Zeno's Bar & Grill

I haven't blogged in quite a while and now I feel like I have to play catch up. I don't know why, but I've had a few blogworthy events or ancedotes and because I didn't get around to blogging them, I feel like I'm behind and that my next blog has to be really good. This happens to me with other things too. Like I'll owe someone an email for so long that I feel like I can't just dash off a two line missive, that it has to be a really long two page saga.

or, I should have sent someone a card, but I forgot and now I feel like I owe a super good card, plus letter, plus present...and so nothing gets sent.

so I'm not going to stress myself out about this anymore, no picture, no links, not even a cursory spell check. Just a quick list of what I wanted to blog and haven't:

-saw The Bee Movie - really liked it. Title of blog that never was - Jerry is back with a capital B!

-My husband started Atkins and bought some really nasty canned beef from Costco which included a recipe for Beef Strongonoff with first direction being open can of meat. need i really say more? Plus my Mac died...Plus I saw No Country for Old Men (excellent) - Title of Blog that never was - Movie, Mac, and Meat

-I accidently bought 14 pounds of Walnuts from a buying club. A fellow member asked if I wanted to split some walnuts. I felt bad because I don't contribute much to making the minimum, so I said yes thinking I would get maybe 5 pounds or so and now there is no room in my freezer. I'm trying to make Walnut butter today. Title of Blog that never was - Nuts!

And finally I went from blonde yesterday to a chestnut brown. I really like it, but I hate now revealing it to everyone. I feel slightly embarassed. Not sure why.

OK, that is it!

Yeay!

--Kelly

I don't believe for one minute his name was Eric. Not that it really matters. The customer service stank and that was that.

My Vonage phone service cut out this week, sending me into a four day tizzy. I have never had such abysmal customer service--and if you know me, you'll know I'm not the type to get quickly outraged over something like that. I actually (gasp) raised my voice to the third person, after a total of four hours on the phone and purchasing a new device hadn't resulted in any improvement in my situation.

Weirdest of all is the fact that each of the Indian representatives had an American sounding name. The first was "Matthew," the second "Eric," and so on. I must say, I think it's extremely unlikely that these gentlemen, who struggled with English and had heavy accents, were christened Matthew and Eric by their parents.

This must be Vonage's attempt to fool their customers into thinking that they aren't outsourcing their customer service to another country. Sorry, guys. It's not working.

Seriously, how do you suppose they came up with the names? Was there some kind of research committee for identifying the most WASPy sounding monikers that would be likely to assuage their angry customers? How can they possibly think that something like that would make a particle of difference when you're being taken through the same ineffective troubleshooting for the umpteenth time?

That's what I was thinking: Yeah, I'm boiling mad, but hey, his name is Matt, so I like him.

Frankly, I don't care whether they come from the North Pole or Timbuktu and are named Joe, Bob or Prakash. I just want my phone to work.

--Melanie

Operation Candy Corn: the target has been neutralized. At around 1800 hours yesterday evening, an elite unit located the target at a Rite Aid store in Southern California. Officers proceeded to escort the subject out of the store and into a vehicle. Target "Candy Corn" is in a safe house awaiting extradition to New Zealand, where local authorities will take over.

--Melanie

Okay, I'm still laughing about three quarter century craptastic. I'm going to take every opportunity to say and type that phrase. Because it makes me LOL. That's just the late-nineties kinda gal I am IMHO.

Anyhoo...

I baked some brownies today. No, I do not have a real oven yet (we are mid-redo.) But I do have an Easy Bake oven. Mmmmm, nothin' says lovin' like a miniature little brownie cooked under a 100 watt lightbulb.

--Melanie

Unlike Melanie, I am nervous about the writer's strike. I've become addicted to Heroes. Last season was amazing, and while this season didn't start off quite as good it's really picked up and plus Nathan Petrelli is a total hottie now. At least I still have my nonscripted shows to fall back on. Namely Survivor and A Shot at Love. For those of you not familar with the latter, it follows Tila Tequila's quest for love. Tila's claim to fame includes being on the cover of Maxim, hosting Pants-Off Dance-Off, and having the most friends on Facebook. (maybe Mel knows her?) But what the 32 contestents didn't know at the beginning of the show is that Tila is (gasp) bisexual. So the 16 men and 16 women are now competing for Tila's heart as she makes the incredible journey of finding out who she is and if her true love lies in the arms of a woman or a man. I can't get enough of it.

In other news, I learned of the engagement of one my friends by watching True Life - Where are They Now on MTV. So, my trashy television habits are not all for naught.

