I Ain't Dead - YET

Well I'm not dead. Life just gets in the way sometimes. Some things I've learned since my last post: POLITICS MOST of the American Electorate is of questionable intelligence, and reading comprehension skill. MOST Americans believe the OTHER GUY lies, but not THEIR political pony. THEY ALL LIE. I miss being in Europe where I never had to watch a damn election campaign 'message'. Nov, & then Jan, can not come soon enough. EDUCATION Apparently I have a much larger vocabulary than a lot of my fellow Americans. It spans all states, overseas locations, and life styles. Coming from teachers I've never considered myself that verbose. I am very glad we live in the school district we do. However I'm deeply depressed by the surrounding school districts and their apparently complete lack of teaching any form of education. Virginians do NOT do Homecoming Mums! I'm still in complete shock over that one. It has been long enough since I went through school that I STILL hate Algebra! No matter which of my children is attempting to do it. CHILD REARING My oldest child is convinced I'm a moron. My middle child is a pain in the butt, however she's a fantastic kid when she wants to be. My youngest child has turned into a holy whiny terror! PETS Adopted 4 new ones. Two dogs, two cats. So now we're up to 5 humans, 4 cats, 3 dogs, 2 fish. I live in a freakin' menagerie!! Not the crappy Tennessee Williams kind either. I'm still working on the chicken / duck coop.

Settlin' down .... in VA??

Well it seems that we will be in VA for a few more years yet so we're buying the house. Guess I now have a reason to start shipping in some of the cast iron Texas memorabilia - giant cacti of all descriptions, a giant Texas star, etc.

Gotta become the nearest Consulate Outpost of the Republic! Open to all Texans on the Eastern seaboard when they're in need of tamales, chili, fresh tortillas, Shiner, and just good ol' Texas camaraderie.

I don't think VA will EVER be the same again!

Kitchen Nightmares - Season 2

Well, I've looked up the season 2 restaurants for Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares as listed on Wikipedia. The results are in, and they aren't that pretty....

S2-Ep1 Handlebar in Mount Sinai, NY - CLOSED *Out of business, renamed "The Skybox" which is also out of business.

S2-Ep2 Giuseppi's Trattoria in Macomb Township, MI - CLOSED.

S2-Ep3 Trobiano's Ristorante in Great Neck, NY - CLOSED *Apparently seized by the authorities for failure to pay taxes.*

S2-Ep4 Black Pearl in New York City, NY - CLOSED *A complete and epic failure from the management team. The only one who tried got screwed over by fatso David the bully who threatened to use a gun. Really can't say I feel sorry for this one. Especially given the vitriol that bluddo is still trying to force down the gullet of the eating public.*

S2-Ep5 J Willy's in South Bend, IN - CLOSED *This one lasted a good 3 years from its show on Kitchen Nightmares so while closed, it had a decent run afterward.

S2-Ep6 Hannah & Masons's Deli in Cranbury, NJ - CLOSED

S2-Ep7 Jack's Waterfront Restaurant in Saint Clair, MI - CLOSED

S2-Ep8 Sabatiello's Italian Grille Restaurant in Stamford, CT - CLOSED *It seems this one closed, almost immediately after the KN episode aired, however it seems that a new(ish) Sabatiello's Pizzaria opened elsewhere owned by the same man. I guess we can call this one a DRAW!

S2-Ep9 Fiesta Sunrise in West Nyack, NY - CLOSED *This one was seized for failure to pay taxes as well.*

S2-Ep10 Sante La Brea in Midwest City, Los Angeles, CA - CLOSED *As of June 2011 the restaurant closed down. It survived 3 years post KN so it had a good run none the less.

S2-Ep11 Cafe 36 in La Grange, IL - CLOSED

Um, YOWZA!!! Not a single restaurant from season 2 remains open. That's 11 CLOSED down, though 2 (Sante La Brea & J Willy's) did put up a fight. We also Have Sabatiello's is a draw (at best). Season 2 you were a cruel, cruel mistress!

Kitchen Nightmares - Season 1

Season 1 (as listed by Wikipedia) restaurants are checked against Yelp, Google, Zagat & any other sites linked for the information.

S1-Ep1 Peter's in Babylon, NY - CLOSED

S1-Ep2 Purnima in New York, NY - OPEN *Was originally named "Dillon's" which is currently just the name of the bar.

