Helena Handbasket: January 2010

You Remind Me Of...

This week's Facebook trend has been to post a profile pic of your celebrity look-a-like. Some of them are spot-on! A while back, Nicole and Insana blogged about theirs so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon and participate.

I've selected pictures that are similar to the celeb's. Still, I don't think I share any resemblances with these women. People have told me I remind them of:

Kimora Lee (maybe when I have sunglasses on...)

Chiaki Kuriyama (Kill Bill, Battle Royale)

Devon Aoki (Sin City)

Or is it just that, to many people, all Asian women look alike? I don't think I look like anyone but geeky 'ole me.

Happy Sunday,

Susan

Warmest. Coat. Ever.

Dear Parents (both sets!):

Thank you for the Christmas cash. This winter has been a cold one for DC and I've been struggling to stay warm in a wool coat with crappy Thinsulate lining that doesn't live up to the hype. I have been wanting a real coat for quite some time now and thanks to you, I finally took the plunge and splurged on a down-filled, Eskimo-hooded parka that offers superior warmth.

Look at the awesome length:

I wasn't thrilled about it being a North Face because the brand has become the Honda Accord of coats/outerwear - you see them everywhere you go. Nevertheless, this parka had all of the features I was looking for.

The hood keeps me nice and toasty.

Despite the fact that I can't see when it's not fastened properly...

I'm still very happy with my purchase.

I walked Roach when it was a balmy 23 degrees and only felt the cold on my nose and calves (since the coat hits right above the knee). Score! Too bad I didn't have this coat for the Inauguration last year.

Warm & fuzzy,

Susan

Feng-Shui Friday

I had to take a snapshot of this monumental event - I am enjoying it while it lasts.

Now onto the pile of broken printers, PC's, monitors, and fax machines that have been plaguing The Lab for months.

Down with clutter,
Susan

R.I.A.

Much to his dismay, I try to capture as many pictures of R.I.A. (Roach In Action) as I can.

He tries to be camera-shy...

But resistance is futile.

Sometimes, he goes into his crate (without being told) and turns his back on us.

And without skipping a beat, I'm always there to snap a picture when he does.

Deanna gets in on the fun too. She usually gets the best pics of his classic expressions.

The Evil Owners:

Gimme paw,

Susan

Movie Review: The Lovely Bones

I fear I'm turning into one of those uppity curmudgeons who frown upon movies made from great novels but nevertheless... I was so disappointed with The Lovely Bones on the big screen. So much was lost in translation - especially the relationships between the characters. I never felt that I had enough time with each person. I would have loved to see more of Susan Sarandon's role as the scotch-chugging, chain-smokin' grandma who lovingly warned her daughter "Watch the hair..." as she leaned in for a hug. The movie was so fragmented and sloppy.

Stanley Tucci did an excellent job as the evildoer. He wore hazel contacts and square gold-rimmed glasses that had "serial killer" written all over them.

If you want to experience this unique and suspenseful story, check out the book. It was a page-turner and well-worth the time.

One and 1/2 stars,

Susan

National Portrait Gallery

After a hearty lunch at Zaytinya, Nicole, Ryan, Luan, and I wandered over to the National Portrait Gallery. We didn't stay too long but saw a few interesting pieces of work.

This sculpture was kind of creepy but I couldn't stop staring at all the detail. Her skin even had faint bruises:

You can't tell from my pic but this painting was huge. The dark colors were so rich and vivid:

I never got the whole Andy Warhol thing. Here is one of his originals:

I really loved this doll house. It was quirky and fun:

This was a picture/sculpture of a dog throwing up. There was even fake vomit infused in the hardware. Um, ok:

Cheers,

Susan

DC Winter Restaurant Week: Zaytinya

Mission: Enjoy a four-course meal at one of DC's hottest restaurants for $20.10.

Station: Zaytinya

Classification: Contemporary Greek, Turkish, and Lebanese cuisine.

Legion: Insana, Mike, Nicole, Ryan, Luan, and yours truly.

It seemed like mission impossible, getting from Shady Grove to Gallery Place/Chinatown because of track maintenance that closed a stop along the way. I braved two trains and a standing-room only shuttle bus that smelled like moldy corn chips to get to Zaytinya. An hour and a half later, I sat down with my crew for the coup de grâce.

The pita/flat bread was marvelous and was even tastier with the hommus (puree of chickpeas, garlic, tahini), baba ghannouge (fire-roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon, garlic), and olive oil (that was cleverly paired with a sweet balsamic vinegar Z).

For my first course, I chose fattoush - tomato, cucumber, red onion, green pepper, radish, pita chips, pomegranate vinegar dressing. It was very good - the fresh veggies were refreshing and the pita chips provided a delicious crunch.

Up next was kotopoulo youvetsi - chicken, orzo, tomato, kefalgraviera cheese. This dish was ordinary and bland. Definitely not one of the highlights for me:

Third course was lamb bahar - spice rubbed lamb kebab, tabouleh, tahini sauce. It was fantastic - the lamb was so tender.

