Bond, Butterfly, An Apron and a Meme

OK, so this was a bit of a big weekend for me. I didn't cook a damn thing. And dinner tonight, although fairly tasty wasn't anything terribly exciting and so there's no food being posted today. Instead I'm going to let you know what happened this past weekend and fill you in on my ideas about Thanksgiving. And yeah this one's a little long, so you may want to go get a snack or something.

First this weekend I went and saw Madame Butterfly at the Michigan Opera Theatre with my best friend T. I'd like to say we had a lovely time and really enjoyed ourselves. Butterfly is actually one of my favorite operas and although this is the first time I've seen it live, I have seen it on PBS. Really PBS is a great place to catch an opera. The singing was absolutely beautiful as the Michigan Opera Theatre usually has a good show. The scenery was another story. The entire opera was set in the house that Pinkerton buys for himself and his Geisha bride Butterfly (Cio Cio San). This house is supposed to be up on a high hill that faces the ocean. The problem was there was a walkway set high up on this hill for the actors to get to the house. From our fairly cheap balcony seats, it was difficult to see what action was actually going on on that walkway. Mostly we could only see mid-calf and below of actors on that walkway. Memo to opera scenery group: Test out what the balcony people can see when designing a set. The other problem was that people continued to be sat for the first 15 minutes of the opera. While I understand that unforeseen circumstances happen, I just don't get how people can feel justified crawling over me to get to their seats because they just couldn't get to the opera anywhere near when it actually started. And this happened a LOT on Friday. My friend and I got climbed over and missed a bit. The people in front of us got climbed over and we missed a bit. And two rows in front of them got climbed over too. Then the guy behind us started opening bags of potato chips (we know because he littered the opera house floor with them). My friend T. and I came away really discouraged with how inconsiderate some people are.

OK, so sorry about the rant. Then we went and saw the new James Bond movie and all I can say is Daniel Craig is freakin' HOT. Like sizzling hot. Before I was uninterested in him as James Bond and now I'm regretting not actually having watched Casino Royale. Oh yeah, and if I had watched Casino Royale I might have a better idea about the plot of this one. I really liked the pissed off, butt kicking Latino woman too. And I thought the villain (Mr. Greene) was nice and sniveling. The naked girl drenched in oil was slightly reminiscent of the gold girl in Goldfinger, but overall there really wasn't enough sex. It's a Bond movie for crying out loud. There's supposed to be loads of sexy scenes. Have I mentioned Daniel Craig is dreamy? He's bumped Matthew McConaughey for the top spot in my head.

Also at my mom's this weekend I made a pretty fun apron.

Here's a lovely photo of my mom modeling it. She's trying to look domestic. Even though she doesn't cook, somehow we always get photos of her in the kitchen. You'll have to check Mom's blog for a photo of me. She does wash dishes. Unfortunately, my stepdad (who does the cooking) had to have surgery today. He came out of it just fine, but now he's got to deal with my mom and her ubiquitous stir frying until he's fully recuperated. They do have a plan for Thanksgiving though. They've ordered it from Bob Evans.

And finally, Amanda has tagged me for a Thanksgiving Meme. I'm not sure who has time to do it with all the cooking coming up, so I'm not tagging anyone specifically, but instead I tag people generally. If you'd like to do it, go ahead!

1.) Which do you like better, hosting Thanksgiving at home or going elsewhere?

Um I used to like hosting Thanksgiving in my home, but given the number of people I'd have to invite if I hosted, I'm now preferring to go elsewhere.

2.) Do you buy a fresh or frozen turkey? Organic? Free Range?

I buy whatever is cheapest and not injected with anything. Which most often is frozen. However I just learned last week that most of those frozen turkeys come from somewhere around here so I may find a fresh one next year.

3.) Do you make stuffing or dressing? What kind?

I make this Betty Crocker stuffing. And I love it.

4.) Sweet potato or pumpkin pie?

Neither. I don't like pie. I did make a pumpkin mousse one year. Pumpkin ice cream is good too.

5.) Are leftovers a blessing or a curse?

Blessing. Definitely.

6.) What side dishes are a must in your family?

Salad. I just don't understand big family meals without a salad. I'm just weird that way.

7.) What do you wish you had that might make Thanksgiving easier?

A Viking 6 burner stove. Or a turkey baster.

8.) If/When you go to someone else's house for the holiday, do you bring a dish? If so what is it?

Um. Salad. And wine.

9.) What do you wish one of your guests would bring to your house?

Booze. There's always room for more booze. Or pie. Other people seem to like pie and I'm pretty bad at making it.

10.) What do you wish one of your guests would NOT bring to your house?

Olives. I hate them. They give me the heeby jeebies.

11.) Do you stick with a particular menu from year to year, or do you mix it up?

I go with how I'm feeling. There's no hard and fast rules except that one about having to have salad.

12.) Is Thanksgiving a religious or secular holiday in your home?

I think it's both. We celebrate family (secular) and we definitely thank God for our blessings.

13) Share one Thanksgiving tradition.

I have no Thanksgiving traditions. Unless you count thanking God for my blessings.

14.) Share one Thanksgiving memory.

When I lived in Chicago, I didn't go home for Thanksgiving because I was on a budget that didn't afford trips home. So I would cook Thanksgiving dinner for any of my friends who also couldn't make it home. One year, my friend Scott, my friend Amy, and I had Thanksgiving. There was far too much food to all fit on the table and we pulled up a coffee table and filled that full of food too. We ate and drank wine and laughed ourselves silly for hours. It was the Thanksgiving that taught me that friends can be a family too.

15.) Name 5 things your are thankful for.

-my very sweet and oh so sexy husband who I love very much.

-that my stepdad is going to be just fine.

-that my baby sister Super G. is a math teacher and that she helps me with my homework all the time.

-my very supportive family.

-that I have everything I really need.