant make you go any faster or slower. Only you can do that." I adjusted my head phones and ran past the both of them. The words you can only control your own feet stayed with me until I got to the last 100 yards and made the mad dash to the finish line.

Thank you fellow runner for helping me understand that:
1. I can control how fast I go.
2. I can only control my reactions to Mom and Dad's behavior during Thanksgiving Dinner. I will ask them to leave their usual antics at the door and pray that they do.
3. I can control my reaction to DK at work. I will choose to close my ears to all things negative that comes from him.
4. I can only control my reactions to Michael. I will choose to speak up and if it doesn't work...move on.
5. I can always count on me because I can guarantee that I'll be fine.
6. I can only control my behavior and not the behavior of others.

And so I've come to understand that one more of those metaphors about running and life is true. Thanks, my fellow runner, where ever you are this afternoon. BTW: I finished this 10K a whole 9 minutes faster than my 10K time during the Marathon. We-Hee!

I Never Thought I Would Live to See the Day

As a kid I use hear kids like me say, "I wanna be President when I grow up." You always responded with "of course", but in your heart, you really didn't believe it. Last night, the world got to witness history in the making. Now when little kids say, "I wanna be President." I can really say (and believe), "Yes! You can!"

I marveled at the elation of the people in this country. I mean who would have ever imagined people dancing in the streets in front of The White House? What really has left me speechless is the celebration of people from around the world.

I am proud! I am excited! I have lived to see America renew the hopes of its promise.

I Can Tell the Next Generation...

That I did my part in the historic 2008 Election! There was no line. I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. But I had to take stock of all the parents that had their children with them. They all wanted to be the example that their children would one day emulate (we can all hope). It was really wonderful to see.

No matter which side you are on, I hope that you went out and let your voices be heard.