And on a serious note, I do hope the writers strike ends soon. One of my book club friend's husband is a writer, so lets keep our fingers crossed for him and for quick return of The Daily Show!

--Kelly

Labels: television

There's something kind of funny about the to-do over the Writer's Strike. I'm probably missing something, but it's just hard to get worked up over it. I mean, what's the worst case scenario?

Day 4: In New York City people take to the streets demanding that Tina Fey write new jokes. The National Guard is called in.
Day 14: Management brings in scabs. Split infinitives and dangling participles create a public health hazard.
Day 15: George Bush tells everyone that things will be fine if, for the love of God, we will keep shopping.

And then???? Only time will tell...

--Melanie

This weekend we didn't do anything nearly as classy as going to a symphony. Instead we decided to take advantage of one of the last not exactly warm, but not freezing days left in the year. We went to the zoo. It was one of our better trips. My daughter really wanted to see the giraffes (her favorite) so we waked through the Africa exhibit. All was very cool and interesting until we came to the aardvark. He was in the old meerkat enclosure, so there was only an open Plexiglass barrier between him and us. And look, he's right up front. Let's lean over to get a better...Jumpin' Jehosaphat! That was the worse smell I've ever encountered (and I've changed a LOT of diapers). Who knew the aardvark was such a pungent creature?

--Kelly

I thought all had gone well with our latest parenting genius idea, until I sat down at my desk and found the note reading "ROBBER!" in my eldest daughter's handwriting.

Inspired by a story I read about a local dentist who is buying back Halloween candy at a dollar a pound, and giving out toothbrushes and raffle tickets to seal the deal, my husband and I decided to try the same ploy.

All seemed to be going well. The kids chose their favorite candies to enjoy over the next week. We duly weighed the remainder and as a show of good faith, even upped the rate to $2 per pound to make the payoff seem more dramatic. Daughter #1 got 8 bucks, and on downward to the third one who got $2, thanks to generous weighing techniques. We even offered to give them playdates with friends instead of money if the filthy lucre wasn't reward enough. Everyone seemed satisfied, and they stashed their money and went happily off to bed.

And still with the "ROBBER!" note. My only reward will (hopefully) be no more cavities in their precious little fangs.

--Melanie

I thought the fat lady had sung after the encore with John Williams conducting the Star Wars theme, while dressed in a jacket inspired by the Venezuelan flag. But that was just the beginning. By the end, the players were taking off their clothes and throwing them into the audience like rock stars. Okay, well, maybe it was just the jackets, but still.

The place: Walt Disney Concert Hall, a space so spectacular that it takes your breath away before a note is played.

The event: A performance by the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra. The energy of these players, ages 12-26 is only exceeded by that of their conductor, Gustavo Dudamel, who will take over as the Musical Director of the LA Phil when Esa Pekka Salonen steps down in 2009.

My companion: My middle daughter, who plays violin.

The performance was wonderful and our seats in the galleries high above and on the side offered an outrageously fantastic view of the action--but the real fun started after the first standing ovation at the end. The lights dimmed and just as you were wondering what on earth the players were fumbling around with down there, the lights came back up to reveal every single player relieved of their dark formal wear and instead wearing one of the colorful jackets in Venezuela's flag colors. Even Dudamel was no longer in black jacket! The crowd went wild when he introduced Maestro John Williams to conduct the first encore.

After that, things progressed and got wilder and wilder. Violinists stood in the aisle and swiveled their hips as they played a piece from West Side Story. Cellos spun 360 degrees in synchronization, massive drums were frantically pushed from side to side of the stage and finally the orchestra completed their deconstruction by walking out into the audience before stripping off their jackets and hurling them to the crowd.

And it wasn't all just high jinks. There was real emotion, too. At one point during the extended encores, Dudamel pulled an elderly gentleman from the audience, who seemed to be well known to the musicians and others in the audience--perhaps a conductor? A composer? Everyone stood and applauded madly as Dudamel carefully escorted him to the conductor's podium. After some discussion, during which the man appeared to repeatedly, and sincerely, decline to perform--Dudamel's force of charisma finally convinced the fellow to conduct what must have been the Venezuelan national anthem, to which the orchestra provided their own vocals. Even not knowing the gentleman's identity, it was an amazing moment.

The only thing I could possibly feel was lacking? I just wish I could have caught one of those jackets!

--Melanie

When I read about the new treadmill desk, I couldn't help thinking that it was a joke. I thought I saw this when I watched Modern Times in my freshman Intro to Film class, but maybe it was from a take-off of Charlie Chaplin on The Flintstones or The Jetsons or some other cartoon. Can anybody help me on that one? Beuller? Bueller?

--Kelly