Auntie Em, Auntie Em! Where's Toto?!

55 mile wind speeds today! Watch out...a house may drop on you.

Geek Chic

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Apparently "my type" isn't hard to pick out (according to my own boyfriend...Mark).

We had a fun day yesterday - walked Libby, decorated our Christmas tree (it's a chalet theme for anyone who cares...this entails lots of woodsy animal ornaments such as owls and foxes, which are cool). We also made chili with our new Crock Pot (whoa...so exciting, I know) and chocolate covered cherries. Oh, and my friend Alison and I took Libby for a walk on Hwy 40 (it reopened today).

To celebrate all that we accomplished, Mark picked out Star Trek to watch...and I wasn't even mid-way through saying Spock was hot and he had already guessed it...apparently my type is geeky, but with an edge (I like to think it's because I am not attracted to meat head idiots, but whatever).

A few others I "admire":
David Bowie























James McAvoy




















Gregory Peck





















Not sure...is there a trend?

Happy Bunday!

Creepy

In Nazi Mystery: Twins from Brazil, National Geographic Explorer investigates the mind-boggling occurrence of multiples in a German community deep in Brazil.

El Bulli

I can't stop thinking about how badly I would like to run off to Spain and eat at El Bulli! Considered the world's best restaurant, reservations open on January 1 and are typically sold out for the entire year at days end.

Ohhhh....I want to go!!! Who is in??

El Bulli is located in Roses, Spain, is about 1 1/2 hours northeast of Barcelona, if you're driving fast (and you are). Here are some tips I found in Food + Wine about going:

* Arrive early. Adrià's good friend, star Spanish chef José Andrés, recommends going to the adjoining beach before dinner to watch the sunset. Which is nice in theory but tricky if you're wearing high heels. Alternately, sit on El Bulli's lovely patio and have a pre-dinner G&T made with small-batch gin and deoxygenated ice cubes.

* Don't just drink Champagne. Insiders recommend sticking with bubbles for the course of the meal, since the dishes range from "rabbit ear crunchy" to Gorgonzola mochi to prawns that are simultaneously sashimi and tempura. But the wine list is extensive, and the sommeliers are terrific. We loved Freddy, whose real name is Ferran but who had to change it because the other Ferran didn't want to change his. My colleague at Travel + Leisure, Nilou Motamed, has more details on this and on our favorite wine, 2008 Plou I Fa Sol, in her excellent slide show.

* Stay overnight in Roses. Obviously, it makes life easier than if you try to drive back to Barcelona after dinner, given how much you drink during the 30-odd-course meal (a lot). But the town is also very pretty and gives you a useful context for El Bulli's food, which has a lot more to do with local ingredients than I ever would have thought.

I had a lovely dinner last night at Dressel's for my friend Alison's birthday. We got to talking and somehow the conversation came to the Beales of Grey Gardens (Jackie O's cousins). If you aren't familiar with their story, check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Bouvier_Beale

And then watch this video:


Their story is so interesting. Part of me wonders if at some point Little Edie's mind just snapped in order for her to survive.

If you see me wearing pants on my head as a wrap, commit me ASAP.

Holiday Cards

My first Etsy purchase - holiday cards! Aren't they precious?