Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Happy Hanukkah!

Vacation Time!

Mr. B and I are enjoying a much needed rest at Frenchy's House Party's Florida Clubhouse in Ft Myers. I'll try to do some posting but, who knows what'll happen here next? We're heading out to explore the area to see the sights. More soon...


By the way.. A big "Thank You" to AnneMarie (Stella) and Bruce, our hosts, for their amazing generosity! We love them both!

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Throwback Thanksgiving!

Here's a few items from Thanksgivings past.. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Getting ready at Frenchy's House Party Clubhouse 2008



The gang at Shelly Shores 2001. Tobin, Bunnie, Bob, Sarah, Frenchy and Joe

At Hedge House 2002. Me, Mr. B. Tobin, Bob, Bunnie and Joe

And Thanksgiving 2008 with Me, Tobin, Bob, Sal, Deb and Red






Monday, November 24, 2014

Public Service Announcement: If you haven't taken your turkey out of the freezer, do it NOW!

It takes quite a while to defrost that bird. Take it out of the freezer today! Here's a handy chart for figuring out how long it takes: 


So, if you have a 20-24 pounder... You're screwed! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

We now return you to your holiday breakdown, already in progress...

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Throwback Thursday; New Slide Scanner Edition

Mr B came home last weekend with a slide scanner, which I have been wishing for for some time, and I went right to work. Here are some of the first scanned items. My attorneys are Wynn & Wynn...

Birthday party for Bob at The Bee Hive Tavern, c. 1994

Frenchy at a wedding in Jamestown, RI c. 1987

Sarah Holl's wedding to (I don't remember his name), Dr. Lord's Beach, Dennis.

Mary Kaye Maxwell and Sarah Bassett at Hedge House, Christmas, late 1980's.

Frenchy & Tobin, same Christmas dinner

Cocktail party at David olearcek's. David, Frenchy, David J, Christine, Joanne and Keith Miller

Slumber Party at Frenchy's House Party, 1994. We did Queen Helene facial masks, made fudge, froze our underwear... the works!

Judy Welch mixing up some refreshemnts

Beth Gilmore and Tracey Sossell at our holiday party c. 1993

Kevin Nolan. Same holiday party

Susan, Gina, Mary Bunnie and Chris. Same holiday party

Cilla and Roy Dreier.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

And the problem is??


Maybe if he'd included old male drivers too...
A New Jersey police officer was arrested Monday on suspicion of exposing his genitals to several young male drivers during late-night traffic stops.
Jason Miller, a 37-year-old officer with the Newton, N.J. Police Department, was charged with two counts of official misconduct and a count of lewdness, according to a statement from Chief Michael Richards and the Sussex County prosecutor's office.
Miller was released on $35,000 bail and is suspended without pay pending the outcome of thecriminal case, according to the statement.
A probable cause affidavit obtained by The Smoking Gun shows that investigators had looked into five alleged encounters between Miller and men ages 18 to 26 that took place over a seven-month period.
A 22-year-old identified as A.B. sparked the investigation when he called the Newton Police Department with an anonymous tip alleging that an officer exposed himself during a traffic stop and made him feel "sexually harassed," according to the affidavit.
A.B. then led investigators to others who had unusual encounters with Miller, the document states, including one man who A.B. said was asked "several disturbing questions and one was about his sexuality." Authorities said in the affidavit that they had video evidence corroborating the men's statements.
Miller did not issue any tickets during the five stops investigators reviewed, either, even though one driver had expired insurance and registration and another admitted to drinking alcoholbefore driving.
Miller's lawyer told NJ.com that his client, a father of two and a member of the police force since 2001, "is an excellent officer who vehemently denies these allegations, as they are false and baseless."
Image via Newton Auxiliary Police Department

Friday, November 14, 2014

Wanted: Headline Editor

Apply: Washington Post Social Media


Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Shopping for a nice Chocolate Babka?

I recently decided that I wanted to have a nice piece of chocolate babka and not wanting to go through the whole 'patshken zikh mit' of making one myself, I thought "why not order from Zabar's?" Why not, I discovered?  Because they make a dry, dry, heavy babka that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy, that's why. What we got was just awful. 

I was listening to my friend Anne Levine's radio show (The Anne Levine Show on WOMR) and she was talking about babka on her show 'Where's the Pickle?'. She was talking about shopping online (she has a Black Belt in online shopping) and mentioned Zabar's and babka. As I was driving while I was listening to her show (podcast) I only heard every other word and I thought I should tell her of my experience with Zabar's babka, so I texted her immediately upon arriving at the office. She agreed that they were not the best babka (by any means) and that I should shop for my babka at Barney Greengrass instead. I haven't ordered from them yet but I will and let you know. In the meantime here's a nice photo of what I should expect to receive. 

Chocolate Babka
541 Amsterdam Avenue, NY, NY 
Maybe I should try the sturgeon too... Thanks for the tip Anne!

Posing...

Vivian Vance

Saturday, November 08, 2014

Oh no they di-int! They did not just plot to kill HMtQ!

