No Soup For You!

In 2007, it was estimated that a little over 2,067,000 people live in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

On any given Saturday night, it is my estimation that approximately 2,066,500 of those people will be heading out to local restaurants for dinner.

If you are losers like us, and don't have reservations, you usually have to begin your quest for a coveted table around 4:30 p.m., if you have ANY hope of getting a table somewhere.

But who the heck wants to eat dinner at 4:30 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon?

Not us.

So...last night, we gambled...we headed down to the Plaza of Kansas City and found ourselves at one of our favorite dining spots, the Grand Street Cafe, arriving at the still-rather-early hour of 5:30 p.m. We were hopeful. We were hungry. And apparently, we were very naive.

We walked in, strolled up to the hostess table, where the maitre d' gave us the once over and said, "How may I help you?"

Apologetically, we answered, "We realize we don't have reservations, but we were hoping for a table for two...." and our voices trailed off with just the slightest bit of a whiny beg at the end....

The Grand Poo-bah of Tables then asked, "Do you have a reservation?"

"Uh, sorry...no. That's what we just said."

"It's Valentine's Day weekend," he pointed out.

I guess that was to impress upon us what losers we were by not having reservations on a Saturday night during Valentine's weekend. Like we didn't already know that. He didn't need to impress that upon us.

He continued, "All of our tables are booked for the night."

Our hearts sank.

"However...." he added.

Our hopes rose.

"We DO offer limited seating at what we call the 'Chef's Table.' Would you like to check it out?"

His tone implied that the Chef's Table was only one step up from eating in the gutter out the back door of the restaurant by the garbage cans.

But. We were hungry. And hungry beggars can't be choosy, right?

So, off to the Chef's Table we went. And the results?

Sitting at the Chef's Table was an experience like no other. It's like Culinary Crack for the wanna-be chef. Hubby and I think of ourselves as wanna-be chefs, so this was right up our ally.

It was the Super Bowl, the World Series, and the Stanley Cup all rolled into one for anyone even slightly interested in cooking.

Hubs and I sat at a counter overlooking the kitchen, where we watched the somewhat chaotic, but highly-synchronized choreography of a professional staff pushing out the most wonderful-looking, and probably most fantastically-tasting food....it was AWESOME!

We sat there for a good hour, enthralled, while eating the most delicious food ourselves. WHAT A SHOW!!!

And afterwards, when we went to a live theater venue, where we watched an amazing production put on by local actors, we really couldn't decide what had been the better show...the restaurant? Or the theater?

So now? We're going to go back and ON PURPOSE, request the Chef's Table at the Grand Street Cafe.

I think I just want to see the look on the maitre d's face when we do that. Hee.

Peace.

A Bieber Blessing

Dear Lord of the Universe:

I know I have a lot of things to be thankful for...my health; my family; my friends - and all of the hundreds of blessings you've brought into my life.

There is ONE particular blessing I need to particularly mention tonight, as it's a big one.

Thank you for the gift of a daughter...who is NOT a Justin Bieber fan.

That is all.

Peace.

How Do They DO That??!!

With thanks to fellow blogger Mental P Mama, I took one of those weird-yet-so-true personality tests - The Castle Personality Test - floating around the internet, and my results are as follows:

You Are A Thoughtful Idealist

You have no problem diving into new experiences. You're so brave that you don't even notice how courageous you are.
I would say this is somewhat true - I DO like new experiences...however, I don't know that I've ever called myself courageous before. Put a giant, hairy spider in the room, and you'll see what a coward I truly am!

You like to think that people see you as dramatic and fascinating. You do your best to seem mysterious.
Me? Dramatic? Fascinating? Duh. I AM the Drama Queen, after all! I don't know that I try to seem mysterious, though...usually with me, what you see is what you get....

You are a very romantic person. You can't help but see the world as it should be.
Yes. So true. And my heart gets broken when the world - or people - don't live up to my expectations. Sigh.

Right now, you feel like the whole world is open to you. You see lots of possibilities.
Always. There's always possibilities - new things to see, new things to learn, new people to meet, new things to DO!

Overall, your life is calm and steady. Not much stirs you, and each day is full of joy.
I would say this is definitely true. I do try to find the joy in each day - whether it's the joy of something my kids say or do, the joy of a good meal, the joy of a great lunch with a friend, the joy of something learned, or the joy of my family.

You are extremely optimistic about the future. You feel like things are always getting better.
Spot-on.

So, I guess that test was weirdly accurate, yes?

How do they DO that?! Weird.

If nothing else, it gave me a minute of fun on a peaceful Friday afternoon!

Peace.

A Severe Case of B.O.

I've been suffering from a severe case of B.O. lately, and it's rather embarrassing.

Oh - you thought I meant "Body Odor" - as in I stink?

OMG, NO! Not THAT B.O.!!!! Gah - that would be awful!

No...I mean the OTHER type of B.O.

As in "Brain Overload."

Perhaps you've heard of it?

It's a rather severe case of trying to cram Too Much Information into my itty, bitty brain - and frankly, there's just not room for it all, so some of it is getting pushed out, kicked to the curb, leaving me in some rather embarrassing situations.

For instance, yesterday.

I KNEW I had a 2:00 p.m. meeting at the Red Cross office. Yes, that much I knew. I also knew that, being in charge of that meeting, that I needed to get to the office a little early so I could get things prepared.

I figured I would leave my house around noon...and due to idiot drivers on the road traffic, snow-packed slick roads, and just-plain-too-much-distance-between-my-house-and-the-office...I wouldn't arrive until 1:00 p.m.

But that's still plenty of time to prepare, right? Grab a snack and a drink...sit down at my desk...catch up on e-mail...prepare the agenda... make copies of the agenda for everyone...relax ahead of time....No rushing...

Right?

So, I'm relaxing at home yesterday morning, and it's about 11:00 a.m., when I check my daily calendar.

And see that in addition to the 2:00 pm meeting I KNEW about, I ALSO had a NOON meeting at Red Cross.

That I totally forgot about.

It's in ONE HOUR.

And I have a ONE HOUR drive.

Yikes.

You've never seen a girl get ready so fast - throw on my boots, brush my hair, re-spray the perfume, grab a coke on my way out the door - and hit the road.

I JUST made it to the office in time for the noon meeting. Whew. (And there was PIZZA! Yum!)

But I had no time to get prepared for the 2:00 pm meeting. Ack.

I winged it.

B.O. will have you doing that more and more - as it's happening more and more where I am just plain forgetting things. I refuse to put this down to getting older - or menopause - or hormones - or whatever.

It's simply due to my itty-bitty pea brain. It's not my fault.

Really.

Please tell me I'm not alone in suffering from B.O....

Peace.

Our Future Rocket Scientist

If you're a regular reader of this blog, than you know that most posts involving my family also involve a little snark. In a loving way, of course.

So...when a rare opportunity comes along for me to actually brag about a family member, than I have to take it. As the saying goes, "it may never pass this way again"...although, in reality, I don't think that's true.

I really have some great kids, who I know will give me many opportunities to brag as the years go by - so forgive me if I take each and every one of them. As any proud parent would do.

Last night, Dear Daughter received an award at her elementary school as the 5th-grade "Super Citizen" of the month.

The month's theme was for Outstanding Academic Achievement - so it was just validation that my daughter is super-smart, and is further proof that she obviously takes after me. As if there were any doubt.

Hubby and I are justifiably proud of her, and we now expect nothing less than a future at an Ivy-League college with a career in Rocket Science. With a full scholarship, of course.

No pressure, though.

Peace.