What Broom Did You Ride In On?

Well - HAPPY HALLOWEEN....

I am so glad it is Friday and this week from H-E-Double Hockey Sticks is almost over.  From having skin cancer scare, medical insurance issues, work issues, friend issues, sounds to me like I need a vacation!  So... thankfully while eating dinner with my kid last night, he looked at me and said "Aren't you excited, we are leaving for vacation soon?"

He's right... so let me set aside the mundane bullshit of life that will never go away, never end, and always be replaced with SOMETHING ELSE... and focus on the fun and positives!

I have reservations at two wonderful places, one is Gettsyburg, PA, and the best is always for last - MOM's House.   I've added a new fun into the vacation - for the way home - We get to stop in New Jersey and meet up with an old friend of mine from high school for PIZZA...  There is NO pizza like New Jersey pizza and the same goes for Bagels.

So I end my Halloween music entries with the following, something more modern and less classical! Enjoy some Zombie.....

Bon Jour....

I woke up this morning to the alarm, some awful radio station morning program going on with these ridiculous people going on and on, enough to make anyone jump out of bed and run screaming...with these awful, loud nasal American accents-and I know I have that same sound when I talk!!  Do we all have deviated septums?  I heard Habibi fuss at the noise from the nest he made in my covers, so I hit the snooze and curled back up to sleep... finally when I realized I HAD to get out of bed, it's Friday, tomorrow is the weekend, I was waking up in the wrong place... it's all a bad dream... I needed to wake up where I wanted to be in reality....Paris.  

I should be climbing out of my cozy bed in a tiny little flat I'm temporarily renting on my "Tour of Europe" in the Marais... throwing on some comfy clothes, black large sunglasses, my hair up in a messy bun, and grabbing up my little French Bulldog, LuLu-Belle, with her little pink sparkly collar and matching leash, and off we go to the cafe on the corner for a cup of coffee and a croissant. Habibi had to stay back in the USA without his Mummy because he's not a happy traveler.

But, somehow, I was transported out of that wonderful reality to this dull and boring bad dream ... of waking up like an automaton, shower, dress, do hair, feed cats, make sure they have water, make bed, get in car and drive the same route, shake head at bad drivers and glare at the morons who are in a 5 car pile up due to tailgating and speeding at the same time, into the office, make coffee, force on a smile and a happy Good Morning, and then to the usual work drudgery... all in a place that a large concensus considers paradise, Sunny Florida.

My Halloween Music 

A little Johann Sebastian Bach organ to gloom the day and bring in that eerie effect....

A Little Grieg...for some Halloween Spirit....

Peer Gynt is part of my life... I cannot remember any part of my childhood where Grieg's Peer Gynt was not playing in the back ground.  I loved the story, and without any words, just knowing the story, and listening with your eyes shut, you know what is happening in each piece....

So, here's In the Hall of the Mountain King ... where Peer is with the trolls and the Troll King... and trolls aren't very nice, and they are talking about how they could cook Peer, for supposedly getting the Troll Princess pregnant...

The Red Death....

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH

~ Andre Caplet

Edgar Allen Poe's The Masque of the Red Death...

 "And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held 

illimitable dominion over all."

With all that is going on with the Ebola outbreak - no matter what, it's going to spread.... human error, ignorance, selfishness, and idiots running the show.... Poe's story reminds me of today's news.... and it's VERY SCARY!!!!!!!

Goosebumps and Hair Raising Chills......

Stanley Kubrick could not have chosen a more eerie piece for his film, The Shining.  The movie alone, the storyline enough, to create nightmares - but add this to the soundtrack, and you have the most frightening film... this music, alone, no film, just itself, brings goosebumps and chills .... enjoy!!!!!!!

Béla Bartók - Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, III

Bartók's Night Music

In the "Spirit" of Things Halloween....

I remember when I was in 1st grade, just a little 6 year old, and we had Music class...my favorite class besides Art... it was Halloween, and our teacher played "Danse Macabre" for us... and how I loved it.... it's one of my all time favorite pieces, any time of the year!!!!!  It just builds you up, you imagine Death playing his fiddle surrounded by waltzing skeletons!!!!!!!!!!  I hope you find it as wonderful as I do.....