Vanity Fair reports that security forces in London have arrested 4 men alleged to have planned to assassinate The Queen, by stabbing her this Sunday, as she was honoring the fighting men and women of The UK at a wreath laying on Remembrance Day. Read the shocking story below:
HMtQ
London tabloid The Sun reported Friday night that British police have arrested four suspects who, a source said, were allegedly planning to kill the Queen of England as part of an Islamist terror plot.Per the report, the four suspects allegedly planned to stab Britain’s 88-year-old sovereign at the Royal British Legion Festival, a military celebration held at Royal Albert Hall.Police are said to have arrested the four men, who range from the age of 19 to 27, during multiple raids on Thursday evening. The four individuals were reportedly thought to have been plotting to assassinate the Queen with a knife.The Sun added that “the men were held on suspicion of being concerned in the ‘commission, preparation or instigation’ of terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000. They were taken to police stations in central London.”Despite the security threat, the Queen is reportedly insistent that she carry out her responsibility on Remembrance Sunday, which involves her laying the first wreath to “The Glorious Dead” this weekend.
Developing. . .


"Scene" Today

Driving back from Anne Levine's house today I spied this glorious Acer Palmatum Japonica (Japanese Maple) and I had to pull right over and snap a couple of photos. This is why I love these plants. For one or two days in the fall they blaze with the most intense color and then the leaves fall off en masse. But for those two days...

This was taken today



This was taken 5 years ago at our home in Brewster, the day before all of the leaves fell off.


Saturday, October 25, 2014

Diet Update Week 24: The struggle continues

Well, October 9th has come and gone and I have not met my goal of 70 pounds lost. I have had a couple of setbacks (here and here) but it's just part of the struggle. I had gotten to 61 pounds lost but then I had a little "hiccup" and put back on 6.9 pounds. I am pleased to say that after 1 week of intensive paying attention to my diet and being a good boy I have lost that 6.9 pounds and am back to having lost those 61 pounds! That's 6.9 pounds lost in 5 days for those keeping score! It's very difficult to keep with this. I just realized that when I was thinking of what I was going to do today my first thought was "I think I'll make a nice loaf of oatmeal bread" while I do my housecleaning. See? The food thing is insidious! I printed out the recipe and everything before I realized what I was doing! Ugh!

Wish me luck!

What are you doing today?

Mr. B's car is having a fit so today he has my car. That means I am trapped at the clubhouse for the day. I could sit in front of the computer all day making trouble or I could do something. Perhaps this is the perfect time to do some housework that has been piling up. I have just downloaded the new Aretha album so I think I'll just play that and get the place cleaned up. I find it's easier to be motivated when I have some girls doing backup vocals while I chase the vacuum around. 
What are you up to today?

Friday, October 24, 2014

Lifestyles of the Rich and Tasteless

Every now and then I run a cross a story about a beautiful house by the ocean that I would love to live in. I saw one recently and thought "how beautiful"! And then I saw the inside...

Beautiful house, yes? Those look like hydrangeas waiting for summer to make the approach just gorgeous. Nice place!



The back porch. What a glamorous view! Fabulous!



Another view of the back of the house



Now we move indoors. Where do I begin? Is it with the bizarre Viennese poof drapes? Is it the cocktail table/sofa combo that looks like it was moved from Adnan Kashoggi's yacht in 1970? Is it the cheap clear glass Christmas Tree Shops Lamps? Or is it the pickled white window frames and marble topped end tables? How awful!



This must be a "breakfast nook". The perriwinkle blue cushions on the goofy knot chairs are kinda classic, but matched with tat lilac sofa arrangement makes the room look nuts! We're not going to comment on the poorly scaled hanging lighting, the weird basement windows over the sofa.


So here's a sitting area in the lounge. Note the multi-level plastic cocktail table the mis-matched upholstery on the club chairs and the silly statuary far too large for that niche. I really like the fireplace screen but it's hard to see the one nice thing in the room, because of that shockingly bad painting over the fireplace purchased off of the back of a pick up truck in a Taco Bell parking lot in Encino.


Would you want to cook in that kitchen?? I am not enjoying all of this wood work here folks. Put some frigging paint on the wood.. PLEASE!



You own a house like this and you haven't upgraded the appliances since the early 70's? Shame on you!

As I have said time and time again... If you can afford a house like this, you can afford to hire someone with taste to decorate it. If you don't you probably vote for Republicans and are too stupid to notice that your home is being dished by a big queen from Cape Cod. (Sorry about the political input there.. it slipped out.)

Some honesty from Frenchy here

You all know how I feel about Republicans and Christianists and Conservatives in general. They are the lowest forms of life for (and forgive the florid rhetoric) creating an environment where some people feel it's their "Christian" duty to deny even the basics of life, liberty and the pursuit of liberty to LGBT folks using the Bible as their manifesto. I sometimes get so frustrated with the sheer volume of stories that appear before me about the damage to our society they cause that I can't decide whether to post them and try to let other people know how disgusting they are or not because of emotional exhaustion from constant exposure to their shameful antics. I have just read a great story about how, during the last elections Mitt Romney said that President Obama should get 'full credit or blame' for the shockingly high gas prices. The Republicans/Conservatives echoed this foolish rhetoric and screamed out 'that's right!' Now that gas prices have reached their lowest (national average) in 3 years.. Crickets. 

Normally I would post that whole story (read it here if you'd like) but I don't have the energy today. So for the next few days I'm steering clear of politics and sticking to fun and fabulous stuff. 

So forgive this post and I hope you enjoy the following ones until I get my strength back. 

-Francois du Cap Moreau-