S1-Ep3 The Mixing Bowl Eatery in Bellmore, NY - CLOSED

S1-Ep4 The Seascape in Islip, NY - CLOSED *was sold, then turned into "The Coast Bistro & Bar" which has since closed as well*

S1-Ep5 The Olde Stone Mill in Tuckahoe, NY - OPEN and seems to be doing well

S1-Ep6 Sebastian's in Taluca Lake, CA - CLOSED *filmed in season 1, aired in season 2

S1-Ep7 Finn McCool's Irish Pub in Westhampton Beach, NY - OPEN & from the looks of it doing well. *SOLD as of the end of Season 1, but still open under the same name.

S1-Ep8 Lela's Fine Dining in Pomona, CA - CLOSED

S1-Ep9 Campania's in Fair Lawn, NJ - CLOSED

S1-Ep10 The Secret Garden in Moorpark, CA - OPEN and seems to be doing well.

So our total for Season 1 restaurants are 6 CLOSED, 4 OPEN. Not a terrible amount of closures, but not pretty either. Considering some sold, and still closed, I think we can chock those up to a bad economy.

Up next .... Season 2!

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares

So the kids & I dig Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares on Fox. BBC America is running a marathon today, leading up to a new episode tonight.

The cafes got me thinking. I wouldn't mind trying a few of them, so I started looking them up. The results aren't good. So I decided to go from ground zero & look up each restaurant. The results are REALLY not good.

I'm going to break it down by seasons, offer a tally, and see just how much or little help Chef Ramsay brings to dying restaurants. Considering the economic fiasco of the last few years, we may need to chock it up to bad times or bad food. If anyone has eaten at a joint listed, feel free to leave a comment about it!

PIPA & SOPA

Well we blacked out the web yesterday, which caused quite a few elected officials some serious discomfort. SOPA & PIPA were battered and bruised at midnight, but they're not dead (yet). We must keep the heat on DC, the Senate plans to vote on PIPA on the 24th of January.

We clogged up the switchboard, we took down their servers with the amount of traffic, we yelled & DC heard! It isn't over yet!

If you:

love the free internet...

you believe the government has no business in censoring search results...

that big business has done enough damage to the experiment that is American Democracy..

you love your First Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech...

you believe your rights shouldn't be trampled on for $$...

you believe that Congress should not do an end zone run around the Judicial branch...

you believe that no one should be able to steal your website with the help of Congress, or anyone else...

you believe the RIAA, MPAA, and Rupert Murdock do NOT have your best interests at heart by trying to shut down the web...

you believe that there are better ways to combat internet piracy than to steal websites, censor results and lie to the people...


CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS!!

Do so EVERY day. Email is good, phones are better, and in person is best!! I understand that not everyone can get to their elected official's nearest office (VA is no where near SA, TX) but you CAN have your voice heard!

Contact your Representative, your Senators, and the White House.

Big Business may think they own DC, but they don't. There's far more of us than there are of them & their $$ will only get them so far. Stand up & be counted. Shout out & be heard.

STOP PIPA & SOPA!!!

December 7, 1941

70 years ago Pearl Harbor was attacked. Even though it would be recorded tomorrow due to the International Date Line, the Philippines were attacked. My great-grandfather was in the Philippines (prepping for his retirement from Army service after 29 years) when the attack happened. He would later go into captivity for 4 long years as a POW of the Japanese.



Seventy years later, there are those of us that still remember, that still honor the sacrifices of those who would bare the brunt of a dastardly, cowardly attack. War is ugly, there is no pretty face to it no matter what the UN might want as "rules of war", but the least one nation can do is to say "we're going to war" with their enemy. We were not given that warning, but I dare say we rose to the attack, shook off our shock, honored our dead and then went on to defend the Western world.

In the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt:

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives:

Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.

Fewer and fewer of those men and women who defended their nation, their ideals, their civilization, remain with us each passing day. Take today to remember them. Take today to thank a WWII vet, a Korea, Vietnam, Dessert Storm/Shield, War on Terror vet. Take a moment to give thanks to the divine (the cosmos, whatever you believe in) that those men & women were there & heeded the call to do what had to be done. Thank their families for what they endured, thank their fellow vets for what they do. Remember America, those who serve you quietly every day and ask little to nothing in return.


Family lore is that when the US Army folks came to tell my great-grandmother that her husband was captured, presumed dead her reply was that they were welcome to visit the house again, WHEN her husband returned as she KNEW he would. She would have to wait 4 very long, I'm sure terribly draining & tense, years but I doubt heaven itself would have bet against her. He DID return to his wife, his children, and then get to see several of his grandchildren born. This after having been lost behind enemy lines in WWI as a messenger, for a week! The Army really should have known he'd come back but my great-grandmother had faith in her husband! I have that kind of faith in my husband. I have that faith in the men & women who serve this great nation, 70 years on from a terrible day. Have faith, America! We shall always triumph as long as we believe in our values, our morals, our people.