(no subject)

I've stated this before, but when I was little and my mother wasn't home I'd wrap a towel around my head, step into my mother's heels, and _become_ Diana Ross.

This is why:

I can still feel the comfort and thrill of duplicating that arm-out, shoulders-up, head-forward pose. Why I didn't turn out to be a drag queen is anyone's guess.

I also remember seeing them on TV and knowing that there was no way I could shriek and leap up and sing along like I wanted to.

That hair, that makeup, those expressions, those

OK

There is an empty lot behind us, it's a weird configuration (as much of our little neighborhood is) - much of the lot is hill/palisade and it's at the end of a very narrow unpaved street that's accessed through other narrow streets. Since last March I've been going to zoning board meetings every month because the people who bought the lot wanted to excavate deep into the cliff, cover the entire lot with a 16ft high platform under which there would be parking for 21 cars, and on top of the platform build 5 4-story and 3 3-story townhouses.

At the tallest it would be 60+ feet. The part that would be 4 ft from our property line (which is the highest point of our sloped lot) would have the platform, lights on 24 hours of course, and on top of it a 3-story townhouse. There would absolutely no chance of privacy in our backyard and it would have blocked several hours of light in the afternoon.

It's been going on for a long time because of a number of different delays and last night was the night they finally took a vote. I wasn't optimistic because in the past this board has granted every variance from a developer that came before them (they are not so generous with homeowners.) There's a high probability of a lot of money changing hands as everyone seems to be involved in everyone else's business. Thankfully, though, it was unanimously turned down. I guess it was just too big, and I know that that that 21-car parking structure in a residential neighborhood pushed some people over the edge. So we have to wait until they sell the property and the whole thing starts over again.

For xmas Ernie's parents gave us BB&B gift certificates and it was difficult to use them since we pretty much buy whatever we need. I'd had my eye on crockpots (or "slow cookers" as they're called now) that are more low-slung than they used to be with more of the configuration of a braising pot than a deep bucket, so that meats can sit in and above the liquid instead of under it. We first bought the cheaper Kitchenaid model that online reviews said had a problem where the ceramic pot would crack. I tested it with water first and indeed, CRACK, so we took it back and got the pretty shiny All-Clad model (it was rated the highest by Cooks Illustrated so it wasn't just about showing off.) If we really wanted to show off we would have gotten the Williams Sonoma deluxe model with the non-stick metal insert that lets you sear meats in the pot and then put it in the slow cooker. But I am really distrustful of non-stick coatings both in terms of durability as well as nasty chemicals in food (and since the food sits in it for so long, it seems even more of an issue.) Not that the ceramic glaze is free from risk. ::sigh::





Made short rib pot roast last night and it was perfect.

I'm excited about going to Hawaii (Kauai and Maui) but I keep thinking there's something critical we've forgotten to do. I guess we'll find out!