commercial hilariousness.

i think this commerical is HILARIOUS but i showed it to nate and he didn't think it was funny at all. if you haven't seen it yet, watch it :)

blog history... and the nate effect.

check this out:

my posting very clearly shows the impact of meeting nate (lots of blog posts to impress him), then totally declining, then settling into a fairly steady pace after we moved to FL :)  and posting of late has been at an all time low in the history of my blog!  also fun to note that i've been blogging for almost seven years :)

Spices by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

coloring

If your man doesn't know cumin
from cardamom, it's time to let him go.
But if he discovers a wetted paintbrush dipped
into turmeric makes a soft yellow line
on your back, spells something like You
are my sun-  then keep him and hold on tight.
I like a cupboard packed with jam jars rubbed clean,
full of the sand from the fantasy beaches of me
and my man and a paintbrush I conjured up
just last night- a cupboard where the difference in reds
means danger or victory for my pot of stew.


fragrance

And what about cloves pierced
into a fat orange, strung up with ribbon
at Christmas? Who came up with that,
and what kind of twisted need did they have
for the occasional prick of spikes under
nails? Once when we were leaving
Bombay Palace, my father spooned
caraway and licorice bits into my palm
from the jade bowl no the counter and said,
"This will clean your breath." The owner
twitched his mustache, and nodded.

heat

Pepper is the obvious choice, in its powder form,
I mean- but there's something about the crush
of peppercorns into a salad, over pasta, the twist
and flex of wrist that sends men back for more.
But if you really want to impress, try chili flaked fresh
under a rolling pin and wax paper. Make sure he sees
you doing this labor of love- act as if you do this
at every meal, that this is how it would be every day
if he desired. And after dinner, float some
in his tea, slip some into his slice of cake.
Be careful for the warmth of his mouth.

verdict?

duvet stays!  painting moves to the study where i think we even might see more of it :)

been a lovely lazy weekend.  we saw 'the a-team' yesterday- was a great fun summer movie.  we also went to world market wine tasting which was awesome as always.  i clearly spend way too much time at world market because all the people that work there know me ;)  the following are some conversations i've had when visiting world market:

cashier:  what??  no wine today???
~*~
cashier (to nate): do you have a member account with us?  i know she does.
~*~
cashier: what's your birth date? i know i should have it memorized.
me: i would be embarrassed if you did.
cashier: i have a new goal now.
~*~
cashier 1: only 6 bottles?
cashier 2: that's par for the course for her!
me:  i have 8, but 6 are a gift for someone else, i swear!

but speaking of wine, i think my favorite wine from yesterday's tasting was a wine called 'jam jar,' a sweet shiraz -- it's a little sweet which i usually don't like but it was super tasty!  yummy and fruity and apparently served cold.

which came first, the chicken or the egg?

so we've never painted in our bedroom since we've lived here.  we bought a cool painting when we were in apalachicola in may and my plan was to decorate the room based on the painting.  but then tonight i found a duvet cover i really like, and it DEFINITELY does not go with the duvet (which i didn't realize until i saw them together).

exhibit a:

but i REALLY like both... so should i... keep the duvet?  or keep the painting above the bed?  the painting can definitely be moved to another room.  or would i be better off with a solid duvet and a bright wall color?

help me!  duvet??

or painting??

what do you think?

ps:  there is a chance, and probably a likely one, that nate will show up and say "that duvet is ugly!" and then i suppose the decision will be made!  it's his room too after all...maybe he'll help break the tie :)

since i've been gone for SO LONG

thought we needed a whole new layout for a fresh start!

boy, summer is here in florida and it is not fooling around!  it was hot hot hot this weekend.  nate and i combatted the heat with a series of indoor activities.  we went to a local brewery (http://www.effinheimerbeer.com/) and had some tasty tasty beer!  then we checked out a new place in downtown clermont - well, new to us anyway.  it's an irish pub and although nate tends to hate irish pubs before he even gives them a chance, this one was great :)


what else... oh!  nate has a new guitar.  it's for playing on the beach and travel in general and is a nice small size (apparently a parlor guitar).  he wasn't sure if he should buy it so i went and got it for him (the guitar store guy wanted to know if i had a sister- ha!)  here he is with it on the beach the day he got it:

also, i'm starting a photography class this week that i'm really excited about.  there's an art school in north orlando that also offers some satellite classes very close to our house- starts tuesday!  i may post some homework here to share :)

we also recently visited cassie, jeff, and cadiem and had a wonderful time!!  i took tons of pictures, of course.  here are a few:

very serious.  ;)

i got cadiem a 'nate' outfit!  how cute is he???