Dessert was to die for! Turkish delight - walnut ice cream with Skotidakis Farm goat's milk yogurt mousse, honey gelee:

Here are a few pics of other dishes our table selected and shared with each other.

Garides me anitho - sautéed shrimp, dill, shallots, mustard, lemon juice:

Soujok spetzofi - Syrian lamb and beef sausage, tomato pepper stew (this was amazing):

Greek apricots and yogurt - marinated apricots, vanilla yogurt cream, apricot sorbet, pistachio powder:

Mission: Completed! My taste buds are thanking me for experiencing Zaytinya.

The ride home was just as brutal only this time, there was an unhappy toddler who's blood-curdling screams for the water bottle his mother was holding caused the woman in the seat next to me to suck her teeth and mutter "Spoiled brat" under her breath. I love the DMV.

Digs Restaurant Week,

Susan

JFK 5K

I had the honor and pleasure of running with Allison and Marisa in the DC Road Runners JFK 5K this morning. The temps were chilly and the registration line stretched far along Water Street in Georgetown as anxious runners lined up to compete in the 20K/5K festivities. The start of our race was delayed almost 40 minutes - I don't think DCRR was expecting such a huge turnout so things were chaotic.

This 5K was especially exciting because it was Allison and Marisa's first official race and they weren't quite sure what to expect. I could sense their anxiety as we stood by the starting line but we were ready to take on the 3.1! iPods - check. Stretched hamstrings - check. Prayers to the running Gods that we weren't trampled by other runners - check. Finally the race director got on the microphone and yelled "GO!!!" Off we went, racing up the Capital Crescent Trail. Oh look, a dead deer! Black ice! A ten-year-old! Many obstacles attempted to distract us but we ran our hearts out and finished well before the clock hit 30:00. It was an awesome run and we gave it 120%.

Me (looking like a tired old woman) & Allison before the race:

Stoic Marisa & Allison post-race:

Way to go ladies. Keep running!

Susan

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My good friend is having a love affair with the exclamation point! I find it amusing! I always call him on it! He pretends to get mad! Can you see how the over-use of this punctuation mark can be annoying! I think so too!

Five!

Four!

Ok bye!!!
Susan!

Thanks Ma!

Moms always send the best care packages.

A book light:

Home made trail mix:

An interesting article about artificial sweeteners:

Gotcha Garlic - a spicy garlicky seasoning for cooking:

A head lamp:

I saved the best for last - a loving note from my momma:

Roach is still enjoying his gifts from Grandma:

Gotcha Garlic gives couscous and BBQ chicken a nice kick.

My mom rules!
Susan

Passing Strange

If you had the pleasure of experiencing Passing Strange live in theaters, I envy you (Adrian, you're a lucky bastard). I watched Spike Lee's film adaptation on PBS tonight and was blown away by the energy, music, and beautifully crafted words that made this one-of-a-kind show magical from start to finish. It was overwhelmingly original, passionate, funny, witty, and just entrancing. There was so much to take in and I look forward to watching it again.

The kick-ass ensemble:

"Sometimes you gotta lose yourself to find yourself."

Susan

xBox Growing Pains

I am the proud new owner of an xBox 360 and have been playing with my awesome toy every night since Christmas. I'm a n00b to the world of gaming and have accepted the fact that I must crawl before I walk so for starters, my game palette consists of cartoony fun stuff like Lego Star Wars, Lego Batman, Viva Piñata, Rockband 2, and a classic from my childhood - Rootbeer Tapper (weeeeeeeee!). I like all of these games because they make me laugh somewhere along the way. Heck, I even get a kick out of changing my xBox Live avatar on a daily basis. Here is yesterday's outfit. I need to change clothes soon - my virtual diva can't wear the same outfit two days in a row.

So far, my xBox gaming has been lighthearted and manageable ... And then along came Halo.

Halo is a first person shooter game that requires some skill since my character (I just call him MC for Master Chief) must fire quickly, accurately, and avoid being hit by beastly aliens. MC goes on mission after mission in his ultimate quest to destroy the evil Covenant. I'm supposed to be shooting at these homely critters:

But more often, I find myself shooting at this:

Or this:

I experience this weird anxiety when battles begin. It gets the best of me and I start to forget everything I have learned when the aliens are surrounding me.

Why am I turning on my flashlight when I should be firing my weapon?
Why am I running around in circles in the middle of an open field letting everyone pummel me with plasma bullets?
Why do I incessantly charge my enemies head-on when I'm down to one bar of health and my ammo level reads ZERO?
Why did I just fall off that same cliff and plummet to my death... three times in a row?
WHY?!

Will has given me all sorts of good advice: slow down, stay calm, don't panic, aim. So far, the only thing I've mastered is this special move he told me about (which is apparently well-known in the Halo realm). Kids - close your eyes:

Yes... that's what you think it is. MC is tea bagging a dead alien. Awesome.

Funny thing is, I think Halo is my favorite game so far. I love my other silly games but Halo is very challenging and I intend on forging ahead until I finish the game.

Reaching for my joystick,

Susan