also: a short guide to la's donuts.
It's too bad you're not playing that accordion, though. The world needs more accordionists.
One year ago: I am ambivalent about American Beauty.
Two years ago: Elinor turns 4. And I bet wrong on Clintongate.
Three years ago: I have a long day at USC.
Four years ago: I see Casablanca for the first time.
Today's news question:What is the Millenium Summit, and who's going?
(Don't send me your answers. This is just a little way to expand your horizons. Honest.)
I am really pleased that "I Love Her" won the Diarist.Net award for Best Romantic Entry!
Sophia slept until 5 this morning!
Of course, maybe she was just as exhausted as Mommy and Daddy were after yesterday's impromptu festivities.
On Sunday Darin said to me, "You know, we should do something tomorrow."
"Something?"
"You know. Grilling."
Well, since Darin's current patron saint is Bobby Flay, that sounded okay by me. (Darin sez: "It doesn't mean he's not an annoying frat boy -- he is -- but he makes some great recipes.") We decided to call a whole bunch of people and see if they were still available to get together on Monday. After all, most people make their plans for Labor Day ahead of time.
So he called Al and Harry and Brent, Therese, and Elinor, and I called Tamar, Tiffany, Michele, and Nancy and Casey, the Yoga Moms. Surprisingly, everyone except Tiffany and Wyndham came. (Sadly, they already had plans.)
Darin decided to make hamburgers and a Bobby Flay recipe for turkey-and-brie burgers. He also made some steak, and Nancy and her husband brought hot dogs. The most unusual thing Darin made (as far as I was concerned) was grilled fruit, which sounded weird to me. He bought fresh pineapple and nectarines, cut them up, and grilled them. Everyone raved about it -- and ate it all before I got a chance to try it! So I was very bummed. However, I cleverly hung on to not only the grill but the griller.
I put a bed sheet out on the front deck for the babies to sit on. (I joked that we should put out the Pak N Play, the newfangled playpens you buy these days: "Leave a baby, take a baby." Like a baby tip jar.) Sophia and Lucy sat amongst all the toys and played as follows: Sophia would pick up a toy, and Lucy would take it away from her. There is no telling a 9-month-old to play nicely. Calvin, who is already crawling, would periodically crawl on through the girls, causing a puppy pileup.
Of course, I did not get a picture of this. Nancy did, and I hope to get a copy.
The gals sat on one side of the deck (with the babies) and the guys were on the other. "I hope we don't have to dance," I said. We discussed babies and buying a house and stuff like that. Michele told the story of how she and her husband found her new house (a process Tamar was very interested in, as you can imagine).
I thought the BBQ turned out well, especially as we did it at the last minute. Darin and I have been saying we have to create more social opportunities for ourselves, since we're both home all the time. This kind of experience leads us to believe we might want to do this a lot more often. Even if we plan ahead.
Donut update
Darin and I have recently been on the hunt for the perfect donut. When I say "recently," I mean "Kinda sorta since we've known one another" and when I say "hunt," I mean "Hey, you in the mood for a donut? Let's try that donut place."
Hungry has a list of the best donut places in LA and we've been checking them out. In the public interest I present to you our findings:
- Krispy Kreme: Varied locations. An excellent choice, though only in the "original glazed" variety. The other donuts lack a certain je ne sais quoi...like freshness and taste. The Original Glazed Krispy Kreme donut is light yet flavorful, giving the impression that they are airy and inconsequential and therefore you can eat 14 or so. Do not give in to this impression.
- Randy's Donuts: Near the airport. A good donut, but uninspired. Darin particularly enjoyed the buttermilk donut and said that was worth returning for. No other donut elicited that reaction.
- Blinkies: Woodland Hills. A good choice for a wide range of donuts and worth the drive. The buttermilk and cinnamon donuts were very good, as was the chocolate raised. No one donut seemed to stand out above the rest; all were equally well done.
And the number one donut by far...
- Bob's Donuts: Farmer's Market. Man, these donuts kicked ass. Darin had the cinnamon donut and said, "I could eat 20 more of these. I am coming back here for these." And he's not a donut-head. I definitely enjoyed the chocolate raised. I thought the beignet was uninteresting, but all beignets outside of New Orleans are uninteresting. If I wanted to surprise Darin, I would show up with a box of Bob's Donuts and let his gratitude wash all over me.
In the forum:
Hmm. Interesting astrology bits.
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Copyright 2000 Diane Patterson
Send comments and questions to diane@nobody-knows-anything.com