Written with inspiration from the following poem, "Égalité, Fraternité...", Henri Cazalis' l'Illusion.

Zig, zig, zig, Death in cadence,

Striking a tomb with his heel,

Death at midnight plays a dance-tune,

Zig, zig, zag, on his violin.

The winter wind blows, and the night is dark;

Moans are heard in the linden trees.

White skeletons pass through the gloom,

Running and leaping in their shrouds.

Zig, zig, zig, each one is frisking,

You can hear the cracking of the bones of the dancers.

A lustful couple sits on the moss

So as to taste long lost delights.

Zig zig, zig, Death continues

The unending scraping on his instrument.

A veil has fallen! The dancer is naked.

Her partner grasps her amorously.

The lady, it's said, is a marchioness or baroness

And her green gallant, a poor cartwright.

Horror! Look how she gives herself to him,

Like the rustic was a baron.

Zig, zig, zig. What a saraband!

They all hold hands and dance in circles.

Zig, zig, zag. You can see in the crowd

The king dancing among the peasants.

But hist! All of a sudden, they leave the dance,

They push forward, they fly; the cock has crowed.

Oh what a beautiful night for the poor world!

Long live death and equality!

Fatniss....

I decided to call Noomi.... Fatniss - after Katniss in The Hunger Games.  

This chunk of a cat is the sweetest thing that ever walked the Earth... she puts my Prince, Habibi, to shame.  Last night she just wanted to do Head Bumps... so we bumped heads for about 5 minutes, she got some ear scratches, and the she curled up with me and just purred herself to sleep... and I passed right out with her! TV going, computer on, lights on in the house, too early to be taking naps...but when Fatniss wants you to take a nap, you take a nap!!!!!  

One of Those Days....

I had my favorite pair of red suede sandals in its box, in my closet, safe and dust free, etc. - guess what?  They dry rotted or something because when I got to work, the bottom of one disintegrated.  I am now forced to have to sit barefoot at my desk - but when I go around the office I have a choice of 4 1/2 inch platforms I cannot walk in anymore or the tightest, most painful little red patent leather pointy witchy flats OR a pair of Steve Madden Crocheted Clogs that look like bedroom slippers... Slippers won.....

I had a really awful asthma attack when I got to work... looking at the weather report - it states today is a HIGH 10- Extreme for Dust and Dander.  No wonder I'm dying.... and gasping for air!!!!!  Allergies won....

BUT

It's FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!! AND that is JOYFUL NEWS!!!!!!!!!

Tonight when I get home I will be starting the Bread Starter for my Italian Peasant Loaf and  I'll bake tomorrow evening after I am finished:

SHOPPING!!!!!

The Green Alligator - a boutique toy store with unique toys and books, to shop for my incredibly adorable, beautiful, brilliant 1 yr old nephew!!!!!!!!!!  Can't go visit him without bearing wonderful gifts!!!!!!!

Another little Boutique/Gift Shop - for some early Christmas shopping for my mother....

AND - SO EXCITED - FINALLY - I'm going to NORDSTROM's to see if I can find any new clothes for myself.... they just opened!!!!!!!!!  I cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We have a NORDSTROM!!!!  I can actually replace the pair of beautiful shoes that broke!

Slow Cooking.... Apricot BBQ Chicken

Apricot BBQ Chicken

4-6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

1 jar of Apricot Preserves

1 sm. bottle of Baby Rays Sweet BBQ Sauce

1 packet of Onion Soup Mix

Slow cook 4-6 hours on low (I'm having to do it for 8 hours and hoping all goes well)

Served over rice and garnished with some chopped green onion (Scallions)

I will be using Whole Foods Frozen Organic Jasmine Rice - a bag with 5 cups of rice, $2.99 - that bag will work for 3 dinners for 2 people - I think it is the greatest savings!

Wish me luck...... I bought a brand new slow cooker.  I hope I don't burn the house down!!!!!!  Kid just called and said he was off to training classes with work, but he checked on the chicken because it SMELLED SO GOOD!